Crimson Void & Medlain

[Fikraxtein]

Hi everyone,

I open this thread to talk about two things : my  novel project  Crimson Void, and the language associated to it, medlain. I have been adviced to post it in the off-topic section, for it combines book and language.
Here I'll summarize more or less the plot and characters, the worlds too. My universe having been told very complex by some friends I'll broach it step by step here.

Worlds
There are two worlds in the novel.
Ceiaqtalai = the ancient world, first cell of the Fikra. They speak medlain, worship Srylafë and use natural and elementary forces.
Aleaqtalai = the new world, second cell of the Fikra (our world). They speak english and about 6000 other languages, they worship God and its thousand of names, and use energies like electricity, fossile ones and nuclear.
Fikra = "the circle" in medlain, imagine a great red sphere containing both world in the universe.

Ceiaqtalai
There are four continents : the Deserts (Erfonia and Xasilind), the Plains (Daqalind, Faleilind, Fixalind, Halnilind, Kaxtaigalind and the way to Sraima Farosh), the Ices (Slaialind-north and Slaialind-south), and the Sraimanige island.
Sraima Farosh : the city of "blood and fire", the city where the spirits of the dead rest; see it as great catacombs with living spirits inside.
Capitals : Arjëalay for the Deserts (ruled by Varhëan), Laydarin for the Plains (ruled by Elderis), Sfëalaray for the Ices (ruled by Slyfëarn)
Sraimanige is the island where live the tribes of the sraimanya, men-animals people of warriors.

Characters
A brief introduction of each main character of the 9 books without spoil:
Drafëmn : son of officer Fardain and priestess Scadora, willing to study to become a Healer (care of magical creatures), taken by a mystical traveller in a quest to set him on the throne of the Plains
Sélrind : pretended daughter of Elderis, wlling to get her freedom, very close to Slyfëarn, future wife of Drafëmn
Varhëan : brother of Arkesan, good friend of Slyfëarn, the one who always seeks perfection and careful of righteousness
Arkesan : brother of Varhëan, greatest foe of Slyfëarn, mentor of Drafëmn, rejected by his father for his cowardness
Faromesh : the immaterial girl that leads the quest of the Oath, Slyfëarn's first love and fallen priestess

Slyfëarn : main leader of Ceiaqtalai, very boastful, and charismatic next to the crowds, leader of the revolution in the Ices
Edwinna : illgotten daughter of Slyfëarn, grew by the Arcanes, dragon breeder and self-caring
Irajayn : priest of the Arcanes, ally of Varhëan and loves Edwinna
Fylanë : heir of the main tribe of the Sraimanya, careful of the future, prophet of his tribe

Quests
Nitya : the time in medlain, quest of the Oath to destroy Aleaqtalai
Fikra : quest to reverse the flow of souls without resurrecting Aleaqtalai

Medlain
The only spoken language of Ceiaqtalai (only a dozen of people knows Aleaqtalai language, and yet only English)
24 letters, whose 8 vowels and 16 consonants, I'll explain later in detail
Vowels : a, i, o, u, y, e, é, ë
Consonants : c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, q, r, s, t, v, x
Very simple grammar but vocabulary more complex; I opened the topic on purpose to make more detailed threads about this. I'll keep at this for now.

Questions and comments welcome!

[Guizonde]

nice. maybe spacing out the continents and describing them a bit more for ceiaqtalai might make that part more readable.

any chance of getting maps anytime soon?

[Fikraxtein]

I just need to draw a readable map for my current ones are very fast drawn just to situate continents and capitals, I'll develop the continents next time I'll focus on medlain too.

[Drake_XIV]

Interesting.

Is there a particular work or series that you are drawing inspiration from?

[Fikraxtein]

Not really; I just tried to fancy a world on my own, how I could imagine it making a kind of antipod with our world

[agentflare]

Not to be rude, but:

http://xkcd.com/483/

[Fikraxtein]

First tutorial about medlain, will be alphabet and pronunciation. I'll try to compare with english as much as I can, but I might take examples from other languages too.

So like I said previously there are 16 consonants and 8 vowels.

Let's start by vowels:

-A = pronounced like in mAss
-I = pronounced like the double e like in sEE
-O = pronounced like in wOrld
-U = pronounced like the double o like in bOO
-Y = same as english
-e = pronounced like in bEd
-é = like the e but more accentuated, like the è in french
-ë = like the french e, like the u in words like mUrder or bUtter

Now the consonants:

-C = dj, like the j in Jewel
-K = k accentuated
-Q = like the french r
-X = like in semitic languages kh, guttural sound, or german ch
-R = rolled, like the spanish r
-D, T, F, J, L, M, N, S = same as english
-V = like the f, like the V in german
-H = always aspired
-G = always gu, like in Game

Next time I'll start the maps and details about continents and etymologies.

[Drake_XIV]

That sounds more complicated than one would like...

[Fikraxtein]

Alphabet and how to pronounce it may be, but grammar is very easy (only 3 conjugation times, no gender, etc...)

[Fikraxtein]

Deserts



Sorry for low quality.
Deserts are western part of Ceiaqtalai. The continents is split into two empires, Erfonia, fields of red dust; and Xasilind, crystal desert. Xasilind is "barren land" (xasilt and alind) in medlain.

Erfonia : territory of Varhëan, capital Arjëalay, 2nd great town Erkshatorn. Ruled by a government with two parties, kind of democratical and based on equality. The center of government is inside the great pyramidal palace in the core of Arjëalay. Erkshatorn is situated near Crystal Lake, in the midst of which lies an island, on this island lies an ancient ritual circle and a passage to Sraima Farosh.

Xasilind : territory of white mage Gérunde, capital Algédië, 2nd great town Straxa, means "enslaved" in medlain and is a prisoner's city. Ruled under autocracy.

The Deserts have very dry and hot climate, nights are hotter in Xasilind and very cold in Erfonia. Barren is Xasilind, despite Erfonia has very fertile grounds. Erfinoa is derivated from word "arfonylë", ancient medlain word for "plague". These lands, because of their aspects and presence of the Arcane mages sect, is considered as haunted and very dread in popular beliefs on other continents. Only Slyfëarn and Gérunde know the lands of Erfonia are in fact ruled by a coward and very bad esteemed man on the rest of the world. There is a long-term war between both empires about the borders limit between them.


Next time I'll add the map of Ices and talk about glorious city of Sfëalaray.