Battle Speech

Often in Korathasesu, many of the words vital to a heated situation are very lengthy. These words are very unsuited to the fast pace of battle, and over time several clans developed popular systems for shortening the words. Korathasesu scholars often attribute the presence of battle speeches, which varied wildly between clans, as the main reason Korathasesu itself was remarkably standard amongst clans. Since a clan’s battle speech would be the most frequently used form of communications, it became specialized to the clan. However, Korathasesu could be used between clans for communication, for occasions when a new member wished to join, or on the rare occasions when a trade deal was made. While almost all Korathae take pride in knowing standard Korathasesu, Korathae historically have been fond of the diversity of their battle speeches. battle speech is not for most daily words; most battle speech vocabularies are very limited.

Many of these forms of battle speech, known as aliikon in Korathasesu, gained popularity during their time periods. The most famous of the include…

Keseneva: A comparatively strict and comprehensive form of battle speech spoken in Korath and other Kesevana settlements. Aliikon take keseneva is still used today as a shorthand in many regions or as a casual speech in certain ones.

Kuby: A purposed driven speech with strengths in clear rules for reducing words. Effective at reducing words without complex strategies. Many forms of Kuby evolved naturally; these usually have little to no minor variations and are classified as aliikon take kuby take OTHER DIALECT. Kuby battle speech refers to the main tenets of Kuby-class battle speeches.

Tikonamary: A strange battle speech spoken exclusively in the Eastern reaches of the main continent. Its main weakness is its complexity; it is almost another language. Its strength is its indecipherability. Outsides very rarely understand Tikonamary unless they were raise with it. Scholars argue to classify Tikonamary as its own language; however, it’s vocabulary nowhere near close enough to be classified as a full-fledged language on Iiveaktei.

Meriis: A obsolete battle dialect that was very popular in the beginning of the Second Age, of Malit. It is known for the softer sounds and odd pronunciation that made it a very good sneaking language.

Nok tok: Little is known about nok tok, except that it enjoyed significant attention in the middle of the First Age, of Fasafiin thanks to the spread of ferocious clan Nothok, and that it was very difficult to learn.

Korsu: A more modern Battle Speech used less for battle and more for easy and casual daily interactions. It does not focus on battle words, but instead on most Korathasesu root words over 5 syllables, and all over 7. While very easy to learn, it does create some confusion with similar words. Created very recently, it has spread rapidly and spawned other modern ‘battle’ speeches.

Modesty and The Three Wants

Velsniil saku liil istalet vir mor istalettasu giil.

• She is the type of person who wants three wants.

Gets saku vistalae.

• He is a person who wants three wants.

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“Eset fasasu savonvonae istaletvyn vir istaletatasu: navor, navorarkvyn, shiip sepoto.”

• A good clansperson wants three wants: life, living, and death.

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“Iissessistalet vir mor istaletatasu thal iiriik kapiin sadanark neme mor ekonnem.”

• Do not want three wants if you can hold four swords.

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In Korathae culture, both modesty and arrogance are considered negative. A person should be able to understand and clearly state or explain their capabilities. Both modesty are arrogance are considered weak and foolish.

However, as with all things, there are degrees to Korathae culture. The best way to describe the concept of modesty is through an old Korathae idiom:

istalet vir mor istaletatasu/istalettasu

or:

istalet vir istaletatasu/istalettasu

which roughly translates to “want three wants”.

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The phrase “want three wants” comes from an old Korathae folk tale about a First Age, of Fasafiin fighter. He,unlike the rest of clan, would only ever take three things from defeated clans: their siipiindyl (a grain-like, rice-like berry. Eaten and cooked like rice. Very bitter, does not perish easily. Abundant), a single iikon (a very short sword. More akin to a dagger. A stabbing weapon), and a third item which varies between a runser (type of tough shoe best for thorny plains), a tyber (a hat designed to shield eyes from the sun), or a halyr (a type of small shield that can attach to an ekon and act as a wrist guard.). His clanmates either took many trophies, as they felt was their right, or none, as they felt the items still belonged to the dead. The tale goes on to describe that with many items, a person would be trapped in one place, and would be in danger. With no items, a person would be unprepared. It tells that it is much better to be like the fighter, who “…took only three items. Who wanted only three wants.”

This tale probably became popular during the ending of the first and only major quasireligious upheaval during the middle Second Age, of Malit. It is typical of a tale of that time, in that it denounces both the traditional fighting society and the new pacifistic society as they appear in the form of the fighter’s clanmates. Furthermore, this is approximately when tybers began use. Prior to this time period, tybers were known as kalypul and were a part of a weapon.

