Lexi (150:33)
Today's all gets library topic is runes. Or at least as good of a library topic on runes that I can do here. First things first. What are runes? So runes are the connection between its corresponding elements, magic and the individual. Think of it like a vessel for the magic between them. Once marked with their runes, magic starts to flow into the alchemist with without stopping. Unless the runes are then sealed. There are of course other versions of runes as well. Like when Fisher made the rune in the demon trap in Zelvarin. And then his tattoos on his body are often referred to as runes. People tattoo runes onto them so it is a word that is used interchangeably with other magical and tattoo symbols and whatnot. But for today's discussion, we're going to focus on alchemical runes, like what Seras has, because that is what I understand the most. How are runes related to and used in alchemy? Sealing runes is vital to an alchemist. Without sealing a rune, its magic will continue to pour into the alchemist, building up, up, up, until eventually demanding to be released. The strength of the alchemist determines how detrimental this release will be. For someone as powerful as Ceres. An explosion of power would not only kill her, her and everyone around her, but, you know, it would also destroy the entire realm. So, yeah, sealing runes is extremely important. While unsealed, the magic also flares randomly, causing intense pain. Nicole. I was looking back through Quicksilver, and when she first gets her runes, she does feel like that blaze of pain. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I love the little foreshadowing moment there. Okay, so we know that runes need to be sealed, but how does one go about that one? Well, first things first. The alchemist needs to be well rested, as alchemy requires a lot of control, and the alchemist needs to be in the right headspace to seal the quicksilver rune, the Failing or Beginner needs to open themselves up to the energetic flow of the quicksilver and learn to embody the quicksilver's energy, aligning themselves with it body and mind, before they try to transmute the substance from a solid to a liquid liquid. For the first time every day, the Failing or the beginner are encouraged to alter the quicksilver repeatedly between its natural states until the skill becomes easy and they've built a rapport with the quicksilver. Only after they have mastered this skill are they ready to set their affinity for the quicksilver's magic and seal their first alchemical rune. So I am curious about what this looks like with sealing other runes. Is it similar, or. Because Quicksilver literally does have a mind of its own, it requires more of a partnership and connection than the others. So, for instance, I wonder if Brimstone, because it has more of a connection with the soul, like, it's a little bit more like, looking internally. And I could see even like, an Ouroboros moment where Seras really has to look into her own inner demons. That's totally just my theory, though. Back to the quicksilver runes, because, again, this is what we know the most about. To actually seal this quicksilver rune, the alchemist must open. Open themselves up to the energy of the rune, and the Quicksilver tests the integrity of the Alchemists once, when they pass this initial test, then that is when the individual goes into the Quicksilver. And it really is the ultimate sign of trust is to embrace the Quicksilver and to let it become literally part of them. Once they seal this rune, the Alchemist can wield the quicksilver. With just a thought working. It is as easy as breathing. Ah. And then we've got Tria Prima, which are the three Primes of Alchemy. And they are comprised of comprised of the same basis, Salt, Quicksilver and Brimstone. The uses of each are varied, but they can be combined. Although again, we don't know what happens in the real world. They are closely tied to the elements, how they represent the elements, and what they symbolize. Like I said, I have been going down some really cool alchemy rabbit holes as I learn all about these three Primes in the Elemental Runes and Their A Comprehensive Guide to Alchemy. I'm going to go through this one more time. We learned that dirt during the first stages of Ascension, equilibrium must be found, which is what I was talking about with the building rapport with the Quicksilver. Every Alchemist has an affinity toward a certain path. Quicksilver, Brimstone or Salt. And without the appropriate guidance and training, the path will claim them. So for instance, if Seras had not gotten the proper training, like what she ended up getting from Folly in the books, she would not have been able to seal that quicksilver. And it was definitely would have claimed her and the whole realm. The individual must marry the Tria Prima into one within themselves if they are to truly master their power. We learn from Fisher's mother, Idina, that historically, Alchemist shied away from the second Bow of the Tria Prima Brimstone, not only because it was too powerful and difficult to wield, but because its only purpose seems to be linked with death and destruction. Unfortunately for all of us, Idina does not elaborate on how how else it can be used, or at least Saris does not tell the reader. I have already mentioned this, but I'm going to say it again. I find it extremely interesting that in real alchemy, sulfur, which is the equivalent to brimstone, symbolizes the soul. And we have so many soul references, so I'm curious how that might come into play. Now let's shift over to Alchemy and shields and what we know of them. An Alchemy and shield is a rune that solely belongs to the alchemist who has it. Every alchemist has one, but no alchemist will ever have the same shield. Think of again. Think. Think of it like a fingerprint. From what I can tell, the shield on someone's hand is the word to represent all the runes they have. Their collective magic is their shield. And then the shield is what channels the magic. Like what Ceres did with creating her shield with the runes and then tapping into her quicksilver magic from it that then it goes boom. Ceres shield is described as the most complex shield in the realm. It covers the whole back of her right hand with bold lines that twist around one another, forming a variety of neck knots of interconnecting runes that are woven one on top of the other. After Seirs seals the quicksilver rune, she is able to project out this shield and use it as an energy weapon to blast her enemies. So, last part of this library topic is I want to go over some of the runes that we know exist. But I do want you to keep in mind this is not a comprehensive list. We know Ceres has the runes for light, dark, silver, steel, earth, air, fire, water, salt, brimstone, and quicksilver. It's my impression that she does not need all of these sealed, only the Tree of Prema. I do wonder too, because I see the four elements in there as well. Earth, air, fire, and water. Those are directly related to the Tree of Prema as well. Ceres will also be gifted a rune from the Hazrax for break and undo. This rune is not like a regular rune. The Hazrax calls it a silent rune rune, meaning it does not possess magic the same way the rest of them do. And it is already sealed to her soul and acts as a grounding rod for her current unsealed runes. I wish I could tell you more about what in the world that means. Now shifting gears here to the other kinds of runes that we see in this world. So not the ones like on an alchemist's hands, but kind of these other meanings of runes that we see throughout the series. Kingfisher has tattoos that I'm assuming assuming were gifted to him by the gods in some way, shape or form. Vengeance, justice and sacrifice. But remember what I said at the top of the section. Runes and tattoos are sometimes interchangeable words. Other runes we see or hear of are the runes on a Vizias blade, but we don't know what they mean. Kingfisher draws a rune for break in the Demon Trap. The Demon Trap also has a thousand other runes to create it into a demon trap in the first place. Some of the Feeders Others have runes on them which we can gather are from when they were alive. This was a big question that we had about these ones from Zelvarin and why there's a rune on one of them. Talina has the runes for harmony, longevity, and two child marks. These are her mating ceremony tattoos. They picked them out and got them. So safe to say these are just tattoos, not magical runes. And that is what I can decipher about runes for you.
