Siren Runes

Siren Runes are a runic language used by the Sirens of Avernus that allows them to create powerful psy-active items and to enhance certain powers significantly. The Sirens of the Azure Bay have taught you a great deal of this art, and these days the many of the artisans of the Adetptus Astra Telepathica make use of it.

## Investigated Runes

### Rune of Banishment

Four years ago Tamia finished her examination of the Siren Rune of Banishment. She tells you that there are four ways for the rune to be used. She also mentions that this rune should never be used in the warp.

The first method is to inscribe it on a weapon, which adds a banishing effect to that weapon and can be done by most artisans. This can only be inscribed to the ammunition of projectile weapons, though Tamia has figured out that by changing the shape of the emitter to the Rune she can apply the effect to energy weapons. The power of the banishment effect depends on both the power of the weapon and the size of the Rune while how much recharging it needs depends on both the power and how often it is used. It takes a Veteran Artisan to inscribe this rune into a weapon.

The second method is to add the Rune to a Ward, which increases demoniac instability in the region that the ward covers. The power of the effect depends entirely on the power of the ward and the recharge requirements depends on the power of the ward, the size of the ward and how often it has an effect. It takes a Elite Artisan to add this rune to an Ward.

The third method is to channel a psychic power though the rune, which adds a banishing component to the power at the cost of requiring more energy. This can be used by any Veteran Battle Psyker or above.

The final method is as the centre of a Banishment Power that Tamia has devised, which will complex is a highly effective method to banish daemons, far better then any Imperial powers now that the Emperor has died. This power can only be used by Grandmaster Battle Psykers or Veteran Primaris Psykers.

### Rune of Fire

Two years ago Tamia finished her examination of the Siren Rune of Fire. She tells you that there are three ways for the rune to be used, at least so far. She also mentions that this rune should never be used in the warp, at least not near anything you want intact.

The first method is to inscribe it on a weapon, which adds a fire effect to that weapon and can be done by most artisans. This has similar limitations to the Rune of Banishment and any Artisan can inscribe this rune into a weapon.

The second method is to channel a psychic power though the rune, which enhances the intensity of any pyromantic power, though at the most of being more draining. However it is still significantly more effective then a normal pyromantic power of the same effect. This can be used by any Pyromancer.

The final method is as the centre of a Fire Power that Tamia has devised that is able to produce soul-killing flames. While very draining and incredibly complex this is an incredibly powerful offensive power, that can only be used by Master Battle Psykers or Primaris Psykers of at least Gamma-level.

### Rune of Lightning

Tamia found that items inscribed with the Rune of Lightning electrify their targets, adding a new form of damage to most attacks. This applies to energy weapons as well as physical weapons, and has a far bigger impact on arc weaponry and other electricity weapons. While in most ways this is not as effective as runes of fire Tamia has found one major exception. A Haywire weapon inscribed with a Rune of Lightning will have full effect on most psytech and possessed targets, making haywire weapons effective against a far greater range of targets.
A focus inscribed with the Rune of Lightning greatly enhances the used ability to project lightning attacks of all types, much in the same way that a Rune of Fire enhances pyromancy.

* **Implement Siren Rune of Lightning**: After two years of study Aria found two ways to make use of the Siren Rune of Lightning.

First you can replace some of the Runes of Fire on weaponry used by your elites with Runes of Lightning, and increase the number of Haywire weapons these regiments use. This would cost a bit to do but not effect upkeep at all.

Finally you can provide focuses marked with the Rune of Lightning to all of your Biomancers and those Pyromancers who make use of Fulmination. This would provide your biomancers a bit more punch, and allow your Fulmination users to have equivalent firepower to your pure pyromancers.

