An explanation to Glider naming conventions used in the episodes that I write:

Gliders, much like humans in the quasi-medieval setting of the story, tend to have large families and high infant mortality.  In writing my episodes, I assume that there are three types of given names appended to a Glider's family name.

When a Glider is born, they receive a birth name based on their birth order, modified by gender.  (And, yes, I got my inspiration from organic chemistry.)

Ordinal names. 

Order	Male	Female
First	Metti	Metta
Second	Etti	Etta
Third	Propi	Propa
Fourth	Viti	Vita
Fifth	Penti	Penta
Sixth	Hetti	Hetta
Seventh	Hepti	Hepta
Eighth	Octi	Octa

This convention arises because the Glider parents do not want to tempt fate by giving a name with a good history or pleasant associations to a newborn, who will very possibly not live long.  Although there are times where a Glider will keep his or her birth name, in most cases, a Glider gets a permanent name to replace it.  In the undistinguished families, the cities, and the western and central regions of the league, the permanent name tends to be descriptive.  Checkers (after her characteristic wing pattern), Digger, and Striker are examples of such names.  A Glider's parents may also wish to name a Glider after a virtue that their child shows signs of possessing - Patience, Endurance, and Charity are examples.   Amongst the more distinguished families, and in the rural areas of the eastern region of the league, away from the influence of the Common Language, older Dolomite names that tend to run in families are used.  Examples in the NEQ - Dermidin, Sylvain, and Vimini.  Family names are based on a geographical or personal feature, such as Redmarble or Goldenrod (corruption of Golden Rood, after the characteristic pattern in the wing, a Golden Cross).

  The History of the Language 

Dolomite is the original language of the Eastern Continent (Morninglands) and much of the Western Continent.  Old High Dolomite was a very powerful language that contains expressions and phrases that possessed great magical power, and was not originally an exclusively Glider language.  (Old Low Dolomite was the language of the Glider Lowlands, as opposed to the Old High Dolomite of the Mountains and does not imply that the speakers were vulgar or evil.)  Sometime after the Great Wars of the West, the language was supressed and forgotten on the Western Continent.  The Gliders, becoming increasingly isolated, retained it.  Middle Dolomite is Old High Dolomite "purified", with the magical terms excised after the Glider's home territory was invaded by Westerners.  Modern Dolomite reflects the increasing influence in the Glider homeland by the Common Language of the West.  In the past, Gliders have been less xenophobic and more open to outside influences.  However, at the time of the story, Glider society has been traumatised by constantly being in either a state of war or an armed peace with their neighbors, and has turned inward.  It does not help that Minestus, the evil dragon of the Caves of the Shrecken, exercises a certain unwanted influence.  The Gliders have not lapsed into barbarism, however, making it a point to preserve as much of the art, literature, and tradition of their civilisation as they can.

Notes on the Language

1.  I is the most common vowel.  The order of frequency of the others is e, a, o, and u.

2.  TH does not exist.  B and P are often softened to V and F, with X being softened to a T sound.

3.  SF is an unusual combination that is found in the language.

Notes on Wing Patterns

As noted, Gliders are very sensitive about their wings.  Not only are they used for transport and hunting, but they also play a role in social rituals.  A Glider with an attractive wing pattern will be sought after as a mate and find it easier to climb the social ladder.

The patterns that Gliders find most attactive are the "marbled" and the "filigree" patterns.  "Marbled" patterning contains ellipses and circles.  These are similar to the grain on polished marble, or in wood, and can exist in a variety of colours. "Filigree" patterning is a fine network of thin, curvy lines a different shade or different colour from the rest of the wing.  "Marked" wings have a distinctive spot on an otherwise solid wing, and the pattern tends to be similar on both wings.  Examples of these marks include a cross, a bullseye, and an equilateral triangle.  The more symmetrical, the more prestigious.  "Solid" wings, of one colour, are considered plain, but dignified.  "Spotted" is the least prestigious, being irregular blotches of one colour on another.

The color and shading of the wing also a play a role in perceived attactiveness.  Gliders see colour differently than men.  What they see as gold, blue, and purple are considered attractive, while black, grey, and brown are not.  The most attactive combinations are two contrasting colours or one colour in wide variety of different shades.  More than two colors is considered garish, and as mentioned above solid is considered plain.  Of the characters whose wing pattern has been described, Robin Goldenrod's gold cross pattern would, along with his birth, mark him as an attractive character.  Checkers' symmetrical pattern would be considered unusual, and attractive for a "spotted" pattern.