POLL: Help me make up a word!

1/3/2017

This is a pretty minor point in Blackflame, but I've been having trouble coming to a decision on my own, so I thought I'd get your opinion: what do I call the level immediately above Underlord?

I'd originally intended to call them Overlords, as you'd expect, but I already have Overlords in Traveler's Gate. So in my notes I've been using the word "Highlord," but A) it doesn't sound quite as cool, and B) it looks very similar to Highgold.

So when I'm discussing a Highgold and a Highlord in the same sentence, it's easy to read those both as the same word and get confused.

What do you think? Should I go with Overlord and ignore the fact that I use the same term with a different meaning in Traveler's Gate? Should I go with Highlord and just try and write my way around the potential confusion? Or should I make up something else?

I can't promise I'll abide by the results of the poll, because I could always have a new idea, but I would like to hear your thoughts.

-Will

210 Comments

Arenwyn

1/3/2017 09:21:54 am

Come 2020, I would happily vote for president Eithan.

Will link

1/3/2017 10:20:08 am

He has no need for walls, and he's a big fan of immigration.

Kjetil

1/3/2017 09:26:20 am

You could use the word Starlord or something other cosmic thing along that line. (maybe a bit too marvel)

Will link

1/3/2017 10:20:32 am

I was trying to think of a way to say Sacred Lord without it sounding really weird.

Kevin

1/7/2017 12:20:56 am

Demilord

Dan Gullick

1/7/2017 12:57:18 am

I think you are missing the obvious. Will-lord. The only problem is that it has to be hyphenated otherwise it looks like Willord. And typing hyphens can really slow down a book. Thank the flying spaghetti monster for find-and-replace.

Brad

1/8/2017 08:44:23 am

Demi prefix has a rather Godly/Saced ring to it as well as Arch from Archangel.

Also, you have no doubt already considered the idea and discarded it because it could cause some confusion.. but it would be pretty cool to change the suffix instead of the prefix

..., UnderLord, EverLord , TrueLord ..., -> Demi-God, HighGod, TrueGod, Deity

my 2 cents!

Lightning link

1/8/2017 11:42:17 am

Underlord
Freelord
Archlord

Underlord makes me think of someone who works in the shadows or behind the scene.

Freelord would be someone who has freedom to do as he pleases, but still follow the rules.

Archlord rules all.

Neil

1/9/2017 10:46:50 am

I like the suggestion of "archlord".

David

1/10/2017 11:25:50 pm

Grandlord
Baselord
Pigeon lord
Madralord
Crimson lord
Primus
Or just make up a word in that universe that has its own meaning that sounds cool.
Fade lord
Fai lord

Elfishpirat

1/3/2017 09:36:12 am

Magnate, potentate, viscount...

Pick your synonym

Will link

1/3/2017 10:22:48 am

Yeah, that's my default go-to when I need to come up with another magic word: the thesaurus.

But in this case, I've established a history of using made-up compound English words in the setting (Unsouled, Soulsmith, Underlord, etc.). I could tweak another word, like Highcount instead of Viscount or something, but since Underlord and Overlord (or whatever I'm calling it) are both sub-stages like Lowgold and Highgold instead of major stages like Gold, I feel like the "lord" element really brings it together.

TL;DR - I need a compound word with "lord" in it.

Elfishpirat

1/3/2017 11:50:38 am

Firstlord, Highlord, Blow-the-pants-off-the-jade-valley-lord

Honestly I would probably go with Overlord if it means we get the book faster 😜

Tinymike

1/3/2017 12:11:36 pm

Have you tried Upperlord

Will link

1/3/2017 12:26:25 pm

Landlord: with the power to charge anyone rent.

I had actually considered Earthlord, though the elemental implications makes that tough.

Will link

1/3/2017 12:26:52 pm

"Everlord" also sounds cool, but it's only one letter away from Overlord, and it means nothing.

Nicolas

1/3/2017 02:24:45 pm

Omnilord maybe?

Not sure what you'll think of it :p by the way, thanks for your great work Will!

Benjamin

1/3/2017 03:16:44 pm

You could possibly just skip the prefix at this point, assumedly the individuals are pretty rare so why not call them lords, instead of naming them with their name, call them lord ... e.g. Lord Eithan, (possibly at that point) or another one like greater lords for the entire stage of advancement

Avi

1/4/2017 10:55:01 am

Spirit lord. Or something else.

I really think that if you plan for 3 stages then overlord or high lord should be the 3rd one

Jason

1/7/2017 01:53:10 pm

Magnalord?

David W

1/7/2017 11:29:00 pm

Uberlord, although honestly I think Overlord is the most approptiate, seeing as you have low, high, truegold. Overlord just makes sense despite the title appearing in Travelers gate

Dave

1/10/2017 11:50:09 pm

Unchained lord
Risen lord
Nova lord
Tidal lord
Revanant lord
Chrome lord
Ascendant lord
Core lord
Cast lord
Kendra lord
Banr lord
Matter lord
Obsidian lord
Intra lord
Thrall lord
Ember lord
Ashen lord
Elder lord
Etc
Jason Bourne

Jonathan

1/20/2017 10:26:47 am

I would think something like the following would work. Just some thoughts.

SovereignLord
SoulLord
SummitLord
MadraLord
ExoLord (Greek prefix)
PraeterLord (Latin Prefix)

Bill H

2/6/2017 03:22:43 pm

I like this progression if you are sticking to threes.

Underlord
Greatlord
Overlord

Easily Amused Eldrazi link

1/3/2017 09:37:16 am

Perhaps Greatlord? Or perhaps O'erlord (with the apostrophe, to differentiate)?

Will link

1/3/2017 10:23:58 am

Greatlord is a possibility. The problem I have with O'erlord is that it looks like I'm trying to get rid of a syllable, and I'm not, so why not just say Overlord?

Brian

1/3/2017 09:58:54 am

Wouldn't it technically be a Lord?

Overlord in Traveler's Gate makes sense since they're lords over all the other lords in a part of the kingdom. They're literally over lords.

But it seems strange to me to have an Underlord and Overlord but no Lord ranking, nor any lordly classes to be under or over.

Will link

1/3/2017 10:28:54 am

You've traced my thought process accurately, Brian, but I'm considering one other factor.

Just like Lowgold, Highgold, and Truegold are sub-levels of the Gold stage (or "stages of the Gold realm"--I'm still working on the terminology), Underlord, [THIS ONE], and Archlord are the three stages in the Lord realm. So I'm trying to stick with the pattern of made-up compound word involving the suffix "-lord."

I'm just trying to keep the terms relatively consistent so that they're somewhat easier to keep track of.

It also breaks down neatly into a chart, should I ever get down to making one of those.

Incidentally, how do you feel about Underlady / Overlady?

Brian

1/3/2017 11:28:44 am

Fair enough. In that event I kinda agree Greatlord or Overlord could work there. I doubt the overlap with Traveler's Gate would be confusing to many people.

As far as Lord/Lady, I feel like the world(s) you put together for Lindon wouldn't make a distinction between male or female, so long as the individual was powerful enough to fight their way to that position.

