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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>High Kholo — Conlang by Taica</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css" />
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="favicon.ico">
<script type="text/javascript">
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callback(rawFile.responseText);
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rawFile.send(null);
}
function readWords(letter) {
var classes = lexDB['classes'];
var words = lexDB['words'];
document.getElementById("lexText").innerHTML = "";
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if (word['e'].startsWith(letter)) {
var toAdd = "<p><i>".concat(word['e']).concat("</i> — ").concat(classes[word['c']]).concat(": <b>").concat(word['k']).concat("</b>");
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else
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var date = new Date(Date.parse(time));
var dateString = date.toLocaleString();
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</script>
</head>
<body>
<ul>
<li><a href="#introduction">I.<br />Introduction</a></li>
<li><a href="#phonemes">II.<br />Phonemes</a></li>
<!-- <li><a href="#orthography">III.<br />Orthography</a></li> -->
<li><a href="#grammar">III.<br />Grammar</a></li>
<li><a href="#morphology">IV.<br />Morphology</a></li>
<li><a href="#pronouns">V.<br />Pronouns</a></li>
<li><a href="#numerals">VI.<br />Numerals</a></li>
<li><a href="#lexicon">VII.<br />Lexicon</a></li>
<li><a href="#culture">VIII.<br />Culture</a></li>
<li><a href="#excerpts">IX.<br />Excerpts</a></li>
</ul>
<span class="title1">High Kholo</span>
<a href="https://taicanium.github.io/" target="_blank"><img class="icon" id="happy" src="https://i.ibb.co/fnvbrfg/Rhian-Happy.png" alt="Rhian-Happy" onmouseleave="showNormal()" /></a>
<a href="https://taicanium.github.io/" target="_blank"><img class="icon" id="normal" src="https://i.ibb.co/xhFCWhs/Rhian-Normal.png" alt="Rhian-Normal" onmouseenter="showHappy()" /></a>
<span id="gitRev">Last modified:<br /><br /></span>
<div class="subdiv" id="introduction">
<span class="title2">Gnolls, and the Language Thereof</span><br />
<p>This guide details the dialect most commonly spoken among <a href="https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Kholo#tabber-2E" target="_blank">kholo</a> of the <a href="https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Mwangi_Expanse" target="_blank">Mwangi Expanse</a>, as opposed to those dialects spoken in <a href="https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Katapesh" target="_blank">Katapesh</a> or other areas.<br/>Commonly referred to as High Kholo, reflecting the Mwangi gnolls' greater (by comparison) penchant for civilized culture and trade.<br /><br />Natively, it is simply called Kholo, or <i>Kholoyyisii</i> ("Kholo-speech"). Notes are not kept on other dialects of Kholo, except as they directly relate to this one.</p><br />
<p class="smalltext">Remember: Kholo are not humans, and do not possess human mouth anatomy. This document takes a little "Okay so these guys have funny dog mouths" to follow. It's worth it, this is fun. I promise.</p><br />
<p class="smalltext">My name is Taica, and neither I nor this document nor any of its contents are directly affiliated with Rose-Winds LLC or Blake Davis.</p>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="phonemes">
<span class="title2">Consonants</span>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th />
<th>Bilabial</th>
<th>Bidental<sup>1</sup></th>
<th>Dental</th>
<th>Interdental<sup>2</sup></th>
<th>Palatal<sup>3</sup></th>
<th>Velar</th>
<th>Glottal</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tr>
<th>Plosive (stop)</th>
<td>p b</td>
<td />
<td />
<td>t d</td>
<td>kh gh</td>
<td>k g</td>
<td>(')</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Nasal</th>
<td>m</td>
<td>nn</td>
<td />
<td colspan="2">n</td>
<td />
<td />
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Tap</th>
<td />
<td />
<td />
<td>r</td>
<td />
<td />
<td />
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Fricative</th>
<td>f v</td>
<td>nh</td>
<td />
<td>s z</td>
<td>sh zh</td>
<td />
<td>hh</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Approximant</th>
<td>w</td>
<td style="background-color: #121216; color: #898989;">(jh)<sup style="color: #CECACA;">4</sup></td>
<td />
<td>l</td>
<td>j</td>
<td />
<td />
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Yip<sup>5</sup></th>
<td />
<td />
<td>y</td>
<td>yy</td>
<td colspan="2">yh</td>
<td />
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br />
<span class="title2">Vowels</span>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th style="width: 50px;" />
<th style="width: 50px;">Front</th>
<th style="width: 50px;" />
<th style="width: 50px;">Mid</th>
<th style="width: 50px;" />
<th style="width: 50px;">Back</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tr>
<th>High</th>
<td>i (ii)</td>
<td />
<td />
<td />
<td>u (uu)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th />
<td>e</td>
<td>ɪ (i)</td>
<td />
<td />
<td />
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Mid</th>
<td />
<td />
<td />
<td>o</td>
<td />
</tr>
<tr>
<th />
<td />
<td />
<td />
<td />
<td>ʌ (u)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Low</th>
<td />
<td />
<td>ä (a)</td>
<td />
<td />
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br />
