Campaign Design - Dark Speech

Dark Speech (from the Book of Vile Darkness)

The Dark Speech is extremely difficult to master. The Dark Speech feat is required for mortals to speak even a single word of it correctly, for mortal tongues were not designed to utter these words of pure evil. Some evil outsiders know smatterings (or more) of the Dark Speech and need no feat to master it. The safest way to use the Dark Speech is through spells such as dread word.

To actually communicate by means of the Dark Speech - that is, for a knowledgeable speaker to convey some information to a knowledgeable listener - the speaker must take great care, or both the listener and speaker will be harmed. There are no words in the Dark Speech for good concepts such as kindness, mercy, and purity. Evil characters can speak of misery, anguish, hate, and betrayal with an accuracy impossible in any other tongue.

The Dark Speech has no known written form. It cannot be transliterated into another language's written form without losing all of its meaning and power.

Besides communicating in the language itself, there are four ways that a speaker can use the Dark Speech:

Dread: The words spoken cause fear, loathing, and dread in all who hear them. Speaking words of dread is draining to the speaker, dealing 1d4 points of Charisma damage each round the Dark Speech is spoken. When dread words of the Dark Speech are uttered, all within 30 feet of the speaker must make a Will save (DC 10 + ½ the speaker's Hit Dice + the speaker's Charisma modifier). Listeners who know the Dark Speech by possessing the Dark Speech feat gain a +4 circumstance bonus on this saving throw. If a listener fails its saving throw, it suffers the following effects depending on its Hit Dice or level and alignment:

• Levels 1 -4, Nonevil: Characters are shaken by the intoned Dark Speech, and they flee from the source of their fear as quickly as they can, although they can choose the path of their flight. Once out of sight and hearing of the source of their fear, characters can act as they want. Characters unable to flee can fight, although they are still shaken for 1d10 rounds.
• Levels 5 - 10, Nonevil: Characters are shaken, taking a -2 morale penalty to attack rolls, saves, and checks for 1d10 rounds.
• Levels 11+, Nonevil: Characters are filled with loathing for the speaker and must attack him on their next action.
• Levels 1 -4, Evil: Characters cower and are frozen in fear. They lose their Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) and can take no actions for 1d10 rounds. Foes gain a +2 bonus to his cowering characters.
• Levels 5 - 10, Evil: Characters are mastered by the Dark Speech, acting as if charmed (as described in the charm person spell) for 1d10 minutes.
• Levels 11+, Evil: Characters are impressed, reacting to the speaker with more respect and wariness. This adds a +2 competence bonus on subsequent attempts to change their attitude (see page 128 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).

Power: The words of the Dark Speech help energize evil magic items and spells. Again, this is draining to the speaker, dealing 1d4 points of Charisma damage each time the words of power are uttered. If used in conjunction with an evil spell that has a verbal component, the Dark Speech increases the spell's effective caster level by +1. If used when creating an evil magic item, the Dark Speech increases the item's caster level by +1 without increasing the cost. Both caster level increases are considered profane bonuses. The Dark Speech is a requirement for many evil artifacts.

Corruption: The words of the Dark Speech, whispered softly, can weaken physical objects. As a full-round action, the speaker can whisper vile words of corruption and destruction at an inanimate object such as a door or a wall, reducing its hardness by half. This minor use of the Dark Speech is not draining to the speaker. It cannot be used more than once on a single object.

Dark Unity: The words of the Dark Speech can create a hivemind. Up to one hundred vermin or animals (none of which can have more than 1 Hit Die) form an evil hivemind, as described below. The united consciousness of the creatures will take one command from the Dark Speech speaker, as if from the suggestion spell. Pulling creatures under the sway of evil is draining to the speaker, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage each time words of dark unity are uttered.

Hivemind

As a side effect of some evil spiritual presence or dark blessing, vermin and certain animals can take on a sort of evil consciousness shared among a large group, though each individual member retains little or no intellect. When a hivemind forms, each individual creature becomes just a tiny part of a much larger, much greater intelligence. But even the most craven sages do not understand how or why hiveminds develop.

if at least 50 vermin or animals of the same species are arranged so that no one individual is no more than 10 feet from another individual, the hivemind may come into effect. all the creatures operate with an Intelligence of 5, even if they previously had no Intelligence score (as with vermin). The creature's Intelligence score increases by +1 for every additional 20 individuals (beyond the first 50) in the hivemind, up to an Intelligence of 10 for a hivemind of 150 creatures. Beyond the 150-creature threshold, Intelligence increases by +1 for every 50 additional individuals. For every point of Intelligence bonus possessed by the hivemind, award each individual creature 1 feat and 1 skill point per Hit Die.

The increase to Intelligence gained for each creature in the hivemind over 50 also applies to Charisma.

If the hivemind attains a Charisma score of 18 or higher, it gains the ability to cast spells as a sorcerer. For every point of Charisma over 17, the hivemind has one level of sorcerer. Any single creature can cast one of the hivemind's spells, but those spell slots are then lost to other creatures in the hivemind. Creatures in a hivemind have no need of somatic or material components, and their squeaks, screeches, or clicks serve as verbal components.

