>>For hobby linguistics, the last syllable reminds me of Seshnegi >>(originally Pendali) -ket, meaning city (as in Orphalsket, the city of >>the Grey Age Basmoli king Orphal). We know of a Malkioni presence in >>Nochet. Could the name have been something like Nova Sogsket, or even >>longer?
> If -ket is a Pendali word then it can't be used as a Malkioni
> word for any settlements that predate the Seshnegi assimilation
> of the Pendali (or at least their territory), a post-dawn
> occurence at any rate.
Definitely. I don't know the British term for Eburacum, but the Anglo-Saxons called the place Eoforvic, the Danes Jorvik, and today the city around Manhattan is named New Eburacum. Local names can change over time, and the "vic" in the Germanic names of York would correspond to a Malkioni "-ket" which may have come with the Waertagi and their passengers.
Personally, I'm less happy with the "Nova" part of the above theory.
> The walls of Nochet are known to
> exist in the time of Vogarth the Big Man who lived two
> hundred years before the Dawn (cf Morden Defends the Camp).
> At the start of the Darkness, the place was known to be
> the site of Alkana, where Esrola's favourite temple was,
> which suggests Orlanthi origins rather than Malkioni.
This also suggests a place name tied to Alkana - until the Waertagi and Malkioni came and set up a port, and attracted more Diroti fisherfolk as well, maybe sufficient numbers for a number of alternative names to stick. When the God Learners became great, Nochet (in whichever intermediary form) may have been the name of choice for them - also helps forget the former greatness of the "primitive natives", cf. Rhodesia for Zimbabwe.
> Furthermore it would have to posit that the Seshnegi (or
> Basmoli) founded Nochet rather than the Waertagi who would
> have not used -ket. I think the Malkioni presence at Nochet
> stems from the eastern voyage of Boltror the Traveller which
> would have established the alliance with the local triolini
> and the trading posts on the Mirrorsea.
The Seshnegi Serpent Prince who never became king? I tend to agree. For the hows and whys of a possible name change, see above.
> The Waertagi were around before this in the time of the Big Man
> but since one of his feats is to have thrown their dragonship
> (and the Waertagi only had 50-odd at the dawn) onto the Shadow
> Plateau where the trolls ate it, I think this counts as a major
> strategic defeat for the Waertagi then.
Definitely. Apparently it took some time for them to overcome this hostility, possibly by Seshnegi force of arms under Boltror (of whose travels little is known in Seshnela). The only mention in the Seshnegi Book of Kings tells that the Seshnegi navy blockading the Pendali ports was raised to 500 ships during Boltror's absence.
This might indicate a different motive for Boltror's travels - he may have been a hostage to the Waertagi, as security against this naval expansion of Seshnela. With his special familiarity with earth rites Boltror would have been the ideal agent for the Waertagi to gain a foothold, nay, anchorage, in the Nochet (whatever the name then may have been) trade.
Note that all of this is just a might have been. I'll be as happy if anybody comes up with a better derivation of the name.
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