EABA Rune Stryders™v1.0

©2006 by Greg PorterISBN 0-943891-57-4BTRC#6114

Published by: BTRCP.O. Box 1121Collinsville VA 24078 USAbtrc@btrc.netwww.btrc.net

Design and Writing: Matt Drake and Mike Fiegel

Rev. Editing: Matt Drake and Brett M. BernsteinEABA conversion: Greg Porter

Logo Design: Matt DrakeCover Art: Doug Penney with colors by Matt DrakeInterior Art: Doug Penney, Calvin Camp, Jason Walton,

Ash Jackson, Matthew W. Parmenter, and Matt DrakeSpecial Thanks: David Goodner, Alan Goodner, & Chris Jackson

Dedication: for Cathy

EABA™is a trademark of Blacksburg Tactical Research Center. Rune Stryders version 1.5 ©2003,

2004, 2006 Precis Intermedia. All rights reserved. Rune Stryders is a trademark of PrecisIntermedia. All rights reserved. Protected by the Universal Copyright Convention and angryanthropomorphic magical creations. No part of this work may be reproduced without writtenpermission from the publisher.

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INTRODUCTION ..........................................5.2HISTORICAL TIMELINE ..................................5.3COSMOLOGY............................................5.5THE NATIONS OF RHUN...............................5.8

The Divaros ...................................5.9The Myndwar .............................5.14The Zokili......................................5.16The Kantarin ...............................5.18The Sivatagi................................5.20The Draslander...........................5.21

LANGUAGES............................................5.23ECONOMY AND MEASUREMENT..................5.25WEAPONS & ARMOR ...............................5.27EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES.........................5.37FAUNA ..............................................5.43AGENDA GAP ........................................5.50

INTRODUCTION ..........................................6.2DIVAROS ROLES ........................................6.4MYNDWAR ROLES ......................................6.8ZOKILI ROLES ..........................................6.14KANTARIN ROLES .....................................6.20SIVATAGI ROLES ......................................6.26DRASLANDER ROLES .................................6.32BREACH ..............................................6.38

SCENARIOS ...............................................7.2The Iron Mine................................7.3The Heirloom ................................7.5The Prison......................................7.6Liberation......................................7.8The Bridge.....................................7.9The Discovery.............................7.11The Armorer................................7.12

COMBAT TIPS..........................................7.13EXTRAS & STATS ......................................7.14

INTRODUCTION ..........................................8.2Armor & Hits..................................8.2Runic enhancement...................8.3

ENDS ................................................8.9WEAPONS ..............................................8.10ARMOR ..............................................8.11GEAR ..............................................8.12INDEX ..............................................8.13ADVENTURER SHEET ..................................8.14EABA OPEN SUPPLEMENT LICENSE.............8.18

SHADES OF RED.........................................1.2WHAT IS IT?..............................................1.4A CRY IN THE DARK ..................................1.6

INTRODUCTION ..........................................2.2ATTRIBUTES................................................2.2SKILLS ................................................2.3TRAITS ..............................................2.13STARTING GEAR ......................................2.15FINISHING UP ..........................................2.16TRIAL BY FIRE ..........................................2.16

INTRODUCTION ..........................................3.2RUNIC LAW...............................................3.3HOW RUNES WORK....................................3.6RUNE CHART.............................................3.7OTHER MODIFIERS....................................3.11CASTING RUNES ......................................3.14THE PRIME RUNES.....................................3.16ELEMENTAL RUNES ....................................3.34SENSORY RUNES ......................................3.46LIFE RUNES..............................................3.62CONCEPTUAL RUNES ................................3.73SPATIAL RUNES ........................................3.92ADVANCED RUNE USAGE .......................3.110MECHANICAL RUNE WORDS....................3.115RUNE MASTERS......................................3.117NEW RUNES ..........................................3.123SQUELCH ............................................3.124

INTRODUCTION ..........................................4.2CREATING A STRYDER .................................4.4CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE........................4.11

Stryder templates ......................4.11Stryder weapons & armor ........4.12Stryder options ...........................4.16

CONSTRUCTION & REPAIR COST ................4.22STRYDER DESCRIPTIONS .............................4.25STRYDER COMBAT....................................4.35SPECIAL COMBAT FORMS .........................4.38STRYDER TRAVEL ......................................4.41CONVERGENCE .......................................4.42

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“You’re late,” said the Ambassador, speak-

ing far too loudly for his own good. It was bad

enough that the overweight, oversized beast

of a Divaran had apparently come straight from

a ball, dressed as he was in garish shades of

red and gold that screamed “wealthy noble.”

Now he seemed determined to call down the

wrath of the Skint’s inhabitants as well, which

was suicidal. Pulling attention to oneself in this

part of town was a good way to grow a second

smile, courtesy of the sharps lurking nearby...

SHADES OF RED - Thomis knew that all too well,had learned the hard way. As he watched severalshapes shift in the shadows at the end of the alley,he nodded silently, thumb and forefinger nervouslymassaging the scar that ran along his neck fromear to ear; were it not for that passing Magus...buthe shook off the memory; now was no time toreminisce.

It was time for business.

“Yes sir,” he whispered in return, hoping thedaft fool took his cue and followed suit. “I apologizefor my lateness. I was...delayed.” He indicated hisswordbelt, which lacked its peace-ties, a sure signthat he’d drawn it for one reason or another in therecent past. In a better part of town, that alonewould be enough to earn a trip to jail. But not here,and not now. “I see,” said the Ambassador, morequietly this time. “I suppose I can forgive it - thistime.” Thomis released his breath, thankful that thefool evidently lacked anything beyond basic Runiclore.

If he’d been better trained, he might havewhispered a Bei-ess, might have easily discoveredthat Thomis had simply broken the peace-tieshimself, that the sword hadn’t even been drawn,much less bloodied. His lack of Runelore meant thiswould all go a little easier. Thomis reminded himself,however, not to let too much slide. Underestimatingan employer was more dangerous than under-estimating a dedicated foe. And all too often,lately, the two turned out to be the same thingwhen the deal was done.

“Let’s get this over with, then,” said theAmbassador, reaching into his coat pocket.

Thomis reacted with apparent horror.“No, nothere.” He quickly scanned the rooftops, half forshow, half out of real caution. “We need privacy.The streets have sharp eyes, and sharper tongues.”As he said this last, he drew his thumb across histhroat, wincing as he did so. The wound still hurt inplaces, even after all these months.

“I see,” said the Ambassador with obviousimpatience. “Then where?”

Thomis already had a room prepared, but hepaused to consider all the same. No need to let onanymore than he had to. After a moment, heseemed to brighten, and tugged the Ambassadoralong down the alley, past a dozen nondescriptdoors, stopping at one that resembled the others inevery respect, save one: the dim red lanternhanging over the doorway. The Ambassadorbacked away, shaking his head. “I cannot allow...”

Thomis ignored his babble, busily focusing onusing his right index finger to carefully trace thefaint impression of a Rune beside the door. A simpleNhet-eq, the sort designed to deliver a deadlyshock to anyone not knowing how to disarm it.Which he didn’t. Fortunately, it wasn’t a real Rune;it merely resembled the real thing, closely enoughthat (he hoped) the Ambassador wouldn’t be ableto tell the difference. He needed to keep his edgehere, and if that meant making himself out to be aRunemaster of sorts, so be it. If the fat turd botheredto think about it, he might wonder how a building inthis neighborhood could come by a Runicinscription like this, the price for such a carvingbeing well beyond the reach of most individuals.Fortunately, the Ambassador said nothing, andbefore he could inspect the false carving moreclosely, Thomis opened the door and steered himinside.

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The Ambassador immediately tried to push hisway back out.“I cannot be seen in a place likethis,” he insisted. “I...”

“That’s precisely why we’re here,” Thomiscountered. “No one will see us, or hear us. I canassure you of that.”

“And what about...them.” The Ambassadorgestured broadly, indicating the young girlslounging around in the main room. Thomis wavedto several, and they returned his gesture. “They willno more talk than we will, because if they did theywould bring down half the city council, includingsome that sit higher than you, Ambassador.” Thismuch was true, and they both knew it. “Now, shallwe? I have just the room in mind.”

The Ambassador scowled, but followed him insilence up to the second floor and down the hall toRoom 21. Thomis noted with a smile that theAmbassador flushed slightly as they entered, but hesaid nothing; evidently the rumors about Room 21were truer than he’d thought. Except for tonight, ofcourse; as he’d arranged, the room was empty butfor himself and the Ambassador, the bed and otherusual “implements” having been replaced with asingle table and two wooden chairs. Ignoringdecorum and the chairs, he shut the door, thenleapt on the table and sat crosslegged.

The Ambassador remained standing, graspingfor words. Thomis helped him along. “Who’s thetarget?” he asked bluntly.

The Ambassador flushed, cleared his throat,and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out asmall envelope which he tossed on the table.Thomis made no attempt to retrieve it, maintainingeye contact. The envelope could easily be Runed,either in the wax seal or on the vellum itself, ininvisible ink of some sort. He’d check it out later, inprivacy. The Ambassador paced, sweaty anduncomfortable in the stifling heat of the windowlessroom, stalling for gods knew what reason.“Who’sthe target?” Thomis repeated.“His name is Jonan,”he answered. “Full name.” The Ambassadorhesitated. Thomis made a show of leaping off thetable, reaching for the door.“No, no, don’t go.”

“Fine,” said Thomis, leaning against thedoorframe, arms crossed. “Then talk. I don’t workunless I know what I’m getting into.” “The target’sname is Jonan Marle-Thon,” he began at last, andthen the dam broke, and he spilled the rest. Thomislistened only half-heartedly, amusing himself withthe sounds coming from across the hall.Ambassador Adour here wanted one of hisopponents removed before an upcoming vote,hoping to sway the decision towards terms morefavorable to his own position. He wanted this donerelatively permanently, and with a fair amount ofnoise, hoping to scare others into backing down atthe same time as he removed his most powerfulopponent. Thomis had heard the entire storybefore. From Jonan himself, in fact, with a few ofthe names reversed. He’d almost taken that job, infact. He had backed out at the last minute.

However, Ambassador Adour had deeperpockets.

Still, a thing about this particular conversationwas nagging at him, something about “the elder”and “the younger.” He raised a hand, and theAmbassador broke off. “Back up a second. Thereare two?” The Ambassador nodded. “The fatherand his son, yes.” This, he had to admit, was news tohim. And he didn’t like surprises.

“And which is the target?” The Ambassadorhesitated. Thomis didn’t push him to speak. It wasn’tnecessary. And, to be quite fair, not altogethersurprising. Thousands of sons disappeared everyday, some at the hands of soldiers, others at thehands of people like Thomis. This shouldn’t beenough to make the old man pale, unless...Thomissuddenly recalled something about the elderMarle-Thons, something about him being theyoungest Ambassador in the history of Divar. Whichmeant...

