Help me name some cities :)

[comprisedpuma]

If there's one thing I'm terrible at when it comes to making games (I'm sure there's more than just one thing, but this thing takes the cake!) it's naming things.  I'm just awful at it xD

So I threw together a quick Paint rendition of my world map, and I'm asking for some creative suggestions for names!  Any help is appreciated haha.  If I use your name I'll make sure to put you in the games credits too

Yes, I know it looks amateur, but for 5 minutes in Paint I couldn't ask for much more xD

So, some quick explanations of these areas:

There are 4 "kingdoms", although only 1 actually has a king.

Purple-

This area is the only true Kingdom in the game.  I have no idea what to name it xD  The people of the area love their royal family and the monarchy in general.  They are inhabitants of the Mountainlands.  Their current King is plagued with an unknown evil, and his daughter seeks to find the source.  A nice sounding name for this Kingdom would be great!

- The capital of the mountainlands is marked by the star.  This is where the castle lies.  It is the starting point for 2 of the game's 8 characters.  No name currently

- 3 nearby cities exist right outside the castle.  One on the lake, one a bit further north, and one on the border of the forest.  None of these cities have names yet either.

- A 4th nearby city lies across the mountains to the northeast of the capital.  This city is a very spiritual place.  It's the northernmost point of the game, and many of its citizens commune with nature.  Starting point for 1 of the 8 characters.  No name

- The giant lake and river leading to the lake are also unnamed.  The lake is famous for its exceptionally deep caverns.  Many divers seek riches in its depths.

- South of the principal area of the mountainlands is a valley containing a secluded town.  This town is fostering a rebellion to the throne, due to the mad king.  A mysterious name would be good for it

- Just south of that is the tallest mountain in the realm.  This mountain is seen as a very holy place, and the city just at its foot is a place of immense prayer and meditation.  A small river leads from this town to a smaller lake and town on its coast.  This town is significant as it is the starting point of one of the game's 8 characters.

White-

This area, known as the riverlands, was a former Kingdom turned aristocracy.  The old king was dethroned in a revolution, and the lands have since been governed by the highest bidder.  It's capital, marked by the star, is known for being very corrupt.

- The capital sits at the mouth of the largest river in the realm, and therefore has much influence over vessels trying to get to the Mountainlands and its capital.  This causes much tension between the two cities.  Starting point for 1 of the 8 characters.  I'd like a really sly sounding name for this city.

- The 2nd city of importance in this area lies to the southeast of the capital, and sits on the border of Silverpine Forest and the South Marshes.  A very homely city, they strive for the oldtime values and ideals.

- The 3rd city of importance in this area lies to the northwest of the capital.  This city is actually 2 cities, one on each side of the river that marks the border of the riverlands.  The city on the southeast bank is part of the riverlands, and its sister city on the northwest bank is not, being "free" from outside rule.  I'd like similar sounding names for these cities, with one being markedly more "liberated" in tone than the other

Red-

This area is a barren wasteland.  Once a verdant and tropical paradise, the dark magic performed here has dried the land up of all natural life, and left it with nothing but dry, heaving waste.  The "Kingdom" is ruled by the most powerful black magicians in the land, who take their current seat in the city marked by a star.  

- The capital, marked by a star, is the self proclaimed ruling throne of the wastelands.  The magicians here use their dark influence to keep a degree of order among the chaos that dictates their way of life.

- Just outside this capital is a child city.  Much like the capital, only smaller and less powerful in its magic, this city is the starting point of one of the 8 characters of the game.  I'd like for this city to have a similar name to the capital.

- On the southern border of the wastelands is a fortress built to keep outsiders out of the wastelands, so the dark sorcerers could continue their craft without interruption.  This fortress is heavily fortified, and resembles a sort of North Korea/South Korea type relationship with the free cities just outside of it.

- In the northwest part of the wastelands is a giant crevice.  When the lands were turned from their jungles to the barrens they are today, there was an incident involving much too powerful magic.  This magic caused the ground to split, creating a gaping chasm.  Surrounding the chasm are a hundred "fingers": juts of land that stick out, showing where the land originally split.  On the northwest side of this chasm is a city built on these fingers, with bridges connecting the various districts to one another across the abyss.

Orange-

This archipelago area is a democracy, with an elected ruler whose power is checked by a council of elders.

