Languages in Abbatine
Created and Outsider Languages
All languages used in Abbatine can be divided into one of two groups.
Created languages are used by the various Created races of Abbatine, and
can trace their existence back to the creation of the world. These languages
tend to be very complicated to Outsider races, and are typically used only
by the race they were Created for. Outsider languages are mongrels, brought
to Abbatine by one of the several waves of settlers. Most Outsider languages
have a very long and obscure history, especially as the peoples who brought
them to Abbatine are often descended from many generations of wanderers,
far removed from the Maelstrom Walkers who Created their original ancestors.
Created Languages
- Adapoi (M/A to adapoi; M/H to others)
- The language of the forest-folk of Abbatine. A fluid, mellifluous tongue
with a vocabulary well-suited to descriptions of plants, forest ecology
and communal living. Spoken only sporadically by Outsiders. Most non-adapoi
speakers are members of the Translators' Guild in Paiden.
- Askalach (M/A to agaf, Makers and Celebrants; M/H to others)
- A harsh, unrelenting language spoken primarily by the zek-dwelling
agaf on the Second Plateau. Unlike most Created languages, askalach is
spoken by several of Abbatine's races. It also spread to the Old Jhokkada
when they first came through the Dost Bridge. Many old Jhokkada religious
texts are written in askalach. The language was clearly originally only
an agaf tongue; many agaf scholars believe that the Celebrants learned
it from agaf "guests" at their Festivals, eventually abandoning
their own Created tongue. Makers learn askalach primarily to serve as interrogators
of captured agaf.
- Deyrey (M/A to deyrey; M/H to others)
- The native tongue of the deyrey lizard-folk. Deyrey is a muted tongue
punctuated by clacks and rasps difficult for non-deyrey to properly pronounce.
As with adapoi, most non-deyrey speakers have traditionally belonged to
the Translators' Guild of Paiden. In recent years, this monopoly has been
broken by Vlad's apparent alliance with Taba Hive.
- Maker (M/A)
- The language of the Makers and their demek slaves. Most others consider
the language to be as ugly as the creatures that use it, and choose not
to learn it. A large number of Vlad's servants and citizens have learned
some quantity of Maker speech, but it has yet to spread beyond the borders
of Seitha. The fact that knowledge of the Maker tongue is a punishable
offense for all save certain Escritors' officials in Hegger slows it's
spread significantly.
- Pure Wall Speech (M/A to People of the Wall; M/VH to all others)
- The language of the enigmatic People of the Wall, who live in settlements
placed on the cliff between the Second and Third Plateaus. It is practically
unknown even among other Created races.
Outsider Languages
- Haggeen (M/A)
- The language of the original human settlers of the Republic of Hegger.
Like Old Youden, Haggeen is a mongrel tongue that has seen great change
over it's long history. Most recently, it has adopted a large quantity
of Old Youden vocabulary, making it possible for Old Youden speakers to
understand Haggeen at a -4 penalty (the reverse is not true).
- Jhokkada (M/A)
- The cult language of the Cult of Syago-Jhokk. Believed to be a derivative
of the original language of the jhokk people.
- Kashumei (M/A); Neh-Kashumei (M/A; defaults to Kashumei at -3)
- A language from Shildree, brought by the refugees who founded the city
of Kashaad. It is younger than Old Youden and Haggeen, and is essentially
unchanged from its original, Created form. Kashumei is divided into two
styles. Kashumei is the normal language of the Youngers of Kashaad, and
is used for everyday transactions. Neh-Kashumei is the "secret"
form of the language, and may only be learned by the Elders of Kashaad
and members of certain special groups (the Bloodkeepers, the Watching Moons,
and the servants of the Khatumor).
- Linderen (M/A)
- The language of the linder folk of Padachee. Those few folk in Abbatine
who know it primarily live in and around the Republic of Hegger. Most linder
believe it a courtesy to learn the languages of those they trade with,
so opportunity for residents of Abbatine to learn it is limited.
- Old Youden (M/A)
- The ancient language of the youda people, and the primary language
of Paiden. Old Youden has been carried with the youda for thousands of
years, and is far older than Abbatine. It has changed dramatically over
it's history, and bears almost no similarity to it's original form. However,
a wide variety of races find it easy to pronounce and understand.
- Qellowen (M/A)
- The tongue of the Qellowa region in Mardaka. Basically unknown in Abbatine.
- Seaspeech (M/E to Padachee Humans; M/H to others)
- The instinctual language of the Padachee Humans. They are born knowing
it, while others must struggle for years to understand it's principles.
- True Speech (M/H)
- Not truly a language, True Speech is the essential tongue in which
everything is truth. It is also the gateway to Maelstrom Sight. Because
Abbatine has forbidden the use of higher powers, True Speech is uncommon
in his world, though educated travelers from other worlds often know it.
- Tharrish (M/A)
- A Sacred Tongue of Mardaka, Tharrish is named for the Kingdom of Tharry
but is spoken by many in the Holy City and among the Mountainshadow Principalities
in Mardaka. Few outside of Mardaka understand it.
- Turgosk (M/A)
- Originally spoken by the turgosk folk living in Tazik Free City, the
original turgosk tongue has been declining for years in favor of Old Youden.
Even before the war between Tazik and Xod Hive, most of the turgosk population
had foregone it in favor of Old Youden. Now that the turgosk peoples have
been scattered across Abbatine, their original tongue is swiftly becoming
a lost language.
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