<ol>
<li>Made with the jaws clenched and the teeth bared.<br />The bidental fricative is essentially the linguistic rendition of a growl.<br />The nasal is more akin to a hiss or a whine.</li><br />
<li>Made with the tongue pressed adjacent to the fangs. In humans this position would be equivalent to behind the incisors but ahead of the canines, if such a space existed.</li><br />
<li>The palatal plosive is rendered as a clicking sound akin to that made by humans when we express displeasure. <br />The palatal nasal, while physically possible, produces no noticeable sound difference from the interdental nasal.</li><br />
<li>Seems to have existed in prior ages, but fell out in favor of the palatal approximant when paper-based writing was introduced through contact with the Osirians. It persists in certain Katapeshi dialects, and is preserved in writing for that purpose.</li><br />
<li>Made with the tongue starting slack and rapidly accelerating towards the target position.<br />The dental yip usually forces a front vowel sound, but the interdental and palatal are more flexible.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<!-- <div class="subdiv" id="orthography">
<span class="smalltext">My current priority is completing the fundamental structure of High Kholo before devising a writing system. Consider pressuring me to create a mailing list for updates; I'd unironically enjoy being hounded over it.</span>
</div> -->
<div class="subdiv" id="grammar">
<span class="title2">Syntax</span><br />
<p>Kholo generally follows a subject-object-verb sentence structure: "Timmy the ball kicks".<br />The language is remarkably flexible, however. In most settings, the only strict requirement is that the object follow the subject.</p>
<p>Verb-subject-object ("Kicks Timmy the ball") is a common format in flowery, poetic systems; but tends to be seen as archaic or eccentric in speech.<br />In more casual writing or conversation, subject-verb-object ("Timmy kicks the ball", as in Common) is seen as more formal than the norm, and this is usually sufficient.</p>
<p>Adjectives follow the noun they modify, unless compounded or used as prefixes. There is no strict requirement for which form to use, though the prefix form is discouraged if the noun is already particularly long. (What counts as "particularly long" is up to personal taste.)</p><br />
<span class="title2">Declension</span><br />
<p>Kholo declines nouns, verbs, and adjectives according to a fusional suffix system. These suffixes indicate verb tense, the number of both the subject and object of a sentence, as well as the level of formality.</p><br />
<span class="title3">Verb Suffixes</span><br />
<table>
<thead>
<th colspan="2" />
<th style="width: 100px;">Informal</th>
<th style="width: 70px;">Formal</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Past</th>
<td rowspan="2">-(j)a</td>
<td>-to</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th rowspan="2" style="width: 70px;">Present</th>
<th>Perfect</th>
<td>-(j)o</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="width: 85px;">Continuous</th>
<td><i>unmodified</i></td>
<td>-(w)ej</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Kholo does not natively distinguish a future tense. Indicating an action yet to be taken is done via context. When it must be made explicit, the closest equivalent is to prepend the word "ta-" ("Time") to the related verb as a prefix, though native speakers find this clunky.</p><br />
<span class="title3">Numerical Suffixes</span><br />
<table>
<tr>
<th rowspan="2" />
<th colspan="2">Informal</th>
<th rowspan="2" style="width: 60px;">Formal</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="width: 80px;">Non-Kholo<sup>1</sup></th>
<th style="width: 60px;">Kholo<sup>2</sup></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="width: 75px;">Singular</th>
<td colspan="2"><i>unmodified</i></td>
<td>-(w)im</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Plural</th>
<td>-(a)kh</td>
<td rowspan="2">-hha</td>
<td>-(a)ma</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Myriad</th>
<td>-(a)ka</td>
<td>-(w)el</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Members of other species, no matter how friendly or how high-ranking, are always non-kholo. Separate parts of a kholo's physical body (e.g. the arms, legs, or head) are also non-kholo.</li><br />
<li>In contrast to body parts, metaphysical parts of a kholo — such as the soul or the (metaphorical) heart — are kholo.<br />A note is also made for monstrous offspring bred through reverence of <a class="wikiLink" href="https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Lamashtu" target="_blank">Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters</a>. These are always kholo, with one exception: Those incorporating humanlike features are non-kholo.</li><br />
</ol>
<p>The same word, if used more than once, can drop its numerical suffix following the first usage; unless the number or quality changes.</p>
<table>
<tr>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common (literal)</th>
<th>Common (proper)</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Robawel hhuujo khuje.<br />Arnh roba ginn.</td>
<td>Ancestors-many want worship.<br />Refuse ancestor<span style="color: #898989;">(s-many)</span> evil.</td>
<td>The ancestors wish for us to revere them.<br />It would be evil to refuse the ancestors.</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br /><br />
