Rune Magic¶
"Runic magic is designed specifically to be engraved or written." — from Arcane Magic (S304)
Rune magic is magic written into the world. A runecaster traces a rune on flesh, stone, metal or cloth, fills it with power and releases it, and the rune does its work on whatever bears it. It was made by Khardas for the Dwarves, and for most of recorded history it was theirs. In the Sancturi age it split into two disciplines: the old dwarven Khardic Runecasting and the Namakan Runecasting that the goddess Namaka developed in rivalry with it. The Sancturi relied on it against the Hollows, and the Divine forbade it in the age after.
Origins¶
Runik, the language of rune magic, is "a rare language developed by Khardas to allow the non-magical Dwarven race to practice magic through Rune Magic" (S304, S303). Its virtue is permanence: "Runic magic is designed specifically to be engraved or written. It eliminates the need to be memorized as long as the pathways are prepared in the rune properly. Once the rune is expended it cannot be used until it has been retraced" (S304). Runik is one of the Arcane Languages.
The vault beneath the temple of Khardas at Kilmarn tells the dwarven account in five frescoed runes: Khardas binding the earth primordials, the creation of the dwarven race "by Khardas and Dwarrow", the ascension of Khardas "kneeling before Kalar", "the creation of Rune Magic", and the founding of Kahun'Darahl (S163). Only a priest of Khardas or a dwarf of his dominion can light them in order (S163).
Two disciplines¶
"Rune Magic has morphed considerably. There are now 2 completely separate Rune Disciplines with several sub-disciplines each" (S132):
| Discipline | God | Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Khardic | Khardas | Runemage, Runesmith, Runewarden or Runewarder, Runepriest, Runeblade; the Runelock of Hollow runes in the earliest notes |
| Namakan | Namaka | Runemage, Runepriest, Runekeeper, Runebinder, Runeblade |
Khardic runes "have been the dominant form of Runecasting for most of recorded history. The dwarves have jealously guarded its secrets as they are unable to practice other forms of magic and Khardic Runes are the core to their reputation for finely crafted magical items and objects" (S233). Of the second, "Namaka has made considerable gains against Khardas and has developer her own forms of Rune Magic" (S250, S132). "A Runemaster is a Runecaster that uses more than 1 subdiscipline" (S132). The refactor notes describe the Khardic rite as "very similar to Maldetinence, but from a different Pantheon (Riven : Khardas)" (S132); the Maldetinence is told under Hollow Magic.
How runes work¶
Both disciplines share a vocabulary. The unit of a working is the runeword, "made up of one or more Runic Forms, having always at least one Primary Form" (S233). A runeword that joins several primary forms needs a master rune, which "can support up to 2 other Primary Forms", or a sovereign rune, which supports three and must be "forged in metal" on a Sovereign Anvil (S233). Secondary forms modify a whole runeword: in Khardic writing the Aspects (Anvil, Elements, Grudge, Honor, Shield, Stone and Valor) and the Cap runes at either end (S233); in Namakan writing the syllabic secondary forms and the sigils, "also referred to as ... amplification and augmentation Forms" (S248, S249).
All rune magic is invocation: "the caster(rune) and target are one in the same ... it only affects the thing the rune is attached to. Evocation type magical effects are not possible (Fireball, Magic Missile, etc where the caster and the target are separate entities)" (S250, S132). Runes are named by where they are written (S249):
- a living rune "is written on living beings, either directly on their flesh (tatoo) or on clothing or jewelry that has direct contact with their flesh";
- a subject rune "is written on physical material or object (stone, earth, metal, cloth, etc)";
- a cincture rune "is written on an object (a cincture/sash, staff or a scroll) and as long as that object is held in the hands of the runecaster, it can be activated", and many runecasters "prefer to write non-weapon runes on a cloth rune-cincture or rune-mantle that they keep at their waist or draped around their neck" (S250);
- a blade rune "is applied to a weapon and is activated as part of combat", by power word or, for a trained Runeblade, by the rhythm of the Bladesong: "Only a trained Runeblade can time the activation of these runes properly for them to be effective" (S249).
A rune is written, empowered with divine energy, and activated, and when its energy is spent "it normally consumes the rune (the rune is still visible, but damaged)" unless it was carved, tattooed or sewn to last (S250, S249). Activation runes, "available to all Runecasters", store the energy for another rune and release it on a thought or a spoken name (S250). What a rune is written in matters as much as its form: see Runic Inks.
