Runemaster

**Runecrafting** was a mixture of both art and science. Standard runes were utilitarian, scientific, while custom-designed runes were an expression of art. The grade of a runemaster also depended on their artistic ability. This is the reason why so many art subjects had been added into Richard's course at the Deepblue.

Art has soul. A rune set could consist of one rune or quite a few, but regardless of that count the entire set had to become one with the person that used it. They needed to make a complete package, with the same theme and the same soul.

His pen constantly drew beautiful arcs on the hide he was working on, while his mana extracted the essence of the different materials into the ink. Many of the lines were starting to overlap each other, layering the power of their ingredients. This was one of the most tedious tasks for a runemaster, mixing different materials without having them adversely affect each other. Book 5, Chapter 87

## Overview

Most runemasters started off by creating standard runes, using them as a basis to design rune sets according to the physical requirements and restrictions of the user. Standard runes existed because these were old, matured designs that had undergone hundreds and even thousands of years of improvement. A considerable level of balance between stability, performance, capacity, and usage had been found, and they thus became a foundation for the mass production of rune knights.

However, it was impossible for standard runes to completely suit everyone’s requirements, and powerful high-levelled people wouldn’t be able to exhibit their full powers with standard runes. Thus, true runemasters customised rune sets based on the user’s characteristics.

a saint runemaster before, but she knew that one had to be level 20 to become one.

Runemasters were organised into a strict hierarchy, with most elementary runemasters not even recognised as practitioners of the craft. However, these runemasters with minimal talent made up the majority of those crafting elementary runes, and although few actually had a breadth of knowledge they could still craft a set like this with a decent success rate. 6;10

## Rune Convention

Royal Mage Association to alert them of an impending rune convention. All rune conventions in Faust required the approval of the royal family, and it would normally go through the Association instead of a prince. His connections from the beginning had just simplified this step to the point that he didn’t need to do it himself. 7;81

Registering a rune convention with the Royal Mage Association wasn’t just a formality. Once it was registered, the Association would take care of most logistical issues so the runemaster themselves wouldn’t have to. They would arrange for the best available hall to hold the convention in, and also send out invites to the powerhouses of the plane. Unlike the young Richard, they had an expansive network of connections that could guarantee that anyone who might be interested in the invite and had the qualifications would receive one. They would also tailor their invites to the runemaster’s calibre as well; Lunor’s conventions barely attracted legends anymore, while Richard’s most recent one had attracted a decent number.

black tulips for the invitation?”

“Tulips? Are you sure?” the grand mage asked to confirm. This was the highest class of invitation they sent out, and anyone who received it would do their best to attend. Such invitations were only sent out once or twice a decade. 6;82

### **Saint**

Those present included legends of previous generations like the South Star and Kenny, with even the mythical Celestial Sage. Ruben had become an epic being centuries ago, renowned not for his strength but his deep understanding of planar systems. He might not be able to defeat Apeiron, but he was far better at exploring the myriad planes.

This concentration of powerhouses was the reason for the pressure on Faust, but almost none of them could even care as they listened to Richard with rapt attention. Interruptions were regular as they asked questions about every tiny detail, making sure they knew all they could about the runes.

Saint runes grew in power with their users. An improvement to one’s understanding of the base laws increased their might, perhaps even unlocking entirely new possibilities. As the discussion carried on, an entire day passed by in the blink of an eye. There was no applause, no flowers, no beautiful girls; this was just a group of all sorts of people discussing cryptic numbers and profound theories.

This was a saint runemaster’s rune convention.

Even Richard himself didn’t know then that this convention would decide how the Dragon Plane would be partitioned in the future. It would be called the Domed Conference after the hall they had met in, and would change the lives of the dragons drastically.

## Runemasters

A number of saint runemasters in the history of Norland only managed a single grade 5 rune in their lives, just like Saint Lawrence.

### **Saint Runemaster**

* Richard
* Rufus
* Roth
* Lawrence (Former)

1. ↑ Book 7, Chapter 149
2. ↑ Book 7, Chapter 141