I missed Manu's Bday and wanted to come up with some "Fodlan AU" stuff but I realised :
Even with some relatively not plot relevant thing like "Manu plans to have a "let's get drunk and party" sauna experience with her drinking buddies Cat and Shamir, Flayn hears about it and wants to join", Nabateans can't participate in water activities - even the sauna - because there's still a risk their ears could be seen if they/someone splashes water on them.
Instead, Manu celebrates her cake day in Garreg Mach's finest tavern with some of her former friends from the Opera Troupe (apparently they had been invited by some higher ups in the monastery?) and her pals, they even improvise a shoddy representation of "Saint Cichol and the Holy Maiden's blessed spear" and everyone spends a good time.
The following morning she has no hangover, but only nods politely when Flayn tells her it's one of Saint Cethleann's blessings because she looks favorably upon her.
Willy'n'Lycaon are already OCs lol, given how they only exist as 3 lines in both games
I don't have a lot of original OCs or haven't thought a lot about them, but I've considered some characters for fics I'll never write like :
Hubert's younger sister wanting to join the Mittelfrank opera - her dad supported her thinking she could infiltrate the company and further the Vestra agenda this way, but when she told him she really wanted to sing and dance, he supported her all the same - and being very shocked when her dad dies.
Her mother frowned and sighed, but welcomed her son as the new leader of the House with as much excitement as someone waiting for water to boil an egg : she made the grave mistake, during the timeskip, to compare Hubert to his father given the lengths he goes through to make sure they're not targeted by Uncle'n'pals, since then, he had her exiled from Enbarr (for her sake, or because he was pissed?) and they never meet or talk again until the end of the war.
Hubert's sister wanted to support her brother, but still doesn't understand (and doesn't want to) why her father had to die, when she learns Hubert was the one who killed him she believes he is manipulated by Supreme Leader - it's the first and only time he gets violent towards her (even with his shit strength growth), Sister thus joins part of Mittelfrank Resistance network and helps sabotage various things here and there in the Empire during the War, Supreme Leader and Uncle want this "group of terrorists" arrested and executed at once, but Hubert always, somehow, arrives too late to catch their ringleader.
When the war happens in Enbarr, during his last stand - his sister doesn't even spare a word to him and is busier helping the members of the Opera Company and civilians to escape the besieged city, Hubert dies knowing, at least, she managed to make it out of the city safe.
After the War, House Vestra officially disappears - its name lives on as the shadow behind the Supreme War - and much like Olwen, she calls her brother a pitiful man. She and her mom use the ties and network from the former House Vestra to help with the rebuilding and all, wishing to return to the roots of their house, that was, helping Adrestia and its people instead of exclusively supporting the Emperor.
CF!wise, she disappears from Adrestia when Garreg Mach is retaken, but Uncle especially called for Hubert during his paralogue to get rid of a certain "experimental demonic beast", putting 1+1, Hubert cannot kill it and allows it to escape : post CF, after dealing with Uncle, he tries to find a cure - to no avail.
---
Ludwig and his brother once "toured" around their lands, not only around the big cities but even visited small villages, when Ludwig was still a young and naive fool like Ferdie - 3 years before the start of the game, the Astral Knights bring some orange-haired lass to Ludwig's estate (in Aegir) because she managed to rescue some people who were drowning by using the power of her Cichol crest in some village, and she's "old" enough to have been born after a "mistake" during the "tour".
Jury's out on her being Ferdie's half sister or Ferdie's cousin, but as someone who was born a commoner and suddenly brought into "nobility", she has to learn etiquette, get a "noble souding" name and ultimately, goes to Garreg Mach (but of course she will not be enrolled in the prestigious BE class with Supreme Leader, let's say there are other classes, like the BE2 where second, third or even bastard kids are enrolled, aka it's less prestigious than the BE1 class, but it's still a class for the "rest of the Adrestian nobles who want to enrol", like the NPCs we see in game, etc etc).
"Cousin" supports Ferdie's escape from Adrestia and joins him, as the leader of the Astral Knights who pretended to listen to Supreme Leader and whoever was in charge of ruling Aegir in his absence - she's investigating on the "mysterious" disappearances happening around the Empire and more or less tries to prevent bandits/merc from doing red unit stuff whenever they reach green NPCs in the Empire's far removed lands (aka in the lands far from Enbarr).
In the non CF-routes, she joins Ferdie as the leader of the Astral Knights when the army starts to set foot in Adrestia.
In the CF ones, she leads an opposing faction of the Astral Knights and tries to help Ludwig escape - refusing to believe his supposed corruption - ultimately joining the Kingdom to defeat the "corrupted" Adrestia led by Supreme Leader, she dies in Tailtean, unable to sway Ferdie's mind.
