Rune Magic

A non-standard branch of magic. There are many types of runes, even several types of magic runes. However, there is only one runic magic system found in more than one location. This collection of runes is known among scholars as the mubar runes (because the symbol for “rune” looks like a mu with a bar above it). Rune magic differs from standard magic by the fact that all spells are invested in a physical object inscribed by a rune. This is done by prolonged (compared to standard magic) rituals and means that all rune magic in effect results in magical items, typically usable once, but sometimes permanent. To activate the magic, the rune is invoked. This makes rune magic less cost efficient than standard magic, as this corresponds to a standard mage manufacturing a potion of flying in order to fly. On the other hand, the ritual nature of rune magic allows many rune wizards to work in concert in the making of a certain rune, thus rune magic has a much greater potential for power. Thus it can be quite powerful, but it is never quick. 
== History ==
It is thought that the runic magic developed in the third and fourth century as an alternative to the Kartrian magic system, so that those aspiring magic-user who did not want to enroll there could go elsewhere for a more collective, peaceful use of magic. Rune mages are believed to ideally live in closed communities (conclaves), but currently no conclave is known to exist.  At least two archeological sites are known to be ruins of runic magic enclaves. One near Orbal, Belandria, and one near Londirak, east of the Brossis. The one near Londirak, on the Nomad Plain,  was founded deep in Iluvar territory. Its existence became widely known in the 8th century, and the conclave perished around 800. Sages disagree whether the conclave dissolved itself when the individual ambitions of the conclave wizards could not be met or whether the Kartrians destroyed them as the collective nature of rune magic represented a threat to the Kartrian doctrine of power as the responsibility of the individual. Apart from these two verified sites, a third one is thought to be located in the Thungarian Marches, west of the Ragged Mountains. The greatest expert on the mubar runes is probably Mirosdi of Erzingan, who has led the effort to catalogue the runes. Concerning the history of how the use of runes were abandoned, even by those few who gathered in enclaves to practice rune magic, Egodian of Anistar has done comprehensive work. 
[Minority report (Sulestae): It makes little sense that a developing society, supposedly with no stigma associated with it, would make three colonies in completely remote locations, so far apart. The Filagish theory, that runes were known in the Second Empire, but were banned because of its association with blood magic, makes much more sense. The runic mages were ostracized even around the time of the founding of the conclaves, some 20,000 years later. It also explains why the practice of runic magic is never associated with the worship of a god.] 
== Using Runes ==
The writing of runes is basically a tool to put magical power into an object. A Fire rune on a wand can make it able to spew fire, and a Power rune on a weapon will make it able to do more damage. Some rune are used in combination, so Shield Fire would mean fire protection and Bane Troll would mean troll slayer.
These simple runes are found on some magical items. These items are relatively rare, but those that have survived to this day are extremely durable. The runes inscribed on items are few, typically one or two per item, and they seem to come from a subset of runes associated with adventuring.
The majority of runes, however, have been found on inscriptions and tablets. Here there are some controversy as to the purpose of these runes. Some obviously tells a story, but since the runes are pictograms, each with several interpretations, they are not very precise. In most cases, historians recognize a story they already know, rather than gaining new information. In short, the runes typically only makes sense when you already know the meaning. There are at least two explanations for these inscriptions. The most commonly accepted theory is that the people wanted their history recognized and remembered, "set in stone", so to speak. They knew runes held power, and so they used them much like monuments to remember collectively important historical events. 
A more dire interpretation is that at least some of these tablets were used in rituals involving human sacrifice in an attempt to shape the future. There are some indications of this such as short rune sentences inscribed on what must have been horizontal surfaces. The theory goes that when the blood filled the runes it empowered them, causing the events described to happen, or at least be more likely to happen.
== The Runes ==
There are over 240 known runes, of which more than 20 are unidentified. Reading runes is not an exact science, nor is writing them, as different "authors" seems to have expressed the same meaning using different runes. For example, there are at least three runes meaning "protection", namely the Guardian, Shield, and Harness runes. However, the guardian is a person, whereas the shield is a countermeasure, and the harness is protection from a danger of your own making, such as a handguard on a sword or stones to contain fire. It can be quite confusing when runes are used to represent gods. Agni is God Fire, easily enough, and equally Enki is God Water. Unfortunately, for historical reasons, the use of this sign for Enki was frowned upon after the Second Empire, and instead, the "arrow of time" (an arrow crossed by two wavy lines signifying two tides, meaning a day) is mainly used around the Inner Sea. Time (no pun intended) has simplified the two waves to mere horizontal lines, and now the symbol is more or less identical to the rune of Metal, which is the mark of Hefaistos.
