[✓] [World Lore] The Material Alphabet

[The King Of The Moon 7016]

The Material Alphabet

(extract from an alchemist’s journal, theorising a supposed link between divine creation and the material alphabet)

 

Origin:

Since the beginning of the written word there have been symbols recurring throughout history. In every mortal culture that has graced this realm, since not only before the time of Krug, Horen, Urguan and Malin, but even predating the first orders of Ascended, Druids, Iblees cults and so on. Long-lost in their origin and the first tongue they originated from, there have been marks. Written symbols, letters, runes or however else one might describe them, dotted throughout the shrines of zealots and the notebooks of scholars. The material alphabet. Be they used by shamans in relation to elemental spirits, or immortals of note, by brathmordakin runesmiths hoping to evoke and describe their enchantments, by blood mages in their own correlating runes of perhaps older origin, or the dreams of alchemists seeking to understand such symbols and concepts in the world around them. The material alphabet prevails as a limited universal language, of sorts, tied specifically with this world and the concepts and matter that inhabit it. 

The material alphabet is a series of runes and letters of mysterious origin, universally understood by those who delve into the mortal arts and powers corresponding with mortal energy and matter. Through ancient myths and sometimes in waking dreams alchemists are either alerted to individual runes whilst delving into corresponding concepts or are simply taught them as apprentices, oftentimes expanding upon such with flexio text around the symbols when written. Meanwhile blood mages who have felt the awakening of Malghourn’s shard come to memorise their own esoteric alphabet in the form of blood runes, those of which corresponding to mundane concepts and matter - such as earth, fire, air and water - are identical to the material alphabet’s, whilst the more metaphysical and otherworldly ones do not. Similarly, these same elemental symbols are understood by runesmiths and golemancers to evoke similar meanings, or by shamanic elementalists hoping to envision or call upon elemental spirits as well as immortals that represent fundamental concepts.

 

Description:

The runes as presently recorded and recognised by scholars - labelled by largest academic consensus on their supposed meaning or categorisation - appear as follows:

Spoiler

 

Primary Matter

 The Mortal Plane

                                          

Water         Earth       Aether           Air               Fire

 

Secondary Matter

                     

Flora               Ice              Lightning          Smoke         Fauna

           

Ferrum          Metal              Aurum 

                           

Stone              Dirt                Mud            Steam                Lava 

                                         

Distilled Water     Aqua Vitae      Mana             Blood                Lard

 

Primary Concepts

                            

Death              Dark              Balance         Light            Life    

 

Secondary Concepts

                                   

Destruction       Silence        Chaos      Power         Order           Sound        Creation 

                 

Pull/Draining       Lunar       Astral           Solar          Push/Giving

                                             

       Connection          Up/Lifting  Growth    Reduction    Down/Falling     Separation

             

Reinforce       Close           Open          Weaken

 

Primary States

                   

Hardiness    Coarse      Blunt       Sharp       Smooth    Fragility            

 

            

Freezing       Coldness        Heat           Burning

                         

Weak              Moderate       Strong/Strength

 

Secondary States

 

                                                                            

Fear           Hate     Confusion      Clarity        Love       Courage

    

                                                                 

Impediment     Fluidity        Continuity       Agility 

              

 

                                                                            

Rebirth          Swiftness      Endurance     Curtailment     Slowness          Rigidity

 

 

                                                   
           Rage       Vigour       Instability      Empowering    Grace        Lethargy        Peace         

 

                       

    Time          Poison          Purity          Space

The esoteric nature of the runes allows for looser interpretations than the single common words scholars have afforded each of the ninety ones, for instance ‘Silence’ might also be interpreted as ‘Emptiness’ or ‘Absence’ whilst ‘Lunar’ and its antonym ‘Solar’ might also mean ‘Unease’ and ‘Comfort’ respectively. 

