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Drakonis Syllabary

The Drakonis Syllabary is composed of 27 base runes and 6 vowels, with additional modifiers that allow for the construction of complex sounds. Each vowel may be applied as a short-form diacritic, appearing either above or below a base rune to alter its pronunciation. This design allows for a wide range of vocal expression, while still maintaining structure and clarity.

Despite their ornate appearance, Drakonis runes are designed to be elegant in form and logical in construction. A vowel placed above a base rune is pronounced before the consonant, while a vowel below follows it. Vowels may also modify each other in this way, creating diphthongs similar to those found in English.

The /h/ rune holds a unique property. When placed beside a /k/ rune, it invokes a pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/ — a breathy resonance found in Arabic and similar languages. This gives certain words a guttural depth, symbolic of a control fire breath.

Proper nouns in Drakonis are marked by the Alef, a silent character used to denote sacred or named entities. The Inverted Alef may be paired with it to enclose multi-word names. Additionally, names of great significance often contain a tick-mark — a signature found only in names of power, lineage, or legend.

The /q/ and /x/ are rare Drakonis consonants whose pronunciation is determined by the vowel that follows them. Because they produce compound sounds not otherwise represented by ordinary consonants, both carry greater phonetic weight within a root. The /q/ produces either a softened k/kh sound or a kw sound, allowing Drakonis speakers to approximate the otherwise absent w sound. The /x/ shifts between ch and sh, giving it a similarly adaptive character. The pronunciation symbols below are approximate and follow common English vowel values.

Base Runes (Talon Set)

Base Runes (Scale Set)

Base Runes (Wing Set)

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