Elder Runes

The Elder Runes are a direct inheritance of the Titans. They are marks of power associated with the deepest levels of reality and giant culture. Each Elder Rune has three forms: the forma, an elaborate sigil which binds power by its very shape; the aspect, a less complex version used as a powerful tool in enchantment and other magic; and the descriptor, a highly simplified version used to signify the concepts the elaborate version commands. The simplified forms are sometimes used in simple enchantments, and also as the numerals of Titanic arithmetic. All three forms are approximations of the older and infinitely more complex script of the Titans, itself inherited from the Old Gods and believed to be the very language of creation itself.
There are two divisions of Elder Runes, the five Primeval Runes which name aspects of existence, and the nine Elemental or Orden Runes associated with the harmony of the world, and the cities and society of Titanis. The powers of the Primeval Runes are wide-ranging, but their uses prescribed, while the Elemental Runes are less potent, but can be more flexible.
While anyone with access to the elaborate form can access the most basic powers of the runes, many giant and giant-kin wizards devote their lives to exploring the more nuanced uses of the Elder Runes.

Primeval Runes

Rune	Name	Associations and uses
	Nu	Void, chaos, darkness, the unformed. Existential threats. Zero. Nu can be used as a precursor to powerful conjurations, but its intrinsic nature is antithetical to harmonious creation and its use always carries a risk if the practitioner lacks the will to control it. It is the beginning, the root of great works.
	Anu	Firmament, the celestial, divinity, creation, order. One. Anu is the rune of universal conjuration, used in spells of creation and summoning, and for the supplication of the Old Gods. In theory, it can be used in any devotional magic, but the giants consider it blasphemous to use it in communion with ‘lesser’ deities.
	Anum	World, the material, harmony, permanence. Two. Anum is used to preserve and repair, and to anchor the effects of other runes and prevent them decaying over time. It is also used in graviturgy. Workings with Anum are more likely to survive than any other.
	Anuma	Life, mortality, time, impermanence, change. Three. Anuma is used in spells relating to time, healing and transmutation. It also has a darker potential in magic relating to decay and harm – more directly the domain of Maza, but also within the province of Anuma’s chronomancy – and can be used to unravel other magics.
	Maza	Abyss, dissolution, destruction, corruption. The use of Maza in rune magic is strictly proscribed. Its capacity for absolute destruction has its uses in the disposal of dangerous magics and artefacts, but the dangers inherent in its use are incalculable.

Orden Runes

Rune	Name	Associations and uses
	Meya	Rightness, harmony, balance, the Orden. Meya is the highest Orden rune, denoting the entirety of proper giant society. In enchantment, it is often used alongside one or more Meya runes to invoke or enforce the virtues denoted by those runes.
	Var	Storm, power, mysticism, leadership, prophecy. Brontes the Storm-Walker. Nine. Uses of Var can charm, invoke potential or grant insight, but are invariably direct, forceful and commanding. Var is not a rune that asks nicely. It is difficult to combine this rune with others, as it considers anything but the Primeval Runes to be ‘lesser’ entities.
	Flam	Fire, rage, creation, destruction. Laugi the Devourer. Five. Flam is also a direct rune, primarily used to conjure flames. It is often used to enchant the instruments of creation, especially smith’s tools and other tools associated with fire. It is eager to work with others, but can infect them with its more destructive nature.
	Eis	Ice, strength, grandeur, status. Ithazi the Frost-Reiver. Eight. Eis is a rune of resilience and strength, used to empower the body and sharpen the senses. It can act as an amplifier and reflector for other effects.
	Stern	Stone, memory, permanence, art. Gerontes the Earth-Shaker. Four. Stern is employed for clarity and judgement and can also be used to beguile and persuade. Combined with other runes, it can prolong their effects.
	Skai	Cloud, flight, language, deception. Stratos the Sky-Father. Seven. When used, Skai can conjure illusions, or grant unearthly charms or swift movement. It is incapable of creating anything concrete, however, and its works are transient, even combined with more durable runes.
	Tor	Hill, belonging, consumption, kinship. Gog and Magog. Six. Tor conjures the resilience of community, good health and endurance. Its effects are never flashy, but can add depth and endurance to the works of other runes.
	Hav	Ocean, transience, patience, change. The rune of the lost Ord, Hav grants transmutational powers, but its blessings are invariably prone to erratic failure, lasting an unpredictable duration. In combination with other runes, it can change their effects in eccentric ways.
	Asef	Wrongness, chaos, evil. Like Maza, Asef is not used in workings by right-thinking giants. Its appearance invariably denotes the craft of corrupted, Fomorian artisans and enchanters, and lends potent, but unfocused destructive power.