A comprehensive guide to the languages spoken across Eldara, the Shimmering Veil.
Common Languages
Eldaran (Common)
Speakers: Humans, universal trade language
Script: Eldaran script
Prevalence: Most widely spoken language across all kingdoms
Eldaran serves as the lingua franca of the Material Plane, used for commerce, diplomacy, and everyday communication between different peoples. Developed on Aelarion after humanity’s emergence from The Ythraewyn, it has become the standard language of trade and international relations.
Usage Notes:
- Required for merchants and diplomats
- Taught in all human kingdoms
- Most non-humans learn it for practical purposes
- Regional dialects exist but mutual intelligibility remains high
Elvish
Speakers: Elves, (Elf (Wood), Elf (High)) educated scholars and nobles
Script: Elvish script (flowing, artistic characters)
Prevalence: Second most common language among educated persons
The ancient language of the elves, known for its musicality and precision. Many educated humans and other races learn Elvish for scholarly, diplomatic, or cultural purposes.
Dialects:
- Liraloran Elvish: Spoken in Liralor, the Feywild, more archaic and formal
- Mainland Elvish: Spoken in Lirithal and Aelarion, slightly evolved from original
Usage Notes:
- Language of high culture and ancient texts
- Many magical and botanical terms borrowed into Eldaran
- Spoken slowly and deliberately; rushing is considered rude
- Complex honorifics based on age and relationship
Dwarvish
Speakers: Dwarves (Dwarf)
Script: Runic (angular, carved characters designed for stone)
Prevalence: Common in mountain regions and mining communities
The language of the dwarven holds, characterized by its guttural sounds and technical precision. Rich in terms for geology, metalworking, and engineering.
Usage Notes:
- Dwarven calendar and timekeeping use unique terminology
- Many metallurgical and engineering terms adopted by other languages
- Spoken versions differ from formal written runes
- Clan-specific dialects exist but core language remains stable
Halfling
Speakers: Halfling
Script: Eldaran script (borrowed)
Prevalence: The Greenfell and scattered communities
A warm, colloquial language known for its extensive vocabulary around food, comfort, and social relations. Halflings readily adopt loan words from other languages.
Usage Notes:
- Extremely flexible grammar allows for creative expression
- Many idioms related to meals, weather, and daily life
- Written form uses Eldaran script (no native writing system)
- Regional variations significant despite small population
Racial & Regional Languages
Orcish
Speakers: Orc
Script: Dwarvish script (when written)
Prevalence: Gruz’Thok, Durmshaven, Ashmarr, and orc territories
A harsh, direct language with strong emphasis on hierarchy and strength. Multiple tribal dialects exist with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.
Usage Notes:
- Limited written tradition; primarily oral culture
- Different tribes may struggle to understand each other
- Simple grammar but rich vocabulary for combat and survival
- Often mixed with Eldaran in border regions
Giant (Gol-kaa)
Speakers: Giants, goliath
Script: Dwarvish runes
Prevalence: Morvanyir Mountains and northern territories.
An ancient, booming language suited to being heard over great distances and harsh weather.
Usage Notes:
- Verb tenses include geological timeframes (ages, eons)
- Few speakers outside giant communities
Draconic
Speakers: Dragons, dragonborn, some scholars
Script: Draconic script
Prevalence: Rare, scholarly contexts
The language of dragons, ancient and filled with arcane power. Many magical texts reference Draconic terms.
Usage Notes:
- Old dragons of legend reportedly spoke Eldaran fluently
- Modern dragons maintain Draconic as their primary tongue
- Difficult for non-draconic speakers due to required vocalizations
- Considered prestigious knowledge among wizards
Goblin
Speakers: Goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears
Script: Dwarvish script
Prevalence: Goblinoid territories
A quick, chattering language that evolved for rapid communication in combat and stealth situations.
Exotic & Primordial Languages
Primordial
Speakers: Elementals
Script: Primordial script (elemental-specific variations)
Prevalence: Elemental enclaves
The ancient language of the elemental planes, actually four related dialects:
Aquan - Water elementals, language flows like water
Auran - Air elementals, sounds like wind
Ignan - Fire elementals, crackling and intense
Terran - Earth elementals, deep and resonant
Usage Notes:
- Speakers of one dialect can understand others with effort
- Connected to the Aevari’s original creation
- Used in some ancient magical rituals
Abyssal
Speakers: Demons, cultists
Script: Infernal script
Prevalence: Udugmar, rare cultist groups
The harsh, corrupt language of Udugmar. Spoken by demons and those who serve Zoroth, the Hollow Prince.
