Old Gratic

" I was constantly reminded to never travel through the darkest patches of the Deranti Forest by nearly everyone in the village. When I asked why, I was answered by shaking heads and muttered curses of 'this idiot'. It was only when I finally worked up the nerve to ask the elder of the hamlet that I was told why: 'Deep within the woods, there is a clearing, in the midst of which stands a tree. This sturdy oak was declared sacred by the Ancestors, who carved their runes into it. We know not what it says, but all who gaze on the tree can never leave the clearing until one night has passed. Nearly all who beheld the Tree in the Night have never returned, but those who have speak of dark shapes that choke and strangle and thirst for souls...' "
~Satre the Wanderer, The Tree in the Night

Writing System

An abjad of 30 symbols, no vowels were written down, although there was symbols to indicate whether they started and ended a word. Each letter had two separate symbols; one for the beginning or center of a word and one for the final letter. There are no spaces between words; that's what the final letters would have indicated. As is typical for runic systems, the symbols themselves contain only straight lines.

Geographical Distribution

The runic carvings of the Ancestors have been found across many of the Gratic provinces, although most are untranslatable, their meaning lost in the millennia of their existence.

Phonology

Very few words have been translated; therefore, the pronunciation of these words is not known. With the exception of ch and sh, it appears to have all of the original Gratic consonants and vowels.

Morphology

-Nouns and adjectives decline into one of seven cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive, instrumental, vocative, or ablative) and one of three genders (masculine, feminine, or neuter).
-Verbs conjugate based on number and person, with a considerable number of irregularities.

Syntax

SOV, with VSO being used for questions.

Vocabulary

There are very few translated words, but the assumption is that all vocabulary was originally Gratic.

Successor Languages

• Essic-Llenic
• Common Gratic

Common Phrases

grutagnis

greetings

gartagnit

goodbye

Common Female Names

Élen, Drus, Samril

Common Male Names

Amker, Terkel, Zantir

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)