So last week, my D&D group suddenly decided to run an infernal campaign. I’m talking fire, brimstone, and demons popping up everywhere. Needed names ASAP, but every list online recycled the same boring stuff: Asmodeus, Belial, yawn. Seriously, my cat could’ve come up with more creativity after a nap.
The Quest Begins
Grabbed my notebook and started dumping ideas. First attempt? Total garbage. Tried mashing Latin roots like "Tenebris" and "Mortis" – sounded like a bad metal band, not actual demons. Asked my buddy Dave, who's obsessed with mythology, but his suggestions were just Greek gods with horns glued on. Useless.
Going Down the Rabbit Hole
Pulled all-nighters digging into weird folklore blogs. Found obscure Mesopotamian texts, cross-referenced Slavic village tales, even skimmed 16th-century grimoires. Highlight? Stumbling on a Reddit thread where some witch casually dropped names she claimed came from "actual conjuring sessions." Skeptical, but desperate times.
Started blending syllables from dead languages: Sumerian gutterals + Norse hard consonants. Tested pronunciations aloud – scared my neighbor’s dog into howling at 3 AM. Worth it. Slowly, patterns clicked. Short names with hissing sounds ("Z" or "X" endings) plus abstract concepts (chaos, void) felt way more sinister.
The Final Stretch
Narrowed down 20 options, then ran ’em past my gaming group. Their reactions told me everything:
- Kaelthrax – Immediate "whoa" faces.
- Vortigore – Dave spilled his soda.
- Xul’nagath – Our DM whispered, "That’s nightmare fuel."
Trashed anything that got shrugged at. Refined spellings until the names looked like they’d claw off the page.
Mission Accomplished
Finalized these ten badasses after two weeks of chaos. Playtested ’em last night – players actually flinched when "Mordrakk the Soulflayer" showed up. Victory!
- Kaelthrax (Shadow-eater)
- Vortigore (Bone-crusher)
- Xul’nagath (Void-weaver)
- Zyr’akan (Sky-render)
- Mordrakk (Soulflayer)
- Nyxoroth (Dream-strangler)
- Razakel (Hope-devourer)
- Thal’goth (Doomsayer)
- Skarnoth (Plague-bearer)
- Dreadmire (Rot-lord)
Lesson? Good demons need personality, not just edgy syllables. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a campaign to corrupt.
