The Vault wrote:
If you follow the character creation rules from pages 93 to 96, and specifically read Steps 4 and 5. Also the Linguistics skill on pg 155, under Learn Language.
Quote:
In addition, at Hero creation, each Hero learns a number of Languages equal to their Passive Logic Value, one must be your national language.
When you look at the characters built on the step by step process you see the Val from Coryan has 3 languages and a passive Logic of 2. High Coryani is a free racial language, Low Coryani is his national language (which the first language selected must be), and Milandisian is his second language (after the first it can be any language)
The second example is the Elorii from Elonbe. She has 5 languages with a Passive Logic of 3. Low Coryani, and Eloran are both Racial languages (and thus free). Because Eloran is also the only national language for Elonbe she didn't have to buy it, so her other 3 languages are Kio, Ssethric, Ss'ressen.
You didn't say which way your examples were meant to support, but it seems that Val example supports Option 1 and the Elorii example supports Option 2.
1) Option 1: If you already have your National Language by the time you get to Skills, you 'lose' 1 point of Passive Logic in languages since it's still taken up by your National Language.
2) Option 2: If you already have your National Language by the time you get to Skills, you can choose your full Passive Logic in other languages.
In the examples above, both characters have their "Racial" (Free) languages Plus a full complement of 'other' languages using their full Passive Logic value. Whether they got a free (and redundant) National Language at the "Choose Nation/Region" step is hard to say.
looking at the Val writeup in the rules, it seems that the 'fluff' for languages doesn't match the 'crunch' for languages. The fluff says nearly all Val speak High Coryani in addition to Low Coryani, yet under Languages, it says they all get "High Coryani" none automatically get "Low Coryani" unless they are from Coryan and its their Native Language.
John