Plus having a lord/lady swap makes implicit a binary gendered society, which I don't think is necessary.

Will link

1/3/2017 12:11:48 pm

I was leaning against -lady too, for similar reasons. I initially thought of it in order to demonstrate an explicit provision for women at that rank, to show that they're equally common, but having a gender neutral term illustrates that perfectly well. Plus, "lord" is only gender-specific in English, which they aren't speaking.

Luke Austin

1/3/2017 06:25:16 pm

Why not switch it around to start with "Under Lord, High Lord, and finally, True Lord"? If this doesn't work, how about making the last one "Omni Lord", and giving "High Lord" to be middle, or some such thing?

Crow

1/4/2017 08:57:10 pm

What luke said works nicely

Michael

1/5/2017 03:26:12 pm

A couple of thoughts...

I wondering if you are dead set on the 'lord' grouping, or if the grouping HAS to be made up of 3. I'm sure you've put a lot of thought into it, but I was just curious. Maybe breaking it up into other numerical grouping would alleviate the naming issue?

The various levels of mastery of the incorporated remnant piece ties all the level under gold together - I assume that the 'lord' rank has a similar grouping, and if we knew that it might help come up with a name.... (I know, that's probably giving it away, but I still wanted to ask).

Anyway, a couple of other prefixes that denote advancement or placement similar to overlord are:

Firstlord
Primelord
Elderlord

Of those I kind of like Elderlord - but that's just because I came up with it. However, I don't think there would be any confusion with Overlord whatsoever. Thanks for the stories.

Lashan

1/5/2017 06:02:14 pm

Why not use colors for ladies instead of lord/lady. Say she reached Red Blood red blue ( belt or shoes:) There is a precedent in martial arts and its different. Or girls wear jewelry ring/earring with symbols/ colors of their level

Jeff

1/5/2017 06:32:07 pm

How about madralord?

Doug

1/8/2017 08:49:11 pm

Try truelord following the lines of true gold

Bryan

1/11/2017 09:48:20 am

Underlord->

Lord (keep it simple?)
Highlord
Overlord
Halflord
Midlord->

Archlord

Tyler

1/3/2017 10:01:33 am

maybe just Lord/Lady? not as powerful sounding as overlord...but i like the overlord name best

Will link

1/3/2017 10:30:11 am

Of the two, I definitely like Overlord better. My problem with just calling them Lords and Ladies is that I wanted to call the whole realm (Underlord, Overlord, Archlord) the Lord realm, just like Lowgold-Highgold-Truegold is the Gold realm.

That's up for debate, though.

Tyler

1/4/2017 08:38:49 am

I didn't realize you were sticking with the 3-tiered schema after "Gold." If you're going with Archlord (awesome), I deff think Overlord makes sense. Greatlord & Highlord feel a little clunky for some reason (to me at least).

And since you're doing these cool death-match short story crossovers (all of the yes to this, keep them coming) I think a little wink to your other works is actually a nice reward for longtime fans.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:13:34 am

Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to do. Underlord, Overlord, Archlord.

At least we ruled out Highlord!

Brian C

1/3/2017 10:47:46 am

See whenever I think about the next stage after Underlord, my mind goes to Truelord, then HighLord/Overlord. This way it shows that Underlord is the lowest of the "Lord" stage. I feel like Truelord is that they've fully master the "Lord" stage but haven't figured out how to ascend to the next stage, i.e. they are suck on a plateau. (I think it was Sage from one of your posts?) Then you have the last of the "Lord" stage showing that they are transitioning/ascending to the next stage. By this I mean they have figured out how to reach the next stage and are just on the path to it.

So I feel there should be a stage in-between Underlord and HighLord/Overlord and I personally like Overlord better.

Will link

1/3/2017 12:15:34 pm

I was considering Under-, True-, Over-, but I already have Truegold as the final stage of Gold. So having True be the final stage and then the middle stage could potentially cause some confusion.

I'm not against Underlord, Overlord, Truelord, but that leaves the same problem as not having anything between Under- and Over-.

Sean K

1/3/2017 06:30:05 pm

UnderLord
HighLord
OverLord

Seems like it keeps things together quite nicely. I know you have highgold, but some redundance in the names isn't a bad thing. I also like "ArcLord" (reaches across the lord level). so it could be:

UnderLord
OverLord
ArcLord

Will link

1/4/2017 10:14:29 am

That's probably what I'm going to end up doing. Underlord, Overlord, Archlord. I don't see a real problem with that.

I still think Silverlord sounds the coolest. Maybe I'll use it in a different story. Or as an individual's name...

Laben, friend of Jeremiah Halstead, esq.

1/3/2017 11:08:55 am

What do you think of making the level of lord they are (at least at that high level) be named after some achievement or change that the person goes through to reach that level? Like a flying lord, or a wandering lord, or an inhuman lord, or shining lord, or dread lord (which may not be named after a change, but I like the sound of it). Other random ideas: ice lord, mist lord, perhaps a fun corruption of time lord (back to the thesaurus we go), scholar lord, ... These are getting worse as I go so I'll stop here.

Will link

1/3/2017 12:24:45 pm

Makes sense, Friend of Jeremiah. But as I have it now, the mechanic used to advance from Gold to Lord involves claiming and holding external powers, which is somewhat implicit in the word "Lord." So any prefix I used based on the mechanic would be redundant.

I could always change the mechanic to suit the word, if I came up with a word I liked, but that leaves us back at square one.

Jeremiah

1/3/2017 05:08:23 pm

Just name one Palipatine and we'll know what you mean!

Isaac Xander

1/3/2017 09:02:31 pm

The prefix thing could go back to the aspect of the outside power (like the aspects of madra and energy) like a Dream Lord or even what path they're on. Like, Lindon could possibly be a Lord of Twin Stars and the girl with him (for the life of me i can't think of her name) could be a Lord of the Endless Sword. This has its merits because from what I'm hearing, lord-level people are rare enough (by virtue of most people can't get there and anyone having the talent to get there moving on eventually) that the title can be used almost interchangeably with their name. Taking it further, the progression will eventually get to the point where the title will all but replace their name anyways (like with the sage of the Endless Sword)

Will link

1/4/2017 10:10:53 am

That's a good idea, Isaac, which is why...

*SPOILER ALERT*

*THE SPOILER ALARM IS GOING OFF*

*AVERT THINE EYES*

...that's what I do with Sages. It's not even really a spoiler, since the only Sage we've encountered is the Sword Sage (and his full title is the Sage of the Endless Sword).

Alo

1/5/2017 04:10:24 pm

I'd suggest the following:

Underlord
Oddlord
Overlord

Because you said that being a lord involves external powers, being at the 'height' of the lord category would mean that you had mastered those powers. An Underlord would have a 'grasp' of them, yet not mastered, an Oddlord would have them, competent but with further potential, and an Overlord would be standing on top of them, having the full potential at his disposal.

Jason

1/7/2017 09:34:45 pm

I was going to make a similar suggestion, but using the form Lord High _____. Along the line of Lord High Admiral or Lord High Judge.

