One of the main challenges we face when discussing a medieval or archaic fantasy fictional universe, or a very large universe with many worlds like Harbinger of the Ancestors, is the language barrier between the characters themselves.
There is no technology to translate dialogues—no protocol droids, no device that allows us to learn a language at will.
Some franchises refer to a common tongue, widely spoken across all nations and countries. I think it’s a practical solution, especially if the focus of the fictional universe isn’t placed on cultural or linguistic differences.
We can always rely on magic. Dungeons and Dragons gives us the spell “Tongues,” which allows the user to understand any language they hear, and for everyone who hears them to understand what they say. I find it marvelous because, while it may be an easy way out, it’s an extremely simple solution.
Ideally, I would use both elements, especially if we aim for narrative fluency. It’s like watching an edited interview where the interviewer speaks English and the interviewee speaks Korean, yet they converse as if they understood each other perfectly.
In my case, to justify the dissemination of a common language in Harbinger of the Ancestors, I created the Shadár Convention, an agreement held in the city of the same name to unify the language of the Ordolite Empire.
History of the Convention
In the year 771 after the Great Darkness, the city of Shadár, located in the world of Ördol, proposed the adoption of a single language to be used as the common tongue among all the nations that were gradually forming the Ordolite Empire.
Shadár claimed to be one of the few cities to have survived the Great Darkness. Although it wasn’t a powerful nation, many of its inhabitants had effectively isolated themselves and set out to rebuild their city. In the absence of tangible remnants or real knowledge about life before the Great Darkness, thousands of fables and legends can be heard about Shadár.
The restoration took centuries, during which Shadár rose as a power governed by a tripartite monarchy. Each of the three monarchs was chosen from the city’s oldest and most powerful families, though influential families began to emerge throughout the kingdom as it expanded.
Each family had its own method for selecting their heir, and the kings were then elected through a voting system that laid the foundation for an early democracy.
At the time of the convention, the monarchs were Lüdir of the Elnïri, Ädena of the Madïni, and Neíra of the Anatävi.
It was Ädena who proposed implementing and exporting the ancient Shadäri language to be used as a common language among all known nations. Her family hadn’t held a seat on the thrones for two generations, and with this, Ädena sought to restore the audacity and firmness of past generations. It was necessary to distance herself from the stances that had caused her family to lose its seat.
Lüdir was the first of his family to reach the throne and decided to support the Madïni’s project, not only to avoid conservative positions but to align with his family’s tradition. For generations, the Elnïri had been dedicated to exploration and diplomacy, which had brought much prestige to Shadár.
Neíra was initially opposed to the project. Her family hadn’t lost their seat on the thrones for over ten generations, so her stance was conservative and protectionist.
In Shadár, decisions had to be made unanimously by the three monarchs, and Neíra’s opposition put the project at risk. Eventually, the charisma and diplomacy of the Elnïri managed to convince most of the Anatävi. Lüdir’s goal was to prevent wars between families and the use of treacherous or dishonest tactics.
The First Convention
Finally, in the year 771, preparations began for the Convention. Envoys from all nations and races of the known worlds were invited to Shadár to participate, with the goal of promoting the use of a common language, capable of fostering diplomacy among the survivors of the Great Darkness.
Thousands of volunteers signed up to contribute to the project. Some were assigned as envoys to travel to countless destinations, and for a year, they were trained by the Elnïri explorers in the various customs, languages, and dialects of the other kingdoms.
At the same time, a group of prodigious scholars was selected to compile the grammar of Shadäri. Another group of academics was assigned to create dictionaries to translate the most influential languages and dialects into Shadäri.
Finally, fourteen years later, with the reign of the three monarchs nearing its end, the First Shadár Convention was held, lasting from 785 to 792 due to the endless pilgrimage of envoys arriving in the city.
In early 786, new monarchs from the same families were elected. Äldir of the Elnïri, Qöndar of the Madïni, and Teýla of the Anatävi were the successors and dedicated themselves to continuing the work of their predecessors and maintaining the Convention.
At the end of the prolonged gathering, the monarchs planned a new mission of envoys to further spread Shadäri, which embarked in 795.
Evolution of Shadäri Abroad
From that time until the year 1800, many years after the tripartite monarchy system fell out of use, it became customary for scholars and linguists to make pilgrimages to Shadár.
After 1800, these pilgrimages began to decrease in number until visits to Shadár became only sporadic journeys.
In 2300, a group of scholars from the city of Actubrion, in the realm of Khäria, decided to revive the tradition to prevent the common language from falling into oblivion. After thousands of years, Shadäri had evolved according to each region, to the point where the original language was spoken in its purest form only in a few corners of the known worlds.
Since then, every ten years there has been an alternation between two events: the pilgrimage to Shadár by scholars and linguists from the worlds, and the exodus of academics from the city to various destinations within the known worlds.
This custom has remained alive for hundreds more years, successfully preserving the common tongue used by most merchants, travelers, and adventurers during their journeys.
Shadäri in the Ordolite Empire
Within the empire, Shadäri began incorporating elements from the various dialects and languages that were annexed to Ördol.
Although Shadár was never the capital, it became a kind of cultural center for the empire, a status that shifted depending on the influence of the most powerful nation at the time. One of the defining characteristics of the Ordolite Empire is its nature as a nation of nations. It is not a single power that rules over the rest but rather a council of countries united by one fundamental element: the Ordolite Portals.
Wherever there is a Portal, the empire has a presence. Although subject to the Grand Ordolite Senate, each nation retains its own internal governments, and therefore its own state policies.
Over the centuries, the leading powers that have formed the empire have fluctuated, and this has been reflected in the evolution of the common language. To the point that, today, this common tongue is no longer called Shadäri but Ördolin.