### Rune of Wind

Tamia found that items inscribed with the Rune of Wind can ignore air resistance, allowing them to be significantly more accurate and to strike a bit harder. This applies to both energy weapons and physical weapons, though more most energy weapons runes’s of fire are more effective and for physical weapons having to inscribe the ammunition is to problematic. Though a Super-Exitus with a Rune of Wind would be deadly.
A focus inscribed with the Rune of Wind makes it significantly easier to effect the air with telekinetic powers, allowing for the easier creation of winds of all types. Given that there are generally better ways for Telekinetics to effect the battlefield this is again of situational use.

* **Implement Siren Rune of Wind:** After two years of study Aria found several ways in which she can make effective use of the Siren Rune of Wind.

First Runes of Wind can replace some of the Runes of Fire on your elites weaponry, mostly sniper rifles, AA mounts and other weapons where accuracy is more important then firepower. This would cost a bit to do but not effect upkeep at all.

Next Runes of Wind can be inscribed on the ammunition of your Last Hunters, further boosting their accuracy and greatly improving the effect of overcharged shots, which will now be able to be fired without melting from air resistance. Due to the number of Last Hunters this would be pretty cheap.

Finally focuses inscribed with the Rune of Wind can be supplied to some of your Telekinetics. Due to the situational nature of its use supplying the focuses to a tenth of your Telekinetics would work. Again a surprisingly cheap option.

### Rune of Ice

Tamia found that items inscribed with the Rune of Ice freeze their targets, adding a new form of damage to most attacks. This applies to energy weapons as well as physical weapons. By using the Rune in a sightly different way the Rune can instead be used to chill the item it is incredible on, making an effective heatsink that may be valuable for dealing with weapons prone to overheating or for stealth operations.
A focus inscribed with the Rune of Ice greatly enhances the used ability to use cyromancy, the inversion of pyromancy. While the Imperial Trust has few Cyromancers, though that you do have will benefit greatly from these focuses.

* **Implement Siren Rune of Ice**: After two years of study Aria found one immediate way to make use of the Siren Rune of Ice.

This is provide focuses marked with the Rune of Ice to all of your Pyromancers who make use of Cyromancy.
The other uses of the Rune of Ice, to cool down certain weapons and to act as a heatsink for stealth will need a redesign of the relevant technology to make proper use of. Though Tranth should be able to complete said redesign within a couple of years.

### Rune of Toughness

**Focus: Increase armour bonus of Psykers by 25%, +25 to Psykers blocking attack physical attacks, +1 Armour when applied to armour**

After a few years of study Tamia has managed to figure out how to Siren Rune of Toughness can be used. She tells you that at it base the Siren Rune of Toughness can be used in two ways, either though a focus or on armour. When a Psyker creates a shield by channelling though a focus inscribed with a Siren Rune of Toughness the resulting shield becomes far more effective at blocking physical effects, being far harder to destroy. Tamia tells you that this seems to work because the Rune is linked to the concept of toughness and imbues any shield formed with it with some of that toughness. The other use for the Siren Rune of Toughness is to scribe it onto armour, making the armour significantly tougher. While this has at most moderate value when sued on the more basic armours applying the Siren Rune of Toughness to the more advanced types of power armour would significantly increase the wearers defences, though not be exactly cheap to use en-mass.

### Rune of Traps

**Examine: (Siren Rune of Traps):**
Tamia spent three years examining the Siren Rune of Traps in order to discover how it works. She found that it only works in conjuration with another rune but can be used in two different ways. No matter which way the Rune is used it will act as a trigger that unleashes an effect determined by the other rune, often fire or lightning. The scale of the effect and how often it can be triggered are inversely proportional and must be determined when being inscribed. The first is inscribing it on a wall or gate, which will be triggered by any attempt to attack the defence, unleashing the paired rune on the attacker. This can add a level of active defences to key locations, though general only for a brief period. Next it can be added to a Ward, allowing it to be triggered by any who are stopped by the Ward. This would greatly increase the attrition rate on any psykers who attempted to effect warded areas, which could have a major impact on the psychic balance of power for a war.

