Tongues are not merely languages. They are eternal, perfect expressions of ideas, hard-coded into the structure of the universe. They are discovered, not invented. Learning a Tongue infuses the speaker’s being with the fundamental truths at the Tongue’s core. Each Tongue offers unique powers of communication to those who study it deeply enough to become fluent and allow it to reshape the pathways of their thoughts.
Tongues have up to 3 Ranks, which each take up 1 mental slot. Each Rank represents a specific level of competency:
| Rank 1 | Faltering. Stumble through basic conversation, comprehend half the meaning |
| Rank 2 | Familiar. Speak plainly without error, misinterpret complex ideas, wordplay and subtle distinctions |
| Rank 3 | Fluent. Converse deeply with a sage, fully internalize its worldview and mental paradigm |
Vulgar Tongue
The lowest Tongue is the Vulgar Tongue. All mortal languages are but lesser manifestations of the Vulgar Tongue. By learning the multifaceted variations among the languages of sapient beings, the underlying shape of the Vulgar Tongue can be grasped. It is the most common Tongue known.
All PCs begin with Rank 0 in the Vulgar Tongue, which does not take up a mental slot. This represents their fluency in Common, as well as a smattering of key words and phrases in other mundane languages.
Additional Ranks in the Vulgar Tongue allow a character to better converse in more exotic mortal languages. At Fluency, they have fully internalized the Vulgar Tongue and can effortlessly communicate with any other sapient being with a mundane language.
Noble Tongues
Above the Vulgar Tongue are the Noble Tongues. Most are all but dead among mortal speakers, and those few known are often guarded jealously. Noble Tongues may allow a speaker to converse with things that would not normally have language. This does not imply they are friendly or particularly want to be spoken to, but may provide information or perform tasks in exchange for favors. Examples of Noble Tongues are listed below.
Advancement
Learning Tongues is more intentional than learning Skills. One cannot simply deduce a grammar by trial-and-error. To learn a Tongue at Rank 1 requires a tutor, ideally one that also shares a language with . This doesn’t need to be formal instruction, but must at least be a good-faith attempt to educate. At the end of a session where a character spent time with a tutor, they may Test Discipline (with a Bane if they do not share a common language) to learn the Tongue.
Once a Tongue has been learned, a tutor is no longer necessary. Merely attempting to communicate in the Tongue allows the character to Test Discipline at the end of a session, gaining a point of Progress on success. A number of Progress points equal to the next Rank are required to improve a Tongue, which then resets Progress to zero. Two Progress points are needed to improve a Tongue to Rank 2, and three more after that are needed to advance to Rank 3. Each additional Tongue Rank fills another mental slot. If there are not enough mental slots for the new Tongue Rank, the character may choose to forget something else, replacing its slot.
Tongues can also be improved by spending a span of Downtime training with a willing tutor. Each span spent training grants one Progress point, no Discipline Test required.