The Lord of the Runerises aspires to overthrow those who hold his beautiful Runes captive. He develops the Lordrunes: five runes to rule them all, five runes to find them, five rings to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. He then provides one to each of the great kings, and so begins the Rise of the Runelords.
A century later (time portals happen), the Runelords have become husks of themselves, broken and controlled by the Lordrunes, who begin their ascension into power under the guise of these kings (now revered as immortals) - thus begins the age of the Rise of the Lordrunes.