Summoning

Summoning can be done through special cards and statues which contain the essence of a creature. This is done by placing them on special runic pedestals (tablets can be found with different amounts & combinations of card/statue slots, which can be used both in battle as in puzzles/minigames) or holding them with a special runic glove.

Empty cards can be found which can be used to capture the essence of a creature. Special cards are needed for beings with a soul. Converting an essence into a statue requires complex runic rituals, and no 'empty' versions exist.

A summoner is an individual dedicated to 'collecting' as many different creatures in this manner as possible.

Summoners play a card game and a chess-like board game amongst each other. Some dungeons have entrances that can only be unlocked through puzzles that involve either of these two games. These contain the hoards of ancient powerful summoners.

The ancient gnomish rituals used to create cards and statues have been lost to time, so their number is relatively limited.