Reading, 'Riting, 'Reaking Havoc

[Sosthenes]

Magical runes are important in Iron Kingdoms magic. There are definite arcane scripts - and Thamar's discovery of the Telgesh runes is supposed to be significant.

It might go further than that, given that we're also seeing those rune circles for sorcerers, gunmages and even clerics in official IK art. Granted, that might just be there because it looks cool.

But for the sake of discussion, what if it isn't? What if for any magic scripts are almost essential?

So:
- Menoth gave rock and ro^W^W^W, erm, fire and writing to humans, the other gods probably did something similar. Controlling the magic supply/access this way? Telgesh as a way to bypass that?

- What about illiterate sorcerers? Do they lack in control and/or power? Or are they basically anti-dyslexic, coming up with "innate" scripts if they can't fall back to something official?

- If it *does* have some effect on them, would this turn people like Vinter or the Protectorate leaders a bit against edumacatin' the common folk?

- Do bards use the normal runes or can I haz notes, clefs, bars etc.?

[StJason]

I always thought the rune circles that appeared were a side effect of the magic. Kind of like the smoke from a gun, something that happens because you pulled the trigger, not something that was intended. Which means that writing is only related to magic in that they are both symbols for more advanced concepts. A sorcerer who couldn't read (or a priest, gun mage, bard, wizard, or whatever) would do it the old fashioned way. You say these things and stuff happens.

I have a hunch that the runecircles seen are related to runeplates, however. (also possibly the magic runes used by Trollkin and Circle). I see it less as writing and more as hydrology. Like early people noticed how water flowed in rivers, they developed ways to channel this water to achieve useful things. So when Stryker casts a spell, the energy forms patterns which are the runes. Later scholars found that if you get certain magic-conductive materials and set it into those patterns, the same thing could happen. Thus rune stones and later mechanika.

[Sosthenes]

I always thought the rune circles that appeared were a side effect of the magic.

Sure, it's a side-effect, a representation of the casters mental model, but I definitely don't think it's intrinsic to magic itself. You've got different scripts for the same type of magic, for once.

Runes and special words help the flow of magic, I think Doug said as much. Special terms are more "conductive" to certain magical elements. Most words in Wizardry are Caspion, although there's some growing amount of Khurzic terms amongst the Greylords.

Wizards aren't really the problem, though, as they all apply certain scientific methods to it, and literacy is a requirement. Sorcerers (and some clerics), though…

[StJason]

Right. To muddle things are the Hordes factions who have the rune circles, and the Protectorate who have them as well.

I'm sure that words do help the flow of magic. Just as a work chant helps everyone pull at the same time or work more coordinately. But it's not the words themselves that hold the magic. When a priest of Menoth mutters a prayer, a Skorne warlock screams in... Skornish... or a Greylord chants in Khurzic or a FoM in Caspian... the language is irrelevant. The mental shapes created by the framework of the chanting is what is important.

[Sosthenes]

I'm not too familiar with the miniature games, but didn't I see some pictures where at least one character (a Trollkin) had vertical rune, erm, "strips"?

[PG_ThatRickGuy]

I would think that the gestures, runes, and words are not the source of the magic, but the tools that are used to shape magic.

Think of magic as being a raw power source, be it the will of Menoth or force of nature, or an inate ability. But if it were just unleashed uncontroled it would do very little and even that would be quite chaotic. So the trick is to shape it, to force it into a specific form. Like putting your thumb over a garden hose. Runes, spell plates, chants, gestures, etc... are tools that allow the caster to direct and control the flow of magical energies.

At least, that's how I've envisioned it.

-Rick

[Saraminss]

you are thinking of Captain Gunnbjorn ... yes he has "magic Runes" in vertical columns

[Saraminss]

sorry ... double post

[Sosthenes]

I would think that the gestures, runes, and words are not the source of the magic, but the tools that are used to shape magic.

Totally agree, and we even have a DougQuote regarding the use of language and runes as pertaining to Wizardry.