“Exactly how old is the target?” he asked.TheAmbassador stumbled over his words, finallymanaging to spit it out. Thomis said nothing. He shuthis eyes, pursed his lips, lowered his head, tappedhis foot. He cursed silently, considered his options.The Ambassador waited, and sweated, and stank.Finally, after several long seconds, Thomis raised hishead and looked the old man in the eye. “When?”he asked. “Tonight,” said the Ambassador.Thomisconsidered. “I’ll do it,” he said at last, “for doublethe fee. Half now, half after.”

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“Done,” said the Ambassador, too quickly, andThomis cursed himself for giving in so easily. Buteven so, the fee was enough to keep him inwenches and brew for weeks to come, high payeven for killing a dangerous, well-armed, full-grownwarrior. Of which this target was none of the above.

Somewhat ironically, that made it exponentiallymore difficult. They shook on it before he couldback out. “Good doing business with you,” said theAmbassador, leaving the room. “Yeah,” said Thomisto no one, picking up the envelope, rolling thecoins inside between his fingers,considering. It wasa full ten minutes before he checked the packagefor Runes, slit it lengthwise and pocketed themoney. Then he pulled out a charcoal stylus fromhis pocket and traced a simple Ull-ess, runes he didknow, mouthing the syllables to himself a few timesto get it right. As the envelope began to growwarm, he dropped it, quickly stepping back fromthe table as the contract burst into flames. Therewere some things even he wouldn’t do. But nowthat he had the Ambassador’s money, he had todo something. It was his head on the line now. Buthe couldn’t do what he’d been paid to do, notever, and if not, then what? He knew only one thingfor certain. Things were going to get ugly.

WHAT IS IT? - Rune Stryders is a setting for a role-playing game. Like other fantasy games, RuneStryders features powerful magic, exciting combat,and fantastic monsters. And like in other roleplayinggames, Rune Stryders allows you, the player, toadopt the role of the adventurers that reside in thisworld, making their decisions and driving the actionforward. If you have gamed before, you probablyknow enough about the basic concepts to enjoyand understand Rune Stryders as well.

About the format - Rune Stryders is designed toappeal to a wide variety of gamers, and althoughit is not especially designed for use by noviceplayers, there is no reason why anyone with at leasta basic knowledge of gaming cannot enjoy it,either as a standard tabletop roleplaying game,using miniatures, hex mats, and so on. The tacticalcombat rules are designed for ease of play in bothcases.

Rune Stryders can also be used in componentform, allowing you to add specific elements of thesetting to your own existing fantasy roleplayinggame. You can choose to add the mighty Strydersby themselves, or incorporate Runic magic as well,or even include some of the character conceptsfeatured within. To make this easier, Rune Strydershas been divided up into different chapters, eachof which contains information about a specificelement of the game, and each of which can beused in connection with the others, or on its own inyour own game setting. Though numbered fororganizational purposes, the chapters are notnecessarily meant to be read in any particularorder. In general, game mechanics are presentedin earlier chapters, and world or setting informationcomes later. While it is possible to enjoy RuneStryders without playing within the gameworldprovided, you may wish to read through the Worldchapter all the same, as the information containedtherein does help to explain many of the conceptsdescribed elsewhere.

If you do choose to use the world of Rhun asyour campaign setting, you will find everything youneed here, including adventurer archetypes, skilllists and detailed adventurer generation rules.

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About the setting - Rune Stryders is medieval, inthe sense of being in-between two ages: a recentmythological past and an uncertain future; andfantastic, in the sense that it contains strangeelements that make it very different from our ownreal world. Rune Stryders is not a traditionalmedieval setting. To be certain, you will find swordsand armor, castles and catapults - these are thetools of war, and the nations of the Rune Stryderssetting are in constant conflict with one another.But the peoples and places of Rhun developed in avastly different situation than our own real world,the world upon which medieval fantasy settings aretypically based. Its mythology, traditions, the originof the world itself and how man sees himself fittinginto that world, all of these are different from theworld we know. All of the action in this rulebooktakes place in Rhun (pronounced Roon), a worldfilled with warring city-states, political intrigue, back-alley dealings and bold maneuverings on the fieldof battle. The name Rhun means many things tomany people, at once describing the continent,the planet and the universe within which theinhabitants reside.

It is impossible to understate the importance ofall aspects of what Rhun means in the gameworld.Rhun is language, identity, place and for many,their purpose in life. It is also magic, and everyonein Rhun has the potential to use it.

The most novel feature of the Rune Stryderssetting is the presence of the Rune Strydersthemselves. These huge war machines are createdby expert craftsmen, brought to life throughpowerful Runic magic, and manned by expertwarriors trained to pilot them from within. Stryderscome in many shapes and sizes, some forged fromsteel, others carved from stone, still others grownfrom living plants. All are powerful in their own right,highly prized and jealously guarded by their pilots,crews and patrons. However, the Stryders aremerely immobile suits of armor without the additionof the Runes, the powerful arcane symbols thatmake all magic possible. Since Runes are based onlanguage, every living being capable of speech orwriting has some ability to manipulate Runes to theiradvantage. But only the most powerful RunicMasters can summon up forces greater than simplecharms and curses, conjuring storms, hurlingmeteors, and, of course, bringing the powerfulStryders to life.

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What you need to play - To play the game youwill need these rules, pencils, paper, several six-sided dice, and miniature figures (or other tokens)to represent your adventurers on the field of battle.Since this is a gameworld for EABA, you’ll also needthat too, but you probably figured that out already.Hex mats, a whiteboard, or sheets of paper onwhich you can scribble will also come in handy ifyou are planning on playing the game tactically.

Having friends is also a boon; Rune Stryders isbest enjoyed in gaming groups of three to sixpeople, with one acting as the gamemaster andthe others playing one or two characters each.

Using the material elsewhere - Although RuneStryders deviates from the norm of fantasy rpg’s insome quite dramatic ways, it is intentionallydesigned in such a way that you can easily altersome key facets of the setting in order to fit it moreeasily into existing campaigns. The most notableexample of this design characteristic is in theavailable character archetypes. Divided into sixNations, the people of Divar are all described inhuman terms, and indeed,they are all very muchhuman in most respects. Just like in our own world,people from different parts of the world havevarying physical characteristics that set them apartfrom one another, such as skin color, hair color,height, weight, language. In other words, there areno dwarves or elves in Rune Stryders; there are onlyhumans of varying sorts. Should you wish to use thismaterial in a campaign setting that incorporatesalternative races, simply swap those races in wherethey seem appropriate for your own campaignworld. Likewise, in the case of magic, Rune Strydersdispatches with the oft-used mechanic of wizards inpointy hats memorizing spells. Here, the only spellsare Runes, and the Runes are words, and thosewords can be used by anyone, without the need tolaboriously memorize spells every few hours.Needless to say, such a switch makes for a differentstyle of gaming than usual. Thus, if you are morecomfortable with a more familiar mechanic, it is asimple matter to restrict the use of Runes to wizardlyor sorcerous classes, or to apply other limits to themas deemed necessary.

A CRY IN THE DARK - The damned infantwouldn’t stop wailing, half the team was missing,and there was blood on Thomis’ hands. And theworst part was, he didn’t know if it was his or not. Ithad been that kind of a night.

In retrospect it was foolish to consider, but henevertheless found himself wondering if he wouldhave been better off refusing the job. He couldhave said no, could have walked out and left theAmbassador out in the cold. Of course, then he’dhave had to deal with the Ambassador’s body-guards, who would no doubt have tried to keephim quiet, the permanent way. But that would havebeen preferable to the cluster of nightmares thatthis job had since turned into. Besides, it wouldhave been somewhat pleasant to wrap his fingersaround the throat of that overfed, overambitious…

But it was all moot, and far too late to back outnow. The deed was done. Half a dozen lay dead,dying and wounded (some of his own amongthem) and stuffed in a sack at his waist was littleJonan. All because that stinking, bloated chunk ofexcrement wanted to keep the infant’s father fromvoting against him in some upcoming session aboutsome inconsequential issue. Thomis didn’t evenpretend to understand the machinations involved.It was politics, and politics was in many ways dirtier,bloodier and fouler than war. Which was what hewould much prefer to be doing, all thingsconsidered.

He had stopped counting alleyways when thefirst bolts had zinged by his head, Marle-Thon’sangry guards in pursuit, the plan gone all to hell,and he was thus now quite thoroughly lost in thetwisted, tangled morass of streets that abutted theSkint. He had been hoping that as he approachedthe neighborhood he called home he would beginto recognize landmarks, would be able to get backon course, but at this point he had given up watch-ing for signs and just started looking for sewer caps.He might not be able to find his way any betterdown there, but it was a sure way to throw hispursuers off the trail.

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At least long enough for him to resurface,rendezvous with the surviving members of his littlecollective, and then get back to the Stryders tomake their getaway. The Stryders were, of course,the key to all of this. Marle-Thon’s goons mightpursue on foot, but without Stryders of their ownthey would be hard pressed to keep up with histeam once they got out onto open ground.Nothing in this city could move as fast as a Stryder.

Running away, he thought. That’s what I’vebeen reduced to. Considering the circumstances,however, the thought did not fill him with regret orembarrassment in the least. There was simply noother choice. Up ahead, in the center of a broadintersection, he spotted what he had been lookingfor - a sewer grate, almost invisible in the street savefor the faint wisps of foul-smelling steam escapingfrom below, glowing yellow in the faint light fromthe lamps hung on poles in the nearby park. Notbothering to scout the situation first, he plungedheadlong into the intersection and knelt by thegrate, fingers sliding into the grooves around theedge. He prayed it wasn’t rusted shut, as so manywere.

“Ngei-ess”, he uttered, a small charm for luck,and pulled hard. With a soft sucking sound, thegrate swung up and away. In a flash he swung hislegs down and quickly dropped into the murkydarkness below, landing with a splash in watermeter deep just as the iron rang out on theflagstones above, announcing his escape. Quiteinconsequential, all things considered. It didn’tmatter if they knew he had come down here. Therewas no way they would follow. He was counting onthat. Few came down here any more, afraid of theghosts of those who lived here in ages past, in theold city, perhaps fearing the wrath of some long-dead ancestors, enraged that the living now saw fitto turn their once great city into a dung heap. Thereal dangers were far more tangible: the streets ranthick with sludge from above, making footingunstable at best.