* **Implement (Trap Rune): Turn 121** Tamia spent two years working out how to best make use of the Siren Rune of Traps. She found two different ways in which it can be easily applied. First it can be added to the armour of your better Psyker Hunters, increasing the number of threats that high power chaos Psykers have to deal with and therefore reducing the amount of damage they do before dying. Next it can be added to the wards you have on key locations in your cities, making psychic assault on those locations far more dangerous.

### Rune of Warding

**Examine: (Siren Rune of Warding):**
Tamia spent three years examining the Siren Rune of Warding that you brought after the Abomination Crusade. She tells you that this rune can be used in two ways, either as a partial or total ward. A partial ward will provide the area within the ward, whether it is an area or a person in armour, with a good deal of protection from all Warp based effects, though it can be overwhelmed by a sufficiently powerful attack or bypassed by a sufficiently subtle attack. A total ward is far harder to make and acts in some way to seal off the area it covers from the warp, both protecting it from wrap based effects far more effectively and cutting off the psychic powers of those within, though again this can be worked around by someone sufficiently skilled or powerful.

The partial wards are effectively a more effective version of the wards that you currently use in many places but the total ward is different. As well as being far more effective its ability to separate the inside from the Warp could have several different effects depending on exactly what interactions with certain situations are. Ideas that Tamia has come up with so far include acting as a training tool to allow young and powerful Psykers respite, strengthening Gellar Fields or even replacing them, or even creating a Black Ship equivalent.

**Rune of Warding: Warp Drive Interaction:**
After several tests and five years of study Tamia has come to her conclusions regarding what effect the Siren Rune of Warding has on Warp travel. She tells you that a partial Rune of Warding will act no differently than traditional Wards, protecting the ship fro the influence of the Warp, to an extent. A total Rune of Warding on the other hand seems to in some way create a bubble of calm around the ship in the Warp, greatly lessening the pressure on its Gellar Fields and weakening the influence that the Warp has within the ship. This means that the while travel is far safer and more reliable, the ship cannot reach the speeds that more traditional ships are capable of. It also blinds any navigators within the ship, slowing the ship even more. The biggest impact however is that it weakens the level of influence that the Warp has on any psykers within the ship, making it possible to transport untrained psykers ththrough the Warp if the Rune of Warding is strong enough and supported with other wards and techniques. Tamia does advise that any psykers transported in this manner are kept comatose, or preferably in stasis, as it is a terrible experience that could drive an untrained psyker to the brink of insanity if it lasts too long.

### Rune of Enchanting

**increase effect of 1 other rune by 50%, double cost**

After a few years of study Tamia has managed to figure out how to Siren Rune of Enchantment can be used. She tells you that at it base the Siren Rune of Enchantment works by enhancing the effect of another Rune that it is inscribed with by around a half. This is in effect a 50% boost to runes effect for doubly the cost, a price that is often worthwhile. From what Tamia can tell this Rune works by increasing the synchronisation of the other rune with the material that it is applied to, which has the effect of strengthening the items connection with the runes Warp Echo.

* **Implement Siren Rune of Enchanting**: After two years of study Aria found two immediate ways to make use of the Siren Rune of Enchantment.

You can use it to boost the effect of the Runes used by your elites, which would be pretty expensive but provide a significant boost to your best troops.
You can also use it to boost all of the Runes used by your Psykers, which would have an if anything larger effect for a lower cost.

### Rune of Focus

**double effect of psychic material focuses, halve effect of miscasts**

Tamia spent three years working on the Siren Rune of Focus in order to determine how it can be used. She tells you that the Rune itself acts as a focus for psychic Powers, allowing for the power to flow more smoothly, well that is the closest metaphor she can use to explain it to you, reducing the chance of problems. It also has the effect of magnifying the impact of the material that it is inscribed onto on the powers, making materials such as Hellfame Coral and Illusion Pine Wood more effective

