Ravenloft Languages

[DM Stygian Witch]

Thanks

[Truth_USMC]

anything for har'akir?

[herkles]

anything for har'akir?

Phrase	Meaning
Yeh.	Hi.  Informal greetings.
Iiti.	Hello.
Em Hotep.	(Greetings) In Peace, often used as a formal greeting.
Em Hotep Nefer.	(Greetings) In great peace, often used as a formal greeting.
Em Hotep Nefer Weret!	(Greetings) In very great peace, often used as a formal greeting.
Senebty. / Senebti.	Farewell, or "Be well."
Em heset net Ra.	Be in favor of Ra. (or replace Ra with another deity)
Dua Netjer en ek.	Thank you or "Thank God for you." to a man.
Dua Netjer en etj.	Thank you or "Thank God for you." to a woman.
Iiwy.	Welcome.
Nefer sedjmek.	"May you hear only good things." to a man.
Nefer sedjmetj.	"May you hear only good things." to a woman.
Aw ibek.	"May your heart rejoice." to a man.
Aw ibetj.	"May your heart rejoice." to a woman.
Ib. / Ab.	Heart.
Nefer.	Beautiful or good.
Hotep.	Peace.
Neter. / Netjer.	God.
Netjer.	Goddess.
Haitey.	Mourner.
Itja.	Thief.
Ebien.	Wretched, poor man.
Eibata.	Servant, slave.
Behau.	Coward.
Nti hati.	Senseless man, or fool.
Ha-her.	Foul face.
Seba.	Devil.
Ntui.	Worthless ones.
Deshr.	Red, connotation with Set and evil.
Ankh.	Life, and the symbolic reference (Ankh) means the same.
Udja.	Strength.
Seneb.	Health.
Shewtey.	Merchant.
Neb.	Lord.
Neb-i.	My Lord.
Nebet.	Lady.
Nebet-i.	My Lady.

[Telkar]

Just begun playing a character from Vechor, but haven't seen any mention of parallel RL language and phrases, though by googling I saw it mentioned in connection to Greek and that the 'E' on their forehead is actually epsilon.

Any thoughts on this?

[Perkele]

Just begun playing a character from Vechor, but haven't seen any mention of parallel RL language and phrases, though by googling I saw it mentioned in connection to Greek and that the 'E' on their forehead is actually epsilon.

Any thoughts on this?

Vechorite might be inspired by Latin? The names are Latin at least.

If I'm not wrong, it's also been stated somewhere on this forum that Vechor is based on some lost civilisation in Greyhawk campaign setting.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Just begun playing a character from Vechor, but haven't seen any mention of parallel RL language and phrases, though by googling I saw it mentioned in connection to Greek and that the 'E' on their forehead is actually epsilon.

Any thoughts on this?

Vechorite might be inspired by Latin? The names are Latin at least.

If I'm not wrong, it's also been stated somewhere on this forum that Vechor is based on some lost civilisation in Greyhawk campaign setting.

It is, and the civilization is a Greco-Roman pastiche (both the original lost civilization on Oerth and the current domain in Ravenloft), with an Iron Age level of technology.

[Geiger]

Is Darkon also a mirror of Greyhawk stuff?

[Telkar]

Okay, thanks for the info! Suppose I can use some latin for spice then.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Is Darkon also a mirror of Greyhawk stuff?

It's very loosely based on Greyhawk's Great Kingdom prior to the Greyhawk Wars (584 CY). The Great Kingdom, in turn was a very loose pastiche of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.

[Geiger]

Haha. Interesting. So basically both domains with Greyhawk people (I guess also Cavitius from the name) use kinda latin/greek?

[Bluebomber4evr]

Haha. Interesting. So basically both domains with Greyhawk people (I guess also Cavitius from the name) use kinda latin/greek?

Sort of, but they are listed as having different languages. Greyhawk's Great Kingdom is just as much based on the Holy Roman Empire as the Byzantines, and remember, the Holy Roman Empire is not actually the same thing as the Roman Empire.

Cavitus and Tovag, which no longer exist, were based off of different parts of Greyhawk lore. Vecna and Kas, former darklords of both domains, were originally of the Flan people, who are Greyhawk's vaguely quasi-Celtic culture.

[Budly]

Haha. Interesting. So basically both domains with Greyhawk people (I guess also Cavitius from the name) use kinda latin/greek?

Sort of, but they are listed as having different languages. Greyhawk's Great Kingdom is just as much based on the Holy Roman Empire as the Byzantines, and remember, the Holy Roman Empire is not actually the same thing as the Roman Empire.

Cavitus and Tovag, which no longer exist, were based off of different parts of Greyhawk lore. Vecna and Kas, former darklords of both domains, were originally of the Flan people, who are Greyhawk's vaguely quasi-Celtic culture.

Far from, Holy Roman Empire disbanded itself 1806. More German then Roman.

But. What about Gothic Earth languages and their similar languages in Ravenloft. Can people understand each others? Dementliue - France in Gothic Earth for example?

[herkles]

french person from france: bonjour monsieur
dementlieuse person from demtnlieu: bonjour monsieur
both: what the hell did you just say

also gothic earth PCs have to deal with not having common, meaning communication bloody sucks/is very difficult

[Perkele]

To reply on the Holy Roman Empire..

It wasn't Holy, it wasn't Roman and it wasn't an Empire.

And yeah.. It's kind of part of the experience when playing a Gothic Earth character. Communication is hard.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Haha. Interesting. So basically both domains with Greyhawk people (I guess also Cavitius from the name) use kinda latin/greek?

