Languages & Idioms

Common

A centralized language popularized by humans spreading across the plane, but accepted readily by most civilisations. Phonetically akin to English, the only main notable features that set it apart from it's real-life counterpart is the mish-mash of idioms and sayings from other languages.

Idiom	Meaning
Can’t see the bottom of an empty mug	Drunk
Like pissin’ in a wicker basket	Impossible/Useless
Kenku see-Kenku do	One who imitates without understanding
By the Sun/Void!	Interjection of extremely happy/disgusted surprise, respectively
Grab the dwarf by the beard	Start a fight for no good reason
Tin-cuppa	A bar too rowdy to use glassware
Crusties	Undead
Rusties	Warforged
Not here to drink dragon wine	Here to drink cheap, low quality liquor
Could wilt the ears off an elf	Very strong liquor
Growing scales on his ass	Acting uncharacteristically strong or brave
Got the charm of a succubus/incubus	Charming or overtly sexy female/male
Crown	Slang for a gold coin
Too many crowns and not enough headroom	More money than sense
Wear his crown on his seat shiner	An idiotic authority figure
Melt some metal	Splurge or spend extravagantly
Dusting coffers	Very poor, in debt
Good news for the doctor is bad news for the Undertaker	A matter of perspective
You ought to/Hold your sword by the hilt	Keep it simple, stupid.
You’ll never know the length of a vein until you mine it	You never know until you try
At night, be the shadows	When in Rome
You could sharpen an axe on his head	When someone is really stubborn
If you don’t have a dog, hunt with a cat	Make the best of your situation
Leave your temple in the village	Don’t exaggerate
Don’t praise the day before the evening	Don’t take things for granted too early on
Even squirrels can fall from trees	Sometimes even experts are wrong
Don’t jump ditches the long way	Don’t do things the hard way
Don’t start the house with the roof	You need to do things in the right order
They have more wool than a lamb	Someone is RICH
Never request more than one song from a bard	Don’t push your luck
Flies can't enter a closed mouth	Stop talking
The splinter is part of the branch	Like father, like son

Dwarvish

A thickly-accented language of hard consonants and an expansive vocabulary. Dwarvish sounds harsh and utilitarian, with a variety of nouns and verbs built to precisely describe a variety of situations. Dwarvish words tend to build upon one another; if "ae" is gold and "tharn" is love, then love of gold is "aetharn." Similarly, if "arau" is large and "glor" is lake, then the ocean is "arauglor." The Dwarvish script is derived from Giant runes discovered deep underground; as such, Dwarvish runes and speech retain some measure of magical power.

Idiom	Meaning
Fire in my beard!	Interjection of surprise or horror
By Hamrongeid's hammer!	Interjection of surprise (Hamrongeid is Dwarven for the Smith god)
Swinging true	Something that ‘sounds right’
Clay-headed / mud-headed	Pejorative for ignorant, naive, or stupid
Sharp as a fresh pick	Clever or efficient
Like twice drank ale	Something that tastes terrible; the implication is that one drank ale, then pissed, then drank it again
Like folding stone	Something impossible
Like sorting gold from gophers	Something trivial/easy
Like a two-ton Auroch	Big and/or strong
So long as Aevilog burns bright	Forever (Aevilog is an eternal flame that powers all dwarven forges)
Even a wet stone is dry on the inside	Encouragement to withstand hardship
You can mine the biggest mountains	Nothing is impossible
A bit of heat coaxes the steel	One can encourage or motivate using threats
Even a dull/goblin axe can kill	Make do with what you have, don’t underestimate threats
Mixing honey in my mead	Acting obsequiously, or trying to use excessive flattery
Serving mud in a mead hall	Making an egregious or stupid mistake/being dishonest
No hammer’s too big to hit	Anything can be overcome, no such thing as overkill
Landslides don’t ask directions	Be direct/no planning around disaster
Pissing steam/ Mad enough to piss steam	Very angry
Going up the tall side of the mountain	Doing things the hard way

Elvish

An elegant, flowing language with an almost musical quality, Elvish is derived from ancient Sylvan, with unique dialects for every pocket of elves across the planes. Elvish sounds like poetry and looks like calligraphy, and complex thoughts and feelings can often be expressed with a few simple, well-chosen phrases. While specific and accurate, the language itself is a florid poem.

