3. Regional Languages

Regional Languages


  • Hi DM Team?

    The Language Teachers offer both Shou and HighShou. What is the intended difference in game, for someone who might only speak -one- of them?

    http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/High_Shou says "It was the official language of the empire, by custom and imperial edict. It was spoken by all Shou, from all social classes and professions, including the Emperor, a commonality that helped to unify the nation"

    So - In Narfell - What is the distinct use of either language, so I can pick the more appropriate one and not have either peasants, or nobles, look at me funny for speaking the 'wrong' one.

    EDIT - I picked HighShou - for its apparent widespread nature - if 'Shou' is more appropriate for this use in Narfell's context I'll either learn it too, or swap

    1 Reply

  • Sign Language
    It is not canon, but the official Narfell House Rule is that it exists and can be bought as any other regular language.


  • That's Fiendish Codex II stuff, a book that didn't come out till '06 and directly (possibly intentionally) conflicts with Fiendish Codex I, and neither of which are directly part of the FRCS.

    My alphabet list comes from the 3.0 SRD.

  • D

    I have to Agree with Syied, Daemons Existed prior to Devils, As Devils were originally Angels, Asmodeus proposed the pact primeval and yadda yadda….

    And I'll seccond the point that we need to be carefull that we use FR source Material Over DnD source material whenever possible.


  • Here's the article about Assassins in Dragon #379, and again says nothing about languages, like the DMG it focuses on explaining traits, spells, skills and mechanics. In lacking evidence or source of any kind, I'll go and say that assassins don't get their own language in Forgotten Realms, at least until some documented proof says otherwise.


  • FR wiki assassin entry refers only to DMG and a Dragon article:

    Mike Mearls. Assassin, Dragon #379, p. 16-38. Wizards of the Coast.

    Probably worth a gander. I'll see about looking it up tomorrow if no-one else has before then.

    Everything in core DND tends to apply unless FRCS contradicts it so there needn't be any FR-specific lore. But for possible realms-specific source books to check there's a list here:
    http://www.candlekeep.com/bookshelf/3rded.htm


  • Yeah, I have it in front of me. See, that's a DND book. Can't have FR lore in a DND book. DND is based around Greyhawk Campaign Setting, so there's no Lathander, there's Pelor, and so on. I'll see if I can find the book that speaks about assassin lore/background in the Forgotten Realms.


  • http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/prc

    DMG to check according to that.


  • Yeah. The thing is, the assassin PRC is in a DND book, not a FRCS one. So the FRCS lore about assassins has to be hidden in some book that I don't remember…

    As I said, googling hasn't returned any benefitial input, and I can't remember where I saw/read about the assassin's language.


  • That's a Green Ronin splat book.

    House rules on sign language should be coming in due course.


  • What about Assassin's Cant/Sign language?

    I'm almost certain I've read about it in some FR source book as a special language that assassins are trained with when they enter the "trade", but I can't find anything in my books neither googling.

    There is a DND book called "The Assassin's handbook" that explains:

    @6d5fb7559f:

    Bonus Languages: The assassin may substitute any language for one available to him because of his race. He may even select secret languages, such as Druidic. Additionally, all Assassins are taught a secret sign language that consists of hand signals and subtle motions. The Assassin sign language may not be learned by non-Assassins and is never taught to outsiders.

    But that's not Forgotten Realms as far as I can tell. I think to remember the source of the Assassin's language to be a FR book, not a regular DnD one.


  • It doesn't exist. Our bad for pointing to the wiki without checking it :oops: you're good for taking something else instead of that with your intelligence bonus or skill points.

  • V

    @f0721dca63:

    Mordain Dethek. Spoken by the dwarven clergy of dwarven dieties

    Does this one exists?
    I took it for Vander, but it s not listed in the teacher and a DM said he wasnt sure this was right?

    Edited to point out I am asking to change it to something else 🙂


  • I have no idea where that comes from. My stuff's from the core books like Fiend Folio, as FR borrows for its cosmology.


  • …Demons and Devils as one group before the Blood War? I understood a very, very different history between the Demons and Devils... that the Devils had always been Demons' enemies, but became like Demons as they fought them - originally Angels.


  • Yeah, that sounds like someone's house rule. Demons would have based their language on Infernal because as the core lore goes, once the Demons and Devils (and Yugoloths) were one group, before the Blood War began.

    FRCS doesn't change much except to add regional languages, but I'll go and update those alphabets.


  • Both are house rules (as is Romani). Dora has documented how cant will be handled here:

    http://www.narfell.us/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=479187#479187


  • Where can we read in FRCS about the sign and cant languages? I think I was playing Aelhaearn with both.