Sort of, but they are listed as having different languages. Greyhawk's Great Kingdom is just as much based on the Holy Roman Empire as the Byzantines, and remember, the Holy Roman Empire is not actually the same thing as the Roman Empire.

Cavitus and Tovag, which no longer exist, were based off of different parts of Greyhawk lore. Vecna and Kas, former darklords of both domains, were originally of the Flan people, who are Greyhawk's vaguely quasi-Celtic culture.

Far from, Holy Roman Empire disbanded itself 1806. More German then Roman.

But. What about Gothic Earth languages and their similar languages in Ravenloft. Can people understand each others? Dementliue - France in Gothic Earth for example?

No, they are treated as separate languages.

[Budly]

Hmm I see.

I always although played that common was more or less simply English.

Cause if we gonna be picky here. Why would Commong (trade tongue?) Be the same in Krynn, Faerun and other DnD settings? Logically speaking they should not be the same language.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Hmm I see.

I always although played that common was more or less simply English.

Cause if we gonna be picky here. Why would Commong (trade tongue?) Be the same in Krynn, Faerun and other DnD settings? Logically speaking they should not be the same language.

I've already answered this before, but there's enough canonical crossovers between the settings from Planescape and Spelljammer that a common trade tongue could exist, and having "Common" be the same between worlds is a legitimate option in the Ravenloft Dungeon Master's Guide.

[herkles]

blue with the publication of rasputin must die from paizo, not to mention the fact that mulhorandi and thus Thay, have connections to Earth. In rasputin the characters go from golarion to 1918 russia to kill Rasputin, also their are zombies and animated tanks and a headless horsemen and it is all crazy awesome! with Mulhorandi, and their succusors like thay, IIRC they are -explictly- stated to be ancient egyptians taken from earth to the realms. I am sure I can find more examples.

So with these sort of connections, and I am sure that there is more, perhaps earth characters can have common? since every other realm -including lands that don't have common- have common; i think it would make sense for common to be allowed for Gothic Earth PCs.

[Bluebomber4evr]

blue with the publication of rasputin must die from paizo, not to mention the fact that mulhorandi and thus Thay, have connections to Earth. In rasputin the characters go from golarion to 1918 russia to kill Rasputin, also their are zombies and animated tanks and a headless horsemen and it is all crazy awesome! with Mulhorandi, and their succusors like thay, IIRC they are -explictly- stated to be ancient egyptians taken from earth to the realms. I am sure I can find more examples.

So with these sort of connections, and I am sure that there is more, perhaps earth characters can have common? since every other realm -including lands that don't have common- have common; i think it would make sense for common to be allowed for Gothic Earth PCs.

I don't see how that Rasputin/Pathfinder thing changes anything, or how it would have any bearing on this server.

As for the Mulan, even if they did come from Gothic Earth, it would have been one-way and they would have access to Common after they came to Toril, not before.

Moreover, unlike the Ravenloft DMG, the official books for Masque of the Red Death and other works connected to the Gothic Earth (2nd ed. Historical Reference books, D20 Modern, etc.) have no allowance for a Common Tongue.

[herkles]

So what about the lands that also do not have a common language? should they not take common as well?

[Bluebomber4evr]

So what about the lands that also do not have a common language? should they not take common as well?

such as?

[herkles]

So what about the lands that also do not have a common language? should they not take common as well?

such as?

here are four

Théa (D20 Swashbuckling adventures) (no common tongue, all languages are earth-based, e.g. Montaigne is French, Eisen is German)
The Old World (Warhammer Fantasy) (no common tongue, again the human languages are based on earth with Reikspiel being German and Breton as French)
Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings/Hobbit) (Westron as a common tongue, isn't related to D&D common at all, elvish (Sindarin/Quenya) is unrelated to D&D elvish)
Golorion(pathfinder) 'common' is either Taldane in the Inner Sea region or Tien in Tien-xia

[Badelaire]

Gotta say, that's just needlessly complicating things. At the end of the day, if your PC can't communicate with others because it doesn't speak or can't learn the "common" tongue then you're looking at a very short lived concept. More of a gimmick than a three dimensional character someone is going to stick to. It's fantasy after all, suspension of disbelief and all that.

[herkles]

Gotta say, that's just needlessly complicating things. At the end of the day, if your PC can't communicate with others because it doesn't speak or can't learn the "common" tongue then you're looking at a very short lived concept. More of a gimmick than a three dimensional character someone is going to stick to. It's fantasy after all, suspension of disbelief and all that.

Which is why I am saying that gothic earth PCs should have common.

[Bluebomber4evr]

So what about the lands that also do not have a common language? should they not take common as well?

such as?

here are four

Théa (D20 Swashbuckling adventures) (no common tongue, all languages are earth-based, e.g. Montaigne is French, Eisen is German)
The Old World (Warhammer Fantasy) (no common tongue, again the human languages are based on earth with Reikspiel being German and Breton as French)
Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings/Hobbit) (Westron as a common tongue, isn't related to D&D common at all, elvish (Sindarin/Quenya) is unrelated to D&D elvish)
Golorion(pathfinder) 'common' is either Taldane in the Inner Sea region or Tien in Tien-xia

Golorion/Pathfinder is quasi-D&D and is assumed to have Common. Those other worlds don't really count. We won't stop someone from playing a character from those worlds, but they're so rare and don't last long.

As far as the Gothic Earth goes, it has been stated in Ravenloft canon that they do not speak Common. Domains of Dread details how Odiare is from Gothic Earth's Italy and that Common is unknown to them and that characters must use the Comprehend Languages spell to communicate with the people there. It's just one of the unique quirks of characters from that world, and it has been the rule since we've allowed it as a background.