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Dark Tongue

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Chaos.png Chaos Portal

The Dark Tongue, sometimes called Black Speech, is the language of Daemons and Chaos creatures with the power of speech.[2j] Those who wish to communicate with Daemons or summon them from the Warp must learn this arcane ritual language, for its phonetic runes are the only manner in which the mysteries of Chaos can be truly expressed.[1]

The secrets of Chaos cannot be expressed in the simple tongues of mortals, all are insufficient to express the wonder and experience of transformation. They lack the words to encapsulate the nature of Chaos, even Aeldari cannot fully define the nature of Chaos using words alone. Only Black Speech can lift the lid and peer into the elusive, incomprehensible, and maddening experience of Chaos.[2j]

Dark Tongue is a robust language loosely derived from the arcane language of Daemons. When written, it uses blasphemous Chaos runes that, even when drawn with ordinary materials, seem to crawl and writhe on the page. Used by Chaos's servants and its creatures, only those depraved of mind and wholly given over to the Ruinous Powers can appreciate its nuances.[2j]

"Khorne shall be called with blood.
Aksho Kharneth Akhash

Slaanesh shall be called with anguish.
Aksho Slaaneth K'khaa

Tzeentch shall be called with fire.
Aksho Tzeeneth Phaos

Nurgle shall be called with death.
Aksho Nurgleth Dh'Akh

The door is unlocked, Daemons of Chaos I call thee forth.
Ksy'Iakash Dhaos Akhamshy'y Khaos Akso'mi!"
- A Chaos Daemon summoning ritual[3]

Overview

The Dark Tongue is rich in words and phrases which express the mystical, arcane and complex cosmology of Chaos. Although it is convenient to attach basic meanings to these words, they are imbued with far greater and deeper significance. Each word really encompasses a myriad of associated meanings and concepts. For this reason the Dark Tongue, in its pure and archaic form, has become the most powerful language of sorcery and ritual. Debased versions of the language have far less power to evoke the mysteries of Chaos.[2j]

The core of the Dark Tongue is a collection of root words, heavily endowed with meaning. The root word is altered by the addition of prefixes and suffixes to bring out the various potential meanings held within the root. Yet more meanings are yielded from the root by mutation of the root itself.[2j]

Although there are relatively few root words compared to other languages, there are innumerable potential root mutations in the Dark Tongue. Few human cultists will ever learn all of them and so be able to unlock all the secrets held within the language. It is this characteristic of the Dark Tongue which makes it such an effective and potent means of expression for arcane and occult lore and lends it the haunting quality which gives power and eloquence to ritual incantations.[2j]

The following root words demonstrate how the Dark Tongue works in its crudest form including the principle elements of the names of the four great Chaos Powers. In the most ancient and purest texts of the Dark Tongue, used in Chaos rituals, they are named as Kharneth, Slaaneth, Nurgleth and Tzeeneth. From these are derived the names by which they have become commonly known: Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle and Tzeentch.[2j]

Recording Rewards

Rewards bestowed upon followers by the Chaos Powers, including Chaos Attributes, are expressed by specific Chaos Runes. It is traditional for Champions of Chaos to indicate their progress on the Chaos Path by inscribing the appropriate Chaos Rune or Runes on their shields, armour, weapons or other items of equipment.[2j]

Every Chaos Reward, be it a Gift or Chaos Attribute, is represented by its own rune. When the Champion writes their name they will append it with the runes indicating his Rewards. Should their followers raise a monolith to their memory then their runes will be displayed prominently upon it as a testament to their achievements.[2j]

Chaos Warriors and their followers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and there is no reason to assume that they would all draw a rune in exactly the same way. So long as the rune is recognisable for what it is any degree of variation or decoration can be used. There is an infinite number of way rune can be highly elaborated and illustrated - as simple or as elaborate as desired.[2j]

Root Words

Root Words and their simplified basic meanings:[2j]

  • Khaos - Chaos, the sea of souls, magic power[2j]
  • Phaos - Psychic essence, soul, will[2j]
  • Dhaos - Psychic entity, spirit, daemon, power[2j]
  • Tzeen - Change - the will to change[2j]
  • Nurgh - Decay - the will to live/defy decay[2j]
  • Slaa - Ecstacy - the will to feel and sense[2j]
  • Khar - Rage - the will to dominate[2j]
  • Leth, neth - Lord of, Master of, Ruler of[2j]

Thus:[2j]

