Naming

   In Phinea, having a proper name, called simply the Name, is rare.  The main reason for this is that it takes an extraordinary act by the founder of the line to earn a name.  Most of the time the person striving for a name loses their life in the process, often before fathering (or mothering) children.  A proper name is more than just a title; it is part of the magic of Phinea that determines what you will do during your lifetime.  The connection between the name and the profession is so strong that the bearer has no choice in their future, but he or she is also unhappy until that person is working in his or her prescribed occupation.
   Each person with a last name has a three-letter word in front of it, called a prename, that tells you what class of name it is.  Depending on the context, the prename can indicate that you family is famous, or infamous.  It can tell a person how long that line has existed, or in what category of profession their line is. For example, in the first book, "lor" is one prename that means legendary.  Another in this series is "nor," which means "works for a legendary Name."
   The Names themselves all end in "smith."  This means "makers, doers, finders, or fighters of."  The first half of the proper name indicates what the Line's actually occupation is.  Using the previous examples, the main characters' Name is lor Banesmith, which means "legendary fighters of evil."  There is another Line in this series, crucial to the survival of the main characters: the nor Banesmiths.  These people work for the lor Banesmith Line, and are also legendary.
   The Names are passed on through the gender that first attained the Name, and therefore founded the Line.  The lor Banesmiths are male, and so the magic in the Line is only passed to male children.  The same rules apply for female characters and citizens of the planet; mothers pass the Name onto daughters, and not sons.