Runes

It's not known who discovered the first rune. Eons of dismissal put the thought of the supernatural in its allegedly proper place at the corners of the universe; perhaps though, this is that corner. This may be the forgotten void where great powers that cannot be explained or rationalized to feeble minds are secreted away.

Since that moment, reality is no longer an external creation that bends mortals to its will - instead, they are now a part of the fabrication of existence, weaving their own mystical touches into the tapestry of time.

### What are Runes?

Out of character references to runes simply mean the badges on character profiles indicating their abilities and skills. Because each of these are earned by in character activity, they are symbolized in the game as objects your characters can collect, as well as shown by icons in profiles around the forum. Read more on badges on Badges page.

To your characters, runes are likened to stones with metaphysical properties. Each has a symbol or mark on its surface, and each glows with a faint but constant energy that manifests as both light and sound waves. The energy within produces a gentle glow, and while the sound is not perceptible to most, a change in the atmosphere is felt from the particular frequencies each rune emits. Because of this, one could 'sense' a nearby rune without having seen it.

### What Runes Do

Each rune has a particular set of metaphysical properties that affect both it and whoever bears it. In other realities, these properties might have been called magic, but there's far more than that to these little stones. The dynamics of this galaxy and the source of power for runes are still a mystery, but from what little science has been able to explain about them, we know that cosmic unions being formed and severed cause great events in the metaphysical properties of certain objects. Energy from these events often causes matter to burst - and runes are the inexplicable result. For this reason, runes are not always alike. Some are common, while others are rare, while still others are the ultimate *vari*, meaning only one is known to exist.

When in proximity to a rune, different effects can be felt depending on level of contact.

* Within X feet of a rune, energy waves can be felt by passersby.
	+ *Characters with acuity badges can feel from 2X feet away.*
* Touching a rune, a character acquires its Tier 1 abilities (only while direct contact is sustained).
* Fusing a rune, it disappears and gives the runebearer access to all tiers.

When a character has fused a rune, it will then show on their profile in the form of a badge. All rune badges can be leveled up in order to increase the character's effectiveness with that particular rune. Only after the badge is visible on their profile can a character proceed to level up their runes; simply fusing with the rune is not enough to be familiar with the extent of its power. Once fused, it is one with its runebearer, and only a fura rune can remove it.

Characters will often buy, trade, or even steal runes, but this can only be done with runes that have not been fused.

### Leveling Up

All runes can be leveled up to increase the runebearer's skill with its particular set of powers. How this is done will vary from rune to rune, but the general concept is that a character cannot become better at a certain skill unless they continue to practice using it. Characters must show a development with their powers, a learning curve wherein they start to acclimate to what they can and cannot do; as this happens, the runes on their profile will level up to the next tier.

If you need help leveling up a rune or would like personalized advice for your character, reach out to a sage.