Duuae, The Living Language

I don't know how, but I understood the strange letters etched upon the surface of those crumbling ruins. They made me feel sick, lightheaded— I couldn't stand to read more than a few words. My partner read the whole thing, she died the following morning.

— A lonely scholar

  Duuae was the first language spoken by mortals in Qet, directly leading to the rise of the first civilization— the Waade?. However, Duuae was also directly responsible for the fall of Waade.   Duuae was an immune response of the dead god Qetlon's body. When various parasites first began to emerge from the still warm corpse, they also revealed their locations to Duuae— which wasted no time in responding to their presence. As an immune response, Duuae was able to quickly replicate— as more people spoke and wrote the language, more would hear and read it, therefore learning it for themselves. In turn, the new speakers would pass it on to even more parasites— rapidly expanding Duuae's influence.   Now armed with the power of language, these parasites began to build Qet's first civilization— Waade. Meanwhile, they continued to speak and write Duuae. The once disparate tribes now began to congregate within the borders of the growing civilization— becoming a much easier target. Duuae bade its time, waiting for an opportunity to strike— allowing the Waade civilization to flourish for nearly a full century.  

The Final Blow

Qetlon was dead, however, which meant that Duuae was slowly but surely dying on its own. Those who spoke it would begin to forget words or letters, some would find it harder to pick up, and others would be unable to hear or read it at all— as if the language was never there. The time to strike would pass well after Duuae had the strength to deliver the necessary blow.   So, on a fateful day, it took action. All at once, the first civilization and its many people suddenly perished overnight. And alongside them, Duuae itself— which would exist only in written records. Records which over time would be ground to dust, and forgotten.  

Lying Dormant

While Duuae is technically dead— all it would take to revive it is one fateful encounter. On occasion it is uncovered by curious scholars or accidental happenstance, but those who do come across the deadly language have yet to survive their encounters.      

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