Shards of shattered glass and broken metal layhalf buried in the muck, every step bringing with itthe risk of tearing one’s leg open. Though thewound might not be fatal itself, the disease-riddenfilth that would inevitably seep into the woundwould almost certainly be. And then, of course,there were the living that actually made the oldcity their home. As if summoned by his thoughts,eyes, seen and unseen, began to peer at him fromthe near-blackness of the sewer, a few glowing inthe dim light from above, others glowing with a lightof their own. He ignored them all as he picked arandom direction and began wading through thefoul muck, his splashes now muffling the infant’scontinued sobs and wails. His seeming lackadaisicalattitude had nothing to do with bravado, however;inside, he quivered and shook, every instinct tellinghim to get back above,out of the darkness, awayfrom the abominations which lived down here.

Rather, two things kept him moving: the factthat he no longer had a choice (a more powerfulforce than bravery in most situations, he firmlybelieved), and the Runic talisman he wore aroundhis neck, which he had bought off a huckster just afew hours ago. He knew enough about Runes torecognize that the piece was genuine (or else hewould not have bought it), but not enough to knowexactly what it was capable of. The shopkeeperhad insisted Tin-ej was proof against vermin, and stillhad a few months left in it. So far, it seemed to bedoing the trick. He had not even felt a fleabitesince donning the charm, and the rats (and worse)down here did seem to be keeping their distance.That left only humanoid enemies to worry about.Which made his odds about even.

Which was pretty good odds for him, all thingsconsidered. He had sloshed onward through themuck for a good quarter hour, all of it in near-blackness, before he realized what it was he hadnot been hearing for quite some time - the child’scries. In a sudden (and, considering the job,inappropriate) panic, he lifted the sack from hisbelt and opened it, bringing the child closer to hisface. Though unable to see, he could definitelyhear the child’s breathing, labored but steady,andhe released the breath he had not realized he washolding. His sudden relief at hearing the childbreathe, however, gave him reason to pause, andhe stopped moving altogether, considering. Hehad been ordered to abduct the child, and he haddone that. Unspoken, but nevertheless certain,wasthe fact that he had been expected to do awaywith the child as well. That much he could not do.

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This realization, however, did little to solve theproblem at hand. Which was, namely, that if hehad no intention of killing the child, and could notreturn the child to its family, he was left with theabsolutely untenable option of taking the child withhim. A fourth option suddenly crossed his mind, aflash of dark insight so immediate and so obviousthat he immediately began moving again beforehe thought twice about it. Now that he was in morefamiliar territory, it was only a few twists and turnsuntil he found the place, one of the few areas ofthe sewer actually lit by Nhet-lamps.

The old orphanage was one of the few dryspots in the entire Undercity, having been built on ahillock beside a stream, now clogged with wastefrom above, that sluiced its way around three sidesof the building. In a dozen years, perhaps fewer,the foundation would certainly be worn away,sending the building tumbling into the muck. Fornow, though, it was good enough to serve as hometo… Well, he refused to think too much about thatone. He could feel the stares from above as hestrode up the stone dais in front of the building,placing the infant at the top in front of thebuilding’s iron doors. As the child’s back came intocontact with the slick, cold stone, it began onceagain to wail. He could not help but to take amoment to dote on it, opening the sack and liftingthe cold, frail thing into his arms.

As if human touch were enough to chase awaythe darkness, the child quieted instantly, peering upat him through the thick, dank gloom.“I don’tknow,” he replied to the unspoken question. Andthen, tears be damned, he set the child down ontop of the sack and walked away, ignoring itsplaintive wails. Others were not of a similar mind.Within moments of his disappearance, the infantfound itself surrounded by child-like shadows,clamoring around curiously. Three, in fact, allwasted, naked and thin, covered in filth, scab andsore. Less than a minute later, the child was gone,back in the sack, once again tracing a paththrough the sewers, now strapped to the back of acreature the child’s mother had, ironically, sung toit about just that night. A song to lull stupid infants tosleep, and to scare older children into silence. Alullaby.

Shush-a babyHush-a baby Sleep, now, sleep

Safe and warm under quilt and sheet

Till the beasties come and grab your feet

Cry not, sigh not Sleep, now, sleep Else into your room,

Dras will creepYour soul they’ll take,

fore’er to keep

For the first time that night, the baby sleptsoundly and dreamt of home, lulled to sleep by thegentle rocking and bouncing of a Draslander’suneven gait.

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Remember these points, and you should befine with the information provided for each runecombination.

Note - In terms of EABA game mechanics, eachrune will generally represent one or more of thestandard power modifiers. So, if a rune combinationhas an effect and you do not see the modifier for it,that is probably the reason. For instance, the -eqrune is offensive in nature and does harm, and its+40 modifier cost is the same as the “lethaldamage” modifier, and about the same as the“subtracts from Attribute” or “subverts Attribute”modifiers, which are also offensive or harmful innature. Half-lethal effects using -eq are probablygoing to be at +1d, and nonlethal ones at +2d, aspart of the +40 modifier for -eq. Or, the half-lethaldamage might have a built in +10 modifier for aspecial effect, or a non-lethal damage might havea +20 modifier that bypasses armor. Shrai is a runefor “time”, but the rune combinations using itgenerally use time as a special effect, so Shrai byitself is the same modifier as “special effect”, or +10.Frei is the rune for “thought”, so its +20 modifierincludes a built-in factor for “can only affect thingsthat can think”. We are not going to list whatfactors into each of the runic definitions, but youget the idea.

PRIME RUNES - These six Runes are named forthe six gods of Rhun, and represent an assortmentof core concepts, some intangible, some very real.They are among the most powerful Runes, capableof creating and taking life with a sound, but arealso among the most unpredictable and chaotic.As such, casters versed in their use must take extracare, for a mispronunciation could easily result inthe immediate death of the caster and his allies.

Order, Law, Stability, Structure, Solid, Male(+20 cost)

Offensive(Hei-eq): The target must obey thecaster. The caster may give the target of the runeone command per success, which the target mustobey to the best of their ability. “The best of theirability” means like they really mean it, not just goingthrough the motions to abide by the letter of thecommand. Each command may be only oneword, though since the inhabitants of Rhun do notspeak English, you can sometimes fudge it a littleand allow a little conceptual leeway. Nouns canbe “verbified”, concepts like “rage” or “love” canbe embodied, or the words “go”, “do” or othershort activators can be part of the command onthe assumption that there may be a single wordthat covers the concept.

EXAMPLE: The command “leave” works, but sowould “go away”. “Fratricide” (an attack that killsor wounds an ally) is a noun, but the two wordcommand “do fratricide” might be acceptable, asit is more specific than simply “attack” or “kill”. Or,the gamemaster might simply say that such aspecific command might require an extra successto add a word to the command.

The caster’s control lasts for a default of oneminute (time level of +12). Remember that the spellmodifier for durations is the time level +5. Thespoken version of the runecasting is below:

Type Requirements Cost- Framework base -40● Hei +20● -eq +40● Personality modifiers +0● Requires vocalization -5● Takes 2 seconds to cast -2● Lasts 1 minute +17

Modifier total +30 Runecasting difficulty 12

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The “Personality” modifier is an adjustment tothe “resisted” modifier in the framework. If thetarget of the runecasting has an aspect of theirpersonality that would resist (or aid) the commandgiven, each level in the Personality subtracts oradds to the runecaster’s roll, as appropriate. Self-preservation would be a +10 to the target’s Will toresist the spell, so only the most skilled of runecasterscould hope to give a command that would clearlyresult in the death of the person affected by therunes.

For the written or inscribed version of Hei-eq,the caster concentrates on a single-word commandwhile scribing this Rune. Any living creature able tosee the Runic phrase must obey the command tothe best of their ability. This control lasts for a defaultof one minute (time level of +12). If written on aliving creature, the effect is only on that creatureand has a default duration of one hour (time levelof +24). The inscribed version of the runecasting onsoft metal is below:

Type Requirements Cost- Framework base -40● Hei +20● -eq +40● Personality modifiers +0■ Sensory targeting +20● Requires gestures -5● Takes 3 hours to cast -27● Lasts 1 minute +17

Modifier total +25 Runecasting difficulty 11

The drawn version of the runecasting on aperson is below:

Type Requirements Cost- Framework base -40● Hei +20● -eq +40● Personality modifiers +0● Requires gestures -5● Takes 1 minute to cast -12● Lasts 1 hour +29

Modifier total +32 Runecasting difficulty 13

A one-word command has to be somethingthat is possible for the target in order for it to haveany effect, and the command has to be somethingthat the target can voluntarily do, so “sleep” or“die” are not valid commands, but “be apathetic”or “ignore me” would be valid.

Defensive(Hei-ej): The target is able to fight theeffects of any sort of mind control, whether thatcontrol is Runic or not. The target will be able tothink for himself, ignoring the effects of brain-washing or societal norms. The spell gives the targeta bonus to their Will resistance roll of the caster’sadjusted Fate. The spoken version of therunecasting is below:

Type Requirements Cost- Framework base -40● Hei +20● -ej +30● Personality modifiers +0● Requires vocalization -5● Takes 2 seconds to cast -2● Lasts 1 minute +17

Modifier total +20 Runecasting difficulty 10

EXAMPLE: A mage with an adjusted Fate of2d+1 casts Hei-ej on a friend with a Will of 2d+0.Then, a foe casts Hei-eq on that person, and theyhave a Runelore skill roll of 5d+2. Without thebenefit of Hei-ej, the opposing mage would roll3d+2 to activate their Hei-eq (their skill minus thetarget’s Will). But, the defensive benefit of Hei-ejmeans the opposing mage only gets to roll 1d+1(their skill minus the target’s Will plus the adjustedFate behind the Hei-ej). Since the difficulty of thespoken Hei-eq is 11, there is no way the opposingmage can succeed with a 1d+1 roll, and theirattack fails.

The inscribed version of Hei-ej acts like thespoken version, but affects a number of targets upto the adjusted Fate of the caster within range ofthe runes. If this Rune is written on a living creature,it targets only that creature, but the base effectlasts for one hour (time level of +24), after whichtime the Rune fades away. The inscribed version ofthe runecasting on soft metal is below:

Type Requirements Cost- Framework base -40● Hei +20● -ej +30● Personality modifiers +0● Requires gestures -5● Takes 3 hours to cast -27● Lasts 1 minute +17

Modifier total -5 Runecasting difficulty 0

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Stryders are generally built primarily of wood

and leather, with steel armor plates in key

places. Certainly, much more powerful than

any human enemy, a Stryder could decimate

an enemy soldier with a single well-placed

strike. But a group of smaller, more maneuver-

able enemies could easily swarm beneath

and over even the largest Stryder. For all the

Stryder’s strength, it is the smallest foes who

pose it the greatest danger.