<span class="title2">Cases and Moods</span><br /><br />
<span class="title3">Conditional</span><br />
<p>The conditional mood shows a potential or hypothetical action being taken, as in uses of the Common "if" or "would".<br />To indicate an action reliant on another (as in Common "if"), Kholo constructs a present-tense sentence, followed by the conditional action:</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common (literal)</th>
<th>Common (proper)</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>"Hhama'ba nnuu rela, ez khorahhii ba'elma."</td>
<td>"My father has death, and despair I feel."</td>
<td>"If my father dies, then I will feel despair."</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<p>To indicate a hypothetical action (as in Common "would"), Kholo relies on making the action statement and then rejecting it:</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common (literal)</th>
<th>Common (proper)</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>"Ba owja'nha khlita, uubasja."</td>
<td>"I break your paw, but I do not."</td>
<td>"I would break your paw."</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Note the use of "uubasja", a contraction of "u ba se'a", meaning "but I do not".</p><br />
<span class="title3">Genitive</span>
<p>The genitive case indicates ownership, possession, or association. In Common, this case is shown with the suffix 's, as in "Timmy's ball," or with the particle 'of,' as in "the Ides of March."<br />Kholo follows a principle of attribution, whereby the genitive case is shown by treating the owner or possessor as an adjective of the owned noun:</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>"Yyuumi Yyii'ta"</td>
<td>"Thorn's prey"</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>"Shava'nha"</td>
<td>"Your heart"</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br />
<span class="title3">Imperative</span>
<p>The imperative mood indicates a command or directive from the speaker to the listener. Common shows this case by constructing a present-tense, second-person sentence ("You take a left at this stop sign") and omitting the subject pronoun ("Take a left at this stop sign").<br />Kholo imperatives follow a similar structure: The pronoun is omitted, and the verb is left unmodified if informal, or made present-tense if formal.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>"Nno alkhit'ba."</td>
<td>"Write my legend."</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>"Hhja ber!"</td>
<td>"Sing for me!"</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>"Vrito hhja'ba nhaj'er."</td>
<td>"Allow me to sing for you."</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="morphology">
<span class="title2">Non-Doubled Suffixes</span><br />
<p>A set of grammar rules exists for when to prevent accidental doubling of consonant and vowel sounds in Kholo, especially when applying suffixes.<br />When amended with suffixes for tense, number and formality: If a word already ends in the major consonant sound of the suffix, that sound should be removed before the suffix is applied.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Inkh</td>
<td>Knee</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><i>Inkhakh</i> -> Inakh</td>
<td>Knees</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>The rule is generally applied for very similar consonant sounds on a case-by-case basis. Non-native speakers may or may not struggle with deciding what counts as "similar", but aspirated consonants are the easiest to figure out.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Inkh</td>
<td>Knee</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><i>Inkhaka</i> -> Inaka</td>
<td>Knees (many)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Doubled vowel sounds are not removed in this way, but are instead distinguished with the addition of a glottal stop. The consonants involved are still treated according to the prior rule.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Alim</td>
<td>Queen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><i>Alimim'ba</i> —> Ali'im'ba</td>
<td>My queen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><i>Alimima'ba</i> —> Ali'ima'ba</td>
<td>My queens</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br />
<span class="title2">Sonorization</span><br />
<p>Kholo speech tends to sonorize (i.e. morph from voiceless to voiced) consonants which occur at the beginning of a word which was proceeded by a word ending in a voiceless consonant sound.<br />This change is formalized to the point that it is frequently glossed in writing, but not consistently.</p>
<p>Formal texts will usually gloss sonorization in dialogue while preserving the original spelling in narration and other contexts. Highly formalized texts, such as ancestral codices or missives between cultures, are the most likely to gloss sonorization in all contexts.</p>
<p>Informal texts, meanwhile, tend to ignore sonorized initial consonants entirely, using only the voiceless original spelling. In other words, for most Kholo, sonorization is a purely vocal phenomenon, and its display in writing is a dead giveaway that the writer is either a foreigner or an egghead.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td><i>Tashikh suuja'ba</i> -> Tashikh zuuja'ba</td>
<td>Before I came</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="pronouns">
