Mordetish

Mordetish is a constructed language created for the fictional world of Eldoria. It was developed by linguist Jorren Valen as part of a world-building project and is described in the lore as the ceremonial and administrative language of the northern city-states of Mordea, as well as a lingua franca among traders moving between inland routes and coastal towns.

The phonology of Mordetish centers on a medium-sized consonant inventory, including plosives p, b, t, d, k, g; fricatives f, s, h; and nasals m, n, as well as liquids l and r. Vowels consist of five short vowels a, e, i, o, u, with occasional length contrasts in ceremonial speech. Stress is primarily trochaic, and the language features vowel harmony in roots with certain suffixes.

Grammatically, Mordetish is analytic with moderate synthetic elements. Nouns inflect for number and case using suffixes, and pronouns differentiate inclusive and exclusive in the first person. Verbs mark aspect and mood with prefixes and suffixes; basic word order is subject–verb–object, though topic-fronting is common in discourse. Adjectives follow nouns, and possessive forms attach to nouns as clitics.

Writing systems include the Mordran script, an alphabetic hand-written form used for daily administration, and a ceremonial runic variant used on religious texts and monuments. The two forms are mutually intelligible but stylistically distinct.

Within the lore, Mordetish has influenced regional music, poetry, and legal formulae. In in-world scholarship, it is studied as part of cultural heritage and as a tool for cross-border diplomacy. Real-world authors and game designers have incorporated Mordetish into novels and role-playing games as a flavor element.