Ancient Falian

Ancient Falian is the language believed to have been used by the Falians that lived in the Greatwoods before Mount Iuz erupted. Very few remnants of it remain, since most Falian artifacts were destroyed when the forest was smothered.

Origins

Ancient Falian is one of the oldest known languages on Galactus, but is used only by very few scholars - mostly those who take an interest in ancient languages and civilizations, for the purpose of deciphering the few ancient texts that remain. It likely stemmed from the old, primal languages that developed at the very beginning of mortal civilization. The characters in written Falian are rather simple, bolstering this theory.

Unfortunately, because Falian civilization was lost, it is difficult to decipher how the language may have sounded when spoken. Some guesses can be made given certain characters' similarities to characters used in the more modern Qopitha, the common language of all Qopithans before Common was developed as a universal language. Even the Falian stories that remain, such as The Raven King, have been passed on and translated through so many generations that the story in its original language has been lost.

Discovery

The first Falian texts were identified in the grand library in Rosewick. One section of the library is devoted to ancient manuscripts, and a archivist sent to preserve and restore some of these texts noticed that a few of the uncategorized manuscripts were composed of the same sets of characters. After restoration was complete, the library sent these documents over to a linguist at the Balihr University, who set about deciphering what the symbols could mean. It was a difficult project, and one that took many years and linguists to complete, but they finally came up with what they believed were accurate translations of the documents. One of these documents was a book containing what seemed to be fairy tales, one of the few cultural remnants of the ancient Falians. These documents helped identify where these texts had come from, and the scholars began a continent-wide search for other possible texts in Ancient Falian.

The search did not turn up very many manuscripts, but the few they found were quite interesting. One seemed to be a roughly labelled map of the Greatwoods, although partially destroyed such that only about 50% of the map was legible. Another was a ledger of some kind, detailing trade terms between two parties. These documents gave a glimpse into what life might have been like for the ancient Falians of the Greatwoods.

Unfortunately, thanks to the superstitions surrounding the Underwood where the last remains of the Falians rest, it is nearly impossible to make any significant progress in learning about the Falians and their ancient language. Balihran scholars have made several attempts since the sinkhole's appearance to gain access to the cavern, but none have been successful. The Mistfalian council has put strict limits on who can enter and win, so until access is granted the scholars must keep searching for previously undiscovered texts aboveground.

Modern Usage

Ancient Falian is considered a dead language, as no living ethnic group speaks or uses it in any capacity. It is relegated to libraries and universities, where it is studied as a precursor to other modern languages and as a way to translate ancient manuscripts. In some respects, it is simply a tool with which to learn about an ancient and long-dead cultures.

Some particularly dedicated scholars have advocated for reintroducing it to the greater community, but this largely falls on deaf ears. Few are interested in learning a language with so few applications, especially in relation to a culture about which so little is known, a culture whose last remains are buried deep underground and are inaccessible. Were the Underwood ever to become open for scholarly exploration, some interest might be roused in reviving this dead language.