<span class="title2">Pronouns</span><br /><br />
<table style="width: 450px;">
<thead>
<th />
<th>1st</th>
<th>2nd (informal)</th>
<th>2nd (formal)</th>
<th>3rd</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<th>Singular</th>
<td>Ba</td>
<td>Nha</td>
<td>Nna</td>
<td>Yhii</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Plural</th>
<td>Baj<br />-'i (suffix)</td>
<td>Nhaj</td>
<td>Nnaj</td>
<td>Yhii'a</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br />
<span class="title2">Interrogatives</span><br /><br />
<table style="width: 450px;">
<thead>
<th>Who</th>
<th>What</th>
<th>When</th>
<th>Where</th>
<th>Why</th>
<th>How</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Pak</td>
<td>Paj</td>
<td>Pajda</td>
<td>Pajduu</td>
<td>Yyo'a</td>
<td>Iikha</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>As a rule, kholo address members of races they enslave or feed on exclusively in the third person.<br />This has given rise to the perception of kholo brutes as constantly yipping (notice the <i>yh</i> sound in the 3rd-person pronouns): They are shouting insults at their targets.</p>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="numerals">
<span class="title2">Numerals</span><br /><br />
<p>Ordinal numbers (i.e. first, second) are indicated with the suffix -jan ('-most').</p>
<table style="width: 250px;">
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Oa</td>
<td>Zero</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<table style="width: 250px;">
<tr>
<td>Ik</td>
<td>One</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ird</td>
<td>Two</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jink</td>
<td>Three</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nen</td>
<td>Four</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nara, Nar-</td>
<td>Five</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mon</td>
<td>Six</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mjo</td>
<td>Seven</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Onje, On-</td>
<td>Eight</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Wen</td>
<td>Nine</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Wakh</td>
<td>Ten</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<table style="width: 250px;">
<tr>
<td>Ird-wakh</td>
<td>Twenty</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Wanut</td>
<td>Hundred</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nar-wanut</td>
<td>Five hundred</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ghoro</td>
<td>Thousand</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Waghoro</td>
<td>Ten thousand</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<table style="width: 250px;">
<tr>
<td>Aka</td>
<td>"A lot"</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Aston</td>
<td>Infinity</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="lexicon">
<span class="title2">Lexicon</span><br /><br />
<table id="lexRibbon">
<tr style="font-size: 16pt;">
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('a');">A</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('b');">B</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('c');">C</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('d');">D</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('e');">E</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('f');">F</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('g');">G</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('h');">H</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('i');">I</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('j');">J</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('k');">K</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('l');">L</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('m');">M</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('n');">N</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('o');">O</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('p');">P</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('q');">Q</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('r');">R</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('s');">S</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('t');">T</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('u');">U</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('v');">V</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('w');">W</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('x');">X</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('y');">Y</a></th>
<th><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('z');">Z</a></th>
</tr>
<tr style="font-size: 14pt;">
<th colspan="13"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('*P');">Common Phrases</a></th>
<th colspan="13"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="readDB('*S');">The Slave System</a></th>
</tr>
</table>
<br /><br />
<div id="phrases" style="display: none;">
<table>
<thead>
<th>Common</th>
<th>French</th>
<th>Kholo</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Hello<br />Hi</td>
<td>Bonjour<br />Salut</td>
<td>Khaja<br />Ja</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Goodbye<br />Bye</td>
<td>Au revoir<br />Adieu</td>
<td>Khajii<br />Jii</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Who are you?</td>
<td>Qui êtes-vous ?<br />Qui es-tu ?</td>
