The Diaemus Project

[Seonid he/him]

I rather enjoyed it. It made the culture feel more alive.

[Lindel he/him]

I like it a lot overall! Definitely has the feel of something that's been directly translated into English. My only critique would be that the use of "did" feels odd in places. I realize that's a choice, that's just my opinion.

Looking back, the problem might be in consistency. The passage switches back and forth a couple times. He "leapt", but he "did swim", he "caught" but later he "did catch". Is there any specific rule in the grammar determining which past tense is used?

Edited September 22, 2015 by Lindel

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Part of that was me retroactively deciding that their culture focuses on the present and doesn't even have a future tense. So their past is made almost present with the use of "did catch". I just didn't fix everything. :/

[Seonid he/him]

Alrighty. Here goes the next installment of The Soruukan Chronicles.

 

First off, a vote. I can't seem to keep my spelling straight, and now I'd like to ask about the name. Do you prefer it spelled Soruukan, or Sorukaan? Those are the two that seem to be going back and forth with me...

 

Anyways, time for:

 

Culture and Society

Soruukana society is dominated by two forces - the martial training of the high nobility, and the control of the high priesthood. The priesthood governs all mating and child-rearing in the Empire.

 

Dromean biology produces regular mating seasons, with the females becoming receptive once a year after reaching sexual maturity. The females give off distinctive pheromones, which incite subtle changes in the males, leading to mating conflicts which can be violent and sometimes fatal. Despite this, some Dromean groups are able to maintain monogamous relationships, with a single mating pair producing clutches together year after year. This is largely due to the fact that Dromean females have some control over their own receptiveness, being able to delay the onset of pheromone production for weeks or even months. Once they have started delaying, they can also induce the onset of these pheromones in sometimes as short as an hour, allowing them control over who they are near when they go into heat.

 

In Soruukana society, however, neither males nor females are permitted unrestricted choice of mating partners. Instead, bloodlines are watched closely by the priesthood, who must approve all matings beforehand. Circumventing these restrictions, say for some desired romantic attachment, can be met with severe punishment, the mildest of which involves the destruction of the unapproved clutch immediately after laying. In order to be able to mate, a prospective couple must receive approval well in advance of estrus. After the application is made, the priest or shaman goes over their bloodlines and ancestors in detail, and determines whether the match would favor positive traits for the Empire. If the balance of the traits is positive, then the mating is approved for that season.

 

Sometimes, the priesthood arranges matches, especially among the noble classes, who are supposed to represent the pinnacle of genetic perfection. Members of noble clans seldom find themselves in stable relationships, instead being shifted around from year to year as the priesthood searches for just the right combinations of traits.

 

Aaaand, my break's over. Tune in next time for Religion!

[Mailliw73 he/him]

I vote for double a's, but ether works.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Alrighty. Here goes the next installment of The Soruukan Chronicles.

First off, a vote. I can't seem to keep my spelling straight, and now I'd like to ask about the name. Do you prefer it spelled Soruukan, or Sorukaan? Those are the two that seem to be going back and forth with me...

Anyways, time for:

Culture and Society

Soruukana society is dominated by two forces - the martial training of the high nobility, and the control of the high priesthood. The priesthood governs all mating and child-rearing in the Empire.

Dromean biology produces regular mating seasons, with the females becoming receptive once a year after reaching sexual maturity. The females give off distinctive pheromones, which incite subtle changes in the males, leading to mating conflicts which can be violent and sometimes fatal. Despite this, some Dromean groups are able to maintain monogamous relationships, with a single mating pair producing clutches together year after year. This is largely due to the fact that Dromean females have some control over their own receptiveness, being able to delay the onset of pheromone production for weeks or even months. Once they have started delaying, they can also induce the onset of these pheromones in sometimes as short as an hour, allowing them control over who they are near when they go into heat.

In Soruukana society, however, neither males nor females are permitted unrestricted choice of mating partners. Instead, bloodlines are watched closely by the priesthood, who must approve all matings beforehand. Circumventing these restrictions, say for some desired romantic attachment, can be met with severe punishment, the mildest of which involves the destruction of the unapproved clutch immediately after laying. In order to be able to mate, a prospective couple must receive approval well in advance of estrus. After the application is made, the priest or shaman goes over their bloodlines and ancestors in detail, and determines whether the match would favor positive traits for the Empire. If the balance of the traits is positive, then the mating is approved for that season.

