CRAFTING ELDER RUNES

ELDER RUNECRAFT

(Only available to Waylands, Garou Theurges, and Telyavelic Tremere.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Runes are passive and always active. The only exception are certain Bind Runes, which have a specific purpose and must be activated verbally by speaking the name of the Bind Rune in local chat by either the Wearer or the rune’s Creator. 

A viably-created Rune prim item MUST be physically worn in order for a Player avatar to use their abilities and/or modifiers. If you try to use a Rune’s power but your avatar is NOT VISIBLY wearing the rune, expect to be challenged on your roll and use of any additional benefits/modifiers. 

RUNECRAFT LEVELS

These levels stack. When Runecraft is maxed out at level 5, the user will have earned +25 mods toward rolls that require Runecraft skills. In addition, you also receive mods related to mental and physical skills (+20 Physical Skills & +15 Mental Skills).

ABOUT ELDER RUNES

The word “Rune” means secret, or whisper, and those who learn the power of the Runes and how to use them keep the secrets they’ve learned to themselves, only passing down their knowledge verbally to their apprentices. Their powers need to be learned, not given. Anyone breaking this code can expect retribution from other practitioners of Rune knowledge. 

Elder Runes are the oldest form of the runic alphabets and, when done correctly by a Master Runecrafter, have great potential to influence spiritual and physical power over the corporeal world. Each Rune has three distinct characteristics that Runecrafters need to understand in order to use them correctly, and to create even more powerful Bind Runes.

1. Form: The precise way they must be inscribed.
   
   
2. Element: Each Rune represents an aspect of nature, retaining the powerful potential of Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Shadow or Light.
   
   
3. Meaning: The influence of Elder Runes is hinted at in the meanings that have been ascribed to them since the first century BC. Understanding these meanings will help you in creating helpful talismans, as well as in creating new and more powerful Bind Runes.

NOTE: Any stat mods provided to the wearer of Elder Runes must be adjusted manually in the Dominions of Darkness Players' HUD when applicable. The Player's HUD cannot recognize Runes automatically.

WHAT ARE ELDER RUNES AND HOW DO THEY WORK? 

The Elder Runes consist of 24 elemental runes, each divided into four groups representing the powers of Earth, Air, Water and Fire. There are also two spiritual Runes; a Shadow Rune and a Light Rune (see below). Though a primitive form of magic they are no less powerful for those who know how to tap into the mystical art of inscription. Each rune can instill certain powers or abilities on the objects upon which they are inscribed. The Elder Runes may also be binded, or merged. A Bind Rune consists of two or possibly even three Elder Runes that are inscribed overtop one another, forming a new rune. Combining runes can create unpredictable results. (SEE BIND RUNES) 

Garou Theurges, and Telyavelic Tremere may inscribe up to two runes on any given item, or one Bind Rune. An Apex Kinfolk Wayland of sufficient level may inscribe up to four runes on any item (given enough space), or two Bind Runes. Because Waylands have no in actual magic, they require the assistance of a Garou Theurge or a Telyavelic Tremere to infuse their Runes with magic. However, only a Wayland automatically inscribes Runes perfectly without the need to roll for success.

Runes have been used for thousands of years to tell fortunes, cast spells and provide protection. While fortune telling has always been a dubious art at best, spell casting, protection, charms, and talismans of power and fortune are still the major uses for inscribing them on any number of items.

RUNES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Runes draw their magic from Gaia, or Nature, and naturally fall withing the vast power of the elements. While Nature is the force of life and death, and the abundance that the Earth provides, it is and always has been completely neutral. It neither exists to help us nor to harm us. While there is no intent or purpose in the beauty of a sunset, it is equally so for the destruction of tornadoes, hurricanes and forest fires. There is neither intent nor reason to cause harm or benefit. Those concepts of Intent are purely within the purview of sentient creatures, such as Man.

Like early cave dwellers who witnessed lightening hit a tree and saw fire for the first time, they soon realized they could harness this power and use it to keep their families warm, cook their food, and light their way in the dark. But it did not take long for early humans to use this gift to burn the villages of their enemies, lay waste to forests to create pastures and farms, or to forge weapons of war with its heat. The power of nature is all about us. But it is Man who gave birth to "Intent."

