Netherese

Netherese was a language spoken in Netheril both before and after Karsus's Folly in −339 DR. Though it was considered a dead language by 1372 DR, scholars believed that it evolved into the Halruaan and Ruathlek languages.

History and Legacy

The Netherese language was one of the oldest known human languages, dating back to two or three thousand years before the beginning of the Dalereckoning.[8] It was part of the Ulou language family, which also included Ulutiun and Damaran.

The term "Netherese" was also used by scholars to refer to Netherese and those languages derived from it, namely, Halruaan and Ruathlek.

While Halruaan and Ruathlek were the direct linguistic descendants of Netherese, several other common languages bore traces of the Netherese tongue, including Chondathan, Damaran, Illuskan, and Tethyrian.

The ruins of Low Netheril in the Anauroch desert were covered in Netherese writing, and Netherese words were often used as "command words" for magic items.

Writing System

Netherese used the Draconic script.

Geographical Distribution

Netherese was the primary language of Low Netheril, but it was also spoken by commoners in High Netheril. (Loross, its sister language, was spoken by the nobles of High Netheril.) While by 1374 DR, Netherese had not been commonly spoken for thousands of years, small pockets of Netherese speakers did still survive, particularly among the shades and Shadovar of the Anauroch desert.

Successor Languages

• Halruaan Language
• Ruathlek