Idiom	Meaning
Hunter’s Blood!	Vulgar Interjection of shock, surprise, indignation (Hunter is a deity sacred to most Elves)
On wilted ears	Hard of hearing, naive
Giving the dragon’s share	being stingy, telling half-truths
Poor Rooting	Pejorative for extremely low-born, either half elves or human (in Elven
When Illydri returns (to the light)!	Quite vulgar or taboo interjection, meaning never (Illydri were a despotic elven dynasty, banished and became drow)
Sacred Soul!	An interjection of praise and pleasant surprise (reference to Sublime Weave the coalescence of elven ancestral memory)
Ni Linn	Neutral term for non-elven races (typically other humanoids) (lit. ‘not us’)
Weaving Lilies	Selling an elaborate yet obvious fiction, being obsequious
Earn the envy of the songbirds	Beautiful
Visiting Giants	Daydreaming, concocting fantasies
Judging a tree by its bark	Making specious assumptions
An eagle by day, An owl by night	Use the right tools for the right occasion, act according to your strengths
A sleeping forest may have many eyes	Watch for unseen threats or eavesdroppers
Arrows in the wind	Subject to the whims of fate
May you outlast your sword!	A caution for the overconfident
By blade or by bow	Finding a solution no matter the problem
Fullest he that spares the hare	Mindfulness and compassion is better than self-indulgence
A whisper in the wind	Something going against great odds
Tongues like fangs	Using language that’s curt, insulting, or hostile
Hoofs but no horses	Something notable in its absence
More than one belly for an arrow	Don’t underestimate a foe (the side of a bow with the string is a ‘belly’)
Firing Dry	An attempt ending in embarrassing failure (no arrow released when firing a bow)
Stringing a bow after the hunt	Too late, should have planned ahead
Fletch-marked	Having a reputation for being bellicose or aggressive (implication that they’ve fired too many arrows and their bow is worn)

Gnomish

An odd, somewhat stilted language that sounds silly to many non-native races. In reality, Gnomish is a distant descendent of Sylvan and Giant, with a sing-songy tone and a high degree of precision. As opposed to Dwarvish, which combined existing words to represent new concepts, Gnomish boasts an enormous vocabulary of unique words for a variety of specific situations, forcing any non-native to learn an immense number of vocabulary words that differ by region.

Idiom	Meaning
Quit Braiding my ears!	Quit teasing me
Shiny	Something amazing that you like/ want
Building a burrow from the inside	Do tasks in the right order
Conjured Mead won't drink the same	Do things properly/thoroughly
Hair on all sides	A generally unpleasant situation
Get your eyes stuck on X	Become obsessed or stare at something
Gold for the tinsmith	Something so fancy, you wouldn't know what to do with it
Thinking in knots	Confused
Silence is a good friend (in dangerous times)	Being stealthy is a preferred stratagem
Longer than a gnome wedding	A very lengthy affair
Go sell it to the Lyres	Tell your unbelievable story to a bard and not me

Dragonborn

The Draconic language is a harsh, sibilant language primarily spoken by dragons, Dragonborn, and other reptile-adjacent creatures. Though unable to be spoken by most humanoids, the Draconic script has been used for centuries as the official language of arcane notation and spellcraft, often taught in wizarding schools but rarely used as a verbal language - much like Latin in the real world.

Idiom	Meaning
A Long winter makes a sweet wine	Endure hardship for later rewards
Done X more than you've got scales	Said by someone with a lot of experience
Look before you sneeze	Be cautious and courteous of others nearby
Tasting your own smoke	Being haughty and self-indulgent
A single bad grape won't spoil the wine	Look out for your neighbors, look on the bright side
Have scales of many colors	Be very open-minded and experienced
Don't let your breath burn your tongue	Don't act cocky
Tasting food in a story	Fantasizing about something you lack
You can't breathe two elements	Don't set expectations too high, focus on one task
A Dragon won't remember being an egg	You'll grow out of something
One wing fighting the other	When two parties cannot cooperate and make life harder for themselves
Dragons inviting a sheep to dinner	Taking advantage of someone
Like Egg, Like Scale	It’s hard to change oneself
Have claws harder than one’s scales	One who can’t take criticism
Frost breath won't uncook a chicken	What's done is done

