Does Ancient Elven Have Glottal Stops?

With the new campaign starting up, I've been trying to add to the Celtic/Viking ambiance of my game and its world.  Campaign I took place in a more cosmopolitan age, when many cultures had already made their way to the Isle and intermingled. Its feel (intentionally or not) was similar to that of most D&D games' default setting.

With Campaign II, I have made a more conscious effort in terms of cultural and linguistic flavoring. To wit, I've created some new settlements in the north of Evenoria and have renamed (or secondarily-named) others using certain language guidelines. So far those guidelines include:

• using transliterated Irish for the Midlander (native human Evenorian) names of people and places, often with an English "translation" of the name as well (e.g., "Ravensport" and "Cuan Eandubh" being two names for the same city)
• using transliterated Icelandic and Old Norse for Northlander people and places
• using transliterated Welsh for elven, annwynn, and other fey beings and places
• giving places two (or more) names if they are home to or recognized by more than one culture

By "transliterated," I simply mean spelling the names so as to be pronounceable by modern American English speakers, shifting the occasional vowel or consonant as needed. I've no illusions that my names have any kind of legitimate or correct meanings or pronunciations! Although I've perused the Poetic and Prose Eddas as well, most of my "research" has simply been done via Google Translate. 

If anyone out there would care to comment, I'd love to know you go about creating place names in your campaign world. Or do you even think about the logic behind such things, instead just picking out names that sound cool?

Picture Post IV - Locales

Still haven't found time to play (funny how teaching part-time, running three companies, performing, and trying to have a social life and marriage can eat into your gaming).  But I did have a few minutes for mindless web surfing and happened across these ultra-cool locales.  Will have to work them into future games.... someday....

The cathedral stood for hundreds of years until the townspeople
discovered what the high priest was really up to.

Stonecroft Eyrie, last inn on the edge of the wilds.

Castle Corlaggon, once a bastion of law and order, but
swallowed by the waters of Lake Minoth some 30 years ago.
None who dwelt within ever came back out.

You can still see the remains of the old mill and forge above.
It's the strange rumbling and clanging from beneath the ground
that disturbs passers-by.

The Perilous Stair before the Temple of Felos.

These are no ordinary trees.  Local legend says they contain the
souls of an honorable farmer and his family who fell afoul of
the Swamp Witch.

Picture Post III

Lots of desire but no real time to game, lately.  So, I'm filling my head and blog with images for future inspiration.

What stories or adventure hooks do you see?

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Picture Post II (in which I free-associate over coffee on a foggy morning)

The Responsible Wife is at work on an article this morning, so it's just me and the two birds surveying our foggy domain over coffee.  (Well, I'm having coffee.  Parakeets don't seem to care for that stuff; they're more into bourbon.)

Anyway... time for pictures and the thoughts they stir up.

The Winter Stag, embodiment and avatar of the spirit of
the cold, dark months.  Only when this beast is slain by a hunter is winter officially ended,
though He is reborn every year on Midsummer's Eve.

Givre ("zjiv"), The White Queen*.
An imposing figure, she stands nearly 7' tall and is rumored to have
Frost Giant blood in her veins.  This powerful sorceress has many
machinations at work in the world of men.

Florais ("flor-ay"), The Evergreen.
Sister of Givre, the White Queen.  Opposes her sibling's
 wicked schemes through her own formidable magicks.

Omen of the Crows.
The Learned know its meaning... do you?

Tessa the Red.
Alchemist and seer, she has advised kings and
emperors the world over, commanding a price
that only they could afford.  Rumors set her
age at well over 300 years.

A warning to the marauding wolf-men of the north...

Campfire embellishments that begin innocently enough
eventually lead to perilous quests and wasted lives... 

Falcon watches in vain for the return of her father. 

Ten thousand years later, the Sealing Stone is finally
pushed aside.... from within.  Who (or what) it held
has fallen out of all living memory.  But perhaps the Dead
recall?

Elven warriors are allowing themselves to be seen
watching the borders of Idyllann.  What can this outward
display of force mean?

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* That's my friend Amy Jo! :-)

Picture Post I

Just some images that strike me as possible inspirations for current and future games...