* **Implement:** Recently Xavier has finished distributing the Siren Rune of Focus to every psyker in the Imperial Trust and ensuring that they all know how to make use of it. He has also taken the time to ensure that this training becomes part of the basic psyker education in the future. The Siren Rune of Focus ability to reduce the impact of mistakes is incredibly valuable and should have a major impact on the life expectancy of your psykers, particularly the Sanctionites who do not necessarily have the control of your Battle Psykers. **Reward**: Provide all psykers with a focus with the Rune of Focus, doubling the effect of psychic material focuses and halving effect of miscasts, reduce psyker death rates by 0.25%

### Inverted Rune of Focus

**doubles chance of miscasts to those under its effects**

Tamia spent three years examining the inverted Rune of Focus and found that it like many runes it can be used in multiple ways.
First if inscribed onto an item it disrupts the focus of nearby psykers, greatly increasing the chance of their powers going out of control. An effective weapon for psyker hunters, though a very short-ranged one.
Next, it can be added to a Ward to have a similar effect on all psykers within the bounds of the Ward, which could be valuable in some situations.
Finally, it can be worked into power by the most skilled of psyker , Elite Primaris, that disrupts the focus of its target, effectively countering their power at the source. Runs into issues against properly warded targets through, which restricts its use.

* **Implement:** Grandmaster Xavier spent a couple of years looking into the Inverted Rune of Focus in order to determine how to best make use of it. He found that inscribing it into large munitions for Psyker Hunters or talismans of Witch and Thunder Hunters would be of major use, though price will limit how many you can supply with it, the Inverted Rune of Focus being one of the more challenging Runes to create.

### Rune of Power

**create small store of Warp energy, extend lifespan of other runes**

Tamia has spent the last three years studying the Siren Rune of Power in roder to figure out how to use it. She has found that there are two main uses for the rune, one when by itself and one when combined with other runes. By itself the Siren Rune of Power allows a Psyker to store Warp energy in the item that it is inscribed on, with the amount of energy relating to the size, quality and composition of the item. In general the power that is able to be stored is rather modest, though supposedly the right materials can change this. This power can be later used to either provide a slight boost to a power or more usefully to provide an additional, if small reserve when the psyker is exhausted or cut off from the Warp for some reason. Interestingly enough this seems to allow psykers to use the stored power when in a region cut off from the Wrap by total Siren Runes of Warding. The other use for the Rune of Power is when it is part of a runic array with other runes, and can provide a store of power to them, increasing their longevity significantly.

### Inverted Rune of Power

Grandmaster Tamia Jameson ended up spending three years looking into the Inverted Rune of Power, and what it could be used for. She tells you that it draws in power and returns it to the Warp, draining the surrounding area of power. This makes it very challenging to combine with other Runes, due to its tendency of draining them of power. Before the discovery of Warp breakdown Tamia would have suggested using it to slowly drain tainted items of their taint or weaken wards, but now its use is far more limited. Mostly for creating low Warp areas for experiments. The Inverted Rune of Power is also useful as a focus for an active power that drains another psyker of their power, in the same vein as Negation Demonology. This requires an Elite Psyker to pull off but is a way to deal with low powered miscasts safely. While worse in most ways then Dragonfly Psy-Stunning this does not require the user to be stronger than the target to have an effect, so should be usable on Beta and Alpha-level psykers, though to a limited effect.

### Rune of Protection

**Focus: Reduce effect of Psychic powers on Psykers by 25%, +50 to Psykers blocking attack type psychic powers**

After a few years of study Tamia has managed to figure out how to Siren Rune of Protection can be used. She tells you that at it base the Siren Rune of Protection can be used in two ways, either though a focus or woven into a shield. When a Psyker creates a shield by channelling though a focus inscribed with a Siren Rune of Protection the resulting shield becomes far more effective at blocking hostile psychic powers, being both harder to destroy and covering against a wider range of powers. While Tamia is not sure exactly how this work she theorises that the Rune in some way increases the authority, which is not quite the right word but it will do, of the shield making it so the general flow of the Warp works to reinforce it. Th other use for the Siren Rune of Protection is limited to the greatest of Psykers with the most exacting of control, and requires them to weave a shield into to the form of the Siren Rune of Protection. This creates a shield that can block against almost all forms of psychic interference and is significantly stronger then any other known shield, at the cost of being two way, only effecting psychic effects and requiring total focus.

