Verit - Languages

Crosscommon – The official language of Crossing, and the lingua franca of Verit. Most anyone who has travelled further than a mile from their birthplace would know at least a touch of it.

Doublecross – A constructed language based on Crosscommon and incorporating elements from several other languages as to be intentionally confusing and highly regional. Its origin as a thieves' cant means speaking it in public can immediately attract suspicion.

Grand High Ancient – Claimed to be the language once spoken by an empire that used to dominate the centre of Verit. Spoken only by enthusiasts, never as a native language.

Wyrd – The language of the savage elven tribes of the Wildland, it is a sharp, aggressive language. Very little of the language has been studied, so very few people from outside the tribes can speak it.

Old Elven – The ancestral language of the elven people. Very few elves speak it natively – the tribes have abandoned it, and most others live among other races.

Surface Dwarven – A highly simplified variation of Deep Dwarven spoken by dwarves away from the mountains or in informal situations. It is the officially sanctioned dwarven trade language, and other races are allowed to learn it.

Deep Dwarven – The original language of the dwarves, spoken only from dwarf to dwarf. It is strictly forbidden for other races to learn it, and speaking it in the presence of a mountain dwarf is a grave insult.

Leasish – The language of the Stretching Plains, spoken long before any of the Stateward cities were founded. It is the official language of Claim.

Skorish – The language spoken by most of the Stateward Baronies, up to Zandavia. Often, especially in the Ambound end of the Baronies, it's a necessary tool, as fewer people speak Crosscommon in these areas.

Vanian – The language spoken by most of the Baronies from Zandavia to the Wildbound coast. Most of the areas where Vanian is spoken also have high levels of Crosscommon fluency.

Independent – The language of Independence, a terse and simple language of few syllables. It is unknown how many inhabitants of Independence are bilingual, and it is suspected that Independent is only spoken around foreigners out of spite and mischief.

Farmcant – The highly adaptive and pragmatic language of the Farmshare.  Its origins are in several languages and it is very receptive to adopting elements from neighbouring tongues. Its organic and local nature makes it particularly impenetrable to outsiders.

Sevenfold – A language constructed by scholars from the native languages of the seven most populous city-states in the Abwards branch of Verit, as increased trade necessitated a lingua franca, prior to any major contact with Crossing or the other branches, and no city wanted to presume to impressing their own language on the others. Today it is the common tongue of the Abwards branch.

Fringen – The language most commonly spoken on the Wildbound branch, though most inhabitants of the Fringe itself actually are fluent in Crosscommon, many speaking it as a first language. If one of the branch's nomadic tribes does not have its own personal language, it is likely their primary language is Fringen.

Drual – Said to be the ancient language of the orcish people, lost to time, it is no longer spoken by anyone as a primary language. By those few orcs that know it it is treated with reverence – writings in Drual are practically sacred, and as such it is almost as hard to study as Wyrd. It is not impossible, however, to find an orc with understanding of the language a more open to trusting a non-orc with the knowledge, should they become acquainted, especially in Independence.

Sooth – The native language of Abnegation, it is extremely sibilant and flowing. Properly spoken, it sounds like the singing of hymns. It is favoured by poets and lyricists.

Rebelle – The native language of Liberty, it is extremely broad and often imprecise in its phrasing, relying on context and body language in many cases. Many scholars refrain from using it for this reason, as it does not translate well to the page. However, it is popular as a language for plays to be performed in, as it is highly expressive, although the script is usually written in Crosscommon.

Owthe – The native language of Ambition, its written form is incredibly precise and specific, though its spoken form can be quite informal and casual. This is achieved through declensions with distinct spelling but identical pronunciation. Though less common outside of the Baronies and Crossing, Owthe is often used in legal documents for its remarkable specificity.

Tolt – The native language of Hierarchy, notable for its simple yet strict grammar structure, which allows for embedding sentences within other sentences. It is the favoured language of mathematicians and natural philosophers.

______

Humans begin play speaking Crosscommon. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want, except Wyrd, Drual, and Deep Dwarven.

Elves begin play speaking Crosscommon and either Wyrd or Old Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Fringen, Vanian, Farmcant, Sevenfold, Doublecross, Rebelle, Sooth

Dwarves begin play speaking Surface Dwarven and either Crosscommon or Deep Dwarven. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Crosscommon, Deep Dwarven, Leasish, Skorish, Vanian, Sevenfold, Sooth, Tolt

Halflings begin play speaking Crosscommon and either Farmcant or Doublecross. Halflings with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Farmcant, Doublecross, Sevenfold, Old Elven, Surface Dwarven, Fringen, Leasish, Rebelle, Sooth, Owthe

Orcs begin play speaking Crosscommon and either Independent or Fringen. Orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Doublecross, Skorish, Vanian, Independent, Fringen, Drual, Rebelle

Half-Elves begin play speaking Crosscommon and either Wyrd or Old Elven. Half-Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want, except Drual and Deep Dwarven.

Half-Orcs begin play speaking Crosscommon and either Independent or Fringen. Half-Orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want, except Wyrd and Deep Dwarven.