Here's a weird concept, I wonder if we could reverse-engineer our own first gen Magic language by studying the bits in common from the descending languages.
Thanks to the two Language Maps we know that most languages come from the Old One Tongue, and it split into four directions (or 6 with Saurian and Albionese, and hypothetically up to 8, but those aren't on both maps, only one). Daemonic, Nehekharan, Dwarven, and Old Reikspeil. The closer a language is to the Old One Tongue, the easier it is to learn and understand magic when you know said language.
We know at least one language from every branch except Nehekharan, which would be easy to remedy by learning either some Nehekharan or, more readily available, some Arabyan or Strigani. I wonder if, theoretically, and this would be an intense project, we could reverse engineer a new language that is, as far as understanding magic goes, equivalent to any of the first gen magic languages by examining the common points between the various languages, particularly the common points.
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Also, potential leads on first gen languages. High Nehekharan and first Gen Ulthuan, not convinced we can find people to teach it to us directly ... but we are a pretty highly respected and high ranking Dwarf, and the Dawi did business with both of those cultures far enough back that those languages might still have been in daily usage. There's a real chance of there being a translation guide somewhere, or written record of a contract or an agreement we can use as a Rosetta's stone for either language. Especially with the Elves, as they had Peace Agreements, and Research Collaborations, and Military Alliances. Also specifically in the case of the Elves, might be a possibility of a novel in the first gen Elven language in a vault somewhere?
Also, the language of Albion is apparently a first gen magic language and I think merc's from that nation have already started appearing in the Old World, maybe. Might be able to learn it from one of them? If not, if we don't die of unnatural cause we should still be alive when Albion is revealed to the world, could learn it first hand.
I feel like I've had this conversation before and had at least the Albion thing addressed in the past?
So, this has me curious, blue means that there's no native speakers, but the language still exists somewhere.
Does that mean Old Reikspiel is written down somewhere, or is this in regards to, I don't know, Drachenfels being real real old?
This would be trying to recreate the specialist terminology parts of the language?
If words had been split at random between the successor languages this might have been feasible.
But you keep the words you can use and understand so there will have been similar selection processes placed on all the languages.
We mostly know second gen languages which are used by the non magical population. That is going to select away from all the useful technical bits associated with magic.
You can probably aim towards the root word for farming for instance, as everyone will have kept up the practice.
The word for the flow of magic as the clouds part, the first slivers of light descending from the sky and separating the shadows once more on the other hand will be straight up gone.
Nobility, merchants and farmers alike have no need for it. And mages have an interest in keeping it secret.
You'd need to start from a base of Arcane Kazalid, Anoqeyan, Saurian, Albionese etc
Because even then they are going to have dropped words that just weren't needed for their magical paradigm and took to long to teach to be worth it.
Still that is +1 for Arcane Khazalid. We know that the language the elves use is incomplete and has lost words, because they do not have a good descriptive word for the process by which the winds lose their properties as they reach lower concentrations and become Sevir. Or a good basis for non-wind, non-Dhar magic.
The dwarves might well have a concept for it. Their runes bind the winds together when they absorb them in a non-Dhar format that does not exist under our current paradigm.
This is a good candidate for the dwarves to have had as their addition to the waystone project. A fundamental way for the winds to be moved together without causing them to form Dhar. To go alongside the Elves ability to channel the winds in the first place and focus on directing them to where they need to go.
We should try it and find out.
For people arguing that the waystones should be left to the Dwarves and the Elves without us intervening.
The Dwarves would hate that, they don't want to speak to the Elves, they already know they can't replace the full waystones on their own that's why even the knowledge they exist is secret. The dwarves can't see magic, asking them to do it alone only emphasises that weakness.
If the Dwarves can choose between working with the Colleges of Magic, or Elves.
The dwarves will tell us to train up imperial mages every time.
And they need a win like this.
A massive megaproject where Good Dwarven Runesmiths recreate the Works of their Ancestors, in a way that makes them vital to the War Against Chaos.
Dhar is not permanently flooding the world, athe the Great War back when the gates fell Demons could manifest whole armies around Ulthuan itself, it can be pushed back.
Their allies the empire are in a worse state then the Karaz Ankor as far as this is concerned. Start it up in Sylvania as the test bed and they are reclaiming Empire territory from the things we cannot fight. Just as we did for them when we reclaimed lost holds.
That gives them the chance to show they don't just need help, that they can change the world as well. Where they can be seen to be repaying the favours that were given to them by the Empire of Man.
That the Age of Reckoning is not just our factions giving them pity, but a glorious resurgence of the forces of Order standing united against the storm.
That the Karaz Ankor are not a drain on their allies, and that we need them as much as they now clearly need us as well.
any kind of projectile capable of moving on its own
Haven't seen any guesses for this in a while. Is it the Sun Spear of Albion and any watered down versions that might exist.
Not sure how it could have gotten on the list, but then I don't see it as much more unlikely then a Relic Priest.
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