The purpose of symbols, runes, and other sigils in any kind of spellcasting is to serve as a conduit with a certain meaning that helps to channel and power the magic. They are symbols that help the caster to focus their will and magical energy, just like a wand movement and a casting word.
They are often written as part of a protective ward, crafted item/enchantment, on a scroll, or as a spell trap, since they help HOLD your spell power. For example, a rune with a meaning of "travel" would help focus the power of a teleportation spell.
There are no specific runes or symbols that must be used for this. Each mage can use what symbols mean the most to them.
Complexity[]
Some symbol systems are very obscure or complex with numerous strokes per symbol, while others are extremely simple with only one or two strokes each. Each individual mage often forms their own opinions about what works best, because it is a very personal choice.
For some casters, having an elaborate and complex set of symbols helps to hold and empower the magic in their mind, making it specific and clear, sometimes with each part of the symbol having a specific meaning in and of itself.
For others, too much complexity just creates noise and distraction, and can fizzle their spell. They instead find their magic is stronger with simple symbols that are easily identified at a glance, or perhaps hold their attention in one bold shape.
Symbol systems known to Trefoil Academy[]
The most commonly used runes at the Academy are the Elder Futhark Runes (ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲ), as they can both correspond to much of the alphabet and also have multiple meanings already acknowledged. That makes them more universally understood, which helps when wards or scrolls must be understood by multiple users.
Some other popular systems include:
- Nautical flags and semaphore,
- the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc,
- the Younger Futhark,
- Dalrunes,
- Futhork (medieval runes),
- Ogham, meant for carving stones or pillars and is read upwards from the bottom and from right to left, which is the exact opposite of what we are used to.
- Etruscan,
- Archaic Greek,
- Phoenician,
- Egyptian hieroglyphs
- Proto-Sinaitic
- Ancient alchemical symbols
- Chinese or Japanese pictographs,
- Morse code,
- Binary,
- Emojis!
- Some systems are entirely for numbers, such as the Cistercian Digits.
Sometimes these same symbols are used to hide a coded message as a simple translation-swap.
Rune-casters[]
This is a specific type of spell-casting where the mage heavily relies on drawn runes or sigils in all of their spellcasts. This sometimes manifests in drawn circles or shapes on the ground or wall, or even a piece of paper, or can be as simple as drawing the symbol in the air with a staff or wand.
Some rune-casters have been known to use origami fortune tellers (aka chatterboxes) to put a symbol together and use it as their magical focus object, rather than a wand. Others use pre-carved runestones often made of stone, bone, or wood, drawing them from a bag or belt pouch to cast with, or have them embedded in a glove or bracer like a keypad.
Rune-casting has no specific benefit or weakness over typical wand-magic, but does rely on knowing the symbols you use with extreme familiarity as well as the flexible intuition of being able to ascribe the most efficient and effective rune combinations to each spell.