Sometimes, the priesthood arranges matches, especially among the noble classes, who are supposed to represent the pinnacle of genetic perfection. Members of noble clans seldom find themselves in stable relationships, instead being shifted around from year to year as the priesthood searches for just the right combinations of traits.

Aaaand, my break's over. Tune in next time for Religion!

I like double a's.

And I think you and I started developing opposite societies entirely by accident.

[Sir Jerric he/him]

Which reminds me I need to pick a spot. Anyone mind if we add a northern continent? Two seems a little small...

I agree that two seems small. I'd be okay with another continent, or even two if it's not too much trouble for Jerric.

You people have no sense of scale.  You do realize that the greater continent has about the same land area as Asia? The one that in real life has housed at least five empires with non-overlapping territories?

And the "small" continent is about 30% smaller than Australia. About the same width, but the north-south is thinner.

 

Back to the subject of the continents. Mayhaps throwing in a smaller one to Northwest, and then a mediumish one to the Southeast? I know I'm completely rearranging the map with this, so anyone who objects/approves please speak up!

Regarding a second continent, I'd rather it be displayed in such a manner that the current map doesn't have to shift. Either have it in the empty space, or right on the other side of the planet (we can make this where humans came from originally). I'm using Photoshop CS2 for making this, so I can reimport the image with a new continent on the side, but not if the continent itself has been shifted to fit the new one in. Does that make sense?

On the map issue, a northern continent on the other side of the world, such that you don't have to rotate the image of the current continent, would be fine with me. I think I'd like my space over there. If you'd like, I might even be able to design the northern continent and open it up to claims (after I get first pick).

As for travel between north and south, not sure. If anybody wants it, Mek's island archipelagos would be a good stepping stone. I bet there's at least some contact there.

Thanks everyone! I'm glad you like them. I have a map for one of the shores of the inland sea, so far, but I need to do more work on the continent as a whole. I'm not as good at climatography as Sir Jerric is. (Actually, Sir Jerric, I'd kind of like you to take a look at one of my maps and help me with that at some point. If you have the time...I can PM you with it.)

Despite the above remarks, I was well aware that people would want the rest of the planet before long, and I have been thinking about the puzzle of how to present other sections without needing to do scale/distort/rotate (or worse, pixel-by-pixel painting) while still providing enough scale to see the distances in some form.

 

I will not pack anything more than islands onto the current map. The distortion gets unreadable. TheYoungBard, as long as you've kept your edits on a different layer, you will have nothing to worry about from my new-continent-related changes.

I am happy to incorporate requests and suggestions into the map(s) where scale is suitable, and I have some tests to try to see if my multi-hemisphere construct will be usable. So please don't rush off and map the other side of the planet without collaborating with me. I'd rather keep everything working together and consistent.

Seonid: You are welcome to PM me anytime about map projects. Response time may vary.

 

Perfect! And would there have been time for them to have evolved differently if they were in the steppes as opposed to the forest?

Edit: Jerric, you call the light green tropical forests, but Wikipedia calls it a tropical savanna. What's the difference?

Good eye! that is an example of "Jerric needs to double-check his facts, and more so after hours."

The climatic map I provided is more about weather than it is about flora, somewhat in contrary to implications in my previous description. Wikipedia should have some example earth locales of each climate, so you can use those to Google landscapes and get a proper sense of the flora of those areas.

Aw-type regions generally can be savanna grass and low-density woodland (rough approximation only, try places like Brazil south of the Amazon or Tanzania.)

 

Well, Sir Jerric actually created the map, not me. But it is a very good map, yes. My compliments to the cartographer.

Once the subforum is up, I may also start a thread which includes maps as to where various species and where various empires are located. (I've sent a PM to Chaos about that, but he doesn't appear to have read it yet.)

I do plan to produce a decent "blank" map that will be suitable for both of these types of markups. And once such is available, I *might* be willing to take special map style requests.

*Subject to available time-slots between other projects.

 

I like that, but the mountain range in the Wheel of Time books is called the Spine of the World, so I was hoping for something similar but more unique to our setting.

