Hello, hello! So to expand the world building of the novel, I thought, why not actually make its own internal language for the races?
I'm from the Philippines and I always thought "Baybayin" was the perfect language to use as inspiration for ancient texts because of how it looks like aesthetically and stuff, so the entire "Akarin" is inspired by Baybayin.
The alphabetic letters were done through Runic Unicode Block and used Font Forge.
If you wanna make your own, go to these websites:
Inkscape - Free vector editor to design glyphs from scratch or modify existing shapes.
FontForge - Font editor that lets you make your own TTF/OTF font using custom symbols.
Lexergy - A site used to design conlang grammar and scripts.
NexusFont - Font management tool to preview existing typefaces.
Calligraphr - Turn hand-drawn letters into a font. (I like this one a lot)
Omniglot - Deep resource of real-world and fictional scripts, useful for inspiration.
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Origins and Lore
Akarin is said to be the primordial tongue revealed by the First Flame, an ancient source of demonic power buried deep beneath Elarion.
Its characters are not mere letters but living sigils, binding power and meaning simultaneously.
Legends say the demon lords spoke Akarin to bind the cosmos, control souls, and seal eternal pacts. It's simultaneously a language, a magic system, and a sacred art.
Writing System: Bloodglyphic Script
General Description
Type: Abugida (each symbol = consonant + vowel)
Orientation: Vertical (top to bottom)
Materials: Ink made from blood, ash, and iron; engraved on obsidian, bone, or ancient scrolls.
Appearance: Angular, claw-like strokes and sharp edges. Symbols look like runes fused with the flow of Baybayin.
Core Glyphs
Base Glyph Sound Description Shape Inspiration
ᚠ (Fa) ka - Sharp claw swipe
ᚡ (Va) ga - Serpent tongue flick
ᚢ (U) ta - Straight spear point
ᚣ (Ya) da - Broken fang
ᚤ (Ya) sa - Thorny vine
ᚥ (Fay) ra - Spiral claw
ᚦ (Th) na - Sharp arrowhead
ᚧ (Gh) ma - Hooked blade
ᚨ (Ah) la - Crescent claw
ᚩ (Oh) ha - Fang tip
ᚪ (Ah) va - Serpent flicker
ᚫ (Ae) ya - Wave form
ᚬ (Om) za - Jagged lightning No direct
ᚭ (Oth) ng - Coil spiral
Vowel Modifiers — Kudloth
Mark Above (˄): changes vowel to i / e (sharp, high tone)
Mark Below (˅): changes vowel to o / u (deep, rounded)
Mark Slash (⨯): vowel killer/nullifier, makes consonant end abruptly
Example Symbol Construction Symbol
Symbol Pronunciation
ᚠ˄ - ki
ᚠ˅ - ku
ᚦ⨯ - n (consonant only)
ᚨ˄ - li
ᚬ˅ - zo
Phonology: Sounds of Akarin
Vowels: a / e / i / o / u(Pronounced as in Spanish or Tagalog)
Consonants: k, g, t, d, s, r, n, m, l, h, v, y, z, ng
Special Sounds:
Z is a hissing "s," reserved for nobility and magic words.
NG (ᚭ) is a sacred consonant, often used in soul-binding rituals.
Grammar Overview
Word Order: Verb-Subject-Object (VSO), reflecting the commanding nature of the empire.
No articles (no "the," "a")
Nouns marked by suffix -ar for living beings, -um for objects/concepts.
Verbs conjugate by prefixes:
Ka- = past tense
Va- = present continuous
Ra- = future tense
Adjectives precede nouns and agree in vowel harmony.
Sample Sentence Construction
"Zarakh tor el'kaar nalaar."General binds blood pact empire-soul.(The general binds his soul to the empire.)
Verb: "tor" (bind)
Subject: "zarakh" (general)
Object: "el'kaar nalaar" (blood pact soul of the empire)
Vocabulary: Key Words for Elarion
Akarin Word Meaning Notes
Zarakh (ᚣᚨᚱᚨᚲ) - Demon General - Noble military title
Nalaar (ᚾᚨᛚᚨᚱ) - Empire's Soul / Will - Heart of Elarion
El'kaar (ᛖᛚᚲᚨᚱ - ) Blood Pact - Sacred contract
Karung (ᚲᚨᚱᚢᚾᚷ) - Binding Word - Magical oath or curse
Vahzin (ᚡᚨᚺᛉᛁᚾ) - Traitor / Curse - Dishonored, outcast
Rethak (ᚱᛖᚦᚨᚲ) - Flame of Judgment - Ritual of purification
Luhar (ᛚᚢᚺᚨᚱ) - Shadow / Stealth - Used in assassin circles
Complete Alphabet Chart (Bloodglyphic Akarin)
[Go to Comment Section To See The Picture of the Complete Alphabet Chart]
Magical Runes: Spell Glyphs
These runes are derived from combinations or modifications of the basic script and are used specifically for magical inscriptions and rituals.