<td>Pak nna? <span style="color: #898989">(formal)</span><br />Pak nha? <span style="color: #898989">(informal)</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>How are you?</td>
<td>Comment ça va ?</td>
<td>Paj hhara?<br /><span style="color: #898989">(lit. "What problem?")</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>I'm fine.</td>
<td>Ça va.</td>
<td>Yhaja.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Good, and you?</td>
<td>Bien, et tu ?</td>
<td>Yhajaz nha?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>I'm hungry</td>
<td>J'ai faime</td>
<td>Yyuu<br /><span style="color: #898989">(lit. the noun "hunger")</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>I'm tired</td>
<td>Je suis fatigué</td>
<td>Desh zhii.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Let's go!</td>
<td>Allons-y !</td>
<td>Rii'i!</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Can you hear me?</td>
<td>Peux-tu m'entendre ?</td>
<td>Prikaja'ba?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>But I do not.</td>
<td>Mais je ne fais pas.</td>
<td>Uubasja.<br /><span style="color: #898989">(Contraction of "U ba se'a.")</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>We're going to drink your blood and chew your bones!</td>
<td>On boira ton sang et rongera tes os !</td>
<td>Onf'i nhi yhii, tilkh'i zhekh yhii!<br /><span style="color: #898989">(note the use of third-person pronouns)</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<div id="slave" style="display: none;">
<p>Kholo infamously features 37 words to distinguish between the types of slaves in their culture.<br />These are organized into six groups differing by their purpose and in harshness of their treatment.<br />Slaves in the two 'highest' groups, indentured and personal servants, are owned by single kholo or families, and further ranked according to the work they do.<br />Lower types are communally owned, and not differentiated in this way.</p>
<p>"Wik" is a generic word referring to a worker of any type. When it appears as a suffix in the name of a servant type, it may be replaced with "wa"<br />("respectable work") or "triip" ("menial work") to refer to the labor itself.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<th>Venwik</th>
<th>"White-worker"</th>
<th>Indentured Servants (4 types, hierarchical)<br />Personal homeworkers</th>
</thead>
<tr><td>Silwik</td><td>"Friend-worker"</td><td>Performs "respectable" work around a kholo's home, including acting as a face similar to a butler.<br />Usually trusted to care for their master's most treasured valuables.<br />In addition, they often speak candidly with the master, and may even be on casually friendly terms.<br />The silwik is much like a personal aid or private escort, or more bluntly a lap-dog.<br />Among all kholo slaves who are ever willingly freed, the overwhelming majority are silwakh.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Alwik</td><td>"High-worker"</td><td>Oversees and organizes the lower servants, both indentured and personal, as a supervisor of sorts.<br />Their work is easily performed by a silwik, so to own an alwik is a mark of highly conspicuous luxury.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tovawik</td><td>"Jewel-worker"</td><td>An indentured apprentice in a kholo's trade. Despite their name, the trade need not necessarily be gemsmithing.<br />The tovawik is taught much like a student in addition to their duties as a servant.<br />Tovawakh are rarely freed, rather kept as assistants in the trade. Sometimes, an elderly master may free them on his deathbed.<br />They may be sold to other kholo once their skills are sufficiently honed or are no longer needed.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tuuwik</td><td>"Home-worker"</td><td>Performs menial, undifferentiated work around the kholo's home, much like a farmhand.<br />Their indentured status still affords them luxuries such as better meals and private living quarters.</td></tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<thead>
<th>Minwik</th>
<th>"Grey-worker"</th>
<th>Indentured Servants (4 types, hierarchical)<br />Personal homeworkers</th>
</thead>
<tr><td>Yyipwik</td><td>"Speak-worker"</td><td>A correspondent; carries orders to and from other servants and messages to other kholo.<br />Frequently an assistant to a silwik or alwik.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Niiwik</td><td>"Kill-worker"</td><td>A personal gatherer or hunter.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Owjawik</td><td>"Paw-worker"</td><td>A personal groomer.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Mejowik</td><td>"Green-worker"</td><td>A menial worker; similar to a tuuwik but dealing with "lower" work, often of an outdoor and/or sanitary nature.<br />If the master owns livestock, it is usually mejowakh who care for them.</td></tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<thead>
<th>Zijiwik</th>
<th>"Horn-worker"</th>
<th>Caste Laborers (6 types)<br />Have a skill or talent that saves them from being treated like ordinary chattel slaves</th>
</thead>
