The Runes of Pent

The Runes of Pent

It is of absolute importance to realise that the Pentans are amongst the humans least influenced by the God Learners.  The standard runes did not draw upon the Pentan tradition, save as it influenced Dara Happa, and the modern Pentan tradition has never adopted what they view as foreign nonsense.  Instead they have their own systems, in most cases relying upon the ancient Gamatae mythology, with certain eastern additions, occasional Uz and Hellish contributions, and local variations based upon specific shamanistic traditions and interpretations.

The symbols differ dramatically from people to people and even from clan to clan, even if the meaning and power remains the same. There is, of course, no guarantee that even that is true; the meaning of a fire rune to one who worships the black flaming form of Basko in the lands between the Hellcrack and the Jankley Bore is assuredly not that understood by a worshipper of Kalikos Icebreaker on the shores of the White Sea.

Referees are to be encouraged to devise a system for the players' clan that is specific to their background and needs.  How a rune is interpreted is also a matter of culture and cult.

This, again, is a matter for player and referee together.  If a clan has an Hell rune is this because they follow the Path of Hell as a community, or because there is a local demonic influence that they strongly acknowledge?  

Remember, Pent is vast, and the variation to be found there bewildering, since the admixture of peoples and the enormous distances of the land make for continuing cultural isolation in many cases.  It is a melting pot, and at this point nobody knows what the alloy will turn out to be, how it will appear, or what qualities it will have.

As a result, when cults are listed with their runes, there will be no picture accompanying.

However, to give some indication of how different the runic systems can be, this is that of the Sarha-Kam Clan of the Opili.


  Storm           Harmony           Plant              Dragon

  Fire                Disorder           Beast             Destruction

  Water            Life                    Horse            Chaos, The Void

  Earth              Death                 Human            Mastery

 Darkness        Truth                  Spirit               Kargzant



and then again, the Balatath of the Korer


   Storm              Life                                Horse                 Kargzant

   Moon              Death                             Beast                  Eternal Battle, Chaos, The Void

  Water              Truth, Digging-Stick      Human               Tien

 Earth                 Disorder                        Spirit                  Walindum


While there are obvious similarities, and some less obvious, to the God Learner runes, these form distinctive local systems of understanding and power.