Runes

The runes are items that allow the bearer to enter the corresponding Shrine of Virtue in times of need or searches of enlightenment. In front of every rune is the symbol of their virtue, on the back is a runic letter. In the correct sequence, they form the word "Infinity". It is important to know that the runes are not needed if someone wants to meditate at a shrine in normal times.

History
The runes were first encountered in Ultima IV. To pray at the shrines, the Stranger had to find all eight runes. All but two were in the corresponding cities. Having obtained all the runes, the Stranger was able to continue the Quest of the Avatar, being able to visit all the shrines.
 * The Rune of Spirituality was stored in Lord British's treasure chamber.
 * The Rune of Humility was found in Paws.

The runes weren't seen in Ultima V, but reappeared in Ultima VI. Each rune was in the corresponding city, but to get them all, the Avatar had to solve a number of quests. The runes together with the mantras were needed to dissipate the force fields erected by the gargoyles around the moonstones, so that the shrines could be free again.

By the time of Ultima VII, the Runes had been brought into the Royal Museum. Finnigan in Trinsic told the Avatar that the Rune of Honor was actually stolen and sold to the museum.

The runes were stolen from the museum 20 years before Ultima IX and twisted into glyphs, forcing the Avatar to retrieve and purify them, before they could be used to defeat the Guardian.

Runes of Virtue
In Ultima: Runes of Virtue, the runes were stolen by the Black Knight, and hidden within their corresponding dungeon. The hero had to delve into all eight dungeons of Britannia in order to retrieve the pilfered runes, and then return them to Lord British, thus foiling the Black Knight's plan.

Trivia

 * Each rune retrieved in Ultima IV grants (only) the player's character 100 XP.


 * Though the eight runes seem to be unique (in Ultima IV, they are always referred to as "the" rune of the Virtue that corresponds, and the Stranger has to go to great lengths in order to find each of the eight specific ones), Azure from Minoc is a rune-carver, which implies that there are more runes, as he probably carves more than the eight runes for a living.


 * The size of the runes is inconsistent, and they seem to grow with each installment.