<tr><td>Bojawik</td><td>"Mechanic"</td><td>Someone capable of building and repairing simple to mid-complexity machines such as transport wagons.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Gidwik</td><td>"Doctor"</td><td>A medical specialist, especially one skilled at preventing or treating infected wounds.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Iizhwik</td><td>"Cloth-worker"</td><td>A clothier, weaves fabrics and clothing.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Piirik</td><td>"Magic-worker"</td><td>A magical specialist, capable of interpreting incantations or conjuring cantrips for the benefit of other servants or kholo.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Siiviwik</td><td>"Fresh-worker"</td><td>A butcher or someone otherwise skilled at extracting meat.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Yyiphho'ik</td><td>"Speak-smith"</td><td>A poet or wordsmith. Most commonly used for entertainment, though some kholo use them to record native stories or to<br />hear the stories of other peoples; academia being rare, but not unheard of in Kholo culture.</td></tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<thead>
<th>Uurwik</th>
<th>"Half-worker"</th>
<th>Hard Laborers (8 types)<br />Chattel slaves belonging to a tribe or community as a whole</th>
</thead>
<tr><td>Gifowik</td><td>"Vein-worker"</td><td>A gatherer, responsible for either felling trees and/or mining stone, as well as less intensive tasks such as herb gathering.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ifrowik</td><td>"Treasure-worker"</td><td>A retainer, assists in the upkeep of stored food, armor, and weapons.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Konadwik</td><td>"Road-worker"</td><td>A communal cleaner. Also constructs and cares for pathways around a settlement.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kromwik</td><td>"Animal-worker"</td><td>An animal handler; cares for livestock kept by a tribe as a whole.<br />As opposed to animals owned by a single kholo or family, which are cared for by mejowakh.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Loyyawik</td><td>"City-worker"</td><td>An undifferentiated worker valuable for their personal history or connections, such as a captive foreign noble.<br />Most commonly they are treated as currency to be exchanged between tribes or held as hostages.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Orahho'ik</td><td>"Wood-smith"</td><td>A woodworker; constructs weapons and wooden tools, as well as lesser fortifications and scaffolding.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Pundhho'ik</td><td>"Stone-smith"</td><td>A stoneworker, mostly used for engraving and to construct fortifications.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Vuutawik</td><td>"Carry-worker"</td><td>A simple transporter or packmule. Carries raw materials from one place to another, sometimes between settlements.</td></tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<thead>
<th>Tunfo</th>
<th>"Low-soldier"</th>
<th>Compelled Soldiers (5 types)</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td>Dantua</td><td>"Bow-rank"</td>
<td rowspan="5"><i>Kholo rarely take captives as compelled soldiers.<br />Much more commonly, this caste is a punishment for slaves of a different type who rebelled or shirked their duties.<br />Those who fit here are always smaller and weaker than their kholo overseers, as even hyenafolk would not be stupid enough to hand a weapon to someone capable of killing them with it.<br />It would thus be more accurate to describe these as "cannon fodder".</i></td>
</tr>
<tr><td>Hhoratua</td><td>"Axe-rank"</td></tr>
<tr><td>Iptua</td><td>"Spear-rank"</td></tr>
<tr><td>Nhiitua</td><td>"Sword-rank"</td></tr>
<tr><td>Sit'tua</td><td>"Mace-rank"</td></tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<thead>
<th>Sikh</th>
<th>"Meat"</th>
<th>Farmed Meat (4 types)</th>
</thead>
<tr><td>Alimsikh</td><td>"Queen-meat"</td><td>High quality and fit to be fed to the most respected huntresses and bonecarvers.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tuunusikh</td><td>"Dark-meat"</td><td>Fit for the average kholo.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Verensikh</td><td>"Shield-meat"</td><td>Fit to thicken or accent other food, but not to be eaten on its own.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kromsikh</td><td>"Waste-meat"</td><td>Fit only for animal feed or fertilizer.</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
<div id="lexText"></div>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="culture">
<span class="title2">Naming</span><br /><br />
<p>From birth, kholo youths are given a 'root' for a name: A single word of natural origin, such as an animal, plant, or natural feature; or a part of such. As they age and gain notoriety, they may choose to add modifiers or adjectives to this root, symbolizing their growth and accomplishments.</p><p>A kholo born with the root name 'Ash' may further name themselves 'Ash upon Ground' when reaching maturity. When slaying their first grave monstrosity, they may become 'Ash upon Arid Ground'. And so on and so forth.</p><p>It is not common, but nor is it rare, for kholo to give each other such a naming element; some long-bonded parties practice this as a means of tying themselves to each other.</p><br /><br />
<span class="title2">Matriarchy</span><br /><br />
<p>Kholo society is famously matriarchal, whereby female huntresses — taller, stronger, and more naturally assertive than their male counterparts — play a dominant role in social ruling and organization.<br />There are aspects of the Kholo language that are either explicitly or implicitly gendered accordingly.</p>