Orc

A derivative of Giant, Orc is a harsh, rough-sounding language specific to the orcish tribes. Many confuse the language with Goblin, and the two languages do indeed share some overlap in their history. As orcs tend to hold a fierce oral tradition, there is very little in the way of orcish texts; however, some native scholars have found workarounds to preserve stories, discoveries, and laws. They use either a scratchy cuneiform-like text or the Dwarvish alphabet to represent their sounds, though the translation loses a significant amount of meaning without vocal cues and inflection.

Idiom	Meaning
Cowardice is no excuse to go on living	Don’t be a coward, It’s better to fail than to never try
An elf in the crosshairs	An obvious solution
Draw blades, draw blood	Only draw a weapon you intend to use
Even a dragon knows to look down	Be as humble as is practical
Fighting a dragon from the mouth down	Taking a position of strategic disadvantage
There’s more than enough blood to spill	Not caring about spilling a bit of blood as a means to an end, even though one may risk personal harm they feel confident in their success
Death is too late for X	I’s time for that person to die
Eating with the Nalashaddin	Engaging in unsavory or violent work
Fangs aren’t for speaking poems	There’s no point in mincing words
Axes aren’t for planting	Use the right tools for the job, what you can’t grow, steal
At least we can still bleed	An optimistic look at surviving a failure
Take off your own armor	Survive long enough to doff your armor, don’t let yourself become loot
Living on black broth	Subsisting on the bare minimum
Invaders fear only the poor	There’s no negotiating with somebody who has less than you
Wanting for dust in the desert	Never satisfied or living in extreme hardship
Borders grow a sword at a time	Progress occurs in small strides
It’s not a grave that contains my memory	Glorious deeds live on in stories, a life without these is not worth remembering anyway
A thousand swords makes one army	An army should fight as cohesively as possible
As easy as being surrounded	There are many possible solutions

Halfling

This soft, calm language is deceptively simple. In fact, the Halfling language might have a dozen words for simple concepts--such as varieties of cheeses, wines, and colors--but very little complexity in realms such as art and war. Most halflings speak Common just as well as their native tongue, so Halfling is reserved for communal gatherings, sharing stories around a fire, and enjoying the simple things in life. It's easy to pick up the words and cadence, but it's difficult to learn the casual attitude that marks a true Halfling speaker.

Idiom	Meaning
As the hawk flies	In a straight direction, ignoring terrain
Having turnips in your ears	Deaf or dumb
Knee high to a ram	Small or young
Fewer years than feathers	Having confidence in spite of inexperience, due to youth
Locking horns with a ram	Stubbornly sticking to an idea or path
Picking flowers in the briar patch	Seeing good in a bad situation or wasting time
Pitching a tent in the rain	Doing something too late or in inappropriate conditions
Living with one’s lips between the ‘skin and the pipe	Living a life of hedonistic luxury
Not a foot too big to rest by our fire!	Hospitality to other races
Footpatch	Hair on top of the feet, annoying
Getting briars/fleas in one’s footpatches	Getting anxious, restless or having wanderlust
Down to the fescue	Running low on resources (fescue is a grass that makes grazing animals sick)
Goblin in a goatskin	Being dishonest about your intentions
One sausage short of a farrow	Not having enough of something, usually because if wastefulness or impulsiveness
Making/sleeping in a grass bed	Getting kicked out of the family tent for shameful behavior
Trading skins	Moving to a new tribe because their totem matches your values better
Having skin that doesn’t fit	Not fitting in with the rest of the tribe, lacking core values

Goblin

A stern, barking language that has roots in Old Draconic, which was seen as the language of Authority in ages past. Goblin was built to convey orders and commands as quickly as possible. It is spoken most articulately by hobgoblins, who adhere to the careful grammar of Old Goblin no matter where they might be stationed. Bugbears and goblins are more likely to branch off and create dialects peculiar to their region, often drawing words from the native tongue to create mixed languages that more easily convey civilian concepts.