Runes against the Hollow¶
Rune magic was the Sancturi's chief tool against Malum. The Praedaem rune, the Talisman of Warding, absorbs Hollowing energies "by providing energy from the rune instead of the protected creature", and recharging one "takes even a skilled Runecaster several days" (S325, S146). The Clostroc rune, the Rune of Isolation, "isolates the effect of the Taint so that it cannot spread outside of its object", and the Vigils, obelisks of melted Mithis, are carved "with many Clostroc Runes" (S325). Without "Runecasters or Sancturi priests to maintain the runes, the area will quickly hollow" (S325). A licensed group of Seekers "must consist of at least one Sancturi Cleric and one accredited Runecaster" (S325). These are told under Hollow Magic.
The dependence was a weakness. The Brotherhood once planned "to turn a Vigil in a large town against the imperium by sabotaging its Runes and assassinating the head monk (the only one experienced enough to recognize and repair the runes in the town)", with a Namakan runecaster bought by the promise of freeing his family from slavery (S131).
Rune magic orders¶
The refactor notes list the orders that kept runecasters in the Sancturi age (S132):
- The Sancturi Priesthood: "Many Sancturi Runecasters are an extension of the Sancturi Clergy. As such they enjoy considerable support, respect and political influence across the empire." The Penitus Monks who keep the Vigils are "often Clerics, Warriors or Runecasters", "many magisters are Namakan Runekeepers", and the Sancturi Codex "is protected from tampering by rune magic" (S321). The clergy is Factions'.
- The Clan Runeguilds: "Dwarven clans have individual Runeguilds. These can be based on either Namakan or Khardic rune disciplines depending on the loyalties of the clan."
- The Knights of the Broken Star, "an apolitical Hollow Crusader group" with "their own certified Runecasters, both Namakan and Khardic", who "often take recruits from criminals slated for execution."
- The Sancturi Houses: "Individual houses (at least the most powerful ones) have their own Runecasters." House Restault "was founded by Runecasters and they run a well known set of Seminary and Runecasting Schools across the Imperium", its symbol "a silver domination rune", and House Vesulias is "well known for their runebinders" (S322). The houses are Factions'.
- The Sancturi Certified: "Independent runecasters can become certified and receive a Runecaster tatoo. As part of this requirement, they are all sworn in as reservists and are required to participate in local militias."
- Outlanders: "In the outlands, every political entity handles Runecasters differently. They are openly accepted in some, viewed with suspicion and fear in others."
Decline and the Fifth Age¶
Rune magic was already dwindling among the dwarves. The 2014 class document puts the gift to channel magic at "approx 1 in 1000 now" among them, "always rare" and become "even more rare over the years" (S370), and the Creating Magic Items draft calls Runemastery "nearly extinct for two reasons: First, dwarven-born channelers have been declining and second, the lore has been lost for thousands of years and is only now resurfacing" (S391).
After the fall of the Sancturi the Divine forbade it. The post-Sancturi notes list "Runecasters. Relics of old forgotten (and powerless) gods. Rune magic is forbidden by the Divine", and count Khardic and Namakan runecasters among the rare casters of the age (S112).
Earlier accounts¶
The 2014 Runecaster document knows one dwarven tradition with two classes, the scholarly Runemaster or Runemage and the battle-ready Runepriest, so named because they "operate similarly to dwarven battle priests", and a separate Runesmith skill whose "speciality is to understand the art of powering runes from mithis (as opposed to via normal casting)" (S370). It divides rune magic into five types (S370):
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Guardian runes | Protection, warding, holding and absorption, "often carved on shields or locations and ... used defensively" |
| Power runes | Strength, will, governing runes that trigger others, and enchantment runes used by runesmiths "to create magical weapons and armor" |
| Destruction runes | "Raw elemental forces for maximum destruction"; "Evil runemasters may tatoo destructive runes onto a slave, or to turn lesser minions into living bombs" |
| Disruption runes | Death, controlling, hex and dispelling runes |
| Shaping runes | Elemental, gate, animation and force runes; animation runes "are commonly used by dwarven runesmiths to animate golem servants" |
In that account runecasters carry runestaves, runehammers, runeaxes and runeshields, and "Runearmor (scale armor is the best for carving runes in, chain is terrible and plate too easily damaged ...) and even Runic Tattoos are not uncommon" (S370). The refactor notes add a darker origin for Fae runes: after the Third Fae Resurgence some Fae were "bound/enslaved as sources of Rune Magic. These bindings take physical form in monoliths of stone carved with Runes to keep the Fae Spirits bound. Every Runemage, Runemaster or Runepriest that creates Fae Runes has to carve their own runes in the Monolith to gain this power" (S132).
Gap
No source dates the creation of rune magic or of the Namakan schism, or says how the Divine's ban is enforced.
Rules for rune magic from the archive: Sancturi System and the d20 Runecaster.