---
Some before (15?) the start of the Dagdan and Brigid War, feeling unrest regarding its "savage" neighbours, Adrestia attempted some "diplomacy" with them through Leopold - not yet Duke - and the former Duke Gerth. It didn't work as well as intended, but for a shortwhile, fishermen from Brigid could fish in Adrestian Waters, and even rest/live in small huts/homes in Adrestian shores, they wouldn't be considered Adrestian, but still wouldn't be attacked or "politely asked to gtfo" from the Empire.
Obviously, the plan to "lessen tensions" didn't work, and the war broke out. Petra ended up being shipped to Adrestia, but she was supposed to go with some "young warriors/fighters", not to be shipped alone.
Gerth only accepted to take one lad with him, but obviously lad would never go to Enbarr with Petra, he could stay in his estate and maybe receive "Adrestian education". Vestra Sr (Hubert's dad) immediately understood why Gerth accepted to take the kid with him, since he has blue-ish hair and believes Gerth wants to have leverage against Leopold for some reason.
Caspar somehow learnt about his half-bro (?) and they engage in various spars whenever they can, even if his older brother belittles him for playing with "a crestless mongrel". Brigid Kid wants to enrol at Garreg Mach to keep "the princess" safe : Leopold has to refuse because the rest of his family will get on his case for letting his bastard attend Garreg Mach and not Randolph or Flèche.
War happens, on CF, Brigid Kid leads the rebellion in Brigid - that will ultimately be put down by the BESF - and he escapes, swearing to return one day, but only if Caspar is the one to defeat him. If he isn't, he's killed - calling Petra a traitor.
On non CF routes he defects along with Caspar (if Caspar is recruited) or Petra, and through support with her or Seteth, it'll be revealed his fisherwoman mother came from a tribe rumoured to have been "blessed by spirits" - just after after the WoH's end, the heir from the a cadet branch of House Aegir, Erina von Bergliez, bailed out from Adrestia and left to "explore" the seas : she landed in "Bridget" and apparently met a Spirit who came from "after the Great Flood", she founded the mythical village of Fiana known for the long lifespans of its inhabitants and their "magical powers". Seteth will namedrop a certain name, being happy for his "brother".
---
One of Hanneman's niece : she has no crest thus is treated like a potted plant by her Father and family at large : learning about the fate of her mother, she refuses to follow in her footsteps and instead wishes to become someone who will exist and be valued as her own person rather than a womb.
She thus wants to become a scholar and a talented magician like her hero, the former Imperial prodigy Cornelia, who managed to become one of Faerghus' most valued Court Mages!
Alas, while she's a dutiful student, she has no particular talent for magic. Coming up with some bullshit about how "she will have more value on the bridal market if she becomes a talented sorceress", her father accepts to send her to the Firdhiad School of Sorcery. There she manages to, idk, at least get a degree or whatever, even if she realises she's way beyond the crested students like that klutz with orange hair.
Sadly for her, when she returns home, her dad tells her he managed to find a good match for her, even if she's a crestless "failure" : she ends up being fiancéed to Randolph who's also crestless, but after discussions with Randolph's mother, if she manages to bear him a crested heir, maybe they will finally get some standing in the Bergliez household.
She tries to cook the best bullshit excuse she can to run away from this marriage, explaining how she got very good grades in the Firdhiad school of sorcery, and how attending Garreg Mach will no doubt give her even more "value" thus an opportunity to secure a better match than a mere "step-son" - unknowingly to her, Hanneman, alerted by his other nephews, paid his brother-in-law a hefty sum to convince him to let his daughter attend to Garreg Mach - she thus enrols in Garreg Mach, but in the "for randoms" BE class (BE2), and becomes "good friends" with Ferdie's cousin.
In CF, she's part of the "engineers" working with Cornelia and oversees the Titanus' building process - in the other routes, she joins the School of Sorcery soldiers.
+ General Fòdlan language headcanons
+ Blue lions Lions
Most of them come from insular, isolated villages. Most likely the languages are from the same language as the common languages spoken around them but the village language branched into another language.
➼ Yuri: Mother tongue is Taeltea in Rhodos dialect, also Rhodos dialect CA. Due to his mother's work he quickly picked up many common languages, even HA from her noble costumers. The old man who taught him reading (Aubin) also taught Yuri prayers and stories in a long forgotten language. Whereas Yuri actually can't speak it, Yuri can still recite these songs.
During his stay at House Varley, Yuri tries to learn as much HA as possible.