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It is not a compliment to be called a person who wants three wants; it is not an insult either. This is typically the way to describe someone who is modest, without calling them weak. It is a trait, and is not usually a more desirable one. It is not a negative trait either.

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A vistalae is a person who wants three wants.

I want and Old Korathian

Everybody wants something, and Korathae are no different. The Korathasesu word for want has roots deep in Old Korathian. Though very little remains of Old Korathian, the etymology for the word want is fairly well-documented.

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The Korathasesu word for want is istalet. This is mutated from Old Korathian istaviyl-varstaviel, and from the Old Korathasesu word -leitonon, which meant purpose. istaviyl-leitonon deformed into istalet.

Interestingly enough, the second half of istavyl-varstaviel also mutated into a Korathasesu word.

-varstaviel deformed into astaver somewhere around the middle of the First Age, of Fasafiin, as Old Korathian morphed into Korathasesu. It was a noun, and probably meant chosen or desired. It was not a very commonly used word. However, around the end of the First Age, of Fasafiin, it either combined with another unknown word or deformed, and became savityr.

In current times, the word is known as savetyr . Savetyr means passion.

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Not much is known about why Old Korathian disappeared from usage. Scholars suspect some kind of disaster which would have destroyed the trees where messages were written. Fossil records indicate a severe change in the diet of shusana and other tree leaf eaters around the middle of the First Age, of Fasafiin, which might indicate such as disaster. However, there is little other evidence, and the mystery of why Old Korathian, its structure, and its spellings disappeared will probably remain a mystery.

The letters ae and ii are both Old Korathian letters which remained in Korathasesu because of the prominence in very important words, like aena, or iikaenavor.

The Ages of the Korath

The Korath believe there are five central ages of time and history. These ages are ingrained in the Korath creationary myth, and are each named after the five Shelters of Spirit. A belief in the ages is one of the few beliefs that most Korathae share, and it has guided Korathae thinking through all ages.

The Five Ages, and Shelters of Spirit:

1. The First Age, of Fasafiin
2. The Second Age, of Malit
3. The Third Age, of Kendar
4. The Forth Age, of Lupiis
5. The Fifth Age, of Rikun

Currently, Korath is in the Third Age, of Kendar. When writing the Age of Korath, the name of the age and the number of the age must be written. It is not enough to simply say the Forth Age or the age of Fasafiin.

The Five Ages, and Shelters of Spirit are written in Korathasesu as:

1. Fasafiintov Setkesu Niilato
2. Malitov Henikesu Niilato
3. Kendartov Virkesu Niilato
4. Lupiistov Nemekesu Niilato
5. Rikuntov Otokesu Niilato

In other words, each age is written as Fasafiin’s First Age, and so on. Niilato is not a measure of time, but is the word used to define however long each age happened to last. It has no set limit or minimum.

In addition, some Korathae believe in the Rikuntov Epriikesu Niilato, or the Zeroth Age, of Rikun. It is said that in this age there was both horrible chaos and unimaginable calm, a time when Korath was constantly shifting between death and life, brutality and gentleness, reality and falsehoods. Of course, in these legends, the times of peace were rare. The Rikuntov Epriikesu Niilato is the closest approximation that the Korath belief system comes to Hell. In the Shelter of Spirit story, Rikun is the ender of ages, a figure who will end the current cycle of time and change Korath forever. Could it be that Rikun is the start of the ages too?

…of course not…

Proverb Breakdown Translation and Note

“There exists nothing truly unknown, only things we don’t know”

-Forufala Shiik

Raw 0: Akusesvyn (Existing/Exists) rikaela (No thing) vediit (which) vektoves (possesses) iissessaku (existence outside reality) , sevla (only) kaelanem (items) ifepaeves (who’s) forukem (knowable knowledge) nemae (we) iissestoves (unpossess).

Raw 1: Exists nothing which has existence outside of reality, only things who’s knowledge we don’t have.

Raw 2: Nothing exists which is out of reality*, only things we don’t have knowledge of.

Final: There exists nothing truly unknown, only things we don’t know.

*A context translation.

Note: This proverb is very old. It dates from the First Age, of Fasafiin. To modern Korathae, it reads as Shakespeare does to people today. For instance, saku does not have such a literal meaning anymore, and now only means ‘is’. Furthermore, as the raw translations will show, the grammar and context of the vocabulary is very different than modern syntax.