The Known World of Dracopolis: The High Goths
by Lance DuncanWhile some of the Gothic tribes descended into the lowlands, many ascended into the nearby hills and mountains of the Mengul, Final, and Wyrmsteeth ranges, mostly settling in the high mountain valleys between the ranges. The goths in these upper valleys became known as the high goths in contrast to their low gothic cousins to the east, and the dialect they spoke became known as High Gothic(equivalent to Irminonic German). The High Goths lived a mostly pastoral and tribal way of life adhering closely to the traditions of their ancestors. Over the centuries they have expanded into the harsh wilderness of the north while keeping a single identity as a people with a common heritage. Each valley tucked away in the mountains may have some quirks in language and tradition that make it unique, yet the valleys are never isolated from each other; there is a network of communication and traditions that connect the tribes of the various valleys across great distances and the centuries of history. On occasion a single tribe has risen to prominence crowning its chief as "king" in a sign of unity among the tribes when defending against some foreign power, but these "kingdoms" have only lasted as long as the life of the king, and then the tribes have returned to governing themselves.
The centuries have wrought changes upon the language and culture of the tribes, but of all the gothic peoples they still adhere closest to the ways of their ancestors. The modern gothic language is still called High Gothic (equivalent to Old High German) despite these changes, reflecting a direct continuum of ancestry, while the tongue of the ancestors is referred to as Traditional High Gothic. In recent history many of the tribes have once again been united, not under the rulership of a king, or under the oppression of a foreign conqueror but as equal partners in the Federation of Denagoth.
Skandaharian(proto-german)
---> Old Gothic(West Germanic)
---------------------------------------> Traditional High Gothic(Irminonic)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------> High Gothic(Old High German)
---------------------------------------> Low Gothic(Ingvaeonic)
---------------------------------------------------------------------> Gotlander
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Nordur(Old Saxon)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Vestish(Old English)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Ostish(Old Frisian)