dragonewt language?

[Toomuch]

Ok so i want to work some in to my game as npc, but they cant speak human languages, dose this include beast speech or are they limited to just the draconic language

 

[TRose]

Ii read some where there a few who have had their tongue altered so as to be able to speak other languages.
But could a Dragonnewt and Timmit learn each other language since I would guess Timmits , like most insects, would rely as much as on scent as sound to communicate.

 

[Inspector Zero]

Right. Which is why none of us can speak to bees or lizards.

But...
1) This is a fantasy setting so we can suspend normal rules
2) The Timinits and Dragonewts are sentient and live to concepts that are not wholly alien from other civilisations

So I'd start from the premise that it is possible but perhaps limit the extent to which the skill in the language can be gained to maybe 50% or so. I thnk in RQ II Old Wyrmish could only be spoken up to 25% by non-draconic types although I may be making this up.

In the Dragonewts book there's a nice little text piece in which a senior dragonewt addresses a council of EWF humans and says something like "Even your most gifted and fluent speakers sound to us like a clumsy and stuttering child".

Limiting language comprehension should present some interesting role play opportunities for unfortunate misunderstandings...

"The insect said he wants to do what to my mother?"

 

[Toomuch]

thanks guys, im pretty sure that they use beast speech but i cant find where it says it in any books, and well beast speech is the basic language for all animals and for the most part only humans who are in the animal or hunter cults learn it so i geuss ill just give it to em...but then again i dont think any of my players know beast speech either

 

[Cleombrotus]

As I understand it the language Auld Wyrmish is the tongue of the Dragonewts. It includes much olfactory and empathic dialogue that is beyond human understanding which is why humans can only learn it to a limited percentage, and the idea that this could be improved by having your tongue split in a draconic fashion.

The EWF found a way of rendering the language in script form so the written version became the language of the EWF and all of its' documents and manuscripts.

 

[Loz]

Tailed Priests have the capacity to learn other languages, but would only do so if it constituted Right Action. Lesser stages have no need to directly communicate with other species since Tailed Priests do it for them. And as a superior race, why should they stoop to learn a lesser language?

However, your Glorantha/Dragonewts will vary, so do what fits the needs of your campaign.

 

[Toomuch]

Auld Wyrmish can be learned up to 25% by humans, most of the language is empathic and uses body language scents and color changes and humans cant even begin to grasp this, now some of the EWF use magic to better understand but as far as i know cant master it

 

[TRose]

Since I would guess a Timmit language would also include a olfactory elements would they be able to learn Auld wyrmish at a higher level?
In my game I might add the Dragonnewts that speak to other races are limited to a few select individuals and it is often considered a punishment for wrong actions .

 

[Toomuch]

well im just wondering about beast speech it makes sense for them to speak it, since they deal alot with other animals like te demi-birds they ride, i know that they are paired untill the demi bird dies

 

[Cleombrotus]

Demi-Birds are a unique creature bred by Dragonewts. I have always treated them as dinosaurs and thus draconic in nature rather than 'beasts'. Dragonewts are able to speak Tradetalk since that is a magical language created by the god of communication/trade, Issaries. There is a reference to a Dragonewt talking in 'hissing tradetalk' in Elder Secrets...

 

[soltakss]

I'd say that most dragonewts cannot speak other languages, but some can. Those who need to speak to outsiders can be magically/surgically altered or can use other means, such as pet Newtlings, to speak to outsiders.

As Loz says, it's your game, so if you want some dragonewts to be able to speak the languages of humans then let them.

Hykim and Mhykim are the ancestors of the beasts and are dragons, so it makes sort of sense for some dragonewts to speak Beastspeech, but I wouldn't bother with that. Just give a couple of dragonewts the ability to speak some languages and leave it at that.

 

[Cleombrotus]

Although to be a party pooper again, it is stated that Beastspeech is not the ability to "talk to the animals" but is the ability to understand and communicate emotional states between human and beast.

 

[richaje]

Hykim and Mhykim are the ancestors of the beasts and are dragons, so it makes sort of sense for some dragonewts to speak Beastspeech, but I wouldn't bother with that. Just give a couple of dragonewts the ability to speak some languages and leave it at that.

FWIW, that's not quite right. Hykim and Mhykim are the ancestors of beasts associated with the Spirit Plane and are really Great Spirits, not dragons. But they are very powerful beings that humans (especially Malkioni) often confuse with dragons. BTW, the God-Learners are notoriously wrong when it comes to anything associated with the dragons and often wrongly associate the dragons with gods and spirits.

Finally, treat some of the old RQ languages like Firespeech or Beastspeech with a grain of salt. Neither Greg nor Sandy wrote that bit (I think it was from Steve Perrin) and Greg thinks they are magical abilities, not learnable languages.

Jeff