What are the most useful languages for a trader based in northern Andoran?


Advice


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Apart from Taldane, Elven and Dwarven, what are the most useful languages for a long-distance trader who is based in northern Andoran and hasn't set his sights on Tian yet? That is, which are spoken by a lot of potential trading partners and/or travel hazards?
I assume Orcish falls into the latter category, but otherwise, I have no idea.

Scarab Sages

FinnMacCool wrote:

Apart from Taldane, Elven and Dwarven, what are the most useful languages for a long-distance trader who is based in northern Andoran and hasn't set his sights on Tian yet? That is, which are spoken by a lot of potential trading partners and/or travel hazards?

I assume Orcish falls into the latter category, but otherwise, I have no idea.

Sylvan if he trades/fights with fey, maybe Hallit if he does business in Druma.

Potential foes include Draconic-speaking kobolds, but probably not orcs (Belzken is far from Andoran).


Hmm, but aren't the Menador Mountains also full of orcs?
And according to the sources I could find on Druma, they mostly speak Taldane and Dwarven.
Hallit seems like a good way to cover the realms of northeastern Golarion, though. So thanks for pointing me that way.


If they have any dealings in or around the Verdurin Forrest then Gnomish or, as mentioned above, Sylvan would be useful. Really though, depending on how "long range" your merchant actually is, just about any regional language is reasonable depending on how much business they actively conduct in the language's region.

For example, if they only do a small amount of business in Osirion (port based trading on a trade stop for example) then they can probably get by with just common/Taldane. However, if they have extensive contacts and business partners, in Osirion then it probably behooves them to learn the local language, even if only to engender respect from the people they are doing business with.

Scarab Sages

FinnMacCool wrote:
Hmm, but aren't the Menador Mountains also full of orcs?
Yes, but the Menador mountains reach their eastern terminus in southeastern Molthune, west of Andoran. The mountain range north of Andoran is the Five Kings Mountains. No orcs there.
FinnMacCool wrote:
And according to the sources I could find on Druma, they mostly speak Taldane and Dwarven.

True, but the native Kellids speak Hallit, or at least some do. If your merchant wants to speak the regional language of Druma, for the reasons Valentius outlines, then Hallit's the language to learn.


Not that this is helpful, but I think most traders would probably speak the most common trade language, which is Common (which is also known as Taldane). So I would say that.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Yeah, that's why I asked for languages apart from Taldane, Elven and Dwarven in the first post.

Anyway, I think I'll go with Hallit and Sylvan for now.
Thank you, NECR0G1ANT and Valentius.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder Second Edition / Advice / What are the most useful languages for a trader based in northern Andoran? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.