Nephilimic Runes

Nephilimic Runes are a series of runes or letters that hold power of reality. They were given meaning by the power of the Artifacts, sometime soon after their creation. There are two forms, called weak and strong runes.

Weak Runes
There are over a hundred known weak runes, and there were many more that the original nephilim knew. They are usually about an inch and a half in height and very slim, and are made up of varying lines and curves. Each unique rune has its own purpose, and when combined in different ways, they can have unlimited affects. They are written either top-to-bottom or right-to-left. Their affect remains until the rune is broken. Therefore more sturdy traps will have many runes with the same affect.

If a "phrase" of runes does not make any sense, there will either be no affect or the affect will be random and unstable, often backfiring. This includes phrases that have been broken through the destruction of one of the runes.

Runes written on skin will have their affect on the person as long as they remain unbroken. Thus tatoos or scars are better ways of marking onesself. These affects, however, are much more limited when on skin, and many runes will have no affect.

Using these runes on the skin of a Keruv will turn him or her into one of Hithpaelim.

Strong Runes
Strong runes are much more powerful, hence their name. They are written within a circle and their size and shape may vary. There are only five known, and these can have devistating affects on spirits or Thaera.

These symbols are written inside a circle with four symbols at the four sides, being up, down, left, and right or north, south, east and west. These symbols are smaller and show what to include or not include in the spell. There is a symbol for angels, demons, wreckfin, kalayfin, Vera, Nephilim, and Keruvim. These are read in clockwise order, or north, east, south, then west. There are also symbols for "include" and "disclude."

If no symbols are added around the circle, the rune will affect all spirits and Thaera within its area of affect.

Strong runes must be touched with blood in order to work. Often they were carved into the back of the hand, and when needed the arm was cut. Once the paml was facing the target, bloodied fingers pressed onto the rune would activate it, hitting every spirits in the rune's parameters and in front of the user. Runes on the floor affect everyone in the Threshhold.

The known strong runes are "debilitate," to weaken spirits; "bind," to lock spirits into physical forms (or to lock Thaerans' abilities from use); "purge," to cast spirits from the threshhold; "destroy," to kill spirits or Thaera; and "rejuvinate," which is obviously to heal completely all spirits or Thaera.