Lashan

1/5/2017 06:07:31 pm

Will,
I think you are looking/going to incorporate Sylvan creature in Lindons development( pure madra feeding req and such). What if an Archlord with a pure madra core can bond with a developed Sylvan and become Silverlord with unique properties/ fighting abilities

Azqa

1/3/2017 11:28:13 am

I think you'd stopped reading comments by the time I posted this one on a different blog post, so I'll copy it below since it seems relevant to me.

Unsouled
Copper
Iron
Jade
Lowgold
Highgold
Truegold
Underlord

Lindon finds badges of other materials - "The first row contained a badge each of copper, iron, jade, and gold. That much he expected. But the second row moved from halfsilver to goldsteel to materials he couldn't identify. One of them was a deep, fiery red, and the other a blue so rich it was like a Forged slice of the sky."

Does the description of the power scale change at Underlord, or is that one term an aberration? Will we see people at Halfsilver / Goldsteel level, or is Underlord [now the ___Lord range of levels] simply represented by one of those?

Heck, I was wondering if Underlord was more a political title than truly an advancement-in-the-sacred-arts label.

If Halfsilver is used for the ___Lord stage, then what about "Silverlord"?

Will link

1/3/2017 12:18:04 pm

The materials motif changes after Gold, reflecting the fact that improving the quality of your madra alone is not how you advance. You could technically get all the way to Truegold just by cycling and refining your madra, it would just take forever.

I actually like Silverlord a lot, because it sounds cool. It seems kind of random in sequence, though: Underlord, Silverlord, Overlord.

Brian C

1/3/2017 01:47:51 pm

Now that I know you were thinking of using Archlord as the last stage of "lord" I toally believe that you have to keep it and then you can use Silverlord. Underlord, Silverlord, Archlord. These just sound so awesome. I vote for this sequence.

Will link

1/3/2017 03:03:28 pm

I'm more sold on it the more I think about it, but I WOULD have to invent an in-universe connection to silver.

That's not too hard, but I would have to do it.

Brian C

1/3/2017 06:50:28 pm

I don't know maybe have it so that their madra starts to take on a silver tint that is not connected to the type of madra they used. So like its outlined in the silver and no one knows why and it only comes with having reached the Silverlord stage? Just my two cents trying to explain why its called Silverlord because I really like the sound of Underlord, Silverlord, Archlord as the "lord" stages.

Azqa

1/3/2017 09:32:23 pm

Ahhh, okay. Moving away from materials makes a ton of sense with that description of what it takes to ascend to that level. Since you have to claim some kind of external power to be a Lord, maybe halfsilver (which was described as important to the sacred arts, though I don't remember the explicit reason) is an integral or at least common component to claiming that external power.

Underlord
Silverlord
Archlord

I do think that sounds pretty cool, and while Under/Over is an obvious sequence I like the idea of mixing it up a little.

Madeline

1/4/2017 06:58:44 am

I don't know, with the very previous grouping of three powers being based on gold, it seems very odd to have the middle of the next grouping of three only mention silver in the middle one. Maybe if you had been asking us before writing Soulsmith, and then Underlord could be the middle name and Silverlord could be the first, but as is it seems odd to go metal reference -> no metal reference -> metal reference

Will link

1/4/2017 10:15:12 am

I agree with Madeline; it still feels like a reach.

I'm going to keep the word "Silverlord" in my back pocket, though. I might be able to use it in a future story, or even as an individual's name.

Andrew Luscomb

1/3/2017 11:56:19 am

Middle lord lol for accuracy's sake

Will link

1/3/2017 12:12:48 pm

I was actually considering Midlord, but not only does it seem a bit on-the-nose, it also doesn't sound impressive. "Mid-" anything sounds mediocre.

Tacroy

1/3/2017 07:01:54 pm

It makes me think of the "Your new name is Mid-Boss!" scene from Disgaea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuaQAngOUIA&t=1m33s

It could be used as a dismissive name used by higher ranks. "What are you up to these days?" "Oh they've got me babysitting a couple of Midlords, that sort of thing"

Madeline

1/3/2017 12:44:05 pm

Call it Overlord anyway. Then have the people from Cradle end up in the Traveller's Gate world and panic because Overlords are so common there are many of them in this one country alone.

Andrew Luscomb

1/3/2017 12:48:02 pm

This is great

Will link

1/3/2017 02:56:19 pm

"WE HAVE COME TO A LAND OF GODS"

Madeline

1/3/2017 08:46:39 pm

See? The idea is growing on you!

Dentari

1/27/2017 09:18:18 am

And then the emperor shows up and redefines gods for them.

How about demilord?

You have to wonder at what point the power level becomes rare enough that they don't have classifications for them though. I wonder if Suriel is like "Oh, they have a name for your power level? That's so cute!"

Five

1/3/2017 01:32:55 pm

Why not have a blurb in Traveler`s Gate that the Overlords are called that because of stories from mysterious wanderers in white? after all, if the Elder Empire is visited at times why not TG too and have terminology, customs, and myths spread to add a level of connectivity.

Will link

1/3/2017 02:58:26 pm

I like leaving crossover Easter eggs like this, but I don't know if this level of a coincidence is even worth explaining in-universe. Even on Earth we use the same word for different things.

If these were worlds that actually existed, I wouldn't have to explain a word coincidentally appearing in two of them, because the characters wouldn't know.

Also, they don't speak the same language, so the ACTUAL word they're using is different. It's only a problem because the novels telling the stories are both in English.

Five

1/3/2017 04:53:06 pm

True, but it doesn't have to be so blatant. In Cradle, Suriel is capable of speaking to Lindon with ease. An organization the size and age of the Abidan Court is bound to have leaks as Suriel herself states she does not want to start any new myths or advancements. Having small commonalities is to be expected if Abidan visits are regular say, every thousand years. You can pull a Brandon Sanderson and drop terms and mythos, that the reader would recognize, but goes over the characters heads with no explanation needed.

jim

1/3/2017 01:37:09 pm

Overlord sounds pretty good. Greatlord not bad either.

Will link

1/3/2017 02:59:30 pm

I think Greatlord works, and I'll either use Greatlord or Truelord if I can't get anything else.

But I have to say, "Silverlord" sounds pretty cool. I'd have to invent some in-universe connection to silver, but that's easy enough.

Luke Austin

1/3/2017 06:30:15 pm

What about doing the same with all the materials, besides just Silver Lord? This way it doesn't sound so random when you use Silver Lord in between Underlord and Overlord.

Rhys

1/4/2017 12:07:32 am

Honestly will, while overlord probably makes more thematic sense, silverlord is really, really cool. So i vote for that.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:16:37 am

I still like "Silverlord" as the coolest name, but it DOES seem random to have it in the middle. Maybe if I'd consulted you guys beforehand, Underlords would have been Silverlords.

Instead, I'm going to keep the word Silverlord in my back pocket. I might use it in a future story or as an individual's name.

Mick

1/3/2017 01:51:26 pm

The poll is harsh, nearly 50% on make it up yourself.