Undercommon

Undercommon has faint roots in ancient Elvish, Dwarvish, and Deep Speech, as drow, duergar, and aberrant societies were influential in its early development. It bears no relationship to Common except for its initial purpose--to serve as a trade language between a variety of coexisting species in the Underdark. As it is mostly spoken in regions of near-total darkness, the resulting language is a strange mishmash with a heavy focus on volume, vibration, and resonance--carrying more information and intention in its delivery than languages spoken in the light, where non-verbal cues do much of the heavy lifting.

Giant (Spoken)

Giant is one of the oldest languages in the world, full of deep, vibrating tones that most medium-sized humanoids find impossible to replicate. Though spoken by many large creatures such as trolls, ogres, and firbolgs, these versions of the language lack the inherent magical power of their ancient progenitor. When spoken by the massive lungs and vocal cords of true giants, the language takes on an inherently magical quality reminiscent of old Primordial.

Giant (Script)

Derived from Primordial, the Giants perfected the art of runes to create the most powerful pictographic language of all. These runes were first utilized during the Empire of Ostoria to great effect, allowing the giants to subjugate every other mortal civilization. The war with the Ancient Dragons resulted in many of these runes being obliterated, the language nearly lost to time. Today, these runes survive in their Dwarvish descendants or in deep, well-hidden caves ruins that serve as time capsules of the ancient empire.

Primordial

Arguably the first language ever to exist, Primordial is the language of the elements. Split into four dialects--Aquan, Ignan, Terran, Auran--Primordial is conveyed through sounds that mimic natural elemental noises. The bubbling of water, the roar of flame, a passing breeze--all of these sounds may convey basic concepts in a more fundamental way than other spoken languages. Non-elemental creatures who learn this language may find themselves poorly imitating natural noises in an attempt to roughly convey similar concepts.

Abyssal

The language of eternal chaos is scarcely a language at all; a collection of ugly noises that altogether sounds like a discordant melody. Abyssal is the chaotic twin of Primordial; while the other eventually settled into four unique dialects, Abyssal remains a nonsensical mess. It has no sentence structure or familiar grammar, and its script can be written and read in any direction. Its sound is inherently unpleasant and unsettling, and the very act of speaking it can damage mortal throats.

Celestial

The celestial language is harmony itself. Derived from the words of the gods, true Celestial often layers several harmonious messages on top of one another, making it nearly impossible to follow for all but the most trained ears. Non-natives or mortal creatures who speak Celestial can only convey one message at once, a pedestrian use of the language that many celestial creatures look down upon. To an untrained ear, even this spoken word is beautiful, full of round vowel sounds and a sing-song tone.

Infernal

The language of devils was originally pure, unchanged Celestial, as Asmodeus and his followers were initially a divinely-sanctioned force dedicated to battling demons. As the devils began to take the form of their fiendish enemies--red skin, horns, and an evil outlook--their language began to incorporate the harsh, authoritarian nature of Abyssal, as well. An unholy mix of the two languages now prevails, providing those fluent in Infernal the ability to understand bits and pieces of both roots. Infernal combines harmony and discord to create a language that is painful to speak simply by existing.

Sylvan

The language of the fey, and of nature itself. Sylvan is composed of too many sounds to count--everything from the flap of a butterfly's wing to the thunderous sound of a falling tree makes up the music of the world. Sylvan is painfully beautiful, the natural language of enchantment that is almost impossible to ignore. Those who hear Sylvan words experience sensations of nature and find themselves supernaturally drawn to listening to the speaker--with many beasts and plants almost powerless to avoid following the beautiful commands.

Deep Speech

The language of aberrations is actually a catch-all of the sounds made by the various creatures that breached the Material Plane centuries ago. A collection of horrid, impossible noises and a deep-seated feeling of wrongness mark any Aberrant language as Deep Speech, which follows no known rules of grammar or phonetics. There is no single unified language or script; comprehending this language tends to require an aberrant mind or the ability to understand languages through magic. The very act of hearing Deep Speech and attempting to comprehend it may drive a weak mind to madness as they struggle to make sense of the aberrant words.