Throughout the ages of Evindale, tens of thousands of languages would have been spoken. What’s presented below is a sampling of the linguistics of the Fourth Age, a time of dark fantasy and certainly the age with the most development.
Language evolves because people constantly adapt it to communicate better—whether simplifying words, borrowing from other languages, or inventing new expressions. It’s shaped by our daily interactions, cultures, and even mistakes.
Now imagine a fantasy world with magical communication, like telepathy or translation spells. These tools could change everything. Telepathy might erase regional dialects by bypassing speech, though it could also highlight unique ways people think. Translation spells would make learning languages unnecessary, slowing the natural blending of cultures and words.
With magic ensuring perfect understanding, languages might stop evolving, staying frozen. On the flip side, secret magical languages or creative ways to blend magic and speech could emerge. Over time, language might become more uniform—or completely unrecognizable, shaped by thoughts and magic rather than spoken words. Magic would redefine how we connect and express ourselves, transforming language as we know it.
In my campaigns, magic wasn’t always accessible so language remained a barrier that forced organic change.
A mysterious scroll has surfaced, written in a long-lost language rumored to drive translators mad. Deciphering it may hold the key to saving a dying civilization, finding a lost artifact, or perhaps even saving a missing legendary figure.
The party stumbles on a cursed village where everyone’s speech is incomprehensible, forcing them to decode the cryptic gestures of the locals before the cause of the curse descends on the village.
A magical artifact amplifies any spoken word into violent power, but it only responds to a language no one knows. Find the translator or translation in a race against time as rival factions close in!
There is no common tongue in Evindale, nor are there “racial” languages. Each tongue spoken in the mortal realms is developed and influenced by the history, environment, biology, culture, and geography of its speakers. As such, there are probably around eight thousand languages in Evindale.
Thankfully, most adventurers need worry about only two: Ivirial and Malan.
These two trade languages spread during the Third Age and are widely spoken.
On Erinnal, Ivirial is usually spoken in the west and Malan in the east. The divider is the Chain of Malech, a north-south range of mountains found in the center of the continent.
Outside the mortal realms, languages are more specific to the purpose of the plane.
On the elemental planes, telepathy is used and vocabularies are centered around acts of creation. Mortals may well go mad trying to understand a language that consists of solely of divine concepts of universal construction.
On outside planes, language can be anything befitting the culture of the inhabitants.
The language of devils, for example, is extremely precise. Even the slightest tonal adjustment to one sound can change the entire context of a conversation. For this reason, diabolical contracts are riddled with double meanings so as to throw off foolish mortals.
Official language of Wyth Tyr’il, home of the People of the Elements, the th’il.
Eviser follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, though this may vary for poetic or ceremonial use.
Example:
Thé lai noriva. (You go in peace.)
Adjectives or adverbs typically follow the word they describe.
Example:
Noriva sair. (Peace abundant.)
Possessive pronouns precede the noun they modify.
Examples:
Sa iasor. (My homeland.)
Sar vauri. (Our spirits.)
Verbs are not conjugated for person or tense. Instead, suffixes indicate the time frame.
Examples:
Sa drill vau. (I exist in life.)
Sa drillith vau. (I existed in life.)
Questions in Eviser are formed with rising intonation or the particle na for polar (yes/no) questions.
Examples:
Emphasis is achieved by repetition or word placement. Repetition conveys poetic or formal emphasis, while placing the key word at the start of the sentence highlights its importance.
Example:
Noriva, noriva sa lai. (Peace, peace I go.)
Negation is indicated by the prefix ni-, applied directly to the verb or object.
Examples:
Sa nilai. (I do not go.)
Ni-noriva sair. (No peace abundant.)
Eviser sentences often incorporate imagery tied to the Eight Elements, impacted heavily the th’il’s worldview.
Example:
Lith sairin seris vau. (The fertile sun blossoms life.)
Hor’e thé: (Greetings to you); hor’e (greeting) + thé (you).
Noriva ser’is: (May peace blossom); noriva (peace, harmony) + ser’is (to blossom).
Lai noriva: (Go in peace); lai (to go) + noriva (peace, harmony).
