Runehall & Scriptorium — Imperia Borealis
The Knowledge System is a mid-to-late game feature unlocked by building a Runehall (Aesir) or Scriptorium (Christianity). It lets you invest in a knowledge tree spanning six paths — Warfare, Production, Commerce, Parish, Leadership, and the Hanseatic League — to unlock powerful bonuses and new capabilities for your estate.
Your estate unlocks nodes on the tree by spending Knowledge Points. From there, nodes come in two kinds — and knowing which is which saves you a lot of confusion:
Takes effect the moment you unlock it — no expert needed. Examples: Edit Mode, auto-sell rules, new caravan types, and Outpost Foreman (which simply lets you assign any idle expert to an outpost).
After unlocking, an expert must study the node in the Runehall and then be assigned to the relevant building for the bonus to apply. Examples: combat keyword grants, training-speed boosts, crafting unlocks.
Each node in the in-game tree shows one of these two badges, so you always know whether unlocking is enough or whether an expert still has work to do.
The knowledge system follows a step-by-step flow from building construction to applying effects on the battlefield and in your workshops.
Construct a Runehall (or Scriptorium) on your estate. Requires a Religious Site to be built first, since the building name depends on your chosen religion.
Cost: 200 stone, 150 lumber, 50 iron ore. Max level: 10.
Assign experts to the Runehall. Each expert assigned generates Knowledge Points (KP) every 60 seconds. More experts and higher Scholarship skill means faster KP generation.
Expert slots scale with building level: Level 1 gives 1 slot, Level 2 gives 2, up to 6 slots at Level 10.
Spend accumulated KP plus resources to unlock nodes on the knowledge tree. Nodes have prerequisites — you must unlock lower-tier nodes before advancing to higher tiers within a path.
Unlocking is estate-wide. If the node is an 🌐 Estate-wide node, you're done — the effect is live immediately. If it's a 📚 Study required node, continue to Step 4.
For 📚 Study required nodes, an expert in the Runehall must study the unlocked node. Each study takes real time (5 minutes to 3 hours depending on the node). Once complete, the expert permanently learns that knowledge.
If an expert is removed from the Runehall mid-study, progress is paused and resumes when they return. Estate-wide nodes skip this step entirely.
Reassign a studied expert to the relevant building (barracks, workshop, trading post, etc.) to activate the knowledge effect. The bonus only applies while that expert is assigned to the building. Estate-wide effects are already active and need no assignment.
Knowledge Points are the currency for unlocking tree nodes. They are generated passively by experts assigned to the Runehall on every 60-second production tick.
Each expert contributes independently. The Scholarship skill (max level 10) increases an expert's KP output.
3 experts at Scholarship level 5 each: 3 × 1 × 1.5 = 4.5 KP per tick. Over 10 minutes that's 45 KP. Experts also gain Scholarship XP (1 per tick) while assigned to the Runehall.
| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Build Cost | 200 stone, 150 lumber, 50 iron ore |
| Requires | Religious Site (religion must be chosen first) |
| Workers | None required |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Display Name | Runehall (Aesir) / Scriptorium (Christianity) |
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slots | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Six paths, each with tiered nodes that must be unlocked in order. Paths branch at certain points, giving you choices on how to specialize. Any expert can study nodes from any path — there is no path locking.
Expert assigned to barracks reduces militia, archer, and spearman training time by 25%.
Militia trained at barracks with this expert gain the "hardened" tag (+15% defense, 30% reduced chance of being routed).
All troops consume 20% less food (always).
Expert assigned to barracks reduces cavalry, knight, and elite unit training time by 25%.
Unlocks the Sapper — a fast siege unit that undermines fortifications and withdraws before the main battle.
Spearmen gain the shield_wall keyword — absorbing 40% incoming damage in addition to their existing spear_wall counter-cavalry bonus.
When defending your home parish, all units gain +20% defense. Your archers fire in the First Attack phase even if the enemy has haste.
When your army drops below 30% strength during combat, surviving units gain frenzy for the remaining phases.
Expert assigned to barracks opens an additional troop training slot (3 → 4 concurrent operations).
Cavalry and knights gain first_strike — they attack in both the First Attack and Charge phases.
When you win an attack, you can choose to raze one building (reduces it by 1 level) instead of taking pillage resources.
OR
Your intimidate effect applies to ALL enemy units (not just fragile). Enemy units have a base 12% rout chance during Positioning.
Troops can carry a supply cache — up to 2000 wheat for mounted, 1000 for foot soldiers. Deposited at claimed locations to feed the army.
Expert assigned to a production building grants an additional +10% output.
Unlocks crafting of intermediate materials: chain rings, trigger pins, halberd heads, shaped wood.
Unlocks crafting of advanced gear: chain mail, long bow, crossbow, halberd.
Buildings at level 8+ produce at 120% rate. The last levels before legendary become the most productive.
All goods you produce count toward an Artisan Reputation score visible on your profile and the leaderboard.
Once unlocked, you can assign any idle expert as Foreman to a resource outpost — no study needed. The expert boosts all of that outpost's production based on the matching gathering skill (e.g. Mining for an iron outpost) and earns XP in that skill while assigned.
