True Names of Faeries
by Blinded
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Extracted from Index to Races of Firstborn 15th edition by Paolo Masini:
Of many peculiarities of the Faeries, the first things that caught attention of the humans and went so far as being included in Kingdom of Tristain's very first documents in regard to Faery culture, was their names.
While initially the Faeries lacked the ability to read in any known languages except their own runes, their mastery of languages of Halkegenia and beyond was on-par with Spirits. However this gift of Tongues rarely extended to their names, often time one worded jumbles of strange noises that went beyond understanding of human scholars.
Odder still was presence of those with proper and widely recognized halkegenian names from different countries and different periods of history, names such as Alicia Rue, Klein, Mortimer, Morgiana and Eugene, and far away lands such as Rub al Khali, names such as Imran and (which is noted to be from the same root as elven name Ari).
It was name of the famed Undine scholar-philosopher and first Count of Orlein, Lord Thinker that finally shed some light into the mystery. It was only a matter of deduction to realize that the famous Faery intellectual was indeed named after this trait of his.
Upon further questioning and study it was revealed that with very few exception Faeries rarely, if ever, used their True Names from their mystical home-plane of IRL and considered using their True Names by those NOT explicitly permitted to be a very rude gesture.
In order to avoid using their true name the Faeries generally use Avatar/Alias Name, names generally picked on whim or based on significant events of life by the Faery themselves. According to the Author's observations a Faery picks an Avatar's Name as soon as he or she is able to use his or her wings to fly unaided.
It is unclear whether or not hiding their True Name is merely cultural oddity of Faeries or has greater significance and if the housewives talks about how knowing a Faery's name allows you to exert some degree of power over him or her is just wishful thinking or not but this rarely hindered curious scholars and adventurers from trying to pry these True Names.
In one particular incident the heretical Oliver Cromwell of the accursed Reconquestia spent a fortune and lives of many of his tristanian supporters in order to obtain True Name of significant Faery Figures in order to use against the Faeries. During the height of War of the Faeries agents of the arch-heretic uttered True Name of five of the nine the Faery Lords and several other significant figures such as the infamous Black Swordsman in front of the allied Faery-Tristain army and commanded them to obey the Heretic.
Even now it is unclear if Cromwell's failure and resulting ridicule which earned him the name Cromwell the Coot was born of his misplaced faith in housewives tales or yet another feat of counter-espionage by the famous Faery Spymaster "Rat", leaving significance of the True Name as one of the unresolved mysteries around Firstborn race of Fae.