<p>Take as an example the singular formal suffix, '-(w)im'. It is derived from the native word for female, 'imo'. Likewise, the word for daughter, 'ima,' is also related.<br />Informal common nouns are not given a suffix. 'Kholo,' as a native word meaning 'tribal predator,' therefore technically refers to a male, while 'kholowim' would be used to address a female listener. In human society, this distinction would likely come across as othering the listener.</p>
<p>Here, though, it is actually those without the suffix who are othered — the suffix is honorable, and is culturally treated like a noble title. It is important to remember that matriarchy is the default in kholo society, and assumptions are made by both speaker and listener accordingly.</p>
<p>Male kholo are excluded from reference with formal suffixes under almost all circumstances; it would be easier to list the exceptions to that rule rather than elaborate on the rule directly. Namely:<br />Elderly males are entitled to formal reference by their grandchildren, but not by their adult children.<br />Furthermore, a bonecarver or storyteller is entitled to formality from other males and young females of his tribe; but not from adult females.</p>
<p>Individual exceptions are rarely also made for highly accomplished warriors, but these may be as rare as once or twice in a generation.</p><br /><br />
<span class="title2">Literature</span><br /><br />
<span class="title3">Alkhitakh Hhama'ba</span><br />
<p>The <i>Alkhitakh Hhama'ba</i> is a collection of kholo folktales most comparable to Aesop's Fables or A Thousand and One Nights. As possibly the most comprehensive piece of native Kholo writing, its use is indispensable for outsiders in deciphering cultural norms and nuance in an otherwise profoundly bellicose species.</p>
<p>Its stories mostly center around a male kholo named Thorn, whose growth from youth to elder bonecarver is traced via exploits as a slaver, a brief reformist for the latter system, and a servant to a huntress whom eventually married him. Thorn has long been interpreted as a symbol of virtue for male kholo youths. His characterization as a level-headed, pragmatic, yet unflinchingly bloodthirsty warrior and a friend to outside peoples (as friendly as a kholo can reasonably be called) suggests a model for males to follow in a strongly female-dominated society.</p>
<p>Its name means "Legends of my Father", or "Stories of my Father", making its use as a teaching tool for male kholo even more obvious.</p><br />
<span class="title3">Tejalima</span><br />
<p>The <i>Tejalima</i> ("Huntress-queen") is a lyrical work handed down across generations by adventuring kholo minstrels, both inside and outside of the Mwangi Expanse. Its exact verses are as diverse as the bards who recite it, but at its core the <i>Tejalima</i> follows Lynx, a kholo huntress of ancient days who befriended a human settler from what would one day become Osirion. The settler, whose name is never given, was wounded in a civil conflict and left for dead on the savannah; Lynx, intending to turn a profit against a slaver, captured the settler, but grew fond of him during their extended return deeper into the Expanse.</p>
<p>Friendship between kholo and humans is a not-uncommon plot device of traditional Kholo literature, but the <i>Tejalima</i> is unique in presenting Lynx's affection for the settler as inherently and dramatically doomed: Tribal and uncivilized, she is able to patch his wounds but cannot aid him when they become infected. Through multiple stanzas spanning months of travel, the settler attempts to hide his affliction from Lynx, but becomes progressively weaker. He loses his will and dies shortly before reaching their destination, never knowing that Lynx had resolved to spare him from slavery.</p>
<p>The lyricism concludes by returning to its initial praise of the freedom in life on the Expanse, though now cast in a colder light. Lynx is said to have faded into the savannah, her life as a huntress irrevocably coloured by her encounter with the settler. Interpretations vary as to whether she had developed romantic feelings for the settler; those that favour this perception ironically tend to be more cynical in nature, casting all attachment with outside peoples as doomed from the start.</p>
<p>In all, the <i>Tejalima</i> has historically acted as a conservative influence on Kholo culture, reminding the lead huntresses of Mwangi tribes not to show mercy to their quarries nor to slack in their duties. As a strictly musical piece, the <i>Tejalima</i> is highly favoured by kholo bards who have ventured far afield, as the tragedy of its story coupled with its lamenting, somber accompaniment is famously moving when performed by a talented musician.</p>
</div>
<div class="subdiv" id="excerpts">
<span class="title2">Writing Excerpts</span><br /><br /><br />
<span class="title3">From the <i>Alkhitakh Hhama'ba</i></span><br /><br />
<table style="width: 95%;">
<thead>
<th>Kholo</th>
<th>Common (literal)</th>
<th>Common (proper)</th>
</thead>
<tr>
<td><p>Shava'nha a'lo'nha. Gida er'a fuu hho'nha.<br />Gida er korayi lushajo'nha. Er nnima onje vuutajo'nha;<br />er khorahhii jogo, a'khlito'nha;<br />er jira tuunujan jogo, nhiso'nha.</p><p>Er zijika meruua voajo, ez zetikel wilto;<br />er rosua jogra, aljan zetik yhii'a zet'lete khurumo.</p><p>Er tuama'ayi yhii'a, sil'nha woluto vuutajo al veren'yhii,<br />ez pero shiiukh a'shikh, ez elmo hhiguu a'shikh.</p></td>
