People of the East

The people from this region (central eastern nations of Pelataar*, Culasnir*, Tandruth*, and Argandi*) speak a closely related group of languages called the Telaminic* family. They are all share similar features as well, characteristically with medium brown skin and thick black hair with relatively loose curls or ringlets, and thick facial hair on men, when worn. Eyes are usually brown, but occasionally hazel or green. Facial features trend toward the narrow, with thin and often prominent noses and high foreheads. They are of average size for their species. These people are human.

Dress
Dress styles are culturally similar in these regions, but there are some pronounced local variations. Telaminic people usually wear loose trousers and soft shoes with pointed toes. A tunic or undershirt is worn on top, covered by a long knee-length garment that is made from a single long piece of cloth wrapped multiple times around the torso and shoulders. For formal occasions, an ankle-length garment is used, but the knee-length variation is for every day wear. In some regions it is common for women to wear the ankle-length variation at all times. It is usually, but not always, belted at the waist with a sash. Headgear is commonly worn at all times, consisting of a cloth skullcap attached to a long scarf that is wrapped around the head in a turban, with a long end left draped around the neck and shoulders. In some regions one or both genders wrap this end about the face as well, covering everything except the eyes and brows.

Language
Linguistically, there are several major languages in this region. An older trade or perhaps imperial language remains among the Culasnir and Tandruth regions, this language is called Telamin. It is commonly used to speak to outsiders, and there is a “low” or vernacular version, and a “high” version used by the nobility and the educated. Both regions have their own dialect that are in practice their own languages. This language in Culasnir is called Culasnish, and in Tandruth, Tandruthic. Even more localized dialects and variations also exist. In the northern region of Pelataar, a related language called Pelataarese is almost exclusively spoken, but some people on the border and on trade routes also speak Telamin, generally of the low variety. The Argandi region does not use Telamin at all, instead speaking a dialect called Argandic that is basically incomprehensible to anyone not from the region.

In Culasnir and Tandruth, the local dialects (called Culasnish and Tandruthic, respectively) are descended from the old imperial language of Telamin. Like Telamin, they both have a “high” and “low” form. The first is used exclusively by the nobility and the highly educated, such as wizards, sages and certain wealthy merchants looking to hobnob with the elite. The latter is used by the common folk for everyday conversation.

The high form is more complex and composited, with gender forms and suffixes, which are dropped in the low form for simplicity and ease of use.

We will use the word “horse” as an example, the root form of which is ruim in Culasnish, and ruitt in Tandruthic.

In low form, the gender of the creature is communicated through the definite article (“the” in English) as follows:

Low Culasnish: e ruim (“the male horse”) and a ruim (“the female horse”)

Low Tandruthic: e ruitt (“the male horse”) and ih ruitt (“the female horse”)

In the high form, all nouns have a gender, irrespective of their actual gender (if any). Horses are female, saddles are male, etc. With some exceptions, the gender marking in the nouns are generally an “i” sound added to the end of a male noun, and an “a” sound added to beginning and end of the female noun. So, the same word for “horse” in the high form would sound like this:

High Culasnish: e ruimi (“the male horse”) and ah aruima (“the female horse” – note the change to the definite article to divide the two identical vowel sounds)

High Tandruthic: e ruitti (“the male horse”) and ih aruitta (“the female horse”)

The related northern dialect of the Pelataar region (“Pelataarese”) uses similar high and low forms, as it is also descended from the Telamin root:

Low Pelataarese: el rumit (“the male horse”) and al rumit (“the female horse”)

High Pelataarese: el rumiti (“the male horse”) and ala rumita (“the female horse” – note that the 1st modifier is added to article, not the noun itself)

The language of the Argandi region (“Argandic”) is derived from a different root language than Telamin, and does not use noble forms, gendered nouns or gender modifiers at all. The noun itself is different for each gender of each creature:

Argandic: doch dremon (“the male horse”) and doch dredin (“the female horse” – note no gender articles or forms)

Credits

 * Eastern people portraits by Kurt Komoda
 * Language development by Adam Roy