Languages

Languages of many kinds are spoken in the world of Eamon, but only a handful of authors have named or described them. One of the few works to identify multiple spoken tongues is John Nelson's Knight Quest, a variant of Eamon whose adventures were later incorporated into the main series. Languages that have been mentioned in Eamon or related systems are listed below.

Identified languages

Common

The "Common Tongue" is the standard and widely-spoken language in the Kingdom of Evenhold and various other parts of Eamon, and is identified with that name in adventures including Curse of the Hellsblade, Wrenhold's Secret Vigil, and The Treachery of Zorag. It's described in Search for Mack as the "native Eamon tongue". The language is generally assumed to be English or a close equivalent; a scroll and coins with "Olde English" writing are mentioned in Valkenburg Castle, and English writing appears in Temple of the Trolls and Prisoner of Darkness. The language hasn't changed much over many centuries, as noted in Storm Breaker: "It seems the ancients had almost the same language as us, they just used different characters." Archaic but understandable Common also appears in The Pixy Oak.

Beholder language

In Fiends of Eamon a Beholder sings a song in "the Beholder language".

Dwarfish

The language of Dwarves, one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest and a major language in the land of Middle-earth. The language is written using runes. Dwarfish carved in a stone door appears in The Treachery of Zorag.

Elvish

The language of Elves, one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest and a major language in the land of Middle-earth. A rare old book written in Elvish appears in The Tomb of Molinar, and Elvish writing is mentioned in The Adventurer's General Store, The Stronghold of Kahr-Dur, The Last Dragon, and elsewhere.

Falconese

One of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.

Gerbish

One of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.

Kobold language

A book written in "the Kobold language" appears in The Lost Isle.

Latin

A real-world language originating on Earth and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.

Language of Magic

An incomprehensible book "written in the language of magic" appears in The Lost Isle.

Orcish

The language of Orcs and Goblins, and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.

Sicilian

The native language of Sicilia, a hostile land near the Kingdom of Evenhold, mentioned in Search for Mack.

Trollish

The language of Trolls, and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest. It's spoken and written at the Temple of the Trolls.

Welch

Possibly the real-world language of Welsh or a variant of it, and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.

The presence on Eamon of individuals associated with real-world countries, such as the Burly Irishman or the Italian-accented Marcos Cavielli, suggest that various languages from Earth may be spoken on Eamon, or are at least known.

Tolkien the Scribe, a character who appears in Sam Ruby's adventures Redemption and The Curse of Talon, is described as "the most learned man of languages and history in the kingdom."

Unknown languages

Adventurer sometimes encounter other spoken or written languages that they cannot understand or identify:

• The Lair of the Minotaur: "You see many ancient books. They are written in a language you cannot read."
• Picnic in Paradise: "All the walls are covered with mysterious writings of an unknown language."
• Buccaneer!: "His oracle speaks the language of the gods which is difficult for mortals to comprehend."
• The Dark Brotherhood: "He is chanting in a language unknown to you..."
• Adventure in Interzone: "People of all cultures wander about speaking in various languages."
• Redemption: "The scrolls are written in a language you do not understand, but the characters are mostly familiar."
• The Last Dragon: "You see a large silver box with writing in a script that is totally unfamiliar to you in a language that you cannot read."
• The Citadel of Blood: "There seems to be an inscription in a foreign tongue over the arch, but you cannot make out what it means."
• Valkenburg Castle: "There is a shelf of books that are written in some strange hieroglyphic language, totally unreadable."
• The Sands of Mars: "You see an emerald colored book titled in an unreadable language."
• The Boy and the Bard: "The lizard men look up and say something to each other in their language."
• The City of Sorcerers: "There are a number of books here. They are in a strange ancient language that you cannot read."
• Catacombs of Terror: The ancient warrior "speaks to you in a language you don't understand."
• Firestorm: Thorak's carved symbols "probably mean something in some other language."
• The Haunted House: "Tiny writing in an unknown language covers one side."
• Malleus Maleficarum: The writing is in the blocky runes of a language you don't know."

In the humorous adventure The Pathetic Hideout of Mr. R., Mr. Roessler's official language is said to be "Lower Gibberish".

External links

• Languages in Dungeons & Dragons