Appendix: The Draconic Language

THE DRACONIC LANGUAGE

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Appendix: The Draconic Language

The language of dragons is one of the oldest forms of communication. According to the wyrms, it is second only to the languages of the outsiders, and all mortal tongues are descended from it. Its script was likely created long after its spoken form was standardized, as dragons have less need to write than other races. Some scholars believe Draconic script might have been infl uenced by Dwarven runes, but the wise don’t express this opinion within hearing of a dragon. Many reptilian races use crude versions of Draconic, including lizardfolk and troglodytes. It is likely that these races were once taught or enslaved by dragons, and it is even possible that they took Draconic for their own simply to make a claim to common ancestry. The Draconic script is also used when a written form is needed for the elemental languages of Auran and Ignan. Despite this commonality, it is no easier for someone who knows Draconic to learn the languages of air and fi re creatures. Slight variations exist in the dialect of Draconic that is used by the various kinds of chromatic dragons. These differences are similar to regional accents. They form no impediment to understanding, but they are suffi ciently obvious for a native speaker to know whether someone learned to speak Draconic from a red or green dragon. The various metallic dragons all have similar accents, but the chromatic dragons each have their own slight differences in pronunciation. In general, Draconic has not changed signifi cantly for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Draconic sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants. It includes sounds that humans generally describe as hissing (sj, ss, and sv) as well as a noise that sounds a great deal like a beast clearing its throat (ach). Words that modify other words can be placed before or after the word they modify. The most important modifi er is always placed before, and it might be placed directly after as well if additional emphasis on the modifi er is desired. A speaker of Draconic who wanted to say a big, black, evil dragon was approaching, but wanted the fact that it was evil more than anything else might say, “Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha gethrisj leirith” or even “Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha malsvir gethrisj leirith.” Most Draconic words have emphasis placed on the fi rst syllable. Important ideas are emphasized in spoken Draconic by stressing the beginning and end of the word. In the written form, important words are marked with a special symbol of six lines radiating outward, similar to an asterisk (*). This device is most often used by dragons when referring to themselves. The dragon Karajix would pronounce his name KA-raj-IX, and it would be written *Karajix*. This emphasis is also sometimes used when commanding, threatening, warning, or making a point. Draconic has no specifi c word for “my” or “mine,” instead using several prefi xes depending on the exact meaning. A physical object claimed as a possession by a dragon speaker would begin with “veth” or “vethi,” an individual with a relationship to the dragon (such as a friend or relative) begins with “er” or “ethe,” and all other forms of possessiveness are represented by putting “ar” or “ari” before a word. Thus for a dragon to say “my sword” or “the sword is mine” he need only say “vethicaex,” and “arirlym” translates as “my enemy.” When indicating possession by another, combine the name of the possessor with the object possessed into a single word that starts with “ar” or “ari.”

DRACONIC EXPRESSIONS

Here are some sample sentences and their translations into Draconic. Note that since the list of vocabulary words is very limited, some approximations have been employed.

Mialee, talk to the well-dressed (fashionable) spellscale. Mialee, ukris arcath thul.

The dragonborn says the magic sword we want is in the green dragon’s lair (fortress). Ux Bahamuti ner levex caex levex yth tuor persvek darastrix vutha hurthi.

The dragonborn dwarf serves the prophecy. Ux Bahamuti tibur tundar faestir lorsvek.

The spawn of Tiamat is evil and dangerous. We should study (learn of) our enemy. Tiathar malsvir vur korth. Yth vor irlym.

Shut up you stupid kobold! Get in there! Thric ner, *pothoc* wux petisse! *Gethrisj* persvek!

Tordek, hit the orc with your axe. Tordek, vargach ghik mrith aritordekgarurt.

A red dragon! Scram! Charir *darastrix*! *Osvith*!

Krusk is dead. He died with much bravery. Krusk loex. Loreat mrith *sveargith*.

We battled through the night. Yth vargach erekess thurkear.

Check out all this gold! Tomorrow we’ll be kings! Ocuir throden *aurix*! Earenk yth *maekrix*!

Magical and powerful, dragons are superior beings (leaders). Arcaniss vur versel, darastrix maekrix.

The secrets of the dragon’s treasure are in this scroll. Ardarastrixrasvim irthos persvek sjir.

Dragon’s blood fl ows in a sorcerer. Aridarastrixiejir gethrisj persvek vorastrix.

Please don’t disembowel the dwarf. Martivir thric gixustrat tundar.

BASIC VOCABULARY: I

Here is a list of some often-used words in the Common tongue and their translations into Draconic.