I vote Overlord as it feels right in the context you have presented in the comments above. I think that your reads should be discerning enough to realise that is overlord is different to the house of blades overlords.

Or you could call it SoupLord as at that power rank you get secret knowledge to make amazing soup.

Will link

1/3/2017 03:00:20 pm

THAT'S IT!

It's the secret to evolving beyond Cradle: making soup so delicious that it violates the laws of space and time.

Will M

1/3/2017 02:06:32 pm

Maybe Master Lord (like master chiefs?)

Will link

1/3/2017 03:01:57 pm

Master Lord is a little redundant, like calling a rank Yellow Gold or Metal Iron. At that point, why not use "Master" or "Lord" individually?

April

1/5/2017 08:19:46 pm

You solved it! Lordlord

Peter

1/3/2017 02:40:49 pm

Something that conveys the the level is in the middle or upper parts of the Lord rank would work best since your going to use archlord which conveys being at the peak of said level

Will link

1/3/2017 03:02:34 pm

Archlord isn't set in stone yet, because Archlords won't make an appearance even in rumor until at least book four, but I thought it was a cool-sounding word.

pa4m3

1/3/2017 02:48:17 pm

Have you thought about dropping the first part of the compound word you're considering: over, great, etc... into a language generator?

Grab a language that ties into the theme you've got going on with Blackflame and see if any sound cool preceding lord.

I liked this idea but having typed it out it feels like a stretch. lol

pa4m3

1/3/2017 02:49:16 pm

It's probably clear but I meant to say language translator.

Will link

1/3/2017 02:54:32 pm

It's a good idea, and I've done it before for other words, but in this case I couldn't come up with anything that sounded decent.

Heart of the Star

1/3/2017 03:17:22 pm

My personal thoughts are that in the end it doesn't matter a huge amount. Overlord would probably work the best and I doubt anyone will get confused with Traveller's Gate.

If you don't think that Overlord is suitable though then I would suggest finding another term, i think you are exactly right in that Highlord would get confusing. One of my biggest gripes with some of the translations on Wuxiaworld and similar places, is how many names and terms are very much alike so i find it difficult to keep them separate.

Some suggestions: Skylord, Peerlord (as in they are a Lord among their peers, the other lords), Riselord (as in an Underlord who is rising)... and here I run out of ideas.

If it's too much trouble you could even make it a thing in the book. That the next level is called Highlord, but nobody liked the name so everyone just calls them Sovereigns or something?

Anyway I really like this series and I am incredibly happy that you are writing it. I am a huge fan of the Xixania concept but I find a more western style of writing a lot more readable. So to have one of my favorite authors explore this genre is truly excellent.

Hopefully some others will follow your example and make this genre more mainstream!

Will link

1/4/2017 10:17:46 am

Skylord is one of the ones I've tried most often, but it gets confusing when it's related to elemental powers.

two midgets in a trench coat

1/3/2017 03:19:59 pm

I like the highlord suffix specifically because it overlaps with highgold. I like conistency in ranks, and if you're going to drop the metal/stone ranking names as you go up, I'd like some sort of connection to the lower ranks.

That's just me though

Two

1/4/2017 07:36:01 am

Prefix. Sorry

Will link

1/4/2017 10:18:37 am

Underlord, Highlord, Truelord is probably fine, but I'd rather ditch it to avoid potential confusion among similar-looking terms.

ben

1/3/2017 04:02:26 pm

If you like the sound of "Archlord" but aren't tied to having it be the third stage, what about:

Underlord - Archlord - Primelord

it kinda matches the motif from the gold realm of "positional adjective, positional adjective, not-strictly-positional" and doesnt overlap anything else you've used so far?

Two

1/3/2017 09:48:00 pm

Basedlord!!

Will link

1/4/2017 10:19:50 am

I still don't like Primelord. It's a cool-sounding word, but it evokes feelings of a distant sci-fi space opera setting for me. Like a guy wearing rusted robot armor and carrying a laser-axe while wearing a copper gear as a crown. That sounds like a Primelord to me.

ben

1/4/2017 03:12:34 pm

fair

on a completely unrelated note: i would 100% read a book about a guy wearing rusted robot armor and carrying a laser-axe while wearing a copper gear as a crown.

jim

1/3/2017 04:14:04 pm

Overlord is a commonly used in Light novels and I think it would work really well here.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:20:12 am

Yeah, it seems like the most logical thing. I'm going to use it for now, although I might change it later.

Madeline

1/4/2017 01:11:41 pm

*begs for short story with Cradle characters coming to Traveller's Gate world and meeting Traveller's Gate Overlords*

Jason

1/3/2017 04:18:11 pm

While i know a new name might be nice. Unless its 100% perfect wveryone will expect overlord...it was kind of set up since you picked underlord. If you want since gold is low high true. You can make it under lord, lord, then over lord? Or since u went from metals to titles like iron jade gold. Use that as an excuse to go to a different title all together without lord? If you just simply go overlord then people will say ok its expected to reach the next stage. I assume if your rare enough to hit underlord amd you reach the next stage. You probably would make your own name for it if you were the first to reach it so aj entirely different name like BARON wouldnt be that unexpected. Let me know what ya think :D

Jason Dergham

1/3/2017 04:24:29 pm

Just trying to say apprently a lot of people reach GOLD. So based on ur proud society its not surprise ALL the people in gold would want more classifications to seprate them selves. Not many people reach underlord so i feel that you shouldnt be stuck in trying to make lord a tierd system because it doesnt seem that there are enough underlords in that part of the world that it needs to be a tierd system. You arent stuck with it! Go with Baron :D!!

Two

1/4/2017 07:38:44 am

It might be a sociatal thing but there are differences that deserve classification of only for progression sake

Will link

1/4/2017 10:22:19 am

I don't have a problem doing something like Underlord, Baron, Count, Prince, King, Emperor, Grand Poobah, Guy With the Biggest Hat, and so on, but then I'd have to come up with a different distinguishing power for each of those scales.

As opposed to Lords, where an Underlord has to have a qualitative difference in power between him an a Truegold, but an Overlord just needs to be more powerful than an Underlord.

Keith

1/3/2017 04:54:07 pm

I found it strange that you went from a material to a title. So maybe go back to material. Underlord then becomes Platinum Lord, Steel Lord, Silver Lord, Unobtanium (worst name for a metal ever)Lord 😉

Two

1/3/2017 09:51:23 pm

I was really hoping that Lindon would use his multiple cores to "purify" his iron body to a steel one

Will link

1/4/2017 10:24:49 am

The Steelborn body is just what Yerin's Iron body is called. Steel isn't a rank over Iron.

I changed from the materials ranking system to reflect a difference in how you advance at Underlord level. Up to Truegold, you're just adding to and refining your madra. There are Remnants involved at Gold, but there don't HAVE to be; TECHNICALLY you could cycle all the way to Truegold without ever bonding a Remnant.

It would take you hundreds of years and a ridiculous amount of unnecessary work, but you could do it.

Whereas Truegold to Underlord is achieved differently.

