The small walled town of Runegate squats atop a low rocky rise on the northern bank of the Swan River. It dates from before the Dragonkill War. Runegate was resettled by horse-worshipers who fled from the Holy Country in 1325, dragging their sacred lintel stone. They called themselves “Hyalorings” and claimed descent from the ancient hero Hyalor Horsebreaker. The Hyalorings formed a triaty of clans (the Enhyli, the Lonisi, and the Narri) with Runegate as their tribal center, and each clan swore to take wives only from a specific clan. However, around 1400, to make peace with the Colymar, the Narri took wives from them. This so-called “Fish Marriage” badly weakened the triaty so that the Lonisi were devastated in the subsequent Taral War. The remnants of the triaty eventually joined the Colymar tribe and the Taraling clan was founded on the ruins of the Lonisi.
The Taraling clan currently dominates the town. Runegate was the site of a major battle when the Red Emperor invaded Sartar in 1602. The town survived an assault of undead from the Upland Marsh only to be destroyed by the Crimson Bat, only the lintel stone surviving.
It was subsequently rebuilt; as a result, most of the buildings are less than a generation old and most are built out of wood and lime plastered adobe. The town has a population of about 900 people, with a major temple to Elmal the Sun God and shrines to Humakt the War God and the Storm Bull. Queen Leika asserts lordship of Runegate; however, the chief of the Runegate town council, Verinos the Old, is generally seen as the master of the town.
To the north of Runegate is Horse Town, where the local clans breed, raise, and sell horses.