Reply To: True Names

Only overthinking it if it’s not possible to split demons.

If it is possible, and you’re a wizard summoning what you think is a single demon and you get 4, that might complicate things. Especially if they each had time to increase in power after the split (e.g. they started out 1/4 as powerful…but now each has independently gotten more powerful in the multitasking manner that is now possible such that the sum is more than the original single demon could have amassed in the same time)

True names are a very tricky thing. Sages have been arguing this a lot. Juniors, Seniors, the third…there is very little to keep someone from naming a child the same as someone else…so there must be something more to it.

This is why true names are generally not calling names, they basically have to be more complicated.

Now, I am not a wizard or a sage, so I don’t know a lot about true names, but as a rule, they have to be distinct which is why you often have to trace a lineage. That is probably the only way to accurately name someone. The first person to get a unique name gets it, everyone that comes after with almost the same name has to trace the lineage back further until it’s unique.

Now for humans, this is less of a deal than for demons because no one is trying to summon them…UNLESS you are trying to resurrect them and bring them back from the Planes of the Gods…in that case, you need their linage as bar back as possible to make it unique.

Which makes for an interesting game of OK, this “name” isn’t unique, so I know someone has this true name…what value that is is not clear but…

I would have to argue, that there is something more unique to true names than what meets the eye in the case of Tom and his true name. However it is a fairly unique name, but probably not absolutely unique…