Some runes, like God, can be used alone but rarely is. Another such rune is Color, which used alone would mean paint, but most times it is used with another rune, meaning "color of", so Color Sun would mean yellow, and Color Ice would mean white. The rune Many is yet another example, at most times the meaning is obvious, so that Many Battle means "war". Note that the specific numbers do not have runes, or rather, the runes "are" the numbers we already know. Thus you might see inscriptions such as 3 Reason Man (which probably means "three wise men").
== Pseudo-Runes ==
These are the real runes, but they are used merely as letters, a code, if you will. These runes are used typically by adventurers to either store or convey information that the uninitiated will miss. Whether this was the origin of the use or not is unclear. There is, however, one use we can place quite accurately in time. In 941, shortly after the reconquest of Kangrisorn, the Penboynian architect Jeromian was commisioned to build a grandiose entrance to Kangrisorn, the Steps of Kings. It was finished in 953, too late to ever see much traffic, as by that time most visitors went by the River Gate. The Steps is still used for purposes of state, those that do not involve public spectacle. Welcoming the new arrivals stand the Penboynian kings of old, those that somehow are associated with Kangrisorn, such Colin I, who died there fighting Reykiard. Perhaps because no Penboynian king participated in the battle of Tulada 661 or maybe Jeromian simply liked the idea, he inscribed the statues of the king with their names in pseudo-runes, using each rune as a letter or number.
== Known Runes ==
Most of these have a relatively well determined meaning, but the names may vary.
battle.gif|Battle
fire.gif|Fire
god.gif|God
guardian.gif|Guardian
harness.gif|Harness
holy_place.gif|Holy place
invisible.gif|Unseen
leader.gif|Leader
magic.gif|Magic
metal.gif|Metal
power.gif|Power
protection.gif|Shield
seek.gif|Seek
talisman.gif|Talisman
tasselind_rune.gif|Tasselind
teleport.gif|Teleport
union.gif|Union
water.gif|Water
Dragon.gif|Dragon
Bane.gif|Bane
Troll.gif|Troll
Rune.gif|Rune
Many.gif|Many
Ice.gif|Ice
Color.gif|Color
Action.gif|Action
Universe.gif|Universe
Sun.gif|Sun
Pain.gif|Pain
Reason.gif|Reason
Man.gif|Man
Halfling.gif|Halfling
City.gif|City
House.gif|House
Darkness.gif|Darkness
Dawn.gif|Dawn
Land.gif|Land
Planes.gif|Planes
Destroy.gif|Destroy
Light.gif|Light
Sound.gif|Sound
Champion.gif|Champion
Sacrifice.gif|Sacrifice
Warning.gif|Warning
Riddle.gif|Riddle
Become.gif|Become
Guile.gif|Guile
Opportunity.gif|Opportunity
Revenge.gif|Revenge
Assasination.gif|Assasination
Castle.gif|Castle
Injury.gif|Injury
Sword.gif|Sword
Target.gif|Target
Threat.gif|Threat
Vanquish.gif|Vanquish
Weapon.gif|Weapon
Celebration.gif|Celebration
Aristocrat.gif|Aristocrat
King.gif|King
Marriage.gif|Marriage
Pledge.gif|Pledge
Society.gif|Society
Evilserving.gif|Evilserving
Heal.gif|Heal
Spider.gif|Spider
Dubious.gif|Dubious
Deceit.gif|Deceit
Curse.gif|Curse
Trap.gif|Trap
Insanity.gif|Insanity
Paralysis.gif|Paralysis