Two

1/5/2017 05:15:24 am

Was that what it was called? Oops soz. I wasn't thinking that steel was above iron or anything, just that as it stands with his current Madara his iron body really hurts him in combat, seeing as it heals so well that it just drinks all his milkshake when he's hurt.

Sean K

1/3/2017 06:20:20 pm

I say call them "Dread-Lords". You already have Dread beast, and Dread Gods, make it a level of advancement. It sounds ominous, and implies power. No one messes with a Dreadlord light.

Then have something like "PureLord" for the final link. Honestly, after Dreadlord, it is "Sage" as that is the level you said the Sword sage was at. And the BF Emperor is one level below any Sage. So after Dreadlord, you could just start the sage cycle.

Sean K

1/3/2017 07:16:58 pm

Also, Under and Dread both imply underworld/undead themes. Then Overlord just rules them all :P

Matt

1/3/2017 09:36:32 pm

Similar options to these would be Ur-Lord, Fell Lord, Demi-Lord, Leige-Lord.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:25:41 am

I have to say, Underlord, Dreadlord, Overlord makes the whole thing very ominous and imposing. That's pretty cool.

But there are too many Dreadlords in other works already.

James

1/3/2017 07:09:11 pm

Astatine Is the rarest element on earth. Approximately 30 grams on the whole planet. That would be the ultimate level.

Mahfuz

1/3/2017 07:40:44 pm

Are you suggesting Aslord? LOL

Patrick

1/3/2017 07:50:20 pm

It kind of breaks the mold, but perhaps Demilord? Close but not quite perfect.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:26:12 am

Demilord almost works for me.

james

1/9/2017 11:08:07 pm

Since you're going with an oriental theme you could go with Daelord. In Korean Dae means great, or magnificent or amazing for example king saejong the great is called saejong daewong (Wong means king in Korean)

Jessiah

1/3/2017 08:07:34 pm

Unsouled
Copper
Iron
Low Gold
High Gold
True Gold
Under Lord
Sky/ Arch Lord
Emperor/Prime Lord
Sky Sovereign
Star Sovereign
Heaven Sovereign
...

Low Abidan ?

Brian C

1/3/2017 08:29:56 pm

Will has already said that "Sage" is the next stage after the "Lord" stage. Though the "Sovereign" could be the stage after that one. I don't know, I'm not sure if Will has mentioned that yet.

Jessiah

1/4/2017 09:20:58 pm

Oh I had forgotten about level ! For some reason kept only thinking that was a title for powerful experts and not an actual level lol my bad alright edit:

Unsouled
Copper
Iron
Low Gold
High Gold
True Gold
Under Lord
Sky/ Arch Lord
Emperor/Prime Lord
Arch Sage
Sage King
Dao Sage
Sky Sovereign
Star Sovereign
Heaven Sovereign
Dao Adept
Dao Prime
Dao Ancient
...

Low Abidan ?
Abidan Abiter
Abidan Judge? Oh andyou have my permission to use any of these lol if you want =D

anon link

1/4/2017 07:38:54 am

This is the right track! I had a similar idea.

-Foundation

-Copper
-Iron
-Jade

-Low Gold
-High Gold
-True Gold

-Underlord

-Lord (Though I like the Arch Lord Idea too) (This level might also be the minimum req to be a Sage)
-Overlord
-Emperor

-Adept (You can now leave the planet)

-Master adept
-Celestial adept
-Something else I have not thought of that is probably the level of the Judges

-Something (ruler of universe)

This also supports the basic sociopolitical structure you have established. It is also in line with the Taoist ideas of cultivation and full cycles. The complete cycles being represented by Foundation- Underlord, Underlord-Adept, Adept-(??? ruler of universe)

I don't really know where you plan to take your story but I offer these ideas freely and without any expectation of any quid quo pro and I relinquish any clam to them. (Just in case your lawyer reads this.)

Keep up the good writing. I'm looking froward to reading the next book.

-anon

Will link

1/4/2017 10:27:47 am

Thanks for the lawyer-speak, anon!

Interestingly enough, my early notes for the (then-untitled) Cradle series look a lot like this.

Mahfuz

1/3/2017 09:20:50 pm

How about ancient regal titles as the root word and then adding a bit of Will Wight flair to it?
We used this page for an English project once. Hope this helps!

http://my.raex.com/~obsidian/glossary.html

Will link

1/4/2017 10:29:01 am

Unfortunately, the most fitting term on that page is Wang.

Which means that the next level up would be Wanglord.

"Run! The Wanglord approaches!"

(For real, though, I'm keeping that page bookmarked. Thanks!)

Jack

1/5/2017 12:47:37 pm

If someone in genuine terror told me to run from the Wanglord, I would be terrified on a primal level. However, my curiosity would probably lead me to being crushed by said Wanglord.

Two

1/3/2017 09:47:19 pm

If they are sub stages of the Lord rank or w/e the the immediate next step should be highlord then overlord IMO. Or you know the other way round maybe or like truelord

Will link

1/4/2017 10:29:23 am

Yeah, I agree. I think I'm sticking with Overlord.

Reyna

1/5/2017 06:33:51 am

What about Underlord, Archlord, Purelord/Headlord?

James G

1/3/2017 10:05:10 pm

Ascendant.

It implies that much has been overcome yet the path upwards beckons.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:29:51 am

I have tried SO HARD to work the term "Ascendant" into this series.

Jeremiah

1/4/2017 06:25:44 pm

You can have an ascendant Warrior! Oh wait... I think that one's taken

Dimitri

1/3/2017 10:46:42 pm

What about Master Lord?
My 50c😂

Nocturniquet

1/3/2017 11:53:41 pm

Highlord makes plenty of sense given highgold is the middle of the gold tier.

And it also technically descirbes what they are. They are greater than an underlord, but not among the handful of the best of the lords (obvious in this case the Archlord). I'm going to assume someone who is of this level is the emperor or something.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:30:39 am

I agree, it just looks confusing when paired with Highgold.

I think I'm going to go with Underlord, Overlord, Archlord. It seems like the simplest option so far.

But I'm keeping "Silverlord" in reserve for something else.

Mark M

7/11/2022 04:08:27 am

...and in fact it was used for something else.

Ferix

2/1/2023 03:05:14 am

Glad you were able to fit this into the story!

Micah

1/4/2017 12:20:39 am

Maybe since you dig deep for rare metals (video game logic), instead of going under to over, go under to even more under. Deeplord or Abysslord or something. That sounds a little too much like dark souls. Anyway the idea is that the lord is settling deep into the body.

Then again, a mid-tier name shouldn't matter too much. It shouldn't sound better then archlord in any case. It needs to sound mildly impressive. High or great lord seem ok. But greatlord sounds a lot like greatsword.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:31:36 am

It's at this point that I wish I wasn't locked into compound words, because Lord of the Deep would be really neat.

Not as a rank, though. As a title. "The Lord of the Deep would resent their presence here."

Heart of the Star

1/4/2017 04:48:32 pm

It would be interesting, albeit not very fitting, to have it go down rather than up.

So instead of Underlord, Overlord, Archlord you could have Underlord, Chasmlord, Abysslord. Or anyother variation like Pitlord or something.

