Some Othard questions... geography, lore and customs

[Wyssahtyn]

1. Doma is Nara era Japan, Hingashi is Tokugawa (Edo) era Japan in some variation of sakoku, and the Steppes are Mongolian.

2. Yes to both. Hildibrand dresses up as a taikomochi at one point in his SB arc, and if I recall correctly, there're a few geiko NPCs in Kugane that are involved in sidequests and such.

4. For Far Eastern names, we can expect to borrow from Raen Auri naming conventions. That is, "official" surnames are reserved for the warrior and ruling classes. Commoners, that being merchants, peasants, artisans, etc., take on unofficial names that typically reflect their professions. In actual in-game practice, however, NPCs typically use their Far Eastern name and an Eorzean appellation related to their name's meaning (note that this method is typically used when NPCs appear in duties, and I cannot recall if it is also used in cutscenes). Examples are Yugiri Mistwalker, Oboro Moonrise, Makoto the True, so on and so forth. You're best off using this latter method in my opinion.

[Raikai]

1. Doma is Nara era Japan, Hingashi is Tokugawa (Edo) era Japan in some variation of sakoku, and the Steppes are Mongolian.

2. Yes to both. Hildibrand dresses up as a taikomochi at one point in his SB arc, and if I recall correctly, there're a few geiko NPCs in Kugane that are involved in sidequests and such.

4. For Far Eastern names, we can expect to borrow from Raen Auri naming conventions. That is, "official" surnames are reserved for the warrior and ruling classes. Commoners, that being merchants, peasants, artisans, etc., take on unofficial names that typically reflect their professions. In actual in-game practice, however, NPCs typically use their Far Eastern name and an Eorzean appellation related to their name's meaning (note that this method is typically used when NPCs appear in duties, and I cannot recall if it is also used in cutscenes). Examples are Yugiri Mistwalker, Oboro Moonrise, Makoto the True, so on and so forth. You're best off using this latter method in my opinion.

Actually Raen Auri names appear like regular japanese name + surnames on the character creator screen, randomizing the names... But you're right about what we actually see ingame with Yugiri and Oboro..

[TinyRedLeaf]

Actually Raen Auri names appear like regular japanese name + surnames on the character creator screen, randomizing the names... But you're right about what we actually see ingame with Yugiri and Oboro..

It should be noted that Yugiri and Oboro are shinobi, and that may explain why they don't appear to have surnames. It could be the case that the ninja relinquish their family ties upon adopting their profession. At least, that's how I have rationalised it (I seem to recall that Yugiri's actual surname has been revealed, but I may be wrong).

In any case, there's also Yuki of the Yatsurugi clan in Hinganshi. Her surname is her clan name, which she retains despite having learnt ninjutsu. Her name literally translates into (Princess) Snow of the Eight Blades.