Weird Question: Moving a Runewell...

[Grimcleaver]

Okay, assume for a moment that it's possible. There's this group of renegade Ilsurians--the Sword of Ilsur, who plan to carry forward their forefathers' plans to take Korvosa and lay the "royal" family to the sword.

Assuming they misunderstand what a runewell is, thinking it a way to call forth the great Azghat of Wrath to destroy their enemies, they wish to transport it to the seige tunnels that run like a labyrinth beneath their city.

Now here's the big question. How do you move a runewell? Is it as simple as digging it up and transplanting it elsewhere? Would you have to take it apart and painstakingly reconstruct it? Is there something "in" the runewell that grants it its power? Is it a geomancy thing with leylines and whatnot that need to be used? What would it take to make it happen? I've kind of proceeded under the assumption that they have already done it and its emminations are corrupting the townsfolk. Within that framework--how would you do it?

[Thomas Higgins]

From what limited things I have read about them, I would say they are very geographic oriented (i.e. laylines as you suggested). I would think it would be something that would be built in a specific way with exotic materials and infused with magic. Personally, I would think once the magic infused the well, it could not be moved without destroying the magic and hence the runewell itself. However, you did say imagine, so in this case I would say that the magic is actually contained withing the materials and would need to be dismantled in a VERY specific order to contain the magic without destroying it. Sort of like containing a matrix - it becomes less stable as you dismantle it, but if you do it just right, you can still maintain the structure. Once properly dismantled, you would have to reconstruct it in an equally specific, but completely different way. Wouldn't want it to be as easy as reverse order after all ;). However, much research would need to be done, because the matrix that is the runewell container can only be built in certain areas to maintain the magic and keep it from running out of the matrix like a sieve.

Further, I would probably make the process very dangerous and limited. What I mean by this is each time you move it, the magic drains as it moves from each location, and the well as the container can not hold all that power for unlimited time. Therefore, the move would need to be researched extensively to find where it is, where it will be moved to, how to move it safely and quickly, and how to move its structure over that distance. Lastly, if anything goes wrong anywhere in route, it can do anything from ruin the well permanently to blowing up creating that new crater 2 miles wide.

[Grimcleaver]

I guess the magic can't be too fragile, or the PCs charged with destroying it could just kick it or something. You get this impression that like the Ring of Power or other such artifacts, that this thing is impervious and unresting--that unless you play by its rules and deplete its energies it will never stop corrupting people with its emmanations. I think this works to my advantage because if you can't easily physically destroy it then there's a better chance you can move it.

I mean if it was all geomancy and ley lines then the Runelord of Wrath would have had to have been a genius to find so many places where they could be built (unless you take the interesting conclusion that the potency of an area determines the minor/major nature of the runewell built there).

Ooh! Here's another interesting idea. Maybe it doesn't rely on geomancy as much as...well sinomancy. The more the people living in an area resonate with the sin, the stronger a runewell you can make. The sin taints the area, leaving more ambient power there untapped. If you build one runewell near a spot with the greediest most cutthroat people imaginable (modern day Riddleport would be a good example) then you get a really great runewell. If you transplant what was formerly only a minor runewell underneath a city of pent up bitter seditionists like Ilsurian, then it gets a taste of that and roars to life as a stronger runewell than it ever was before. That would be interesting.

It would explain why the runelord of wrath could build so many runewells compared to everyone else--oppressed people tend to feel a lot of pent up wrath.

[Grimcleaver]

Hah! I solved it! Last night I was suffering over the problem and was thinking of the idea of torches--how when fire was new and people didn't know how to make fire, they would wait for lightning to strike and then would stick a torch into it and carry it for miles and then light a whole bunch of bundles of sticks to make sure they still had some fire when they needed it.

The runechalice was created with that end in mind by the runelord of wrath. Runewells were vast investitures of time and expense to make and the followers of Wrath, not the most stable sorts in the best of circumstances, certainly did not have patience or warchest funds to spare. Unfortunately a runewell created by the runechalice was a lesser, weaker kind of runewell--but she could have them put everywhere, feeding off and stoking the sin of her people and producing Wrathspawn shock troops for her wars.

This is what the people of Islurian have found, and with it, have been able to create a functioning runewell, transferring the magical charges from an active runewell to an area rife with rage and bitterness--dry tinder for their transplant.

What do you think? Did I do it?

[mwbeeler]

I like the idea (it’s quite ingenious – the fire on a stick bit), but I think each specific runewell should require a different ritual to activate the chalice. For example, the wrath chalice might require a barbarian to rage and beat innocent villagers (probably to death). Basically, it’s a repository of evil, and creating or moving one, even for a good purpose (such as transportation away from the populace) still requires a sacrifice or evil act.

[Kruelaid]

This is a great idea for which I dearly want to thank you dude, mainly because not many hours ago I discussed the purpose of existence for an obscure order of Paladins in RotRL whose purpose, as I agreed with my player, should be to put to rest the obscenities of ancient Thassilon.

Now I'm going back to hit the sack and cogitate upon this. (It's 4 AM here)

[Grimcleaver]

See. I'm sexy AND helpful. Use it in good health.