INTRODUCTION - Stryders are massive, toweringconstructs of wood, metal, leather, rock, bone, orchitin, created by humanity for the purpose ofwaging war. Certainly, Stryders have been put touse in other, less military occupations. Lacking largebeasts of burden in most parts of the world, peoplehave used Stryders to plough fields, carry goods,tear down trees and raise the walls of homes andcastles, though these non-combat roles are onlypossible for the wealthiest of merchants or land-owners. In other areas, Stryders have taken on analmost mythic stature, as with the Kantarin, whorevere their Stryders, formed of living wood, asdeeply as they revere the forest in which they dwell.Among the Myndwar, Stryders are put to the task ofburrowing beneath the earth, hewing stone andsteel from the ground itself much faster than humanhands could manage. And for the Sivatagi, whoseStryders are very much alive, the relationshipbetween man and mount takes on a whole newmeaning. Yet despite the exceptions, there can beno doubt that the primary purpose of Stryders iswaging war, whether the intent is to conquer one’senemies or defend one’s homeland. Theseconstructs are built to destroy, and to withstanddestruction, and for that reason they are at oncetreasured, feared, loved and reviled by all whoencounter them. Well-built Stryders literally carry thestench of battle with them for years, the blood andsmoke of conflict lingering about their bodies longafter the war has ended. No one who hasencountered one in battle can ever forget theexperience.

The Stryders of other Genres - In studyingStryders, comparisons to other, similar creations inscience fiction and fantasy will inevitably be made,and thus it is first crucial to understand what Strydersare not. Stryders are not advanced technologycapable of human agility, superhuman speed andthe ability to engage in agile, highly complexactions. That they can function at all is a miracle,and they do so only because magic is the powersource, and all of the complex functions that wouldrequire a computer or highly sophisticatedmechanical parts are handled by the pilot-Stryderinterface. For all of this, Stryders are fairly slow, ahard and jarring ride, and generally have the agilityof a drunken sailor.

Mecha: The Mecha of Japanese anime andgames are, for the most part, little more than giantanthropomorphic machines designed for war, orusing the original definition, any sort of machine atall. Stryders are not machines. They are not drivenby fuel, nor do they contain cogs, gears, electricalwiring or steam-driven turbines. They are magicalconstructs that function only by way of Runicmagic and a bond with their Pilot.

Automatons: Robots and other automatedmechanical creations are much like Mecha, but forthe fact that they are self-propelled and capableof independent action and (depending on thesetting)a degree of free will. Stryders have nocognitive ability without their Pilots. With some fewnotable exceptions, a Stryder in the absence of itsPilot is merely an inanimate hunk of matter, nomore alive than a pile of bricks or a mound ofwood.

Golems: Originating in Jewish mythology, andthen translated into standard fantasy fare, a golemis a construct of clay, stone or other material that isbrought to life by means of magical, divine orscientific intervention. In some cases this is theapplication of a rune or spell; in others (as withFrankenstein’s monster), it is a mysterious brew ofchemicals and other agents. While Stryders aregiven potential for life through the application ofRunes, they are generally not self-directed or self-aware. They cannot be given orders to dumblyfollow; they are not merely ignorant, they arecompletely lifeless and mindless without their Pilots.

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The Stryder-Pilot Bond - A Stryder without a Pilotis not a Stryder. It is merely an empty shell, devoid oflife (except among certain nations),much as a suitof armor or a crossbow is powerless and uselessunless wielded by an expert warrior in combat. TheStryder Pilot is responsible for initiating all of theStryder’s actions, acting as its brain, nervous systemand, some would have it, its soul. But despite thecommon moniker, the Stryder Pilot is much morethan a driver or taskmaster. If all he did was steer,anyone could hop in the seat and take it for a spin.On the contrary, becoming a Stryder Pilot involvesmuch more than study and practice. It involves anability to more deeply bond with the Stryder itself,achieving a symbiotic relationship in which the Pilotbecomes a part of his Stryder, and vice-versa. ThePilot’s own consciousness and “heart” extend tothe Stryder itself, bestowing it with a sort of sharedintelligence, and creating, in a sense, a new formof life that is greater than either the Pilot or theStryder on their own. For this reason, the relationshipbetween Stryder and Pilot is much less akin to thatof a brain and its body, and more appropriatelycompared to that of a pregnant mother and herunborn child. Certainly, without the presence of thechild in her womb, the mother would continue toexist; but she would be a woman, and not aprospective mother. The presence of the childbestows on her a new sort of identity, one in whichshe has reciprocal responsibilities for the child inside(protection,nourishment), without which the childcould not exist.

The Stryder Pilot gives the Stryder itself existenceof a sort, and in return for benefiting from thatexistence, the Stryder protects (and in some casesnourishes) the Pilot within, enhancing andextending the bond. The two become one. Thecloseness of the bond can, and often does, have apsychological effect on the Pilot, though theintensity of the bond varies depending on thetechnologies of the different nations. In all cases,Pilots will spend much of their spare time aroundand inside their Stryders, looking after the constructor enhancing the bond.

In the most extreme cases, some go so far as toremain within their Stryders for weeks at a time,emerging only to eat and perform other essentialtasks. A few become so attached to their Strydersthat they ultimately refuse to emerge at all, insteadlumbering off into the wilderness to pursue anindependent existence that can only, in mostcases, end in tragedy, with the wasting death ofthe Pilot, and thus the gradual decay of the thusinanimate shell of the Stryder. This is a particularissue with the Kantarin people, whose bond withtheir Stryders is at once dangerous and addictive.

STRYDER CONSTRUCTION - Legend has it thatthe Stryders were originally developed to battle theDeijin, the giants who enslaved humanity in agespast. Images and imaginings of these first Strydersbear little resemblance to the Stryders used towage war in the modern age, these olderconstructs being much taller, much broader,and,as any engineer will tell you, much more impossible.Time, after all, has a way of making things largerthan life. Were these early Stryders a score ofmeters tall, capable of tearing up mountains andbringing down the moons? Certainly not. But timealso has a way of revealing truths, for those whochoose to look. The remains of the earliest Stryders,built centuries and generations ago, can still befound, on occasion, buried beneath piles of stone,crouched in fetid swamps, submerged in shallowlakes and rivers, their legs broken and shattered,ankles and feet crushed and mangled, torsos split intwo. Their flaw was not necessarily in being toolarge, but rather in trying to mirror too closely theproportions of the human form (i.e., eight headshigh), with the center of mass where the legs metthe body. Were these first Stryders made of flesh,blood and bone, they might have managed morethan a few feeble steps before collapse. However,the stone, metal and wood that they were made ofconsistently proved too heavy for their bodies tocarry, and inevitably resulted in years of wastedeffort and, quite often, the death of their Pilotand/or creator. It is still a mystery how the very firstStryders managed to defeat the Deijin giants at all(see the World), considering that their lumbering,ungainly bodies seemed destined for collapse. Notso coincidentally, this is often one of the pointsraised by those who believe that the Deijin are amere figment of mythological imagination. Allowingthat the first Stryders were used to fight the Deijin,however, perhaps it was some combination of theelement of surprise, as well as some ancient Rune,yet to be re-discovered, that allowed them to defythe laws of nature, and to fight as well as stand andwalk.

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CREATING A STRYDER - While all Stryders aredesigned for war, each Nation on the continent hasa somewhat different method for creating Stryders,and each uses vastly different materials andmethods. In all cases, the process of creating aStryder is a complex one, requiring anywhere frommonths to years to complete, and is not easily role-played in real-time. However, a group of playersthat includes a Stryder Pilot will also need a Stryder,and as such it is important to decide what sort ofStryder is available. The following few sections thusoutline the creation of Stryders among the variousnations, giving the Pilot’s player some idea of whatwent into its making. Since the methods vary somuch, it is best to examine how each race goescreating Stryders individually.

The Confederated Nations - Having built anempire spanning the continent, Divaros learnedthat standardization was the key to effectivelyequipping and maintaining a larger army. TheDivaran engineering tradition was built on aprocess of construction, fielding, and repair thatneeded to be sustainable regardless of distance.Therefore, Divaran Stryders tended to be (and stillare) utilitarian and uniform in construction. TheDivaros have the advantage of larger forces andwidely available spare parts to repair damagedStryders. On the other hand, Divaran militaryengineers are dogmatic and conservative, andshun innovation outside a careful, derivativeprogression. After hosting the armies of Divaros ontheir path to conquest, as allies, and at times evenas foes in battle, the Myndwar and the Zokili wereheavily influenced by the Divaran way of Stryderconstruction.

The Myndwar and Zokili learned most of whatthey know about modern Stryder construction fromthe Divaros. Many years have passed since their firstDivaran-copied Stryders were built, however. Whilethe Divaran influence is still obvious, over time bothnations gradually evolved their own distincttraditions, and learned a few things on their own.Confederated Nation Stryders have in commontheir general use of a central body, with articulatedlimbs for locomotion. The Pilot almost always residesin an internal Rune Chamber, which is designed tofacilitate the runic magic-based link between heand his Stryder. Confederated Nation fightingStryders are almost all humanoid, while other typesof supporting and siege Stryders often follow looselyturtle- or spider-shaped constructions. These may ormay not have a head; if one is present it is mainlyaesthetic. In keeping with Divaros tradition, theConfederated Nations classify all of their Stryders(and many of those belonging to others) intocategories, to keep the logistics chainmanageable. These four Stryder categories areorganized according to basic body design, asfollows.

Valley Rat: These Stryders are commonly usedwhen tactical ability is more crucial than rawoffense. The most flexible of Stryders, Rats are well-rounded, but not suited for a single function.

Meadow Fox: The agile Meadow Fox is mostoften used as a scout or forward spotter. Its trimdesign and upright stance allow it to move quicklyin any direction, avoiding attacks easily and rarelyreturning them. They are the only Confederatedconfiguration capable of leaping into the air.

Black Dog: These workhorse Stryders are builtlow to the ground, with four legs and no arms. Theyare designed to haul soldiers, siege engines or otherheavy items, and do not have exceptional mobility.They are able to cover ground very rapidly, andoften wear considerable armor to compensate fortheir inability to defend themselves.

Iron Wolf: These powerful, low-slung Stryders arestrictly war machines, capable of punching hugestone or steel fists through enemy soldiers, Stryders,or stone walls. Built for power, not utility,they are notvery useful outside of combat.

