Seals (Thaumcraft 2)

Seals

Seals are special magical symbols that can be placed on most surfaces. Once placed the seal performs some kind of magical effect in the area it is facing. The exact area they effect varies from seal to seal, but is usually an equal sided cube placed in the direction the seal is facing. here is an example of a seal with a 5x5x5 area:

Seals, however, cannot perform this effect until they have been activated. This is done by placing Runic Essences in them.

It should be noted that while seals seem truly wondrous, they are not without a cost. When seals are operating they cause a disturbance in the local aura which could promote the creation of Taint. Using too many seals in a limited area can have disastrous consequences. Some seals are inherently more likely to cause taint - the portal seals being a good example of this. Each time the portal is traversed it tears a rift in the local aura which causes large amounts of taint

Runic Essences

There are six types of Runic Essences: Magic, Air, Water, Earth, Fire and Dark. Each Essence corresponds to the type of crystal used when it was infused.

Up to three Runic Essences can be placed on a seal and the combination of essences used determines what the seal can do.

Once placed on a seal runic essences cannot be recovered. Removing the seal only returns the seal.

As a guideline of what Essences represent, see below:

Magic Runic Essence

This essence deals with life and the manipulation of magical energy.

Air Runic Essence

This essence deals with movement and the wind.

Water Runic Essence

This essence deals with improvement, water and order.

Earth Runic Essence

This essence deals with growing things, earth and strength.

Fire Runic Essence

This essence deals with destruction, flames and energy.

Dark Runic Essence

The mirror of Magic runic essence, this essence deals with death, destruction or perversion of magical energy or negativity.

Some Common Examples

(Air + Dark + Dark)

This combination of runes draws items to the seal and places them in a nearby container.

(Magic + Air)

This combination of runes creates a portal that allows you to travel to another seal set with the same combination of runes. You can only travel to seals with the same combination of runes, so adding a third rune to the seal will allow you to create up to 7 distinct networks. The portals do not allow travel between dimensions and portal networks set up in different dimensions are all separate from each other.

(Earth + Water)

This combination of seals harvests all fully grown plants in it's area.

(Magic + Magic)

This combination of runes infuses the local aura with a charge of energy. This charge of energy does not boost or harm the aura in any way, but certain Thaumic devices can use this charge to increase their speed.

Crystal Ball

Sometimes what a combination of runes does is not obvious. To get around that problem one must craft a Crystal Ball. Using this on a seal will reveal what the current combination of runes allows the seal to do.

The Crystal Ball also stores a record of all the seals you have discovered so far which you can peruse at your own leisure. It also shows you which runic essences produce invalid combinations without having to have discovered that fact first.