Descending a winding tunnel beneath the earth, a warrior advances deeper into the trolls’ lair. Held before him, his drawn sword blazes with runes of smokeless flame and dazzling light, illuminating the path before him and sending rats and other vermin scuttling in fear.
On the shore of a raging river swollen with torrential rain, white water froths and spills over the banks to lap at the feet of a horse bearing a cloaked rider. Atop her horse, the woman speaks a rune of chilling cold, and her breath becomes a boreal wind that freezes the river’s surface into a glittering bridge of ice, allowing horse and rider to cross...
In the ruddy light of a blazing forge, a smith stamps the last rune into the hide of his creation. Shuddering to life, a horse with golden skin and iron hooves rises to its feet and awaits its creators’ command...
Under the open sky, a woman scatters runestones across the grass of the meadow, keen eyes flicking from sign to sign. Looking up, she makes prophecy for all present to hear, warning those gathered around of the coming danger...
The Rúngaeti
The letters of the gods, runes channel the pure power of the World Tree, each shaping that power into a single aspect and manifesting it into the mortal world. One who learns the runes can wield incredible power, and in Bodil’s Gap, the Rúngaeti is the true master of this art: rúnrista.
Rúnrista is a magic of hidden knowledge. Each rune is at once a secret that must be found and a riddle to be unraveled before an aspiring practitioner can make use of it, and the practice of rúnrista is both scholarly and contemplative. Once a rune has been mastered, however, a Rúngaeti can wield it to produce powerful effects related to its concept.
Mechanically, every rune is also a tag, and a Rúngaeti can apply the tags of runes they have learned to a variety of powers. Different Rúngaetir can have very different abilities based not only on what moves they take, but on what runes they choose to learn.
Write the World
By carving runes into wood, metal, bone, or stone, a Rúngaeti can permanently imbue objects with the power of those runes. With a rune inscribed on its blade, a sword can crackle with flames, grow to razor keenness, or gain an aura of supernatural dread. And with greater skill and power, a Rúngaeti can inscribe two or even three runes at a time, combing these or other effects to create a weapon of devastating power.
With a line of runes across the threshold, a doorway can become an impenetrable barrier to trolls, spirits, or simple brigands. And with greater skill, it can punish those forbidden who attempt to cross, lashing out with freezing cold or stunning force.
With runes upon its face, a standing stone can become a nexus of power, projecting the influence of your runes into the surrounding area in a variety of ways, bound only by the limits of the Rúngaeti's imagination and the runes they know.
Other runes can bring life to the lifeless. Inscribed on a well-made effigy, these runes grant living motion to inanimate creatures of stone or wood, turning statues into able servitors bound to the Rúngaeti's will.
Yet other runes may be traced temporarily in blood, salt, or oil for more fleeting effect. With a protective sign, armour can be made to turn aside blades, arrows, or hostile spells. And other objects can be made to briefly hold the power of a rune, ready to release it at the Rúngaeti's command or at a predetermined time or circumstance.
Pronounce Words of Power
Far more rarefied is the ability to speak a rune aloud to invoke its power. When threatened by danger, a skilled Rúngaeti can utter the name of a rune to banish or counteract effects related to that rune's domain. A rune of fire can quench flames, for example, while a rune of bindings can undo knots or loosen a serpent's coiled embrace.
And with a greater act of will, a Rúngaeti can imbue their breath with the power of a rune spoken aloud, turning their very words into a torrent of wind, a flash of blinding light, or a razor-edged blade.
Using the Rúngaeti
This playbook is intended for spell-casters who want to take a direct hand in conflict, rather than hanging back influencing events from the rear or the sidelines. If it can be summed up in a single image, that image is Gandalf brandishing the runed sword Glamdring in the hall of the Goblin King, his sword flashing with fearsome light.
With their power to enhance both their own arms and armour and those of their allies, or to lead dependable constructs into battle, the Rúngaeti is well suited to working on the front lines of any battle. Use it instead of or alongside playbooks like the Wizard or Paladin to present a spell-caster whose magic calls for foresight and preparation, but which can carry them into battle and out again unscathed.
Bodil's Gap is currently in playtesting, and the playtesting version of the Rúngaeti playbook can be found here. If you have any insight or feedback, leave a comment or send an email to brazenhead@zoho.com.
Up Next
Next week I'll be talking about the Skald, a warrior-poet able to invoke the power of the sagas they recite to mimic or reproduce legendary deeds and events.
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