Overview
The languages spoken by Humans are the most changing of the language trees. They live such short lives and develop such a variety of societies that their languages split more than any other race. Some elves contact humans every few hundred years just to update their languages - collecting them like stamps.
Language Tree - Human, Silent and Elemental
Human Languages
Ancient Tyrian (Dead Language)
The Tyrian language is an ancient tongue from the Western Reach. It is known to have been extensively written into local histories that have appeared in the Atlantean Library in the histories section. Knowledge of Ancient Tyrian gives 15% mutual understanding with Halfling.
Corinthian (Dead Language)
Corinthian was a strongly influential language in architecture and technical books that have appeared in the Atlantean Library, fragments of the language have also appeared among the Wizards Towers of Ampheres City.
The Doric Triglots
This set of languages has been classified in this way to prevent the further death of Atlantean Linguists who have visited the area.
Doric (Retired Language)
Doric is openly considered a retired language on the Western Reach, this is done to placate the local barbarians. The retiring of a language has never occurred before - and is unique in classification.
Herculean
Herculean is the spoken language of the Western Reach that is used by Atlanteans communicating with the local communities. Herculean is actually Modern Doric - it has been renamed and is actually 80% mutually understandable with so called Doric and if spoken in the local area for a period of 3 months or longer (to acclimatise to the local accent and dialect) is found to be an urban version of the next language.
Scythian
The Scythians are said to be directly descended from Hercules, and they are proud and protective of this connection. For them, the original language spoken by Hercules is sacred and should not be used in it's entirety. The Scythian language is 80% mutually understandable with Doric. (It is effectively the same as Herculean and both are gained in taking one or the other IF the character spends 3 months or more in the area.)
Other Human Languages
Lateen (Dead Written Language)
Lateen is a local version of a language found in many of the books appearing in the Atlantean Library since the Chronic Aberrations started. It is a reconstruction of the language as no one has ever actually heard it spoken before. It has greatly affected the language of the Court of Atlantis, and is seen as a strong contributor to the language. Lateen speakers and Common Speakers have a 25% mutual understanding.
Noble Atlantean (Restricted Language)
Noble Atlantean is used by the Court of Atlantis - it is a part of the security used by Royalty when dealing with the upper echelons of the military to ensure that anyone who can overhear or spy on such meetings are not able to fully understand what has transpired. It is an attempt at creating a spy-proof communication. Cavaliers and Paladins often take this language to impress at court. (The amount of Lateen in Common has derailed this plan however.)
Atlantean (Technically Derived from Aquan also)
This is true Atlantean, and is now very far removed from the Court version known as Noble Atlantean. True Atlantean is used in scholarly texts, and in historical documentation from the oldest days of the Kingdoms. It is a necessary language (script) for historians, sages and librarians. Atlantean gives a 20% mutual understanding with Common, and a 15% mutual understanding with Aquan (the Water Element Language).
Common
Common is the most commonly spoken language in the Kingdoms, and gives a mutual understanding of 25% with Lateen, and a 20% mutual understanding with Atlantean.
Elemental Languages
Primordial (Semi-Divine Language)
The Pre-separation of Elements is considered a powerful time among Elementalists, and Diabolists, the language spoken at that time is an amalgamation of the four main elemental languages. It is effectively a dead language, used for spell casting and written into texts about elemental magic. Many magic users take one or more of the elemental languages as spell books and manuals are often written in it. Primordial is used as a Glyph and Ward Source for Warder Mages also. As a semi-divine language there is a chance that omens or oracles will be communicated using it.
Aquan
Aquan is the language of Poseidon. It is learned by the Court and by Paladins and Clerics of Poseidon as a result. Mages that specialise in Water based magics and summonings also often learn it. All water-based magical items use it as command words. Aquan has a 15% mutual understanding value with Atlantean.
Earthen
Earthen is the language of sentient soil and rock, it is strongly linked to the occupations of mining and gardening and is often taken by miners especially to aid in their endeavors. Earthen has a 20% mutual understanding facility with Gnomish, and Kobold - which strangely show no affinity to one another - this is thought to be due to a possible dialect differential occurring. Core Azad users have a mutual understanding of 10%
Herian
Hera is the goddess of air, and the language of the Aerial Races - the Elemental Plane of Air is Herian. It is spoken by Atlantean Sylphs, and is a source of the Aubaydi language, but the link is very ancient and there is no overlap in understanding as a result.
Ignian
The Ignian Language is the fire element speech - the flame-tongue. It is one of the most well known of Elemental Languages in some parts of the Kingdoms because of the reliance of the realms on the use of fire in the forges of the Dwarves and its links to the Brazen Race. Speakers of Ignian and Brazen can understand roughly 50% of one another's speech.
Elemental Derived Languages
Aubaydi (Herian Derived)
The language of Aubayd is also the language of slaves from the Slaver Lands - it is the default Merchant tongue or trading tongue for the lands to the east of the Northern Plateau/Escarpment of the Kharazad.