Common Draconic

above svern adventurer toovir after ghent air thrae and vur animal baeshra armor litrix arrow vaess ash vignar axe garurt bag waeth battle vargach beautiful vorel bronze aujir before ghoros behind zara below vhir beside unsinti big turalisj black vutha bleed rhyisj blood iejir blue ulhar book turasjir bow vaex born as tibur burn valignat bravery sveargith breathe frahr breath weapon frahraek breed maurg bribe durah but shar cave waere celestial athear century ierikc child vrak cleric sunathaer claw gix copper rach cow rhyvos coward faessi crippled thurgix dance vaeri danger korth darkvision sverak day kear dead loex deity urathear demon kothar die loreat disembowel gixustrat draconic creature darss dragon darastrix dragonblood darastrixethe dragonborn ux Bahamuti dwarf tundar earth edar elf vaecaesin enchanted levex enemy irlym evil malsvir expand turalisjth eye sauriv far karif fashionable thul fate haurach female aesthyr few lauth fire ixen fl ee osvith fly austrat food achthend for ihk forest caesin fortress hurthi friend thurirl gem kethend give majak gnome terunt go gethrisj gold aurix good bensvelk green achuak half-dragon darasv halfling rauhiss hammer jhank hate dartak heal irisv holy ioth home okarthel human munthrek if sjek in persvek invigorate strix iron usk kill svent knowledge irthir kobold petisse leader maekrix learn vor magic arcaniss male sthyr many throden meat rhyaex mountain verthicha name ominak near leirith night thurkear no thric nor thur normal munth ogre ghontix on shafaer one ir or usv orc ghik pain loerchik peace martivir pillage thadarsh platinum ux powerful versel prolong ssearth prophecy lorsvek protect troth quest geth rain oposs red charir replenish veschik rest ssifi sv ruler ssissth savior of bejik scroll sjir secret irthos see ocuir serve faestir shadow sjach shrink kosjth silent ssej silver orn skin (hide) molik slaughter kurik slayer of fintir small kosj smart othokent so zyak soar hysvear song miirik sorcerer vorastrix speaker lexi spawn of Tiamat tiathar speak renthisj spear ner spellscale arcath star isk steel vyth stone ternesj stop pok storm kepesk strong versvesh stupid pothoc sword caex take clax talk ukris thief virlym through erekess to ekess tomorrow earenk travel ossalur treasure rasvim tooth oth ugly nurh undead kaegro under onureth unfashionable nurthul valley arux victory vivex want tuor war aryte warrior arytiss water hesjing we yth wealth noach weapon laraek white aussir with mrith wizard levethix wood grovisv word lex year eorikc yellow yrev yes axun yet sjerit wux you LANGUAGE THE DRACONIC APPENDIX:

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THE DRACONIC LANGUAGE

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BASIC VOCABULARY: II

Here is a list of some often-used words in the Draconic language and their translations into Common.

Draconic Common

achthend food achuak green aesthyr female arcaniss magic arcath spellscale arux valley aryte war arytiss warrior athear celestial aujir bronze aurix gold aussir white austrat fly axun yes baeshra animal bejik savior of bensvelk good caesin forest caex sword charir red clax take darastrix dragon darastrixethe dragonblood darasv half-dragon darss draconic creature dartak hate durah bribe earenk tomorrow edar earth ekess to eorikc year erekess through faessi coward faestir serve fintir slayer of frahr breathe frahraek breath weapon garurt axe geth quest gethrisj go ghent after ghik orc ghontix ogre ghoros before gix claw gixustrat disembowel grovisv wood haurach fate hesjing water hurthi fortress hysvear soar iejir blood ierikc century ihk for ioth holy ir one irisv heal irlym enemy irthir knowledge irthos secret isk star ixen fi re jhank hammer kaegro undead karif far kear day kepesk storm kethend gem korth danger kosj small kosjth shrink kothar demon kurik slaughter laraek weapon lauth few leirith near levethix wizard levex enchanted lex word lexi speaker litrix armor loerchik pain loex dead loreat die lorsvek prophecy maekrix leader majak give malsvir evil martivir peace maurg breed miirik song molik skin (hide) mrith with munth normal munthrek human ner spear noach wealth nurh ugly nurthul unfashionable ocuir see okarthel home ominak name onureth under oposs rain orn silver ossalur travel osvith fl ee oth tooth othokent smart persvek in petisse kobold pok stop pothoc stupid rach copper rasvim treasure rauhiss halfling renthisj speak rhyaex meat rhyisj bleed rhyvos cow sauriv eye shafaer on shar but sjach shadow sjek if sjerit yet sjir scroll ssearth prolong ssej silent ssifi sv rest ssissth ruler sthyr male strix invigorate sunathaer cleric sveargith bravery svent kill sverak darkvision svern above ternesj stone terunt gnome thadarsh pillage thrae air thric no throden many thul fashionable thur nor thurgix crippled thurirl friend thurkear night tiathar spawn of Tiamat tibur born as toovir adventurer troth protect tundar dwarf tuor want turalisj big turalisjth expand turasjir book ukris talk ulhar blue unsinti beside urathear deity usk iron usv or ux platinum ux Bahamuti dragonborn vaecaesin elf vaeri dance vaess arrow vaex bow valignat burn vargach battle versel powerful versvesh strong veschik replenish verthicha mountain vhir below vignar ash virlym thief vivex victory vor learn vorastrix sorcerer vorel beautiful vrak child vur and vutha black vyth steel waere cave waeth bag wux you yrev yellow yth we zara behind zyak so