Laerdom is the magic of the ancient Vestenmannavnjar and is at home in their land
Source
The Source of Laerdom is The Great Wyrm the ancient Vestenmannavnjar temporarily killed.
Status
Laerdom is activly used by the Vestenmannavnjar, occasionally adopted by the Vendel, and accepted within their lands. Elsewhere, it's frowned upon or "kill on sight"
The Vendel have lost the sense of history that powers these runes. They can never go beyond Stage 2, no matter how much they may try.
Description
Laerdom is rune magic. It allows a user to take on the aspect of one of the 24 runes of power from Vestenmanavnjar myth. The runes - named for each of the warriors who first claimed them - are: Kjot, Bevegelse, Varsel, Ensomhet, Styrke, Uvitenhet, Stans, Storsaed, Kyndighet, Sterk, Velstand, Fjell, Host, Grenselos, Krieg, Nod, Sinne, Tungsinn, Herje, Reise, Fornuft, Lidenskap, Kjolig, and Villskap.
Stages
All Laerdom users pick one rune they study.
Stage 1: At this point, you may take on an aspect of the rune you use for what ever purpose it may serve. You must live to the ideal of the rune to use it. To use this power, you must invoke the rune - which requires drawing it upon some object then calling its power
Stage 2: At this point, you may carve the ruin into an item to grant the user of the item the power of the rune. In doing so, you inscribe the rune onto the object somewhere. The rune must be visible to be used.
Stage 3: At this point, you "become" the rune. You live for the sole purpose of expressing the power of the rune and have effectively ceased aging. You never need to spend time to invoke the rune. The power slowly drives you insane. There is only ever one living rune of each kind at any time.
Special: The Runes and Their Powers
Kjot (Flesh): Kjot represents knowing yourself. So long as you have this rune, you cannot be tricked or beguiled by mundane and most magical means
Bevegelse (Empathy): Bevegelse represents the knowledge that you are part of a greater whole. It makes you a master at convincing (and manipulating) others.
Varsel (Omen): Varsel represents knowledge of that which will be. Users of this rune gain the ability to speak with in secret with anyone in earshot at anytime. anyone who overhears you only hears garbled words.
Ensomhet (Solitude): Ensomhet represents cutting away your past so that you can move forward. It grants the user supernatural will to resist anything in your way.
Styrke (Strength): Styrke represents physical perfection. It enhances the users muscles to inhuman extremes and allows the user to make supernatural acts of strength.
Uvitenhet (Mystery): Uvitenhet represents hidden truth. It enhances the users ability to deceive others. It can also be used to block the powers of both Kjot and Fornuft
Stans (Calm): Stans represents the calming of storms - both emotional and physical. The user is adept at stopping rampant emotions in others, and can call for the world to cease movement. The player must pick one of these focuses when selecting the rune.
Storsaed (Greatness): Greatness represents in untrained, inborn ability of every person. It allows the user to tap into their latent abilities for a short time, allowing great feats of skill or prowess for a short time
Kyndighet (Skill): Kyndighet represents adroitness and instruction. With it, you can see where your abilities are best suited, striking at enemies with supernatural precision
Sterk (Wholeness): Sterk represents that the understanding of your own weakness is more important than the understanding of your foes is. It grants understanding of where you are weak, allowing you to protect yourself better.
Velstand (Wealth): Velstand represents excess of both Money and Wisdom. It grants either additional funds (at character creation and beyond) or knowledge of all things (Mechanically: you may ask questions of the GM will be answered with truth, though only one such question at a time and with reasonable delay between questions)
Fjell (Mountain): Fjell represents heroic sacrifice and the absence of suffering. It allows the user to ignore even the most grievous of wounds, though they can still kill you.
Host (Harvest): Host symbolizes plenty, rejoicing, and the fruits of your labors. With this power, you may seal away one of your abilities, preventing you from using it. Then, when the you need it most, you may call upon that skill for supernatural effect. You may seal away only one ability at a time, and it must be sealed away for at least 1 day before the aid can manifest.
Grenselos (Unbound): Grenselos represents freedom. You cannot be bound by any means without your consent. Ropes fray at your will, shackles break at your pull, locked and barred doors fall away at your touch.
Krieg (Warrior): Krieg represents victory in battle. It quickens your axe, strengthens your bow, and guides your arrow. The user has competence with all weapons, no matter how strange. If it was designed to be a weapon, you know how to use it. If you had training with the weapon, you are now a master of the weapon, almost unparalleled.
Nod (Intensity): Nod, represents the strengthening of storms - both emotional and physical. The opposite of Stans, it allows the user to enhance the emotions of others, pushing them to greater heights or the pulling of winds, making them stronger and fiercer than any. The player must select one of these powers when making the character.
Sinne (Anger): Sinne represents the unbridled anger. It allows the user to perform supernatural acts of strength and combat prowess, but at the cost of losing awareness of who is friend and foe.
Tungsinn (Gloom): Tungsinn represents the leeching of joy and the graying of life. It allows the user to either call for downpours of rain or cause depression or fear in others. The player picks one power at creation.
Herje (Ruin): Herje is the rune of disruption and destruction. It grants poor circumstances to those around you, making their tasks more difficult. It grants the user the ability to make an enemy's attempt more difficult, prompting failure.
Reise (Journey): Reise represents the path you must take to reach your goals. It allows the user to become more observant of the world around him/her, rarely missing any detail.
Fornuft (Gateway): Fornuft represents knowledge of all things, for knowledge grants both wisdom and power. It allows the user to scry on their enemies, though the rune of Uvitenhet may blind them.
Lidenskap (Passion): Lidenskap represents the heat that drives people - both physical and emotional. It allows the user to create motivation and desire on the target, though they cannot control what the passion is for. Alternatively, you can increase the ambient temperature of the area in which they are (though they have no immunity to any extreme heat conditions you create and as you leave the heat dissipates instantly) The player must chose one of the two powers at character creation
Kjolig (Hatred): Kjolig represents the frigidness between people and in the world. It allows the user to drive people apart by removing their desires, though you have no control over what passions you destroy. Alternatively, you can decrease the ambient temperature of the area in which they are (though they have no immunity to any extreme cold conditions you create and as you leave the heat increases to normal instantly) The player must chose one of the two powers at character creation
Villskap (Fury): Villskap is the rune of the celestial fury. It is the rumbling of the sky that forshadows the doom of your enemies. The rune allows the user to fire a bolt of lightning from your hand.