Burnt on Glyphs

[Narure]

From what i can gather glyphs can be on any object. So i am propsing that wizards with an extreeme knowledge in a way should be able to have glyphs burnt or tattooed onto a body part, the hand for example. This would help the pickpocting argument because powerful wizards would have their powerful glyphs litteraly on them. I would also make alot of wizards rps make more sense when they make a fire ball or such appear when they arent holding a physical glyph.

[Garile]

I thought glyphs were some sort of stones granted power by Talad. Making use of the crystal I believe. That would mean we don't make glyphs ourselves we find them and purify them for use. Putting stones in different objects like swords  for example would be possible I suppose but tatooing it?

*edit*

Waiting for the day when the other peoples would come, he forged magical power into many shapes, suitable to be used by the mortals to help them to survive underground: he created the Glyphs.

Doesn't seem to be limited to stones and crystals, but still a tatoo seems a bit hard unless a glyph would keep it's magical powers even when grinded to the point you can put it in ink.

[emeraldfool]

I always got the impression that Glyphs were both divine and natural, meaning mortals couldn't make them.

Or at least, if we did make glyphs they would be synthetic and not as effective as natural ones.

Also, the flat surface with a symbol engraved on it seems to be important - breaking the symbol probably releases the power.

[Narure]

I thought glyphs where just the symbols?

[Karyuu]

Glyphs are the base of every spell. They can be found in nature with no real explanation - no one know exactly why they form, but when some type of energy is strongly present in one place, then a glyph can appear. Glyphs can appear as marks on very different materials from a leaf to the fur of an animal, and usually of any type of rock. Powerful wizards knows where and how to extract glyphs from nature, and they usually transfer this power to magical black stones, that are small enough to carry around.

During the centuries many glyphs have been found and studied and so the wizard learn how to recognize those. Wizards discovered that each glyph can create a spell effect and that many glyphs can be combined to obtain greater effects. To simplify casting of spells the glyphs are associated to a concept and wizards combine those concepts to form new spells. When the spell is cast the wizard must have the glyphs at hand, in his backpack or in the pockets of his robe. Glyphs are not consumed during casting. The caster focuses his mind to a particular concept and drags energy from the glyph.

The glyphs do not transfer onto the skin, although as you read they may appear on the fur of an animal (presumably one no longer attached to its owner). The stones that the natural glyphs are transfered onto are magical themselves, so it's not only the glyphs that have power but their carrier stones as well. I don't think a glyph can be transfered just onto any material.

[bilbous]

A glyph is just a symbol and that is why they can appear anywhere. This is just the meaning of the word without regard to the game. In terms of game mechanics it may be that only naturally occuring ones or only the ones created by Talad have any power but that involves implimentation details. I find it hard to believe that Talad waved his hand at the land and all of a sudden all the functional glyphs that exist were created just waiting to be found but this could very well be the proper in context origin.

[Narure]

So if they appear where there is an abundance of power i dont see why they can appear on the skin? And what is so special about other animals fur that it isnt similar to that of an enkidukai?

[Nikodemus]

I thnk you would have to born with such a glyph an your skin. Not get it. You would be most likely considered as choisen by the god.

[Zan]

I think it might be possible for them to appear on skin but I would guess that they are like a birth mark then, not a tattoo. This means that they'd be present from birth and not able to be tattooed on or made to appear in whatever manipulative way.

I would say these are extremely, extremely rare though *hopes now that his words won't trigger the creation of a bunch of uberpowerful characters with glyph birthmarks*

Ack, Nikodemus beat me to it.

[bilbous]

It may be that there is a difference between glyphs and Glyphs. A glyph may be just a random coloration in the shape of the symbol of a Glyph, perhaps imparting some succeptability to that particular power, and a Glyph is a magical item created by Talad that has the shape embedded in a crystalling structure bound up with the power of the appropriate way. Thus your pet groffel might have a discoloration on his skin in the shape of a weakness Glyph and, say, if it was a darker color than the surrounding skin it would offer your pet some innate resistance to the weakness spell, if it was lighter the spell might be more effective when cast upon him. This is of course pure speculation on my part but it seems to make sense.

[Araye]

It would seem to me that the crafter desiring a glyph in a weapon/skin/item/location would just "highly concentrate" the desired energy - focusing it at the appropriate location with the required intensity - and a glyph may form.  I say "may" because I'm sure there'd be a good chance of failure.

One would need to be a highly skilled caster/crafter/whatever, but I don't see why a glyph couldn't be formed anywhere one chose.

Araye

[bilbous]

I tend to agree but this idea seems to fly in the face of Talad being the creator of all glyphs. Do you take this to mean that Talad has decided which shapes can funnel power i.e the set of all glyphs(symbols), and anyone can draw the shape and possibly funnel the appropriate power into it? Thus Talad has created all the possible glyphs but their manifestations (Glyphs--items of power) are of a more prosaic origin?

[Karyuu]

One would need to be a highly skilled caster/crafter/whatever, but I don't see why a glyph couldn't be formed anywhere one chose.

Well, I personally get the feeling that glyphs can't just be transferred onto any material you choose. The "magical black stones" mentioned may be the only carriers capable of holding them once they are removed from their "birthplace," so to speak. Moreover, no mortal creates or forms glyphs. Glyphs are naturally-occurring, so you can't just "concentrate" power anywhere and make them appear.

[Araye]

Well they may be naturally occuring because the energy is naturally concentrated at a particular location.  Just like gold (and other rare elements) collects into "veins" in quartz.  Maybe they appear on an animal's fur/teeth/liver because of the animal's diet - similar to a pearl.  I don't mean to suggest that "man" can create them from scratch (ie. new types of glyphs (then again, maybe they can?)) - but man could have discovered how to concentrate the energy.  Talad in creating them may have defined the set of physics that allow their concentration by mortals.  So in the beginning only Talad was capable of creating them, but now that the cat is out of the bag (the laws of physics that are required to create/use them) anyone that studies and learns the secret can do it. 

Alchemists have studied how to transmute one element into another since the word alchemy was defined.  We are only now able to do this (in VERY small quanties I might add).  This was impossible 50 years ago and thought to be only capable "by God".  Science marches on.

Araye

[Karyuu]

I don't mean to suggest that "man" can create them from scratch (ie. new types of glyphs (then again, maybe they can?)) - but man could have discovered how to concentrate the energy.

Except that's not how this works at all.. As already stated:

They can be found in nature with no real explanation - no one know exactly why they form, but when some type of energy is strongly present in one place, then a glyph can appear.

Can appear. There is no certain knowledge on how glyphs are "created" in nature. What you are saying isn't possible in the game setting.