  • Tzeeneth - Tzeentch - Changer of the Way[2j]
  • Nurgleth - Nurgle - Lord of Decay[2j]
  • Slaaneth - Slaanesh - Lord of Pleasure[2j]
  • Kharneth - Khorne - Lord of Blood[2j]

Other Root Words:[2k]

  • Aqshy'y - Bronze or brass[2k]
  • Aqsh - The colour red[2k]
  • Akhash - Blood[2k]
  • Akh - Battle, bloodshed, to slay in battle[2k]
  • Aksha - Battleaxe[2k]
  • Ksy - Key or solution[2k]
  • Iakash - Lock or obstacle[2k]
  • Akhshami - Secret[2k]
  • Aksho - To seek[2k]
  • Akhamshy'y - Slayers or warriors[2k]
  • Akami - Guardians[2k]

Colours:[2k]

  • Hysh - White, Light[2k]
  • Chamon - Yellow, Golden[2k]
  • Ghyran - Green, Jade[2k]
  • Azyr - Blue, Celestial[2k]
  • Ulgu - Grey[2k]
  • Shyish - Pink/Purple, Amethyst[2k]
  • Aqshy - Red, Bright[2k]
  • Ghur - Brown, Amber[2k]
  • Dhar - Black, Dark[2k]
  • Qhaysh - All Colours, Rainbow[2k]

Other Words

Beast Tongue

Beast Tongue is a dialect of Black Speech. Beastmen in particular make use of this Dark Tongue dialect. It's a more crude and simplified form of Black Speech using the same runes. It is a dialect better fitted for the less articulate mouths, hands, and minds belonging to the mutant and abhuman followers of Chaos.[Needs Citation]

Phonetic Runes

Any language can be written using phonetic runes. Chaos Champions' banners sometimes have slogan written in such runes on their banners. Chaos devotees often use the phonetic runes to write languages other than their own. In fact, many Chaos Champions are humans and the language they speak and write will be human and not the Dark Tongue.

Letters

If there is no direct equivalent to a sound in the Dark Tongue, the scribe can use several runes they believe are closest in nature to the intended sound.[2n]

  • Aa

  • Ar

  • Ak

  • Bh, b

  • Ch, kh

  • Dh

  • E, ii

  • F

  • Gh

  • Gu

  • Gz

  • H

  • I, ee

  • Kw, qu

  • L

  • M

  • N

  • O

  • Ph

  • Rh

  • S

  • Sh

  • T, tz

  • U

  • Ul

  • V

  • W, uu

  • Y

  • Z, zh

Numerals

Numerals are also represented by specific runes. These runes can be written together to indicate multiple values. The runes for ten, a hundred and a thousand are simply represented as many times as necessary to produce a number like three hundred or eight thousand. Because this repetition of the rune may be a little cumbersome, it is also acceptable to represent a number such as three hundred by writing the number followed by the number hundred. Both systems are used and it is really up to the individual to decide which they prefer - some scribes combine both systems in the same document, using whichever best fits the space available.[2n]

  • Runes-Numerals.png

Chaos Runes

Known Chaos Runes listed below:[2l][2m]