<td><p>Heart-you not-predator-you. Hurts for-not make weak-you.<br />Hurts for strong becomes-you. For loss weight carries-you;<br />for despair under, not-breaks-you;<br />for sun darkest under, rises-you.</p><p>For horns-many heaven sounding, and warriors-many ride;<br />for Earth over, champion they war-front holds.</p><p>For ranks-with they, friend-you fallen carries high shield-they,<br />and gives tears not-more, and feels sorrow not-more.</p></td>
<td><p>Your heart is not your predator. It does not ache to weaken you.<br />It aches so that you may grow strong. So that you may bear the weight of loss;<br />that amidst despair, you may not break;<br />that under the dimmest sun, you may yet rise.</p><p>That the horns of Heaven may yet be sounded, and its warriors ride;<br />for their champion on Earth may yet hold the front.</p><p>For among their ranks, your fallen friend bears his shield high,<br />and sheds no more tears, and feels no more sorrow.</p></td>
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<td colspan="3"> -- Ch. 3, <i>Yhaz Nnim</i> ("To Live and to Lose"). pp. 97.</td>
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<td><p>Owja Yyii'ta ghalmate alshuu yhii firita.<br />"A'ba'alkejo niika'nha. U ba'fuur paj gent'nha, tunyhakh ghe."</p><p>Inso bintosa.<br />"Verensikh. Rel'i sestaz tuunusikh."</p><p>Yyii'ta josa Zuato'ik ez yyiima yhii.<br />Yyo'ami elma viiwe jogra.<br />"Liivi yhii'a. Gent'rel. Er sikh, nha triip gromo?"</p><p>Kipnhiikh Inso tiilikha, u mobeta'a sonaut Yyii'ta.<br />"Sikh grom'a. A'pajda siiviz evri'ayi."</p><p>Yyii'ta owaja dakh, sonaut tun'pet.<br />"Kipik zhekh ez suuli. Ro'ik ben a'shikh.<br />Alshuu, ba'ayi yyip iit. Paj'hhuu nha?"</p><p>Inso bintaka keko issa. Twakh souukha.<br />"Yyii'ta, nha pet'a? Mowan tunimokh bera'i.<br />Nha yhii'a ko ghep'a—"</p><p>Gom'bit Inso korkha, er kipnhii Yyii'ta shtiipa ghalmatekh.<br />Owja Yyii'ta hhema benet Inso, hhapa ofrelet kral'er.<br />Kowtsha fuu, ez woluja inakh'er, twakh aleme'ayi.<br />Yyii'ta yhii tunkeja, ez woluja ot'er.</p><p>Yyii'ta hhekh owaja ez tonta kipnhii. Peneta nhi tonto poltopakh ap.<br />Weten, yohho e'punt. Joso er Zuatoakh zajii.</p><p>Yyii'ta tunshikh uraja ez iifita owja.<br />Folkha'ayi, vesweja wora yhii'a ez perreja.<br />"Yhii a'fiia pera'i tashikh'er."<br />Yyiip hhiguu woluja'ayi.<br />"U tashikh dinkh, alshuu'ba luja."</p></td>
<td><p>Paw-Thorn shoulder-brother-he touched.<br />"Not-I-judges slaughter-you. But I ask what use-you, survivors this."</p><p>Hawk sneered.<br />"Shieldmeat. We-have luck, and darkmeat."</p><p>Thorn looked Osirion-one and mother-she.<br />Why-thing felt brow over.<br />"Young-they. Use-have. For meat, you labor waste?"</p><p>Blades-Hawk flashed, but turned-not face Thorn.<br />"Meat waste-not. Not-when fresh and bounty-with."</p><p>Thorn stepped forward, face low-see.<br />"Small-one bones and skin. Old-one good not-more.<br />Brother, me-with speak truth. What-want you?"</p><p>Hawk tooth-many through hissed. Eyes burned.<br />"Thorn, you see-not? Savannah concubines we-given.<br />You they in take-not—"</p><p>Word-last Hawk choked, for blade-Thorn pierced shoulders.<br />Paw-Thorn covered muzzle-Hawk, stopped shout help-for.<br />Twisted weak, and fell knees-to, eyes terror-with.<br />Thorn he released, and fell dirt-to.</p><p>Thorn backward stepped and dropped blade. Watched blood drip fingers from.<br />Still, silent like-stone. Looked to Osirians cowering.</p><p>Thorn lower bent and hid paw.<br />Other-with, reached bag their and offered.<br />"He disgrace we-given long-for."<br />Voice sorrow fell-with.<br />"But long before, brother-me was."</p></td>
<td><p>Thorn placed a paw upon his brother's shoulder.<br />"I judge not your slaughter, but I ask what use you have for these survivors."</p><p>Hawk sneered.<br />"Shield-meat. Dark-meat if we're lucky."</p><p>Thorn looked upon the Osirian and her mother.<br />A question wrinkled his brow.<br />"They are youthful. Useful. You're wasting their labor in favor of meat?"</p><p>Hawk's blades flashed, but he did not turn to face Thorn.<br />"Meat is not waste. Not when fresh and fruitful."</p><p>Thorn stepped forward, his face turned low.<br />"The small one is bones and skin. The elder is no better.<br />Speak to me truly, brother. What is it you want?"</p><p>Hawk hissed through his teeth, his eyes burning.<br />"Do you not see, Thorn? The savannah has delivered us each a concubine.<br />Would you not partake in them—"</p><p>Hawk's last word was choked, for Thorn's blade had already pierced between his shoulders.<br />Thorn's paw covered Hawk's muzzle and stopped him from shouting for help.<br />He twisted weakly, and fell to his knees, eyes wide with terror.<br />Only then did Thorn release him and allow him to fall to the dirt.</p><p>Thorn stepped backward and dropped his blade, sternly watching the blood drip from his fingers.<br />He was still and silent as a stone. And he looked to the cowering Osirians.</p><p>Thorn bent lower and hid his paw.<br />With his other, he reached for their bag and offered it to them.<br />"He has long disgraced us."<br />His voice fell with sorrow.<br />"Yet long ago, he once was my brother."</p></td>
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<td colspan="3"> -- Ch. 7, <i>Nnomoja Paja</i> ("Mourning What Was"). pp. 201-202.</td>
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