Brazen Tongue (Ignian Derived)
The Brazen - one of the races deemed to be Anvilwrought - uses a derivative of Ignian. It provides a 50% mutual understanding between its parent language of Ignian and itself. Brazen is said to be more strongly associated with trading then with any other speech function, with most descriptions in and languages being phrased as transactions.
Forgespeak (Ignian Restricted Language)
This language is exclusively used in Smithing. A blacksmith may use this language to give instruction to other smiths about how to forge a new mix of steel or create a new alloy. It allows the Forgemaster to hide his craft from others. The language has a 50% mutual understanding with Brazen, and a 15% mutual understanding with Core Azad - the original Dwarven Language. It is rumored to be used by Hephaestus himself. (NOTE: Only those with the Blacksmith or Weaponsmith Non-Weapon Proficiencies are allowed to get this language unless they are Dwarves.)
Gnomish (Earthen Derived)
The language of the Gnomes is derived in part from the Earthen language and is strongly tied to the Sylvan languages. Speakers of Dnomish gain a mutual understanding of 20% with Earthen speakers.
Kobold (Earthen Derived)
One of the only Humanoid languages in amongst these families of languages. Due to the races strong association with mining - the Kobold language as accrued a 20% mutual understanding with Earthen.
Midani (Primordial Derived)
The speakers of Midani are speaking a language derived from the Primordial language - in some scholarly texts it is considered to be a derivative of all four elemental languages.
Hephaestic & Dwarven Languages
These are languages that derive from Hephaestus and his efforts to convey his art to the Mortal Races.
Hephaestic (Dead Language)
This ancient language is a dead language and exists only in stone carving and etching forms found inside deep caves and on the earliest of Rune stones. It is thought to be used to convey principles of sacredness and protection to those areas. Priests of Hephaestus sometimes study it in an effort to be better blacksmiths.
Rune Speak (Restricted Language)
Rune speak is often seen as the spoken form of Rune Inscriptions - but only the most advanced of Runemasters have actually learned this language. It is claimed that the skill of using the speech allows for the forging of near magical items.
Trollish
The Trollish language sits by itself as the only living language to come directly from Hephaestic. Trolls only speak this language, and it has no direct relatives.
Dwarven Languages
Core Azad (Ancient Dwarven)
The Ancient Form of Dwarven is considered a dead language by many but not by the Dwarven race. The Core Azad is the language of the royal throne and of the Dwarven Runemasters - at least publically.
Northern Kharazad
The Northern Escarpment dialect of Kharazad is said to be more urbane in accent and less colorful in its use of euphemisms. It is a dialect spoken most commonly in the courts of other races also.
Southern Kharazad
This is the rarest of the dialects spoken of Dwarven. It is more down-to-earth and is considered the language of the mines and the cold. The language has also been used as a source for a local human barbarian tribe.
Hill Speak
A more classical form of Dwarven speech used by Hill Dwarves, and said to sound more archaic to Mountain Dwarf ears. The rumors are that the Hill Speak form of Dwarven was promoted as a form of defense by Dwarves to prevent the Un-numbered (Non-Dwarves) from gaining too many in-roads into the secrets of the Dwarven language.
Plain Spoken Kharazad
This is a common-derived form of Dwarven. It is used in all trading situations with Dwarves and is the version of Dwarven taught to the Un-numbered.
Verongian
Unique among human languages is the Verongian tongue. The Snow-bound southern barbarians are said to have only survived initially through the intervention of the Southern Kharazad. Today, the Barbarians of the area undertake to guard their Escarpment based allies, and use their own dialect of Dwarven in the Steppe and Snow.
Silent Languages
Iglishmek (Dwarven Sign - Pre-requisite: Must have Core Asad)
The Iglishmek silent language was created by Dwarves for silent communication when underground. Some say it was for combat purposes - however the truth was more prosaic - the communication needed during weapon forging, and when on mountain sides seeking to avoid causing avalanches. The language has a range equal to the visual limitations of the situation. It has a mutual understanding of 10% with Thieves Cant, and 25% with Frostspeak.
Frostspeak (Barbarian Hunting Sign - Restricted Language)
The Frostspeak sign language was derived from Iglishmek, and the need to hunt in an inhospitable land. It is also useful in situations where avalanches could be set off by voices.
Thieves Cant (Restricted Language)
Thieves Cant is a mixture of coded language and silent signals - it is therefore a hybrid language that gives a 10% mutual understanding of Dwarven Igilshmek sign language (especially when used to assess the physical make up of locks, fortifications and stonework.). It also gives a 25% mutual understanding with the Houri Sharqi Dance of the Desert should it be witnessed by a Rogue.
Houri Sharqi Dance (Restricted Access)
The Houri Sharqi dance is used by Hostesses and Dancers in Aubaydi establishments. It is a seductive form of dance - but also a signal system that allows the dancer to signal which observers are likely marks, are problem makers, or to direct servers to serve drinks or food to patrons before the patron even knows they have run out of food or drink. The Houri dance can also be used to seduce, and to convey secret information and directions in the open without anyone realising it. It provides a 25% mutual understanding of Thieves Cant.
Comments