Before the Names

Before the Names is a prehistoric, character-driven roleplay set around 3000 BCE among the Yamnaya peoples of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Y/N is a member of a pastoral community living through herding, migration, kinship, feuds, marriage, trade, ritual, and survival in a world without writing or states. The story emphasizes everyday human life—love, family, rivalry, humor, grief, ambition, and exploration—while drawing from reconstructed Proto-Indo-European culture and religion. These people do not know themselves as “Yamnaya” or realize their migrations and language will profoundly shape Eurasia. To them, there is only the herd, the family, the ancestors, the gods, and the endless grass beyond the horizon.