#waldren

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #192

Stories stemming from the Waldren Occupation Era have very distinct themes from those of Feadhainn folklore.

They often focus on themes of progress, exploration, conquest over natural forces (e.g. wildlife, the sea, even the power of life and death itself), and typically end with the protagonist earning power, prestige, wealth, or a combination of the three. 

[thewatchau]

Duilintinn’s Languages: Introduction

Most of the lore in the upcoming series will be edited compilations of dozens of posts from the last two years. While there are some minor new details sprinkled throughout, I’ve attempted to post significant new information in a “Watch AU Fun Fact” post so you don’t have to read all of these HUGE posts to find them.

Other Posts in this Series:

Introduction • Common Tongue • Feadhainn Language • Duil Sign Language

In this Post

Summary

Duil Colloquialisms

Summary

The most common language spoken in Duilintinn is the Common Tongue, which originated in Waldren and now features several different variants and accents throughout Tirónar. There are three accents of this language spoken in Duilintinn: a Feadhainn accent, a Waldren accent, and a "default" accent that doesn't sound like either. The Feadhainn accent sounds vaguely Irish and mostly is found west of the Guardian River, while the Waldren accent sounds like a stereotypical "posh" British accent and is mostly found east of the Guardian River. 

The Feadhainn Language, which originated in the Draoidh Valley and Monaidh Plains, has been mostly forgotten. Until recently, it has only been preserved through the names of locations and a few culturally significant phrases passed down through the generations. In an effort to preserve the language, while most landmarks in Duilintinn have had several names over the years, modern Duilintinn officially recognizes the old Feadhainn names for the majority of these landmarks. In addition, groups of historians have begun to uncover old texts that seem to be in Feadhainn and are attempting to revive the script and language through these discoveries.

Duilintinn has had a form of universal sign language since its founding. While it is used throughout the kingdom, it is extremely common among members of The Watch, who use it during their operations.

Finally, Duilintinn’s population is diverse enough that many other languages spoken in Tirónar are also spoken in the kingdom. 

Duil Colloquialisms

People from Duilintinn have a variety of colloquialisms that distinguish their use of the Common Tongue from that in other parts of Tirónar. 

Sam-isms

Samwise the King's Eye has become a national symbol of Duilintinn's culture. As such, many of Duilintinn's colloquialisms reference him. These include, but aren't limited to:

How in Sam's name

By the Eye

What in the name of the King's [optional explicative] Eye

The Enemy

Meanwhile, using "The Enemy" as an explicative would be like a major swear. Like if you say "Enemy take you" or something similar, you are burning ALL of those bridges right then and there. Everyone knows someone who The Enemy did take through his puppetry, so saying something like that is going to hit a nerve. It's basically like saying "go to hell," except, in this case, everyone has actually seen people get dragged to hell already.  

That being said, "Enemy take it all," when directed at a general situation rather than a person, is sometimes used. It's a very intense curse, but heck, these are intense times. Not everyone might approve depending on their sensitivity to such things, but they'll certainly understand. 

The less intense version of all these explicatives is, of course, saying "Anti" instead of "The Enemy." I still wouldn't recommend saying it to a person, unless you both know it's a morbid joke (gallows humor and all that). And swearing at situations, in general, using "Anti" is basically the equivalent of simultaneously saying, "This sucks and so does The Enemy, he can have this entire mess, the incompetent bastard," because you're using the mocking nickname.

Some people will reference the missing Lords, either out of reverence or sometimes humor. These range from phrases as simple as "Oh my lords" to ones as ridiculous as "You're so stupid, the Lords are returning even as we speak just to tell you to shut up." Some reference specific lords, with the name of King Sean himself being particularly popular to evoke. Lord Schneeplestein, with his unique accent and manner of speaking, has accidentally coined a few popular phrases as people imitate his iconic mannerisms.

Lord-isms

Some people will reference the missing Lords, either out of reverence or sometimes humor. These range from phrases as simple as "Oh my lords" to ones as ridiculous as "You're so stupid, the Lords are returning even as we speak just to tell you to shut up." Some reference specific lords, with the name of King Sean himself being particularly popular to evoke. Lord Schneeplestein, with his unique accent and manner of speaking, has accidentally coined a few popular phrases as people imitate his iconic mannerisms.

Misc Others

Finally, religious sayings are still used among members of those demographics. This includes those who revere the Fae being known as Ocean Man, who often evoke his name in phrases such as "Holy Ocean Man."

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #183

The name of the February Holidays is Bondsfest!

Bondsfest is a reference to the marriages that this holiday celebrated in its original Waldren context. 

Remember, in Waldren culture, marriage was as much a partnership between families as it was a romantic connection. 

The holiday was primarily a time where extended families would gather and renew those connections, air grievances, discuss agreements, and start the year anew as two families joined by their children’s marriage. 

As such, the holiday was marked by significant traveling, since many families had to visit more than one place if they had multiple children.

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #182

The name of the June Holidays is Fairsweek!

That’s right, the holiays are getting names now!!!!!!

Fairsweek refers to the fairs that were an important part of this holiday in its original context. The holiday originated in Waldren culture as their “trade season”, with businesses often creating stands for their goods in an effort to advertise themselves for the coming year. Duilintinn’s culture still preserves some of these elements, such as starting the business year in June, and the work displays. However, the holiday in Duilintinn is much more growth-focused, rather than economically focused. 

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #160

The Iontassian Union had state-sanctioned pirates target Waldren ships during the peak of the Waldren Occupation.

This is based on real-world history of European nations doing the same thing during their age of mercantilism and imperialism. I also thought it was fitting, since Buzzfeed (the entity that the Iontassian Union is based upon) is known for stealing content from other sites and content creators. 

Bonus fact: Once Waldren began to lose power and the Iontassian Union became the most powerful entity in the tri-continental tug-of-war, these pirates stated targeting Iontassian ships instead. Whoops XD

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #158

Technically, the “Common Tongue” of Senfara and the “Common Tongue” of Tirónar are two separate languages. 

The latter didn’t remain unchanged from Senfara’s language during the Waldren Occupation, but evolved to absorb elements of Tirónar’s indigenous languages as well. 

Both are somewhat understandable to native speakers of the other, but only barely. The connection is less similar to British versus American English, and more to Irish English and American English. 

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #157

The Waldren Trade Enterprise does sorta still exist in the Modern Era.

It’s a very limited existence, though; they aren’t anywhere close to the power they held during the Waldren Occupation. They mostly operate within a few countries in Senfara and have little influence outside of that region. 

[thewatchau]

Watch AU Fun Fact #156

The Waldren Occupation also had negative political and economic effects for other nations of Senfara. 

Despite the mercantile and geographic power that Walden earned for its backers during its occupation of Tirónar, the long-term relationship with a continent so inundated with magic caused some upheaval back home. First and foremost, this sudden advantage gained by Waldren’s supporters caused significant political and economic turmoil as its rivals fought to maintain the balance of power. Piracy flourished not just among the islands of Tirónar, but in Senfaran waters as well, specifically targeting Waldren ships. Moreover, Waldren was not tied to any one Senfaran nation, but several, often offering their allegiance to one government before trading it for another. This made them several enemies in the long-term, but increased their profitability in the short-term as they played the international trade of Senfara to its own advantage.