Rajt

A purely visual language, Rajt consists of woven hair, beads and other personal decorations. While it can be used for passing simply messages with some ingenuity, it mostly relays personal information such as bloodline, family specialisms, training, likes and dislikes, marital and relationship status and the like. It also indicates what rank the elf - or their ancestors - held on the Wanderer, and even though such things were officially discarded when the Elves left the wreck, respect is still shown to those who wear rajt that indicates a high station on that ancient ship. It is understood only by those raised in elven communities.

Phonology

As a purely visual language, Rajt does not have 'phonology' as such. However, certain materials and shapes fill the same niche in categorising the structure of the language.
Semiprecious stones are used to denote bloodlines and traditionally permanent or unchangeable characteristics such as caste and specialisation.
Feathers are used to denote short-term statuses such as temporary relationships and quarrantine warnings.
Worked metal beads are used to denote accomplishments and duration of status.
Woven or knotted cords denote clause separators, but are also used to indicate the nature of the relationship between two morphemes or clauses, especially in regard to proper nouns.

Morphology

Rajt is a noun-based language with the core morpheme being located at the hairline over the right temple. This core morpheme denotes the wearer's ancestral bloodline, and is always a single, polished semiprecious stone.
Below the ancestor stone is a cord holding it in place, and below that lie bloodline stones denoting key line merges. Temporal markers are used to show how many generations were between intermarriages.
The column immediately behind the bloodline column is reserved for the family's traditional skill specialisation. It's common among the youngest generations of walkers for this column to be left intentionally blank as children are trained communally rather than in master-apprentice relationships with their parents in modern elven society.
Behind that is the relationship column. Different decorations indicate different relationship statuses - single, partnered, or multi-partnered. Available or unavailable. Interested in men, women, nonbinaries, etc. Looking for casual hookups or long-term relationships. All of this information is coded in the relationship column.
Moving back over the ear, the relationship columns are often used to lay out a timeline, with certain decorations indicating whether a relationship ended amicable, poorly, or through misadventure or misfortune.
Starting from the left temple are the status columns, starting with the wearer's self identity such as pronouns and faction allegiances. Behind that are marked their position within their community such as arbitrator, spiritual advisor, goods crafter, trade maker and so on. Moving down the column and back along the head are marked additional information such as years of service in that role, previous roles held, significant life events and so forth.
The left wrist and forearm are used to share more intimate information, and are traditionally only worn during specific social rituals. There is a movement within the Walkers' youth to wear arm rajt more openly, but it has yet to catch on widely.

Root Languages

• Elven (Wanderers)

Spoken by

• Deep Elves
• Walkers
• Winged Elves

Common Family Names

The most common bloodline markers in rajt are various kinds of jade, although pearls are also common among deep elves, who cultivate specific varieties of clam to produce them. The winged elves adopted bloodline stones made from perovskite after realising that their new state bred true.