Nameless

This document has been contributed by: Nobody

To be nameless is have lost your name. A simple premise, it seems, though there is much more to this state than may meet the eye. Near everyone knows how the fey of the Feywild will try to take your name from you, but few knows what this actually means. Here, I will try to clear some of the fog surrounding names, or the lack thereof, in relation to the Feywild.

Losing your Name

A nameless becomes such by having their name taken from them. In most cases, this is due to trickery from a fey. This is most commonly done with the following interaction: A fey will meet someone, and ask them the quesion "May I have your name?". Seemingly a harmless interaction, the unsuspecting target will respond with their name. Due to the wording of the fey's question, however, and the magic of the Feywild that permits this, the fey now gains metaphysical ownership of that person's name. It is individual, so it is specifically the name of the person spoken to, and does not include others of the same name.

Becoming Nameless

Upon this interaction, the next time the now-nameless attempts to speak or think of their name, they discover that they are unable. This is usually a source of distress, especially for those who aren't aware of what happened. Whenever their name comes to mind, it is replaced by the feeling of the name being just out of reach, on the tip of the tongue. This phenomenon also happens for anyone who knew the name of the now-nameless.

Living without a Name

After an individual resigns themself to the knowledge that they have lost their name, there are a number of ways that they can proceed. They can choose a nickname to go by, though they cannot actually speak the words "my name is X". Some choose to go by placeholders or epithets - things such as "the wanderer", "a man", "no one", or "a traveller". Most tend not to be very open about how they refer to their name, or rather lack thereof.

Fact or Fiction: Myths about the Nameless

You can never get your name back from a fey.

False!
The fey are fickle beings, like everyone else in the realms. They can be convinced to return a name - though this is a difficult thing to negotiate. Alternatively, though incredibly challenging and potentially risky, you can also attempt to steal it back.

Nameless forget their own names.

True!
If you become nameless, everyone who knows your name will forget it, including you. Unless you get your name back, no one other than those in possession of it in the Feywild will know what the name is, with few exceptions, such as members of arcane, infernal, or otherworldly pacts.

The loved ones of someone nameless forget that they exist.

False!
While anyone who knew the name of a nameless will no longer remember their name, they will still retain all of their memories of a loved one. The only difference is that they remain incapable of bringing the name of that loved one to their mind, as it remains on the tip of the tongue.

A fey with your name has power over you.

True!
While a fey that has your name does have some level of magical power over you, there are many misconceptions on what this actually means. In the Feywild, it simply means that your soul will become a Wisp when you die, trapped in the domain of the fey with your name.

The fey can't steal your name if you are on the material plane.

True!
The magic that empowers the fey to take names is exclusive to the Feywild, and thus only works if both the fey and the target are in the Feywild. Even if the fey is in the Feywild and you are not, or the other way around, they will be incapable of taking your name unless you cross the threshold.

A fey can't steal the name of another fey.

False!
Fey are not immune to having their names stolen. It does not happen very often, as the fey learn from a young age the power that a name can have and how to use the proper wording to avoid their names being taken. If a fey's name is taken, it is either willingly or through force, never trickery.

You have to be careful about your wording in the Feywild.

True!
Words hold power in the Feywild. The Seelie follow a set of rules known as the Laws of Hospitality, which require a transgression before the fey is allowed to act in a hostile manner. The Unseelie do not follow these laws. Both require careful navigation of wording and intent in their interactions.

If you lose your name you'll become stuck in the Feywild.

False!
Being nameless is completely separate from your ability to enter and leave the Feywild, and completely separate from the conditions of Feylost Sickness or Fey Insanity. The Feywild is difficult to navigate for those not used to it, but this is a constant across all non-fey individuals.

The fey steal names because they hate the material plane.

False!
The fey have many reasons that they steal names. The primary one is politics. The Seelie and Unseelie realms are in a state of cold war, and collecting names allows their Archfey to gain more power and remain a threat to the other side. In addition, the presence of Wisps sustains the Feywild.