The Anarandian Dictionary
The language of Anarand’aris was not born in Anarand’aris at all. It descends directly from Et’el, the tongue of the Overlords, introduced to the mortal races upon their arrival and preserved unchanged for nearly fifteen millennia – held in place by the very immortals who spoke it. Only after the Overlords’ departure did the language begin to drift, as mortal tongues inevitably do. Over four thousand years, it has changed profoundly.
In the Age of Last Hope, two forms exist. Ancient Anarandian – almost indistinguishable from the original Et’el – survives in sacred texts, inscriptions, and the memories of those old enough to recall the War. Modern Anarandian, the everyday language of the Enlightened Realms, has diverged so far that most speakers can recognize only fragments of the ancient form. Only dedicated Seekers of Knowledge can translate it in full and divine its meaning.
Ancient Anarandian is a tonal language – stress is carried by pitch rather than force, with the voice rising on key syllables like notes in a melody. The effect is unmistakable: spoken Anarandian sounds less like ordinary speech and more like fluent song.