Patryns are a race of beings in
Margaret Weis and
Tracy Hickman series of novels titled
The Death Gate Cycle. The Patryns were cast into the
Labyrinth by their counterpart race, the
Sartan. Both races are capable of casting powerful
magic through the use of
runes, although they perform the magic differently. The
Sartan sing and dance their
runes, and the Patryns write them.
These beings consider themselves
gods that are worshipped by the
mensch. In their battles over control of the mensch and the world, the Sartan made the decision to imprison the Patryns and then to sunder the Earth into four worlds made up of the basic elements:
Fire,
Water,
Earth, and
Air.
The Patryns are characterized by brown hair with white tips, and blue runes tatooed over their bodies, except on their faces, on their palms, fingers, and the soles of their feet.