Ruunspeaker

"Ruunspeaker" is the most common term for those who have mastered Sarthisi words and (allegedly) use the power of the tongue to reshape reality. "Ruunmaster," "Ruunsinger," and even "Ruun Oracle" are fairly common terms as well. In most parts of Manan, this power is still thought to be mythical, or even mere rumor, the tales of power-hungry narcissists hoping to carve some notoriety for themselves out of the vast galaxy before their short lives blink out. Nevertheless, for the last thousand years or more, these rumors persist. Always someone's friend or cousin's cousin has seen something: a bush suddenly catching fire, an old woman growing young overnight, a flock of birds falling dead, and sometimes larger and less creditable stories, like worldwide floods, massive quakes, and even the supposed destruction of entire planets. In these latter cases, the identity of said planet is always unclear or outright unknown.
Despite its largely fantastical reputation, Ruunspeaking is officially outlawed by the Oracles of the Plenum, under penalty of muting: cutting out one's tongue, removing one's teeth, or sometimes even destroying the offender's voice box. Stories occasionally arise of a Ruunspeaker's entire lower jaw being removed, though as with Ruunspeaking itself, no one ever seems able to produce evidence of such a gruesome punishment.
Manan is a vast place, of course, and attitudes toward this mythical practice will vary depending on one's location in it. The Rings of Nodd and Mellnir are both widely thought (by the gullible, they say) to hold armies of Ruunsinging sorcerers, whom they employ to colonize or steal outlying planets in one another's hinters. And as the saying goes, "The Plenum speaks, and the Chiefs laugh." Outlawed or not, those who claim to practice this arcane art will thrive or fail as the local powers decree, not any galactic law.
Legal punishment is not the only alleged consequence of this dark art, however. The Sarthi supposedly had three tongues in their large mouths, and many rumors claim a Ruunspeaker most cleave their tongue into three parts in order to speak the few remaining words of the lost Sarthisi tongue. Those that attempt this act of self-mutilation are often called fork-tongues, fool's-tongues, or simply fools, and these terms are sometimes applied to Ruunspeakers broadly. It is also said that attempting Sarthisi words takes a terrible toll on mortal throats, and those with rough voices, speech impediments, or the inability to speak are often given sideways glances, as if to ask "did you try your hand at sorcery?"
Another rumored consequence, less spoken of, is madness. Channeling the powers of the Sarthi's supposedly superior minds can overwhelm a mortal, leading to violent derangement or a sort of vegetative state. As such, the violent or despondent are often said to have "sung their minds away," and are called Ruunslaves, Ruunblasted, or again, simply fools.

Type

Informal