Titles and Counties of Ludobel Isle [Belle of the Ball]



I'm fleshing out the back story for some aspects of the world of Belle of the Ball. Specifically the title for each character and their county of origin. For example, Lord Marmalade Megablade is the Ace of Jamshire and Lady Radioactive Rendermum is the Barge of Jamshire.

All the titles/counties are silly things like that, but they're distributed very deliberately through the deck. For example, each county only has one Lord and one Lady. Each county has only five guests. Each title only appears three times through the deck, so not every county has every title.

I embedded this supplemental information in the guest cards for use in later expansions, but they're also useful for art direction. Of course, that means the titles have to actually mean something. Any things you imagine would be true of these titles and countries, just by the sound of their name?

TITLES
Ace
Barge
Cape
Drake
Eye
Fool
Gem
Inch
Jack
Key
Lance
Quill
Rock
Wall
Zest

COUNTIES
Anglebottom
Boarsend
Craw
Dent
Egg
Flappingap
Glitterfall
Highmount
Indigum
Jamshire
Krinkle
Latesun

 I have my own ideas of course, but I'm curious about your word association response.

Comments

  1. Darrell HardyMarch 25, 2013 at 10:23 AM

    Oh, I love this stuff! Let's see...

    Ace - Probably an earned title, like modern-day knighthood. Get it for being awesome in some sport or competitive arena.

    Barge - Hereditary title, related to commerce. Akin to "trademaster."

    Cape -

    Drake - Defender of the realm, by royal appointment.

    Eye - Important spy or head of secret police.

    Fool - A title earned through an annual competition of wit.

    Gem - A title bestowed and removed at the whims of high society.

    Inch - Master of construction and engineering. Essential but low glamor.

    Jack - Generic term for a low-ranking noble.

    Key - Governmental title of some sort. Keeper of the treasury, perhaps.

    Lance - Royal champion in the annual tournament.

    Quill - Official historian.

    Rock - A title earned in battle.

    Wall - Bodyguard...?

    Zest - Official party-planner for the season. At the end of the season, the zest appoints a replacement.

    Anglebottom - Hoe to quiet fishing villages.

    Boarsend - Forests and shadowy valleys.

    Craw - Cold, rocky mountains.

    Dent - Stony valley

    Egg - Large round hill

    Flappingap - Large citystate stretched across several tall hilltops.

    Glitterfall - Enchanting region at the base of waterfall.

    Highmount - At the top of a mountain, obviously. Or a lava-filled basin that used to be the top of a mountain.

    Indigum - Blue hills.

    Jamshire - Rolling hills covered in crops and berries.

    Krinkle - Snow-covered hills perfect for skiing.

    Latesun - Deep canyons with stones that absorb sunlight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Scott MesserMarch 26, 2013 at 9:59 AM

    TITLES
    Ace: A high
    ranking military officer often called in when things go wrong.
    Barge: An officer of the state who’s
    sole duty is the administration of parades and public rallies.
    Cape: A vice duke whose lands includes a
    coastline with accompanying territorial waters, a peninsula, or small inland
    sea.
    Drake: The chief warden who oversees an empire’s rivers, lakes, and
    estuaries.
    Eye: A lord or lady who acts as the head of a king or queen’s information
    and gossip network.
    Fool: The title given to a sovereign’s most trusted advisor.
    Gem: A title bestowed on a gifted entertainer, writer, artist, philosopher,
    or scientist; a national treasure.
    Inch: The royal skeptic; title given to a person of immense knowledge and
    deductive reasoning.
    Jack: A highly educated individual whose court duty is to answer questions
    and find solutions to problems.
    Key: The title given to a retired spymaster.
    Lance: A knight who acts as the personal enforcer for the royal family.
    Quill: The court historian and records keeper
    Rock: Title given to the eldest surviving member of a noble family
    Wall: The title given to knight,usually female, whose sole duty is to protect the ladies of the court.
    Zest: The title given to the younger sibling or child of a lord or lady who
    acts as the master of ceremonies at court.

    COUNTIES
    Anglebottom – Known for fertile land and large farms, this valley county which snakes its way through the hills and mountains of the west has been fought over for centuries.

    Boarsend – The heavily forested county of Boarsend is known far
    and wide for the abundant game and excellent taverns and inns that dot the
    countryside.

    Craw – Meaning convergence or nexus in the old tongue, the County of Craw is where the rivers of the nation
    meet the sea.

    Dent – Once part of the much larger Flappingap, this small county of miners
    and gemcutters bought their independence from the royal court rather than pay
    the taxes of the oligarchs that control their neighbor to the north.

    Egg – Called the birthplace of modern thought by…well, the Egglanders, the county of Egg has many prominent universities and conservatories
    (not that they would let you forget it).

    Flappingap – Flappingap is a mountainous county heralded for the production
    of wine and fine tea.

    Glitterfall – A resort area of much renown, the county of Glitterfall is home to magnificent waterfalls, restful hot springs, and revitalizing spas.

    Highmount – The plains of Highmount produce the most magnificent horses in
    the country if not the world. Highmount County is dotted with large horse and cattle ranches.

    Indigum – The home of a great many of the nations port cities and shipyards,
    the exotic county of Indigum holds the origins of many a tall tale.

    Jamshire – Jamshire is a small, but prosperous farming community to the
    east Egg, and just south of Krinkle. It is the location of many orchards and
    fruit farms.

    Krinkle – Krinkle is the county where the mountains end or begin, depending
    on who you ask. It is here where a majority of the nation’s hops are grown and
    the finest beer is brewed.

    Latesun – West of the mountains, at the foot of the hills, you will find
    Latesun. Once the province of potato farmers and scary stories, the gold and
    silver rich Latesun is now the industrial envy of her neighbors.

    ReplyDelete

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