# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Writing, Stories, Linguistics, Toponymy and other wordy stuff ! >  I need some help with ocean names for Lovecraftian Pirate Fantasy setting.

## vgunn

Please! 

More of a generic kind, rather than historical as such. One of the main themes is precious metals. For instance, names of nations are Real, Livre, Gulden, Krona, Yuan, Rupiah, Sterling...

Example: Sea of Plunder, Iron Sea

Thanks in advance.

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## Ghostman

Go to http://thesaurus.com/ and look up synonyms for all the theme-fitting words you can think of. Use them to construct the names.

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## sigurdbjohansson

Besides the obvious Ocean of Madness ( _lat. - Pelagus Furore_ ).....  :Smile: 

*Jade Rush ( _lat. - Paelex Viridis_ )
*Siren`s Chant ( _lat. - Cantantes Sirenis_ )
*Lusterless Sea ( _lat. - Exanimis Mari_ )
*Wild Wind Serpent ( _lat. - Fera Ventus Serpens_ )
*Ruby Envy ( _lat. - Ruby Invidia_ )
*Bastard Diamond Compass ( _lat. - Spuria Diamondi Circumdabit_ )

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## vgunn

> Besides the obvious Ocean of Madness ( _lat. - Pelagus Furore_ )..... 
> 
> *Jade Rush ( _lat. - Paelex Viridis_ )
> *Siren`s Chant ( _lat. - Cantantes Sirenis_ )
> *Lusterless Sea ( _lat. - Exanimis Mari_ )
> *Wild Wind Serpent ( _lat. - Fera Ventus Serpens_ )
> *Ruby Envy ( _lat. - Ruby Invidia_ )
> *Bastard Diamond Compass ( _lat. - Spuria Diamondi Circumdabit_ )


These are great!

More please!!!

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## rdanhenry

Still trying to get my head around Lovecraftian Pirates. Bookish pirates driven to what others consider insanity by gaining an understanding the true nature of a universe not meant for man? Do they plunder libraries for clues and panic every time they see a squid?

"Arrr! Ye be sayin' that I be mad? Aye, mad I be, but it be the madness of the wise. Let me tell ye my tale of inescapable doom an' secrets darker the depths of the wide ocean..."

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## vgunn

> Still trying to get my head around Lovecraftian Pirates. Bookish pirates driven to what others consider insanity by gaining an understanding the true nature of a universe not meant for man? Do they plunder libraries for clues and panic every time they see a squid?
> 
> "Arrr! Ye be sayin' that I be mad? Aye, mad I be, but it be the madness of the wise. Let me tell ye my tale of inescapable doom an' secrets darker the depths of the wide ocean..."


LOL. Not quite.

The style of the setting is similar in ways to the book Uncharted Seas by Dennis Wheatley, the Sargasso Sea Stories of William Hope Hodgson, and the Mist by Stephen King.

Here is some background.

The world unique, but draws heavily from historical 16th and 17th Century European and Oriental cultures. Each country in the world can be compared to a real historical kingdom but is a simplified representation. 

Pieces of Eight (dominant world cultures after A HUNDRED YEARS OF WAR):

Guilders (Gulden)
Livres (Livre)
Sterlings (Sterling)
Reales (Real)
Yen (Yuan)
Dinars (Dinar)
Rupiyah (Rupee)
Kronur (Krona)

There is one indigenous culture called Bullions (Arará). They are based off of the Garinagu, a mix of Taino/Carib/African people.

These kingdoms provide the background to the setting, but the focus is clearly on Sargosso.

Within Sargasso are clusters of archipelagos surrounded by a never-ending fog. Hidden within these mists are patches of carnivorous seaweed, horrific creatures, and ghost ships crewed by the undead.

Each of the foreign cultures has homeland that can be reached through a safe-passage which opens when the 'tides are just right'. 

The islands within Sargasso are ripe with natural resources, which are being plundered by the foreigners. Pirates of course prey on the loaded ships.

Vudu (Voodoo) and Kulu (Cthulhu) are two divine beliefs of Sargasso. Vudu represents the sky, while Kulu is from the sea (it is said limbo lies within the surrounding mists) and the two are opposed to each other.

Magic in Sargasso is almost always dark and corrupting. Much like the sorcery from Howard's Conan stories. Also influence drawn from Tim Power's On Stranger Tides.

Foreigners will also attempt to convert the native Bullions to their own religion so that they may pass 'the veil' and their souls not lost to limbo in the fog.

Technology level is set at the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy with resource levels tapped from the earth 16th century (Spanish conquest of Aztec Empire).

Sargosso lies within the eye wall of a supernatural, stable, and stationary [anti]cyclonic storm. Something similar to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. The size of Sargosso is slightly smaller than China, running some 2400 nautical miles both N/S and E/W to the edge of fog. The fog is an additional 600 nautical miles in width.

Cartographer Guild's Robert Altbauer is working on the map.

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## rdanhenry

Sounds delightful. The only part I don't like so much... the fog barrier has become a bit cliche. If you made it rain eternally around Sargasso, it'd serve the same purpose of obscuring vision and impeding navigation and fit the idea of a cyclonic storm better IMO.

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## Tracker

Hello:
Your setting is a Lovecraftian Pirate Fantasy setting, right?  The oceans, seas, rivers, streams, etc should reflect this in some manor.  This can be accomplished by adding to their names the words:
Dark, Murky,    Shady,                 Sinister,        Evil,  Threatening,           Menacing,             The Master's,        Darkness,  etc.

A few examples:
The Dark Ocean
The ominous river  
Threatening Stream
Then use a translation program an put them in another language.

Example:
 illevarslende elv  is ominous river 

I hope this has helped.

Tracker

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