Numerous languages are used in Shaola, across the mainland and Everland in the Far East, beyond the Eastern Sea.

The Old Tongue, sometimes called the Lost Tongue, was the now-extinct language that existed in Shaola for millions of years. It consisted of the High Tongue and the Low Tongue. The former was used by scholars and the elite but it was not really a substantial or popular language. The latter, however, evolved from and was comprised of several ordinary languages derived from the High Tongue. The Low Tongues were spoken in the ancient towns and villages of Shaola. These communities ultimately grew away from each other, becoming mutually unintelligible.

Today, the Old Tongue is still remembered by the old giants and dragon riders but in the civilized communities, it exists only in rare ancient tomes. Most people on the mainland know no language other than the Common Tongue.

Although the Common Tongue has minor variations and regional accents, Southerners can communicate with Northmen without much difficulty.

Foreign tongues are taught in castles and by maesters or are brought and traded with immigrants, merchants, sellswords, and the like.

The foreign tongues are the seldom-used mother tongues that exist on the mainland as well as in Everland in the Far East, the mystical island across the Eastern Sea.

Zorinese is the mother tongue spoken in the Zokang Kingdom and most of Everland, while Old Zorinese is the tongue of seven of the nine ancient Green Tribes as well as other clans and indigenous inhabitants of the tropical forests of Everland.

Non-human tongues are the foreign tongues spoken by Elves and Dwarves. Both Wood Elves and High Elves speak Ryllavian, though Wood Elves are loyal to the original written form, while High Elves use a simplified version.

Dwarves speak and write Kudorul; approximately 3% of the population uses Old Kudorul, an ancient language from millions of years ago.

Old Zorinese


Zorinese


Old Ryllavian


Simplified Ryllavian


Old Kudorul


Kudorul (Common Tongue: "Catch me if you can.")