- The world being created by enacting the Spear-Shield paradox, shattering the components into 27 fragments of reality.
- These 27 fragments become the True Runes, from which both reality and sources of magic (lesser/child runes) derive.
- Stories generally involve political intrigue, and the players gain a base of operations , which becomes their base for building an army.
- There are three types of encounters players will go up against (standard encounters, skill challenges based on Lord Kensington's Rules, and War Battles based on MCDM's Strongholds and Followers series).
- Stories/campaigns are conflicts based around the True Runes themselves, either two or more runes in conflict with one another, or a struggle between multiple political powers over a True Rune.
The way true runes manifest for their bearer would be based on the bearer themselves. For example, if the Rune of Stars is wielded by a Fighter (we'll call him Victor), it may take the form of a two handed sword. In the hands of a spellcaster, the Rune of the Sea will give them different spells they can use (At Will, Short Rest, Long Rest, Per Arc being the four levels of spells), in the hands of a Druid it takes the forms of incarnations (Rune of the Beast may allow a wolf-like creature).
So far, I've figured out what 15 of the true runes are, tough I've not yet figured out the specifics for how they manifest yet. Instead, I'm trying to establish what each of the 27 runes are first. I'm making them in sets of three, and specifying whether they are fragments of the spear, the shield, or fused fragments from the area of impact. Here's the ones I've got so far:
Existential Runes - Three runes created at the point of impact, fused of the spear and shield. Governs reality.
- Rune of Beginnings
Governs creation and reality. From this rune comes the fabric of space itself, enveloping the framework for all of creation. - Rune of the Circle
Governs order and stability. Allows things to have form, creates a barrier between realities to keep nameless horrors outside. - Rune of the Gate
Governs chaos and change. Allows for things to grow and evolve, acts as a window between realities, allowing creatures from other realities to persist.
- Rune of the Sun
Governs the sun, daytime, heat, and elemental Fire. - Rune of the Stars
Governs the stars, constellations, heavens, and elemental Light. - Rune of the Moon
Governs the moon, nighttime, and elemental Dark.
- Rune of the Land
Governs the land, continents, and elemental Earth. - Rune of the Sea
Governs the seas, oceans, currents, and elemental Water. - Rune of the Sky
Governs the wind, atmosphere, weather, and elemental Air.
- Rune of Mortality
Governs the cycle of birth, life, and death. - Rune of Seasons
Governs the cycle of the seasons in nature, both temperate and tropical. - Rune of the Wheel
Governs the flow of time from Past, to Present, and into Future.
- Rune of the Beast - Fragments of the Shield, govern behavioral tendencies and patterns of life.
Source of the survival instinct of life, grants the power to impose on the world. - Rune of Mankind*
Source of life's drive to further knowledge and learning, grants the wisdom to guide the world. - Rune of the Dragon
Source of the emotions expressed by life, grants the courage to explore the world.
Some of these, like the Rune of Mankind, I'm not quite happy with in terms of their name, given that in these games there's more than one sapient species, so suggestions for something more universal would be welcomed.
I am still trying to make these in sets, and trying to tie them thematically to the spear or shield if I can. Interpretations can change if needed. Once I have figured out all 27, I intend to commission these online. A full set of true runes would be pretty handy, if nothing else than to give the community new toys to play with.
For examples of scenarios I could see playing out:
Daybreak: The True Rune of the Sun has been contained by a kingdom under strong influence by the True Rune of the Land. After a plan gone wrong, a group stumbles upon the area where it is contained, and the Sun Rune uses the opportunity to break free. The new bearer flees the country, gathers allies and leads a revolt, intending to break free of the domain of the kingdom and establish a new kingdom free of the contained lands.
The Hunt: A group of sailors find a lifeboat adrift at sea. On it is a couple, close to death. They try to save them, only to discover that a massive beast - the Incarnation of the Beast Rune - has been hunting the two as its prey. In their final acts, they pass on two great powers - the True Runes of the Sea and Moon - and hold off the beast to allow the new runebearers a chance to escape. Time is now ticking, as the new bearers must find an army to confront the incarnation that is hunting them.
I would love to hear your comments and suggestions, and if you opt to adopt this for a story or campaign of your own, I'd love to hear how things went!