Inlára

Ínna keitis sira elënara, sira elëmóra. We speak where we live, where we survive.

— Isyrei saying

Inlára, or Isrei, is the sacred language spoken by the snow elven tribes of Iskaldhal. It is a secret and precious language to the snow elves, who often rely on its secrecy to communicate in urgent situations without revealing the truth of their plans to outsiders, and who consider it to be one of few gifts they alone were given by their progenitor-deity, Seren, in the desperate isolation of the frozen north.
The language strongly resembles Elven in its grammatical structure and in many of the root words it holds, but sufficient influence from a few ancient and very dead languages of humanity and the otherworldy grace Seren's light granted their words have seen it rendered utterly unintelligible to those who speak Elven. There is no shared dialect between the languages.

Haluíra Keitis by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

All snow elves learn Elven in addition to Inlára to keep hold of their connection to their distant kin, but this connection is one-way. Outsiders are not permitted to learn Inlára, elven or not, though those who have been accepted into any of the snow elven tribes may be granted permission to learn the language.
It is exceptionally rare for this to happen, due both to historical trauma and to the remote nature of snow elven civilisation.
While magic is able to translate Inlára, Seren's protection seems to trace the written form of its words to prevent them from being easily translated by linguists. Only those who speak the language with some manner of fluency may translate Inlára directly; others receive a translation, but cannot recall the original text when it has been translated.
This odd protection grants the language greater secrecy than languages such as that of the druids, which remain secret only through dedication and social stigma.

Supposed Origin

It's a bit fantastical for my liking.

— doubtful human on Inlára's origin

When the snow elves came to Iskaldhal, it was with precious little. Unprepared for the environment but stubborn and willing to try, they slowly forged a foothold in the places no others were foolish enough to settle into. Isolated from the other mortals and surviving through the warmth granted by their hopesweave, the people that would become the Isyrei knew their life would be full of hardship.

It was after a raid by a group of human slavers that things really changed for the early settlers. They had, until then, lived mostly in peace with other mortals around; their threats had come from Iskaldhal's predators, not from the people they traded with.
The slavers had heard tell of the otherwordly elves draped in colours of the snow and used their own distant kin against them. Their understanding of Elven, taught by elves across the sea to anyone who wished to learn, allowed them to spy on Isyrei discussions. They spied on schedules and stalked hunters to slowly capture the finest of the Isyrei for their fell purposes, avoiding detection through magics and stealth.
When they finally slipped up and some few broke free, the rest of the tribe was horrified. They rallied together and called on their gods to back them as they tried to rescue their lost kin. Though they could not save all, they were successful enough, and in misery, they fled deeper into the wilderness where the slavers could not so easily follow.

Haluéni Idhelen by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Once settled, the tribe dreamed a shared dream. Enabled by the dreaming goddess Desna, Seren spoke with the remaining Isyrei. She could not interfere in mortal affairs, but she could see that they would be able to hide once more. If some of them fled to the mountains and built homes, the weather would shield them for a time. They would need the time: She could offer them a tongue of their own, born from that of their kin and those mortals that wandered Iskaldhal, but they would need to learn to speak it. She could shield it for them from outsiders, but only if they learnt it first.
Naturally, one does not decline a god. Whether the tale is entirely true or not, there is an unusual magic to Inlára, and the language did appear once the Isyrei had first started to create more permanent homes for themselves.

Geographical Distribution

We are those who wander, and in our footsteps follow our kin, who share the words granted to us.

— member of the Isyrei

As Inlára is a language exclusive to the snow elves, it stands to reason that it only exists where they have crafted their civilisations. The Isyrei are the oldest snow elven tribe and are actively nomadic in nature, travelling in large groups across the greater part of Iskaldhal. They can be found anywhere from Guided Breath to Sárezket in their clusters, easily spotted from afar by the glow of hopesweave and their signature pale blues.

Jäättaaen Mór by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

The other three snow elven tribes are more settled, and the exact forms of Inlára they speak have developed a number of quirks over the millennia. Each dialect is perfectly intelligible to other speakers of Inlára, but the differences are a subtle indicator of one's home, and allow snow elves meeting in strange places to more immediately figure out who it is they may be speaking with.
The Querei of the Tower of Sathelis have the current largest dictionary of unique slang, with the Nisrei of Mount Firanthul coming second, and the wandering Isyrei holding precious little of their own - if they need slang, they often borrow it from their settled kin.
The Elsrei of Jäätta reportedly had an expansive dictionary of Inlára that had grown so extensive, particularly in technical language, that it had to be taught to visitors from the other tribes. In the centuries since Jäätta's fall, their unique brand of Inlára has survived only in the minds of those who had managed to learn it and leave prior to the catastrophe.

What remains has been recorded in each settled tribe's precious dictionaries, part of their collections of sacred knowledge, and either has been folded into the language as ordinary words or disappeared from use.
The gates to Jäätta's heart are said to bear an inscription in Inlára that may be one of the last remnants of Elsrei writing, both in existence and chronologically. If the tales are true, then it was carved as silence fell over the ice. Despite the stories being so sure of the inscription's existence, there is precious little way of confirming the truth of the matter - to see it would to stand in Jäätta, and none have ever returned from such a trip.

Dictionary

91 Words.

Elëmorínna by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Root Languages

• Elven
• Languages of Humanity

Spoken by

• Snow Elf

Learning Inlára

The few granted permission to learn Inlára who are not snow elves generally earn the right through their deeds for snow elven society, or their long-term membership of a tribe. No singular elf can give a non-elf the right to learn Inlára.
It is incredibly rare for non-snow elves to join one of the elven tribes. Those that consider it often end up with the Vaeltajat instead; it is an easier transition, free of the odd rules and beliefs held sacred in snow elven society.
To be considered a member of a tribe when not born into one, one's deeds or belonging must be discussed by the tribe's elders, often in consult with at least one of the other tribes. It is a hard decision to make, to risk sharing so precious a gift with someone who does not hold ties to what makes it so precious.
There are many long-term members of the Querei and Nisrei who are not considered full members for tiny grievances or ties to the outside world; while they are welcome in Sathelis or Firanthul and are considered good friends, or even family in some cases, they have not been granted the ability to learn Inlára.
The accepted alternative for these beloved outsiders is to offer them a permanent translation spell, allowing them to communicate and read Inlára without retaining it.
Even those who earn permission to learn the language usually endure this for some time before their learning truly begins, to ensure they do not have fell plans.

Énrei en Aidhelaen by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Idhimir, Auridel, if you've found this lovely little page: you of all people don't need to worry about not being able to learn.
I'd love to see their argument against it.

— Astelmir