Post by The Deathsinger on Apr 25, 2013 19:12:54 GMT -5
Let us start from the beginning.
We all know of the Rune Wars-
No. Before even the first Great Rune War. To a time where magic was all but unknown to man.
In such an age, it was greatly like the times of yore in our own land. Knights atop horses, archers, and the occasional cannoneer ruled the battlefield. Very few and very far between were those who could use magic, and even then all but the strongest of mages were able to perform more than paltry parlor tricks.
In this time, a wizard of no small talent (and yet, no talent at all, compared to the mages of today's Runeterra) began to study the geometry of Magic. It was semi common knowledge to most upper-level mages that magic itself bore shapes and patterns; as an extrapolation of this, the wizard discovered that certain symbols were intrinsically linked to the magic of the world itself. At the time, runic languages were common in Valoran, so these new symbols were dubbed 'Magerunes'.
These Magerunes, now known as the all-but-forgotten Greater Runes of Power, enabled any Mage of even mediocre competence to harness the intrinsic forces of this world, if he were but to study the rune itself. Such wizards were dubbed 'Runebearers', for the runic pendants they wore about their necks to channel their great power. Granted, runic mastery would take one nearly half their lifetime, but the resulting magical windfall brought on a new golden age of magic and knowledge.
However, golden ages rarely lasted very long. With this newfound power came great unrest, eventually culminating into the first Great Rune War. Runebearers were the primary source of offensive might, dealing death over great ranges to the point where infantry and archers were but fodder to waylay a Runebearer's death. The war was long and bloody, but the forefathers of what would now become the citystates of Valoran survived, battered but victorious.
After the devastation wrought by the Rune War was brought to light, the Runebearers decided that it was unwise to let even the youngest of initiates be taught the greatly powerful and imaginatively versatile ways of Rune Magic. To reign in their acolytes, the Runebearers developed a series of 'lesser runes', which were far greater in number than their more powerful counterparts, but could only channel so much power at a time, and were less versatile in their use. As they were designed for use by initiates, anyone with a magical gift could use these Lesser Runes to great effect.
And so, the cycle continued. Rune Wars wracked Valoran, the residual energies of which permeated Runeterra's essence and gave rise to more mages, always greater in quantity and in power than the previous generation. Eventually, the innate magical talent in most mages became great enough that runic study was saved for those of unnaturally long life or those with too much time on their hands, favoring the quicker (if less effective) honing of the mage's innate gifts. However, with the dwindling population of true Runemages of the Greater Runes, these relics eventually drifted into legend and the history books. Furthermore, the ease of obtaining magical talents via learning the lesser runes and the innate gifts of many mages led to misuse of these powers, and, without proper caution to avoid overuse, the runic forces started to unravel the fabric of Valoran itself, leading to the League of Legends.
Rune Magic today is limited to knowledge of the lesser runes, as the Greater Runes have all but vanished from use due to generations of mages who were not trained in the art of the Greater Runes, nor did they care to learn of them with easily-gained, if less effective, power from the Lesser runes, and, weaker still, the innate gifts of many mages. Some tomes of the Greater Runes exist.....but they are extremely few and very far between.
One final note on Rune Magic: eventually, the Runemage will be consumed by the rune's essence if he does not transcend it's influence, as Xerath did, or merge himself with the rune itself. Such hybrids were short-lived, as their powers could be likened to a hot-burning candle; they flared brightly before burning themselves up in their own heat.
Q&C, if you have any! Thank you! I've run this by Swain, btw.
We all know of the Rune Wars-
No. Before even the first Great Rune War. To a time where magic was all but unknown to man.
In such an age, it was greatly like the times of yore in our own land. Knights atop horses, archers, and the occasional cannoneer ruled the battlefield. Very few and very far between were those who could use magic, and even then all but the strongest of mages were able to perform more than paltry parlor tricks.
In this time, a wizard of no small talent (and yet, no talent at all, compared to the mages of today's Runeterra) began to study the geometry of Magic. It was semi common knowledge to most upper-level mages that magic itself bore shapes and patterns; as an extrapolation of this, the wizard discovered that certain symbols were intrinsically linked to the magic of the world itself. At the time, runic languages were common in Valoran, so these new symbols were dubbed 'Magerunes'.
These Magerunes, now known as the all-but-forgotten Greater Runes of Power, enabled any Mage of even mediocre competence to harness the intrinsic forces of this world, if he were but to study the rune itself. Such wizards were dubbed 'Runebearers', for the runic pendants they wore about their necks to channel their great power. Granted, runic mastery would take one nearly half their lifetime, but the resulting magical windfall brought on a new golden age of magic and knowledge.
However, golden ages rarely lasted very long. With this newfound power came great unrest, eventually culminating into the first Great Rune War. Runebearers were the primary source of offensive might, dealing death over great ranges to the point where infantry and archers were but fodder to waylay a Runebearer's death. The war was long and bloody, but the forefathers of what would now become the citystates of Valoran survived, battered but victorious.
After the devastation wrought by the Rune War was brought to light, the Runebearers decided that it was unwise to let even the youngest of initiates be taught the greatly powerful and imaginatively versatile ways of Rune Magic. To reign in their acolytes, the Runebearers developed a series of 'lesser runes', which were far greater in number than their more powerful counterparts, but could only channel so much power at a time, and were less versatile in their use. As they were designed for use by initiates, anyone with a magical gift could use these Lesser Runes to great effect.
And so, the cycle continued. Rune Wars wracked Valoran, the residual energies of which permeated Runeterra's essence and gave rise to more mages, always greater in quantity and in power than the previous generation. Eventually, the innate magical talent in most mages became great enough that runic study was saved for those of unnaturally long life or those with too much time on their hands, favoring the quicker (if less effective) honing of the mage's innate gifts. However, with the dwindling population of true Runemages of the Greater Runes, these relics eventually drifted into legend and the history books. Furthermore, the ease of obtaining magical talents via learning the lesser runes and the innate gifts of many mages led to misuse of these powers, and, without proper caution to avoid overuse, the runic forces started to unravel the fabric of Valoran itself, leading to the League of Legends.
Rune Magic today is limited to knowledge of the lesser runes, as the Greater Runes have all but vanished from use due to generations of mages who were not trained in the art of the Greater Runes, nor did they care to learn of them with easily-gained, if less effective, power from the Lesser runes, and, weaker still, the innate gifts of many mages. Some tomes of the Greater Runes exist.....but they are extremely few and very far between.
One final note on Rune Magic: eventually, the Runemage will be consumed by the rune's essence if he does not transcend it's influence, as Xerath did, or merge himself with the rune itself. Such hybrids were short-lived, as their powers could be likened to a hot-burning candle; they flared brightly before burning themselves up in their own heat.
Q&C, if you have any! Thank you! I've run this by Swain, btw.
