Runes

Runes:

• Runes or Marks are angelic symbols that the Nephilim burn into their skin, using steles, to give them various "supernatural" abilities. 

Runes are the Nephilim or Shadowhunters most used tool to help fight demons. Runes are a complex array of symbols and language given to Shadowhunters by the angel Raziel, that give Nephilim a power mundanes can not bare.

• They were given to the first generation of Shadowhunters by Angel Raziel so that they could fight off demons. Every rune accessed by a Shadowhunter is written in the Gray Book.

Most runes are temporary and fade off, leaving a thin white scar in its place. Other runes are permanent and stay on forever. 

• If a rune written in the Gray Book is burned into a mundane, it can drive them insane and turn them into Forsaken.

The closer the rune is to the heart the more effective the rune's power or ability is. Most runes can be placed on other objects like rocks or bricks.