<< and where does Auld Wyrmish come in?
Good question. In RQ1 & 2 it was the human learnable form of the Dragonnewt and Wyrm language(s). By RQ3 Greg had decided that the language could not be written since most of it was like a sign language with sounds most humans couldn't make, so Auld Wyrmish became a spoken only language. The Orlanthi of EWF had to have an operation to split the brain and tongue, and then had to learn to dance before they could really learn Wyrmish (KoS).
Several of the old modules list scrolls in Auld Wormish, but it is probably better to change them to EWF Sartarite instead. Bob >>
My own version of Pavic/Old Pavic is this and languages spoken there is this:
First settlers of Robcradle were Jrusteli allied with Pure Horse People.
Pavis himself was, presumably, one of the Middle Sea Empire types (I'll
ignore the Aldyami connection at the moment). His Cradlesnatching
parents/buddies run away to Adari, the Port of Sog (now Sog's Ruins) and
other places when Waha and Paragua smash Robcradle. Pavis eventually goes to
the EWF, befriends a Mostali, learns Draconic (presumably) and then comes
back with assorted allies, including a fair number of Pure Horse People led
by their Not-So-Pure Horse Khan, Joraz Kyrem. Learning Draconic was easy in
those days; have your brain and tongue slit in two, or something similar; a
'magical' language that either
a:helped you to think draconic
or
b: that you could speak draconic if you thought draconic.
Either way, Wyrmish talking Pavis rebuilds Robcradle with his Wyrmish talking Friends, his Mostali speaking dwarf workers, his Pure Horse (a Pentan dialect?) speaking cavalry and horse herders, and his old Jrusteli Robcradle Exiles, returned to start plundering the Cradles. I think that soon after this a load of Safelster rebels could easily have been sold to Pavis as slaves (by the Godlearner Monks in Ralios). I also note at this point that Joraz Kyrem was a man of Issaries, so presumably Tradetalk was spoken: if nothing else, all these different people needed to understand each other. When the EWF ended people magically forgot how to speak Auld Wyrmish. I think that the 25% limit has only been in place since the end of the EWF. Anyway, it was more than just a language. Elegant Pavic citizens suddenly had to communicate using only the crude mouth noises (called speech) that they had used before they had learnt Auld Wyrmish.
Going back to Joraz Kyrem, man of the Sun and of Issaries, Khan of the Pure Horse People, Captain of the Zebra Cavalry, Lord of the City of Pavis, founder of the ruling Dynasty, we see that he is pretty important, and I suggest that Pure Horse People (and their descendants the Zebra Cavalry) were the most populous segment of the population. This leads to a speech that is heavily influenced by Auld Wyrmish, which everyone (at least the EWF immigrants from Dragon Pass) used to 'speak' (communicate with) all the time, by Pentan which the majority of the population, the military, the local nomads would speak, and Jrusteli/Seshnegi for the sea traders, sorcerors, and the like. Then also, a Ralian slave poulation with their own dialects. So Old Pavic seems a mish mash. Clearly Pure Horse would lack a lot of terms for seas, trade, sorcery, business, technology. Jrusteli would nicely fill this gap. Draconic words would suit religion and philosophy. Flintnailers would know a few Mostali Masonry words.
When everything goes really badly wrong (ie the oceans close, the Port of Sog gets stranded inland (presumably with other refugees from all over the west fleeing to Pavis), Jaldon appears and besieges the city for ages, etc etc the citizens of Pavis find a common enemy which unites them and their dialects.
So Old Pavic/Pavic (I agree that they are the same language) is, IMO, a language that uses Theyalan grammar (because the EWFers who relied on Auld Wyrmish the most reverted to Theyalan), has a lot of Pentan loan words relating to social status and rank, the military, horses obviously(and zebras), terrain, weather, Jrusteli words relating to technology, sea trade, and other specialist subjects, and Draconic words and expressions for religion, philosophy and other weird stuff.
The aldryami connection I still don't quite get, I'm thinking about it.
I will now go and read Jane Williams' site on the subject and see if any of this agrees.
Keith N
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #138
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