When creatures in a hivemind attack, they all gain a +1 insight bonus on their attack roll and a +1 insight bonus on their Armor Class. Each creature knows the actions of every other member of the hivemind. The entire hivemind is aware of what every individual is experiencing.

A hivemind's Challenge Rating is greater than the Challenge Rating of one of the individual creatures. If the CR of an individual creature is less than ½ the CR of the hivemind is ½. If the creature has a CR of ½, the hivemind CR is 1. If the creature has a CR of 1 or higher, the hivemind's CR is 1 greater than that of the creature.

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Campaign Design - Languages

Languages

The languages Celestial and Infernal are used in the campaign, so much so that the Celestial tongue is the liturgical language of most of the Lords of Heaven, while Infernal is generally the liturgical language uses by the priesthoods of the various Lords of Hell. More rarely, the Celestial or Demon Lords use Axiomatic and Anarchic as their liturgical language, but not Abyssal (all references to Abyssal should be read as referring to Infernal or Anarchic, whichever is more appropriate). All four of the elemental languages (Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran) are used by creatures of an elemental nature, and by those who wish to communicate with them. The following is a list of languages that might be spoken by residents of the Freeholds, or travelers passing through. This list is not exhaustive, there may be other languages in the world, but these are the relatively more common ones.

Ahaliat: Ahaliat is more of a collection of languages than a single tongue. The nomadic tribes of the At'viras Steppes all speak some variant of this language. There are literally dozens dialects and sub-dialects of Ahaliat, and trying to learn them all would be difficult at best. Fortunately, in all but a few cases, language drift has been relatively minor, so an individual fluent in one form would be able to understand at a lesser level almost any tribesman he met on the At'viran Steppes.

Anfagen Zwursprache: This language is primarily spoken by the dwarves of Hartzstadt, and is reasonably common in the Freeholds. It is distantly related to standard Zwursprache.

Aralaic: Aralaic is an ancient language, considered by many sages to be the root tongue of Rhadynnic, Sorglish, and Menævish, as well as being loosely related to Pilosian. The language is not spoken as a native tongue in any country now, and those who can speak it are very rare. It is still used among druidic circles, and any reference to “Druidic” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Aralaic for campaign purposes.

Dark Speech: Dark speech is the secret language of the Lords of Hell, so foul and so potent that even demons and devils refrain from its use lest it consume them. Few mortals know even a few words of Dark Speech. Those who do are wise to never underestimate the power of words. Characters must take the Dark Speech feat to begin to learn the Dark Speech language. Consult the Dark Speech page for the uses and powers of the Dark Speech.

Desprache: Desprache is the native language of the dwarves of the Dekkulde Islands, as well as those communities of dwarves who live in Langjord, Kysthjem, and Midtenjord. Although it is very distantly related to the other dwarven languages, it is a connection too remote to allow for mutual understanding between speakers of those languages and Desprache. It is more closely related to Nordlish, and speakers of those two languages can usually have a halting conversation.

Enslaic: This tongue is spoken in Enselm and the surrounding areas. Enslaic is one of the most widely known “second languages” in Midrun. The primary reason for this is the exceptional diplomatic influence possessed by the Collegium, resulting in Enslaic becoming the language of diplomatic interaction. The second, more sinister reason, is the wide reaching criminal activity of the Sang Nuit that has made Enslaic a popular language among the denizens of the criminal underworld. As Enselm is the cultural heart of the gnomish race, Enslaic is commonly spoken among gnomes across the Three Worlds, and any reference to “Gnome” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Enslaic for campaign purposes.

Eurozic: This is not so much a language in itself as it is a group of dialects that have been given a common name. This term is used to describe the various dialects spoken by the many tribes of orcs and gnolls, although there appears to be considerable regional variation. A half-orc may choose this as their native language. Any reference to “Orcish” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Eurozic for campaign purposes.

Gorovlic: This language is spoken by the inhabitants of the Gorovlic Isles. Although most inhabitants of these islands are peaceful people, it has become closely associated with piracy and has established itself as the “common tongue” among seamen. It is also the basic language of the great halfling trading companies, and is commonly spoken by halflings of a mercantile bent everywhere. Reference to "Halfling" as a language in any source material should commonly be treated as a reference to Gorovlic for campaign purposes except in those cases where Ahaliat or Tozlan would be more appropriate.

Hallitsijaic: In an effort to weld their disparate subjects into a single unified empire, several centuries ago the Hallitsijainen attempted to replace the many tongues spoken in their dominions with a common language. Hallitsijaic was the result of this effort. It is, in many ways, a stripped down version of Kansattish, which makes it easier for a non-native speaker to learn the language. Unfortunately, in the stripping down process, several things were lost that make it very difficult to use the language to discuss or expound upon various complex topics. Consequently, despite widespread usage of Hallitsijaic, Kansattu remained in common use throughout their Empire.

Jattalaic: Jattalaic is the racial language of giants. It is the native tongue of most giants, although frost giants speak Nordlish as often as they speak this tongue. It is somewhat related to Kansattish, and it is possible that someone able to speak only Kansattish could communicate very basic ideas to a Jattalaic listener, although that would likely require significant patience on the part of both parties. Any reference to “Giant” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Jattalaic for campaign purposes.