Though those all sound like equivalent mirror stages for evil cultivators... are there evil/ demon cultivators who walk an alternate path?

Mark

1/4/2017 03:15:57 am

What about Realmlord?
I think that might fit into your hierachy, where your Underlord might be the stongest power in a city, a Realmlord strongest in a state, and Archlord strongest in the country (as an example)

Two

1/4/2017 07:43:22 am

Realmlord is an awesome title, though he does use the realm moniker for the advancement stages

Will link

1/4/2017 10:32:20 am

Yeah, that's the problem with Realmlord: I'm calling Gold and Lord "realms" with "stages" inside them.

Also, I think Realm Lord looks a lot better than Realmlord.

anon link

1/4/2017 07:51:50 am

I posted this as a reply but I have a notion that it won't be noticed way down the list. So here it is again.

-Foundation

-Copper
-Iron
-Jade

-Low Gold
-High Gold
-True Gold

-Underlord

-Lord (Though I like the Arch Lord Idea too) (This level might also be the minimum req to be a Sage)
-Overlord
-Emperor

-Adept (You can now leave the planet)

-Master adept
-Celestial adept
-Something else I have not thought of that is probably the level of the Judges

-Something (ruler of universe)

This also supports the basic sociopolitical structure you have established. It is also in line with the Taoist ideas of cultivation and full cycles. The complete cycles being represented by Foundation- Underlord, Underlord-Adept, Adept-(??? ruler of universe)

I don't really know where you plan to take your story but I offer these ideas freely and without any expectation of any quid quo pro and I relinquish any clam to them. (Just in case your lawyer reads this.)

Keep up the good writing. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

-anon

anon link

1/4/2017 08:32:36 am

As a Post Script to my above post; This matches the current details of the books. The box wth the medallions. The hand held medallion that the only underlord we have met so far uses instead of a neckless madallion works with the wood medallion for Foundation in that those levels represent beginning levels at each cycle and are in some way blank slates and therefore not ranked like the others. Beyond that Emperors would be so rare on cradle that they would not need to bother with symbols of rank... could explain the lack of badges off planet too. (I should probably have called them badges all along) Emperor could also be combined or linked with Adept in some way (a correct path that can continue, Adept vs. an incorrect path that cannot, Emperor) Again, I offer these ideas freely and without any expectation of any quid quo pro and I relinquish any clam to them. (Just in case your lawyer reads this.)

I mentioned that I'm looking forward to the next book but it won't hurt to say it again. Keep writing!

-anon

Will link

1/4/2017 10:34:08 am

Well, the badge Eithan showed was just the sign of his family, not anything representing his power level. It's what the head of the family carries.

I HAVE considered some sort of a "dead-end" branch, which you go into if you want as much power as possible without the possibility of leaving the planet.

John Vargin

1/4/2017 08:28:11 am

Drol Revo

Tom

1/4/2017 08:52:34 am

Maybe something like "Aspect Lord" or "Domain Lord" to show they have lorship over something, and have mastered it?

Dethmer

1/4/2017 08:55:45 am

Maybe a weird question, but would the rank above Underlord not just be Lord? it doesn't sound as cool, but it makes sense right?

Will link

1/4/2017 10:34:34 am

Yeah, it makes sense, but I was going to call the whole Underlord-Overlord-Archlord set the "Lord" realm.

Benjamin

1/4/2017 09:26:59 am

While I think you could do Overlord without too much conflict with another series, especially since Overlord is very appropriate in this context and it also has plenty of roots in traditional wuxia/xianxia stories, far be it from me to pass up a chance to brainstorm some other options.

Midlord would probably be the most apt descriptor, but that's lame. It's not even as cool as Mid-Boss. It would help to know more about what's going on in this cultivation stage, but that would be spoilery (and I'd actually prefer to find out in the book itself rather than be spoiled here).

Skylord seems neutral enough- not too high on the epic power level naming, clearly above Underlord. Not sure if it 'feels' below Archlord though. You could always go Underlord (lord above metal stages)->Archlord (Lord among lords)->Skylord (unsurpassed beneath the heavens, til you get into celestial levels).

...I was going to write more, but I actually really like putting Archlord as the middle stage and some kind of 'sky' lord above it. Gonna quit while I'm ahead.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:36:30 am

I like Skylord, but as I have it now, I have Skysworn who are sworn to the service of the Blackflame Emperor. Who is CURRENTLY a Skylord/Overlord/Highlord (Underlord+1), but doesn't necessarily HAVE to be.

So I could make this work--like the Skysworn are in the service of the Skylord, because there's never more than one in this country, regardless of who he is--but it would require me to go back and change a lot of my setting backstory.

Which is a lot of work since another term would work just as well.

Lightsyde link

1/4/2017 09:37:50 am

Hey Will,

It's good that you're considering the clash with Traveler's Gate but I'm leaning towards the notion that this problem falls into the "overthinking" category...

When I first imagined the next level after Underlord I immediately thought Overlord as well... and I think you should keep in mind that this is merely one of the stages Lindon with reach and then surpass. If there's a prolonged battle and struggle (that spans several books) involving sacred artists on this stage then I believe this issue has the gravity you're giving it, but if that's not the case... Anyway let me jump on the train.

Greatlord and Silverlord seems to feel a bit forced in comparison with Overlord.
Realmlord feels great, but it suggests Realms, a word that has never been directly mentioned in the series before. Do you want to? Primelord feels epic as well, but Prime and Arch might clash, although I think it wont but...

How about Vastlord? suggest an improvement but doesn't clash with anything else.
Depthlord and Deeplord might be also worth thinking about (but I think deep is better than depth)

As a last resort, you could go with Sexlord, which suggest a life of ecstasy worthy of a sacred artist, or even don't-mess-with-me-lord, which implies the badassery without being the slightest bit awkward.

Will link

1/4/2017 10:12:16 am

Sexlord. Done. They don't increase in sacred arts powers, but their erotic skills skyrocket.

I agree I'm overthinking this, although this poll and lengthy discussion have at least made me rule out Highlord. Because it wasn't just me that thought it sounded clunky and unnecessarily confusing.

Avi

1/4/2017 10:56:30 am

Damn
This should have been an option in the poll
I would have voted for that

Mick

1/4/2017 06:47:37 pm

Got me thinking that BoatyMcBoatface-lord should have been in the poll too!

Nick O

1/4/2017 09:55:07 am

I like the idea of moving Archlord to the second spot and making up a new name for the 3rd spot. And possibly keeping the True- as the 3rd spot as with Gold.

Underlord
Archlord
Truelord

Will link

1/4/2017 10:12:57 am

I still like Silverlord, but I think I'm going to go with Overlord as the middle and Archlord as the top. It just seems simplest.