I suppose you're going to complain about my "Misty Mountains" reference I had planned as well?

 

It's kind of scary how fast this thread is moving. 5 days and 15 pages.

Quite. How many posts did I end up quoting here?

 

Can I get some geographical info about that eastern landmass? I plan to settle some kind of minor species there.

Colors indicate weather patterns, and can be used to approximate supported flora.

For the light blue-green, think southwest India or Myanmar (Burma).

For the brown, think Botswania or North-Central Mexico.

For the light green, think Brazil south of the Amazon or Tanzania.

For the orange, think the south tip of Brazil or Eastern China.

For the grey, those are climbing in altitude from nearby regions and temperatures get colder. (A->C, C->D, B->D)

 

That should be ok. Im still not quite sure what all the colors mean (Or what the names really mean...) but it is a rainforest, right?

Yes, the dark green area is Tropical Rainforest. Consider the Amazon Basin, Ecuador, and Indonesia for references.

---

Progress on map: Good yesterday, none today. Beyond "Real Life" busy-ness, you people ask too many questions.

I am tweaking the climatic layout. The only big change is taking the center orange (Cfa) to a red (Csa).

Though you won't see it in those colors. I did the color palette changeover. The map now hurts my eyes. You will see eventually.

[Seonid he/him]

You people have no sense of scale.  You do realize that the greater continent has about the same land area as Asia? The one that in real life has housed at least five empires with non-overlapping territories?

And the "small" continent is about 30% smaller than Australia. About the same width, but the north-south is thinner.

 

Despite the above remarks, I was well aware that people would want the rest of the planet before long, and I have been thinking about the puzzle of how to present other sections without needing to do scale/distort/rotate (or worse, pixel-by-pixel painting) while still providing enough scale to see the distances in some form.

 

I will not pack anything more than islands onto the current map. The distortion gets unreadable. TheYoungBard, as long as you've kept your edits on a different layer, you will have nothing to worry about from my new-continent-related changes.

I am happy to incorporate requests and suggestions into the map(s) where scale is suitable, and I have some tests to try to see if my multi-hemisphere construct will be usable. So please don't rush off and map the other side of the planet without collaborating with me. I'd rather keep everything working together and consistent.

 

Gotcha. I only have a southern shore of an inland sea mapped out, so tomorrow I'll scan a map of it and PM it to you. The whole area is roughly on the order of 400-500 miles, maybe 650 at the outside. It involves an area much like the Great Plains of North America, as well as a large wetland area at the delta of a river. Shouldn't be too hard to work in, and I can deal with whatever tweaks you need to do.

 

After that, I'll leave mapping alone for this project. Sorry, didn't mean to step on toes.

 

 

Seonid: You are welcome to PM me anytime about map projects. Response time may vary.

 

I'll do that, then. Mostly, I just want a more experienced eye to check my climatology.

[Young Bard he/him]

@Honey Badger: Technically, the area you indicated is rainforest, not jungle (you're the third person to get tripped up about that.) If that's a problem, reply back.

 

 

P.S. Sir Jerric, Curiosity, and Seonid, are you all waiting for the new continent? I haven't received anything from you.

Edited September 22, 2015 by TheYoungBard

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Been working on my apex predators for Diaemus. What I got so far is that they can swim, are about 7 feet long, and use infrared vision to hunt at night.

I"m working slowly here.

[Seonid he/him]

I am waiting for the new continent. I don't know about anyone else.

[Edgedancer he/him]

I am waiting for the new continent. I don't know about anyone else.

Well, I'm still primarily working on my species. I just don't exactly have the time to write about them in detail right now, sadly.

[Lindel he/him]

Any suggestions for a name for the East Desert? I struggle with place names.

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Any suggestions for a name for the East Desert? I struggle with place names.

The Kashura Desert?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Any suggestions for a name for the East Desert? I struggle with place names.

Do you have any sample names for things or people in your culture yet?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Sorry for the double post, but here's the entirety of part one.

