RuneScape Forum Archive | Planar, Magic, & Tradition

AttilaSquare said :
A wonderful question!

I think it was humans mages, not gods, who made the runecrafting altars. And even though we have descriptions of the creation of the altars, I wonder if we are still able to do the same. I have a hunch that the descriptions we have are problematically anachronistic and can’t help us to build new altars today.

I wrote an account of this some years ago:
AttilaSquare said :

...It has been said recently among the Moon Clan that those who constructed the runecrafting altars brought large blocks of rune essence to locations especially strong in specific magical elements and there focused their thoughts on the specific elements until the blocks of rune essence adopted the same orientation, becoming the runecrafting altars as they were until their recession in the 5th age.

(12) This account strikes me as anachronistic in several ways - it does not speak of spirits; it does not indicate why the structures were built, nor why these were in the form of altars; it assigns significant agency and the source of power to those who constructed the altars; it presupposes knowledge of the magical elements; it provides no insight into runes or runecrafting. In short, it is a modern reconstruction of ancient events, and in it the principle of technology is at work - for the means always precede the ends: the ancient mages possess blocks of rune essence, spiritual power, and knowledge; and they seek further means for magical practice through the altars, i.e. runestones, while no purpose for them is specified.

20-Dec-2016 03:43:33 - Last edited on 07-Jan-2021 11:51:47 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

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AttilaSquare said :
AttilaSquare said :

(13) In contrast, consider the following alternative account of the construction of the runecrafting altars: The sorcerers who followed V journeyed the world seeking and attending to the spirits at work in their own hearts. They had begun to experiment with runestones and rune essence but possessed no clear account of the full range of magical elements to be found in Gielinor. Occasionally a sorcerer would come upon a place in which she enjoyed exceptionally clear insights into the spirit guiding her and was prompted to build an altar. The block of rune essence and its capacity for transformation symbolized for her her own capacity for receptivity to and transformation by the spirit there. The altar thereafter invited all passersby to reflect upon the spirit of the place and its work in them - it also thereby sustained the presence of those spirits and their altars in the world.

(14) The altars became places of pilgrimage, where the people of Gielinor went to gain deeper insight into the spirits of the world. The pilgrims brought with them small chunks of rune essence to place upon the altars - the pilgrims sought an inner transformation through their attentiveness to the spirit, as well as a visible transformation of their rune rocks so that they might be reminded of their experience there. These runestones later served to direct their attention to the memories of those insights and experiences and thereby aided the pilgrims in the practice of sorcery...

20-Dec-2016 03:43:43 - Last edited on 07-Jan-2021 11:53:39 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

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AttilaSquare said :
It’s quite possible that the magic of the altars is of a kind that does not tolerate reduction to a mere means. When the main rune essence mine was rediscovered at the start of the 5th age, humans found themselves with countless runestones - likely so much more than they had imagined possible that they could not but re-conceive of the altars apart from the traditional ends associated with them.

A group of Fremennik took offense at the re-conception of the altars as something like runestone factories rather than as places of pilgrimage, and embarked on the runecrafting crusades. The crusaders maintained the ancient respect for the altars. And therefore, for their sake, the magic of the altars remained in Gielinor. That is, until the year 62.

When Gunnar and his army destroyed the body altar, they demonstrated that the ancient understanding and respect for the altars had disappeared from their hearts. Unwittingly, they had succumbed to the worldview of their enemies, conceiving the altars as mere factories for runestones. No longer did the ancient meaning of the altars remain in the world. Being of such magic that does not tolerate such disrespect, the altars receded from the world.

Today, they exist only in shadow. The proper relationship to the altars is still possible, if not for world of Gielinor then for certain individuals in our world. Unfortunately - if Martin Heidegger is to be believed - “world-withdrawal and world-decay can never be undone” (“Origin of the Work of Art”). I’m not sure I agree, but certainly new altars cannot be built without a new and fundamental experience of awe from which follows the inspiration to build (precisely) an altar .

So, for the same reason that the altars seceded from the world and that our access to them continues to decay, we may not be able to rebuild them today - not until the causes of the current situation have been add

20-Dec-2016 03:43:48 - Last edited on 07-Jan-2021 11:55:55 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

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AttilaSquare said :
Dear Filliman Tarlock,

A fellow researcher of magical things asked a question some years ago, and I have wondered about it ever since: why do nail beasts drop talon beast charms? Since you are both a druid and have lived so long in Mort Myre, I hope you will know. All the other charms we know seem either to be linked to some plane - gold, green, crimson, and blue charms summon creatures from Gielinor's spirit realm, and elder charms summon creatures made from Mah's power upon Freneskae - or they link us to extra-planar sources - abyssal charms summon creatures from the abyss; voidal charms summon creatures from (or from another plane reached through) the void; obsidian charms summon creatures from the Elder Kiln (I guess the Elder Kiln is somehow extra-planar). But then where do talon beasts and nail beasts come from? Are they linked to another elder artifact? The Elder Hammer? How did they get here? Any help will be much appreciated.

A fellow scholar,
Attila Square

20-Dec-2016 03:43:56 - Last edited on 07-Jan-2021 11:48:28 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

AttilaSquare said :
Dear Attila Square,

Alas, you have discerned the answer already! The Elder Hammer - another legend I can now recall. In the Third Age, a Gielinorian mystic by the name of Alan, inspired by a vision, wrote of the Hammer by which ancient gods first fastened "with little tiny nails" Anima to the Sacred Clay. By striking the clay of the Primordial Realm, they brought it to life, so that forever after it would long to take definite, living form. Indeed, clay does strange things when struck - but only an ancient creatrix can so wield the Hammer to produce new life; what use it might serve in the hands of lesser beings I know not.

After it was used to wake the Sacred Clay, the Hammer was likely abandoned upon an ancient world. And in its presence the nail beasts and talon beasts were born - manifestations of its primordial purpose. Like so many other unfortunate creatures, they were brought to this world to fight in the Wars. Only the strange charms reflect their divine origin and their sad tale.

With the blessings of balance,
Filliman Tarlock

20-Dec-2016 03:44:09 - Last edited on 07-Jan-2021 11:49:48 by AttilaSquare

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