The Nine Runes | Crimson Horde

Runes of the Horde

the tale of oddr

A young adventurer named Oddr arrived in Aylor with a cheap sword, an empty
pack and several alarming stories about the Crimson Horde.

He had heard they were savage warriors who lived for battle, so when a warrior
in crimson stopped him near Recall and said, "You won't last long with that."

Oddr reached for his sword.

The warrior laughed and handed him a better sword.

Scratched into the hilt was a rune.

A few days later, considerably better equipped and considerably more foolish,
Oddr picked a fight he could not win. He woke at Recall bruised, poorer and
furious. The same warrior was waiting.

"Going back?"
"Of course."

The warrior pointed to a different rune cut into his shield.

So they went back together.

Years passed. Aylor became Oddr's home. His weapons improved. So did his
equipment. He learned new skills. Victories accumulated, defeats became
stories, and Oddr eventually became one of the old names people recognized
around the city. But the sword the Crimson warrior had handed him on his first
day remained with him.

One day a nervous young adventurer approached him at Recall.

"Is it true what they say about the Crimson Horde?"

Oddr looked down at the rune now worn into his own shield.

"Some of it."

He pulled the old sword from his pack and handed it to the newcomer.

"The rest you'll have to earn."

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the nine runes

These are the runes of Crimson Horde. They took shape in Andolor — the symbols
may be old, but what they came to mean to the Horde was learned here.
Thor contributed several of those lessons, usually without much concern for the
teaching method.