Runic altar

Runic altars are shrines where players can utilise the Runecraft skill to craft runes upon. Though the entrances to the runic altars are found in various areas in Gielinor (with the exception of the Astral Altar), the altars themselves are found in temples within their own plane of existence, and thus require talismans or tiaras imbued with their power to access. Alternatively, players who have completed the Enter the Abyss miniquest can use rifts within the Abyss to reach most altars directly, usually in a faster but more dangerous method (entering the Wilderness and becoming skulled).

Mysterious ruins, which serve as entrances to the runic altars, are not labelled on the minimap. Players can trace their location by using the "Locate" option on talismans, though this is not often done as their locations can be easily searched through external means. Players can enter the ruins by using the appropriate talisman on them, or simply click to enter them if wearing the appropriate tiara. Elemental talismans and its corresponding tiara can be used to enter all elemental altars, while catalytic talismans and its corresponding tiara can be used to enter all catalytic altars. Alternatively, a runecraft cape allows access to all runic altars without the need of talismans and tiaras.

When the player enters the ruins, they will arrive in the temple containing the runic altar in which they can craft runes upon. Players can also imbue a tiara if they have a tiara and the talisman needed to access the altar in their inventory. With the un-imbued tiara, all they have to do is use it on the altar and it will become imbued with its power. For elemental and catalytic tiaras, a gold tiara is used instead.

In the First or Second Age, a Fremennik by the name of V------- stumbled upon the Stone of Jas on Lunar Isle.^[1][2] Though the Stone was taken away immediately by "those powers who walk a higher Astral Path than ourselves [the Moon Clan]", its power had permanently altered the rocks in that cave, turning them into rune essence,^[3] and resulting in the discovery of runecrafting.^[4][5] However, this caused a great deal of conflict within the Fremennik;^[6] some believed that magic were powers belonging to the gods,^[7] whereas others felt that usage of magic would improve their lives.^[8] The conflict tore the tribe apart, and those who supported the use of magic, including V-------, split apart and became the Moon Clan.^[9] Despite this, the Fremennik still respected V------- as they believed he earned the right to use magic.^[10]

V------- would go on to travel the world alongside the Moon Clan in search of the Stone and areas with certain properties that would imbue runes with magical energies.^[11] Soon, a number of temples had been built all across Gielinor (plus one on Zanaris), where the art of runecrafting was practised.^[12] The Fremennik who opposed the Moon Clan eventually banished them, forcing them to settle on Lunar Isle.^[13]

The knowledge of runecrafting remained completely unknown to those outside the Moon Clan, until the Rune Essence Mine, a former resting place of the Stone of Jas, was discovered at the end of the Fourth Age.^[14] The human race soon began mass production of runes, allowing it to establish itself as a dominant force in much of Gielinor, starting the Fifth Age.^[15] The Fremennik would later lead a twenty year long military campaign known as the Runecrafting Crusades against Kandarin, Asgarnia, and Misthalin as a result, and the entrances to the temples in those kingdoms were destroyed,^[16] though the runic altars themselves remained safe.^[17]

The wrath that the Fremennik crusaders, the Gunnites, had wrought upon the rune temples of the world rippled through the dimensions, resulted in the rediscovery of the Wrath Altar.^[18] Just as the temple to the altar was built, it was shortly destroyed,^[19] which inadvertently led to the Sect of Uhld's founding of the Myths' Guild.^[20] With the knowledge the Sect gained from the Wrath Altar, the Gunnites of the southern crusade were destroyed.^[21]

Sometime during the early Fifth Age, a disastrous fire burned down the Wizards' Tower.^[22] The fire resulted in the loss of much knowledge, which resulted in a lessened output of runes, as the incantation to the rune essence mine was also lost.^[23] Approximately a century later, Archmage Sedridor, the head wizard of the rebuilt Wizards' Tower, and Aubury, a master runecrafter, with the assistance of an adventurer, managed to rediscover the incantation, and production of runes increased.

Elemental runic altars can be accessed with the appropriate talisman or tiara. Players can use an elemental talisman or elemental tiara to access them all rather than having one of each type.

The ring of the elements can teleport players near the elemental runic altars.

Catalytic runic altars can be accessed with the appropriate talisman or tiara, though not all require one. Players can use a catalytic talisman or catalytic tiara to access them rather than having one of each type.

Some catalytic runic altars require the completion of quests to access and craft runes upon.

• The Air Altar.
• The Mind Altar.
• The Water Altar.
• The Earth Altar.
• The Fire Altar.
• The Body Altar.
• The Cosmic Altar.
• The Chaos Altar.
• The Astral Altar.
• The Nature Altar.
• The Law Altar.
• The Death Altar.
• The Blood Altar in Morytania.
• The Blood Altar in Kourend.
• The Soul Altar in Kourend.
• The Wrath Altar.

• The altars show a faint glow every 35 ticks (21s).

v t e Runecraft
Runic altars	Elemental Air Water Earth Fire Catalytic Mind Body Cosmic Chaos Astral Nature Law Death Blood (Kourend) Soul Wrath Ourania
Talismans	Elemental Air Water Earth Fire Elemental Catalytic Mind Body Cosmic Chaos Nature Law Death Blood Wrath Catalytic Soul (unobtainable)
Tiaras	Elemental Air Water Earth Fire Elemental Catalytic Mind Body Cosmic Chaos Nature Law Death Blood Wrath Catalytic Astral (unobtainable) Soul (unobtainable)
Pouches	Small Medium Large Giant Colossal
Essence	Rune Pure Dense Dark (fragments) Daeyalt (shards) Guardian Mind core Body core Chaos core Blood essence
Extracts	Warped Twisted Mangled Scarred
Abyss rifts	Air Mind Water Earth Fire Body Cosmic Chaos Nature Law Death Blood Soul
Quests	Rune Mysteries Enter the Abyss Temple of the Eye
Raiments of the Eye	Hat (red)(blue)(green) Top (red)(blue)(green) Robe (red)(blue)(green) Boots
Other	Mysterious ruins Guardians of the Rift