Stoneveil Script
Stoneveil Script is a cipher that uses geometric carvings—triangles, circles, and lines—arranged into specific patterns on stone to represent letters, words, or meanings. It is a semantic glyphic language, meaning it conveys concepts and phrases, not just phonetic letters.
Each runestone is typically no larger than a hand, often made from blackened slate or carved into ancient tunnel walls. They’re left at the scene of an execution or embedded into Gravestone Shrines to signal that the Veiled Kin has passed through.
Writing System
Base Glyphs (Concepts)
| Glyph | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ▲ | Upright Triangle | Honor |
| ▼ | Inverted Triangle | Shame |
| ◯ | Circle | Lineage or Blood |
| ║ | Double Vertical Line | Memory |
| ≡ | Triple Horizontal Line | Silence |
| X | Cross | Death or End |
| ◇ | Diamond | Legacy |
| ~ | Wave | Time |
| ☐ | Square | Challenge |
These base glyphs can be stacked, framed, or rotated to convey nuance.
Sentence Structure
Cipher Key / Hidden Messaging
To pass secret messages, the Veiled Kin use position-based encoding:
- Top Left Corner of the Runestone: Subject (e.g., Fallen, Kin, Challenge)
- Top Right Corner: Time (past, present, future)
- Bottom Left Corner: Intent (execution, observation, warning)
- Bottom Right Corner: Outcome (completed, failed, pending)
Central Symbol = The Core Truth or Message.
Example:
| Position | Glyph | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Top Left | ▼ | Shame (the subject is the Fallen) |
| Top Right | ~ | Time (a long time has passed) |
| Bottom Left | ☐ | Challenge |
| Bottom Right | X | Death |
| Center | ◇ | Legacy |
This translates as:
"The Fallen refused challenge long ago. They are now dead. Their legacy has been preserved."
- Honor Restored
- ▲ + ◯ + X
- Carved as: Upright Triangle overlapping a Circle, with a Cross beneath.
- Meaning: "This bloodline ends with honor."
- Silence Holds
- ≡ + ║
- A block of three horizontal lines with two vertical lines behind.
- Meaning: “The deed is done and not spoken of.”
- No Challenge Given
- ☐ + ▼
- A Square with an Inverted Triangle carved inside.
- Meaning: “The Fallen refused to face their shame.”
- Last of the Line
- ◯ within ◇
- A Circle nested inside a Diamond.
- Meaning: “The last bearer of a legacy is gone.”
- Kin’s Duty Done
- ▲ + ≡ + ◯ + X
- A phrase carved only on personal tokens left with family permission.
- Meaning: “We did what you could not.”
In-World Use
- Families may commission a stone with the cipher Kin’s Duty Done and place it in the ancestral hall with no name attached.
- Tunnel scouts might find ciphered warnings carved low on the walls: ▼ + ◯ + ~ → “A Fallen with no name waits here.”
- Stoneveil operatives may leave a cipher with the phrase ≡ + ◇ + X — "Silent legacy preserved."
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