But that still doesn't present a good theory how this interacts with sorcery and literacy. Possible routes to go:

1) You can't be a totally illiterate sorcerer. Even if you can't *really* read and write, you learn the words and their symbols by rote (i.e. in your coven). The words, whether you really understand them or not, then appear in rune circle form.
2) If you can't read or write, there won't be rune circles, just squiggly lines.
3) Sorcery (and any kind of magic) is really, really hard and inefficient without a visual representation (i.e. runes), as they're acting as catalyzers, but possible.
4) Rune circles always appear, your words are dictated to and typeset by the universe.

I think 4 is quite unlikely, I'm favoring option 3. Some spells actually are intentionally made "harder", as you don't want the circles to appear (Charm Person etc.).

[StJason]

I'm thinking 4. That early priests and sorcerers noted these weird circles popping up. Honestly, I think outside of the artwork, that rune circles have no more linguistic value then frost patterns or ant trails. It is conceivable that someone might have re-engineered a language out of ant trails, but not needed. Likewise, the need to read for runes. They just happen when you cast spells.

Also, it's worth it to note that circles only appear to people who can see magic. Your local mayor would have no idea if you are casting Charm Person unless he moonlighted as a warcaster.

[Sosthenes]

I'm thinking 4. That early priests and sorcerers noted these weird circles popping up.

In what script? Currently runes vary by *political* faction, and there isn't always a good reason to justify that. Sure, Menite priests could have something that differs from Cygnaran warcasters, but why would a Greylord have something different from a Fraternal Order wizard, considering that they're based on the same Cerylian principles.

Also, it's worth it to note that circles only appear to people who can see magic.

Citation needed

[Psychomancer]

Here's the only time in all the fluff I've read that the runes actually get any specific mention: IKCG pg. 138:

"The dogma of the warcaster is the complete immersion and union with the hieroglyphic mechanika, or mechanika runes, an ancient set of mystic glyphs discovered and compiled by the early pioneers of magic. These runes are believed to create the bonds between all things in existence, and through the proper arrangement and implementation, can change the form or properties of both matter and energy. As the literate man sees words on a scribed page, the warcaster sees the ancient runes all around him​- tracers of magical light, swirling about in interlocking rings, describing the connections and bonds between the material and the incorporeal- between our world and the source of magic. (Emphasis are mine, italics in original.)

The relation of the runes and magic seem to have been a victim of the early implementation of the D20 3.0 rules- suffice to say, the mechanika runes are probably not the only glyphs of power- indeed, Teglesh runes are used by followers of Thamar- and the runes used in the magic of the Dwarves would very likely be different than those used by humans because the disciplines are different.

So far, only warcasters have had the ability to see and manipulate the mechanika runes ascribed to them specifically, but the text seems to imply that wizards and sorcerers probably can too, and by extension, gun mages, bards, and arcane mechaniks can as well. I would even hazard to guess that some alchemists can also see them.

I have always imagined that my spell-casting characters have had visible manifestations of the runes when casting spells, especially my Arcane Mek. But that's my visualization- anybody else can imagine whatever they please.

[StJason]

I believe that Doug also mentioned something along these lines long ago.

I know that the circles are mentioned several times in the WM/H literature, but as that is almost always from the POV of a warcaster, that's a bit suspect.

As for the differing 'cultural' runecircles, that can be explained by different magical traditions.

[Sosthenes]

Hmm, rune-circles being warcaster specific would be awfully boring, but would at least absolve one of the illiteracy problem, assuming that military is force-feeding you the necessary education before letting you frolic around with umpteen tons of military hardware.

Never mind that this still is a bit weird. "Discovering" glyphs would assume something innate to the magic itself, yet we have regional variants. But hey, maybe they're seeing some kind of "binary code" and just translate it into whatever human script they've been taught. Which might result into lots of semi-random garbage, so you're using lots of borrowed and sometimes non-sensical words as mnemonics.

The whole "chosen one"/"Neo" nature of warcasters always bothered me a bit, especially considering that we already have innate magic users. Wonder whether we'll get a more unified theory once IKRPG NT is bringing the wargame and the RPG closer together.