Re: Runes & personalities

From: Ian Borchardt <iborchar_at_...>
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 18:33:16 +0930


David Dunham wrote:
> But the rules do present the basis of the conflict. If you have the
> Fire rune (personality traits Loyal, Honest, Purity) and the Darkness
> rune (personality traits Cruel, Cold, Secretive), a Narrator who
> accepts your justification of these incompatible runes is well within
> her rights to call for your acts of honesty to be opposed by the
> Darkness rune, and your secretive acts to be opposed by the Fire
> rune. I haven't had to narrate this myself, but I can easily see that
> it would result in paralyzing indecision. A difficult character to
> play even for those who want to play a tortured individual.

Or does an attempt to integrate opposing runes result in balance and Free Will. Admittedly this is a very Lunar philosophy (since the Moon is associated with the sense of balance in RQ).

Although I expect with Elemental runes the situation would be much more difficult, because there are no opposite Elemental runes, just the traditional cycle of advantage. As in Air defeats Water defeats Fire defeats Darkness defeats Earth defeats Air. I really don't see any conflict between the Loyal, Honest, Purity, Cruel, Cold, and Secretive personality traits myself. You don't need to lie (Anti-Honest) to be Secretive, and don't need to be boastful (Anti-Secretive) to be Honest.

Actually I think that is very important. Now that I think about it I don't think any Rune, even the Power Runes, should actually have an "opposite." After all, the Celestial Court _encompassed_ all of creation (supposedly, although the flaws in it eventually tore creation apart), so the personality traits of opposite runes probably really should _complement_ each other rather than _oppose _each other.

The major problem with having inappropriate runes (as far as personality traits goes) is much more a case of cultural incompatability. It's going to be a lot harder for a Daran Happan to develop their identification with the Darkness rune than the Fire rune. And the "Cruel, Cold, Secretive" aspects of their personality would make them seem more stange than the typical daran happan. Mor of an odd fish, so to speak.

YGWV Ian

-- 
Ian Borchardt    (iborchar_at_...)
Philosoph, Fool, and Magician
"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
  And with strange Ians, even death may die."

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