  • The Narfell languages wiki, having looked at it, is a load of nonsense. eg if you google you'll find that out of all the internet there is no other website with those Clerical languages. It might have been a house rule for whoever wrote that page. I don't trust anything without a [FRCS] tag of it because of that.

    The 3.0 PHB agrees with Cardamon's list, and the FRCS doesn't change anything for the monster languages. Just change the following:

    Elven = Espruar
    Dwarven = Dethek
    Common = Thorass

    Abyssal does indeed use the Infernal alphabet.

    Disclaimer:
    Unless someone can point to a 3E source which says something other. I've been through all the basic books.


  • Great post Card, except much of the alphabets bit is wrong. For example, Abyssal uses Abyssek, not Infernek - and of course, Elven, Dwarven, and Infernal use Espuar, Dethek, and Infernek alphabets respectively. I bring this up because it'd be a misnomer, for example, to call the Dwarven alphabet "dwarven" because IIRC (and I could very well be mistaken), the alphabet is actually the Giants' from when Dwarves were their slaves. Also, Druidic doesn't have a written language according to our wiki. And Common's alphabet (I believe?) is Thorass.

    Here's the languages with their alphabets from the wiki.

    @e8757cef6f=cardamon:

    Abyssal Abyssek Demons/Chaotic Evil outsiders - Evil Clerics.
    Aquan Aquanek Water creatures - Clerics of water deities, Druids.
    Auran Aunanek Air creatures - Clerics of air deities, Druids.
    Celestial Celestial Good outsiders - Good Clerics.
    Draconic Draconic Modern language of dragons - Mages, Clerics of dragon deities (Bahamut and Tiamat).
    Dwarven Dethek Dwarves
    Elven Espuar Elves (including Drow, though accents and dialects may vary dramatically).
    Giant Common Dethek Giant tounge.
    Gnoll Dethek Gnolls - Clerics of Yeenoghu (demon lord of gnolls) if in fact any exist in Narf.
    Goblin Dethek Goblinoid creatures, such as goblins and bugbears.
    Halfling or Hin Thorass Halflings.
    Infernal Infernek Devils/Lawful Evil outsiders - Evil Clerics.
    Ignan Iganek Fire creatures - Clerics of fire deities, Druids.
    Orc Dethek Orcs and half-orcs.
    Sylvan Sylvan Forest creatures (dryads, etc.) - Clerics of nature deities, druids, some elves.
    Terran Tarranek Earth creatures - Clerics of earth deities, Druids.
    Treant Entish Trees (at least the ones that can talk).
    Undercommon Espuar The common of the Underdark, as used by Drow and Illithid (Mind Flayers), etc. - Evil Characters, Dwarves.
    [edit] Regional Languages
    Language Alphabet Description
    Aglarondan Espruar Spoken in Aglarond and Altumbel. [FRCS]
    Alzhedo Thorass Spoken in Calimshan. [FRCS]
    Chessentan Thorass Chessenta [FRCS]
    Chondathan Thorass Amn, Chondath, Cormyr, Dalelands, Dragon Coast, civilized North, Sembia, Silver Marches, Sword Coast, Tethyr, Waterdeep, Western Heartlands, Vilhon Reach. Common is in fact a pidgin version of Chondathan, due to Chondathan's widespread use. [FRCS]
    Chultan Draconic Chult. [FRCS]
    Damaran Dethek Damara, Great Dale, Impiltur, Moonsea, Narfell, Thesk, Vaasa, the Vast. [FRCS]
    Dambrathan Espruar Dambrath. [FRCS]
    Durpari Thorass Durpar, Estagund, Var, Veldorn. [FRCS]
    Halardrim Thariss Threskel.
    Halruaan Draconic Halruaa, Nimbral. [FRCS]
    Illuskan Thorass Luskan, Mintarn, the Moonshaes (NOT the same as the Moonsea), the Savage (uncivilised) North, Ruathym, Uthgardt barbarians. [FRCS]
    Imaskar Dethek Imaskar, Unther, Mulhorand. Sometime written in Celestial or Abyssal
    Lantanese Draconic Lantan. A lot of gnomes hail from Lantan. [FRCS]
    Midani Thorass Zakhara - Otherworldly contintnet. The Bedine (Anauroch). [FRCS]
    Mulhorandi Celestial Mulhorand, Murghom, Semphar. (Mulhorand has a long history of the manifestation of deities and a high proportion of Aasimer. [FRCS]
    Mulhorandi (var.) Infernal Thay. [FRCS]
    Nexalan Draconic Maztica - Otherworldly language. [FRCS]
    Oillusk Octivish North Sword Coast
    Rashemi Thorass Rashemen. [FRCS]
    Raumvira Thariss Thesk.
    Serusan Aquan Inner Sea. Serusan is the aquatic equivalent of Common, and is spoken by most aquatic creatures. [FRCS]
    Shaaran Dethek Lake of Steam, Lapaliiya, Sespech, the Shaar. [FRCS]
    Shou Draconic Kara-Tur - Otherworldly language. [FRCS]
    Talfir No written form Western Heartlands.
    Tashalan Dethek Black Jungle, Mhair Jungle, Samarach, Tashalar, Thindol.
    Tuigan Thorass Hordelands. [FRCS]
    Turmic Thorass Turmish. [FRCS]
    Uluik Thorass Great Glacier. [FRCS]
    Untheric Dethek Unther. [FRCS]
    Vaasan Dethek Vaasa, High Ice, Tortured Land.
    [edit] Dead Languages
    Language Alphabet Description
    Aragrakh Draconic Old high wyrm (dragons). The ancient language of dragons, now disused. Is a precursor to the Draconic language.
    Auld Wyrmish Auldi Another dead draconic language.
    Hulgorkyn Dethek Archaic Orc.
    Loross Loral Netherese Noble Langauge. An old human empire that no longer exists.
    Netherese Draconic Netherese common tongue.A precursor of Halruaan.
    Roushoum Imaskari The precursor to Tuigan. The Imaskari built mighty networks of portals across Faerun and other worlds, transporting slaves.
    Seldruin Hamarfae The language of Elven High Magic. The Elven High Mages still use this tongue, although they are a highly secretive society, and most do not know they exist. Many Elven Scholars learn to read, if not speak, this language, to better allow them to search through the history of their culture.
    Thorass Thorass Thorass is the precursor to modern common. It is to Common what Ye Olde Englishe is to the modern tongue. Most people that can understand common can also decipher Thorass, although with some difficulty, given the variable nature of human languages. Thorass is also the name given to the Common alphabet used in Chondathan etc.

