Common Directian

Common Directian (often simply Directian) is the everyday language of Directionland and much of Mundus’s trade and administration. It developed over several centuries from Ruulden, which is described as the oldest surviving language on Mundus and now reserved chiefly for rites, ancient texts, and formal diplomacy.

Historical development

Early imperial records describe Ruulden as once widespread across Directionland. As the realm expanded and local speech diverged, a vernacular branch—later called Common Directian—emerged, simplifying Ruulden grammar and adopting a more flexible word order. By the time of the Great Unification, Directian was the de facto tongue of daily life, while Ruulden remained the ceremonial and high-register language of courts and sanctums.

Status and use

In modern Directionland, Common Directian is the primary language of government, commerce, education, and the press; Ruulden persists in religious liturgy, ancient scholarship, and select diplomatic formulae.

In culture and education

Directian is the medium of instruction in imperial schools and the language of civic ceremonies (anthems, oaths), with Ruulden optionally incorporated for quotations, mottos, or sacred passages. The coexistence of the two tongues—Directian for public life, Ruulden for tradition—is a hallmark of Directionlandic identity.