Runic Padding

Before the Valley fell, its residents followed a tradition whenever one was first made an official Protector of the Valley. They received a magical heavy suit of armour with Ancient Runes carved into its underpadding. As a result, the runes would keep their effect when the owner slept in just the underpadding. While it is unknown what the runes were for, this method suggests their aid was needed even when sleeping.

Occasion

Promotion to Protector of the Valley

Monetary Value

Estimated 500 GP

Ritual

Some information about the ritual is known due to descendants of the valley, who proudly talk about how their ancestors earned the rank of Protector. They say that the promotion process of a Protector would take a month of intense training and tests. Incidentally this meant enough time to gather the funds needed.
On promotion to the rank of Protector, an individual would be handed their new armour. This would be either paid for by their commander, or their community and peers. Over time it became harder to afford the process, so less Protectors were formally promoted.

Purpose

Unfortunately at this time we do not know the purpose of the runes. While some suits of armour have been found, their underpaddings had already decomposed, causing the runes to be lost. Supposedly it protected them from negative influences, which suggests the runes were related to the areas of dread inside the valley.
Some descendants of the valley are said to have kept their ancestral armours intact, but none of those are present in the valley at this time. Messengers have been sent out to the old country, searching for armours that may help us understand what the runes were for.