Lithlit noriva: (May sunlight bring peace); lithlit (sunlight) + noriva (peace, harmony).
Ravena for vau: (Thank you for life); ravena (thank you) + vau (life).
a (v) (ä) to permit
a•dath (noun) (ä-däth) Selfless romantic love for another mortal (th’il, humans, etc.) Sa’adath thé, “My love for you” or “I love you”, meant as a verbal gift rather than a proclamation of romantic state.
-an (suffix) denoting a person, animal, or thing that performs a specified action or activity.
-a•nan (suffix; Anc. Elven) (ä–NÄN) Torn by war.
a•ni (adj) (ä-nee) verdant, the green color of thriving vegetation
a•te (n) (ä-tay) council of beings
ayv (adj) (āv) of striking and magnificent nature
dagh (v) to keep safe
dar (v) to wield
dath (v) to climb
dra (v) to draw from
dra•nor•vau•ri (n) People of the Earth, i.e. gol, karuun, tirfolk, etc,; lit. those drawn from the earth and given spirit
drath (v) to raise
drill (v) (drēl) to exist
evi (n) (eh-VEE) any one of the eight primordial elements, pl. evin (q.v.)
ev•i•ser (n) (eh-VEE-sahr ) language
evin (n) (EH-ven) collective noun of the eight primordial elements
é•go•in 1) (n) (ā-go-een) a karuun; 2) (adj) stubborn
éth (n) (āth) stronghold
É•vin (n) (ā-veen) The Great Consort of Sythlia; also, Ævyn
fahn (n) void
fay (n) (fay) death
fe•ran (noun) heart, as in organ
gho (num) cardinal number: three
ghi (adv) thrice
gil (n) an isle, specifically any small non-volcanic island (can walk perimeter of island in less than two days)
ha’dath (n) spider
hel (n) bay of water
hor•e (n) greeting, acknowledgment of presence. Ex. Hore to those who walk in light.
-il (suffix) “Of the land”, spec. referring to th’il. Opposed to -ir, as in from a place name.
-in (suffix) Fertile, or the potential of being. Often ends a word that precedes the reason for the modified word.
-ir (suffix) From, of
-is (suffix) of, or related to flora
iri (phrasal verb) belong to, belonging to
-ith (suffix) Indicating past tense; that which was. Often ends a word that precedes the reason for the modified word.
i•a•sor (noun) homeland, birthplace; a sacred land that is an extension of one’s ancestral soul regardless of species
Í, í (conjunction) and
kai•va (v) to bind, to unite. Lit., to join as the elements join to form the world
kaun•i (n) fire
krel (v) to slay
la (v) to enter
lai (v) to go, to depart
lit (n) light
lith (n) sun
lith•ir (n) sun, element of. Lit., the sun’s power in all things
lith•lit (n) sunlight
ly’ (v) to count Ex. Ly the fallen leaves and learn how many journey the cycle
ly’iasor (noun) world calendar (count of the world)
lyr (n) 1) Mortal-made law, code or rule that supports a natural state; opposed to law that works against such. Ex. The lyr tells us we should only take from fallen trees, not from those still standing. 2) A land inhabited by those who follow natural law
me (num) (MEH) cardinal number: one
mi (adv) once
mor (n) (môr) lowland
moor (n) (mo͝orr) an isolated location
na (part) Question particle, used to form polar (yes/no) questions. Ex. Thé lai noriva, na? (You go in peace, yes?)
ni- (suffix) not, or anti
nor•ir (n) earth, element of. Lit., the earth in all things
nor•i•va (n) peace, harmony. Lit., the state of balance within and without.
o•nor (n) a giant
oth•a (n) a moon
oth•a•hir (n) moon, element of
oth•al (adj) silver, as it appears on the dew of leaves.
oyg (n) summit, the top of a mountain able to be reached by a climber on foot
q’ry (n) (qi-, natural container; ry, water) lake, a large body of fresh water surrounded by land.
qi (n) a natural formation that contains another facet of nature
ra•ve•na (intj) thank you. Ex. Ravena for the kindness you have shown.
