Truespeech

Truespeech or Truespeak was a language that was believed by truenamers to be the original words of creation. Unlike other languages, which conveyed information, the words of Truespeak simultaneously defined and comprised everything, and speaking them aloud changed that which was named.
==Methods==
While truenamers strove to use the words, they believed no one except the gods could truly speak it, and even then, it was possible the language had never been truly spoken, or was even meant to be. However, their practice of pronouncing exactingly certain objects and creatures' "true names" granted them the ability to alter and reshape them, using sentences known as utterances. Although they were but spoken words, their pronunciation tested the speaker's diction to the utmost, and was taxing in the extreme. A single name might take up several pages, not just because of its length, but because of the sheer volume of pronunciation guidance required.
Truespeak assigned a single truename to every single thing and creature in the universe; of course, no one knew the majority of truenames, and in fact, most truenames were discovered through experimenting and exploration. The vast majority of the language was made up of nouns, but the full extent of their transformations was only known to truenamers and those who practiced truename magic. Combined with the "verbs" of the language, these created words that induced effects in reality when spoken aloud correctly.
The changes wrought were magical in nature, but they were not a thing of the Weave.
==Truespeak Spells==
A number of spells, the power word series and command spells, were a form of Truespeak, but by virtue of being spells, they lost in flexibility and reusability. A number of other spells required advanced Truespeak practice by the caster, and could fail if their enunciation was inadequate.
Other spells had indirect effects upon truenames. Researching a personal truename was easier if spells such as commune, divination, contact other plane, or legend lore were available, for instance, and they were necessary to even begin researching the truenames of minor or unremarkable entities.
==Practitioners==
Most practitioners of Truespeak were mere dabblers, with the bulk of their efforts centered in arcane magic or divine magic, rather than the more focused truenamers. They were often sponsored by the churches of Azuth, Gond, Milil, Mystra, Savras, Thoth, Velsharoon and other deities of magic, or the churches of Beshaba, Chauntea, Lathander, Selûne, Shar, Tymora, or other deities associated with the cosmogony of the Realms (Mystra again). The bulk of truenamers, however, were followers of Oghma and Deneir in particular; the namers in his service had strong affinity and the process of naming was a natural fit for their activities. The largest concentration was in the Leaves of Learning, Deepingdale. Deneiran glyphscribes often dabbled in Truespeak while investigating the Metatext, and were common in service to his churches. They were most concentrated in the Iron Dragon Mountain temple of the Earthfast Mountains. Rarer, perhaps even more prestigious paths in truespeak included the berefts, who investigated a single word that would unmake the Universe; they were commonly of the church of Shar. Brimstone speakers, who sought purity or goodness, were common in the churches of Lathander and more occasionally Kossuth.
Focused truenamers were part of some academic study groups; they were known in the college of Gheldaneth, where three or four seminar groups were active; Eltorchul Academy and New Ollamn in Waterdeep also had working knowledge of Truename magic. There was a small group at the Lady's College in Silverymoon, and a few smaller, independent groups in Halarahh, Yhaunn, and Calimport. Truenamers serving Mystra were also often focused truenamers. There were very few academies devoted to truenaming; one of them was the House of the Unnamed in Velprintalar, Aglarond.
A number of creatures were innately connected to Truespeak, such as word archons, logokron devils, garblers, loquasphinxes, and painspeakers.
==Personal Truenames==
==Appendix==
===See Also===
* Supernal, the tongue of the Gods
* Words of Creation, a form of speech with tangible effects from the Upper Planes
* Dark Speech, which similarly was a form of speech with tangible effects but came from the Lower Planes
===References===
Category:Languages