Rune Hold
CANON — The Inventor's Village
Overview
Mountain village carved into hillside, west-central Athernyx. Stone buildings stacked along winding streets. Warm lantern light. Steam rising from smithies. The smell of bread and hot metal.
A place that makes you linger.
The Feel
Hogsmeade energy. Cozy but exciting. Shops you remember by name. Corners that reward curiosity. Inventors tinkering with mana-tech prototypes. Enchanters arguing over technique. Travelers trading stories.
You come for business. You stay because it feels like somewhere.
Geography
- Position: West-central, foothills west of the Valkara mountains
- Terrain: Carved into hillside, streets wind upward
- Climate: Mountain temperate — cool nights, wood smoke in the air
- Access: Crossroads position, major route between regions
Notable Locations
The Kindled Mug
The tavern. Social heart of Rune Hold.
- Warm hearth, heavy wooden tables, lantern glow
- Where Magii games are hosted — famous across the region
- Hearthstone energy: "Pull up a chair, stay a while"
- Locals and travelers mix here
- Drinks, food, gossip, deals in back corners
The Forgelight Inn
Lodging for travelers.
- Clean rooms, solid beds, fair prices
- Smithing town aesthetic — iron fixtures, forge-warmed walls
- Where you sleep after too many rounds at the Mug
- Innkeeper knows everyone's business, says nothing
The Spirit Corner
Small café. Unassuming storefront.
- Owner: Gregory — Eyuun's old friend
- Cover: Coffee, tea, quiet conversation
- Reality: Portal gate business, by referral only
- Where Eyuun sends Kael
Enchant Temple
Adjacent to the town proper.
- Permanent imbuing specialists
- Grew alongside Rune Hold — smiths and enchanters trading knowledge
- Year 600: Operating quietly while thugs control the streets
Inventor Shops
Scattered throughout the winding streets.
- Mana-tech prototypes
- Experimental tools, weapons, curiosities
- Some brilliant, some dangerous, some both
- By Year 1500: Many foundational innovations trace back here
Gregory
Eyuun's trusted friend. The man behind The Spirit Corner.
Background:
- Birth rune: Enchant
- Took up metallurgy under Eyuun's guidance
- Decades of quiet mastery
Masterwork — The Ather Bubble:
Gregory's invention. A closed pocket space inside the Ather.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it is | Personal "shimmer" — contained space in the Ather |
| Access | Permanent gate, no repeated casting |
| Crafting | Time-intensive, requires master enchanter |
| Cost | Expensive — custom commission |
| Benefits | Home away from home, natural healing properties |
| Rare bonus | Mana seeds can sprout inside — like they grew from the ground |
Year 600: Prototype tech, known only to those who know. Year 1500: Gates commercialized. Gregory's work is foundational.
Year 600 Status
The Problem: Lazerin's thugs.
Not soldiers — toll collectors. They've overrun the crossroads, bleeding travelers and traders. Every cart, every merchant, every wanderer pays tribute or doesn't pass.
The town lives, but chokes. Inventors still tinker. The Mug still pours. But the streets aren't safe, and the roads belong to extortion.
The People:
- Locals keep heads down
- Enchant Temple operates quietly
- Gregory maintains his cover
- Resistance simmers, waiting for a spark
Liberation: Keystone #2. Clear Rune Hold, open the roads. Passage restored.
Year 1500+
The village that became a hub.
- Gate technology commercialized — Gregory's legacy
- Inventor culture thrives openly
- The Kindled Mug still hosts Magii games
- Pilgrimage site for enchanters and smiths
- "If you want something made that doesn't exist yet, go to Rune Hold."
Story Function
Rune Hold is the recurring waypoint. You pass through. You return. It grows familiar.
- First visit: Discovery, curiosity, Gregory, the café
- Liberation: Clear the thugs, open the roads
- Returns: Resupply, Magii games, old friends, new tech
- Endgame: See how it's changed, what you helped build
"The roads all cross at Rune Hold. So do the people worth knowing."
The Passage
"If you know, you know."
Hidden tunnel system running through the mountain to the other side. The underground economy of Rune Hold.
Why It Exists
The surface is strangled:
- Heavy taxes on all trade
- No peddling without a storefront license
- Thugs skim everything that moves
So the real trade moved below.
How It Works
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entry | Word of mouth only. No signs. No directions. You find it because someone trusts you enough to show you. |
| Layout | Tunnel network, widening into cavern marketplaces. Lantern-lit. Surprisingly warm. |
| Traders | Rotating spots. One leaves, another takes their place. No permanent claims. |
| The Code | Respect the space. Respect each other. Fair dealing. Betray the Passage, lose it forever. |
What's Traded
Everything. Anything.
- Mana-tech the Citadel would confiscate
- Heretic supplies — runestones, training materials
- Smuggled goods from Gale Haven
- Enchanted items, prototypes, curiosities
- Information
If it can't be sold on the surface, it moves through the Passage.
Access Points
Multiple hidden entrances throughout Rune Hold. The Spirit Corner almost certainly connects — Gregory would have a back door.
Locals know several routes. Travelers learn one, if they're lucky.
Year 600 Status
Thriving in secret. The thugs think they own Rune Hold. They only own the surface.
The Passage is how heretics move. How resistance breathes. How the town survives despite the stranglehold.
Post-Liberation
Kael clears the surface. The tolls end. Legal trade resumes.
The Passage doesn't close — it just stops being secret.
Suddenly everyone knew about it all along. The worst-kept secret becomes a point of local pride. An inside joke. Tour guides mention it. The Kindled Mug sells mugs that say "I survived the Passage."
What was survival becomes heritage.
"There's Rune Hold. And then there's Rune Hold."