The textbook remained where Artemus left it. His request to teach him the Dark Tongue remained, and Rhaine gladly took this test of her teaching ability, even after coming to the Arena and hearing some gnome assume she was one of flock of females fawning over handsome younger Kurgen. Who cares what dhoine and others think?
Artemus followed a step behind her, hands clasped behind his back, a soft smile on his lips. He already managed to vex her by calling her Mistress - like a pre-schooler, vampiress thought with increasing irritation. But smiled welcomingly back on the Kurgen:
"Ready an set? We'll start on basics, I'm not sure how much you know already"
"Basics is good. Start easy and work our way up, since what I already know isn't very much."
"Usually the language is used in texts we consider... important from religious point of view. High-ranked priests also use it in personal notes or journals," Rhaine started calmly, giving him the notebooks and pens he might have use for. "We'll start from Baatezu alphabet which unfortunately exists..."
She opened the first chart in the book - alphabet, with comments on phonetics and meanings associated with the letters. "This is basic alphabet. Thirty six letters. Baatezu use standard letters and enhanced ones," she pointed to the first one in the chart Artemus started copying into his notebook. "Aidh. Associated meaning - Freedom. Standard voice meaning - "Ah" brief. Associated di-graphs - Aidh-Ai, resulting in "AAr" - long sound, Aidh-Ill, resulting in "EI" brief. A digraph is usually marked two ways - letters stuck together into one glyph, or such a mark... " her lecture was illustrated by quick marks in the notebook, and of course she checked the notes Artemus was taking.
The shifter tried to put down the new information as neatly as he could, marking down the different glyphs and digraphs. Rhaine went on through the alphabet, sticking in the info on di- and tri-graphs, associated meanings, and pronunciation. Some sounds appeared pretty much similar, the difference sometimes is in raising pitch of your voice or lowing it in the end of long sound. With a sigh, priestess commented:
"I've no clue how Baatezu learn it... my old infernal friend Saelbain once said it's in the instincts"
"So..in the instances where is a matter of raising or lowering pitch..how do you keep from confusin similar sounds that follow up that singular part of the vernacular? " Artemus sounded curious.
"Practice," was the most standard reply. "Often raising pitch is combined with a hardly heard tongue click... it's in the voice apparatus of Baatezu, and we have to imitate it"
When done with all 36 letters, vampiress smiles to the shifter. "Any hesitations? Or still firmly intending to learn this craziness?"
"Nope, I'm firmly commited to learning this," the druid emphasized his answer with a nod.
Why did he request this? Why did he wish to study the speech he would never use? Rhaine considered it an experiment, potentially rather... useful
Artemus followed a step behind her, hands clasped behind his back, a soft smile on his lips. He already managed to vex her by calling her Mistress - like a pre-schooler, vampiress thought with increasing irritation. But smiled welcomingly back on the Kurgen:
"Ready an set? We'll start on basics, I'm not sure how much you know already"
"Basics is good. Start easy and work our way up, since what I already know isn't very much."
"Usually the language is used in texts we consider... important from religious point of view. High-ranked priests also use it in personal notes or journals," Rhaine started calmly, giving him the notebooks and pens he might have use for. "We'll start from Baatezu alphabet which unfortunately exists..."
She opened the first chart in the book - alphabet, with comments on phonetics and meanings associated with the letters. "This is basic alphabet. Thirty six letters. Baatezu use standard letters and enhanced ones," she pointed to the first one in the chart Artemus started copying into his notebook. "Aidh. Associated meaning - Freedom. Standard voice meaning - "Ah" brief. Associated di-graphs - Aidh-Ai, resulting in "AAr" - long sound, Aidh-Ill, resulting in "EI" brief. A digraph is usually marked two ways - letters stuck together into one glyph, or such a mark... " her lecture was illustrated by quick marks in the notebook, and of course she checked the notes Artemus was taking.
The shifter tried to put down the new information as neatly as he could, marking down the different glyphs and digraphs. Rhaine went on through the alphabet, sticking in the info on di- and tri-graphs, associated meanings, and pronunciation. Some sounds appeared pretty much similar, the difference sometimes is in raising pitch of your voice or lowing it in the end of long sound. With a sigh, priestess commented:
"I've no clue how Baatezu learn it... my old infernal friend Saelbain once said it's in the instincts"
"So..in the instances where is a matter of raising or lowering pitch..how do you keep from confusin similar sounds that follow up that singular part of the vernacular? " Artemus sounded curious.
"Practice," was the most standard reply. "Often raising pitch is combined with a hardly heard tongue click... it's in the voice apparatus of Baatezu, and we have to imitate it"
When done with all 36 letters, vampiress smiles to the shifter. "Any hesitations? Or still firmly intending to learn this craziness?"
"Nope, I'm firmly commited to learning this," the druid emphasized his answer with a nod.
Why did he request this? Why did he wish to study the speech he would never use? Rhaine considered it an experiment, potentially rather... useful