Games - 27 True Runes

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	Games - 27 True Runes

The 27 True Runes are plot devices in the videogame RPG series, Suikoden, made by Konami.

Being the backbone of the Suikoden World that allows the existence of the universe, True Runes are the gods of the Suikoden world. Wholly sentient with its own will, each True Rune holds immeasurable power and many have either been the cause of wars or have turned the tide of a war in a matter of moments. True Runes are often sought by those in power due to its power of granting agelessness to its bearer. All bearers of True Runes stop aging and become immune to disease and all other natural causes of death, although they could still die from physical causes, such as accidents or murder; there are some True Runes that grant the bearer their powers, but suck their life away as they use that power - while these do grant immortality of sorts, far too often does the bearer succumb and use the powers, ending their life early. All True Runes are equal in overall power, but some have abilities that are more suited to combat than others, including some that manifest themselves in this world as physical weapons.

All True Runes represent a certain power, and bring both benefits and curses to its bearer, such as immortality, which could be a great benefit and a great curse. Furthermore, a True Rune's sentience, or ego, could often overwhelm novice bearers who do not know how to dominate True Runes. This often results in the reversal of the "master-servant" relationship, reducing a True Rune's bearer into a mere vessel that the True Rune controls to achieve its own purposes. However, with time, it is possible for a Rune bearer to gain mastery over their burden and potential twist the Rune to it's will; it's arguable whether they actually achieve mastery, however, and is instead quite possible the Rune is bending the bearer's perceived reality to meet it's own ends.

All True Runes hold a purpose, and this purpose tends to be pursued with no moral consideration due to the fact that True Runes are forces of nature. True Runes may cause its bearer to save lives, but also may force its bearer to kill thousands of people against the bearer's will if it serves the Rune's purpose. Some Runes, when unsealed and carried by an individual, are able to drive their bearer insane, making them extremely dangerous to use. It is also possible for a True Rune to prefer to take not a living host, but instead reside else where, such as is witnessed by the Beast Rune taking up residence inside a castle.

True Runes could be quite fickle, and could abandon its bearer in favor of another, more suitable host. When the bearer of a True Rune dies for whatever reason, the Rune often vanishes and hides from the world (within the earth or at the bottom of the ocean, for example) until it feels like reappearing, though many will immediately choose a new host to further their plans. Due to the nature of the True Runes, possibly due to their willpower, it is impossible, by normal methods, for a body to play host to more than one; however, the court magician for the former Scarlet Moon Empire, Windy, claimed to possess a method to bear two True Runes.

Hikusaak, the High Priest of the Kingdom of Harmonia and bearer of the Circle Rune, is rumored to have the goal of acquiring and controlling all 27 True Runes for the purpose of creating a world of true order. To circumvent the limitation of one True Rune per bearer, Hikusaak issued the creation of clones of himself, each one to bear one True Rune and be loyal to Hikusaak unto death. The Harmonian Bishops Luc and Sasarai are two such clones. Whether any other such clones are currently active is unknown.

Each Rune also holds an alignment in the Order-Chaos scale, and all 27 True Runes together maintain a balance in the world. The removal of a single Rune from this balance could tip the scales in favour of one side. As well, should a Rune ever be actually destroyed, not just split, as was attempted by the Bishop Luc, the resulting explosion could potentially level an entire continent, if not more, and forever alter the forces of nature; as this has never occured, the description of the outcome is only known by Luc's estimation of the devastation.

Creation myth

:In the beginning, there existed only long, long Darkness. :Over time, Dark grew lonely. The loneliness became a heavy sorrow. Darkness eventually cried one tear. :From the tear were born two brothers: Sword and Shield. :Sword said it could cut all that exists. Shield replied that nothing could even scratch it. :They fell into war. Their war lasted for 7 days and 7 nights. :In the end, Sword breached Shield, and Shield broke Sword. :Pieces of sword rained down to make the sky. Pieces of Shield rained down to make the earth. Their battle
flashes became the stars. :The 27 gems adorning Sword and Shield transformed into the 27 True Runes. And thus the world began it's life.

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