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Divaran Stryders - The Divaros build theirStryders in central guildhalls known as Runehalls,where many technical and Runic experts aregathered together. Runehalls are large walledcompounds containing numerous buildingsincluding workshops, barracks, mess hall facilities,homes, libraries, pubs, and other support facilities,much like a self-contained town. Runehalls aretypically isolated by distance and heavy security.The Divaros guard their technology fiercely andactively control communication. The Runehallsprovide little room for inventiveness, being primarilyconcerned with production of existing models. AChief Mage-Engineer oversees each Runehall, andhe has nearly complete power over his charges. Hismain purpose is to ensure that the quality of theStryders remains to standard. Beneath him, high-ranking Artisans and Runescribes are tasked withsupervising day-to-day production and, ifnecessary, coordinating improvements with otherRunehalls. Below them, in turn, are journeymen andapprentices with specialized, limited, knowledge,who perform most of the actual construction.

The Divaros use many traditional constructionmaterials in creating their Stryders - mostly wood,metal, leather, and rope. A typical Divaran Stryderconsists of a wooden frame,with leather skin, woodplanks, or metal sheeting forming another shell,depending on type. Because parts arestandardized, Divaran Stryders mostly use one of ahandful of body types, with semi-modular limbs inan arrangement selected for specific kinds ofmissions. Divaran Stryders are still magical creations,but the Runic magic involved in their creation isused in a strictly utilitarian way. Divaran Stryders aremaintained and repaired in the field by specialistmage-engineers, highly trained Runescribes whoare among the workers in the army’s campfollowers. These Runescribes are given just enoughinformation to make basic repairs to the Stryders,but could provide little information of use in buildinga new Stryder if captured. Even so, these specialistsare closely monitored, and any found to learnenough about Stryders to become an informationrisk are quickly relocated to a Runehall. DivaranStryders follow tried-and-tested configurations whendetermining size.

Rather than replicate the mistakes of the past,modern Divaran Stryder engineers and mechanicshave since thrown out the ancient human ratio ofupper to lower body (4:4) and settled on a muchmore functional ratio of 3:4. This has proven stable,durable and functional, and many have gone sofar as to suggest that Stryders built in accordancewith it are actually superior in form and function tothe obviously inferior human form. Others haveeven posited that the Deijin giants, or even thegods themselves, are formed in such a ratio, furthercalling into question the supposed superiority ofhumanity. The 3:4 ratio finds its way into theconstruction of a Stryder in various guises,sometimes appearing as a figure, proportion orcalculation to guide Stryder design, in other placesappearing as a general organizational theory.Divaran Pilots (known as Homunculi in the Divaranmilitary) have little to no influence on theconstruction of the Stryders they will pilot. In manycases, a Homunculus might pilot several Strydersover the course of a campaign, although in somerare cases, veteran Homunculi might growparticularly attached to a specific Stryder, andrefuse to allow anyone else to pilot it.

Myndwar Stryders - The Myndwar, whocontributed the first Runic discoveries to thecreation of the Rune Stryder, initially built their ownStryders in the same fashion as the Divaros.However, over the years their widespread culturaluse of stone led to their beginning to substitutegreater and greater amounts of rock in theirStryders main parts. This is not to say that theirStryders are completely made of stone. A solidstone Stryder would bean impossible feat. However,they use stone in more ways, and in greaterquantities, than any other Nation.The Myndwarfound several advantages in constructing stone-based Stryders. Few materials retain Runic magic aswell as rock. Wood and even most metals are notnearly as sturdy over the long run.

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Stone structures also support more weight thanother types of Stryder bodies, and therefore can bebuilt larger and carry more. In fact, the Myndwarboast the largest Stryders anywhere. Theirlegendary Mountain Guardian Stryders are nearlythirteen meters tall. The disadvantages of stone liemainly in slow construction time, lessened mobility,and extreme weight, but because the Myndwarhold the mountains, these problems matter lessthan they would elsewhere. The hard ground of thebroad mountainous valleys the Myndwar call homehas little trouble supporting several tons of Stryder,even though such creations would sink immediatelyon a Divaran plain or in a Draslander swamp. Asidefrom stone construction, the biggest differencebetween Myndwar and Divaran Stryderconstruction is philosophy. The Myndwar are anation with a tradition of craftsmanship, and theconcept of blindly mass-producing Stryders asquickly as possible is alien to them. Additionally, thesheer durability of a Myndwar Stryder incombination with their isolationist outlook meansthat a Myndwar Stryder, once built, will be likelyaround not just for a single campaign, but perhapsfor generations. While Myndwar and DivaranStryders share common features, Myndwar do notdesign theirs with cheap replacements in mind.Each Myndwar Stryder is a unique piece of art, itsconstruction a labor of love largely undertaken bythe Myndwar Pilot (known as a Jacker) and theirextended family over several years, even decadesin the case of larger types. Naturally, in this systemthe Jacker must be a skilled craftsman as well asRunesmith; novice Jackers are therefore carefullyapprenticed by an experienced Jacker (often afather or close relative) for many years before everwielding their own mount. The result is an intenselystrong bond between Jacker and Stryder,surpassed perhaps only by the Kantarin Strydersliving bond. The destruction of a Myndwar Strydermost often means the death of the Jacker; if theysomehow survive an event that led to their Stryder’sdestruction, they are often a broken person, neverquite whole again. This bond makes them veryfierce in battle, but also pragmatic. They will notstay for a lost cause, but will withdraw to fightanother day.

As with the Divarans, those Myndwar whoactually know the secrets of animating a Stryderstay close to home, and are never the pilots orotherwise seen abroad.

Zokili Stryders - Zokili lack the resources insufficient quantity to produce metal-armoredStryders like the Divaros. In fact, they are lucky to beable to spare metal for tools and weapons. Thusforced to use other materials as a substitute, woodand leather feature far more predominantly in ZokiliStryders than in Divaran types. As a result, Zokili tendto focus on agility and speed, although some oftheir heavier wooden Stryders can, in numbers,easily hold up to metal or stone types. Like theMyndwar, the Zokili are a nation that appreciatescraftsmanship, but in a somewhat different sense.While a Myndwar sees a Stryder as an enduringpiece of himself, the Zokili prefer a uniquely carvedand decorated Stryder for more aesthetic andpsychological aspects, which they feel are nearlyas important as the Runes that animate theircreations. The destruction of a Stryder is expectedeventually, but is not seen as a deterrent toproducing Stryders with distinct character andidentity. Stryder Pilyts are known for going to greatlengths to have the best artists ornament theircreations, preferring fearsome and intimidatingdesigns. Zokili have borrowed the idea of usingstandardized limbs from the Divaros to makemaintenance easier, but have no qualms aboutimprovising or modifying to gain an advantage. It isnot uncommon to find uniquely equipped Strydersin Zokili armies, at the cost of having to abandonbroken pieces and spend additional time andeffort creating or adapting a replacement. Zokiliengineers are more restricted in the overall shapeand size of a Stryder than even the Divaros, giventhe materials they have to work with. Zokili Strydersrarely reach seven meters in height, and are rarelyable to carry very heavy weapons.

However, as Zokili Pilyts tend to be among theshortest and lightest of the Pilots of all Nations, theycan afford to whittle some of the bulk away. As aresult, Zokili Stryders are generally the fastestaround, their agility contested only by someSivatagi Stryders.

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The Outcast nations - The Stryders of theOutcast Nations vary greatly in size, shape andfunction, straining and in some cases breaking therules that the Confederated Nation s adhere to inthe construction of their own Stryders. The Kantarinuse living trees as their Stryders, their Pilots (calledMelded) literally bonding with the Stryder in a waywell beyond what other Pilots experience. TheSivatagi do not build or grow their Stryders, insteadtaming and training the giant insects that roam thedeserts they call home. And the Draslander maketheir Stryders from the cast-off materials of otherNations, putting together piecemeal Stryders thatare as fearsome and unpredictable as they arelikely to fall apart in the midst of battle. Manycitizens of the Confederated Nations refuse toacknowledge that the Stryders of these otherNations are truly Stryders at all. For all intents andpurposes, however, they are treated as Stryders,and considered as such by the people thatuse them.

Kantarin Stryders - Kantarin Strydersare created from a specific type of treenative to their home region, through aprocess the Kantarin Shapers jealouslyconceal both out of concern for their securityand for the well being of the trees. The processis extremely special, beginning at the firstsprouting of a sapling, and continues through theentire lifecycle of the tree, which at an early agebecomes intertwined with that of the Pilot, knownamong the Kantarin as a Melded. The Runic magicinvolved is known nowhere else on Rhun, and theKantarin will carry their secret to their last breath.Kantarin Shapers search the woods constantly forthe specific type of tree suitable for Strydercultivation; if the new plant grows even a monthwithout being prepared with Runic magic, it willnever grow to be suitable for a Stryder. The typedoesn’t grow in orchards or anywhere where theyare planted by hand, and thus many Kantarinbelieve that their Stryders are the result of the tree’sown will to become one. Once a tree is discovered,three Kantarin children born in the same month asthe new sapling sprouts are selected to potentiallybecome the future Stryders Melded; they will eachtrain throughout childhood to fill that role. Thesethree are known as the tree’s Companions, andalthough only one will become the Melded,all of them are Runically bonded to thetree, and participate in its care.The tree isprepared by ritual Runic magic over aperiod of several years, allowing it tomanifest the specific characteristics ofthe Stryder desired.

The individual aspects of the tree combine withthe Runes to determine what kind of Stryder thetree will grow to become. Certain trees are raisedto become light and agile; others are cultivated forstrength. Various types of natural defenses areencouraged to grow such as carnivorous trap-flowers, thorny vines, thick spikes, shooting quills,poisonous saps, heavy limbs, or other suchprotection. After a period of fifteen to twenty years,the tree is large enough to begin the process ofsymbiosis with the Melded. Each of the threeCompanions stands around the tree, and one ofthem is chosen (some say by the tree itself). Thisone, the Melded, then undergoes an excruciatinglypainful ritual whereby the plant extends tendrilsunder their skin. Subsequent separations andreunions with the Stryder, while not as painful as theinitial bonding, still hurt intensely. However, theresulting euphoric warmth and sense ofcompleteness the Melded feels while connected tothe tree always makes him advocate the ritual aswell worth the cost. While joined, the tree and theMelded are essentially one being. The tree is

magically uprooted and becomes able tomove around at

the Meldedsdirection. The

vines, limbs, andother extensions of the

tree extend and swing atthe Meldeds thought, and

so on. It becomes a full-fledged Stryder, extremely

resilient (especially against bluntforce and projectile attacks), and

capable of regeneration as long asthe tree as a whole stays relativelyintact. If kept watered, KantarinStryders are also resistant to fire,and this, coupled with their manyother natural defenses, makethem equal or superior to those ofman-built Stryders. While aKantarin Stryder certainly begins as a tree, it adapts to its new formthrough the ministrations of itsCompanions and a Shaper. TheStryder will have roots, but theywill withdraw into the legs whenthe Stryder is in motion. TheStryder will have limbs, but

they will be articulated and generally free from

bushy leaves. Theleaves at the

crown of the tree will

generally disappear or fall off.

