Name: Rune Magic
Type: Magical Discipline
The Runes, as they are called, are an oft forgotten Magical Discipline that was first practiced thousands of years ago by several species all across Arethil. It is considered by many scholars to be the first magical art, and thought to be the beginning of many different teachings found throughout the world.
Whether or not this is true is impossible to say, but Rune Magic, as it is more commonly known, can be found in almost every corner of the world.
Despite it's rather ancient pedigree, Rune Magic is considered by most Scholars and Mages to be obsolete. It is a discipline that requires a great amount of knowledge, time, and practice. Though initially simple, Rune Magic becomes almost infinitely complex the more one learns about it.
Due to these restraints true Rune Magic is incredibly rare in Arethil.
Type: Magical Discipline
Whether or not this is true is impossible to say, but Rune Magic, as it is more commonly known, can be found in almost every corner of the world.
Despite it's rather ancient pedigree, Rune Magic is considered by most Scholars and Mages to be obsolete. It is a discipline that requires a great amount of knowledge, time, and practice. Though initially simple, Rune Magic becomes almost infinitely complex the more one learns about it.
Due to these restraints true Rune Magic is incredibly rare in Arethil.
Background
History
Rune Magic is one of the oldest magical disciplines in the world. However through the centuries it has not aged well, and many of its practitioners have all but died out. In contemporary time it is considered by many magical scholars to be, in a way, ‘obsolete’.
Though no one is exactly sure when Rune Magic first came into practice, it is generally believed by scholars that it is one of the first Disciplines to be widely used. Initially this was due to its simplistic nature. Unlike other magical disciplines Rune Magic really only requires the study of its language and the linking of its effects. The Language of Runes and the method of magic was difficult to Master as a whole, but simple to begin to understand. Nearly anyone who took the time to study was capable of at least rendering a few effects through the Runes. This gave early cultures an easy way to utilize magics, making things simpler for them and even giving the people of the day an avenue into further researching the different Magical arts. Through the years Rune Magic became ingrained in many primitive cultures, though as more magical disciplines were discovered it slowly began fade from use.
Though relatively simple to begin learning and even use, Rune Magic's ultimately complex language and time consuming nature made it so when other Disciplines were discovered they were quickly favored.
Empathy, The Path of Illusions, and many others were simply easier to use and access on hand. Though some of these Disciplines had a higher learning curve, their ease of use made it so Rune Magic quickly fell out of favor in nearly every culture that it had once been practiced in. The Runes were also deemed too difficult and ineffective as a combat magic, and as the world fell Into chaos it became more and more apparent that other magical arts were simply better suited for more frequent use. As these notions fell into more common thought Rune Magic slowly began to fade from the world.
Though a few isolated cultures still utilize the Runes, finding those who truly hold mastery within the craft is exceedingly rare.
Though relatively simple to begin learning and even use, Rune Magic's ultimately complex language and time consuming nature made it so when other Disciplines were discovered they were quickly favored.
Empathy, The Path of Illusions, and many others were simply easier to use and access on hand. Though some of these Disciplines had a higher learning curve, their ease of use made it so Rune Magic quickly fell out of favor in nearly every culture that it had once been practiced in. The Runes were also deemed too difficult and ineffective as a combat magic, and as the world fell Into chaos it became more and more apparent that other magical arts were simply better suited for more frequent use. As these notions fell into more common thought Rune Magic slowly began to fade from the world.
Though a few isolated cultures still utilize the Runes, finding those who truly hold mastery within the craft is exceedingly rare.
Use
Rune Magic, as the name implies, is the use of an ancient Runic Language in order to invoke magical effects of varying degree, strength, and intent.
Though no one is entirely sure where Rune Magic originated, the ‘language’ of runes has spread to all corners of the earth and was used for centuries by several dozen species. The common Runes are easy enough to learn and memorize though their use is limited.
As one learns more about the Language, they are capable of crafting more elaborate Runes for more powerful effects. A deeper understanding of the language allows one to create greater effects, though it requires more complex Runes to be drawn and created. This is of course where the curve of Rune Magic truly hits. The more powerful an effect the more complex the Rune, and the more complex the Rune the more time it takes to actually compose and then create. This is of course why Rune Magic fell out of favor.
To achieve great effect with Rune Magic can sometimes take hours between the composition and creation of a particular Rune. One also has to have a deep knowledge of the language of Rune’s themselves. Though Rune Magic can be used in incredibly creative ways, it generally takes far more time than many other Magical Disciplines.
Rune Magic draws it’s strength from three different sources. The first of these sources is of course the Rune itself. The more complicated a Rune is the more powerful it will be. As a Rune becomes more elaborate the mage is able to better deliver his intent for the spell, and thus the magic becomes more powerful.
The second source of the Magic’s power is the implementation of the Rune’s writing. What the Rune is actually inscribed with adds to the power of the spell itself. If the Rune is written in ink on paper the effect will be minor, if it is written in the blood of the Mage it will be more powerful, and if it is written in something of extreme magic(Dragon’s Blood for instance) it becomes even more so.
Lastly, what the Rune is actually inscribed on matters the most. Certain Runes simply cannot take effect when written in certain places. For instance writing “spark” on a piece of paper and then putting it in a cup of water will not work, even if written in Dragon’s blood. Similarly simply writing “explode” on a steel weapon with ink may not work just because of the properties of steel and the weakness of the implementation. However if it was carved into the blade itself the effect it would take place.
