Name That Magic Item

"Ring of Tongues" is the standard description for this item in RPGs so it would be a little uninspired, as well as suggestive. How about "Ring of All-Speech"?

Or - depending on whether this is the standard sort-of-Mediaeval-Europe setting or not - a Blarney Ring?

Or (if you have a Celtic-y background) Ogma's Ring - since Ogma was the god of eloquence. If you *don't* have a Celtic background you could invent your own god of eloquence and then call the ring after him/her.

Even "Ring of Eloquence" would do at a pinch.

I think Whitehound is on the right track here.

A polyglottal ring.

Language of the Ages

Truespeak

The interpreter (sp?)

The mouthing ring

The holy tongue

knower of voices

Triceratops

Or on another track - you could name it after the original creator:

Sissywand's Ring

or the ones who had it created originally:

Scribes Guild Ring

or have it become known by a shortened name (as usually happens to items over time)

The Ambassador of The (Lost) Empire of Kyrinia's Ring of Translation becomes Kyrinia's Ring or the Kyrinian Ring etc.

You could tie in a little anecdote about it's history, myth, creation or whatever. I find this type of thing always good for creating verisimillitude for a new world.

Just some thoughts...

Taking the easy way out with languages, huh? Put in different languages, for realism, then negate them all with a little magic. Bah.

The Guild of Translators will try to destroy those rings, whatever they're called.

Is a polyglottal ring used for talking to Cockney parrots?

I like the idea of naming it after the person who worked out the original spell - if you think of words like biro and hoover it's very common for the name of the designer of an object to become the name of the object.

How about: "Grammarian Signet"

Okay, I admit it. I've always liked the word "grammarian."

Alternatively, I can imagine these nobles tell their accountants (all good nobles need an accountant) that these costly rings are for diplomacy but mostly use them to pick up foreign bar maids or stable boys as the case may be. In which case, I would call this item "The Ring of Many Slaps" since ability to speak another language doesn't necessarily improve one's ability to seduce.

zornhau said:

"All-Speech." I like that.

I was considering "Dragon Ring" since dragons traditionally can hear and speak in all languages.

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Pilfered from the online etymology dictionary.

dragoman 14c., from O.Fr. drugemen, from late Gk. dragoumanos, from Ar. targuman "interpreter," from targama "interpret." Treated in Eng. as a compound, with pl. -men.

can you do something with that?

DeeCaudill said:

Alternatively, I can imagine these nobles tell their accountants (all good nobles need an accountant) that these costly rings are for diplomacy but mostly use them to pick up foreign bar maids or stable boys as the case may be. In which case, I would call this item "The Ring of Many Slaps" since ability to speak another language doesn't necessarily improve one's ability to seduce.

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Somebody once said that the English language was the result of the efforts of a Norman man-at-arms to get off with a Saxon barmaid.

I think we may be missing the point here. The ring wouldn't translate languages, it would allow the wearer to magically read thoughts and to convey one's thoughts to the intended audience. I'm thinking this might not be something you can pickup at your local Wizard's Walmart.

I wouldn't call it "ring" anything. How about "The Mind's Eye" (for seeing thoughts) or "The Ear of Merlin" (hearing thoughts) or "A Dragon's Tongue" (speaking telepathically). You really ought to consider thinking outside the box on this. If you've already defined a few "famous" magical types you might use their name in place of Merlin.

kaku said:

I think we may be missing the point here. The ring wouldn't translate languages, it would allow the wearer to magically read thoughts and to convey one's thoughts to the intended audience. I'm thinking this might not be something you can pickup at your local Wizard's Walmart.

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I think this is Zornhau's ring and if he says it translates, it translates.

Anyway, mind-reading removes the possibility for conflict via lies/deception. Where's the fun in that?

i can just see someone wearing so many rings that they can't move their fingers to the point where when attacked they can't grasp the hilt of their sword to defend themselves, their 'self-defense' ring still being in their purse, removed to put on the 'ring of seduction' and forgot to put it back on. a deft pickpocket could even replace the real ring with a fake that twists everything around.

somehow i think there's a story there, where magick is taken to ridiculous levels.

something just popped into my mind, doubtless three in the a.m. having something to do with it, but you see plenty of wizard duels, but you never see wizards play poker. pop a spell in there that makes 'em all dogs just for the helluva it. that's where you'd find the velvet art representation of such a game, hanging in a magick pawn shop (hey, wizards go bust, too, don't they?).

and, ya know, you'd figger a speech ring would have to worn on the tongue, no? like a speed ring would go around a toe, and the ring that made a man big where it counts, well, you get the idea. free ideas here, folks, get 'em while they last, lol.

and it stands to reason that a ring that throws fireballs from your hands is sold first, *then* it's mentioned by the salesman, 'and did you want the protection from fire ring to go along with that so you don't burn your hands off, sir?'

LOL! Preyer, you should post at 3 AM more often...


As far as the ring goes, I am a big fan of alliteration, so why not Ring of Rendition? (rendition means translation or interpretation)

KP

Hmmmm....

Nope, I got nothin'...
diana

kappapi99 said:

As far as the ring goes, I am a big fan of alliteration, so why not Ring of Rendition? (rendition means translation or interpretation)

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I'm a fan of alliteration too - but I can't help thinking this sounds a bit like something you'd use when plastering a wall... Circle of Speaking, maybe?

How about a "chattering"?

golden truth......... or (thought phone...but) "knell"


oh oh oh.... maybe something in a musical term because music needs no translation



i myself would choose something like thrig or linket or sfftch

actually, i really like 'chattering.' it would be a good vernacular, if nothing else.

you wouldn't have to call it a ring at all just call it by its name you would know it was a ring when it was given to the wearer. I liked the truthspeaker that someone mentioned earlier or if it has any "particular mannerisms or oddities about it" maybe use chatterling ........(whatever it's odd characteristic may be) or even chatterling transmitter/communicator/ or better yet the chatterling translator.

I need to go to bed I'm going from half decent to outright weird. night night all.

How about a movie called The Chattering. Doh!

Preyer you've got to stop giving me ideas all the time. Wizards with satire--I can see it. Like Little Nickey, they put boobs on heads, or steal each other's wands, replacing them with sticks.

Tri