Ancient
"What is it," Soren asked, peering at the etches and lines engraved into the wall. "A long-forgotten language from a long-lost time," Kadrisa replied, running her talons along the ancient stone. As she pulled her hands away they were caked in dust. "It's a language fittingly called ancient. All of its speakers are dead, gone for thousands of years, but it does make a good code for those who want to hide their messages in plain sight."A virtually-extinct language outside of academic circles, Ancient is a primitive hieroglyphic system that was at one time a dominant language for primordial Avani. Though it is believed to have been spoken almost across the globe in its time, it is now found only in crumbling scrolls and dust-covered structures that jut out of the dirt. It has no living speakers. However, among some groups (such as both the Order of light and the The Watchful ) the language has found use as a cypher for secret messages.
Hidden Messages
Due to its completely archaic nature, the written language of Ancient is unrecognizable to the average birdfolk. Most dismiss its glyphic characters outright as simply crude drawings and art. This makes it an useful method of communication for cultists, secretive organizations, underground resistances, and anarchist groups. With it they can disguise hidden messages in plain sight among seemingly-innocuous notes and keep their strategies, plans, and other important items out of the talons of the authorities. However, it is actually most commonly used by The Watchful, a group with few malicious intentions but have beliefs that clash with scientific and historical consensus. They predominantly use Ancient symbols to mark allies, meeting locations, supply caches, and other useful intelligence in plain sight. This helps adherents to coordinate with others of their group and stay safe from public shame/ridicule.Geographical Distribution
At one point the language spanned the globe. However, it went into steep decline during a population collapse in northern Alvana caused by the The Century of Winter. It never recovered and eventually ceased to exist. Its closest contemporary descendent is probably Azina, due to a lack of linguistic cross-contamination.
Phonetics
Unknown, and will likely never be known. It is safe to say that the spoken form of the language is forever lost to the winds of time.
Spoken by
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