- The capital marked by the star sits on a beautiful beach, and is a popular tourist destination for citizens all across the realm.

- Elsewhere on the large island is a city devoted to the council of elders.  The elected leader lives in the capital, while the elders operate out of this second city.

- On the 2nd largest island is a very poor city, and its citizens have caused much unrest in the islands.

- On the 3rd largest island are 2 cities.  The northern one is a beautiful, rich city.  The southern one is known for its scholars.

- 3 smaller islands are off the coast of the 3rd island, and are all part of one city.  Ferries operate to take people from one island to another.  One of the 8 characters starts here.

- In the middle of the archipelago is a vortex.

Unmarked-

There are a few places which are unmarked, meaning they are "free" lands and belong to none of the 4 ruling sects.

- The sister city north of the river which forms the northwest border of the riverlands is a free city.  This was already discussed.

- West of that city is a beach resort city.  One of the 8 characters starts here.

- North of that city, and at the "mouth" of the canyon that leads to the wastelands is a city.  This city is infamous for its residents being very hostile and "possessed".  The black magic of the wastelands has a heavy influence over the residents well being.

- A 4th free city exists in the forest between the riverlands and the mountainlands.  This city is a hideout, and has many bandits, thieves, fugitives, and other criminals, as it is outside the lands of both kingdoms.

Yes, I realize that is a lot!  You don't need to help me name them ALL, haha.  But if you read any of this and thought to yourself, "I know a perfect name for that town!", let me know!

All help appreciated and will be credited in the game if I use it

(If you have ideas for names of the rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, and other landmarks like that too, that would be great!)

 

[Ossra]

I suggest using the following generators to create unique names :

• Fantasy Name Generator
• Squid | Random Name Generator
• The Forge | Fantasy Name Generator

 

[Redeye]

The names are all in my favorite font. I even added landmark names. Don't mind the red text in Virvica, though.

My imagination is rediculously cluttered with ideas. So they may seem a bit weird.

 

[servantb7]

I like to borrow names from ancient history. Pick up a history book and be inspired

 

[Jef299]

I like to borrow names from ancient history. Pick up a history book and be inspired

I noticed in the Fable games the world is called: "Albion" which is an old name for England.

themoreyouknow.jpg

 

[Erynn]

Here's how I name things - I emulate the real world. Most places have names that mean something, and it means something stupid. Just look at America - There's entier states named 'New York', 'New Hampshire' and 'New Jersey'.New York was so good they named it twice. People are *not* creative when they name things (For example, check out the thories of the origon of the word 'London' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_London . England is even worse, being named f 'Land of the Angli Saxones').
You don't need to try very hard for it to feel real. Name places after people and geography.  Places are often commonly named after their founders or for famous persons. People don't spend days agonising on what to call their settlements; they either do it for vanity or out of necessity. Hence the two modes. Time corrupts them in to things that sound exotic, not intent. You can corrupt the words yourself by saying them allowed, writing them down phonetically, then reading the phonetics and corrupting it again to simulate the passage of time. You can do a quick and dirty 'semi latin' corruption of latin and english words. This may seem more bother than creating fake words, but the truth is it can be faster and will give your world a more consistent feel because the words have similar origins.
I know it's not exactly what you were looking for, but I hope it helps you anyway.

Of course, the other time honoured method is 'Hit the keyboard, and read aloud. Add or remove letters to match what you just said. Read it again, and modify it again if you wish. Don't be worried to embellish. Less consistent, less realistic, but very random and quick

e.g. 
mrkegjnjher could be Mehkejnihir, or (with a second sweep) Mir Kegener.

edit:
Reading aloud is a surprisingly useful tool for ensuring consistency of any writing you do. Wholly recommend it. *thumbs up*

 

[Gilsev]

As Erynn said above, people are not very creative when it comes to naming cities or towns. Think about what the city is like, and what type of people would have settled it, then think about the reason they settled a new city/town as opposed to staying in a pre-existing area. This can give you an idea of what they would have been thinking when they landed there and decided this be a good place to live.

Another way to name cities would be to think of what type of people were there initially, and what their real world counterparts would be. Then look at their language, and find something that might be fitting. I currently live in Wisconsin, USA and the original occupants of this area were Native Americans, and the city names reflect that strongly. You can do this as pick single themes or ideas from that culture, or the designs you have made for the city maps, and name it after creating the city.