Unlocks auto-sell rules: configure thresholds per resource to automatically sell at market price.
Set a minimum stock of gear. When below the threshold, crafts are queued automatically if resources are available.
Crafting buildings have a 15% chance to produce a "superior" version of any item — +10% to its normal effect.
Increases crafting queue slots by 2 for Tannery, Armory, and Workshop.
Unlocks Edit Mode on the estate layout, allowing you to reposition buildings freely.
Unlocks refitting caravans into haulers — high capacity, slower speed.
Unlocks permanent Caravan Equipment (gear) for your fleet, managed under Trade → My Fleet.
Unlocks refitting caravans into armored caravans — high defense, lower capacity.
Allows grouping multiple caravans into a single convoy for efficiency.
You can see the last 24h of trade prices for any resource on the market — price history charts.
Unlocks binding trade contracts: agree with another player to exchange resources weekly. Caravans dispatch automatically.
If you control 40%+ of a resource's market listings in a parish, you gain +15% sale price for that resource.
Raid patrols gain +20% intercept chance, last 4 more attacks, and gain 30% more reward from successful raids.
Can place ambushes in enemy alliance territory. A report is generated for that alliance identifying the responsible estate.
Unlocks the Raider caravan — fast (1.2x speed), low capacity (0.4x), can fetch from uncontrolled special locations.
Unlocks building roads in parishes you do not own.
See all troop movements entering or leaving your home parish — unit types, counts, and destination.
Garrison troops in other estates in your parish. Garrisoned troops are fed by the offering player, not the host.
Parish fortifications you fund build 50% faster and cost 25% less. At L3 fortification, unlocks "Great Wall" — +15% parish-wide defense.
Gain "Governor" title for your home parish: +5% production for all estates, set parish tax rate (0-5% of trades).
Roads can be manually laid out on the parish map instead of organically created.
Your home parish gains a passive aura: all caravans passing through travel 15% faster.
Unlocks proposing and funding parish-level cosmetic buildings with small bonuses (+2% production, +1% defense).
Parish becomes a "Crossroads" — generates advanced/luxury resources per trade passing through. All estates benefit.
Experts assigned to buildings increase that building's max storage by up to 20% based on expert level.
Experts gain skill XP 25% faster. Recruited experts come with a random unlocked knowledge already studied.
Experts can be assigned to two buildings simultaneously at 60% effectiveness each.
Experts in the Runehall can study 2 knowledge nodes simultaneously at 75% speed each.
Passive estate-wide aura from max-level experts: per L10 expert, +2% production, +1% combat, +1% trade value (max 5 experts).
Unlocks the Kontörhuset and Hanseatic merchant voyages — dispatch merchant ships from Visby to foreign ports for rare rewards.
Any expert can study any node from any path. You don't commit to a single path — mix and match as your strategy demands.
If you pull an expert out of the Runehall mid-study, their progress is saved. Reassign them later and they pick up right where they left off.
Experts can no longer die in combat. You won't lose invested knowledge if your estate is attacked.
Unlocking a node on the tree is a one-time estate cost. After that, every expert can study it independently. Want three experts with Drill Instructor? Unlock once, study three times.
An expert's knowledge effect only activates at the building they're assigned to. An expert studying in the Runehall isn't giving bonuses to your barracks — reassign them after studying.
Some nodes are mutually exclusive — unlocking one permanently locks the other. Currently, Vanguard and War Drums in the Warfare path are exclusive choices. Choose wisely based on your combat strategy.
Assign experts to the Runehall as soon as it's built. Even low-Scholarship experts generate 1 KP per tick. The sooner you start accumulating, the sooner you unlock your first nodes.
Each upgrade gives you more expert slots. At level 2 you get a second slot — doubling your KP income. Investing in upgrades early pays dividends.
If you're focused on combat, Drill Instructor (Tier 1) is a quick win — 25% faster militia, archer, and spearman training adds up fast. Squad Tactics makes your militia significantly stronger with the hardened tag. Branch into Defensive Doctrine for turtle play, or Shock Warfare for aggressive strikes.
The Production path unlocks advanced crafting recipes. Fine Tools and Advanced Materials gate powerful gear behind knowledge — chain mail, long bows, crossbows, and halberds all require these nodes. The Automation branch lets you set up auto-sell and auto-craft for hands-off production.
Haulers is cheap and immediately useful for high-capacity transport. The Merchant branch unlocks price history and automated trade contracts. The Raider branch turns your patrols into a serious threat with boosted intercept and deep-strike capability.
The Territory branch gives you visibility, garrisoning, and fortification bonuses — essential for alliance leaders. The Infrastructure branch speeds up caravans parish-wide and culminates in the powerful Crossroads endgame node.
The Leadership path enhances your experts — faster XP gain, multi-assignment, dual study, and a powerful endgame aura from veteran experts. If you've invested heavily in experts, this path amplifies their value.
Each expert needs real time to study each node. Focus on the path that complements your playstyle first, then branch out. A single expert with three studied nodes is more impactful than three experts with none.
An expert can generate KP in the Runehall, study a node, then be reassigned to a barracks to apply the effect. Plan your expert rotation: generate KP → unlock → study → deploy.