Ancient Qiri'tali
Ancient Qiri'tali is a very old language that was once spoken by the people who lived in the Kaishen Desert over two thousand years ago. It is commonly said to be the first written language created by humans, although it is difficult to determine how accurate that story actually is.
Writing System
The alphabet is made up of small pictures that vaguely resemble objects in nature. Each character represents a word or sound. Nearly a thousand distinct characters have been discovered across surviving archeological records.
Although it was the original language used by the people of southern Pelatoria, Ancient Qiri'tali bears almost no resemblance to the modern Qiri'tali language spoken by the people living there today. Modern Qiri'tali uses a much simpler script of lines and dots and only contains twenty-two characters.
Geographical Distribution
Ancient Qiri'tali writing is commonly found in ancient ruins buried under the Kaishen Desert. However, the characters have also been discovered in ancient tombs and monuments further to the north in the lands now controlled by Jirithkae and Marrith. Many believe that the language was kept by early humans who left the desert and spread northward across the continent of Pelatoria.
Modern Usage
Ancient Qiri'tali is considered a dead language. Iri'tali scholars of history and linguistics still study the language, but only so that they can translate writings found at archeological sites or preserved documents.
It is also studied by the monks of the Dawnkeeper Order, as it is the language most likely spoken by their ancient founder the Dawnforger. All of their holy texts are written in Ancient Qiri'tali, although copies have been made in commonly spoken languages.
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