Deordhan

Pronunciation: DOOR-dahn

“Get out of here, Deordhan!”
“You aren’t welcome here!”
“Deordhan!” A large rock strikes square between my shoulders, another just below my ear, and I can feel warm blood trickling down my neck from the gash left in its wake as their shouting echoes after us. Long after we’ve left the village behind, their voices bounce between my ears, until I’m suffocating on my own shame.

-- OUTSPOKEN, Book One, Chapter 1

Overview

In the kingdom of Éirigh, a criminal may be sentenced to having their tongue cut out as punishment for their crimes. This is considered the most extreme and brutal corporal punishment that is officially recognized by the kingdom, and is used almost exclusively by the Lairds. Those that have survived this punishment are referred to as "deordhans," and are ostracized from society for the rest of their life -- though this is immensely rare, due to lack of medical care and technology.

The OUTSPOKEN trilogy is a tale told by a deordhan who was dealt this punishment unjustly when he was just a child. He must navigate this complicated world without a voice, which leads to a vast variety of sticky and tense situations.

It happens in a flash. The sensation of cold steel. The taste of blood. So much blood. So much that I can’t breathe. My eyes go blurry around the edges, light fading, world fading. I find Caillte’s eyes, thrown wide with horror, and everything goes black.

-- OUTSPOKEN, Book One, Chapter 11

The Process

While the King has the power to sentence someone to life as a deordhan, few kings have ever ordered such cruelty. It is more common amongst Lairds of the kingdom, and typically used as a fear tactic to keep Tenants or Bond Servants in line. The punishment is usually carried out by the Seneschal and performed in public.

Few survive the initial trauma, either bleeding out or dying of infection soon after. Those lucky enough to recover quickly find the real horror of their punishment.

The Truth

As punishments are left entirely to the King and his Lairds to decide, it is not uncommon for this punishment to be meted out unfairly (if any use of it could be considered just in the first place). Many Lairds use it as a way to silence those that would question the injustice of their actions, or otherwise embarrass and enflame them. However, because the deordhan is left speechless by the act, the Laird is free to craft a tale of treason or violence that makes the punishment appear reasonable, and leaves their victim helpless to defend themselves. (See: Lucian "Deordhan" Cathasach)

Social Consequences

The life of a deordhan is an intensely isolated one filled with shame. Because the punishment is reserved only for the most extreme cases of treason or violence, they are deeply feared by society, and have no voice to assuage those fears. It is not uncommon for a deordhan to be chased out of any town with sticks, stones, and other such projectiles. They are ostracized even from the lowest classes, and pitied by none due to the assumption that they are wicked criminals that deserved what they had coming -- an assumption that is nearly always untrue.

My body works itself into a ball, taking up as little space in this world as it possibly can. I become paralyzed, blind, as the chorus of screams turns to shouting.
“Get out of here, Deordhan!”
“You don’t belong here!”
“You don’t belong anywhere.”
“Nothing but filth.”
“Sharp-tongued, are we? Well that’s easily fixed.”
Blood rushes in my ears as the voices roar. Too big. It’s all too big. The world is too big. Why is everything so big? I clutch my palms to my ears as if that could somehow block out the screaming.
Breathe. Breathing. Need to breathe. Breathe! Air fills my burning lungs, and then I’m quaking, hyperventilating, can’t make it stop. Shameful. Disgraceful. Not that a worthless Deordhan could be anything different. Pathetic. You aren’t worth the sod they throw to get rid of you. Coward.

-- OUTSPOKEN, Book One, Chapter 3

Physical & Mental Consequences

A deordhan is capable only of making harsh, guttural sounds or a low humming, and often refuses to do so for fear of the reactions of those around them. They are usually unable to taste food or drink, depending on how much of their tongue is left, and must use their fingers to shift food around their mouths as they eat to avoid choking. They appear no different from those around them externally, at least until they open their mouth.

Between the trauma of the punishment, the recovery, and the resulting treatment they receive for their mutilation, deordhans often suffer a broad variety of untreated mental disorders. Because deordhans are relegated to the lowest dregs of society, and are feared or otherwise avoided by everyone, they do not have access to tools like The Language of Hands that could otherwise allow them to receive support. PTSD, depression, and anxiety are incredibly common, along with conflict avoidant and isolating behaviors.