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The first name he had was Prince Raz’ul, son of King Daz’ul, Inheritor to the Great Mount Tain of the Udalolli Clan. A legacy, a title to live up to. The expectations placed on his shoulders wore him down more than the weight of his names.
His father and brothers gave him more titles throughout his life--disappointment, disgrace, weakling, fool. His names stretched before him, leading him to his bleak future in the mount, under the rule of his father, then his brother, then his brother’s son and so on.
Then the Axe Usumptin sang to him, and it called him something else, something Prince Raz’ul was unable to decipher as of yet. But it was a beautiful name, one that he wanted to answer to, one that his father made him deny. Should he listen to the call, King Daz’ul of the Udalolli Clan would shave the prince of his names and his beard and he would be unable to answer to the Udalolli clan ever again.
It was not an easy decision but one Raz’ul had to make. He had to know what the Axe was saying, so he took it and he left, losing the only names he had ever known.
The second name he had was Raz’ul, son of Daz’ul. It rolls out of his mouth one day, a force of habit to give so much when he has had it all taken from him. It does not carry the same weight that his old name does, but it’s still surrounded by whispers and they hold him down and back.
The druids try to give him yet another name. They want him to get rid of all of his old titles like the trees shed their leaves in the winter. They’re calling his arrival to them a rebirth. They call him a child of spring. They watch him transform and it leaves something to be desired.
It seems he cannot leave behind every name from his past. He leaves again, Raz’ul, son of Daz’ul, Heir of Spring, Disappointment Disgrace Fool.
When he arrives at Strumlotts and they announce the classes, announce who he is, he is pelted with whispers and stares so sharp he swears they break skin.
But then something strange happens.
Because Yashee and Randy don’t know who he is. There’s no recognition in their eyes, no questions on their lips. They call him Raz’ul and that’s that.
And so his third name is simple, lighter. His past doesn’t hang on him as heavily as it used to.
They travel and learn together and he is not given any more titles; rather, he experiences the strange phenomenon that is earning names. Yashee and Randy call him bandmate, then friend, then brother. They are Chaos Sauce, they are family. He wears his new names like a badge of honor. They are prizes he has won.
When Connor calls out to him in Basom those prizes tarnish and crumble faster than Raz’ul can believe. He has not heard the title “lord” in a very long time, and it brings back everything. His father, his royalty, his fear and his faults pile on him again and he barely manages to walk away from the other dwarf. He returns to Yashee and Randy shaken and heavy.
In the shadows below Basom another name is called out to him, but this is one he cannot answer to. This one has enough weight to crush him into the floor, press him down until his lungs are crushed and he cannot move.
He keeps walking.
He moves on, toward a bigger foe and a greater destiny than Prince Raz’ul, son of Daz’ul, Inheritor to the Great Mount Tain of the Udalolli Clan could have ever dreamt of. He grows stronger, strong enough to carry the names and expectations that are placed upon him, but now they don’t seem to weigh as much, not with Yashee and Randy there to help carry them. They share some names: Chaos Sauce, friends, family. Others Raz’ul earn on his own.
To Yashee and Randy he is Raz’ul, friend, brother. To Beetzart he is bard, warrior, saviour. He fights for Beetzart alongside his bandmates and together they save the world.
When the dust settles, Raz’ul emerges with many names, though he feels lighter than he has in years. People talk of him, call him Raz’ul of Chaos Sauce, Raz’ul Lightbringer, Raz’ul who Triumphed Over All, Raz’ul the Wise and Strong. He holds these titles carefully, cherishing them. The one he carries above all, however, is simple and yet holds the most weight. The one Yashee, Randy, and Symbol give him. His final name.
Just Raz’ul.