Runic magic is truly something different; no spellbooks or reagents are needed for this way of magic. Beside the inner powers of the mage, only two items are needed to use this way to cast magic. It is an experimental way of spellcasting, however; it is unreliable and sometimes even downright dangerous, because the effects are unpredictable and spell backfires are common. This is why runic magic is only an experiment in Britannia, and a majority of magic users still place their trust in the established ways of magic. Darker forces like the Guardian aren't so careful, and brutally force experimentation with this magic on some of his worlds. With increased skill in casting however, its unpredictability drops considerably.