While the original 24 Runes were created through the observations of Nature, the Runes of Light and Shadow were created shortly after in an attempt to bend Nature to the intent of those who would use if for purposes that are not neutral. 

How to Use the Runes of Light and Shadow
There are two of these special Runes: one of Light and the other of Shadow. They are not counted among the 24 original Elder Runes, which are all a direct reflection of Gaia herself. These Runes are regarded as catalysts, meaning they have no inherent power of their own but can influence the direction of the other Runes when they are binded to them, essentially shifting their direction and imbuing them with Intent.

Exactly how the Runes of Light and Dark influence the natural direction of the Elder Runes is not completely known or understood. It is only agreed that they definitely do. Experimentation is the best way to explore their influence and power over the Elder Runes. But such things can be dangerous, giving birth to unknown, and unexpected or dangerous results.

Master Runecrafters use great care in experimenting with the binding of these Runes, taking careful notes of these experiments and documenting the results in their own personal grimoires. These special bind runes are only shared with the Runecrafter's students, and their grimoires are handed down as a legacy to their children, generation after generation. In this way the power can be protected and the Runecrafter's family to grow more powerful.

WHO CAN USE RUNECRAFT?

Currently, only three character types that are capable of learning to use Runes: 

• Apex Kinfolk Waylands (need a Theurge or Telyavelic to infuse it with magic)
• Garou Theurges 
• Telyavelic Tremere

SURFACES SUITABLE FOR ENSCRIBING RUNES 
Runes can be used on:

• Clay and Pottery
• Metal
• Fabrics/Leather
• Stone
• Ceramics
• Wood
• Flesh
• Other hard surfaces that take a mark or can be engraved 

For example: Runes cannot be drawn on water or other fluids, in the air, or similar surfaces because it cannot leave a permanent or semi-permanent mark. However, it could be chiseled in ice or attempted to be drawn on snow or sand. The magic will only last as long as the mark does, and this goes for any surface used to take a Rune mark. This includes defacing a Rune mark. 

COMMON RUNE SURFACES
Engraving on a hard surface is the best way to successfully mark an item with a rune symbol. It has been long believed that the valleys, angles and lines within the runes themselves resonate the magic the user is looking to instill, much like the lines embedded in vinyl records make sound when played. The actual form of the Rune is not coincidence or whimsy, which is why it is so critical that it is inscribed properly and exactly.             

NOTE: While painting or drawing a rune on a surface can also be done, it decreases the chance to infuse magic into it. (DIF 100) This is true for all users of Runecraft except for Waylands. Waylands are gifted Garou Get of Fenris Apex Kinfolk. Waylands always have a 100% success for engraving/inscribing, painting or drawing of Runes (with the exception of carving into or painting/drawing on living flesh).   For more on this, see Waylands. 

Whether inscribed or drawn, a Rune will lose its abilities if it is destroyed, sufficiently disfigured, broken, or the mark is removed by sanding, burning or other means to rub it out. Once damaged, a Rune can no longer hold magic and is beyond repair, even for a Wayland. Once the Rune has been inscribed successfully, a Mage, Theurge or Changeling may attempt to activate it. (Waylands hold no magical abilities and while they are experts at Runecraft, they are entirely incapable of activating their own creations.) 

Once activated, the Rune will bestow the item with the desired characteristics of the particular Rune used. The only caveat to this is Bind Runes, whose true properties are only revealed once they are activated. (See Elder Runes Chart.)       

UNCOMMON RUNE SURFACES - Runes on Flesh 
Another surface that can take a Rune, although a dubious one, is living flesh. Because of the immense skill required and the danger to the person or animal involved, this should only be attempted by someone expertly skilled and trained in the art of Rune Craft. Even then, there are risks. At best, a failed attempt at inscribing a common rune on flesh will leave a mark that is aesthetic only and holds no power. At worse, the Rune could self destruct, seriously maiming or killing the person getting the Rune. 

NOTE: A living creature may only have ONE successfully activated Rune or ONE Bind Rune on        their body. Because of the nature of living tissue, adding more rune marks will not be successful. Like other Rune surfaces, the magic will only last as long as the mark does.   

