Divine lines

> "Divine lines are thoughts, reflected structurally in mana."
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> — Cireias Lorring
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**Divine lines** are random apparitions of light in condensed clouds of disembodied mana, whose observed shapes inspired early warders to decipher the first glyphs.

## History

Pnardic high priests in the Bagharn would hibernate in sarcophagi made of aether-resistant stone, allowing the dormant dwarves' animi to expand around them. While surrounded by a cloud of nonreacting mana, divine lines very rarely manifested around the slumbering as random, dancing lights in a formation. When chanced to be observed, the runemaster then had to transcribe his 'vision' accurately and then hope that the rune he designed from the divine line he observed would then react with the aethos.

It took the dwarves hundreds of years to compile their rudimentary lexicon of runescript, which was then memorized by every runemaster.

## Explanation

Divine lines are redundant chains of manacles that randomly join together, and their combination will cause it to 'pulse' their luminescence color in the noncombustive cloud it is located in, before the chain dissipates back into the cloud or into the aethos as an aetherization reaction.

Technically, divine lines occur constantly within every living animus, but if the mana is not reacting with any aether, no spell effects are possible. Minor random spell effects sometimes occur in the radiance of the animus where aetherization *does* take place.

## See also

* Internal Circuits
* Glyphs
* Runescript
* Promatlean Alphabet

## Notes

* The Pnardic dwarves discovered divine lines during "pressure baths" in dampstone coffins that isolated their animi from the outside aethos, allowing an expansion of manic radiance into the confines of the sarcophagi they placed themselves in to contemplate the universe. Random sigils would sometimes materialize on the walls of the coffin, ioun crystallizing on the interior, which would then be transcribed and re-discovered as magically-potent "runes".
* Dwarven runes became the currency in which Shardam traded and negotiated with the humans of the south, such as the Iomanni who coveted their arcane secrets. Runemasters were of nobility and their grimoires of ancient, hallowed runes were jealously guarded as the keystones to the dwarves' economy, civilization, and future.
	+ Many wars were fought over the Pnardic-controlled rune industry. While expectedly successful against the stocky peoples on the field, the primads tried and failed to shake the dwarves out of their impregnable mountain-fortresses (grades) and would often end up relinquishing their conquered territories back in subsequent treaty deals.
* Dwarven scholars would seclude themselves in monastic fortresses carved into the mountains (x Potala), and venture deep into expanded tunnel and cave systems and into sacred vaults where they would attempt to "read the rock" in contemplative silence.
* Dwarven magi declined in the \_\_\_\_ Age, thought to be disfavor by the stone, but really just a result of obstructions to the proliferation of manageniture among the bagharn, since male magi were castrated and female wizards willingly forswore marriages to focus on their holy rites.
	+ Humans and their later innovation of channeling would surpass the runemasters of old in achievements and prominence.
* Shardam would trade much of its arcana to the [Black Sea] and float it down the Misanten to the port cities, where they were distributed throughout Iotheme's domains.
	+ The Misanten's banks were once lined with many magical cities, promanaea, and universities—all ruins after the Elven Rebellions.