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Languages
The Importance of Languages
Cultural identity is a complex construction that is formed through the interactions of various elements intensified by the passage of time. One of the most important elements in this cultural construction is the language, which reflects many aspects of its people, whether in its grammatical complexity, the primacy of sounds and even in its relationship with other languages.
A language may arise as a derivation of another, either through a relationship of cultural proximity or even dominance, as normally happens in the history of nations. In other cases, a language may be a way of trying to get closer to an external language, be it a language spoken by deities and spirits or even creatures from another dimension.
Languages in Runeterra
The known history of Runeterra provides information on four primary peoples, the natives of the Freljord, the tribes of Valoran, the first people of Ionia, and the western diaspora, with all known peoples being derived from these four and the interactions between them, though not all interactions are known and recorded.
The peoples who came in the Western diaspora eventually became the Buhru, the Shurimans, Targonians, Helians, and even the reclusive Ixtaelians, while peoples such as the Demacians and Noxians derive from common ancestors with the tribes of Valoran.
When we speak of Piltover, Zaun and Bilgewater, we are also speaking of great cultural melting pots, whether it be the settlement known as Oshra Va'Zaun that eventually became Piltover and Zaun, or even Bilgewater itself, where the native Buhru accepted and welcomed the foreign Paylangi.
In each of these nations and regions, different languages emerged, flourished, died or gave birth to new languages, each with its own characteristics and reflections of the cultural identity of these regions. In some cases, these languages developed through interaction with other languages, vernaculars and dialects, each finding its own usefulness and becoming established with its speakers, expressing their ideas and ways of seeing the world.
The 3 Approaches
The languages of Runeterra are varied and although they have not been extensively detailed in the official and canonical material made available, with the information we have we can create a functional structure for RPG adventures based on this canonical information.
For a table, session, campaign or RPG story, Languages can play a very important role, especially in campaigns that seek to interact with different regions and in this process work on this additional layer of realism, where people who do not speak the same languages need to overcome this barrier in a creative way.
In Runarcana, 3 approaches are proposed for the issue of languages, with the most recommended approach being the so-called “fantastic” one, which takes into account characteristics chosen by the characters outside of the combat axis and values the players’ choice to know other languages.
Ideally, the approach should be chosen by the GM before the characters are created, so that during their creation, they can give due importance to the characteristics that add languages.
Simple
This approach, as the name suggests, seeks to simplify the interpretation layer, which is suggested for short stories, inexperienced masters and players, bringing less concern with communication. In this approach there is a “Common” language and all characters can speak this language as well as all non-player characters, although it is actually simpler, this approach has its characteristics that must be respected.
In this approach, the features that provide access to languages are usually little used, usually being directed to exotic or even dead languages.
While all communication is facilitated between players, the same goes for enemies, so an enemy character who hears the players' plans will understand it easily, which would not happen if the language was a natural barrier.
The same goes for players overhearing or gaining access to their enemies' plans, removing additional time that could be spent deciphering messages that are not encrypted but are still in a language unknown to the players.
Fantastic
In the fantasy approach, the “Common” language does not exist, but there is Valorian spoken normally in Demacia, Noxus, Piltover, Zaun, Bilgewater and on the slopes of Ionia as a language close to common, with each region having its own languages, but Valorian being a lingua franca.
This language appears to be a variant of Va-Noxian, the official language of Noxus, which ended up gaining importance and reach precisely because of the Empire's expansionism. In some places it may even be common knowledge, but not used precisely because of its connection to the Noxian Empire and the problems caused by its expansionism.
Valorian ends up being a mercantile language that facilitates negotiations and is used in documents, especially banking documents and letters of credit, for this reason, although it is not the official language of any location, it is spoken by almost all of Runeterra.
Pseudo-Canonical
The pseudo-canonical approach seeks greater proximity to reality and to what has been revealed as canonical, creating some normal complications of a world where different languages are used extensively.
This approach favors the creation of characters that have knowledge of several languages, rewarding players who prioritize a character build with room for characteristics linked to exploration and interpretation.
The Arcane Problem
The pseudo-canonical approach is the one that is closest to what has been presented in all the works related to Runeterra, but it creates a small problem regarding Arcane, where we see Noxians and Piltovenses talking normally without a language barrier. To this end, it is possible to assume that the Piltovense language is a relatively common language precisely because of the importance of Piltover as a technological and commercial center of Runeterra. This approach encounters some barriers such as the lack of a canonical name for this language, in addition to the complexity of the language due to historical accuracy being called Zaunite by default, precisely because of the heritage of Kha'Zhun or Oshra Va'Zaun, as this region was called, while part of the empire of Shurima. Because of this historical heritage, Piltover and Zaun speak the Zaunite language, although each has its own dialect and, due to power relations, among the Piltovan the language is also called Piltovan, as a way of elitizing communication and differentiating themselves from the “Zaunites”. The historical moment of the campaign can greatly influence these choices, so it is important to choose carefully and how it impacts this choice at a table.
Choosing Languages
Your Origin indicates the languages your character knows by default, and your background may grant access to one or more languages of your choice. Note these on your character sheet.
Choose your languages from the Common Languages table, or choose one that is most common in your campaign. With the DM’s permission, you can choose a language from the Exotic Languages table or a secret language, such as thieves’ cant or Lunari. Some of these languages are often families of languages with many dialects. For example, the Modern Freljordian language includes the dialects of Avarosan, Frostguard, Winter’s Claw, and Lokhfar, one for each tribe or region of the Freljord. Creatures that speak different dialects of the same language can communicate with each other.
| Language | Spoken In | Dialect | Spoken by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buhru | Bilgewater | - | Buhru Humans |
| Demacian | Demacia | Regional Dialects | Humans |
| Freljordan | Freljord | Tribal Dialects | Humans |
| Ionian | Ionia | Regional Dialects | Humans and Vastayas |
| Ixtali | Ixtal | - | Humans |
| Minotauric | Runeterra | - | Minotaurs |
| Noxian | Noxus | Va-noxian | Humans and Minotaurs |
| Bilgewateran | Bilgewater | - | Humans |
| Shuriman | Shurima | - | Humans |
| Targonian | Mount Targon | Rakkor | Humans |
| Vastayan | Ionia | Tribal Dialects | Vastayas |
| Yordle | Bandlecity | - | Yordles |
| Zaunite | Piltover and Zaun | Piltovan | Humans, Constructs |
Some Exotic Languages do not have writing, they are: Draconic, Spiritual, Elemental, Fey, Ochnun, Primordial, Sylvan, Troll.
| Language | Spoken by |
|---|---|
| Celestial | Celestials |
| Draconic | Dragons |
| Demonic | Demons, Akana |
| Spiritual | Spirits, Kanmei |
| Elemental | Elementals |
| Faeric | Fae |
| Helian | Touched by the Mist |
| Icathian | Humans |
| Ochnun | Undead |
| Primordial | - |
| Runic | - |
| Ancient Shuriman | Humans |
| Sylvan | Beasts and Anthroplantae |
| Troll | Trolls |
Dead languages are those that practically no living creature still uses in their daily lives.
| Language | Spoken for |
| Ancient Demacian | Demacians |
| Vorrijaardian | Celestials |
| Old Freljordian | Humans, Watchers |
| Old Ionian | Humans, Vastayashai’rei, Giants |
| Ur’Nox | Humans |
| Vasthayshai’rei | Vastayas |
| Yeti | Yetis |
