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A sign language was a system of communication involving hand and other gestures. They were used by deaf and mute people and those who learned it to communicate with them, and by people wishing to communicate in silence or secrecy. Several different forms of sign language were used on Toril.[note 1] Such forms of communication were also called silent languages.[1]

Known Sign Languages[]

Thieves' cant

Shandie and Krydle signing thieves' cant to each other.

Some specific sign languages were:

Some spoken languages also included signs and gestures to some degree:

Users[]

Custom[]

Carsten and Silke, two wizards held captive in a silence-affected cell in Ronras Prison, created a complex sign language to communicate.[14]

Nat, a deaf street urchin girl of Waterdeep in the late 1400s DR, devised her own sign language to communicate with her friends.[15]

In Chult, Qawasha, a human druid, and Kupalué, a vegepygmy, communicated to one another using their own form of sign language.[16]

As saurials could not speak Common, Alias taught Dragonbait a variant of the thieves' hand cant so he could communicate with her and Olive Ruskettle (who was annoyed at the sharing of thieves' secrets).[13]

'Silent signs' were employed for secret communication among the Harpers, Zhentarim, agents of the Lords' Alliance, and other cabals, guilds, and groups.[7]

Wayfinders, a unique dwarven variety of rogue that were quite proficient in learning other languages, sometimes knew sign languages.[17]

Ape[]

Carnivorous apes could communicate in a sign language.[18]

Elven Language[]

Katyr Toralynnsyr, a mute copper elf scout of the Elmanesse tribe of the Forest of Tethir, used a simple sign language. His wife Annelwin Toralynnsyr translated for outsiders.[19][20]

Vander Stillhawk, a ranger of Tethyr, used a detailed sign language taught to him by elves after orcs cut out his tongue as a boy. Zaranda Star, Father Pelletyr, and his other adventuring companions also learned this language.[21][22]

Netherese[]

Cragh, a deaf-mute Netherese arcanist of the Golden Age of Netheril, communicated in a sign language.[23]

Planar[]

Elliach, a mage of the Wandering Emporium in Avernus who worked mutating demon ichor, was left deaf after his ears grew wings and flew off, so he used a strange form of sign language, owing to his tentacle-like fingers.[24][25]

Lillendi as a whole had an uncanny ability to understand all forms of sign language presented to them.[26]

Wa-an[]

In Aru in Wa, Fusae, the mute proprietress of the House of Heavenly Sand, communicated in a clumsy sign language. Her granddaughter Cachiko interpreted for customers as needed.[27]

Zakharan[]

Bashi, a mamluk guard of Mabruk al-Hanash's home in Dihliz, was mute and communicated via a sign language.[28]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. Sign languages have been mentioned a number of times in Forgotten Realms sources, but have not always been named or described. As such, it is unclear if they should be treated as the same, similar, or unrelated sign languages, while some are confirmed to be unique. For convenience, this article collects these various unnamed sign languages together. Named and unrelated sign languages are detailed on their own pages. Basic signals and instances of improvised signing, such as by miming, are not included.

Appearances[]

Adventures

Novels & Short Stories

Video Games

Organized Play & Licensed Adventures

Stop the Madness • What The??
Referenced only
Faces of Fortune • No Time to Lose • Thay Came From The East

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 John Terra (February 1996). Warriors and Priests of the Realms. Edited by Steven E. Schend. (TSR, Inc), pp. 11–12. ISBN 0-7869-0368-6.
  2. Greg Marks; Anthony Joyce-Rivera, Carl Sibley (November 2021). When the Lights Went Out in Candlekeep (DDAL-DRW-EP-03) (PDF). Edited by Ashley Michalea Lawson. D&D Adventurers League: Dreams of the Red Wizards (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27.
  3. Sean K. Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, Angel McCoy (August 2001). Magic of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 188. ISBN 0-7869-1964-7.
  4. Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 13. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  5. Nicky Rea (July 1994). “The Living City: The Hand of Mercy and Marigold's Menagerie”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #97 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 7–8, 10–11.
  6. Ed Greenwood (September 1993). The Code of the Harpers. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 13. ISBN 1-56076-644-1.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Ed Greenwood (2020-05-04). Sign Languages in the Realms (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved on 2021-05-25.
  8. Kevin Melka (June 1995). “Jungle Lore”. In Duane Maxwell ed. Polyhedron #108 (TSR, Inc.), p. 16.
  9. Stephen H. Jay, David Morrow, Tom Prusa and Gary Watkins (April 1998). “More Living Jungle Races”. In Jeff Quick ed. Polyhedron #129 (TSR, Inc.), p. 33.
  10. Daniel S. Donnelly ed. (March 1998). The Trumpeter 2, no. 3 (link). (RPGA), pp. 9–10.
  11. Jim Zub (November 2014). “Legends of Baldur's Gate 2”. Legends of Baldur's Gate #2 (IDW Publishing) (2)., p. 7.
  12. Jim Zub, Stacy King, Andrew Wheeler (July 2019). Warriors & Weapons. (Ten Speed Press), p. 83. ISBN 978-1-9848-5642-5.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Jeff Grubb, Kate Novak (March 1991). Song of the Saurials. (TSR, Inc.), chaps. 2, 15, pp. 27, 235. ISBN 1-56076-060-5.
  14. Brandon Kaya & Cisco Lopez-Fresquet (May 1998). What The??. Living City (RPGA), p. 8.
  15. Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
  16. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  17. Jim Bambra (1993). The Complete Book of Dwarves. (TSR, Inc.), p. 73. ISBN 1-56076-110-5.
  18. Jean Rabe (June 1997). Going Ape. Living City (RPGA), pp. 3, 10.
  19. Steven E. Schend (August 1997). “Book One: Tethyr”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Lands of Intrigue (TSR, Inc.), p. 64. ISBN 0-7869-0697-9.
  20. David Wise (1992). AD&D Trading Cards 1992 series, #102, "Katyr". TSR, Inc..
  21. Dale Donovan, Paul Culotta (August 1996). Heroes' Lorebook. (TSR, Inc), p. 135. ISBN 0-7869-0412-7.
  22. Victor Milán (October 1995). War in Tethyr. (TSR, Inc), chap. 1. ISBN 0-7869-0184-5.
  23. slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 109. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
  24. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 130. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  25. Ted Atkinson (2019). Faces of Fortune: The Story of Fai Chen (DDAL09-05) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 9–10.
  26. Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “Monstrous Supplement”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 16. ISBN 1560768746.
  27. Nigel Findley (1990). Ninja Wars. (TSR, Inc), pp. 16, 29, 60, 74. ISBN 0-8803-8895-1.
  28. Steve Kurtz (1994). Al-Qadim: Ruined Kingdoms: Adventure Book. (TSR, Inc), p. 16. ISBN 1-56076-815-0.
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