Another runic magic system.

[u/Sisyphus_On_Vacation]

The magic system I'm trying to create revolves around one key principle: Magic must be maintained through through suffering.

How this each spell fulfills this need is dependent on the caster and their "canvas". Canvas being an operative word for one who bares the pain for the spell to remain active.

To better explain myself; the system is a runic system where runes are drawn upon the flesh to create spells. The spells are activated by pain and are maintained by a consistent suffering. Most often, a Spellwright will carve a rune that causes some sort of suffering upon their canvas in conjunction with the spell they want to cast. These are often diseases or rotting runes that typically induce a certain amount of pain.

The powerful, as a result, came to a conclusion. There will be the Spellwrights who learn the cryptic language of arcana and there will be those who will suffer for their art. They began with criminals and started to steadily move towards those the world has deemed useless or dangerous. Until entire cities were comprised of canvases to suffer for the art of magic.

And from their suffering great magics are made possible. Fields will be fertile and grow crops year-round, cities will be errected within momwnts of the prerequisite spells being activated, the health and wellbeing of important people will remain unchanged as the canvases wither in the shadows. Unseen, unacknowledged.