Rune obscurity

Rune obscurity is one of three rune obfuscation methods. Practitioners rely on old, unused, poorly written, or foreign scripts to obscure the true meaning of a rune. Because intelligent spiromancers do not cast runes of unknown purpose, rune obscurity serves as a primitive form of rune locking. The more often a script is used to obscure the meaning of a rune, the sooner it enters the realm of general knowledge and no longer serves as a form of obscurity. After almost five hundred years of rune obscurity, the depths have been well and truly plumbed. Rune obscurity has turned into more of a hobby than legitimate form of defensive spiromancy.

## Security Through Obscurity Conference

Every five years, rune obscurity practitioners meet in one of the five kingdoms to share tricks of the trade, show off their obscure runes, and, in Makkada, Ju, and Dhi, enjoy free wine and food for an evening while they celebrate. Neither the Seprum Republic nor the Kuan Empire particularly encourage the practice, and the conference is therefore generally held elsewhere.

The most recent conference, the SeTOCon41, took place in Liha and lasted four days. The Agharesh region is quite supportive of rune obscurity and hosted SeTOCon26 and 11. The governor also pays for the upkeep of a small SeTO library, which celebrates a Script of the Season every three months, showcasing a poorly written or illegible script by transcribing it with large letters and hanging it on a banner outside the library. The first person to correctly guess the purpose of the script wins a small prize, usually ten or twelve dinar.

## "Networkers"

Avid obscurity practitioners sometimes call themselves "networkers" and identify with a networking ethos. This includes a fascination with systems, including how to break them, and respect for dedication and hard work over authority. Before joining the ciphras, self-identified networker Mingma Aleya publicized the five principles of a networker:

1. Information desires freedom
2. There is value in the old, the incorrect, and the obsolete
3. Everything is a system
4. Systems can be broken
5. Sometimes, they should be

Obviously, many of her ideals can be used to cause chaos and destruction, and as a cracker for the ciphras, Mingma herself was responsible for at least half a dozen deaths. While most networkers are dedicated to peace and respecting authority, their association with violence makes them frequent suspects in various crimes.

Emperor Fenix has started intentionally recruiting loyal networkers so they can use their often niche skillsets to protect and fight against enemy ciphras. As the program is new, its efficacy is still unclear.

## Connections to Treason

Kuan intelligence operatives fear interest in rune obscurity can act as a gateway to other, less harmless activities, such as cracking and other ciphramancy. Two ciphra traitors, Safiya edj-Adhan and Mingma Aleya, have connections to obscurity, and Safiya attended three SeTOCons before her arrest and execution. The attitudes fostered in obscurity communities, while not themselves treasonous, are similar to those required for dedicated ciphromancy. Exploring the depths of the spiral and the ancient scripts therein can also lead to insurrectionist beliefs. For that reason, Tsenbai Saj has banned conferences, libraries, and research related to rune obscurity.