Khorne

Khorne mark.png Chaos Portal
Khorne

Servants of Khorne

Gifts of Khorne

  • Face Of Khorne

  • Face Of A Bloodthirster

  • Face Of A Bloodletter

  • Face of a Fleshhound

  • Face of a Juggernaut

  • Skin Of Khorne

  • Collar Of Khorne

  • The Hand Of Khorne

  • Mark Of Khorne

  • Crossbreed With Fleshhound

  • Personality Loss

  • Aggression Bonus

  • Weapon Hand

Nurgle

Nurgle mark.png Chaos Portal
Nurgle

Servants of Nurgle

Gifts of Nurgle

  • Biting Tongue

  • Immensity

  • Horns Of Nurgle

  • Plague

  • Hide Of Nurgle

  • Crossbreed With A Beast

  • Nurgling Infestation

  • Familiar

  • Trail Of Slime

  • Rune Of Nurgle

Slaanesh

Slaanesh mark.png Chaos Portal
Slaanesh

Servants of Slaanesh

Gifts of Slaanesh

  • Face Of Slaanesh

  • Face Of A Keeper of Secrets

  • Face Of A Daemonette

  • Face Of A Fiend

  • Face Of A Mount

  • Crablike Claw

  • Hermaphrodite

  • Ensnaring Tongue

  • Familiar

  • Crossbreed with Mount

  • Horns of Slaanesh

  • Musk

  • Razor Edged Tail

  • Mark of Slaanesh

Tzeentch

Tzeentch mark.png Chaos Portal
Tzeentch

Servants of Tzeentch

Gifts of Tzeentch

  • Face of Tzeentch

  • Face of a Lord of Change

  • Face of a Horror

  • Ecstatic Duplication

  • Hand of Tzeentch

  • Flaming Arm

  • The Gift of Magic

  • Reckoning of Tzeentch

  • Crossbreed with Flamer

  • Familiar

  • Changing of the WaysNote:Image clipped.

  • Withering Gaze

  • Rune of Tzeentch

Chaos Attributes

  • Acid Excretion

  • Additional Eye

  • Agility

  • Albino

  • Alcoholism

  • Atrophy

  • BeakedNote:Image clipped

  • Bestial Face

  • Beweaponed Extremities

  • Big Ears

  • Bird's Feet

  • Black Skin

  • Blood Rage

  • Blood Substitution

  • Breathes Fire

  • Brightly Patterned Skin

  • Bulging Eyes

  • Burning Body

  • Chaos Were

  • Cloud of Flies

  • Cloven Hooves

  • Cowardice

  • Crest

  • Crossbreed

  • Crown of Flesh

  • Crystalline Body

  • Dimensional Instability

  • Duplication

  • Elastic Limbs

  • Enormous Noise

  • Enormously Fat

  • Evil Eye

  • Extra Joints

  • Extremely Thin

  • Eyestalks

  • Fangs

  • Fast

  • Fear of Blood

  • Feathered Hide

  • Featureless Face

  • Fits

  • Flaming Skull Face

  • Furry

  • Growth

  • Headless

  • Hideous Appearance

  • Hopper

  • Horns

  • Horrible Stench

  • Huge Head

  • Hunchback

  • Hypnotic Gaze

  • Illusion of NormalityNote:Image clipped.

  • Invisibility

  • Iron Hard Skin

  • Irrational Fear

  • Irrational Hatred

  • Levitation

  • Limb Loss

  • Limb Transference

  • Long Legs

  • Long Neck

  • Long Nose

  • Long Spines

  • Mace Tail

  • Magic Immune

  • Magic Resistance

  • Magician

  • Mane of Hair

  • Manic Fighter

  • Manikin

  • Massive Intellect

  • Mechanical Man

  • Mercreature

  • Metal Body

  • Mindless

  • Moronic

  • Multiple Arms

  • Multiple Heads

  • Multiplication

  • One Eye

  • Overgrown Body Part

  • Pin Head

  • Plague Bearer

  • Pointed Head

  • Poisonous Bite

  • Powerful Legs

  • Prehensile Tail

  • Pseudo-Daemonhood

  • Puny

  • Quadruped/Biped

  • Rapid Regeneration

  • Razor Sharp Claws

  • Rearranged Face

  • Regeneration

  • Resilient

  • Rotting Flesh

  • Scaly Skin

  • Scorpion Tail

  • Short Legs

  • Shrink

  • Siamese Twin

  • Silly Voice

  • Silly Walk

  • Skull Face

  • Snake Tail

  • Spits Acid

  • Strong

  • Suckers

  • Tail

  • Technology

  • Telekinesis

  • Teleport

  • Temporal Instability

  • Tentacles

  • Transparent Skin

  • Uncanny Resemblance

  • Uncontrollable Flatulence

  • Vampire

  • Vividly Coloured Skin

  • Walking Head

  • Warp Frenzy

  • Warty Skin

  • Weapon Master

  • Wings

  • Zoological Mutation

Other Useful Runes

Gallery

See also

Related Articles

Related Videos

Trivia

  • The Dark Tongue, and other info from the Realm of Chaos books, are used in Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and Warhammer 40,000.[2a]
  • The daemons of Chaos in both Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 Intellectual Properties often share generalized materials (note that this doesn't link the two settings in-universe). One commonality is the Dark Tongue. The runes and symbols of this language can be seen in real-world promotional materials involving chaos, as well as across a range of media for both respective settings.
  • In the video game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, the enemy faction known as the dregs or Admonition (Chaos Cult) has their own dialect derived from the Dark Tongue. This is exhibited in the various known and unknown words written with runes across heretic infested areas.

Source

    • 2e: pg. 84
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