76
Legacy of the Dragons
Rune Manifest Runes have a power far beyond their simple ability to convey a concept or serve as a system of writings and markings. They represent magic in an encoded, physical form that runethanes can craft and manipulate to produce a variety of arcane effects. Some runes have such a strong tie to a basic, fundamental concept of reality that they literally take on a life of their own. The power contained within such a rune grows and develops to encompass the thoughts, emotions, and history behind its concept, giving rise to a being that mirrors the rune’s traits—a rune manifest. A rune manifest embodies a rune and expresses its meaning through its actions. Most rune manifests are simple creatures, glimmers of magical energy that possess the lowest form of sentience. A few manifests, particularly those that embody powerful or well-known runes, are every bit as intelligent as a giant, human, or verrik. (Four examples of intelligent rune manifests are provided later in this section.) These manifests seek to increase their rune’s power and stature by spreading its concept across the land. For example, a battle rune manifest seeks to ignite warfare, while a disease rune manifest slips into a settlement and leaves a horrible plague in its wake. Intelligent rune manifests are liable to be a threat to any settled area; their zeal and narrow-mindedness invariably lead them to clash with other creatures. They rarely stray from what they see as their duty to spread the concept embodied by their rune. Manifests have great difficulty relating to intelligent creatures that are capable of having several priorities or pursuing more than one goal at the same time. From a rune manifest’s point of view, all that matters is the propagation of its concept. The creature finds it incomprehensible that others could hold differing views. The single-minded behavior of intelligent rune manifests leads some sages to question whether they are truly sentient. In some cases, it appears that they are merely the physical projection of the elemental motivations and actions that comprise their runes. While intelligent rune manifests are troublesome at best and deadly at worst, minor rune manifests are useful tools that many spellcasters and commoners call upon for aid. By means of a simple ceremony, anyone can summon and bind a minor rune manifest into service for a short period of time. Minor rune manifests lack the physical form and personality of independent manifests, but they embody simple concepts that make them useful as tools and aids. A healing manifest can cure an injured warrior’s wounds, while a speed manifest can help a character cover a long distance more quickly. These creatures exude their
runic concepts, channeling them into the masters that bind them when ordered to do so. Calling and commanding manifests is a relatively uncommon practice, since the rituals used to summon them require expensive material components, but knowledge of these rituals is widespread. All rune manifests, whether intelligent or minor, lack truenames. As individual parts of a greater concept, they display much less individuality than other intelligent creatures do.
Minor Rune Manifests A minor rune manifest embodies a single, specific concept that is both simple and direct. It lacks true material form, and cannot directly manipulate, or in turn be manipulated by, physical objects and energy. However, it can channel its essence into a creature that binds itself with the rune manifest. Calling and controlling a minor rune manifest requires a ritual with a cost measured in gold pieces to reflect the rare components and materials needed for its completion. Once called, a manifest remains with its summoner for one week or until its master uses the energy of the rune by activating it. At that time, the bond between the creature and the manifest breaks. Unless otherwise indicated in the description of a specific rune manifest, activating a minor rune manifest is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Anyone can learn to summon a minor rune manifest by making an Intelligence or Knowledge (runes) check (DC 20). The ceremony needed to call a minor rune manifest requires one hour of work and the proper material components (the cost of these components is given in each manifest’s description below). At the climax of the ceremony, the minor rune manifest appears as a burst of energy, then resolves into runic form on the dominant hand of the creature who called it. A manifest’s effects cannot be dispelled by magical means, because they represent a primal, elemental alteration to the creature receiving them. For example, a litorian that activates a strength rune manifest grows slightly larger as her muscles gain definition and size. At any given time, a character can have bound to her a number of minor rune manifests equal to 1 + her Charisma modifier (minimum one). Amity: These rune manifests are unique in that they always appear in pairs. The ceremony that calls them requires two creatures to work together. When they complete it, the ceremony grants them a bond through the manifests. Once during the next week, either participant may send a telepathic message of no more than 50 words to the other. The recipient hears the words in his mind spoken in the sender’s voice. Cost: 100 gp.
