Crusthoulian Caterwaul

Investigated Procedures 101: Learn Adversary's Language

Crooked Mile Valley    Cirsea Isles      Crusthoulian Caterwaul

During the months before reaching the conclusion he is going to die on Cirsea Isles, Milo Klein, Paleoseismologist has plenty of time to research the Orfiens and the Cirsea Crusthoulians species. The creatures communicate only with their shadowed assistants. Milo recognizes there is some form of response between them when life changes in the Dead Holler Dig. He is sure that his colleagues were murdered by deceased Orfiens for no reason. Orfiens are punished by the gods. Cathaleen Garamund research indicates the group at fault is the Shadows. Orfiens believes the Shadows are their divines and the Crusthoulians are Orfien gods. The The Order of Shadows of the Shadows sacrifices corpses to the Crusthoulians during ritual services. They sorely need the cadavers when arriving ships no longer venture to the islands.

Clay Envelopes by ROD w/Midjourney

Use of am spoken language is what separates the Orfiens and the Crusthoulians. Even from a distance hid behind a rock wall, Milo can hear the Crusthoulians speak aloud to Shadows. Milo begins recording their gestures. Many speakers use their hands to express themselves, and their grunts. He also sees them pass clay envelopes to each other. That means one of the two groups knows how to use a pictograph language similar to cuneiform. To keep himself busy during the day, he begins collecting broken pieces of engraved clay. Before long he can use his chart to write and count with their base 10 system. The Shadows, who were once condemned human cult members use the numbering system they are most familiar with using. It is likely the Crusthoulians do not care. They are simply looking for food, dead snail housing and power over the Orfiens, that they consider inferior cadavers.
When he finishes with his study he binds it with samples, and he adds it to his trunk of artifacts, knowing that at some point, a researcher will find his work. Ten years later in 1907, the Crooked Mile Circle Members Circle did.

Writing System

Milo concentrates on the writing system that he can decipher. While hundreds of envelopes are left laying on the grounds, finding a clay envelope intact resolves his issue of translating the marks to text. If the Crusthoulian or Shadow points to an envelope, and then leaves it behind, Milo considers it a successful day. Once he becomces comfortable with lurking behind rocks, he decides to throw a pebble into a conversation to distract the speakers. Crushoulians are wary of loud noises. They take on predator or prey characteristics and forget about their mission. The Shadows, who convince the Crusthoulians they are in control, complain about the crab's inability to focus.

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Phonology

Milo knows the Shadows speak Mukpian mukp (mukp /muk͡p/). Before he manages to escape, they informed him. He is astonished by the Crusthoulians' collection of utterable phrases while watching them communicate. The Shadows use a unique slang when speaking, blending words together, but they also have formal conversations with ship captains and investors who engage in illegal trading after the only remaining port closes.
The evolved Crusthoulians, believed to be gods by the ghouls and tourists, learn to read and speak Mukpian, or at least a few phrases using grunts. The grunts are clear enough to recognize. The Shadows convince the Orfiens that the Crusthoulian species are gods of their Islands.

Vocabulary

Milo doesn't intend to learn Mukpian, the language he coins. He desires sufficient knowledge of their language and communication methods to assess the nature of their business and its potential threat to nearby nations. With the extensive amount of lore he's been exposed to, he can't determine the veracity of stories he reads, before leaving. The primary focus of his interest is the vocabulary in context.
Milo utilizes a daily reminder list. His constant hunger and thirst for fresh water, combined with fear from the sights he sees, hinders his concentration.

Study List:

• Associate words with existing knowledge and concepts. It will aid his comprehension of the two cultures he overheard.
• Link words with personal experiences, images, and feelings.
• Use different writing and drawing to record the speaker’s context. Pay close attention to the actions of the speakers. Start by mastering a repeated group of words or sentences. Recite Crusthoulian grunts and the Shadows’repetitive responses.

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Structural Markers

Due to its significance to both the Shadows and the Crusthoulians, the simplicity of the grunt language restricts Milo's study to essential language markers. Rarely do the Crusthoulians make use of the he, haw, hum markers. The Shadows ignore the grunts uttered by the Crusthoulians.
Shadows, in their effort to save their language and to speak with living humans, use structural markers, sentence word order, and syntax. These concerns do not interest Milo. Aware of his decline, he seeks to uncover the meaning behind the marks and grunts. The phrases he learns, grunted by the Crusthoulians and recorded are repeated. They eat every morsel of food, bits of snail shelter and and Orfien adoration they don't earn without needing a larger vocabulary.

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