Rune Saint John

Rune Saint John is the heir scion of the Sun Court. Rune's Companion is Brandon Saint John and together they are the last of the Sun Throne.

Appearance
An exceptionally attractive young man in his mid-to-late 30s, Rune has blue-grey eyes and unkempt black hair. Native American heritage runs in his family. Rune pays little attention to fashion, dislikes dressing formally, and avoids revealing clothing. He is particularly fond of his leather jacket and boots.

For the most part Rune maintains a decent level of physical fitness, but a penchant for snacks means that he occasionally puts on an extra layer of padding.

Personality
Rune is brave, bold, and loyal. Generous with his affection, he is comfortable showing his feelings, to the point that Brand teases him for being sentimental. Devoted to his found family, Rune strives to provide a safe and loving environment for his small but close circle. He feels his obligations keenly, both to his friends and to New Atlantis. He is willing to undertake great personal risks in order to help others.

Brand despairs of Rune's attachment to Devil Dogs, his love of naps, and his tendency towards laziness. Not at all a morning person, Rune enjoys sleeping late and cannot function without first drinking coffee. To his own annoyance, he fails at technology.

Rune is slightly self-conscious, especially about dancing and the fit of his clothes following lazy winters. When disrespected or provoked, Rune retreats into formality. His own misfortunes have ensured that he is not impressed by wealth or by those overly concerned with social status and social niceties. Rune despises injustice and abuses of power; he particularly hates child abuse, sexual exploitation, and the use of mind control. He is an implacable enemy.

Because of past trauma, overt sexual advances often make Rune uncomfortable; he struggles with sexual intimacy and feels ashamed that he has not overcome the emotional wounds he experienced when his court fell. He is still affected by triggering events and has nightmares.

Background
Rune is the only son of Lord Sun, the Arcana of the Sun Throne. His mother died when he was very young. When he was an infant, a seer of old Atlantis prophesied that he would be the most beautiful man of his generation, a prediction that has plagued Rune ever since. Not long after birth, Rune was bound to a human Companion, Brand; he features prominently in Rune's earliest memories. At five years old, Rune was horrified to discover that Brand had been purchased by his father, and attempted to 'free' to him. Because Rune's mother had died, the boys were cared for by a nanny. Rune's education emphasized the political and social world of the Atlantean elite, in preparation for his role as his father's heir.

As a scion of an Arcana, Rune had a privileged upbringing. Lord Sun often took Rune to the beach at the Enclave, sitting on the balcony and watching Rune play in the surf. Rune rode ponies and horses on Sun Estate. He inherited a cameo necklace from his mother, but was embarrassed to wear it; the court's Seneschal also gifted him a sigil. Rune was an otherwise sensitive child, bullied by the stable boy Gregor but championed by Brand. His first boyfriend and sexual partner was Geoffrey Saint Talbot, and Geoffrey's later rejection devastated Rune.

When he was fifteen years old, the Sun Throne was attacked in an unsanctioned raid. The attackers ringed the estate in stealth wards so that people on the neighboring properties were unaware as the raid occurred. Earlier in the night, Rune had snuck off Sun Estate to attend a party, leaving Brand behind. Upon his return, Rune was taken by surprise, knocked out, and carried to the carriage house. There, in the presence of an "unaware" Brand, Rune was tortured and raped repeatedly by nine men wearing animal masks, none of whom seemed to perpetrate the rapes for their own pleasure. One man wore formal gloves, another a hound's mask, and another a cat's. One of the men had bloodshot green eyes. Rune acknowledges that during the assault he did not fight back. That same night, fifteen people on the estate were murdered - all the live-in staff and Rune's father - their bodies burned beyond recognition. The buildings on the property were looted, the armory ransacked, and almost all the sigils stolen. Towards the end of the night, Brand surprised the attackers and was able to take Rune to safety. No one has ever identified the people involved in the raid. After the fall of their court, Rune and Brand found themselves in an extremely vulnerable position. Lord Sun's best friend, Lord Tower, offered the boys protection and installed them in his household. He made sure that Rune and Brand received training and education, although sometimes the lessons he shared were harshly delivered. Nevertheless, Rune grew to view the Tower as a mentor and patron, considering him to have raised the boys in his father's stead. As a young adult, Rune undertook odd jobs for the Tower; together with Brand, he then established a business as a mixture of mercenary and private investigator. Using these skills, Rune has covertly gathered information about the fall of the Sun Throne.

When they moved out of the Tower's household, Rune purchased Half House and hired Queenie as housekeeper. Lacking the assets of his court, Rune lived from paycheck to paycheck, his home shabby and filled with half-broken appliances and cheap domestic wards. Rune scavenged most of his sigils from Sun Estate, and periodically visits the site to collect remaining artifacts and art to sell in order to cover expenses.

Magical Abilities
Rune is an exceptionally gifted magic worker. Before taking up the Sun Throne, his talents surpassed those of other scions. Able to juggle at least three light cantrips at once, he can also direct their position in physical space, sending them, for example, down hallways to draw away attacks. Rune has mastered difficult magics, such as the Soul Bind, and he excels at fire spells. Given his limited sigils, Rune practices magic in creative and innovative ways.

Rune has the rare ability to sense magic.

Rune is capable of creating new spells, such as Exodus. In sanctums, he meditates to direct his willpower into sigils.

Aspect
Originally confined to glowing eyes, Rune's Aspect began to strengthen during his search for Addam Saint Nicholas. His eyes now spill fire and sparks, and flames spread across his limbs. Unusually, the flames are shot through with bless fire. The other Arcana describe Rune's Aspect as a 'burning man,' and claim it looks similar to his father's. Although he briefly found his Aspect difficult to control during moments of high emotion, Rune has since learned to master his Aspect's response.

Arcana Majeure
Rune can use his body and magical abilities to power spells without the use of sigils. Before learning about the cost of the Arcana Majeure, Rune frequently used it to power his wrist cuff; overuse of the cuff tired him, and gave him greenish bags under his eyes. He notably employed a column of light to break up the weather magic cast by Ashton Saint Gabriel, and shattered the Hanged Man's barrier around the USS Declaration.

Companion Bond
Rune is able to sense Brand and his emotions through the Companion bond, except for those moments when Brand purposefully blocks him. Although he cannot directly communicate with each other, during the Sunken Mall affair they experimented with conveying information. Lord Tower was later able to directly speak to Brand through Rune's bond. When los desmembrados controls Brand with a geas, Rune breaks it by pushing power through the Companion bond. As they have aged, their bond has strengthened noticeably.

Prophecies
A number of significant prophecies were made about Rune, including:
 * the most beautiful/compelling man prophecy
 * a prophecy referenced by Lord Hermit

Sigils

 * A gold ring with emerald chips
 * given to him by Elena Saint-Valentine in exchange for protecting Max
 * Cameo necklace
 * formerly his mother's, now owned by Max
 * A silver ankh on a chain
 * given to him by the Sun Court seneschal when Rune was seven years old
 * Platinum disc kept on a leather bracelet
 * given to him by Quinn
 * Gold ankle chain
 * White-gold ring
 * Gold ring
 * Metal cock ring on a leather strap
 * found in the rooms of the Sun Court seneschal
 * Clay disc (a mass sigil)

Magical Items

 * A scuffed gold wrist cuff with a mutable shape; can turn into a sword or hilt imbued with fire magic; one of the few remaining weapons from the Sun Court; powered by the Arcana Majeure

Vehicles

 * An old Saturn

Trivia

 * Rune is Demisexual, as noted by KD Edwards on his Twitter.