Under Lord Rowe, Yuri was taught to loose the elements of his lower class upbringing in his speech. Of course, Yuri followed but it's an act. His mother and him still speak like they used to when he lived with her.
Quickly learnt Myrddi in the Abyss, has a good ear for dialects.
Can smooth talk in any language.
➼ Constance: The Nouvelle region is a coastal region with many ports and harbours, with sear faring ways to Dagda and Albinea. Like any coastal region, the local language shares a lot of foreign phonetics and vocabulary. The Nouva-language is always rapidly evolving, even the slang in CA is ever changing.
Still, some unique expressions for sweets, exotic fruits, or saying good bye persisted. Due to her complexes Constance tries to appeal to nobles by imitating Enbar CA, and Imperial HA as overly correct as possible. (Still slips back in old dialect when agitated.)
Constance's so obviously noble ways of expression seem arrogant first with time people lean that a highly dramatic, illustrious personality would also speak in such a way.
Doesn't speak Myrrdi but she learns Morfi for her study of magic. Speaks Taeltea but only in with a high class pronunciation which she learnt at the magic academy.
Hapi's mother tongue interestingly helped her to find ideas for celestial magic.
➼ Hapi: Straight up doesn't care, didn't bother to be formal in any language, either. Well okay, she did actually care a lot in happier times in her village. There she spoke very respectfully to her elders. Hapi's village language has a technolectic branch with precise vocabulary for astronomy.
Hapi uses it to replace less precise vocabulary in the language she uses.
Her home village is so isolated that it had no ties to any common language - except for some terms to describe animals… No one knows what language was the base for this peculiar development.
It was only during her captivity by Cornelia that Hapi learnt CA, and Tealtea. In these languages Hapi has an unique accent she doesn't bother to hide. In fact she's happy the ties to her mother tongue are still there.
Still sometimes mutters in her mother tongue to herself. Only confesses her love in that tongue to ensure the other one didn't understand her.
➼ Balthus: The insular Kupala language was the first he grew up with. When Balthus' mother and him lived with Lord Albrecht, he was taught Myrddi, CA, and HA. Since Balthus was a kid, it wasn't hard for him although Balthus soon spoke the Myrddi variant of the serfs with whom he liked to play and brawl.
Balthus uses Kupala idioms even in his CA to preserve his language. It hurts him a bit that he doesn't speak it as often as he should, and promises to one day return to his village to refresh it.
Has a familiar, informal way of speaking. When speaking to his step mom he uses HA but uses no formalities just to front her. Still Balthus loves his little brother, and taught him Kupalan, and of course the best swear words.
(My HC is that his younger brother visited Kupala together with him, after the second Lady Albrecht passed.)
➼ Dimitri:
As crown prince he learnt CA, HA, and Tealtea perfectly. Since Tealtea is his mother tongue, he speaks it in the Fhirdiad dialect.
Myrddi is his weak spot although there's a politically motivated recoil by Kingdom nobles to speak that language.
Dimitri is genuinely interested in Duscurian, and tries to learn some from the few surviving resources. Once tried to surprise Dedue with it but he stumbled over his words (and pronunciation). Dedue first thought Dimtiri had a bad Tragedy of Duscur flashback. Later in life they would both practice together.
(Depending on whom he ends up with, he will put in a lot of effort to learn their local language. Partly out for poltical good will, mostly out of genuine affection.)
➼Dedue:
Duscurian is his mother tongue. Duscurian is a polysynthetic language, allowing the speakers to even formulate entire sentences with a single long word.In an educational game, children try to tell fairytales in single long words. Those using the least words win (but the words themselves can be endless.)
Due to geographic proximity, many Duscurians speak a basic trade Tealtean. High ranking Duscurians learnt Telatean and even HA for diplomatic communication.
After the tragedy of Duscur, Dedue elaborated on Tealtean, and learnt CA. Still struggles with HA although Dimitri is more than happy to teach him.
Ashe who also has complexes because of his lower class origins is the perfect HA study buddy. The atmosphere feels less pressured. Flayn, in order to apologize for almost starting an inferno in the kitchen, helps Dedue with HA speaking training.
Has an Duscurian accent.
For a years, Dedue avoided to talk Duscurian out of shame and external racism. Whereas he thinks that he will still know it, realizing that common day vocabulary slowly escaped him, hurts him much more than he wants to admit. Only after regaining more self-confidence, especially with the gentle encouragement of Mercedes and Ashe, Dedue begins to speak Duscurian again. When meeting other Duscurian in the diaspora he speak to them as much as possible. Unconsciously has a stronger Duscurian accent around people who've expressed interest in or kindness towards Duscurians like Dimitri, Mercedes, and Ashe. Sometimes Slyvain, too.
