Dark Tongue

Black Speech

The Dark Tongue, sometimes called the Black Speech, is the language of Chaos, spoken by its servants and followers. The Dark Tongue is rich in phrases and words that express the complex nature of Chaos. Many make the mistake of attributing basic meanings to the words, but each holds far greater meaning and significance than a translation can supply. Each word encompasses a broad range of concepts, each with a different connotation depending on their arrangement with other words in the language and the addition of prefixes and suffixes, revealing different and deeper meanings held within the root — and, of course, mutating the root yields even more meanings.

Beastmen have a difficult time forming the words of the Dark Tongue with their bestial maws. As a result, they use a crude mixture of Dark Tongue, body movements, grunts, clicks, pops, shrieks, howls, and bleats. The Beast Tongue is beyond the ability of any species without bestial mouths and tongues. In the rare instances when Beastmen deign to talk with Humans and others, they use a mix of basic Dark Tongue, body language, and gestures. Bray Shaman often have a basic grasp of Reikspeil or another human tongue, but like their kin, they turn to Beast Tongue when frustrated — and usually killing if they become seriously frustrated.

Spoken by

• Chaos Undivided
• Khornate
• Nurglite
• Slaaneshi
• Tzeentchian