Though no one is entirely sure where Rune Magic originated, the ‘language’ of runes has spread to all corners of the earth and was used for centuries by several dozen species. The common Runes are easy enough to learn and memorize though their use is limited.
To achieve great effect with Rune Magic can sometimes take hours between the composition and creation of a particular Rune. One also has to have a deep knowledge of the language of Rune’s themselves. Though Rune Magic can be used in incredibly creative ways, it generally takes far more time than many other Magical Disciplines.
Rune Magic draws it’s strength from three different sources. The first of these sources is of course the Rune itself. The more complicated a Rune is the more powerful it will be. As a Rune becomes more elaborate the mage is able to better deliver his intent for the spell, and thus the magic becomes more powerful.
The second source of the Magic’s power is the implementation of the Rune’s writing. What the Rune is actually inscribed with adds to the power of the spell itself. If the Rune is written in ink on paper the effect will be minor, if it is written in the blood of the Mage it will be more powerful, and if it is written in something of extreme magic(Dragon’s Blood for instance) it becomes even more so.
Lastly, what the Rune is actually inscribed on matters the most. Certain Runes simply cannot take effect when written in certain places. For instance writing “spark” on a piece of paper and then putting it in a cup of water will not work, even if written in Dragon’s blood. Similarly simply writing “explode” on a steel weapon with ink may not work just because of the properties of steel and the weakness of the implementation. However if it was carved into the blade itself the effect it would take place.
Price
Every Magic has it’s price, and the Rune’s are no different.
When a Mage utilizes the Rune’s they are not exempt from the laws of nature, and thus as always a price must be paid. In Rune Magic this price is exacted from the Mage themselves, the material the Rune is placed upon, and of course the implementation of the Rune’s writing.
The Price of Rune Magic can vary a great deal depending on the situation it was used in, how it was used, what it was used on. This is mostly due to the complexity of using the magic itself. Since Rune Magic is technically broken up into three parts, the price can be individually paid through any of these three factors. Of course the Price also depends upon the effect of the spell itself, but like with any other Disciplines Rune Magic has the ability to catastrophically backfire.
Through simple logic, the more powerful a spell, the higher the cost that must be paid. These costs can be off-set through several means. Utilizing more powerful implementation methods, drawing more complex runes, and of course finding creative ways to use simple runes to do complex tasks. Each of these have their backdraw of course, and the Mage always has to pay in the end in some way.
When it comes to powerful implementation tools, such as gathering Dragon’s Blood for use in Runes it can often be that these ingredients ‘spoil’ and such lead the Rune to react in uncontrollable and destabilizing ways. When it comes to the complexity of runes it is easier to make a mistake, leading to catastrophic failure and unintended effects. Similarly, tasking a simple run with a complex task can often cause the Rune to outright fail or even destabilize what it was drawn on.
There are also times when the Rune simply does not have enough fuel to overcome it’s price, either it’s implantation or complexity not being enough. When this occurs the Rune draws upon the strength of what it was crafted upon. This can cause many issues, for instance if a Mage attempts to strengthen their blade with a rune but does not give it a powerful enough implement they might find that instead their blade becomes brittle and easy to break.
Of course, the largest price a Rune Mage can pay is themselves. Carving runes into one’s own flesh can be extremely powerful, but also dangerous. Tattoos are common among Rune Mages, and are often utilized to enhance one's physical ability. These Runes however ‘steal’ the bodies own energy, relying not on the implementation but entirely upon the body itself. In effect this allows for quick bursts of whatever magic the Rune inscribed but at the cost of the Rune Mage’s own life force or stamina.
In desperate times Mages have been known to carve the Runes into their own flesh for an even more powerful effect, though this almost never ends well.
When a Mage utilizes the Rune’s they are not exempt from the laws of nature, and thus as always a price must be paid. In Rune Magic this price is exacted from the Mage themselves, the material the Rune is placed upon, and of course the implementation of the Rune’s writing.
The Price of Rune Magic can vary a great deal depending on the situation it was used in, how it was used, what it was used on. This is mostly due to the complexity of using the magic itself. Since Rune Magic is technically broken up into three parts, the price can be individually paid through any of these three factors. Of course the Price also depends upon the effect of the spell itself, but like with any other Disciplines Rune Magic has the ability to catastrophically backfire.
Through simple logic, the more powerful a spell, the higher the cost that must be paid. These costs can be off-set through several means. Utilizing more powerful implementation methods, drawing more complex runes, and of course finding creative ways to use simple runes to do complex tasks. Each of these have their backdraw of course, and the Mage always has to pay in the end in some way.
There are also times when the Rune simply does not have enough fuel to overcome it’s price, either it’s implantation or complexity not being enough. When this occurs the Rune draws upon the strength of what it was crafted upon. This can cause many issues, for instance if a Mage attempts to strengthen their blade with a rune but does not give it a powerful enough implement they might find that instead their blade becomes brittle and easy to break.
Of course, the largest price a Rune Mage can pay is themselves. Carving runes into one’s own flesh can be extremely powerful, but also dangerous. Tattoos are common among Rune Mages, and are often utilized to enhance one's physical ability. These Runes however ‘steal’ the bodies own energy, relying not on the implementation but entirely upon the body itself. In effect this allows for quick bursts of whatever magic the Rune inscribed but at the cost of the Rune Mage’s own life force or stamina.
In desperate times Mages have been known to carve the Runes into their own flesh for an even more powerful effect, though this almost never ends well.
Lore
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