Language (Otan)
There are several languages spoken on the Otani continent.
Ancient Languages
These are languages presumably written and spoken before the Great Erasure.
Old Ælfish language
The Old Ælfish language, when not referred to in modern Ælfish language words and phrases is most readily found mingled with magical texts or those presumed to have existed before the Great Erasure.
Old Otani language
The roots of many common words in every language often originate from the Old Otani language. This primordial language, long forgotten by Otani mortals is the language most often used by the gods and elementals who originally constructed Otan.
Modern Languages
Otani language
The Otani language language, sometimes referred to as the "common tongue" is spoken by humans and non-humans alike throughout the continent of Otan.
Ælfish language
Spoken primarily by Ælfes and wizards, the Ælfish language usage is most common in the countries of Ælfgarade and Ælfwode.
Aydahar language
Spoken by those possessing Aydahari (draconic) blood; the Aydahar, the Ungir and of course, Dragons.
Dweorgen language
Spoken by the Dweorges, particularly those of the League of Dweorgen Miners.
Garis language
Spoken nearly exclusively by the Garis people in the Garis Triumvirate, the Garis language is divided into three distinct dialects based on the region of the country it is spoken.
Grendel language
The Grendel language is spoken by the Grendel primarily in Omirqatal. It is not uncommon for Kuulik or Ungir to speak the language due to their penchant to trade with one another.
Hellspawn language
The Hellspawn language is rarely spoken on Otan outside of the country of Shuwalu where Hellspawn can be found in great numbers. The language seems to have originated from before the Great Erasure, however and is spoken by creatures associated with the underworld including devils, demons and the like.
Kuulik language
The Kuulik language is similar to the Grendel language though with far fewer words to describe war and combat and a vast vocabulary to describe points of deals, contracts, trades or any type of monetary exchange.
Sweardælf language
Spoken by the Sweardælf people of Kiskentay. Speakers of the Sweardælf language and Ælfish language can communicate at a basic level without translation.
Creole Languages
Creoles are languages created from a mixture of two different languages. They naturally inspire new words and grammatical structures. A creole speaker and someone of the original languages will have the ability to perform simple communication, but never complete understanding in more complex conversations.
Araldar pidgin
On the islands of Araldar a curious patois has developed on the islands less frequented by major trade routes. The Araldar pidgin is spoken by island residents. When not in the presence of outsiders these islanders will speak Araldar pidgin exclusively, however many possess the ability to shift to common Otani language when communicating with visitors and guests. Araldar pidgin is a mixture of the Otani, Sweardælf and Ælfish languages.
Darkspeak
The Darkspeak creole is a language made from a combination of the Ælfish, Dweorgen and Hellspawn languages. It's chiefly spoken by they Dark variants of Ælfen and Dweorgen races.
Druidic cant
Druidic rituals are universally conducted in the Druidic cant. It seems the only language that is understood both by people and by nature. The roots of Druidic cant are Old Otani language mixed with the Sylvan creole.
Free States creole
Nearly every language in Otan has added the best (and worst) of its vocabulary to the Free States creole. While the regular Otani language will go a long way in being understood by a speaker of Free States creole, to understand a speaker would require learning the language with the exception of a very limited number of words.
Magespeak
Spoken by wizards and the like to invoke spells, Magespeak is a trade language known only to those who are spellcasters. The language is derived from bits of the Old Otani language, the Old Ælfish language and a great number of specialized words chosen for their effect on the magical realm. Spellcasters can not converse in Magespeak as it is only addressed to the universe as spell power is focused.
Sylvan creole
The Sylvan creole is spoken by the multitudes of forest creatures of Otan capable of speech. The language is an amalgamation of the Ælfish tongue mixed with words and phrases from dozens of other species and is said to have similarities to the Old Ælfish language.
Thieves cant
This language is understood primarily by thieves, and those particularly skilled in the area of law enforcement. Its roots come from the Sweardælf language. Persons fluent in the language can speak just as fluently in a wordless way, using facial queues and hand signals as they can by speaking aloud. Variations exist from one country to the next, but familiarity with a new dialect takes little time for a skilled thief to master.
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