Prisoner.gif|Prisoner
Poison.gif|Poison
Possession.gif|Possession
Bow.gif|Bow
Armor.gif|Armor
Horn.gif|Horn
Torch.gif|Torch
Scales.gif|Scales
Drink.gif|Drink
Treasure.gif|Treasure
Enemy.gif|Enemy
Knowledge.gif|Knowledge
Speech.gif|Speech
Container.gif|Container
Boat.gif|Boat
Statue.gif|Statue
Helmet.gif|Helmet
Spellcaster.gif|Spellcaster
Mind-eye.gif|Mind-eye
Priest.gif|Priest
Scry.gif|Scry
Abjuration.gif|Abjuration
Hand.gif|Hand
Enlargement.gif|Enlarge
Sense.gif|Sense
Undead.gif|Undead
Face.gif|Face
Eye.gif|Eye
Spellstore.gif|Spellstore
Blood.gif|Blood
Circulation.gif|Circulation
Detect.gif|Detect
Mouth.gif|Mouth
Feeling.gif|Feeling
Fear.gif|Fear
Will.gif|Will
Wish.gif|Wish
Mind.gif|Mind
Suspicion.gif|Suspicion
Temptation.gif|Temptation
Ape.gif|Ape
Dwarf.gif|Dwarf
Elf.gif|Elf
Sidhe.gif|Sidhe
Seaserpent.gif|Seaserpent
Snake.gif|Snake
Giant.gif|Giant
Orc.gif|Orc
Air.gif|Air
Column.gif|Column
Beauty.gif|Beauty
Demon.gif|Demon
Luck.gif|Luck
Omnipotent.gif|Omnipotent
Female.gif|Female
Male.gif|Male
Return.gif|Return
Moon.gif|Moon
Movement.gif|Movement
Arrive.gif|Arrive
Aid.gif|Aid
Breakout.gif|Breakout
Dance.gif|Dance
Justice.gif|Justice
Law.gif|Law
Wait.gif|Wait
Key.gif|Key
Pursuit.gif|Pursuit
Stop.gif|Stop
Ally.gif|Ally
Chaos.gif|Chaos
Good.gif|Good
Rage.gif|Rage
Dungeon.gif|Dungeon
East.gif|East
North.gif|North
West.gif|West
South.gif|South
Here.gif|Here
Long.gif|Long
Short.gif|Short
Deadend.gif|Deadend
Above.gif|Above
Below.gif|Below
Road.gif|Road
Lock.gif|Lock
Portal.gif|Portal
Always.gif|Always
Year.gif|Year
Month.gif|Month
Day.gif|Day
Sleep.gif|Sleep
Time.gif|Time
Age.gif|Age
Star.gif|Star
Downpour.gif|Downpour
Earth.gif|Earth
Lightning.gif|Lightning
Antlers.gif|Antlers
Bandagora.gif|Bandagora
Copper.gif|Copper
Fruit.gif|Fruit
Wood.gif|Wood
Gem.gif|Gem
Mountain.gif|Mountain
Petrify.gif|Petrify
Bronze.gif|Bronze
Precious.gif|Precious
Silver.gif|Silver
Oil.gif|Oil
Sulphur.gif|Sulphur
Element.gif|Element
Animal.gif|Animal
Child.gif|Child
Death.gif|Death
Monster.gif|Monster
Grave.gif|Grave
Remedy.gif|Remedy
Life.gif|Life
Plant.gif|Plant
Oldraces.gif|Oldraces
Devil.gif|Devil
Angel.gif|Angel
Flying.gif|Flying
Domesticanimal.gif|Domesticanimal
Fish.gif|Fish
Insect.gif|Insect
Holyanimal.gif|Holyanimal
Steed.gif|Steed
Duality.gif|Duality
Honor.gif|Honor
Fate.gif|Fate
Vast.gif|Vast
Answer.gif|Answer
I.gif|I
Private.gif|Private
Secret.gif|Secret
Truth.gif|Truth
Alike.gif|Alike
Different.gif|Different
Empty.gif|Empty
Small.gif|Small
Existence.gif|Existence
Reverse.gif|Reverse
Separate.gif|Separate
Cause.gif|Cause
Unknown01.gif|Unknown01
Unknown02.gif|Unknown02
Unknown03.gif|Unknown03
Unknown05.gif|Unknown05
Unknown06.gif|Unknown06
Unknown07.gif|Unknown07
Unknown08.gif|Unknown08
Unknown10.gif|Unknown10
Unknown11.gif|Unknown11
Unknown12.gif|Unknown12
Unknown15.gif|Unknown15
Unknown16.gif|Unknown16
Unknown18.gif|Unknown18
Unknown19.gif|Unknown19
Unknown21.gif|Unknown21
Unknown22.gif|Unknown22
Unknown23.gif|Unknown23
Unknown24.gif|Unknown24
Unknown27.gif|Unknown27
Unknown28.gif|Unknown28
UnknownN01.gif|UnknownN1
UnknownN02.gif|UnknownN2
Immune.gif|Immune