Runecrafting Redux

After a long day, it is now 5:49, so time for some diversion.

Today's goal is to get some runecrafting in. Since I logged at Varrock, probably the easiest will be earth runes. I remember it's outside the east gate of Varrock, just not sure if the altar is to the north or south once you reach the road.

I think I should travel north and yes, my memory is correct. The altar hasn't moved, still behind the yew tree that I can chop on the way back to Varrock. (Crafting earth runes seems logical since I've only used that rune to activate mining urns and haven't used any others recently.)

Crafting done, but a wizard is camped out. Taking notes it turns out. Researching if the rune altars are gradually losing energy. Okay, if we can't craft runes, how will Runescape stay the same without runes to cast spells? I've already noticed the damage spells changed to no longer require chaos or death runes. If runes go away altogether, will the game's name change to just "Scape"?

Well, I can go on a quest to ask the wizard theorist and get teleported right there. Tallyho!

Is this the top of the wizards tower south of Draynor? Seems much more elaborate than I remember. I don't think you could get on the roof of that wizard's tower.

Finix is one of the characters with recorded dialog and has a voice. Although is he supposed to sound like Harry Potter?

Okay, he says we can still make runes from siphoning rune energy. He also sells wicked robes and essence pouches for POINTS? I have no points and no idea where/how to get some! (Then again, I don't need another costume filling my bank.) I'm getting confused on all the different exchange media within the game, some cost real money, some come from specific activities.  Why can't I just throw gold pieces at everyone?

(Btw, why do I hear a seagull sound at top of Wizzy Tower? It's getting annoying and seems quite out of place. (We're talking John-Cleese-yelling-"Albatross" levels of annoying.))

I still haven't found Finix's quest, but I have teleported to the rune essence siphoning plane. You grab floating essence that looks strange, different from normal rune essence. Then you just walk up to mind storms or watter esslings(?) and suck rune energy out of those entities and into your strange looking essence, giving you strange looking runes. But my rune essence isn't getting used up.  I actually have a lot more than when I started.

Don't know if these runes cast spells, but you use them to travel via elemental bridges between the floating islands of this plane. So while I still haven't found Wizard Esslis or whomever to ask about Finix's research, I have found traveling clouds, iceberg bridges and climbable beanstalks

Quest or no quest, there is lots of free easy runecrafting xp to go around.  Oops, and to prove my point, I just made level 53 runcrafting!  I also have an alert that a wizard is calling for help, but i cant find him anywhere.

Aah, if you siphon a feature like a pools of water or storm funnel, you use up the odd looking essence.  If you siphon from an essling creature (killing it?) you get odd rune essence from its drained cadaver.

Okay, these aren't runes you can take back to Gielinor.  Finix turns whatever you've created into points that I presume are spent at his store to get stuff.  Will follow up later.

I gave up looking for the hapless wizard and teleported out, but it turns out that I cannot find ANYONE no matter where I look. Returning to tower again I cannot find Elriss, although I find Arianne at the front door and she needs help with a vortex disrupting the library.  So I have a new quest from here.

Goodie! Part of solving this quest is playing an old style rune spell.("old style" - hmph! That's the style I'm familiar with.) on a pipe organ. (After playing the official quest tune, I played both "Mary had a little lamb" and "Heart and Soul" - the latter of which should have definitely gotten me kicked our of tower by the librarian.)

Anyhow, I've found a key, so going outside with Arianne, we break into the OLD portion of the Wizard's Tower. I learn that I should be a Saradomim mage (blue), defile a statue, yet never deal with the eventual doublecross that never happens. (C'mon, Arianna, you've consorted with demons, step up your game!)

Anyhow, now I have another hat and weapon to store, so I return to GE with materials for a divine bronze rock.  Giving a shout that I'm going to drop the puppy, myself and a few others mine from the rock. I sell off the ore and call it a night at 8:46, having collected 14,346 coin and brought my current XP up to 879,625.

Good hunting!
~ Tidwin ~