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The trunk is no longer straight and thick, itnarrows and reforms to allow for a flexible and agileform. The Kantarin Stryder grows to be sleek anddeadly, and is rarely mistaken for a tree once ituproots and begins its existence as a Stryder. TheMelded can stay connected with the Stryder foronly so long before he must be removed/severed,really to be fed and recover from the symbiosis toprevent risk to his body and mind.

The Melded cannot do this himself, andrequires assistance from Kantarin Shapers or fromthe Companions. Runes protect the Melded from illeffects for awhile, but if he is not eventuallyseparated, the Stryders own life-force will eventuallyovercome him and he will go insane as thesuppressed natural needs of the tree becomedominant and guide his will. If the Melded is everkilled while joined to the tree, it also results in thedeath of the tree. As the separation process ispainful and the bonding process so addictive,Kantarin Melded must struggle to separate, but thepotential death of the tree provides a powerfulmotivation. At the same time, the Stryder stillrequires nourishment and sunlight as other trees do,albeit less frequently than normal flora. After theMelded is severed from the Stryder, the Stryder re-roots to feed until rejoined with its Melded. In thisphase the tree can be killed without physical risk tothe Melded, although the Melded (and the twoother Companions) will experience emotionalanguish as deep as the loss of any human lovedone. However, If the Stryder is killed while theMelded is joined, the Melded will also die. In returnfor their sacrifices, the tree provides all threeCompanions with long life; a Kantarin Stryder canlive for as long as two-hundred years and theCompanions can live out their natural lives or untilthe tree dies, whichever lasts longer. Their health isintertwined with the trees health from the point ofthe Meldeds first joining with the Stryder, and if thetree becomes diseased or is injured seriously, theCompanions will experience fatigue and malaiseaccordingly, in a way that Rune Scholars have yetto adequately explain (conventional Rune Scholarsdismiss the notion that the Kantarin Forest is in someway a single living entity).

Sivatagi Stryders - The Sivatagi follow a sharplydifferent tradition in their Stryders than the otherraces. They have subjugated the large insect racesof the desert and have adapted them for usesincluding domestic labor and combat. Thisdevelopment stems from the necessity posed bylimited conventional construction materialsavailable in their desert homeland and from theirtradition of utilizing things on hand.

The Sivatagi use three main breeds of insect asStryders. The Horlac, a kind of giant beetle, is theleast common of the three but prized because of itsnearly impervious carapace. The Sindle, aburrowing, nesting insect, is individually not verydangerous but fast and deadly in numbers. TheShmul is a swarming bug with stinging barbs on itsfront limbs and razor-sharp mandibles. All three areraised on farms by the Sivatagi Reavers, and withthe exception of the Shmul, are also used(especially with smaller varieties) for a wide array ofdomestic purposes. The smallest of the three, theSindle, is over two meters long and a meter high.The Horlac are even larger, about the size of a smallhorse cart. The Shmul is the largest of the three,growing as big as five meters tall and ten meters inlength, though most adult Shmul are about threemeters tall. All the species are extremely strong,capable of moving weight many times their ownmass, and must be dealt with cautiously, even bytheir masters. All the Sivatagi insects rely on apheromone-based method of communication andpossess little intelligence of their own. They wouldbe just ordinary bugs were it not for their size. Whilethe Sivatagi carve Runes on their insects carapacein order to subdue them for use as Stryders, most ofthe time the Sivatagi simply use herding tacticsinvolving either following instincts or natural plantessences that repel or attract each species tocontrol them. Sivatagi Reavers know thesecreatures in and out, and are experts at selectingthe best of the breed to be Stryders. The biggestsingle advantage to using the insects is the ability tobreed them by the dozens. From gestation tohatching, a brand new Stryder insect is ready inmere months, not years as the other nationsStryders require. The Sivatagi Reavers have the leastamount of connection with their mounts of anyPilots on Rhun, a fact reflected in their un-enhanced bareback riding position.

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Insect Stryders are considered expendable,especially because the natural life cycle of theinsects ranges only from a few months (Sindle)to afew years at most (Horlac and Shmul). SivatagiReavers on Rune-carved insects do have a mentalbond with their mounts, but at a much moresuperficial level than do other kinds of Stryder Pilots.They can do little more than lead the direction theirmounts travel and provoke the creatures naturalinstincts, although the insect’s instincts do includesome useful skills.

Sivatagi Reavers are still a trained elite. Theyare skilled in combat tactics and taught everynuance of their insect’s behaviors, making up formany of the disadvantages of riding their Strydersexposed. The key tactic of the Sivatagi Reaver is touse a Stryder insect to command a larger group ofthe same species, multiplying the effectiveness of asingle insect. Facing down Sivatagi insects on foot isa terrifying (and probably fatal) experience for anyopponent foolish enough to do so. Even inarmored, enclosed Stryder, the prospect of beingeviscerated by a swarm of giant bugs worries thosewho know what is good for them. Since SivatagiStryder breeds are insects, there is not much onecan do to customize their construction. However,the ever-resourceful Sivatagi have developed afew types of equipment and weapon packs thatcan be harnessed to the insects. Many of the add-ons include simple spikes and blades that attach tothe insect’s limbs, enhancing the creatures naturalfighting abilities, while the most complex add-onsinclude heavy weaponry designed to be carried onthe back of a Horlac, making it a mobile siegemachine. Even without them, however, the insect’sown inborn defenses are as formidable on theoffense.

Draslander Stryders - Having no permanentsettlements, trained engineers, refining or finishingfacilities, or anything else the Confederated Nationsmight consider essential to Stryder construction, theDraslander are forced to rely on salvage to buildStryders. Fortunately, the swamp conceals manywrecks, pieces, and even whole Stryders stuck inthe murk or washed downriver. Through the bountyresulting from centuries of combat across thecontinent and uncounted attempts to subdue theswamps, the Draslanders always seem to find justenough. An aspiring Dras Pilot (called a Stomper)does not have many options. Though the Drasknow that Stryders are required if fighting is to bedone with any modern force, the Stomper is stillessentially stuck with whatever he or she can find.Therefore, all Dras Stryders are by necessity misfitcreations, and the Dras are skilled at improvisingand lashing together whatever they find.

Choice in construction usually boils down towhether to give up using the one piece found byexhaustive searching and trade it to someone else,or somehow make it work by adding in somethingelse either begged, borrowed or stolen. RuneChambers are usually designed for people afraction of a meter taller than most Dras, so mostoften the Rune Chamber will have a handmadebasket for the Stomper to ride in. Dras Stryders rarelymove the way the parts were originally intended tomove, and it is usually anyone’s guess how they getaround, but somehow when the Dras actually domanage to get a whole Stryder together, theymake it work. They may not be pretty, but Dras cancome up with some pretty inventive methods forgetting Stryders to function.One unique feature ofDraslander Stryders is the use of bones in some oftheir Stryders. While there are no large domesticherd animals in Rhun, there is no shortage of largepredators in the swamps. While constructing aStryder totally out of the bones of such creatures isunlikely, using bone structures like limbs or entirejaws is not unheard of, particularly for weapons orfor structural effect. Among the ConfederatedNations, stories circulate of skeletal monstersrunning off with children in the night. Chances are,these old wives tales, minus the children, werebased on encounters with these nightmarishStryders. A chomping reptilian skull attached to amarauding war machine will test the mettle of anyopponent.

Since they are so hard to come by, DrasStryders rarely get used except for surprise attacksand emergencies. Usually, that is the moment whenan overconfident fighter thinks he has just aboutwrapped up his raid on the hapless Draslanders,only to find his force suddenly demolished by animpossible contraption appearing out of nowhere.

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Before life, before time, before anything,

there was Xhei, she called Chaos, raw and

primal and shapeless, formless and conscious

of one thing only – that she was alone. In the

supreme act of self-sacrifice, Xhei tore herself

asunder, and existence as we know it began

in earnest as from the countless came the

counted, from infinity came the finite, from the

one-who-was-many came one. Hei, he called

Order, leapt into existence, becoming the

consort of Xhei, and with him came law, and

language: “Rhun”... the very stuff of creation.

INTRODUCTION - Much enamoured with oneanother, Hei and Xhei spent millennia in eachother’s arms, and before long they brought forthtwin offspring who Hei named Mheta, the daughtercalled Matter, and Nheta, the son called Energy.Xhei embraced her children and doted on them tothe exclusion of all else, occupying their time withgames and play, forgetting, for a time, her consort.Hei grew furious, and desperate to regain theattentions of his beloved, he decided to give thetwins a playground with which to occupythemselves. So was created the Universe.

The two god-children were quite pleased, andquickly scurried here and there, creating anddestroying for their own amusement. Soon theygrew bored, however, and in a desperate attemptto regain the attention of their parents (who hadresumed their amorous activities), they engaged ina competition. Mheta took a shapeless sphere thathad been a toy ball and created a planet, andNheta created the sky around it. Mheta createdoceans, and Nheta condensed them into clouds.When their game had finished, the god-childrendisobeyed Order. Eager to demonstrate what theyhad created, they intruded upon their parents.

Mheta, by far the braver of the twins, boldlystrode into her parents’ abode, interrupting the twoin the middle of their creative couplings. Hei, furiousat the intrusion, leapt up with a roar, inadvertentlysplashing his daughter with the primordial stuff ofCreation. He chased her across the Universe, rightdown to the world that she had created in order toplease him. The pursuit was long, and by the timethey touched down, Mheta was quite pregnant,and gave birth to a son just as Hei reached herside, intent on destroying her. Overcome withcompassion at seeing his offspring, however, heinstead named the child Lheta, he who brings Life,and left mother and child to fend for themselves ashe returned to his beloved.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Nheta hadremained behind in his mother’s presence, andwhen the others left, his mother called out forcompanionship. Nheta, desperate for attention,disguised himself as his father and entered herpresence. When he ultimately revealed his truenature to his mother, she feared for his life, knowingthat Hei would surely kill him. She urged him to fleewhere his father would never find him, giving him ahandful of his father’s Rhun to protect him. And sohe fled, hiding himself beneath the surface of theworld he and his sister had created, sulking in miseryand solitude while on the surface his sister and herson brought Life to the world: plants, animals andother living beings. This was the Twilight age, beforethe sun, before death, before misery, when theworld lived in peace and eternal life.

