4.1 Your Character Name

Picking a name for your character is a very significant part of the persona you adopt while wandering Aetherius - Don't pick something on a whim. Our guides consistently keep track of newbies coming and going through the realm, and if your name proves unacceptable, it's highly likely you'll be contacted to change it. Following are some of the usual guidelines for selecting the right name (so you're not wasting your own time the first go-around):

- A good name is new and original. Is yours something a mother in a fantasy realm would name her child?

- Try to avoid using words that can be found in the dictionary. It's frowned upon in almost all cases. (Reaper, Starlight)

- Don't use popular names from books, movies, et cetera. It doesn't speak highly of your imagination. (Gandalf, Lestat, Squall)

- Trade and copyrighted names aren't good, either. (Coke, Linux, Smirnoff)

- Compound names are okay, but not suggested and some will be rejected by the administration. Names like: SithLord, LadyofLight, and NewbieKiller are not going to be acceptable. 

- Please, don't use names of Immortals in other realms, namely other Iron Realms productions. (Caspian, Gaia, Mithraea)

- Types of names listed above, but spelled backwards, aren't going to fly either. (Aearhtim, Thgilrats, Nevaeh)

- Slight variations on those listed above, especially variations of Gods found in Imperian, are taboo. (Calyx, Starlyte, Skwall)

Note: Keep in mind that these are simply guidelines to save you the hassle of having to use the NAMECHANGE command. There will -always- be exceptions, but the majority of names found to be breaking these general rules will be changed in the long-run. It's ultimately up to the judgment of the Administration, and we often have to make compromises. Each situation is different, after all.
  
See HELP NAMECHANGE for more information about changing your character's name.

Unacceptable:

- Names including curse words, profanity, racial epithets, and anything generally offensive.

- Names with multiple repeated letters. (Xoraxxxx, Whoooooaaaaa)

- Keyboard jokes (asdf, qwerty)

- Mostly unpronounceable names. (Trgynstysntrg, Pwnfsl)

Here in Imperian, you -are- your character. All it takes is to consider your name in the context of a living, breathing fantasy world - would it fly there? If you happened to be passing the village blacksmith, would he be able to call out, "Aye, KillerCthulu!" with a straight face? We think not.  Remember, every player is affecting the quality of our world, and by keeping an eye on these guidelines you'll find yourself in a much better position, with quite a bit more respect received from your fellow Aetherians. We trust you'll put enough thought into it to avoid any administrative hassles.