Joseph

1/4/2017 05:31:36 pm

I agree with Lightsyde's post on the over-thinking idea for the most part. I had already been calling the middle Lord stage Overlord whenever I talked about your books anyways. However, the Silverlord thing sound really cool. There was the halfsilver badge at the temple, halfsilver somehow disrupts madra inside a practitioner's body, and Eithan could manipulate madra inside Lindon's body to force him to advance. I think it has a sufficient background. As for the lack of pattern, it doesn't have to appear designed. Many systems describe reality to create their classifications and if there is a link to halfsilver for this stage then it doesn't have to look like the creators of Cradle had OCD. lol

avi

1/5/2017 12:11:51 pm

ALSO
truelord kinda sounds weird
i mean i dosent rolls off the tounge

Mark

1/4/2017 12:06:20 pm

Urlord.

Yosef

1/4/2017 01:01:23 pm

It looks like you've settled on overlord which makes the most sense, so I was thinking that since the realm after lord is sage the realm after sage but before you leave the planet should just be known as cool. where you've got so powerful people just keep saying thats so cool whenever you do something. plus at this stage you get sunglasses and you can smoke.

Azqa

1/4/2017 01:47:14 pm

This is just getting me more excited to learn more about Eithan, too...

We don't know the name of his Path. We know that he can sense an inordinate amount of detailed information from his surroundings in a pretty large radius. We know that he can use that information to predict what will happen - that a ladder will tip over if he doesn't adjust it, or that a spear strike will go through his chest if he doesn't move. He claims to have the Raindrop body to give him "the reaction speed to keep up with [his] detection." We know that he isn't actually prescient, so he does have to predict the action based on the information he gets, but it seems likely that his Path assists that subconsciously.

We don't know if his detection can be fooled. For example, could someone on the Path of the Curving Spear set themselves to a strike that all of Eithan's madra tells him will enter his stomach unless he slips away by mere inches, only to use their madra to have the strike (or the spear itself) bend and curve in ways no ordinary attack could, that negates Eithan's dodge because it couldn't be predicted?

We don't know what external power he claimed in order to reach Underlord. We know that "thanks to the good fortune of the heavens, [he] reached the stage of Underlord at quite a young age." He has demonstrated extreme strength despite his Iron body being designed for speed, tearing off the metal collar while it was diminishing (to some unknown degree) his madra. He dueled Yerin with a pair of scissors, though we don't know if he did anything to strengthen the scissors in such a way that they could parry an attack instead of just having him dodge things. He was able to use his soul in some fashion to drive people to their knees - something that I think Li Markuth could do as well, so that may just be an inherent ability of the sacred arts once someone reaches a certain amount of madra control. I am not sure if we've gotten any actual hints as to what external power he claimed at a young age in order to reach Underlord.

On a completely separate note, since I know that this series is intended to be, if not completely open-ended, then at least not wrapped up in a set number of books, I'm hoping that Lindon doesn't catch up to Eithan too quickly. In order to beat Jai Long, the obvious response is for him to zip through Jade, Lowgold, Highgold, and possibly reach Truegold in a single year while Jai Long is absorbing all the power he can to move from Highgold up to Truegold. I'm still hoping that he finds a way to do it without racing up through the power levels. Granted, I may still be viewing the sacred arts from the initial perspective shown in the limited world of the Sacred Valley - that Jade is truly a remarkable stage on its own - as opposed to the worldview of Eithan and Yerin, that seems to count the quality of madra as far less important than the other limiting factors. Things like the Iron body, trained skills, claiming control over Goldsigns and external powers - maybe those are far more important than the power scale described by the materials early on. In that case, I'm looking forward to seeing all the different tiers you have in mind to let Lindon/Yerin/Eithan grow through together!

Doug

1/8/2017 09:02:07 pm

Thank you for putting it onto words

waiolas

1/4/2017 01:58:11 pm

m'lord

Mahfuz

1/9/2017 12:57:36 am

m'Lady

Liam

1/4/2017 02:23:15 pm

I like the idea of StormLord. Id say Starlord or Sunlord but thats a little to close to Guardians of the Galaxy to me.

jim

1/4/2017 02:46:07 pm

Stormlord has already been taken by another fantasy franchise.

jim

1/4/2017 02:41:53 pm

Edgelord.

Anttkd

1/4/2017 04:12:53 pm

Y not go with something completely different. Like indomitable or something like that. Just a quick thought

Mike

1/4/2017 05:01:00 pm

How about Demi. Like Demilord. I thought about it because of the Demilich from D&d. Plus the it's the halfway point through the Lord tier.
Under- below
Demi- half
Arch- principle or first.

Mike

1/4/2017 05:14:57 pm

Overlord, makes most sense and was what I was already anticipating. Definitely preferred over Highlord.

Couple of random ideas though

Demilord
Midlord
Warlord

Joseph

1/4/2017 05:42:08 pm

Will said in this thread that a remnant is not needed to advance to gold and that all the way to Truegold is just measured in amount of madra. That means that absorbing a remnant is just about madra. To me, this highlights that Yerin has what I think of as two goldsigns. She has her master's remnant as a sword arm, and she has the weird rope-bow-belt thing. If she could master these two things, just how much madra would she have...

Kurt

1/4/2017 06:19:36 pm

I thought that "Sage" was a rank unto itself, was I wrong?

Devin R

1/4/2017 08:24:06 pm

A bit late to the party here.. but what about Direlord? Has the same serious sounding tone to it as underlord while also sounding superior.

Alex

1/4/2017 10:46:06 pm

Maybe things would be easier if the order of true gold and high gold were switched. That way it would go low gold, true gold, high gold -> under lord, true lord, over/great lord.

Ford

1/5/2017 06:25:48 am

You seem pretty set on Under Over Arch, which is cool, but you could also swap out the language a little,

Phaedra is latin for Overlord
UberLord - Although that means supreme more than over, but still

or you could go military
UnderLord
ColonelLord (LordColonel?)
LordGeneral, etc

You could go chemistry
CisLord
TransLord

Metric
KiloLord
MegaLord

Pant Sizes
UnderLord
MediumLord
LargeLord

Family
JuniorLord
SeniorLord

In Laws
StepLord
LordinLaw

Spanish Relative Distance
AquiLord
AlliLord

I think that's enough abstract craziness. If that list doesn't spark something you've already made up your mind and just want us to justify it for you :)

Good Luck.

Maddragon

1/5/2017 08:23:26 am

Maybe you could use steellord which could be where they perfect there iron body's to compliment the power being a underworld gives the like begins body I'd built for strength so she could unlock its full potential and the differences between the different iron body's is made clear. Even if it doesn't become clear immediately it would make sense later in the book there is also the fact that steel is made of carbon and iron so it could link the Lord segments ability to draw power from there domain they could use this special Mandriva to help forge there body's to a higher level

Marathons

1/5/2017 08:25:32 am

Typos begin is yevin Mandriva is mandra

Jack

1/5/2017 12:52:48 pm

You could follow the coffee size chart:
Underlord
Lord
Venti-Lord
Tall-Lord
Grande-Lord
Half-calf-mocha-latte-frappacino-extra whip-Lord

Maddragon

1/5/2017 01:38:18 pm

autocorrect :(

Captain Nemo

1/5/2017 05:40:40 pm

Here's my two cents on the matter:
Silverlord and Demilord are cool, but they break the trend already established in the Lord Realm with "Underlord".
Highlord, Grandlord, and Midlord sound clumsy.
Primelord makes me think of science fiction, and so doesn't seem quite like a fit for the series.
Overlord is the best option, I believe. Also, keep Archlord. It just works extremely well.