Petra, Shamir, and Cyril are also very kind about linguistic mistakes, so Dedue's accent is stronger around them, too.
Since Duscurian has an elaborate vocabulary for cold weather changes, thundra fauna, hunting on water, and ice, Dedue uses that vocabulary even in other languages because it's much more precise.
Also uses Duscruian idioms.
➼ Ingrid: Speaks all common languages due to noble education. During her education, her father was very eager to train her for clear, understandable, and educated pronunciation. Even her CA is oriented towards Enbar dialect, her Myrddi is of Daphnel region dialect, though. This makes her look much more educated than higher ranking nobles.
Telatea in regional dialect which has elements of the local Alleil language. The original Alleil language is spoken only by less than 100 people since the language mostly disappeared after the Aleill turned into a hellish region. Understands horse language, of course.
➼ Felix: Speaks all four common languages. CA dialect is heavily northern, and his Tealtean full of Eastern coast slang. Might be able to speak HA but uses it the least. By times intentionally talks either in Taeltea or CA to fellow nobles. Felix might have received noble education, he cares very little learning any vocabuly outside militaristic use…
➼ Mercedes: Mother tongues are CA in Airmid region dialect, and the Hyrm region language, a sister language to Myrrid in the Airmid family tree. The latter is oppressed since the Hyrm rebellion in 1167.
In that sense Mercedes can superficially understand Myrddi. Learnt HA since she was taught in religious practice. Doubles down in her learning effort after her mother had to marry Lord Bartels. Jeritza's song at the crip were all sung in HA.
On her escape to Fearghus, Mercedes began to learn Tealtea. In her time during the magic academy, CA was still the most common language. Nonetheless Anette helped Mercedes improve her Tealtea. In this language Mercedes doesn't have a specific dialect.
➼ Anette: The Dominic region is a coastal region, like the territory of Nouvelle. As a region of ports and harbours, sailors bring in always new words and sounds so the local language is rapidly evolving. But unlike the neighbour territory of Nouvelle, the CA dialect in Domic-territory has harder consonants and is much more throaty with fricative sounds.
Anette's CA and Tealtea are marked by the singsong adorned with the specific elements of the Dominic area. Even her HA is definitely spoken by someone from the North-Western coastline. Barely knows Myrddi.
Like Lysithea, Anette studies old languages and Morfi (language from Morfis) to learn more about magic.
➼ Ashe: The dear boy has a lot of inferiority complexes when it comes to languages. His Telatea and CA are notably by someone of commoner origin. Even though Ashe picked up a lot of different languages first at his parents' restaurant, later on the street, it's only when being adopted that his commoner pronunciation bothers him.
Neither Lonato nor Christophe mocked him for him. They helped him to learn HA, and only taught him how to pronounce things more "like a noble" when Ashe asked them to. His language still doesn't sound noble but it's his social origins aren't so clear anymore. But he only really felt more at ease when Cyril and Ashe talked about feeling insecure because of their languages. Finally someone understood what a devil their accent detail was to them.
Unconsciously a language sponge: Enjoys to learn Duscurian taught by Dedue, and even speak it later to other Duscurian in diaspora. (If he marries Petra or Hapi, Ashe will learn their languages as quick and well as he can.)
➼ Sylvain: Noble education so all common languages it is, perfect pronunciation.
The old Northern language from which Tealtea derives, probably originated in the Gautier region. In spite of political sensitivity, the language in the Gautier region isn't only a Tealtea dialect but it's own language - with many Sreng elements. (Some scholars speculate that Northen languages, among them Sreng language are from the language family with the same origin.) Sylvain can switch from common Tealtea to Northern language without issues.
Tries to learn Sreng with the resources avaiable.
Can say "You're so beautiful", and "I love you" in probably every language known in Foádlan.
Passively understands Mofi magic technolect due to the logic used in magic spells (which frustrates Anette, and wakes the urge for spontaneous murder in Lysithea).
Language headcanons for Fódlan
Some personal HCs about languages in and around Fódlan.
In general, Fódlan has a large linguistic variety. Despite the dominance of four main languages, and the oppression of minority languages of neighbouring countries like Brigidian, Dagda, Srengi, and Almyrian, border regions, harbours, ports, and traderoute areas use foreign terms, local languages and dialect are still vivid. Depending on the current territorial government some local minority languages can also be in danger of suppression, although that depends on the current political leader. The Leceister Alliance is usually the most liberal region.
More isolated regions, especially mountain regions were successful in preserving their languages.
Most Fódlandians grow up at least bilingual by learning their either local language together with their regional lingua franca.
