- For the race of the same name, see: Shadowlanders
Shadowlander is a catch-all term used by Annalists of the Black Company to collectively refer to the several languages and dialects spoken by the many peoples originating from the large region that came to be called the Shadowlands. Despite its name, these languages existed prior to the appearance of the Shadowmasters. It is possible it developed from or was influenced by the Taglian language, and was probably related to the many dialects which existed further south of the Dandha Presh mountain range collectively known as Sangel.
The Shadowlander word for the shadows was "skildirsha". Sleepy used this word to refer to the entities when speaking to Surendranath Santaraksita in Water Sleeps. Although they were in Taglios, far north of the Shadowlands, the term had become part of the language of the city and its environs under the Protectorate of Soulcatcher.