Languages

Material Plane

Variants of common

All of the Ornian common variants share the same root language group, but they are different enough to qualify as separate languages. Speakers do not automatically understood each other as pronunciation and glossaries have drifted over the centuries. Some are more similar than others, and simple concepts may be communicated without too much effort - this is mainly the case for neighbouring regions.

• Mistspeech
• High Brienyamarian - Traditional and original
• Low Brienyamarian - Influenced by Mendaris and reformed
• Mendarian
• Fenian
• Wahlminsterian

Other cultures

• Nightwalker
• Old Ornian - Old Ornian
  • Used by Ornians after their declared independence from K'Shaal
• Ashen Ornian - Ashen Ornian
  • Spoken in the Ashen Empire after the Destruction of Orn. Notable for it's use in the Obsidian Truth religion.
• Dwarven - Dwarven.
• Elven
• Giant - Giant
• Gnomish
• Undercommon
  • Reported by Dwarves to be used by several lesser races of the underdark
• Old K'Shaali - Old K'shaal
  • Used in pre-ordering K'Shaal
• Reformed K'Shaali^[1] - Reformed K'shaal
  • Inferred from the few sources from current K'Shaal
• Ancient ^[2]
  • The first language from pre-history. Not used by any current cultures.
• First Speech
  • The original language spoken by the first elves, and the Lords and Ladies, as well as some fey
• Sylvan
  • Most creatures of nature with sufficient intelligence,
• Aklo
• Druidic ^[3]
• Drow Sign Language^[3]
• Cepran ^[1]
• Tumanakian ^[1]
  • Spoken by the inhabitants of the island group sunwards from Mendaris.
• Thieves cant^[4]
• Sailor's cant
  • 50% names of boat parts, 50% obscenities.

Monstrous

Monstrous languages are often difficult if not impossible to speak by anything approaching human vocal cords. With study they can be understood, written and read, but not all are accessible enough for this to be possible.

• Alghollthu (Aboleth)
• Necril
• Orc
• Beastmen's Tongue

Extraplannar

Few commoners on Orn even know of the existence of other planes, and the ability to understand them let alone speak any extraplanar languages are well beyond most of them. They are primarily the field of theosophists, occultists and other eccentrics.

• "Abyssal"
• Infernal - Infernal
• Enochian (Celestial) - Enochian
• Protean

Elemental

The elemental tongues were originally developed by Retul Totem's pupils during the second golden age, and was used in the Ordering to section off and balance the four primal elemental forces.

• Terran ("Tongue of Earth")
• Ignan ("Tongue of Fire")
• Aquan ("Tongue of the Sea")
• Auran ("Tongue of the Heavens")

Other

• Ancient
  • Language of the oldest known civilization of humanity. It has not been in use since before the rise of K'Shaal, and what few examples of it exists lack sufficient context for translation.
  • It is treated as a secret/forbidden language purely due to being dead, even if modern languages are descended from it.

Comprehend Languages

Some people have magical or supernatural means of understanding languages they do not know. Unlike someone who has learned a language through study and dedication, being under the effect of such an effect bypasses the interpreting part of understanding. That means you would comprehend the intention or meaning of a message without aquiring an actual understanding of the language it is written in.