Traveling folk like mercenaries, tradesmen, batleuers, traveling craftsmen, sailors etc. can be expected to speak the three main common languages (except High Adrestian which is reserved for clergy and nobility.)
Main langagues
The continental lingua franca not limited to sovereign borders are Common Adrestian (the lingua Franca across the continent, and regional lingua franca of the Adrestian Empire), and High Adrestian (the Cleric langauge, used amongst scholars, the clerics, and nobles) Regional lingua francas: Taeltea, Leicest speak (formerly Myrddi, still widely refered to as Myrddi)
➼ Common Adrestian (CA): Adrestian is probably one of the oldest popular languages of Fódlan. Originating from Enbar.
When the Adrestian Empire was founded, the soldiers of the Adrestian Empire who came from different regions used the Enbar language (called Enbarr) as base for a pidgin language which later became as Adrestian. (For a few generations Wilhelms I.'s family still spoke Enbar alongside High Adrestian but now days Enbarr is limited to the Enbar region.)
In the time the Adrestian Empire encompassed all of Foadlan, Wilhelm I. and his successors were aware that regional cultural identity should be granted. Common Adrestian was still installed as main communication, and political language.
Now days Common Adrestian (CA) might aid communication across different regions although distinct dialects developed.
➼ High Adrestian (HA): The name might be misleading because this language has structural routes similar but not equal to Oghma-languages.
Also contains some spiritual terms but also simple terms describing deeply emotional, and familial connection which origins are unknown, probably from a civilization long forgotten.
However, the term "High Adrestian" is not entirely false, since it first appeared in the records after the War of Heroes started. It adopted a lot of vocabulary from the (back then) also relatively young Common Adrestian.
High Adrestian uses the vocabulary and grammar of the highest social register of Common Adrestian although still with some indistinguishable structural elements, and specific terms.
Spoken amongst the clergy all over Fódlan. The Central Church regularly revises regional use to ensure a conservative consistency in the language. The language evolved very slowly after the year 185.
The nobility of Foádlan keeps a very close eye on the development of High Adrestian since High Adrestian is also the language of the noble class. Most Adrestian nobility tries to emulate the style of the Imperial family. Faerghian nobles after 747 speak a dialectic version of the Imperial High Adrestian in order to linguistically distinguish themselves. Within the Alliance, ironically to distinguish themselves from the Fearghian nobles, their speaking style is closer to the Adrestian way.
In the Oghma mountains, the mountain folk are commonly heard to speak dialectic variants of High Adrestian to visitors and with clergy folk. (Scholar speculation has it that in the Oghma region, the clerical language was quickly adapted as regional language since the founding of the Gareg Mach. The only instance of peasanty and commonfolk who are not clergy members to speak HA.) Although they predominantly use their local Oghma languages with each other.
➼Taeltea: Originally a lingua franca used within the most Northern regions of Foádlan. It received a strong political support during Loog's reign to reinforce the identity of the Kingdom of Faerghus.
Formerly many Duscurian and Sreng elements were part of of the language but with the founding of the Kingdom, efforts were made to artificially replace or remove the vocabulary from these cultures. However, plant names, weather conditions, or some regional names persisted in the tongue of the common folk.
Once the language of the Northern common folk, the Faerghian noble folk use it too, the attempts to create a highly distinguished register have not been of notable success though, so far. (One comedic novel in popular all over Foádlan, although banned in many libraries in Faerghus, tell the story of the great Amádan, a satire of great heroic tales. In one chapter Amádan uses the power of words to win over his opponents: He recites poetry in noble Tealtea which renders his opponents deaf and disoriented.)
➼ Leicester speak (formerly Myrddi):
Due to the mountainy region, the Leicester Alliance by infrastructure contains the most minority languages and dialects. While Tealtea was mandated lingua franca from 0801 to 881, it was much more prominent in the North.
Myrddi is a language spoken in the region along the Airmid river, even on Adrestian soil. Close variations are used along river trade routes in the Alliance, including ports like Derdriu.
In the rebellion of 801 Myrddi was so widely shared between common folk as well as nobles that it was the designated common language. Due to likely have an origin as language common in trade across ports and harbours on rivers but also to the sea, it carries Almyrian elements in it - although such is heavily denied by Fódlandian scholars in spite of evidence.
Note: In the border regions, and regions within Fódlan formerly inhabited by Almyrians, there're still many shared Almyrian vocabulary, phonetics, and idioms in use. The nobles in the region are especially particular to not adapt such linguistic elements in their speech. Due to it's insular, isolated position, the village of Kupala uses their own language which neither common language nor Almyrian elements. Surprisingly it contains structural elements and vocabulary similar to the more mysterious elements of High Adrestian.
