Great Runes

The **Great Runes** are four magical shards of the One Rune, which was broken during the Shattering and subsequent expulsion of the avari from Avarlell in the Age of War. Each rune channels an aspect of the elves' collective magical knowledge, and all four have been replicated throughout history as magical brands, the **Great Marks**, while the original runes have been missing since the Collapse of Avarlell.

## History

### The Shattering

The fourth Age of Pydwell's history, known as the Age of War, was defined by the Great Pydwellian Wars that devastated the continent. Among these conflicts was the Shattering, a civil war within the kingdom of Avarlell between the alders, the high elves that formed the kingdom's upper class, and the avari, the dark elves that formed the lower class. Together, the alders and the avari pooled their collective magical knowledge into the One Rune, one of the most powerful artefacts in Pydwell's history, which served as a conduit of immense Power. The One Rune's power was so immeasurable that it joined the Rune of Order and the Rune of Death as one of the three Anchors that governed the natural laws of the world.

During the Shattering, the avari rebelled against the alders, culminating in the breaking of the One Rune into the four Great Runes: the Rune of Space, the Rune of Knowledge, the Rune of Worship and the Rune of Darkness. The energy released destroyed the old capital of Avarlell and effectively ended the war. The Great Runes were scattered across the continent by the explosion, their fates left unknown for centuries.

The Rune of Knowledge was eventually recovered by the alders, but not before its secrets were learned by humanity, who used it to create the Mark of Ymiir, allowing those with non-magical blood to wield basic magic. The other runes each became bound to a magical Mark, creating the Mark of Derth, Mark of Herran and Mark of Twinn, drawing from the runes of darkness, worship and space respectively.

## Rune of Darkness

    The **Rune of Darkness** was created by the avari, the dark elves, when they passed their knowledge of dark magic to the alders, who sought to contain such power. The opposite or "twin" to the Rune of Knowledge, the Rune of Darkness was famously coveted by Morgott, Bane of Pydwell in order to learn the secrets of blood magic and the forbidden talent of necromancy. It was later claimed by Sivard Aulfhedinn of the House of Ice, only for it to later taint him and contribute to his transformation into Gekydo, The Dead King.

### Mark of Derth

The Mark of Derth, also called the forbidden rune, is the Great Mark that allows non-mages and mages alike to control dark magic, including blood magic and necromancy. It is the opposite to the Mark of Ymiir.

## Rune of Worship

### Mark of Herran

The Mark of Herran is also called the Mark of Gods, allowing a bearer to call upon the strength and willpower of the elven gods.

## Rune of Space

The **Rune of Space** was a manifestation of the physical laws of space and time that governed Pydwell, a remnant of the temporal magics of the Old Kingdom.

### Mark of Twinn

The Mark of Twinn, also called the Mark of Space, allows bearers to manipulate the spatial position of certain objects; for example, a bearer can summon their own weapon to their hand.

The most famous bearer of the Mark of Twinn was Wren of Hoth, a beachwalker of the Age of Madness.

## Rune of Knowledge

The **Rune of Knowledge** was a manifestation of the elves' power over the four fundamentals of conventional magic: pyrokinesis (fire), telekinesis (force), telepathy (control) and protection (shield). All other magical principles are built upon these fundamentals; it is thus the opposite to the Rune of Darkness, which governs the principles of forbidden magics.

The Rune of Knowledge fell into human hands after the Shattering, allowing human mages to be born from the fourth age onwards. It was eventually recovered by Avarlell, but not before its secrets were learned by humans, and it was seized by the Circle of Magi following the Collapse of Avarlell.

#### Mark of Ymiir

The Mark of Ymiir is the rune that draws power from the Rune of Knowledge and thus is granted to those that are unable to cast magic from the Power in their own blood. Usually branded on wardens, who learned the power of the rune in the Sixth Age, the Mark is also rarely granted to those outside the Old Order.