It was not to last forever, however. The secrettryst of mother and son could not go long hidden,for Xhei soon became pregnant herself, and gavebirth to a sickly, squealing baby girl. She attemptedto hide the child beneath her bedcovers, but Hei’samorous attentions soon shook the baby from hersleep, and she cried out with great zeal. Hei toreback the bedsheets in a rage, grabbed the infant,named her Dheta (the Dead god), and hurled herdown to earth, where she plummeted under-ground, shattering the hiding place of her fatherand brother, the wayward son Nheta. Mountainssplit and spat fire, the earth cracked and shook,and millions died instantly as Death entered theworld. The child god wept for his fallen offspring,then left behind his father’s stolen Rhun and leaptskyward, determined to kill his father. His sisterMheta and her child Lheta followed behind,realizing that his assault was in vain, and that hewould be destroyed.

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Indeed, the battle between father and son,Order and Energy, was brief and brutal, and it wasonly through the combined intervention of Mheta,Lheta and Xhei that Hei’s hand was stopped. Heiallowed himself to be convinced that his childrenshould not be destroyed. Determined to keep themfrom causing future trouble for anyone, divine ormortal, he set them in place around the world theyhad created, able to look down but unable tomeddle in affairs above or below. Hei, the fiery son,was set in the day, and mother and child were setas guardians of the night, becoming the planet’stwo moons.

Ceaselessly, they chased each other throughthe sky, bickering and squabbling with one another,while their children did the same on the surface.And forgotten below the earth, where the deadgod called Dheta slumbered eternally amongst herbrother’s stolen Rhun, lay those who survived theapocalypse that brought her to them. Worshippingher lifeless form, ignorant of the meaning of thepowerful Rhun that surrounded her and them, theseDeijin, the giant children of Death, built up theirstrength, and let their anger, impatience and furyfester and boil as they waited for release.

Thus began the Age of Mortals, and the dawnof recorded history.

HISTORICAL TIMELINE-5,000DR (Divarosh Reckoning): The Myndwar

inadvertently awaken the giant Deijin who, thoughthey only number in the thousands, enslave thesmaller, more peaceful races. Historical records ofthis period are sparse at best.

-2,300DR: Amidst thousands of years of slaveryand heartache, some among the small races (ledby the Myndwar) seek refuge below the earth, andstumble upon the secret writings of Hei known asthe Rhun. They are soon able to learn what eventhe giants cannot. But even the power of the Rhunis not enough. The small races cannot stand upagainst the large Deijin without an equalizer. Theyget to work.

-2,250DR: The smaller races trick the giants byconstructing a tribute: large statues arrangedaround a great stadium, where the lesser racespropose to fight and die to amuse the giants. Onthe Day of Reckoning, the giant Deijin gather towatch the smaller races. The statues are unveiled togreat fanfare. Suddenly, the smaller races clamberinside the heads and chests of the giant creations,and the statues come to life. Though highlyprimitive and capable of only limited maneuvers,they are the first true Rune Stryders, having beencreated in secret by the Divaros, piloted by theZokili, and powered by the Myndwar Rhun.Although the Deijin win the battle, the smaller raceslearn from the experience and build better, fasterStryders. The tide gradually shifts in their favor. TheGreat War has begun.

-2,000DR: After nearly two-hundred and fiftyyears of war, the lesser races defeat the last of thegiants. From the skies above, they receive a terriblepunishment. Nheta, furious that his own Rhun havebeen used to defeat his giant Deijin children, bakesthe earth with heat, bringing forth a great famineand melting the glaciers. The heart of civilization islost beneath the rising waters of what will becomethe Inner Sea, and the surviving members of thesmaller races are scattered across the land.Knowledge of the Rhun are lost. The sun’s fury lastsfor only a few months, a single season, but thesuffering that ensues lasts for two thousand years.

-175 DR: The races crawl out of a second darkage. Knowledge of the Rhun (now called Runes)begins to resurface. National boundaries are laid.The Old Divarosh Calendar counts this as year one,based on the election of their first king, PietrJyoldenshire, a brutal warlord who unites thecountry with the promise of conquering the worldand making the Divar the strongest people onearth. He keeps his word.

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-150DR: The Divaros, ever expanding, wagewar against the nation of Kator, wiping out most ofits people. Under the leadership of the Druid Kantar,who claims to be descended from the god Lheihimself, the survivors retreat into the jungles tofound a new civilization. In the Kantarin calendar,this is year one.

1DR: The Divaros and the Sivatagi struggle forpower. The Sivatagi are defeated, driven across themountains and into the desert wastelands. TheSivatagi count this as year one in their calendar.The Modern Divarosh calendar calls this year onebased on the significance of the defeat. TheMyndwar and Zokili also accept this year as yearone as part of their agreement to form theConfederated Nations with Divar.

100DR: After centuries of exploration, ten Runesare finally recovered in some form, including someof the ones that allow Stryders to be rebuilt andreactivated. Using this newfound strength, theDivaros drive the Draslander into the swamps. TheDraslander people call this year one, and mark theoccasion with tears.

295DR: The Divaros fight the Myndwar, but aredefeated when the Myndwar and Zokili join forceswith the Kantarin to keep the Divaros in check. TheConfederated Nations nearly fall apart. Many yearsof war follow. Detailed records from this era aremostly lost, due in part to historical cover-ups, andin part due to the burning and scouring of severalprominent libraries and record halls.

335DR: The Divaros broker a peace deal withthe Kantarin. The Zokili and Myndwar vote toinclude official homelands for Draslander andSivatagi. The Divaros refuse. Several rebellious Divarcountries break out of the union. Struggles forpower remain as local politicians are killed andmilitias formed.

341DR: The present day. Year 341 in the Divaroscalendar, year 241 for the Dras, and year 491 forthe Kantarin. Forty-five runes are known. Manymaintain that there are many, many more to bediscovered. Parts of the Divaros empire are in openrebellion. War looms on the horizon.

Note - It is worth noting that the table on page3.7 has fifty runes, so it could be that five of therunes in that chapter are not yet accessible toRhun’s inhabitants. This is especially useful if thegamemaster thinks one or more of them may beunbalancing.

GEOGRAPHY - Our own planet Earth has beenroiling and boiling for millions of years, and has hadplenty of time for continents to shift, mountains torise, and oceans to fill. However, the world of Rhun,and the universe in which it exists, is very young.Only several thousand years old and created ratherthan naturally formed, Rhun’s geography does notfollow traditional “Earth-based” models.

Mountains: Rhun’s mountains were not createdby two large continental masses colliding, butrather by the whim of the gods. They are relativelysmall, with broad valleys between them, as befits ayounger, single-continent planet. The tallest peakson Rhun (perhaps a half dozen) are less than three-thousand meters high. However, the air at the topof these low peaks is still too thin to breathe, sopasses through the mountains are the only real wayto cross them. Most of the world’s mountains fallwithin the central Spine that runs down the centerof the main continent. Once a rough cross (itssouthwestern leg shattered in the cataclysmicevents of the past), the Spine now more or lessbisects the world, dividing the most civilized andprosperous societies of the north and west from thefrontier lands of the south and east. Smaller rangescan be found on the islands of the southwest.

Highlands and Hills: The high, frigid plateaus ofthe north are home to the heart of society, splitroughly in two between the Divaros to the west andthe Zokili to the east. War, fire and civilization havelong since cleared most of the greenery away, andthe lands are subject to erosion in times of drought.Luckily, their northern placement and several largerivers allow irrigation to keep farmlands fertileenough to grow staple crops. Lower plateaus onthe continent’s southern tip offer a less bleaklifestyle, as befits a temperate climate.

Lowlands and Swamps: The lands along thecontinent’s southwestern edge, ringing the InnerSea, are generally swampy, ever covered by a fewmeters of water, with tidal forces inundating someareas beneath several meters of water severalweeks out of the year. Areas further to the northtend to be nearly impassable, filled with all varietyof strange plants, biting insects, venomous reptilesand the Draslander. Further south and west, nearthe Kantarin sub-continent, the waters grow toodeep for all but the tallest trees. However, thepresence of sand bars and small islands (whichprevent ships from sailing in all but a few areas)make it theoretically possible to walk a Stryderstraight across the sea.

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Forest and Jungle: Vegetation of some sort ispresent in every part of the continent, ranging fromscrub grasses and small hardwoods to the north, tocopses of citrus to the southwest and east, to toughcacti and burrowing trees in the Desert. In higherelevations one finds clumps of evergreens (conifersto the north, willows and the like to the south,nearer the swamps). But there is truly only one largeforest to be found - the Kantarin Rain Forest.Covering nearly all of the Kantarin sub-continent,the thick canopy of these one-hundred-fifty metertall trees covers the land below in perpetualdarkness and mist. To the east and north, the livingforest actually sends roots beneath the Sea,spreading its grasp to the main continent andmaking shipping a nightmare in some areas. TheKantarin people who live within the forest say thatthe entire area is one living creature.

Desert: As if balancing the lush vegetation ofthe Kantarin rain forest, the desert home of theSivatagi, known only as The Desert by the people ofRhun, is the only true desert on the continent.Covering nearly a third of the eastern continent, it isa dry and harsh realm of venomous creatures andsavagery. The northeastern part of the desert ishome to several mountainous outcroppings,including the fortresses the Sivatagi call home. Tothe west, ringed by mountains, rivers and lakes turnportions of the desert into oases for much of theyear, making the area a prime target for battleswaged over resources.

Waterways: On an older planet, rivers andrainwater would have time to erode the land,breaking down minerals and salts that then maketheir way to the oceans which, over millions ofyears, become salty. On Rhun, there has not beenenough time for this to happen. Thus, the rivers,flowing down to bring salty deposits from themountains, are rich in minerals (and, in some higherelevations, too salty to drink safely), but the oceansare still mostly fresh and generally safe for drinking.As such, coastal settlements have plenty of freshwater for their people, but inland areas (particularlyto the east) tend to be more arid and less denselypopulated. Irrigation pipelines are just as likely torun inland from the ocean as they are to rundownhill from higher elevations.

COSMOLOGY AND TIME - Rhun’s solar systemconsists of a single sun (called Nheta), aroundwhich the lone planet of Rhun revolves. Rhun itself isapproximately 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) indiameter at the equator, compared to our ownsolar system’s Earth (≈13,000 kilometers) and Mars(≈7,000 kilometers) in size. The world’s sole continent(along with its sub-continent) stretches about 5,600kilometers from north to south, and 4,000 kilometerseast to west at its widest point.

Rhun has two satellites, or moons: Mheta (thelarger) and Lheta (the smaller). These two objectsare the only sources of light in the night sky; thegods have not gotten around to creating othersolar systems yet, and as such there are no stars inthe sky. Needless to say, this makes practices suchas astrology entirely unheard of, and navigation abit trickier (it is still accomplished by observing thepositions of the moons relative to one another andprominent landmarks).

