Guild Wars 2

Running around Ashford, I find a Charr with the last name of “Cubminder” and her job was quite obviously to watch over a group of cubs. Now, obviously given the war-bound nature of the Charr this doesn’t sound like a “snatch it up while it’s open” kind of job, as we know Charr choose their own legion and warband as such. Do they earn their last name as their life goes on? Is it given to them by others? Do they get to pick it themselves?

I’ve heard that if charr leave their warband, or the band dies and they join a new one, they have to change their name.

So I would assume their parents only give them a first name and the last name is more like a title or job description and is either invented by them or given to them when they pick a profession and join a warband.

Not sure if they have warbands for non-combat related duties like childcare and farming, but if not I assume there’s an equivilent system.

@Danikat: There’s a warband/group of warbands given mining duty in northwestern Diessa Plateau, and there’s a warband in north central Diessa who’s job is to maintain the lake – there’s also mention that a single warband was given the same kind of duty over Lake Feritas in Plains of Ashford, but they mostly died (only one left now), and another warband in charge of farm protection of Charradis Estate in Diessa. So yes, warbands can be given non-combat duties.

As to surnames, Danikat’s right – we’ve been told that they change their surname when they change warbands. Not sure how becoming a gladium affects this. On the other hand though, the PC’s reconstructed warband don’t share a surname (the recruits keep their previous surname).

Another note on charr names, as I understand it their second name is made up of two parts: the warband name (usually the first word) and a personal identifier within the warband. So Pyre Fierceshot of Eye of the North had comrades called Seer Fiercereign, Cowl Fiercetongue etc. We can guess Ms. Cubminder was part of a ‘cub’ warband who had duties with the fahrar raising young charr.