rith (adj) holy
ry (n) water
ry•ir (n) water, element of. Lit., the water in all things
sa (pronoun, nominative sa , possessive sa’, objective sey; plural nominative sar, possessive sar’ or sar, objective us) I, me, my/mine, me, we, our/ours, us; The nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself.
sad (n) the self
sair (adj) (SAYR) Natural abundance, esp. land; Ex. The Spine is mountain sair, surely it has the highest peaks on all of Erinnal.
sau•ir (n) (sou-irr; from sair, abundant) Lush tropical land, esp. jungle-like
saur•in (n) (sou(ə)r-ēn; sauir, jungle-like; -in, fertile) A land not yet depleted of natural life. Used when referring to the possibility of its destruction.
saur’nith (n) (sou(ə)r-nēth’; sair, abundant; -in, fertile; -ith, was, to make of the past) A land depleted of natural resources.
ser (v) (ser) to open
ser’is (v) (ser-ēs) to blossom; (exc., Slin dialect) Used as a polite greeting
si•lad (adj) (sē-LAHD) gray
skyr (n) (skīr) air
slin (n) (slēn) a blade of coarse design
stris (n) a port town
ter (adj) balance between opposing ideals
ther (v) to guide
ther•is (n) a natural landmark, lit. a tree that watches (out for travelers)
ther•an (n) guide, one who leads others down a path or trail
Th’il (pn) colloquially “elves”; anc. first people of the elements
thras (n) a watchtower
thras•an (n) a guard
thre (num) cardinal number: two
thri (adv) twice
thri (adj) 1) more than once, 2) hopeful eternity
thri’il (adj) trans. forever of the land. Ex. Wyth Thri’il (capital of Wyth Tyr’il), trans. Capital of the Eternal First People
thé (pronoun) you; trans. the one who stands before me
théhr (pronoun) them; trans. the others (usually non-th’il)
vau (n) (vô) life, as in sentient beings
vau•ri (n) (vô-rē) spirit, specifically the soul (q.v.) when separated from the body
wis (adj) (w(h)ēss) foremost in importance
wis•a•te (n) (w(h)ēss–ô-tā; wis, grand, foremost; ate, council ) 1. the foremost of any council in a given collection of councils, 2. the ruling government of Wyth Tyr’il, the Grand Council.
wyth (noun) (w(h)īth) capital city
When spoken by a native, this language of the umbral realm is reminiscent of whispers.
Gloshadi follows an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) structure, similar to Japanese.
miro – I
miros – we
yuro – you (singular)
yuros – you (plural)
tiro – they (singular, neutral)
tiros – they (plural)
tirom – them (singular, neutral)
tiroms – them (plural)
In this system:
miro salor profera. – I offer greetings.
yuro stelor miral. – You watch the stars.
wiro glomar vira. – We see the shadow.
deon wiro skuarda. – Gods protect us.
miro yuro gratia. – I thank you.
kamrad voyel inizio. – Fellow begins the journey.
miro narat narata. – I tell a tale.
yuro zarnel! – Beware, you! (Be careful!)
deon miro skuarda, nar yuro. – Gods protect me, not your tale.
wiro glomirnar vira. – We see the tale of the hard shadow.
miro zarnel yuro. – I warn you.
yuro glomelvira! – May you be blinded by soft shadows.
miro auril valor. – I value gold.
yuro lor magor ista? – Is there magic in you?
miro drakor’s haza narata. – I have a tale of a dragon.