* **Implement (Rune of Protection)**Tamia spent a few years determining how to best make use of the Rune of Protection that you gained from the Sirens. She tells you that the ability of a focus with the Rune of Protection’s ability to allow its wilder to better counter psychic powers should be highly valuable for your Psykers, particularly for your Choirs whoa re often tasked with countering enemy choirs and for your Psy-Hunters, who are expected to hunt down and slay Psykers. It can also be combined with Runes of Warding and Bridge Runes in order to provide a building with a great deal of protection from psychic powers then your current wards without cutting off the Warp like total Runes of Warding.

### Rune of Reinforcement

It took three years for Tamia to conduct an examination of the Siren Rune of Reinforcement. She tells you that it is a rune that enhances the properties of whatever it is inscribed on by around 15%. This can boost the toughness of armour, the damage of weaponry, the speed of vehicles and much more. Each Rune can only boost a single aspect, which will be determined as it is being inscribed. This is a broader boost then any of the other Runes can provide, but weaker.

* **Implement Siren Rune of Reinforcement**: After two years of study Aria found two immediate ways to make use of the Siren Rune of Reinforcement.

First it can be used to boost the defences and or mobility of your elite formations, which would provide them with a significant boost to their combat power at the cost of being very expensive to build and maintain.
Next you can use it to boost the mobility of your Battle Psykers. This would provide a noticeable boost to their mobility and be far cheaper due to the Psykers ability to keep them charged themselves.

### Rune of Stability

Tamia found that the Siren Rune of Stability can be combined with a Bridge Rune to link three or more other Siren Runes, the exact number depending on the skill of the Runecrafter. A Master-level Runecrafter can link three Runes, a Grandmaster can link four while a Paragon can link five. There have been Runecrafters in the past that could link six or more runes but none are currently living.

* **Implement Siren Rune of Stability**: Aria found that due to its requirement for Master-level Runecrafters that you will never be able to make use of the Siren Rune of Stability for anything but the most important of tasks. Her main suggestions are for Runing the equipment of Grandmaster Psyker Hunters, Elite Primaris Psykers and other incredibly elite groups that you cannot justify the price of paying Sirens to rune their gear.

### Bridge Rune

Tamia finished her studies on the Siren Bridge Rune three years ago, having determined what it can be used for. She tells you that the Siren Bridge Rune can be used to combine two other runes so that one effects another, and that this can go both ways. She also tells you that some rune combinations are possible and that others are not. Currently she has found that Runes of Banishment can be added to any power to make them more effective against Warp entities, that combining Runes of Protection and Toughness creates a shield strong against bother Warp and material attacks and that combining a Rune of Fire and a Focus Rune creates a focus that is even better for pyromancy but ineffective for other disciplines.

* **Implement Bridge Rune**: Aria spent a few years looking into the use of Bridge Runes. She tells you that due to the much higher cost associated with using Bridge Runes, around five times the cost of a normal rune, that you will have to be careful in their use at first, though as your psyker numbers increases that can change. She ended up coming up with two main ways to use Bridge Runes.

First you can use them to combine multiple runes on the weapons of your elite soldiers, significantly increasing their firepower at great cost.
Next you can use Bridge Runes to boost the runic equipment of your Psykers, providing a major boost to your Psykers equipment at a moderate cost.

## Not Investigated Runes

Inverted Rune of Fire (Protection from fire?), Wind (Increased Air Resistance?), Ice (Protection from Ice?), Lightning (Protection from lightning?)

Inverted Runes of Toughness (Weakens Armor?), Trap (Bypasses Traps), Warding (Breaks Wards), Enchanting (Removes Enchantments), Protection (Pierce psychic defences), Reinforcement (Weakens one property of choice?)

Inverted Runes of Bridge (Anti-Rune?) and Stability(Anti-Rune?)