Of Runes and Power
Every whole PegScape coin (PegScape) you carry condenses, in the eyes of the realm, into a single Rune — a pixel-cut sigil pressed with the stamp of one slot, one tier, and a power you can read at a glance. The bank holds them stacked; the forge binds them into a loadout.
Tiers ascend like the realm's old metal hierarchy: Bronze (Common), Iron (Uncommon), Steel (Rare), Mithril (Epic), Adamant (Legendary), Dragon (Mythic). Each step multiplies the stat range a Rune can roll. Higher tiers are vanishingly rarer — almost every Rune the well surfaces is Common.
The Forge of the Pool
New Runes arrive only one way: a buy from the Magic Pool. The pool's hook watches every swap and, when conditions deserve it, drops a batch of fresh Runes into the buyer's bank. Boost flags — a sharp dip, a whale's purse, a streaking buyer, a vengeful return — tilt the rolls upward without ever guaranteeing them.
Selling a Rune burns one whole PegScape into the void, in LIFO order. A loadout slot whose Rune was burned by a sell now reads STALE — unequip it, or it counts as zero in the arena.
The Colosseum’s Code
Two souls, two Runes, one blockhash. A challenger commits a hidden number; the defender accepts and commits theirs. After both reveal, the chain mixes the blockhash that follows the second reveal into their secrets, and a power-weighted roll names the victor.
Power is the sum of stats across all five slots. The higher power favours its bearer, but does not guarantee victory — the blockhash is honest. Wagers are single Runes per side; the loser parts with theirs.
When the Runes Flicker
A duel can stall — a player vanishes after committing, or both reveals land in a window where the chain has forgotten a blockhash. The realm has answers for each. Anyone can ping a stuck duel to nudge the blockhash window forward; anyone can resolve a forfeit when a deadline lapses; anyone can recover a truly stuck fight to refund both sides minus a small bounty.
Bounties — half a percent on resolve, forfeit, recovery, and burn — are pull-claimed at the Colosseum. Watching the realm pays.