Re: Query: Black Horse County language

From: Jeff <richaje_at_Dhkorh2hM8V0lPCJD1XMfxvvieiEYT6Zw9-8aiQ13kbuoX-QT1WOUKT2qgvQZlRTlxEN>
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 05:12:46 -0000

> Old Slontan is the liturgical language of the Atroxic Church and Black Horse County. Has this remained (to all intents and purposes) the spoken vernacular of the county?
>
> Or has the everyday spoken form evolved into a modified version of Old Slontan and/or been influenced by other languages?

Yes and no. Black Horse County has about 3000 residents in the small city of Muse Roost. This is Ethilrist, his wizards (the so-called "Church"), his demon-riders, and their households and servants. Ethilrist and his wizards speak Old Slontan, as do many (perhaps most) of the demon-riders. As you say, it is the language that the Atroxic wizardy uses.

However, surrounding Muse Roost are some 17,000 Vendref. Those are the folk who produce the food for Muse Roost and do most of the laboring. And they speak a Theyalan dialect closely associated to Sartarite and Tarshite. They worship Ernalda, Barntar, various vendref deities, and whatever strange entities the emissaries of the Lord of the Underworld tells them to. I've heard there is a vendref cult that offers propitiatory worship to Ethilrist.

FWIW, Ethilrist has not been in Black Horse County for centuries. Sir Ethilrist aided King Phargentes of Tarsh in his Marriage Quest (his services was the king's gift to the FHQ) and received rights to the Black Horse County from the Red Emperor (because it had a passage to the Underworld) - getting that recognition from the Emperor was far more important to Ethilrist than is generally understood.

Jeff