An Introduction to Runes

Runes are effects paladins can produce by activating sequences of runewords they write into different items (generally by carving the runewords into the target item) to create elemental effects.

Runewords are complex drawings possessing simple meanings and magical abilities; here are some examples of runewords : Darkness, Chaos, Wind, Ice, Fire, Earth, Nature, Lightning, Light, Delay, Create, Power, Restore, Repair, Protect, Spread, Destroy, Harm, Reflect¹.

Over time, as they become more experienced, Paladins gain the ability to chain together more and more runewords, allowing them to create more powerful runes working in more complex ways.

So, for instance, a Fire rune would only create a small flame, but Fire-Spread would create a proper fire, while Fire-Ice-Spread-Delay would allow you to create a delayed Steam-bomb.

Every runeword in a sequence will be attached to every other runeword in a sequence, meaning that runes get exponentially harder to write down as they get longer.

Runes function by absorbing the magic in the air around them, and their capacity to do so is proportional to how complex they are, in other words, more runewords equals more power.

There are two types of runewords : elemental runewords and action runewords.

The first type defines how (by means of which element) a rune will materialise its effect.

The second type defines what the rune will do.

Thus, a Fire-Empower rune attached to a sword would cause the sword to burn up and deal additional damage from the flames.

And again, the more words, the more power, allowing for results like Thunder-Thunder-Thunder-Spread-Spread-Spread being able to cause an entire city’s ground to become electrified.

Runes can be activated in one two ways : the first one being the writer simply wanting to active it and the second being activation after a few seconds of losing direct contact with the writer (unless the rune contains the word Delay).

Scripts are pieces of paper-thin soft wood on which Paladins will often write out their runes. These are widely spread as their creation is extremely fast and easy and because, being made of soft wood they are quite light and durable while still allowing for the precise carving of runes.

Another plus is how thin scripts can be : runes by themselves attach to whatever they come in contact with once they activate and only the first rune carved into an item will actually function, meaning that scripts become unintrusive and portable ways to use runes on items more than once, even allowing for the use of multiples runes on a singular item by simply attaching multiples scripts to the target item.

1. As long as you can think of a simple and clearly defined word, you can probably create a rune that will try and replicate its effects. ↩