Jedlic: This tongue, composed of a handful of closely related dialects, is spoken in many disparate areas as a result of the ancient migrations of the Jedinlide people. The largest concentrations of speakers are found in Calder, Elizon, Hatalom, Ranska, Roholukraz, Saksa, Zeme, and some regions of the Hallitsijaic Empire. Due to its widespread usage, it is quite common for an individual to be conversant in this language.

Kansattish: This language is spoken by the inhabitants of Isakoti and the rest of the Hallitsijaic Empire, and is commonly used in Polþia and Elizon. Individuals from those areas speak this language as their native tongue, and some inhabitants of the Freeholds learn it to communicate with travelers from those lands.

Karstish: Although this language is spoken in the goblin kingdom of Karst, it did not originate there, but is rather a common language used by goblinoid tribes across the Three Worlds. Any reference to “Goblin” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Karstish for campaign purposes.

Menævish: The language spoken in Menævia, it is a language mostly unrelated to Rhadynnic or Sorglish, but due to the relatively open flow of trade between that nation and many of the Freeholds (despite the presence of the Polþian Swamps), it is not an uncommon tongue to learn. This language was also spoken by the inhabitants of Yle, before the destruction and depopulation of that kingdom resulting from the arrival of the Blight.

Minzoku: The Minzoku language is spoken in Owarikawa and the various Minzoku Republics surrounding it. Due to the relative isolation of these nations, and their insular culture, speakers of this language would be almost unheard of in the Freeholds.

Naceadan: This language is the native tongue of the inhabitants of Oropais. Although that land is quite distant from the Freeholds, because it was once part of the Sky Empire, it is reasonably common to find individuals who can speak this tongue in the other parts of the former Empire, including the Freeholds.

Nårsprache: Nårsprache is the native language of the dwarven inhabitants of the Aidake Mountains far to the east near Roholukraz. Although it is descended from the same root language as Zwurish and Anfagen Zwurish, it has diverged significantly from those two and is unintelligible to a non-speaker. Due to the xenophobic nature of the Aidake dwarves, they rarely speak the language outside of their mountain homes and virtually never teach the language to anyone from the outside, including other dwarves. It is the native language of the Aidake dwarves, but it would be almost unheard of for anyone else to speak it at all.

Nordlish: This is the primary language spoken in Langjord, Kysthjem, Midtenjord, and the human kingdoms found on both the Dekkulde and Sjorover Islands. Characters from those regions speak this language as their native tongue. It is loosely related to Desprache, and many Dekkulde Islanders speak both languages.

Pilosian: Although there are apparently many different languages spoken within the feuding alvari city-states and principalities of the Pilosian Sea, this language is the dominant tongue used in that area. It might be learned by a character that has had contact with traders from the Pilosian Sea, but since the language is completely different from any tongue spoken in the Freeholds, it can be a difficult tongue for natives to master. This is the native language of any alvari characters.

Quolin: Scholars generally agree that either Quolin or Sûlic is the oldest spoken language in the Three Worlds, although there is considerable disagreement as to which one came first. Either way, Quolin is the original, ancient, and rarely spoken language of the alvari. Very few use it in every day conversation now, but it is of interest both because many ancient books and inscriptions are written in this tongue and it is used as the liturgical language of the priesthood of Yng.

Rhadynnic: This language is the primary tongue spoken in the remnants of the Rhadynnic Sky Empire, and is commonly spoken in the Freeholds. Characters from any of the Rhadynnic kingdoms speak this language as their native tongue, and characters from the Freeholds may choose this language as their native tongue instead of Sorglish.

Sakti: Sakti, also known as the "spirit tongue" is a language common to the shamanistic leaders of the khülen. It is a difficult language to learn, since many of the sounds used are specifically suited to the khülen palate and outsiders find it difficult to achieve any fluency with the tongue. It is rare that anyone other than a khüen to learn to speak Sakti, but among the shifters, it serves as a common language.

Sorglish: Sorglish is the common language spoken in the Freeholds. Loosely related to both Rhadynnic and Nordlish, this language illustrates just how much of a crossroads the Freeholds are. Any reference to “Common” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Sorglish for campaign purposes.

Sûlic: This language is commonly spoken by dragons and all of the the reptilian races including lizardfolk and kobolds. Any reference to “Draconic” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Sûlic for campaign purposes.

Tozlan: This is the primary language spoken in Camocim and the surrounding areas of the Tozlu Desert. It might be learned by a character that had contact with traders from the Camocim, but since the language is completely different from any tongue spoken in the Freeholds it is a difficult tongue to master.

Zwursprache: This is the native language of the continental dwarves and is the native language of all dwarvish characters from Felsreich, Ostreich, or Stenigreich. It is not uncommon for non-dwarven characters living in or near those nations to learn this language and there is no particular impediment to doing so if a suitable teacher can be found. Any reference to “Dwarvish” as a language in any source material should be treated as a reference to Zwursprache for campaign purposes. It is closely related to Anfagen Zwursprache, and distantly related to Desprache and Nårsprache.

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