    [edit] Special Languages
    Language Alphabet Description
    Druidic No written form Language of the druids. Druids only.
    Thieves Cant Any Secret Language of rogues and other ne'er-do-wells. Rogues only.
    Assassin's Cant Any A variant of Thieve's Cant used by assassins. For assassins and rogues only.
    Sign N/A Although not a recognised language in standard Faerun, it is safe to assume that over the fifty gap narf imposes between itself and FR, sign language has become widespread. The sign language you will see used in Narfell will probably be Common Sign - meaning the conversations are in common. If you know sign for the Common alphabet, you can probably sign for all other languages you know that use the common alphabet. It's not really a smart move to learn other sign languages (except possibly Drow Sign Language) since they will likely never be used.
    Drow Sign Language N/A Used by Drow. The drow sign language is meant to be used for tactical communication in the Underdark without giving their positions away. DSL is mostly a military language, and his little practical application outside this. It is unlikely that it will be possible to exchange the latest gossip while conversing in DSL.

    [edit] Clerical Languages
    Language Alphabet Description
    Chorash Thariss. Spoken by the human clergy of CE and NE dieties
    Corethon Espruar. Spoken by the elven clergy of elven dieties.
    Garltung Dethek. Spoken by the gnomish clergy of gnomish dieties
    Latharian Thorass Spoken by the human clergy of Lathander and True Neutral and NG dieties
    Mordain Dethek. Spoken by the dwarven clergy of dwarven dieties
    Myltall Thorass Spoken by the human clergy of Mystral and LG dieties
    Selouni Octivish. Spoken by the human clergy of Selune and CG dieties
    Vilarin Thorass Spoken by the human clergy of LE and NE dieties

    [edit] Alphabets
    Alphabet Description
    Abyssek Abyssal variation of Infernek, the Infernal alphabet.
    Aquanek Aquatic variation of Espuar, the Elven Alphabet
    Auldi Old variation of Draconic. Not in use.
    Aunanek Arial variation of Draconic
    Celestial Alphabet of good outer planar creatures
    Dethek Dwarven alphabet.
    Draconic The dragons alphabet. Used to write some types of arcane magic scrolls
    Entish Alphabet of speaking trees
    Espruar The elven alphabet
    Hamarfae Alphabet of Elvish High Magic. Not is use today.
    Iganek Script version of Draconic used by fire creatures
    Imaskari Alphabet of the old Imaskari empire. Not used today.
    Infernek Writing language of Infernal creatures.
    Octivish Written language of the northern sword coast
    Loral Old variation of Draconic. Used by Netherese nobility. Not in use.
    Sylvan Alphabet of forest creatures
    Tarranek Writing form of earth elemental creatures
    Thariss Human alphabet (need some info on this one)
    Thorass The commone alphabet. Widely used. Based off the dead language of Thorass.

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