detha – one
gloti – two
lomtri – three
chande – four
solquen – five
hexlo – six
detsev – seven
glocto – eight
ninthel – nine
dec – ten
glomel – soft shadow (like that under a tree)
glomir – hard shadow (sharp edges, like from direct sunlight)
glomur – moving shadow
glomer – deep shadow (like in a cave or under dense clouds)
auril (n) gold
benor (n) blessings
brondal (n) a member of the dranorvauri kin (karuun, gol, etc.), pl. brondali
cural (n) healing
deon (n) gods
doman (n) realm
drakor’s (n) dragon’s
drapal (n) cloak
elixar (n) potion
encot (v) met
etza (conj) and
firal (v) do
flethi (n) arrows
flethol (n) quiver
glomar (n) shadows
grupan (n) guild
haza (v) has
incar (n) spell
ista (v) is
istal (pron) it’s
jural (v) swear
kamrad (n) fellow
kiv (prep) by
libar (n) tome
likor (n) favor
lireth (s. n) a single th’il
lirethi (pl. n) multiple th’il
miro (pron) i
miros (pron) we
mirok (pron) we
musar (v) must
narat (n) tales
nuro (pron) our
nus (pron) us
onar (n) honor
ovir (prep) over
parla (v) spoken
pather (n) paths
quiro (pron) what
relor (n) rest
rilkan (n) chainmail
runar (n) runes
salin (n) hail
salor (n) greetings
senorin (n) elders
silvar (n) forest
skeld (n) shield
solquen (n) five
stafar (n) staff
stavar (v) stay
stelor (n) stars
thel (art) the
thiral (pron) this
thiro (pron) thee
tilo (prep) to
tirak (v) consult
tranzo (v) cross
tarnel (n) catfolk, pl. tarneli
untar (prep) until
valor (n) worth
vandar (n) wanderer
vandz (n, slang) travelers, wanderers
ventar (n) winds
virex (n) birdfolk
virexi (n) birdfolks
vira (v) see
virel (adv) again
voyar (n) travels
voyel (n) journey
voros (n) prophecy
warmar (n) warhammer
wiro (pron) we
yurz (n, slang) friend, buddy
yuro (pron) you
zarnel (v) beware
A subtle language with some doublespeak spoken in dialects in the Land of 1,000 Princes.
In the south, vowels are typically pronounced in the back of the throat, lending to the deep-throated stereotypical sound of a Mütvi.
In the north, vowels are pronounced more in the front of the mouth and the pace of speech is slightly quicker.
In some stories you may come across entire phrases written in a foreign language. (Mütvian is an actual language being developed!) We’ll replicate those sentences here.
Jana soit io tanü – [Mother Nor’dagha] Protect my soul; lit. “Jana, soul of mine to protect”
Jana (ZHAH-nah) – Name for protective aspect of Nor’dagha, a cultural deity of old
soit (soh-EET) – soul
io (EE-oh) – my, of mine; Ex. soit io, lit. soul of mine
tanü (TAH-noo) – to protect
Jera jüs lusasö / Mütvia Rejestöi – Only in our hearts / Does Mütvia live; lit. “Hearts of the Mütvian people only, Mütvia [will] reign eternal”
Jera (ZHAIR-uh) hearts, pl. of jer, heart; Ex. Jer io!, “My heart! / Heart of mine!”, a greeting cry to another of friendship
jüs (ZHOOSS) of the Mütvian people; intended to describe something belonging to those of Mütvian birth by natural law, e.g. Mütvia itself
lüsasöi (LOO-suh-soy) only
Rejestöi (RAYZH-eh-shtoy) eternal reign and life. Lit. Reju (to reign) + es (suf. es-, eternal) + tö (life) + i (always follows ö at the end of a word). Traditional spelling dictates capitalization when used after Mütvia in a sentence.
When speaking with fellow Mütvians in their own caste, the informal (inf) is always used.
When speaking to a fellow Mütvian but of another caste, the formal (for) is always used.
When speaking to an outsider, esp. someone viewed with suspicion, neutrality, negativity, distaste, distrust, or general hatred, the expletive (exp) greeting or parting is used. If an expletive greeting or parting is used with another Mütvian regardless of caste, it will be seen as a grave insult as the insulter, for all intents and purposes, called a fellow Mütvian an outsider.
There are many times when a Mütvian does not know to whom they are speaking, be it a spirit or stranger. In these cases, the unfamiliar (unf) is used.
Jera! (inf. greeting) My heart! / Heart of mine!
Sa er sülve (inf. parting) Be safe, abbr. sa sülve
Bruso sóro (for. greeting) Good day
Bruso devro (for. parting) Good night
Vruso sóro (exp. greeting) Leave and die
Vruso devro (exp. parting) Your ass in ashes
Gorsi, sülve, ia paksilo. (Any) Strength, safety, and peace.