 

Furthermore, combinations of these runes are recorded to have been used by alchemists of yore in meticulously drawn rings, which historians remain conflicted about the purpose of: some sort of ancient blood-magic - alchemy hybrid, or a harmless means of recording a plant’s symbols? Or perhaps some weren’t for alchemical transmutation, and instead were faded messages in ancient dwarvish script. A definitive answer is unlikely to ever surface, nonetheless an example of one such circle - ‘Reagent Ring’ as it were - believed to describe the herb Zawabate appears below:

Spoiler

 

A matter of less debate arises then in what alchemists have come to call a ‘Symbol Ring’, that is, diagrams of a similar nature to the above albeit simpler: describing more vague alchemical properties than specific reagents, where signs, symbols and strength are necessary above the actual herb or other source these properties are extracted from.
Another example is depicted below, which requests the symbol light from the fire sign at a strong dose, found in herbs: 

Spoiler

 

These symbol circles appear in the most complex iteration of the rings thus far recorded, ‘Transmutation Circles’ which either describe the process of creation through equivalent exchange, much like an alchemic recipe, or the fundamental makeup of an object or material. A complex Transmutation Circle, which details a hypothetical potion is as follows:

Spoiler

 

Note: no such potion exists as a product of the processes this diagram instructs. The above has been formulated solely as an example of what a transmutation circle might look like.

 

In translation this hypothetical recipe would require an Aqua Vitae base, to which whilst frozen (signified by ‘freezing’) one should add Earth: Perseverance (Moderate), then whilst heating one should add Water: Fluidity (Weak), Air: Quickness (Moderate), Earth: Impediment (Moderate), Earth: Resilience (Weak) and finally whilst boiling (signified by ‘burning’) a reagent containing Fire: Light (Strong) should be added to conclude the transmutation.

 

Capability

Despite their mysterious origin, the symbols are devoid of any apparent purpose of power beyond simple meaning. Whilst very few scholars actually know how to properly write and interpret these runes, any descendant who happens to look upon the individual symbols will be given thoughts corresponding to it, given them a strange universality. For instance a Human Bishop in The Church of the Canon, or an Elven Druid of the Mother Grove might stumble across the ‘water’ symbol and both immediately know it to mean the likes of rivers, seas, oceans and so on provided they have a prior familiarity with such things that can be understood as ‘water’.

 

As mentioned earlier these runes have been echoed through the sacraments of Ichorianism and the Brathmordakin faith, albeit requiring such fuel as Blood and Thanhium paired with the expertise of Blood Mages and Runesmiths respectively; whilst vague in origin, intrinsically tied with the mortal realm’s matter and concepts, the material alphabet in writing alone holds no power.

 

Red Lines
-In-depth study into fields regarding the matter, concepts and physics of the mortal plane is required for one to pick up the material alphabet in a consistently usable fashion without explicitly being instructed by another. These disciplines include the likes of Further Alchemy, Rune Smithing, Blood Magic (specifically those who’ve touched a Blood Shard), Elementalism and Voidal Feeling, to name a few. In this regards the common illiterate peasant or the star-gazing mage, both in their own way ignorant to study of the mortal plane, will only have thoughts evoked correlating with the material alphabet’s symbols rather than in-depth understanding and the ability to replicate the symbols properly to the same effect. Similarly the meaning behind these symbols is completely lost to beings foreign to the material plane, such as Inferis and Voidal Horrors. 

-The capability to ‘evoke thought’ intrinsic in the alphabet is no more potent than written word in a familiar language. That is to say, for example, seeing the ‘Death’ symbol might make an individual think of crypts, the undead, lost kin and so on, just as if they’d heard the word spoken or seen it written in their own tongue; they would not ‘see the symbol and die’ or be forced to endure any other drastic effect that might be achieved with mind-magics, for instance.

-Besides their odd lingual universality, the material alphabet possesses no fundamental power on its own. Other lore must be deployed when giving powers and properties to these runes beyond meagre understanding, such as blood magic which utilises many of these same symbols in its own alphabet, requiring blood mages to write and use them in already written and accepted rituals.

Purpose
The purpose of this lore is not only to lay the groundwork for future pieces to come that encompass the material plane and written word, but also to tie together pre-existing lore pieces and challenge inconsistencies. The origin of the symbols is kept intentionally vague so that it can be made applicable in different areas of lore pertaining to the mortal plane without the need for retcons or stepping on toes, in this regard.

 

It is troubling for instance that with all of the present magic and world lore involving symbols and runes, there only seems to be direct consistency between Golemancy and Rune Smithing, whilst the runes and icons present in Blood Magic, Paladinism, Spirit-Smithing/ broader Shamanism, Al’tahrn Durngo Script and so on seem to ‘do their own thing’ in regards to theme, purpose and aesthetic, which on the whole reveals just how much of LoTC’s lore has been written by different people at different times with their own intentions behind it, and how little consistency there actually is.

