The Runemark of Eternity

Overview

The Runemark of Eternity is one of the most critical magical artifact in existence. It is a single, eternal magical glyph that keeps The Citadel aloft and powers all of its magic. Housed in the deepest vault of the ancient crypts, its influence extends throughout the entire structure. Without it, the Citadel would fall from the sky, all its magic would cease, and the seals containing dangerous forces would fail.

But the Runemark has a terrible secret. It is not truly self-sustaining. It lives on the souls of humans. It feeds on sacrifice. The price of the Citadel's eternity is paid in human blood. A fact that the arvendorians will do anything to keep secret.

History

The Runemark was created by The Ancients in an age before Arvendor civilization. The exact circumstances of its creation are unknown. History has lost or deliberately obscured these details.

The Ancients understood something about permanence and magic that modern civilization has lost. They created the Runemark not as a temporary solution but as an eternal one. It was designed to function as long as The Citadel itself exists.

The Runemark is eternal not because it is indestructible but because it feeds on human souls. It lives on the souls of humans, drawing power from the transition between life and death. Each sacrifice sustains it. Each soul consumed strengthens its connection to the boundary between existence and oblivion.

The Ancients created a system where permanence is achieved through sacrifice. The Runemark does not maintain itself through elegant design alone. It requires payment in human lives.

There is only one Runemark. There should only ever be one. Creating another would be impossible. The Ancients understood this and ensured that no duplicate exists. The knowledge required to create a Runemark is lost.

Function

The Runemark is the fundamental power source for the entire Citadel.

Think of it like the heart of a living being. A heart is not just one organ among many. It is the organ that makes all other organs function. Without it, everything dies.

Location

The Runemark is hidden in the deepest vault of the ancient crypts.

As far as is known, the Runemark remains intact and functional. However, the deeper layers of the crypts are not fully explored or understood. There is always the possibility that something has changed in ways the Arvendor do not realize.

But there is a new concern. The Arvendor leadership knows that the Runemark's power is finite. And they know that power is waning.

The Sacrifice

The Runemark requires continuous feeding. It demands sacrifice. The Arvendor must provide human souls to maintain it. It's a cost that has been hidden or obscured from most of their civilization.

The War That Fed It

During the Ombric-Arvendor war in 8,700 AR, thousands upon thousands died. Soldiers fell. Civilians perished. The crypts became a graveyard. That war provided an enormous influx of souls to the Runemark. It was fed for thousands of years by those ancient deaths.

This is why The Citadel stood so magnificent and secure for so long. It was built on the bones and souls of a war. The Runemark had feasted.

The Current Crisis

But that power is waning. After five thousand years, even the vast sacrifice of the ancient war is running dry. The Runemark's hunger returns.

The Arvendor leadership knows the truth. The power is finite. And it is fading.

Some of the elite have begun quietly suggesting a terrible solution: reinstate ritualistic sacrifice. Not as the Ancients may have done - one nameless death now and then in the deep places - but formal, deliberate, intentional killing to feed the Runemark and sustain the Citadel.

The question no one wants to ask aloud is already being debated in private chambers: How many people must die to keep the city afloat? And who decides which people?

Without regular sacrifice, the Runemark will eventually fail. And when it fails, everything fails.

Mystery

One of the biggest mysteries that baffles modern day scholars is that the runemark was built to be powered by the souls of humans, but it is generally understood that The First People arrived at the land of Valaron long after The Ancients had vanished. So how could the Ancients have created a system that relies on human souls when humans did not yet exist?

Philosophy

The Runemark represents The Ancients' greatest gift to their successors. But the price of it is blood.

The Ancients gave the Arvendor a fortress that cannot fall. In exchange, they demanded a price paid in human lives. The Arvendor did not create this system. They did not choose this burden. But they inherited both the Citadel and the cost of maintaining it.

What makes the burden truly terrible is that most of the Arvendor do not even know they are paying it. The sacrifice happens in the deep places. The names are forgotten. The cost is hidden. And still, the Citadel stands.

Trivia

• In the official lore, the universe permits only a single Runemark of Eternity to exist. In gameplay, however, multiple versions can be discovered.