 

Luti, she being a Meran historian of unequaled fame in the current times, composed a compilation of documents relating the history of the Mirani cultures. These are excerpts from that compilation. *

 

Part 1: Origins

My father-longest-father was Marino, a man of exceeding courage and death-desires in equal measure. He did play with death often and did almost lose every time, but he did always manage to win at the last play. Foredawn, on the day-of-days, Marino did leap into the Sarmu Sea to capture a sea-speck, having a strongly strange attraction to the green lights. Sky-specks were rare in the Ferian forest, and the dead-grass-specks were only in some places. Fire-specks were inconsistent, but were seen often. Father-longest-father, though, did have an attraction to sea-specks that did surpass the desires of anyone else.

 

When he did dive into the sea, foolish as it is, he did find a strongly large sea-speck in the water. He did swim after it, being chased by sea-beasts and a dead-grass sarmu, with its quick-hurt lights around it. Marino did catch the sea-speck at the same time that the sarmu’s lights grabbed his leg, but longest-father did catch the sea-speck in his mouth. It did feel strongly strange to him. The hurt in his leg was covered with the happiness and strangeness of the sea-speck in him.

 

Marino, All-Meran-Father, was changing to be strongly powerful. He did change his legs to fish-fins, and did make his mouth to a water-mouth. He did laugh at the dead-grass sarmu and sea-beasts. He did catch them with his arms, stronglier than normal, and he did play with the beasts of the deep for all the day. He chirped with sarmu and bubbled with fish. He did wrestle back and forth strongly with a many-teeth beast and they did make sea-chirpers. At first-dark, Marino did leave the waters and change back to his land-body.

 

He did want to live on land and make our long-fathers and long-mothers, so he did leave his many-teeth sleep-friend in the waters and did find a land-woman to be his sleep-friend. His many-teeth sleep-friend was strongly angry and all her child-beasts hate Meran. The sea-chirpers do remember their father and visit Meran happily.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Mailliw73

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I like it, Mailliw!

I'm considering giving the seals some form of underwater telekinesis, perhaps causing water to shift in a fine-tuned way, to allow them artistic pursuits to some degree. Thoughts?

[Kobold King he/him]

I'm pretty close to done with the internal organs of the Scorpi. (not exactly sure how realistic it is, but let's pretend the magic is making it all work). Not sure about any other Steppes specieses.

 

I would love to draw any of your animals. 

 

Looking forward to it! The awesomeness is expanding too quickly for me to keep up.

 

Well, why don't you draw the Dromeans and Rachnyx? They're the common "stock races" of this world, so it'd be pretty cool to have a visual representation of them.

 

 

 

I like it, Mailliw!

I'm considering giving the seals some form of underwater telekinesis, perhaps causing water to shift in a fine-tuned way, to allow them artistic pursuits to some degree. Thoughts?

 

I like that. It would definitely be a blue lumuole-connected power, and blue lumuoles are in great abundance in this part of the world. Ooh! Since these are magic, could they create a supercavitation bubble around themselves to greatly accelerate their speed underwater? (If you're not in the know, a supercavitation bubble is a "bubble" of air or vacuum used to reduce friction and drag on an underwater surface.)

 

Also, if you're still wanting suggestions for names, how about "drurgas" for the seal-people?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Since I had more time, Part Two is ready:

 

Part 2: First-Family

Marino, our longest-father, with Reli, longest-mother, did unite together when they did have their children and did start the first-family. Meran and Niran were the two sons and Sina and Eloa were the daughters. Reli did calm Marino from his death-seeking adventures, but she was weakly brave too. Reli did love to play in fields of long-grass with the sarmu when she had been a child and did play with her children much. She used dead-grass-specks to help weakly. Meran was the eldest and did love the trees more than the grasses. Niran did keep his feet on the ground, being a dull and solid boy. Sina and Eloa did go everywhere with their mother. They did play in the waters more than the boys in the trees and grass. Sea-chirpers always did visit them when they did play and both girls did love the smooth large-fish.

 

Marino did keep the sarmu herd and did keep them safe from the sea-beasts, especially from the many-teeths that did hate Marino. Snuffels had not come to the forest yet, so only the sarmu and plants did provide food for Marino and his family. Reli and her daughters did pick the red-berries and sweet-leaves and Meran and Niran did catch small fish and watch the sarmu when they did not play in the trees and grass. They did fight strongly, not liking how the other did do things. Meran did want to catch fish without hurt and only with softness. Niran did like to make traps and cut fish when he did get them. Niran did get joy in hurting sarmu too. He did poke them with sharp sticks and throw rocks. Mirano did get joy in watching his sons. He did like to play with his stronger powers and with the sarmu, and he did not always see Niran when he did hurt sarmu.

