Krultac

Language of lizardmen and dragons


When the Lizardmen arrived in Trakar in the 650s, the humans of Orwin and Oret made attempts at peaceful contact with the newcomers. During these early efforts, they discovered that the reptilians spoke a strange, harsh language all of their own. Many of them managed to pick up Norton, and it was this language that was used to communicate in the early days. Among themselves, the lizardmen use it exclusively. The lizardmen maintained that their language was the mother-tongue of all reptiles, and was taught to their ancestors by the lords of Dragonkind; a claim regarded as fatuous in the time before the Invasion when there were believed to be no dragons remaining in known Alair.

When written, Krultac is represented by different depressions in a clay tablet made by the claws of a lizardman. The tablets are then baked if the writing is to be kept.

As far as can be established, Krultac was Varkar Barduric's native tongue. When the Invasion happened, and he recruited the lizard race as his elite troops, Krultac was the language used for communication at the command levels in the dragonarmy. As the lizardmen's power waxed in Varkar's service, they spread the use of Krultac across the northern lands of Alair.

One of the improvements under the Dragon was the introduction of a more practical written form. Based on the original shaped marks, it can now be written easily with a pen - or a lizard claw dipped in ink - on parchment or paper.

Since the Slaying, Krultac has remained in use in areas still under Kin control, and of course in the deep Trakar, but is being abandoned where the Dragonarmies have been overthrown. One exception to this is Dalaghendor, where it used along with Norton and occasionally elvish.


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