It should be noted the drósti have their own lexicon to describe those things of drósti and not of drósti.
an (n) year
av (adj) new
bövi (v) to end, conclude
bruso (adj) good
da (adv) yes, pronunciation DAH
de (prep) of, by, for, from, to, with, pronunciation DAY
derastövya (n) congratulations, e.g. In celebration of the couple’s wedding, everyone shouted
devro (n) night, pl. devra
devzu (v) to awaken, lit. to survive the night (devro, night + zu, to survive)
eg (number) one
eo (pro) his, pronunciation AY-oh
eono (pro) him, pronunciation ay-OH-no
eru (v) to be
es- (suffix, adj) eternal, from esso
esso (adj) eternal
eströijia (n) portal to elsewhere (eh-STROY-zhya), ex. The Veiled Gate is a powerful eströijia
euso (n) door (ay-OO-soh)
gamalad (n) family
gera (n) mouth (body part), pl. geraa
gi (pro) us
go (pro) we
gorsi (noun) strength
i (prep) in
ia (conj) and, pronunciation EE-ah
ije (n) something internalized, within one’s self
io (pro) my, of mine
-iy (suf) possessive akin to ‘s in english
jado (n) gift
jadtö (n) mercy
jer (n) a dear one close to the heart, pl. jera
jüs (adj) of the Mütvian people by laws of nature; concept of the same
kamman (n) work
kamu (v) to work
kärt (n) horn
kerse (n) west
korvo (n) raven, pl. korva, poss. korvi
kouro (n) heart, pl. koura
kua (number) two
lo (pro) I
lüsasöi (adv) only
lavitu (v) to love
lavo (n) love
majo (n) house
mitsa (adj) weak
mizhak (n) a brute
muchal (n) a whisper
müt (n) people, residents of an area; typically refers only to humans
mütanuri (n) lit. protector of the people (müt, humans + tanu, to protect, + -ri, one who performs the action of he modified verb)
Mütvi (pr) Mütvians; collective proper noun for natural born citizens of Mütvia, lit. People of the Land, including nobles. When used by nobles, its use infrequently includes drósti.
naviu (v) to eat
ne (adv) no, pronunciation NAY
nelik (adj) happy
nes (pro) he/she/they; gender neutral, can apply to any sentient being
nis (pro) him/her/them; gender neutral, can apply to any sentient being
paksilo (n) peace, or the concept of
prusko (v) said; past and past participle of prusku
prusku (v) to say
reju (v) to reign
reje (n) reign, ex. the prince’s reign
rejestöi (n, adj) one’s eternal reign and life
-ri (suf) one who performs the action of the modified verb, ex. singer: sinturi (sintu, to sing + ri, one who…)
rish (n) sleep
rishu (v) to sleep
sa (pro) you
sanji (n) land spirits (see voisti) that often appear as small, misshapen humanoids
sant (n) a story
santu (v) to tell, to relate
sem (n) sign
sera (n) shadow
seragia (n) gate, as in a garden gate (SEH-reh-gee’-uh)
sint (n) a song
sin•tu (v) to sing
so•it (n) a soul
sóro (n) day
sta•la (n) plan, of premeditated design
ströi (adj) a terrible state of affairs, significant strife
sül•ve (adj) safe
sü•maj•o (n) guild, i.e. commoner guild
ta•nu (v) to protect
tesh•vir (n) cousin
-ty (suf) -ing
ty•ne (v) to hold
trár (number) three
töi (n) life
üd•vyzd (n) welcome
uo (pro) hers, pronunciation OO-oh
u•o•no (pro) her, pronunciation oo-OH-no
vi (n) land
via (n) the Land
vizh (adj) all, every
vo•isti (n) any of the Mütvian land spirits
vru•so 1. (n) death; 2. (n) journey, esp. one out of or into Mütvia
yo (pro) I
zed•nya (n) danger
zhak•dov (n) an oath or promise
zhir•du (v) to go
zu (v) to survive