HOW TO USE COMMON RUNES: 
Runecraft is a two-part process. Eacj part requires a roll for success:   

1) Inscribe, draw or paint the rune: 

• Engraved On Common Surfaces –
  DIF 80 vs. CRAFT + RUNECRAFT
  
  
• Inscribe, draw, paint, tattoo, or brand on flesh or hide – 
       DIF 120 vs CRAFT + RUNECRAFT ( +OCCULT for Waylands) 

NOTE: If a botch roll is done on a common rune during creation, common runes will fail to be magical and will merely be decorative. They do not need to be removed and will not interfere with any future attempts to add a successfully magical rune.

2) Activate Common Runes by Touch 
If you successfully rolled to create the rune, you must then successfully roll to activate it. The Runecrafter must be in physical contact to activate. Only skilled Mages, Changelings/Fae and Garou Thurges are capable of activating Runes.

• ENGRAVED: DIF 80 VS. RUNECRAFT 
• PAINTED OR DRAWN: 100 VS RUNECRAFT 
• ON FLESH: 
  • DIF 80 if carved or branded DIF 120
  • Painted, Drawn, or Tattooed    

NOTE: Botching an activation roll on a Common Rune will result in the Common Rune being             unusable as a receptacle for magical properties. Meaning, the rune is merely decorative.                         A Common Rune botch on Flesh will result on whatever body part it is on exploding, resulting in         major damage to the person (3 HP of Damage) and a severing of the limb. If the Bind Rune is on    the head or torso, death results. (SEE DEATH IN DOMINIONS OF DARKNESS.)   

ACTIVATING & CHARGING COMMON RUNES 
Only Garou Theurges, Mages and Changelings are capable of activating Runes. Activation always requires the Runecrafter to be in physical contact with the Rune. If the crafting of the inscription was successful, the Rune must now be charged. 

Depending on how the inscription was done, if the attempt was not successful, the common rune is merely decorative.  Mages, Changlings and Theurges can charge their own runes. Waylands must seek the help of a Mage, Changling or Theurge to charge their runes for them. Once charged, Runes do not require recharging as they are “plugged in” to the spirit energy of the Universe.   

ABOUT BIND RUNES
Prerequisite: Craft Level 5, Wayland Level 7 

A Bind Rune is created by combining two or three runes together to create a new Rune. They are extremely rare and their uses are somewhat questionable. Some combinations may simply be ornamental and offer no special abilities whatsoever, while others can increase the abilities of the combined runes in very unexpected or powerful ways – with an emphasis on unexpected. 

When creating Bind Runes, it is critical to research the particular runes you want to combine, understand their individual effects and powers, and give a plausible reason for the power/effect/interactions between the runes you wish your new Bind Rune to have. 

This must be submitted to the Admins for approval. Once approved, your new Bind Rune will be entered into the Secret Bind Rune Library, if it has not already been created. If you find that your Bind Rune has already been submitted to the Library, the Admins will tell you what the effects of that Bind Rune is. Only first-time creators may designate powers/effects. 

THE DANGERS OF BIND RUNES 
Binding Runes can be very dangerous if one has not studied under an experienced practitioner who knows which Runes can be combined and which definitely should not be. Practitioners of Runecraft will keep meticulous notes on their Binding experiments and be very secretive of their results.  According to the ancient Vikings, Bind Runes are an attempt to influence future events with protection or special abilities, so they tend to be defensive in nature. But this is not always the case. 

In ancient times, common practice was to combine a series of runes into a pattern that asked the gods or spirits to bless them with a certain result based on the nature of the Runes used. If Runes are viewed as words, then Bind Runes would be considered sentences. Whole books have been written on this, but if you consider Bind Runes as a form of “spiritual chemistry” it will help you understand how complicated and potentially dangerous it can be to simply bind two or three runes together with no knowledge of how the spiritual aspects work or relate. 

Much like it would be foolish for an armchair chemist to mix sulfur, potassium nitrate and charcoal together, a novice Runecrafter could easily find themselves in a rather explosive situation by combining Runes without any idea what the outcome might be. While some experimentation is necessary to advance one’s knowledge, keep in mind that the outcome of these rune bindings may be far from expected. And can easily be equally dangerous as they could be beneficial. Creating Bind Runes consists of taking two (or even three) runes and creating a new Bind Rune symbol by laying the symbols on top of each other, or simply linking them together.    

