Rune

Rune
Capital	The Ivory Tower
Population	29,675 (Humans 65%, Elves 15%, Half-Elves 15%, Gnomes 4%, Halflings 1%)
Government	Magocracy
Religion	Eluna, Taara, Reos, Ceinara
Imports	Gold, ore, precious gems, mercenaries, tools, silver magic items, spells.
Exports	Magic items, spells, artwork, crafts, jewelry, sculptures, timber, enchantments.
Alignment	All but especially Neutral and Lawful.

Those who just glance at Rune on the map may easily pass it over as a small, insignificant and unassuming realm. Possessing only one major city and nestled softly within a large forested valley region that sits on the south eastern side of the Sky Curtain Mountains, Rune seems to control very little territory and is barley a speck on the map. Those who assume it is insignificant are woefully mistaken. Rune's territory is much larger then most any other nation for they extend their influence not in the realm of the material but in the realm of the immaterial. Rune, you see, is a Magocracy. They are a nation of wizards, sorcerers, bards and other users of the arts arcane. Here choices are made that effect arcane spell casting across Arcania and things happen that affect the political activities and actions of other nations, whether they realize it or choose to believe it or not. Rune is mostly a forested region with the foothills and outlying reaches of the mountains jutting into it. Scattered about these domains are various castles, towers and small villages and solitary dwelling places.

Life and Society

Political power in Rune once laid in the hands of the council known as The Convocation which itself functions as an immense magicians' guild, that networked all the major practitioners of arcane magic across the continent. The council employed wizards known as Conclave Wizards who served as diplomats, politicians, teachers, guides and sometimes the hand of law and retribution for Rune both home and abroad. Above the Convocation itself matters tended to become far more clandestine. A mysterious council of archmagi known as The Eldritch Council were the true string pullers and puppet masters but few ever laid eyes upon them, knowing little about the individual members excepting when an Archmage of all the lands was appointed.

Now, the Parliament of Magi rules and Rune gradually rebuilds its body politic under new leadership. This is not an easy process, as parliamentary procedure and governmental rules are still being created -- sometimes haphzardly given wizards tendency towards eccentricity.

Rune is predominantly human. It is one of the few nations in the world where its culture is almost strictly defined by the classes there. In Rune, if people don't have the magic they are used to its presence. It is part of their everyday life. Mage Fairs, Assembly Meetings, demonstrations of new forms of magic, Mage Duels and an ongoing study of the ancient arcane ways persists in Rune. The common folk of Rune, if there is such a thing, are used to the supernatural. It never becomes blase to them, but it is part of their lifestyle.

Necessity has always caused wizard kind to be an organized and somewhat insular lot through the years, even prior to the foundation of Rune. The seeds for the Arcane Houses were laid within the founding of the original arcane magic tradition by Animus and the mysterious magic known as The Founders. Though Rune would not exist for many millennia, early examples of the Convocation of Rune persisted through history, ultimately resulting in the modern day variation of it. The Wizard Houses scattered during the time of Kulthus but eventually reformed under the watchful eye of Rune.

Despite the name, the wizard houses had no bloodline ties. Instead they were common gatherings of generalist magi, and specialist wizards with an affinity for the school that ruled the House in question. The Eight Houses, in turn, elected representatives from the House to represent themselves before the Wizards. Convocation. The leader of the Convocation would be elected from within the general membership. This practice remained true throughout history and is used, even today, to elect the leadership of Rune's ruling parliament.

Major Geographical Features

Rune is mostly a forested region with the foothills and outlying reaches of the mountains jutting into it. Scattered about these domains are various castles, towers and small villages and solitary dwelling places.

The Watchwood: The heart of Rune is protected by an enchanted forest known as The Watchwood. Numerous enchantments have been laid on this land that have similarities to The Veil of Llyranost. Those who are seeking Rune with hostile intentions find that the very paths of the forests twist and turn and send them back the way they came from.

Important Sites

Although a number of small castles, magician towers, cottages and even planar gates exist in Rune, it has only one truly major landmark.

The Spectrum Lyceum (Small City, 11,685): Rune's most defining cultural landmark is the Spectrum Lyceum, which serves as both the capital of the small Magocracy as well as the headquarters for several of its stronger mage guilds. This town is both quaint and awe inspiring for what it represents. Built around a towering slender spire known as The Null Tower, Spectrum Lyceum spreads out around it in a circular pattern of high spanning spires, libraries, mage schools, market squares, floating towers and fantastic and bizarre creatures and all manner of strange planar activities and comings and goings.

Recent Events

With Animus dead, the Conclave's power crashed. The once-universal hold of Rune has been broken and nations struggle to set up their own Orders of Magic, with their own laws and guidance in the wake of Rune's upheaval. (See Local Organizations) Rune itself emerged from the chaos in a way that no one might have expected--but might have predicted, given the inquisitive minds that inhabited it.

Today Rune's governing body is Parliament, or The Parliament of Magi, a governing body composed of competing members of magical schools and wizards old and young. Debate has not settled on what the new face of Rune will be, and discussions are as energetic, and heated, as someone might expect of politicians capable of casting fireball at a moment's notice.