Usage Notes:
- Learning Abyssal considered suspicious in most societies
- Can corrupt the speaker’s thoughts over time
- Used in dark rituals and forbidden texts
- Contains concepts that don’t exist in other languages
Celestial
Speakers: Celestial beings, some clerics
Script: Celestial script
Prevalence: Rare, religious contexts
The language of celestial beings aligned with The Alorama. Pure and harmonious in sound.
Usage Notes:
- Used in some religious ceremonies
- Extremely difficult for mortals to speak perfectly
- Clerics may learn phrases but rarely achieve fluency
Sylvan
Speakers: Fey, some druids
Script: Elvish script
Prevalence: Liralor, the Feywild, wild places
The language of the fey and natural spirits, closely related to Elvish but more primal and unpredictable.
Usage Notes:
- Druids often learn Sylvan to communicate with fey creatures
- Speaking Sylvan in Liralor, the Feywild can attract unwanted attention
- Grammar shifts based on season and speaker’s mood
Undercommon
Speakers: The Underdark inhabitants
Script: Elvish script
Prevalence: The Underdark
A trade language developed in The Underdark, mixing elements of various surface languages with native subterranean tongues.
Special Languages
Ethyric
Speakers: Spellcasters
Script: Ethyric runes (extremely complex)
Prevalence: Academic/magical contexts only
The language of magic itself, used to manipulate The Aetheric Weave (Magic). Unlike other languages, Ethyric has no casual vocabulary and exists solely for magical manipulation.
DANGER: Cannot be spoken casually. Every utterance is an active magical working.
See: Ethyric for complete information
Thieves’ Cant
Speakers: Rogues, criminals
Script: None (gestural and coded speech)
Prevalence: Criminal underworlds
Not a true language but a system of coded messages, hand signals, and double meanings used by thieves and rogues.
Usage Notes:
- Overlaid on existing languages (usually Eldaran)
- Regional variations significant
- Constantly evolving to avoid detection
Druidic
Speakers: Druids only
Script: Druidic script
Prevalence: Secret language of druidic orders
A secret language known only to druids, used to leave messages in the wild and communicate privately.
Usage Notes:
- Teaching Druidic to non-druids is forbidden
- Used to mark safe paths, water sources, and dangers
- Contains plant and animal names unknown in other languages
Language Learning
Typical Language Knowledge:
- Common folk: Eldaran + racial language
- Merchants: Eldaran + 1-2 trade partners’ languages
- Scholars: Eldaran + Elvish + 1-2 others
- Nobles: Eldaran + Elvish (expected) + racial language
- Adventurers: Varies widely by background
Learning Difficulty (from human perspective):
- Easy: Halfling, Goblin
- Moderate: Elvish, Dwarvish, Orcish
- Difficult: Draconic, Giant, Primordial dialects
- Very Difficult: Ethyric, Celestial, Sylvan
- Cannot be taught: Druidic (must be inducted), Thieves’ Cant (must be learned through experience)
Scripts & Writing Systems
Shared Scripts:
- Eldaran script: Eldaran, Halfling
- Elvish script: Elvish, Sylvan, Undercommon
- Dwarvish runes: Dwarvish, Giant, Goblin, Gnomish, Orcish (when written)
Unique Scripts:
- Draconic script: Only Draconic
- Primordial script: Primordial dialects (with elemental variations)
- Ethyric runes: Only Ethyric
- Celestial/Infernal script: Celestial and Abyssal
- Druidic script: Only Druidic
Liturgical & Sacred Languages
Each deity and pantheon maintains sacred terminology and phrases in their own traditions:
The Alorama: Mix of Celestial terms and Eldaran
The Nyx: Mix of Abyssal terms and Eldaran
Specific Deities: Each has unique sacred vocabulary
Religious documents may be kept in:
- Original liturgical language (most sacred)
- Translated to Eldaran (for accessibility)
- Mixture of both (scholarly texts)
Translations vary by tradition - some faiths allow full translation, others maintain that certain concepts cannot be expressed outside their original liturgical terms.
For specific language histories and detailed information, see individual language pages.