An attempt to translate the language of the ancient civilisation.
Intro
This is my in-progress attempt at decrypting the ancient language on the tablets scattered around the hub area. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated, but no big spoilers please. I’d like to crack this purely based on in-game, developer-intended content.
I am new to the game. I will continue to update as I learn more. I’m aware of the ancient language wiki that has decoded much of the language, but I like the personal challenge, so I won’t use it (not yet anyway).
Symbols
First of all, there are lot of distinct symbols. However, many are clearly combinations of other simpler symbols, rotated, or with minor additions.
Most symbols seem to represent individual words. Some can have additional accents or plural versions. Some symbols are unique, others appear very frequently. I don’t think the language correlates directly with English, it’s more like a simplified pictographic language.
Some words are smaller, and appear very often. Sometimes connecting larger words, but can also appear at the start and end of sentences.
The broken diamond symbol in particular appears a lot, with and without the accent. Its meaning seems to be different based on context. With the dates, it seems to represent ‘from xxx to yyy’, or when accented ‘section x, number x, the x’. Perhaps the accent implies a plural.
In the broader text, the diamond very commonly precedes the larger symbols and names, so is probably an article.
Some random words
Numbers
0 – 4 are dashes to the left, with staves counting up. The system continues but mirrored for numbers 5 – 9.The connecting diamond with accent represents a new part, or section. as in part 1, 2 etc.In cases like this, the unaccented diamond probably represents an inclusive article, e.g. 20 to 30.
The underlining most likely denotes that the number it contains is a date or year.
Names
Probably means something like “Void Guardian” or “Void Spirit”.A common feature on the tablets are sets of 2 different symbols, underlined. I don’t know if these are explicitly names as we would think of them, more just descriptors of specific entities or characters.For example:
This tablet seems to describe the creation or history of the Guardians: Devouring Rage, Eye of Agony, and Masked Defiler (based on similarity to the glyphs, shown below).
Dated Tablets
Tablets featuring dates.
Top Floor Tablets
Other Tablets
Found in the inverted pyramid above Altec
Start of the main temple
Series of panels hidden in a small room
A lot of these symbols only appear here. Some of these are just really strange.
Hidden on the back of a pillar far behind Altec