Hello all, I am starting my first character in April and wondering if I should bother with a surname before joining a group?
I do not yet have one planned because I was recommended to join one IC, is it important for backstory to still come up with a name for the steading I used to live in or are there ones in the system I could use?
Navarr change surnames a lot. The way I’d play it is as follows:
When you left your previous steading or striding to come to Anvil, you started being a tiny Striding of one person, which can have a nice simple name like “As The Leaves Turned Euan Set Forth To Anvil” and introduce yourself as (say) Euan Leafturn. Other characters may well ask what you were doing before you came to Anvil, so I would say it’s worth having a name for the Steading or Striding you used to be with, and some idea of who they were. (Not a problem if you find it difficult to remember in the moment, but I find this kind of thing helps me get into the world a bit more.)
I don’t think there are any standard backstory ones, but making up your own is fine - happy to offer some suggestions if you’d like!
Does Steading names follow the same format as Striding from your example?
https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Prominent_steadings_and_stridings#Steadings
May also be of help - its some steadings/stridings that are in play and a brief bit about them
For any others from Steadings in their background… help.
Why did you leave your Steading to come to Anvil? I dont know what to say 
I may just be from a Striding as its easier to say walking around haha
Note that as part of a Steading you will still be living in it for most of the year; your character only goes to Anvil for summits when you do, so the rest of the time they will be doing their regular job, which for my character Eleri Bronwen’s Rest is wayhouse keeper.
Eleri went because she heard that the Civil Service were calling for new people to attend summits after the great and the good of the Empire died with Britta (an IC flyer/letter got circulated in the original Empire mailshot way back in 2013) and she thought it would be an interesting way to meet new people.
She… was right, far more right than she could have ever imagined, and only occasionally freaks out about how she’s on first name terms with the Empress…
Can you give me some more ideas on jobs around a steading? 
But that has been very useful to know!
You mentioned the character being a scout and healer in another thread, so maybe one of their jobs is patrolling round to keep an eye out for wildlife or bandits who might threaten the Steading or people travelling to it.
Beyond that, any mundane job needs doing - innkeepers we’ve mentioned, but a steading needs cooks, cleaners, blacksmiths and farmers like any other small community. Herb gardening is a popular one, too.
Many steadings act as resupplying points for the passing Stridings as well, so will likely have more smiths, wainwrights, armourers, fletchers etc than a settlement of that size would be expected to need in a setting without such a large nomadic population.
Oh, and people preserving food, I imagine - the Stridings will need stuff that’ll last them a while!
Thanks all, I’ve got a better understanding on the names and jobs now.
Not yet found a name, but working on the name and logo now