Hurvan Languages
This
is a list of the known languages to the people of Hurva.
Common
Human Languages |Other Common & Uncommon
Languages | 'Dead' Languages | Rare
Languages | Ravenloft Languages
Each
language taken must be specified whether the character can speak it or write
it. Note that some of these tongues have no true written form. Also note that
dead languages can only be taken in the written form. It requires two seperate
skills to both fluently read & write and to speak language. See the section
on Skills for details.
Some
of these languages are only spoken by the singular species for which the language
is named. Only characters that have had either great exposure to these creatures
or have had a higher education may know these tongues. Some of these languages
contain phonemes that are unpronounceable by humans and can only be spoken by
humans through the use of magic.
This
list is not necessarily comprehensive. As new tongues are discovered, they will
be added here.
|
Common Human Languages |
Alphabet |
Notes
& Typical Speakers |
| Common
(Hurvan) |
Common |
Humans,
halflings. Lots of regional dialects. |
| Red
Speak |
Dwarven |
Red
Bear Clan (guttural) |
| Harati |
Common |
Common
Tongue of the Harati Empire (sounds a bit like Norse, Danish and German) |
| Haratesse |
Common |
'Pure'
version of Harati |
| Southlander |
Common |
written
version invented by Hurvans; no native written language (primitive and tribal
tongue; many regional dialects) |
| Oaxacan |
Celestial |
Islanders
of Oaxaxa (Polynesian sounding) |
| Eastern |
Eastern |
Easterners,
Ogre Magi (Oriental sounding) |
|
Other Common & Uncommon Languages |
Alphabet |
Notes
& Typical Speakers |
| Abyssal
|
Infernal |
Demons,
CE outsiders |
| Aquan
|
Elven |
Water-based
creatures |
| Auran
|
Draconic |
Air-based
creatures |
| Celestial
|
Celestial |
Good
outsiders |
| Draconic |
Draconic |
Kobolds,
troglodytes, lizardfolk, dragons, many magical texts |
| Druidic |
Druidic |
Wajêans
& Guardians (only) |
| Dwarven |
Dwarven |
Dwarves |
| Elven |
Elven |
Elves,
faerie folk |
| Goblin |
Dwarven |
Goblins,
hobgoblins, bugbears |
| Giant |
Dwarven |
Official
PH language, but treat all occurrences of Giant as a pidgin of common &/or
Dwarvish. This pidgin is aka Troll Tongue. |
| Gnoll |
Common |
Official
PH language, but treat all occurrences of Gnoll as a pidgin of Common, Orc
&/or Goblin |
| Ignan |
Draconic |
Fire-based
creatures |
| Infernal |
Infernal |
Devils,
LE outsiders |
| Orc |
Dwarven |
Orcs |
| Sylvan
(aka Faerie Speak) |
Elven |
Dryads,
brownies, centaurs |
| Terran |
Dwarven |
Xorn,
earth-based creatures |
| Undercommon
|
Elven |
Drow,
Kua-Toa, Duergar |
Dead
languages can only be taken in the written form except as noted below.
|
'Dead' Languages |
Alphabet |
Notes |
| Ancient
Dwarven |
Dwarven |
Texts
from before c. 250 HY |
| Ancient
Eastern |
Eastern |
Texts
from before c. -250 HY |
| Ancient
Elven |
Elven |
Texts
from before c. -750 HY to as far back as -2,500 HY. |
| Ancient
Haratesse |
Olde
Common |
Texts
from before c. -200 HY |
| Ancient
Hurvan |
Olde
Common |
Texts from before c. -100 HY |
| Ancient
Southlander |
Dwarven-
Elven conglomeration |
Texts
from before c. -500 HY |
| Dursk |
Runic |
The
barbarians known as The Durs. Spoken as early as c. -450 through perhaps
as late as 600 HY. |
| Elder
Elven |
High
Elven |
Texts
from before c. -5,000 HY. Very few examples survive. |
| Gnome |
Dwarven |
Almost
all gnomes speak common or dwarven. Gnomes may take this as a spoken language. |
| Halfling |
Common |
Almost
all halfings speak common, elvish and/or sylvan. Halflings may take this
as a spoken language. |
| Isturian |
Olde
Common |
Used
by the humans in what is now Suress from c. -600 through about 450 HY. Only
trace of it heard today is the unique (Italian) sounding surnames and given
names of Istur's natives. |
| Olde
Hurvan |
Olde
Common |
aka
"middle common" Texts from c. -100 HY through c. 600 HY |
Some
of these languages are only spoken by the singular species for which the language
is named. Only characters that have had either great exposure to these creatures
or have had a higher education may know these tongues. Some of these languages
contain phonemes that are unpronounceable by humans and can only be spoken by
humans through the use of magic.
| Rare
Languages |
Alphabet |
Notes
& Typical Speakers |
| Aarakocra |
Spoken
only |
Aarakocra |
| Aboleth |
Spoken
only |
Aboleth |
| Beholder |
Spoken
only |
Beholderkin |
| Blink
Dog |
Spoken
only |
Blink
Dog |
| Ent |
Spoken
only |
Treant |
| Ettin
(pidgin) |
Spoken
only |
pidgin
of Orc, Goblin, and Giant. |
| Githyanki |
Spoken
only |
Githyanki,
Githzerai |
| High
Elven |
High
Elven |
Elvish
nobles, important texts |
| Slaadi |
Spoken
only |
Slaad |
| Umber
Hulk |
Spoken
only |
Umber
Hulk |
| Worg |
Spoken
only |
Worg |
| Yuan-Ti |
Spoken
only |
Yuan-Ti |
Ravenloft
languages may only be taken by Ravenloft natives or by characters who have had
great exposure to them.
|
Ravenloft Languages |
Alphabet |
Notes |
| Balok |
Balok |
Guttural
consonants and thick vowels mark this tongue adopted as a trade language
by merchants and innkeepers |
| Darkonese |
Darkonese |
Very
complex and highly structured language. Words have very limited and precise
meanings compared to other languages. |
| Mordentish |
Mordentish |
Has
both "high" and "low" dialects. Great literary base. |
| Vaasi |
Vaasi |
Harmonious
vowels; many religions use this tongue. |
Many
of these rare Ravenloft languages are considered to be local variants of Common.
Some may even be classified as dialects, while others deserve the distinction
of being full-fledge language.
|
Rare Ravenloft Languages |
Alphabet |
Notes
& Typical Speakers |
| Akiri |
unknown |
|
| Falkovnian |
unknown |
|
| Forfarian |
unknown |
|
| Lamordian |
unknown |
|
| Luktar |
unknown |
|
| Old
Kartakan |
unknown |
|
| Pharazian |
unknown |
|
| Sithican |
Elvish |
|
| Souragnien |
Common |
|
| Tempestani |
unknown |
|
| Thaani |
unknown |
|