Darkmantle Name Generator

Darkmantle names and their meanings

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Cellar Nicknames

Short, blunt names a cheese keeper or cellar hand mutters about the thing on the roof.

• Goom'goo' from the sound of whey sliding off the rafters
• Baw'baw' for the damp thump above the brined cheese crock
• Doon'dough' shortened by cellar hands after it sagged over bread
• Bood'boot' softened for the shape found over the butter tub
• Gaw'gape' named for the wet mouth above the pickle barrel
• Bawdu'bowl' softened by cellar talk for the damp patch beneath it
• Goom?'gourd' plus the wet thump heard above the pickle crock
• Uldoo'old drip' clipped into a name by the night cellar hand
• Mawgo'mash' and the slow gulping sound from the cask room
• Dugaw'dough' left slack beneath the roof beam for a week
• Nudum'mud' pressed flat where the creature hangs over the drain
• Vooma'vat' with a rounded ending from the cheese keeper's mutter
• Gawmun'gallon' reduced to a damp name after the spill
• Beldum'bell' gone dull from the wet ceiling above the pantry
• Oogun'ooze' and the low roof where it gathers in drops
• Mugaw'mug' left brimful beneath its dripping place on the rafters
• Dumloo'dull pool' shortened by years of cellar hands pointing upward

Place and Habit

A creature named for the spot it hangs over, joined to what it does there.

• Whey Shelf SipsIt hangs over the whey shelf and drinks each spilled ladleful
• Brine Vat DripsIt waits above the brine vat, dropping water into the hoops
• Smoke Rack NapsIt settles above the smoke rack between turns of the cured meat
• Cider Room LicksIt hangs over the cider room and laps foam from the bung
• Grain Bin SoursIt dangles over the grain bin, dampening sacks until they sour
• Lard Shelf SlurpsIt feeds above the lard shelf, drawing grease from uncovered crocks
• Pickle Row HangsIt favors the pickle row, where jars sweat beneath its broad mantle
• Copper Flue ShedsIt clings over the copper flue and leaves wet scales on bricks
• Malt Loft SipsIt hangs above the malt loft and drinks condensation from the beams
• Tallow Rack DripsIt waits over the tallow rack, staining candles with ceiling water

Miner's Names

Gallery names worn smooth by shift talk, ending in a nasal.

• DugganNamed for the low Duggan gallery where picks struck its damp fringe
• BroomanShift talk shortened the name of the Brooman seam's roof-hanger
• GoolenIt stayed above the Goolen drift, dripping on the ore baskets
• MawrenMiners named it for the Mawren cut and its slow ceiling sway
• DoolumThe Doolum crew found it feeding above their oilskin lunch sacks
• GaddenIt clung above the Gadden incline, fouling the rope with slime
• BawlinA wet fold over the Bawlin tunnel marked its favorite resting place
• MurganIt hung over the Murgan vein, dripping into every open lamp
• GoorumThe Goorum miners named it for the soft slump above their carts
• DawmonIt settled in Dawmon gallery and shed grit onto the night shift

Small Ones

A diminutive of an elder's name, given to the saucer-sized young.

• GoomletA small Goom, still saucer-wide, clings above the whey crock
• BawkinA little Baw, found beside the brine vat, barely spans a palm
• DoonieThe tiny Doon follows its elder along the damp cellar joists
• GubletA young Gub, no wider than a saucer, hides by the cream pail
• MoolieThe little Mool hangs above the spoiled wheel with its folded fringe
• BoodletA saucer-sized Bood clings to the beam over the butter tub
• GawkinThe small Gaw keeps close to the pickle barrel and its wet rim
• DoomieA young Doon, light as a crock lid, drifts beneath the rafters
• BoonletThe little Boon rests above the hanging hide, barely larger than a plate
• MoomieA small Mool, called Moomie, shelters beside the old cheese rack

Damage Names

Names taken from what the creature spoiled, drowned or put out.

• Wheel SoursIt spoiled the cheese wheel by wetting its rind from above
• Lamp HissesIt put out the lamp, leaving a damp wick that hissed
• Dreg DripsIt drowned the last dregs in a crock with steady ceiling water
• Gourd SagsIt soaked the gourd rack until the handles sagged against the wall
• Malt HissesIt dampened the malt sacks, making the brewer's hearth spit and hiss
• Brie SpoilsIt dripped on a soft cheese until the keeper cut away the rind
• Tallow DrownsIt spilled water into the tallow bowl and ruined a whole candle batch
• Bung FizzesIt wetted the cask bung, and sour cider frothed across the floor
• Dough SagsIt dripped on rising dough until the loaves collapsed in their pans
• Grain SoursIt soaked the grain sacks, leaving a sharp smell below the rafters

How darkmantle names are made

Darkmantle names are given by people, not by the creatures, and they sound like the places where the creatures hang. The palette is low and wet: soft stops like b, d and g, nasals, long vowels such as oo and aw, and the occasional sibilant for a drip. Hard clicking sounds are rare. Most names run one or two syllables, three at the outside, and a short name usually means a creature that has stayed in one cave a long time and been talked about often. Structure is a single name, sometimes followed by a plain epithet. The epithet marks a spot on the ceiling or a loss: the dry shelf, the third rack, the lamp it put out. Sources are trade and damage.

A cheese keeper names one for the wheel it spoiled, a miner for the gallery, a cellar hand for whatever it was drinking from. Names taken from deeds stick best. Nothing grand is used. Names that suggest doom or darkness are avoided, since locals think they flatter the animal and sour the household. Old, large darkmantles carry two-part names, a place and a habit. Young ones, no wider than a saucer, are usually called by a diminutive of the older one's name. Shapes to expect: one soft syllable plus a place word; two syllables ending in a nasal; a short name with a short epithet.

The darkmantle: bestiary entry

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