Rhun’s day and year are approximately thesame length as in our own world. The planetcompletes a revolution of the sun every 350 days,within which are ten months of thirty-five days each(each month divided into five weeks of sevendays). A month is determined based on a completecycling of the larger moon, Mheta, since thesmaller moon has a somewhat erratic cycle not inline with an easy division of day and night. The NewYear is observed on the first day of the monthMhetite (literally, Month One), named after theRhun of the Beginning and the End. Other monthsare named for various number Runes (Mhetiin,Mhetaan, Mhetawn, Mhetahn, Mhetain, Mhetean,Mhetenn, Mhetoun, and Mhetott).

The day (based on a single rotation of theplanet around its axis) is divided up into twenty-fivehours, the division of hours into minutes andseconds corresponding to that in our own world(i.e., sixty minutes per hour, sixty seconds perminute) as decreed by Pietr Jyoldenshire, the firstDivaran king. Each day begins when the sun risesover the Divaros capital city, and as the hours arecounted from that point, which shifts throughoutthe year, the keeping of time across the world israther arbitrary and hardly an exact science. Thereare no time zones, so the start of the day is only atsunrise in the regions directly north and south of thecapital. Again, since timekeeping is usually anapproximation, this is seldom a concern.

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WEATHER AND CLIMATE - Due to the lack of aplanetary tilt, there are no seasons as such on Rhun.Northerly climes tend to be cold year round, thosenear the equator much hotter all the time. Weatherpatterns and tidal forces do sometimes bring snowsfurther south, or droughts further north, but for themost part weather patterns are predictable. Thereare no growing seasons, no autumn or winter. Whatlives in a given region is adapted to a year-roundclimate of that type, wet, dry, hot, cold, whatever.In the wild, animals breed and plants tend to bearfruit in particular months for no reason that has yetbeen determined, but those domesticated by mancan have these cycles adjusted. Most crops areplanted, grown and harvested year-round, eachfield in a different stage of development.

Snow falls year round in the higher elevations ofthe northern Spine and across the northern high-lands, rarely reaching further south except in rareoccasions, and only melting when it slides down tolower elevations. As a result, many areas arepermanently buried under snow and ice, withglacial expanses and regions in which long-termhabitation is all but impossible, as there is nothingbut snow and ice, and no growing season. Thosewho live near such areas have long-since learnedthe paths of avalanches and their warning signs,and know well to avoid them. Temperate climesare generally found across much of the centralcontinent, growing steadily hotter towards theequator, where the thick forests of the west eat upmost of the moisture, leaving the dry eastern Desertto bake beneath the sun, surviving only on theinfrequent and unpredictable downpours of theregion. Southern climes are similar to those of thenorth, though more temperate and generally morerainy than snowy, though higher elevations mayhave snowcaps.

Tidal forces and the rare hurricane bringfrequent flooding to the lowlands of the southwestand parts of the southeast, although even theseare predictable enough that those living in suchareas can prepare for them ahead of time. Rhun is,however, subject to unpredictable earthquakesand volcanic eruptions, particularly in the southern-most parts of the Spine. Such rumblings are oftenattributed to Deijin, trapped beneath the earth, orthe Dead God coming back to life to seekvengeance on the living.

RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY - As the world ofRhun was created and populated only a fewthousand years ago by a family of divine beings,history and mythology is essentially the same thingin Rhun. There is no guesswork when it comes towho’s who in the heavens, and as such there is nobelief in a single deity, nor in a hundred differentgods for every aspect of society and nature. Thereare six gods and goddesses, and everyone knowstheir names.

Since religion is typically based on faith andbelief, and the people of Rhun do not need faith(they know for a fact that the gods exist, becausenot all that long ago those gods walked the earth),there are no large organized religions. Power in theform of runes is at hand for all people, no matterwhat they believe, so there is little reason to worshipdivine powers. This line of somewhat apatheticthinking is exacerbated by the fact that the godsare not the sort of deities who demand attention,respect, sacrifice and worship. There is little point inasking for favors, begging for forgiveness, or cursingyour enemy; the gods are otherwise occupied.

The net result of all this is that there are no realclerics, priests or religious leaders in Rhun, nor anysort of organized state religions. Even the druids,who once emphasized reverence of nature andlife, are mostly a part of mythology now. There areminor superstitions about the Deijin. While historical,no one is really sure if they are extinct, imprisoned inthe earth or merely biding their time, but mostpeople have more pressing things to be worriedabout, and tales of the Deijin are mostly used tofrighten children. To be certain, there are roguecults, atheists and other fringe groups who purportto gain power by the worship of the gods anyway(the worshippers of the dead god Dheta inparticular), but they are mostly viewed as kooksand troublemakers by the powers that be. Most ofthese cults are quickly done away with as soon asthey crop up, as they often represent a nucleus fordissent in an already chaotic society. And nobodymourns their passing.

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THE NATURE OF WAR - If Rhun has a religion atall, it is the religion of battle. The political andgeographical landscapes are littered with thecorpses of the warriors who died in the service oftheir employers, warring over resources, boundariesand many more petty concerns.

These are not the mounted French and Englishknights of the latter half of the Middle Ages, aspopularized in film and fantasy fiction. Nor are theythe heavily armored spearmen and longbowarchers who turned the tide in many battles of thatperiod. A far better analogy for the mercenarycompanies of Rhun would be the smaller bands ofwarriors who did battle in the early Middle Ages,before the development of heavy plate armorsand more powerful weapons. Here, there were fewwho called themselves professional warriors, andthese relied more on tactics and the element ofsurprise, and less on heavy armor and weapons.Leather and mail armor was common enough, butto arm oneself head to toe in custom-fitted platemail would have been beyond the reach of anybut the wealthiest lord.

In the true medieval period, these warriorcompanies evolved technologically to keep pacewith their foes, using the developments they hadavailable to wage war more effectively. Thepresence of horses, and the development of thesaddle and stirrup, made cavalry possible. Heaviersuits of full plate armor, developed to a greatextent in reaction to the dangers posed by ever-stronger crossbow and longbow technology,helped bring the knight as we know him into being.And of course, the presence of a strong, unifyingreligious force, and the centralization of power andmoney in the hands of a powerful few, throughoutthis period cannot be understated.

Rhunic mercenaries, however, lack all of thesethings. As all except the Sivatagi lack suitable largemounts (there are no horses), mounted warriors andcavalry tactics are unheard of. Lance charges,mounted archers and the like are nonexistent, forthe most part, as are heavy suits of full plate armor.Certainly, there are dangers on the battlefield, butwithout the need to wrap oneself in sheets of steel,plate armor technology has been restricted, for themost part, to wrapping the torso with a breastplate(and even this is quite limited and expensive formost warriors). Heavily armored military forcesnumbering in the thousands are a completelyfanciful idea in Rhun, and would be unlikely to workeven if someone were to field such a force.

Rune Stryder Tactics - The general availability ofRunes to all members of the population acts as agreat equalizer, giving power to anyone with thedevotion and interest in studying and learning tomaster its power. Battlefield injuries that might havebeen crippling or fatal can, in many cases, becured with the correct application of a Rune at theright time. And the importance of using Runes aspart of battle cannot be overemphasized.

At the center of any major battle are the RuneStryders themselves, giant constructs standing, onaverage, between five and ten meters in height.Layered with heavy armor, guarded by Runes, andarmed with giant weapons of war, they stormacross the battlefield to do battle with one anotherand an opponent’s troops.

Surrounding the Stryder, right in the midst of thebattle, are the Stryder’s support team, typicallyconsisting of between ten and twenty individualswhose job it is to keep enemy troops away from theStryder, so that the behemoth can do its damage.Several of these individuals carry massive shieldsand spears, keeping enemies at bay so that thelightly armored, quick-moving archers withcrossbows and war bows can scurry around intoposition and snipe away at their foes. Along withthem are one or more Runescribes, whose job it isto maintain the Runes that adorn the Stryder insideand out, keeping the magic flowing and theStryder alive. And thrown into the mix are severalmore heavily-armored (but still quite mobile)warriors with axe, club, and sword, doing their bestto destroy the support troops at the feet of theopponent’s own Stryder. And all of these peoplemay have some minor runic talent of their own.

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An entire mercenary company may consist ofbetween two- and five-hundred individuals, with aratio of one Stryder to every forty or so fighters, withabout one support person for each ten fighters(cooks, doctors, various craft professionals, etc). Forcompanies with fewer Stryders, tactics necessarilyshift, with some companies preferring to keep menback to provide missile and siege engine cover fortheir front lines, others focusing instead on stealthand trickery, sending cloaked and dangerous Magibehind enemy lines. The ratio of fighters, Stryders,Magi, scouts, camp followers and so on reallydepends on the terrain, the major nationality of theforce and how well-off it is. Mercenary companiesare, after all, a business. They have to chargeenough money to pay all their soldiers, not just for agiven contract, but with enough to tide them overto the next contract and cover their expenses. Theperson running the show must be a shrewdbusinessman as well as a military leader.

Of course, even the most novice mercenarygroups realize that sometimes the best way to winthe battle is not to be there at all. Many work withsaboteurs, spies, and even politicians anddiplomats to help wage the war off the battlefield,assaulting the enemy with political machinations,kidnappings, assassinations and sabotage.

Understanding exactly why warfare is fought inthis way requires one to have a good overview ofthe political landscape as it exists at the presenttime. The following pages lay out the major players,and point out many of the current trouble spots.

THE NATIONS OF RHUN - The world is split intotwo camps, roughly divided between north andsouth (with some exceptions) by the mountainousSpine. The Divaros, the Myndwar and the Zokili,collectively known as the Confederated Nations,primarily control the northern lands. In the scatteredlands to the south, large parts are held by theKantarin, Sivatagi and Draslander, known as theOutcast Nations, so called because their inhabitantswere long ago driven from their homelands intolands then deemed uninhabitable.

However, the actual truth of the matter is thatthings are not nearly as clear-cut. Spying, politicalmachinations, roguery, assassination and unofficialmilitary strikes against neighboring countries meanthat the Confederated Nations are not nearly asunited as their lofty name might suggest. And theOutcast Nations are hardly mere victims andrefugees, representing a political, economic andmilitary force to be reckoned with, individually andcollectively.

National and state borders generally follownatural boundaries (mountains, rivers, coastlines),and in some cases the lines are more theoreticalthan realistic. Those living closest to the borders aregenerally the least concerned with them in times ofpeace (though most concerned in times of war).One might easily find borders shifting as easily asallegiances do, sometimes as much as hundreds ofmiles, as fits the whims of the world’s leaders anddiplomats.

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