The Runes

For anyone that has stepped through one of the gates, they have undoubtedly seen the four glowing runes that allow these arcane gateways to activate and transport people wherever they please. Many do not know their names however, nor of their significance; only the studious and learned have any inkling as to their nature. Parator the Rune of Elder Magic; Xel'atol the Rune of Mind Magic; Chattar the Rune of Hell Magic; and Atarak the Rune of Earth Magic, comprise the four basic runic symbols of power. The primal codes of creation (or so they say) have appeared both in folklore and history as items of coveted and terrible power. Over the years they have diminished in importance, relegated as they are to simple tall tales; they have not appeared in centuries and many think them lost to time.

What has happened to them, then? None can say with any real certainty. Documentation exists of their proported properties and their supposed last known impact on the world. With each attempt at claiming one as their own, the parties involved invariably find the runes too powerful to control and perish in the end; no mortal is meant to use such powers. And yet, if this is true, what purpose were they created for? Are they simply the left-over flotsam and jetsam of the gods, or did they come into being upon their own accord? If the latter is true then the implications of the runes having a sentience is a chilling one.

Parator, the Rune of Elder Magic: Gatekeeper of the astral sea, this rune glows with a divine light so intense it can strip the flesh from the bones of the unworthy. Within its crackling design sighs the voice of countless souls, all whom at one point or another fancied themselves as gods and foolishly tried to wield Parator selfishly. At once beyond the gods and not, and imbued with the wisdom of slain primordials, this ancient device hangs with it a sense of great patience and the heavy air of eternity.

Of its last known appearance was in centuries past, as Tal'imal the Foolish tried to use it to strike down the divine barrier and transcend this world. The island of Abidos exploded in a flash of light, and hundreds of thousands disappeared in an instant.

Xel'atol, the Rune of Mind Magic: Ethereal master of the transitive mind, brimming with the inner potential of all sentient creatures, this rune of psionic might can rob a man of his mind and feelings before he can even think and feel them. Said to know all and see all, it cannot relate to any one or any thing; it is as far beyond removed from mortal comprehension as humans are to ants, and its warbling thought-process is said to invite madness with even a glimpse. Xel'atol constantly lies and double-crosses itself, purposefully engineering plots and counter-plots against its very existence; if it has any purpose or end, even the Rune cannot say.

When the rune of mind magic was last recorded was part of a cult three centuries ago, who had come to worship the rune as some Far Plane creation here to usher in a new and terrible age. Once more it had created a trap to itself, sending a group of adventurers to battle the cult while it slipped through the mind-stream and vanished.

Chattar, the Rune of Hell Magic: The Burning King with a crown of hellfire, the unrestrained power of pure elemental chaos is the domain of this terrible rune. When wielders of arcane might draw forth the energies of their spells they silently whisper its name, in hopes that they do not garner its attention. To lay witness to this rune is to glimpse change, and know that they will one day be consumed by the swirling chaos of creation and used to make anew. Though demons claim to control it, in truth they hold no more power over Chattar than anyone else, and is the most volatile of the four runes.

Chattar was last seen hurtling towards the World Center, clutched in the hands of a mad arcanist and raving in tongues.

Atarak, the Rune of Earth Magic: The tortured vine of life, bleeding succor and death in equal measure, this twisting rune holds the primal energies inherent in all living things and can give or remove it at a moment's notice. Though the howling spirits of the earth and sky pay homage to it, and the denizens of the feywild revere it, Atarak has no real loyalty--for much like nature itself, it is uncompromising and marches on to its own unknowable end. It is forever strained in keeping this world together on fragile silver strings, and to see one cord cut brings it agony--and a terrible fury.

The last time Atarak made itself known was during just such an occurrence; the populace of the small island Sochal attempted to free itself of this world's gravity and set sail into the astral sea with the island as their ship. Instead, they were forced into an unnamed island, smashing the two islands together and slaying the people outright.