Vaelora

Vaelora (The Eternal Speech) is the primordial language of Ardenthal, spoken in the first breaths of creation and carried by the winds, rivers, and roots of the world. It is the language of magic, fate, and truth, spoken fluently by elves, revered by werebeasts, and understood mostly in fragments by other races. Elves and werebeasts are native speakers of the language and elves speak Vaelora exclusively to each other. Werebeasts use Vaelora in rituals, transformations, and magic. Dragons have a partial knowledge of Vaelora, with the oldest dragons able to speak it fluently and younger dragons having forgotten much of the language. Humans and dwarves have largely lost Vaelora, with only fragments preserved in ancient tombs, artifacts, and magical inscriptions.

Vaelora is the language of truth and cannot be used to tell a lie. The magic woven into its syllables binds the speaker to the intent behind their words. Deception is possible, but only through clever phrasing, omissions, or layered metaphors.

Vaelora is not static, it breathes and shifts with intent. Words spoken with different emotions, tones, and rhythms can change their magical effects. True Names spoken in Vaelora hold immense power. To know someone's true name is to hold dominion over it. Elves and werebeasts guard their True Names with their lives.

The speaker's emotional state can amplify or distort the meaning of their words. Rage might make a command explosive, while sorrow could make a plea irresistibly binding.

You can use the following English - Vaelora translator to help with learning to speak the language. Please keep in mind that the grammar capabilities of the translator are minimal, and the translations may be incorrect, creating unintentional consequences for magic. Keep an eye on grammar rules and make needed changes while using the translator.

You can also head over to the Vaelora Dictionary article to find translations for words in the language.

Cultural Role of Vaelora

The Elves of Ardenthal have a unique relationship with Vaelora, the ancient and magical language woven into the very essence of their culture and identity. Elves speak Vaelora exclusively to each other, whether in casual conversation, ceremonies, or matters of diplomacy. It is considered disrespectful for an elf to address another elf in any other language unless absolutely necessary. Elven poetry, stories, and music are all composed in Vaelora, creating a deeply emotional and magical resonance in their art. Elves are naturally gifted linguists and can understand and fluently speak all common languages spoken in Ardenthal. However, when speaking other languages, elves retain a faint musical accent or an ethereal cadence reminiscent of Vaelora. Elves view Vaelora as a sacred bond between themselves and the magic of Ardenthal. Speaking Vaelora among themselves maintains their cultural identity and preserves the sanctity of their bond with the ancient magic of the land. They believe speaking Vaelora keeps their spirits and intentions pure and aligned with the natural world. While elves are fluent in other languages, they use them only in specific contexts: diplomacy with other races, teaching and guidance, trade and commerce, humility.

Werebeasts speak Vaelora during ceremonies, transformations, and primal rituals. Their use of Vaelora is often rougher and more guttural, carrying a raw and untamed edge. Important tribal names and landmarks are often derived from Vaelora roots.

Spellcasters and scholars among humans and dwarves study fragments of Vaelora from ancient scrolls, etched runes, and enchanted artifacts. They are limited in their understanding of Vaelora, so limited in their ability to use magic. Humans can perform basic spells such as light creation, minor wards, and simple healing. Complex, emotionally driven magic often fails, backfires, or consumes the caster due to incomplete understanding.

Phonology

Vaelora is designed to sound ethereal, fluid, and melodic, often resembling the whisper of the wind, the flow of water, or the rise and fall of a song. Consonants are soft, vowels are elongated, and dipthongs create a lyrical and musical effect.

Consonants

Voiceless	Voiced	Nasal	Liquid	Glides
p	b	m	l	w
t	d	n	r	y
k	g	ñ
f	v
s	z
sh	zh
th	dh

• Soft, flowing consonants are prioritized.
• No harsh, guttural sounds like 'x' or 'q.'
• "ñ" is always pronounced as /ɲ/
• "r" is a soft tap or trill, resembling a purring sound, never a hard sound.
• "th" and "dh" are soft fricatives.

Vowels and Diphthongs

Standard	Expressive	Diphthongs
a (ah)	ä (soft a)	ai (eye)
e (shorter eh)	à (louder, shorter ah)	au (ow)
i (short ih)	ã (aw)	ei (ay)
o (oh)	è (longer, softer eh)	ia (ee-a)
u (oo)	ì (long ee)	ue (weh)
	ò (long aw)	ui (oo-ih)
	ü (yoo)
	ù (louder, shorter oo)
	ï (whispered ih-oo)
	ë (whispered eh-oo)

Phonetics

Word stress falls on the second-to-last syllable most often. The sentence rhythm is like a soft rise and fall of waves on a shore.

Morphology

Vaelora is agglutinative, meaning words are built by adding suffixes, prefixes, and infixes to a root word, where each affix represents a distinctive grammatical function such as tense, case, number, etc.

Word Order

SVO (Subject-Verb-Object)

Negation

Negation is formed with "noë" before the verb.

Questions

• Yes/No Questions - Add "ë" at the end of the verb.
• Wh- Questions:
• What: Lümaë?
• Where: Vìë?
• Who: Thìë?
• When: Nùmë?
• Why: Lëthìë?
• How: Màrëthìë?
• Which: Fàlthìë?
• Whose: Zàthìë?

Pronouns

Singular	Plural
I : äna (A-nah)	We : änar (A-nahrr)
You : lyä (lih-YA)	You all : lyanë (leey-AH-neh)
He : eïr (EH-ihrr)	They : eïren (EH-ihrr-ehn)
She : äthä (A-th-a)
It : luë (LOO-eh)

Pluralization

The most common way to form plurals is by adding "nà" to the end of a noun.

If a noun already ends in à, the "à" is removed and replaced with "enà".

If a noun already ends in "n", pluralization just adds the "à" to the end of a noun.

Possession

To indicate possession, add së to the pronoun or subject that owns something. To indicate plural possession, add sënà to the end of the owner.

Tenses

Verbs in Vaelora are conjugated through suffixes that indicate tense, aspect, and mood.

Tense	Suffix
Present	-ä
Past	-ën
Future	-ìr
Conditional	-àl
Imperative	-ü
Subjunctive	-ã

Adjective Order

In Vaelora, adjectives come after the noun to maintain flow and harmony.

• Noun
• Descriptor
• Quality
• Color
• Size
• Shape

Dictionary

520 Words.