CREATING AND ACTIVATING BIND RUNES 

1)   Selecting the right Rune Symbols to combine.
Up to three runes may be used. While the benefits of creating Bind Runes can be very advantageous, attempting to combine two or more runes that are not compatible can result in dire consequences. Unfortunately, this will not be known until the Bind Rune is activated.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When creating and inscribing a new experimental Bind Rune, you must draw out the new Bind Rune and submit it to the Admins, along with your description of how it works. If the Bind Rune is new, (meaning, no one else has created it) your description of how it works will be reviewed and applied in full or in part to the Secret Bind Rune Library. If it has already been created, you will receive the results already applied to it once you attempt to activate it. 

You must first activate your new Bind Rune before you will be given the results.   
          

2)   Correctly inscribing the Bind Rune. 
Like common Runes, failing to properly inscribe them makes the mark useless. However botching a roll while creating a Bind Rune (rolling a 1-10), will cause the object to immediately explode. This is caused by the Rune’s inability to properly absorb and/or channel the ambient magic, which then has no place to go except the object the Rune was inscribed on, resulting in an explosion.

 When a Bind Rune explodes, it delivers 2 HP of damage to everyone in a 5 meter radius. When botched on Flesh, it causes 3 HP of damage to the recipient of the Bind Rune and destroys the limb. If used on the head or torso, it will result in death. (SEE DEATH IN DOMINIONS OF DARKNESS.)                           

The only way to be 100% successful in inscribing a Bind Rune (or any rune unless it’s on flesh) is to have a Garou Apex Kinfolk Wayland do the inscription work. Even then, this only ensures the inscription was done correctly. It does not ensure that the runes being bound together are compatible, or that your activation will be successful. Whether successful or not, a Wayland, Mage, Theurge or Changling can only attempt to create a Bind Rune once every OOC week.             

Waylands:    No roll for success in Bind Rune creation required to inscribe.                                    
(with the exception of flesh, DIF 120 vs. Runecraft, Occult & Craft.)               

Mages, Changlings and Theurges: 80 Dif vs Runecraft to successfully create. 120 DIF on Flesh. 3)   

3) Successfully activating the Bind Rune. (Garou Theurges, Mages & Changelings only.)

• ENGRAVED/CARVED/BRANDED: DIF 80, Mod Runecraft
• PAINTED, TATTOOED OR DRAWN: 100, Mod Runecraft
• ON FLESH: 120, Mod Runecraft + Occult

Creating Bind Runes: 
Players creating bind runes must create the image of the new bind rune and submit to the Admins with a general explanation as to what the rune was created to do for approval BEFORE activating it. 

Admins will check to see if this Rune is new or if it has been created by another Player before. If created before, the Runecrafter will be told if the bind rune is viable, and what it specifically does once it is activated. New viable Bind Runes will be added to the secret Bind Runes Library.  

Example of a Bind Rune: 
A friend has chronic Asthma and risks having attacks when they are in battle due to exertion. As a skilled Runecrafter, you may wish to make him or her a rune charm to help mitigate or eliminate attacks. Runes will not cure an illness, but they can suppress symptoms or even mask/suspend the illness or disease. 

An aspect of the Anuz Rune symbolizes Breath. You might combine this rune with the Sowilo Rune, which represents success. Or possibly the Uruz Rune, which represents endurance, strength and life force. You could even combine all three. 

NAME: Rune of Breath This configuration allows for free breathing when placed on a talisman or charm. This prevents the wearer from experiencing attacks related to bronchial distress. When used on living flesh, this Bind Rune does all the above, plus it also allows the wearer to survive without oxygen for up to one hour.

Bind Runes Library
The Bind Runes Library is the collective works of all Bind Runes created by Player Characters. This Library is not available for Players to view and is only for Admin purposes to keep track and document those Bind Runes that have been created during roleplay. 

Players are expected to keep their own Bind Runes libraries or grimoires for the documentation of Bind Runes they have personally created, learned from a mentor, or have acquired by other means in roleplay.

Bind Runes are highly guarded by their creators and only passed down from mentor to student, or parent to child. Though Masters of this study turn a blind eye when this happens for reasons of higher purpose. Such as a reward of deep personal gratitude.