 

Acceptance of this lore in lieu of the impending Lore Games, I feel, gives many areas of lore a chance to incorporate a necessary step towards a consistent lore-base for Lord of the Craft, even if in a detail so minor as the prevailing appearance of runes and symbols. Beyond that, and anticipating the lack of co-operation that has always dominated this server’s lore, I still feel the material alphabet has its own place alongside Alchemy, both for current journal keeping, research and academia roleplay and for laying the groundwork for future Further Alchemy additions.

 

Credits

Credit must be given where due to the artists behind a good portion of these symbols and the style I based the new ones off of, lifted from old blood magic lore thanks to the likes of:
Raptor98
SwgrClan
Pandann
Zarsies
and probably a few other long-lost writers. 

Furthermore thanks to pieces (though more broadly older lore concepts) like Rune Smithing, Blood Magic and Alchemy predominantly I was able to formulate the alphabet’s main materials and concepts based around what is already mentioned and discussed in lore... So, thanks.

 

---

Changelog

Spoiler

Minor adjustments to keep this piece up-to-date with the Alchemy rewrite:

-Added ‘Mortal Plane’ rune from the original Blood Rifts lore
-‘Resilience’ is now ‘Agility’
-‘Perseverance’ is now ‘Rigidity’
-‘Anger’ is now ‘Fear'
-‘Quickness/Speed’ is now ‘Swiftness’
-‘Attachment/ Control’ is now ‘Connection’
-‘Detachment’ is now ‘Separation’ 
-‘Corruption’ is now ‘Poison’
-‘Sleep/ Rest’ is now ‘Peace’
-‘Calmness’ is now ‘Lethargy’
-‘Travel’ is now ‘Endurance’

-The previous ‘Endurance’ is now ‘Curtailment’
-‘Overpowering’ is now ‘Instability’

 

 

 

 

[ScreamingDingo 20568]

what the **** this seems actually interesting

[The King Of The Moon 7016]

(yes I know how much the spoilers have ruined my formatting I’m fixing it now)

[Enlightenment 2295]

Now this, this seems pretty lowkey ngl!

[Vindicant 642]

good

 

[winterblood 11181]

this seems pretty highkey!! 

[Guest]

very epic cool

[Eurielle 1189]

11 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

These disciplines include the likes of Further Alchemy

For what purpose?

[Yaldabaoth 746]

[Lasombruh 612]

I really like this.

[The King Of The Moon 7016]

5 hours ago, Dunstan said:

For what purpose?

…

 

16 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

‘Transmutation Circles’ which either describe the process of creation through equivalent exchange, much like an alchemic recipe, or the fundamental makeup of an object or material.

16 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

a ‘Symbol Ring’, that is, diagrams of a similar nature to the above albeit simpler: describing more vague alchemical properties than specific reagents, where signs, symbols and strength are necessary above the actual herb or other source these properties are extracted from.

16 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

combinations of these runes are recorded to have been used by alchemists of yore in meticulously drawn rings, which historians remain conflicted about the purpose of: some sort of ancient blood-magic - alchemy hybrid, or a harmless means of recording a plant’s symbols? Or perhaps some weren’t for alchemical transmutation, and instead were faded messages in ancient dwarvish script. A definitive answer is unlikely to ever surface, nonetheless an example of one such circle - ‘Reagent Ring’ as it were

It’s just a mysterious realm-language that alchemists, amongst other scholars, have used for its universality. Don’t look for deeper meaning than the already stated:

16 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

The purpose of this lore is not only to lay the groundwork for future pieces to come that encompass the material plane and written word, but also to tie together pre-existing lore pieces and challenge inconsistencies.

 

Because you won’t find any.

[Eurielle 1189]

5 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

…

 


It’s just a mysterious realm-language that alchemists, amongst other scholars, have used for its universality. Don’t look for deeper meaning than the already stated:

  

Because you won’t find any.

>Swallowing a soul worm grants you moon speak.
>Spooky space men can’t learn moon speak.

 

[Sorcerio 4712]

Very, very good!

[The King Of The Moon 7016]

On 8/1/2019 at 1:15 AM, Dunstan said:

>Swallowing a soul worm grants you moon speak.
>Spooky space men can’t learn moon speak.

 

Epic! Well thought out! Great feedback!

[ScreamingDingo 20568]

Hello @The King Of The Moon

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