 

When the sons and the daughters did grow up, past the time of strong-growing and first blood-cycle, Marino and Reli did have strong age. Reli did first meet the sea from below and Marino did too. When the children, now grown, did finish the last-sea-meeting for their parents, they did fight over the herd. Niran did want to take the herd and move across the sea, but Meran did want to stay with the trees in the Ferian forest. Sina and Eloa did want to stay with the sarmu sea and the sea-chirpers also. Eloa did try to make Niran happy to stay with presents of sweet-leaves, but Niran was angry and did spit the leaves away.

 

Eloa was a strongly gentle soul and did get strongly saddened at Niran being angry. She did go to the sea and did go to meet the sea-chirpers, but they did leave before to go to the Near Ocean for getting food. Eloa did want to see her parents and the second daughter did meet them in her last-sea-meeting, earlier than her time to lose to death, when she did sink in the sea, being strongly sad.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Mailliw73

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I like that. It would definitely be a blue lumuole-connected power, and blue lumuoles are in great abundance in this part of the world. Ooh! Since these are magic, could they create a supercavitation bubble around themselves to greatly accelerate their speed underwater? (If you're not in the know, a supercavitation bubble is a "bubble" of air or vacuum used to reduce friction and drag on an underwater surface.)

Also, if you're still wanting suggestions for names, how about "drurgas" for the seal-people?

Ooh, that's a cool ability, and it should be well within their power. I'm thinking the humans might be able to track prey through heat...senses....something like that. My naming skills are like David's simile skills.

I like that name, too. It makes more sense for them to think of themselves as a single race in different forms, rather than two separate races. Would the Ice Kin's scholarly bent have driven them to learn more as they traded, or would their interactions be limited simply to trade?

[Lindel he/him]

The Kashura Desert?

  

Yeah, that could work. Thanks for the suggestion!

Do you have any sample names for things or people in your culture yet?

Bahlo'dohr is a city state on the coast, probably the largest and most influential city in my region. It's probably one of the only major human cities in the region, but be working on some other villages and landmarks in the future.

Sorry for the double post, but here's the entirety of part one.

 

Luti, she being a Meran historian of unequaled fame in the current times, composed a compilation of documents relating the history of the Mirani cultures. These are excerpts from that compilation. *

 

Part 1: Origins

My father-longest-father was Marino, a man of exceeding courage and death-desires in equal measure. He did play with death often and did almost lose every time, but he did always manage to win at the last play. Foredawn, on the day-of-days, Marino did leap into the Sarmu Sea to capture a sea-speck, having a strongly strange attraction to the green lights. Sky-specks were rare in the Ferian forest, and the dead-grass-specks were only in some places. Fire-specks were inconsistent, but were seen often. Father-longest-father, though, did have an attraction to sea-specks that did surpass the desires of anyone else.

 

When he did dive into the sea, foolish as it is, he did find a strongly large sea-speck in the water. He did swim after it, being chased by sea-beasts and a dead-grass sarmu, with its quick-hurt lights around it. Marino did catch the sea-speck at the same time that the sarmu’s lights grabbed his leg, but longest-father did catch the sea-speck in his mouth. It did feel strongly strange to him. The hurt in his leg was covered with the happiness and strangeness of the sea-speck in him.

 

Marino, All-Meran-Father, was changing to be strongly powerful. He did change his legs to fish-fins, and did make his mouth to a water-mouth. He did laugh at the dead-grass sarmu and sea-beasts. He did catch them with his arms, stronglier than normal, and he did play with the beasts of the deep for all the day. He chirped with sarmu and bubbled with fish. He did wrestle back and forth strongly with a many-teeth beast and they did make sea-chirpers. At first-dark, Marino did leave the waters and change back to his land-body.

 

He did want to live on land and make our long-fathers and long-mothers, so he did leave his many-teeth sleep-friend in the waters and did find a land-woman to be his sleep-friend. His many-teeth sleep-friend was strongly angry and all her child-beasts hate Meran. The sea-chirpers do remember their father and visit Meran happily.

