“Did I say that? Then I’ve changed my mind.”

Ajkara III, Empress of Rhakhaan
5091, Third Era

This section not only lists the most known Shadow World languages, it also lists their Tier Level which is used for the Nomenist School rules in the Essence Companion (RMSS), and as such is not considered Shadow World canon.

LIVING TONGUES

Following is a listing of some the languages of Kulthea, with an emphasis on Emerian and Jaimani tongues.

LANGUAGE	TIER	DESCRIPTION
Danari	I	Spoken by the people of Danarchis, it is related to Old Emer, and the closest living tongue to that ancient language.
Dyar	II	Originally a dialect of High Elvish, this tongue has changed over the years and now has only limited resemblances to its parent language.
Erlin	I	(’Speech of the Forest’; Wood Elvish) While not as ethereal as Iylar, the Erlin language has a musical quality. It is more accessible to mortal tongues, and is often a ‘common’ language between cultures. There are many dialects, including Muri-Erlin, Jaimani-Erlin, and others.
Itanian	II	Actually a dialect of Old Emer, this language is very similar to the ancient tongue, but has a large vocabulary of its own.
Iylar	II	Iylar (High Elvish) is a beautiful and ancient tongue, lyrical and mystical, used primarily by the Linæri for poetry and song. Men cannot speak it properly.
Loariki	II	Written and spoken language of the Loari. A very old tongue, it is rarely taught to anyone outside their race or even spoken even in the presence of others. It has an extensive vocabulary which allows great precision - perfect for histories and technical texts. It is often used by Loari scribes.
Lugro	I	The language of the Lugrôki warrior-race.
Mavaun	I	A tongue shared by the Lankan and Pochanti peoples - though each has a very different dialect. The written language is heiroglyphic and known only by the aristocracy and priesthood in Lankanok.
Miir	I	The language of the Miirian states; descended from Old Emer.
Muri-Elven	I	A dialect of pure Erlin, it is spoken in Kelestia and NE Emer - including the isles of Vog Mur and by some in Selkai. The vocabulary and written forms are very similar, but the spoken version can vary considerably
Rhaya	I	(’The Tongue’) The predominant language of Jaiman, though there are seven very distinct dialects.
Shay	I	The ‘common’ tongue of Emer, it has many dialects.
Taal	I	The tongue of the Talath of NW Emer, it is complex and beautiful - and similar to the language of the Myri of Jaiman.
Trolack	I	What you might expect. It is rather limited in vocabulary and sophistication.

DEAD TONGUES

LANGUAGE	TIER	DESCRIPTION
Enris-Sokal	III	While technically dead, it is very much alive in the halls of the Nomikos Library and other scholarly institutions (many very old tomes are written in Enris-Sokal). It is a very concise tongue (both written and spoken) with a large vocabulary and complex structure. Learning it is difficult (assuming you can even find a teacher).
Iruraic	IV	The language of the Lords of Essence. In its ‘true’ form, it was said to be partially telepathic and powerful. It can be learned in an innocuous form by other races. Because true Iruaric is related to the Primal Essænce, the extent of its true power can only be guessed at.
Old Emer	III	From c. TE 1200 to c. 1800 the entire continent of Emer was united under one Emperor and enjoyed a renaissance of culture. The people spoke one language (called Emerian at the time). Now little is left of this civilization except ruins and a handful of isolated kingdoms, whose people speak varying corruptions (most unrecognizable) of Old Emerian. Old Emer was brought to the continent by the People of Aldraon (the first Emperor and is unrelated to Shay, the current common tongue.

MAGICAL TONGUES

Many of these are languages known as part of the process of becoming a spell-user, and utilized as part of learning and casting spells. Others are more arcane (and dangerous).

LANGUAGE	TIER	DESCRIPTION
Aludos*		The language of enruning (Essence).
Enruth§		Tongue of plants and growing things; also of repelling Undead (Channeling).
Krônyt*		The language of Symbols and Glyphs (Channeling).
Kuskarûk		An arcane language utilized almost entirely by Dark Magicians and Sorcerers (used in the summoning of Demons).
Logos§		(’The Word’) The tongue of word-thoughts (Mentalism).
Uscurac		“Common” Language of the Essence, used by Mages and Sorcerers in their spells.
Xytos§		Language of Power-words (Essænce).

* Denotes Written only
§ Denotes Spoken Only