Ruin Runes

Ruin Runes is the name given to the language of the Pioneers, the civilization that seems to have once lived in the Waste, predating even the orcs. While it may have been spoken, all that remains of it are written messages. Curiously, Ruin Runes have never been discovered as being written on paper, or inscribed on tablets, or someting similar. They have only ever been found carved into the walls, floors, or ceilings of buildings, or similarly large surfaces. This curious trait has led to their name, Ruin Runes, as they are found only on the ruins of Pioneer buildings.
Undoubtedly their presence solely in such places has something to do with the language's magical properties. The only ancient buildings left buried under the Sands are those that possess Ruin Runes, which could either mean that they were incredibly common, or had some effect on the buildings' durability. While it's possible both options could be true, evidence points to the latter over the former, as Pioneer ruins are quite indestructible by ordinary means, especially in the areas near Ruin Runes. They serve purposes beyond strengthening structures, however. Many Pioneer ruins are riddled with magical traps, locks, and obstacles, all conjured up by Ruin Runes carved into the buildings.
It is unknown how or if Pioneers actually communicated with Ruin Runes. As every instance encountered has had some magical effect, some of them quite dangerous, it is possible that they served no purpose as a language, merely as a tool. But some aspects of them actually suggest that they may have been used for some form of communication, and that the language of the Pioneers was merely inherently magical, and that they had some method of resisting its dangerous aspects. Perhaps they even received information by absorbing the magical effects emitted from the runes?
Ruin Runes always seem to follow a structure, though it is still poorly understood. Each rune is actually made up of many different smaller runes, branching off from each other. There is always a basic, central rune, which seems to represent the central idea of purpose of the rune. For example, Ruin Runes that emit fire often share the same central rune. The branching runes, which go off in all directions from the central rune, shape the smaller aspects of the rune's effects. There is rhyme and reason to the directions the runes branch off in, as they always form a larger shape, the runic symbol that is easiest to make out without closely inspecting a rune. This shape also most likely affects a Ruin Rune, but it is unknown how it does so.
Ruin Runes can be found in all Pioneer ruins, but some are more notable than others. Perhaps the most well known one is the rune found on the Plateau, one of the more curious Pioneer ruins. This giant Ruin Rune covers the entire surface of the great stone disk, but curiously its purpose is unknown. It is very clearly magical, as any magic user worth their salt can tell you, but that is all that is known. The Plateau rune has never once released any sort of magical effect, and divination magic reveals nothing of its magical nature other than that its nature is magical.