Language is used by sentient creatures as a way to communicate with one another. Because different races – and even different cultures of the same race – developed differently, there are many languages spoken throughout the world.
Languages of the same race share similarities, in structure and sometimes alphabet, but they are distinctly different. As a result, languages are divided into language families, and upon a successful Linguistics check, someone fluent in one language can get a rudimentary understanding of what is being said in a language from the same language family.
The core rules determine what languages a character can speak determined by their race. Because this setting uses different languages, there are different rules for starting languages. Instead of what is written in the core rules, use the following:
- All humans born in the northern or southern continents start with Trade Common and the language of their home country. If that country does not have its own language, the user may select one human national language. All humans may select any language as a bonus language, save for Se Pahale, Sylvan, or Veparan Secret.
- All persons born among the Shodid pirates begin knowing Trade Common and one bonus language. They may select bonus langauges as if they were humans born in a country without its own language.
- All Veparan elves and half-elves begin knowing Trade Common, Veparan Local and Veparan Secret Tongue (they get the the necessary feat as a bonus feat at level one), and may select any human language as their bonus languages.
- Kattil elves begin knowing Kattil and Trade Common, and may select Veparan Local, any southern human, Biksipta, or any dwarven language as a bonus langauge
- Budynsky and Umyswoveh dwarves begin knowing Trade Common and Budynsky, and have Ostanovit and southern human national languages as bonus languages.
- Ostanovit dwarves begin with the ability to speak Trade Common and Ostanovit. They can take Budynsky, Biksipta or any southern human language as a bonus language.
- Orcs and half-orcs born in the Ezmai Islands begin with Ezmai, and may select Veparan or Llynges as bonus languages.
- Orcs and half-orcs born outside the Ezmai Islands begin knowing Ezmai, Trade Common, and the language of the country in which they were born.
- Se Pahale elves begin knowing Se Pahale (they get Understand Se Pahale Text as a bonus feat). They may not choose any language as a bonus language.
- Gnomes begin play knowing Sylvan. They may select Trade Common or any southern human language as a bonus language.
- The Aard Kuit begin play knowing Oeroue and Trade Common. They may select Saves, Llynges, Tovaris, or Veparan Local as bonus languages.
- Veparan Local – A language that is not particularly unusual. It is identifiable by long strings of vowels and frequent use of soft consonants.
- Veparan Secret Tongue – A language that is similar to Veparan Local in its sound, but unlike the language that can be learned by any of another race that takes the time, Veparan Secret requires a passive telepathic connection between speakers for context and intention. All elves, including Veparan half-elves and Kattil elves, can send and receive the passive link naturally, but for a member of another race to tap into the link, they must take a special feat.
- Kattil – Spoken by the wood elves of Kattil Forest, it is similar to Veparan Local, but makes more use of hard consonants.
- Se Pahale – Spoken by the elves of the hidden civilization Se Pahale, it contains many similarities to the Veparan and Kattil dialects. Written Se Pahale is not like any other written language: whereas other languages use characters to represent words or sounds, Se Pahale is “written” by a psychic imprint, which is “read” when the “reader” focuses on the recepticle, and the content is spoken aloud in the user’s mind, as if by the writer. To understand the “written” form of Se Pahale, a special feat must be taken.
- Trade Common – a loose derivative of Veparan and Joder, Trade Common, frequently referred to as simply “Common” is spoken by every nation that deals with the elven traders.
- Budynsky – The language spoken by the dwarves in the Budynsky mountains, and in the Umeswoveh
- Ostanovit – The language spoken by the dwarves in the Ostanovit valley. It shares a common runic alphabet, and a similar vocabulary, but its structure is slightly different. (To bridge the gap between these languages, reduce the Linguistics DC by 7).
Unlike the elven and dwarven languages, human languages come in two distinct families: Northern and Southern. The southern languages are much more easily identifiable as cousins than the languages in the north, but upon close examination, similarities in the northern tongues do arise.
Southern Human Languages
Northern Human Languages
The following languages are not in the same family; they each developed independently of one another, but since they are independent, there is no reason to group them alone.
- Biksipta – the language spoken by the halflings throughout the world, particularly in Sbarga
- Bellum – the language spoken by the goblinoids at the northern polar ice cap.
- Ezmai – the language spoken by the orcs of the Ezmai Islands
- Oeroue – the language spoken by the Aard Kuit of the Woestyn Desert
- Sylvan – the gnomes of Gendom speak Sylvan, the language of the fey. Besides the gnomes at the southern polar ice cap, the only ones who speak Sylvan are mysterious entities who live beyond the edge of the world.