So, I vote for Underlord, Overlord, and Archlord.

Joe King

1/5/2017 08:40:26 pm

Well I can see everyone is leaning towards Underlord, Overlord and Archlord. It seems simple enough. If you really want to avoid using Overlord you can just go Underlord, Highlord, Supremelord...but that reminds me of supreme pizza too...

Lyrian

1/5/2017 11:48:05 pm

I don't believe someone hasn't suggested Soullord yet. It would be best to use it as the last stage (can manipulate souls, yada yada yada) but I suppose you could use it as the second one as well.

Sapient Toaster

1/6/2017 07:59:52 am

Abovelord
Toplord
altitudethatisgreaterthanyourownlord.

1/6/2017 08:32:09 am

I would probably go with your original Idea of underlord, overlord, archlord. Just makes the most sense.

I do kind of like the sound of Apexlord as the highest lord (and top mantrapredator:))

Kaileonis

1/6/2017 09:26:35 am

How about GrandLord?

E L

1/6/2017 11:57:20 am

Just my humble suggestion, but could Pathlord work? I do like the under-over-arch progression but if you're looking for a new word to avoid crossover confusion.

Malfious

1/6/2017 01:19:23 pm

How about Vicelord?

Underlord
Vicelord
Archlord

I think it flows nicely...

Beelzebrad

1/7/2017 12:29:40 pm

After reading this entire reply chain, this series gets my vote! I love the "vicelord" middle ground.

Brad

1/8/2017 09:10:29 am

i concur

Kev

1/7/2017 12:17:36 am

Why not go latin influence like Phaedra or imperito

Stephen

1/7/2017 06:53:54 am

If you're going for the middle stage of the three how about Medilord...
Or perhaps go for Lord of the synthesized music
MIDI-Lord

Azqa

1/7/2017 10:10:01 am

I just wish there was a better place to comment on the progress update... :D

Sean K

1/7/2017 10:23:21 am

Like a forum or something...

That would be awesome!

jim

1/8/2017 09:04:51 am

Some back of the napkin math:

Unsouled: June 13, 2016

Soulsmith: September 26, 2016

Difference: 105 days

September 26, 2016 to 8 January 2017: Difference? 104 days

SOON?!?

jim

1/8/2017 09:12:40 am

Although, Soulsmith was only 253 pages. Given that Will has said he allots 2 months of planning for a novel, that leaves 30-40 days to write ~250 pages. 7 pages per day, though I imagine it's more than double that to allow for editing and revisions. Plus all the short stories and hypothetical battles in the blogposts. Though that could be an effective tool to get over writer's block, thereby increasing efficiency.

I'm predicting a release by the end of the week.

Mahfuz

1/9/2017 12:52:29 am

LOL!!! This... this is the best comment on this page.

Finn

1/9/2017 04:49:20 pm

Absolutely

Dim

1/8/2017 03:00:40 pm

Overgold? What is the level above gold or is underlord still gold? Alphalord?

Brian C

1/8/2017 03:42:48 pm

The realm after "Gold" is the "Lord" realm.

Dim

1/15/2017 02:29:56 pm

Thx

Ezekiel

1/9/2017 12:00:32 pm

In TGS, overlord held weight because aside from the term traveler there was overlord king and incarnation. One if which there was one, and the other taboo so being an overlord actually ment something.
I feel like in this series you need to break away from the three step, it's great for foundation but once you start grouping higher ranks as threes there will always be the yeah he is an underlord, but when does he run into the other two? And when does Lindon break into those ranks?
By breaking the tri-cycle advancement not only can you write in powerful beings (we know who) but you also leave up for some good plots and twist.
As a reader I am patiently waiting for the rise to true gold and beyond for Lindon but once you break the three step cycle it should be a surprise to us (and yourself) what comes after that. I think underlord should be just that, the Lord under the higher ranks, not the Lord over the lesser ranks. Eh pretty good right?
So like every rpg ever there is a time when you break out of classes and actually focus down on your main strengths and you start to follow your own uncharted path, wither its leaving for the cosmos, or silently ruling while the little ones play.

Tl;Dr
Break the three step advancement cyce, under lord should be the ground floor for what is to come not the ceiling for the now common golds.

Zach

1/17/2017 02:23:41 am

My vote is Underlord, Overlord, Archlord. Not only is it the simplest solution for you, Will, but it also rolls off the tongue. It's what my mind automatically assumed was next when I was reading book 2.

Having read nearly every comment on here so far I'm shocked no one has asked you why it matters right now? If you don't like it or come up with something better in a book or twos time you can easily explain it the same way the realms or levels of sacred arts were explained after leaving the Sacred Valley. Something like "in this part of cradle (which far outclassed Sacred Valley) there was only a couple of Underlords and 1 Overlord at a time. But elsewhere in cradle (or in other worlds outside of cradle) they are common thus those above them are not considered by the same name classification described on cradle".

Your frame of reference can change as you see fit and this idea is already hinted at by the vast power difference described between each rank thoroughly described thus far and the gulf between what we have seen of an Underlord and the members of the Abidan Court. Those who haven't reached or seen others reach higher levels wouldn't necessarily know how to designate them just as the jades had no idea what level the sword sage was.

Jon

1/17/2017 11:43:11 am

Depends on how many levels you want or need, if you need a bunch then you can have Jadelords, Ironlords, Goldlords ect.

Jordan

1/20/2017 12:33:03 pm

So I tried to come up with something that went with underlord..

Liege lord
Ultra lord
Prime lord
Pure lord (instead of truelord)
Full lord
Sheer lord
Astral lord
Grand lord
Supreme lord

or Overlord.. Indirial is my favorite from Traveler's gate

Tom

1/21/2017 10:03:23 am

I think you should go with a the top title after Underlord. Simply put: after this, there is no name for higher since its so rare. I would simply go wtih Archon or some such.

Richard

1/26/2017 11:33:31 am

Lord Patriarch / Matriarch?
Just to put a tie in to Sacred Valley.

Drallab

2/5/2017 06:35:21 pm

Thinking
Underlord
Kaiser
Grand-Kaiser (Grandkaiser)

henrik

2/10/2017 04:31:11 am

the books mention a couple of times that if you fuck up your advancement to iron you loose the chance to hit highgold, truegold etc. maybe you can fit silverlord as the end of the road for them.

I mean just because nobody has told Lindon about silverlords yet they could still exist after jade.

Jen

2/18/2017 12:21:41 pm

Metalord?

Meta (from the Greek preposition and prefix meta- (μετά-) meaning "after", or "beyond") is a prefix used to indicate a concept which is an abstraction behind another concept, used to complete or add to the latter.

Ferix

2/1/2023 03:01:25 am

Just dropping by to say I’m really glad you went with Overlord. Just wouldn’t be the same if it was Highlord or some other thing. Some of the suggestions in this thread make me shiver in fear of what could have been…

In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.