Languages of Malakai

• Aster: The language of those spirit servants of the Light Pantheon and other High Umbrood. (Empath Roots)
• Enikan: The language spoken by most nature spirits. (Wint roots)
• Hin: The cultural language of the halflings is not as widely spoken as it was a century ago. (Halfling roots)
• Geir: The forest-dwelling elves still speak this language among themeslves. (Elven roots)
• Guilic: The language of the less aggressive Guile Fae. (Elven roots)
• Jhor: The language of wraiths, the spirit servants of the Dark Pantheon, and other Low Umbrood. (Gnome roots)
• Luki: This language is almost unknown outside of Ironridge, but is almost exclusively spoken there. (Myshari roots)
• Saeli: This language of the less than friendly Sael Fae. (Dwarven roots)
• Shard: Some empath communities, including the Monks of the Tybil Monastary. (Empath roots)
• Tai: A handful of olmecs still speak this language among themselves. (Olmec roots)
• Valefae: The default native tongue and the most common language of the area (Elven roots)

• Dragi: Despite its name, this is an ancient language once used by the Druanae. Many of the ancient Druanae texts were written in this language. (Elven roots)
• Druen: Only Druanae are instructed in this language, which they use to send messages to each other and confirm mutual membership in the Tradition.
• Nitali: Before the Ultimatum War, this was a common language among the myshar. Now, this ancient language is used as the secret code language of the Makers. (Myshari roots)
• Geek: Once a trade language among the Artificers before Ultimatum War, only a few magi still know how to read and speak this tongue. (Gnomish roots)
• Shanty: Not a language, per se, but an algorithmic code used by Troubadours (especially Assassins) to render their speech meaningless to eavesdropping and even most varieties of mind-reading. The Troubadours must speak a common language and employ a Cor 1 / Mind 1 Effect to scramble and decode the conversation. Knowledge of this language allows the mage to recognize the various hand signals and facial cues that communicate the algorithm used to scramble the upcoming conversation.

Many of the ancient root languages were lost during the cataclysms. These few survive among the most learned local mages.

• Root Elven
• Root Empath
• Root Gnome
• Root Myshar

A person may attempt to communicate with someone who does not speak hes language. As anyone who has ever traveled abroad knows, however, this is no small task. The speaker may try to use her skill with language in general to get her point across clearly. Roll an Intelligence + Linguistics check against a difficulty of 10 - the listener's (Intelligence + Linguistics). The speaker might also attempt to express herself in gestures and crude sign language. Roll an Intelligence + Expression against a difficulty of 10 - the listener's (Intelligence + Enigmas). This second approach subtracts one success from any generated by the speaker, since it is much harder to communicate without words. Abstract concepts might be impossible to communicate in this way, at the ST's discretion. Have you ever seen a mime attempt to express a philosophical concept? It ain't pretty!

At the ST's option, characters may have to make checks back and forth in order to communicate, a single check for each speaker might allow them to communicate for a scene, or the characters might be able to speak in one-word sentences without a check. A botch tends to result in a linguistic blunder which might invoke amusement ("Je suis cent francs.") or anger ("M'embracez.") from the listener.

• Communicating in your regional language (not your native tongue) without the Linguistics Knowledge: -2 difficulty
• No common local dialect, but same regional tongue: +0 difficulty
• No common local or regional language, but common Root Language: +1 difficulty
• No common local dialect or regional language, but dialects spring from same Root Language: +2 difficulty
• No common local or regional dialect, and these dialects do not spring from the same Root Language: +3 difficulty

• Simple Concepts : 1 Success ("Hungry. Need food.")
• Basic Information: 2 Successes ("Where can I find an inn?")
• Specific Information: 3 Successes ("Which inn is the best one for the price?")
• Detailed or Abstract Information: 4 or more Successes ("What is the name of the inn's top chef, what are his specialties, and how would you classify his philosophical beliefs in relationship to the teachings of the philosopher Harzan Dra'Tow?")