This is awesome! Gives the culture a very unique feel, and the story definitely reads like an origin myth.

[Kobold King he/him]

Ooh, that's a cool ability, and it should be well within their power. I'm thinking the humans might be able to track prey through heat...senses....something like that. My naming skills are like David's simile skills.

I like that name, too. It makes more sense for them to think of themselves as a single race in different forms, rather than two separate races. Would the Ice Kin's scholarly bent have driven them to learn more as they traded, or would their interactions be limited simply to trade?

 

They could call it bloodsight, since it allows them to "see" the warm blood in other living things?

 

Hmm... maybe "drurga" could be the name of both races, with an adjective specifying which group is being discussed. Red drurgas could be humans because of their lumuoles, while blue drurgas would be the seals. Something like that.

 

 

The Ice Kin tend to be a... pompous, decadent lot. There are many scholars among them, but the majority of these remain holed up in the ice cities, studying magic and discovering new uses of lumuoles. Biologists and anthropologists would exist, but be relatively uncommon and probably more focused on the northern civilizations. The Ice Kin are the kind of people who are only really interested in those they consider their equals, and for the most part they'd look down on the "coastals."

 

That said, there would be occasional visitors to their villages. Merchant caravans might come with a handful of curious scholars fascinated by the coastal peoples' harmony and communion, and I could see beautiful friendships forming between humans, seals, and raptors.

 

On the other hand, at least one wealthy head of a Noble Pack probably has a century-old sapient seal-skin tapestry hanging on his wall, so it evens out.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Ooh, that's a cool ability, and it should be well within their power. I'm thinking the humans might be able to track prey through heat...senses....something like that. My naming skills are like David's simile skills.

 

I started with made-up words, but then I got stuck and just grabbed a list of random Basque words to tweak whenever I needed a new name for something. It looks pretty good, but I'm sure that if there are any Basque speakers out there, they'd think it was pretty funny that the word for "flatbread" is being used to denote a class of ceremonial swords. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

They could call it bloodsight, since it allows them to "see" the warm blood in other living things?

Hmm... maybe "drurga" could be the name of both races, with an adjective specifying which group is being discussed. Red drurgas could be humans because of their lumuoles, while blue drurgas would be the seals. Something like that.

The Ice Kin tend to be a... pompous, decadent lot. There are many scholars among them, but the majority of these remain holed up in the ice cities, studying magic and discovering new uses of lumuoles. Biologists and anthropologists would exist, but be relatively uncommon and probably more focused on the northern civilizations. The Ice Kin are the kind of people who are only really interested in those they consider their equals, and for the most part they'd look down on the "coastals."

That said, there would be occasional visitors to their villages. Merchant caravans might come with a handful of curious scholars fascinated by the coastal peoples' harmony and communion, and I could see beautiful friendships forming between humans, seals, and raptors.

On the other hand, at least one wealthy head of a Noble Pack probably has a century-old sapient seal-skin tapestry hanging on his wall, so it evens out.

Fire drugas and water drurgas, maybe? Does that sound good or dumb?

Friendships are good. The drurgas would rather befriend visitors than make new enemies; survival is a common concern, and although they've adapted well and their magic prevents frequent deaths from the elements, they still know that making too many enemies in their territory is a quick way to suffering. They do have different levels of friendship, so these occasional visitors wouldn't be treated to too many of their secrets; however, they would be treated hospitably.

If the tapestry is a few centuries old, the drurgas wouldn't jump straight to vengeance. Children are never punished for the sins of the father....unless that child commits the same sin or expresses a desire to. So if said Noble was proud of that tapestry and would jump at a chance to make a new one, well....

The drugan religion forbids torture. So once they caught wind of the Noble's intentions, they'd end it pretty quickly.

Edited September 22, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Bahlo'dohr is a city state on the coast, probably the largest and most influential city in my region. It's probably one of the only major human cities in the region, but be working on some other villages and landmarks in the future.

This is awesome! Gives the culture a very unique feel, and the story definitely reads like an origin myth.

The Kashora'an Desert maybe, to fit Venture's suggestion.

Thanks!

Mek, I do that too. Meran came from the word for otter in another language(though I forgot which one.) and Sarmu came from the Estonian word for otter.