Image by the author using Midjourney.
Characters know a number of languages equal to half of their Smarts die. One of the languages they know is their native tongue, which has a die of d8, making the character fluent in the language. Other languages are at a d6: the character can have a prolonged, but occasionally halting, conversation.
Common
There are various languages used throughout the land. The Imperial language, Common, is frequently found being used by multiple races. It spread from sea to sea as the Empire expanded, and has become the common language of trade across the continent.
Caithan
The Caithans developed a form of sign language used by Caithan outsiders to communicate with their psionic cousins. There is no written or spoken Caithan language, as the race normally communicates telepathically.
Dwarven
The Dwarven language is rarely heard outside of dwarves speaking their tongue. It is a harsh language of sharp and abrupt sounds.
Elven
The Elven language has a greater emphasis on consonants, with only a handful of vowels. Their written language is done from right to left, except for numerals.
Gnomish
The Gnomish language is spoken by the gnomes and several northern tribes that have been trading with them for generations. It shares some similarities to Elvish, most notably that the written language is from right to left, although neither elves nor gnomes claim any shared history of language.
The Goblinoid language is used by goblins, bugbears, and the like. Their written language borrows the Orcish alphabet, although it tends to be simplified.
Grippli
The Grippli language began as carvings into wood before they were introduced to the concept of paper. Their written language still looks like hard, cuneiform-like strokes. Their spoken language consists of groans, croaks, clicks, and squeaks that make it hard for non-froglike races to speak.
Nezumi
The Nezumi originally had no written language, relying entirely on oral tradition. They developed a written language over the centuries from their dealings with the Empire, and it uses the Common script. There are also a number of loanwords found in their language borrowed from Common.
Orcish
The language of the Orcs is tonal, with emphasis on tone to create different words and phrases. Depending on the dialect, this can be anywhere from three to twelve tones, which are usually indistinct to non-native speakers.
Thieves' Cant
Amongst the thieves of the Empire, there is a common method of hand signals used to convey simple ideas and phrases to one another.