Historical Overview
Before the arrival of the Cassore, the Echore people had no formal writing system. At most, they used a primitive form of drawing that might be considered logographic. With the Cassore came the earliest exposure to literacy, through a rudimentary version of the Cassore syllabary.
Although the Echore never adopted the Cassore language, they became familiar with the concept of writing through this contact. Over time, the Cassore minority assimilated into the dominant Echore culture, giving rise to the Naucan language. Some people began experimenting with a consonantal script (abjad), derived from the Cassore syllabary.
However, the abjad proved highly controversial. Most of the population rejected it, partly because it omitted vowels and was tied to an outsider tradition. While a few texts in Proto-Naucan were written in this script, most were short inscriptions on wood—markings for shops, paths, or local directions—which have largely disappeared. No books were ever produced using it.
In response, the ruling lords convened and chose not to adopt the abjad. From this decision emerged two alphabets:
Zinnetonatarma
Created by commoners, especially hunters, this script is a practical writing system designed to be carved into tree bark. It follows a vertical layout and is inspired by ogham, a real-world Celtic script.
Each letter is named after a tree or plant, grounding the script deeply in rural and natural symbolism. The zinnetonatarma remains in use today in rural regions, particularly in villages.
Tonatarma
The tonatarma is a constructed alphabet designed by the Order, a mystical council of advisors. Presented to the lords and formally approved, the script was created with clarity and simplicity in mind. It is fully alphabetic, with one symbol per sound.
Originally used in administrative and religious contexts, the Tonatarma gradually spread from cities to towns and villages. Two forms of this script exist:
Early (Square) Style – Developed for inscription and carving.
Late (Rounded) Style – Emerged with the use of ink and parchment, allowing for faster and more elegant handwriting.
The Tonatarma is now the most widely used script for formal documents, education, and literature.
Numerals
The Naucan numeral system is similar to the Roman system. It uses specific symbols for base units:
1, 5, 10, 100, and 1000.
These are combined additively or subtractively to represent any number. The symbols are distinct and integrate seamlessly with both writing systems.