Runes

“It worked! It ACTUALLY wo—”

— Unnamed Artificer, shortly before exploding

Runes are short-lasting magical symbols imbued with mana to produce an immediate or near-immediate delayed effect, typically lasting only a moment. These effects have great variety and range from small bursts of flame or force to momentary shields, speed boosts, or utility-like illumination or marking.

Unlike Spellcasting or Divinity, runes do not require Attunement. This means anybody can make runes to burn their enemy or make them explode, regardless of their ability to cast magic tricks with hats. Of course, versed artificers will find that successive tiers permit the ability to craft unique runes with distinct effects.

Runes are a vast and complex concept that demands a solid grasp of their potential. While it is not as powerful as conventional magic and cannot fully replace it, runes offer unmatched portability and accessibility, making them ideal for those who seek to harness the arcane arts without fully dedicating themselves to the path of magic.

Runes are considered the simplest art of Artificery to get into, but it eventually requires a highly creative artisan to be employed in its most promising capacity. While not as powerful as conventional magic, runes offer a more sensible and practical approach to discovering how mana functions. Thus, runecasting is often taught in tandem to an alchemist’s education because it enables a student to progress their understanding quicker.

Creation & Application

Runes are drawn or inscribed on surfaces using special inks infused with mana. These special inks can be created by crushing specific mana-rich plants , such as Vitabloom with chalk, limestone, or other pigments. Once activated—by a particular pattern of grip or finger placement of the creator's choosing—they release their power instantly, after which they become inert. Each rune is based on a specific shape or symbol, and its effect is tightly tied to the exact geometry used. Even the slightest distortion or misplacement can fail, or worse, cause the rune to cancel itself out.

If multiple runes are layered or overlap incorrectly, they nullify one another. In rare cases, unstable overlaps can result in harmless feedback or dangerous magical misfire.

Runes & Rules

There are different kinds of runes, which are divided into levels depending on power. Currently, there are only tier 0, tier 1 and tier 2 runes.

Tier 0 (Free-to-use; Passive)

These runes do not take up slots because they are entirely passive. Grounded Warriors can not use these.

Reparo: When a rune is applied to a dull or broken piece of armour, the rune will restore it to normal, making it brand new again. [Outside of combat use only/does not work on event loot weapons]
Compass: Unlike a regular compass that always points north, with this runic compass, it will always point to where the user calls home. Applicable in situations where one is lost and confused.

Tier 1 (Free-to-use)

These must be conjured, with effects that happen within seconds. Anyone (except Grounded Warriors) can use one Level 1 rune at any time. You can only carry one rune at any given time, while Grounded Artificers can carry three.

Spearca: When activated, it throws out a conical blast of fiery sparks, enough to momentarily disorient and cause minor 1st-degree burns to an enemy.
Pytan: When activated, it will exert impressive force on an object directly in front of it, moving things no heavier than a barrel about three feet away.
Aglash: When activated, a bright, blinding light shines from the rune, disorienting or even temporarily blinding those who view it directly for 1 turn.
Aqua: Shooting out a burst of water 5 feet away, it can be used to put out fires or blast away small handheld objects. The water’s temperature can be either normal, hot or cold, depending on how it is tuned.
Seles: When activated, the rune will glow with a light similar to a torch. Able to illuminate a large room or clearing for a considerable amount of time.
Ixise: When activated, it will absorb and cut out all light sources within a 5x5x5 ft. radius; all candles or lanterns will be snuffed out, and any magical light will be absorbed.

Tier 2 (Apprentice Artificer+ Only)

A higher tier of runes, more refined & powerful. Only Grounded Artificers can make these, and only the one who made them can use them.

Gihrith: When activated, a charge of electricity is exerted from the rune to an object directly in front of it. Causing 2nd-degree flash burns to an enemy, and disorienting enemies similar to an Aglash rune.
Avest: When activated, this rune will pull objects in the direction of the rune. Objects may be no heavier than 40 kgs/88 lbs, and will only be pulled about three feet in the direction of the rune.
Zeluna: When activated, a burst of sleet, snow & wind is thrown out of the rune. The snow serves the same purpose as a smoke bomb; the wind and sleet can deter even armoured foes with the force they exert.
Subitus Nix: Similar to the Zeluna rune, this rune releases a gust of cold winds, capable of freezing water and inducing frostbite in the right conditions. The surface this rune is activated will be covered in a sheet of ice, making it significantly harder to move within a 10-foot by 10-foot radius.
Ignis: When activated, the rune temporarily ignites whatever it is engraved into. These flames cause 2nd-degree burns. The fire itself lasts for 5 turns. Can only be engraved.
Scarius: When activated, the rune emits a mini dust devil, blasting sand and small particles in a forward direction. The winds are capable of disarming one-handed weapons such as daggers or shortswords.
Crius: When activated, this rune temporarily creates an icy effect on whatever it is engraved into. If this frost comes into contact with a limb, it will temporarily freeze it for 1 turn. After this effect is done, the rune will deactivate. Can only be engraved.

Tier 3 (Expert Artificer+ Only)

A higher tier of runes, more refined & powerful. Only Grounded Artificers can make these, and only the one who made it can use it.

Scrying

One particular fringe discipline that extends beyond conventional runes is known as Scrying, or crystal ball gazing. This particular mystic usage of runes requires two parties to work: a willing (under no threats) participant and the scryer. Despite the stories that exist of charlatan tarot readers “seeing” into the future with clairvoyant foresight, the technique is far from a means of predicting destiny. Instead, scrying focuses on first relaxing the participant with the usage of potent vices, like Andrashina, to elicit visions of the mind. Eifléra is also commonly burned as incense during scrying rituals to promote the “opening of the mind”.

Where runes work as defined and without fail, scrying manifests shifting imagery of a participant’s mind in a crystal sphere, or even a mirror that has been glazed with Mana Oil. Scrying will reveal what is imprinted in the present or lost in the past. Scrying is rarely taught, and because of its difficult nature it’s limited to Expert+ Raw Magic spellcasters with access to a medium like a Crystal ball or mana-glazed mirror. Scrying is independent from the “Crystal Ball” Spectra spell.

Crystal balls and mana-oil-glazed mirrors are Magic Catalysts, craftable only by artificers.

Capabilities

Expert+

Glimpse: The medium holds memory of a past event or person which has shaped the participant’s character, be it a significant other, a duel, an event or some other discovery. The memory manifests atop the medium in a dazzling display of crystalline color, replaying like a scene.
Resonate: The gazing scryer doesn’t see events but draws out emotions that cling to people and places in the mind of the participant. Emotions related to unresolved trauma, ecstatic happiness, hidden motives or even grief can be brought out.
Breach: Invoke the truth. The medium reveals what is hidden in plain sight; glamorous disguises and illusions peel away and a singular, deliberate lie can be undone to force the truth.

Master

Mindwrench: The scryer interrupts the participant’s mind, flooding them with overwhelming psychic static that stems from the mana-rich interior of the magic catalyst medium being used, be it a crystal ball or mirror.
Extract: A singular memory, emotion, past acquaintance or character trait can be withdrawn from the mind and discarded. The participant is left with a temporary feeling of hollowness, as if they’ve lost a fragment of themselves.
Stringpuller: While memories cannot be fabricated, they can certainly be altered. One memory from a willing participant can be subtly changed in a minor way; perhaps the face of a loved one blurred, or the name of an unsavory monster forgotten, even an important detail dulled.

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