Rune Symbol Meaning Usage Notes
ᛗ - Flame (Rethak) - Inscribed on weapons or altars
ᛟ - Shadow (Luhar) - Used by assassins and spies
ᚦ⨯ᚠ - Binding (Karung) - Used to seal contracts and souls
ᚡ˅ᚣ - Blood (El'kaar) - Used in blood magic rituals
ᚤ˄ᚢ - Command (Zarakh) - Military orders and war chants
ᚪ˄ᚩ - Silence (Vahzin) - Curse or excommunication spell
ᚥ˄ᚦ - Time Warp (Paradox) - Forbidden temporal magic
Ritual Language Variant: Chant-Akarin
Characteristics:
Vowels are lengthened and drawn out (e.g., "kaaa", "rooo").
Consonants become more guttural or hissed.
Uses a lower pitch and slower cadence.
Often sung or whispered in ceremonial circles.
Example phrase:
Standard: Ka-tor zarakh nalaar (The general binds the empire's soul)
Chant: Kaaa-toor zaa-raakh naa-laaar...
This form is believed to awaken ancient power and is mostly unintelligible to non-adepts.
Forbidden Sigils: Secret Glyphs
These sigils are so dangerous or sacred that their meanings are hidden or lost except to high priests or demon lords.
Sigil Name Effect/Purpose
𐌀𐌄𐌍 - The Soulrend - Destroys the soul's bond to body
𐍈𐍊𐍄 - The Voidmark - Erases existence from memory/time
𐎍𐎄𐎆 - The Bloodseal - Grants eternal life at a terrible price
𐎀𐎃𐎅 - The Curse of Vahzin - Eternal dishonor and isolation
Visual note: These sigils combine parts of Bloodglyphic letters with eldritch curves and dots.
Dialects of Akarin
a) House Dialect: The Warborn Tongue
Used by demon noble houses in battle.
Faster speech, clipped endings.
Uses many contractions and shortened verbs.
Example:
Standard: Ka-tor zarakh el'kaar
Warborn: K'tor z'rakh el'k (The general binds the pact)
b) Arcane Dialect: The Spell Caster's Cant
Uses elongated vowels and rare glyphs.
Heavy use of ng consonant and "Z" sounds.
Speech is rhythmic, almost musical.
Used in spellcasting, magic circles, and libraries.
c) Common Tongue: The Shadow Speech
Simplified grammar.
Often mixed with mortals' languages to mask meanings.
Used by spies, assassins, and merchants.
Very few glyphs, mainly phonetic spellings.
Sample Expanded Text & Grammar Breakdown
Phrase:
"Ka-tor zarakh el'kaar nalaar va-luhar."
("The general bound the blood pact to the empire's soul with shadow.")
Ka-tor = Ka- (past tense prefix) + tor (bind)
Zarakh = demon general (subject)
El'kaar = blood pact (object)
Nalaar = soul of empire (indirect object)
Va-luhar = Va- (present continuous prefix) + luhar (shadow, used as a method/tool)
Sample Incantations in Akarin
Protection Spell
"Ra-sa luhar no-ka va-rah."
(Future shield shadow with-fire present-guard.)
"I will cast a shadow shield to guard with fire."
Binding Curse
"Ka-karung el'kaar va-ngin zarakh."
(Past-bind blood-pact present-bind general.)
"The blood pact binds the general forever."
Summoning Chant
"Va-za ngur hak-za rotha!"
(Present-hiss call-hiss ancient-spirit!)
"I call forth the ancient spirit!"
Cultural Integration Ideas
Royal Seals: Every noble house has a unique Bloodglyphic seal, combining family glyphs and magical runes.
Tattoo Glyphs: High-ranking demons tattoo themselves with Akarin symbols as both identification and magic conduits.
Forbidden Knowledge: Texts written in the forbidden sigils are locked away in the deepest vaults of Elarion's libraries, guarded by soulbound spirits.
Education: Young demon nobles study Akarin grammar, rune magic, and chant mastery as part of their formal education.
Artifacts: Ancient artifacts inscribed with Akarin glyphs sometimes whisper when touched.