Quartz 4

Languages of the Land

3 min read

Languages of the Land

Most people believe they speak Common.

They are mostly right.

They are also mostly wrong.

What is called Common today is the result of conquest, enslavement, trade, and time.
It is not a pure language—it is a descendant of Low Elvish, reshaped by human tongues over centuries.

Language in the Land is less about vocabulary and more about accent, cadence, and implication.

Common (Modern Human Speech)

Spoken in:

  • Kingdom of Valin
  • Heterlands
  • Iron Union of Arkon

Origin: Derived from Low Elvish, adopted during the era when humans were enslaved under elven rule.

Notes:

  • Most humans do not realize they are speaking a modified elven tongue
  • Elves are keenly aware of this fact
  • Many elven words for labor, obedience, and hierarchy still linger in Common phrasing

Common is mutually intelligible across human nations, but accents matter.

Regional Accents of Common

  • Valin (Valinport, Strangeways)
    Sounds modern, clipped, and confident
    → American accent

  • Heterlands
    Slower cadence, honor-coded emphasis
    → Southern U.S. accent

  • Iron Union of Arkon
    Hard consonants, formal structure
    → Germanic accent

These are not separate languages — but speakers immediately recognize where someone is from.

Low Elvish

Spoken in:

  • Mixed communities
  • Rural regions
  • Among elves when speaking with humans

Notes:

  • Fluid, adaptive, still evolving
  • Serves as the linguistic ancestor of Common
  • Elves often speak it deliberately “incorrectly” when addressing humans

Low Elvish is emotionally expressive and context-heavy.
Many idioms in Common are literal translations from Low Elvish.

High Elvish

Spoken in:

  • Elven enclaves
  • Ancient ruins
  • Ritual, law, and record-keeping

Notes:

  • Precise, rigid, resistant to change
  • Designed to endure centuries without ambiguity
  • Writing remains legible long after the speaker is dust

High Elvish is difficult for non-elves to master fully.
Mistakes are noticeable—and remembered.

Nokanese

Spoken in:

  • The Fallen Kingdom of Nokan
  • Scholarly and arcane institutions
  • Star-watchers and observatories

Notes:

  • Entirely separate language
  • Dense grammar, layered meaning
  • Many arcane terms cannot be translated into Common cleanly

Accent Comparison:
→ Russian-sounding cadence

Nokanese culture treats language as a precision instrument.
To misunderstand a word is to misunderstand intent.

Osweg

Spoken in:

  • Osweg and its surrounding regions

Notes:

  • Separate language from Common
  • Shares some vocabulary roots with Nokanese
  • Used heavily in mercantile and border contexts

Osweg speakers often switch between Osweg and Common mid-sentence depending on audience.

Infernal High Speech

Spoken in:

  • The Infernal Empire
  • Infernal contracts and doctrine

Notes:

  • Exacting, hierarchical
  • Words carry implied obligation
  • Legal meaning often survives translation even when nuance does not

Speaking Infernal High Speech fluently is unsettling—even to those who know it well.

Guild Cant

Spoken in:

  • Thieves’ Guilds
  • Smugglers
  • Certain mercantile circles

Notes:

  • Contextual rather than grammatical
  • Changes rapidly
  • Not written down

You cannot “learn” Guild Cant permanently.

You keep up—or you don’t.

Liturgical Tongue

Spoken in:

  • Temples of the Pantheon

Notes:

  • Ceremonial
  • Many prayers lose potency when translated
  • Rarely spoken conversationally

Accent Notes of Interest

  • Gax Peoples
    → High British accent
    Often associated with education, formality, or old authority

  • Elves
    Often flatten Common accents deliberately, as if refusing to “commit” to human identity

  • Scholars & Inquisitors
    May switch accents unconsciously when under pressure

What This Means for Players

  • Accents reveal origin instantly
  • Switching languages can change power dynamics
  • Elves know something most humans do not:
    you are speaking their language

And sometimes…

That matters.

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