Liaotian names are based on Chinese naming traditions.

*Chinese is an ideographic and tonal language, thus, similarly spelt names in pinyin can be written in an entirely different way. Words can also sound the same but mean different things. You would need to look at the way a character is written to understand its meaning.

A-Bao 阿宝：A- 阿 here is used as a prefix before a name to indicate familiarity. This is commonly used in Chinese when coming up with nicknames or as a term of endearment. Bao 宝 means 'precious or treasure'. The boys in this story have grown up together and are friends, thus the nickname.

Ariq'khan: The conqueror of Ba'ye. Leader of the Eight Ba'yen Tribes in the northern steppes. Assassinated fifteen years ago.

Ba'ye 八野: Lands in the Northern Steppes occupied by eight nomadic tribes. These independent factions were once united under the Ba'ye conqueror Ariq'khan, but the alliance has fallen into disarray after Ariq'khan's demise. Liaotian territories in Dong'liao have been historically prone to border skirmishes and invasions by ambitious Ba'ye tribes.

Gongsun Xuanji 公孙旋玑 | Sun Xuan 孙旋 : Surname Gongsun. Given name: Xuanji Last princess of the fallen Xia Kingdom. Currently masquerading as a male talesinger by the name of Sun Xuan. Xuan 旋 is one half of the term for xuán lǜ 旋律 (melody), and also part of the term for kǎi xuán 凯旋' (triumphant return). Ji 玑 means 'a pearl that is not quite round'. It also stands for Tian Ji 天玑 — which referes to 'Phecda'; a star in the Big Dipper constellation.

Gongsun Yu 公孙羽: Fallen King of Eastern Xia. Surrendered his kingdom to Yelu Wen. Died in exile. Surname Gongsun. Given name: Yu. Yu means feather; it is a word often used for incorporating ideas of lightness and flight.

Gu Chuan 顾川：(Surname: Gu) Gu 顾 means 'to take care of 照顾' or 'turning back回顾' (for a look), while Chuan 川 refers to rivers '河川' or plains '一马平川' in Chinese. If we combine the meanings of rivers and plains for Gu Chuan's name, it gives the general meaning of 'realm' or 'lands'.

Han-Li 寒丽：Han 寒 means cold, while 丽 means beautiful or elegant. （Celestians don't have surnames)

Jie 姐 - 'Elder sister' in Chinese

Junmo 君默：Kuang Sect Disciple. Once a physician in the Ba'yen refugee camp. 'Jun 君' means gentleman in this iteration, while 'mo 默' means silent. So Junmo's name means 'reserved/silent gentleman'

Kuang Sect 旷门 : A pathfinder sect with a long line of disciples originating from Pathfinder Kuang Yanguo (the original Pathfinder Kuang). Elite disciples in the Kuang Sect practise the Path of Song; they are tasked to guard and resurrect the lost Songs of Power, first created by Kuang Yanguo. Kuang Sect is located on Mount Yinyue.

Kuang Yanguo 旷燕国- The original pathfinder Kuang. Musician extraordinaire who lived 800 years ago. The songs of power originated from him.

Liao Mengzhang 廖梦章: (Surname: Liao) Second son of the Crimson General, Liao Dancheng. Served as a general in the Crimson Guard. Once captured by Ba'yens to be a political hostage. 'Meng 梦' means dream, while 'zhang 章' means chapter. The name 'Mengzhang' signifies his father's hope that this son will help to unfurl a 'dream chapter' of peace in his lifetime.

Liao Dancheng 【廖丹城】: (Surname: Liao) The Crimson General, Protector of the North, leader of the Crimson Guard. Liberator of Tian'ping. Father of Liao Mengzhang. (Surname: Liao)

While 'Dan 丹' means red/cinnabar, it is also associated with the saying 'dan xin bi xue 丹心碧血' which is used to describe someone who is loyal and valiant. 'Cheng 城' means city. Thus the name 'Dancheng' can be loosely interpreted as 'loyal guardian of the red city.

Meng Shi 梦师: Meng 梦 means 'dream', Shi 师 means 'teacher or master'.

𝐍𝐮𝐰𝐚 女娲: The Mother, The Goddess of Creation, responsible for creating the first men, and for the breaking of the world.

𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮 盘古: The Father. Partner and companion of Mother Nuwa. His consciousness dimmed first, leaving only the scattered threads of his faded entity. As Nuwa mourned her partner, she gathered the threads of Pangu, weaving them into earth, air and sea - creating the first world.

Pathfinder: A mortal seeking immortal ascension. Advanced pathfinders have the ability to manipulate Qi, much like immortal Celestians. When pathfinders gain the ability to only rely on Qi to sustain their bodies, they ascend to the realm of Celestia and become immortal.

Qi 气 : The energy that powers all Celestians, and some mortals. Qi is a source of power derived from  Mother Nuwa's breath when she breathed life into her creations.

Qinggong 轻功: A martial arts technique that reduces the weight of the body, giving one the ability to move at great speed and rise to great heights. This can also be enhanced or achieved through the manipulation of Qi.

Sect of Lost Melodies 失音门：One of the two pathfinder sects in Qi'zhou that practise the Path of Song. Founded by Shi Juan 师涓, a contemporary of Kuang Yanguo. They specialise in Songs of Pleasure, amongst other musical pursuits that seek to influence thoughts and desires. The Sect of Lost Melodies is located on Mount Lingyun.

Shiyao 诗谣: Leader of the Sect of Lost Melodies in Mount Lingyun. He was once First Musician in the Ba'yen Court. 'Shi 诗' means poetry, 'yao 谣' means song. Thus, 'Shiyao' can literally be taken to mean poetry and song.

Shenbing 神兵：Elite pathfinders who carry Celestian-forged swords, allowing them limited access to the powers of the Celestian who had forged the sword for them.

Simu River 思母河: One of the two main rivers in Qi'Zhou. Simu means 'in memory of mother', where 'mother' in this case refers to the Goddess Nuwa, also known as the mother of the world.

Talesinger: A travelling musician, much like a bard.

Tuya: Ba'yen refugee. Yargui's daughter. Her full name is Sarantuya, meaning moonlight. Now an adept in the Sect of Lost Melodies.

Wen Rui 文睿: Wen文 means literature and culture, while Rui 睿 means 'far-sighted'.

Yelu Wen 耶律汶: Emperor of Shang, the first ruler of a largely unified Qi'zhou. Surname Yelu Given name: Wen. Wèn 汶 refers to the Wen River, a river in Northeastern Qi'zhou; the birthplace of Yelu Wen.

Yargui: Ba'yen refugee, Tuya's mother.

Yizhong 义忠：Yi 义 means 'justice or chivalry', Zhong 忠 means 'loyalty'.

Yang Yi 阳一: Yang 阳 means 'sun', Yi 一 means 'one'. Here, his name can be interpreted as 'The first sun'.

Note: Junmo and Shiyao don't have surnames because they're war orphans who don't know who their parents are.

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MAP OF QI'ZHOU (弃洲）

Kingdoms come and go, carving temporary empires upon the forsaken lands of Qi'zhou. Here, you'll find misty mountains and cerulean seas, filled with the songs of mere mortals and the bright weaves of wandering Celestians. Look deeper, and you might even encounter the occasional demon, seeking to overstep the boundaries of their shadowed realm.

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