#tldr we'd prefer some adherence just because it makes approaching the character easier on the basis of prior knowledge of them but

[runeyseason]

hey hey, a friend that reconnected with me pointed me your way and im definitely interested, really trying hard to pick which of my many muses to start off with but cant decide between two. i was wondering how canon do their backstories have to be or how much do we have to adhere to their lore?

Hiiiii! Thank you for your interest (and thank you to your friend for pointing you our way!)

As for canonicity / adherence requirements... That's a good question. Hmmm. Rune Factory as a series is quite vague, so we do very much welcome and encourage filling in the gaps & headcanoning as you'd like! That said, for the sake of keeping things consistent & keeping characters & backstories recognisable as those characters for everyone, we'd definitely prefer at least some adherence to the canon if they do have a backstory that's mentioned in detail! But you're welcome to make changes to things or dig into it - just know you'll probably need to explain what tweaks you've made in your character profile so everyone else is caught up to speed.

(Also: If it's not specified in detail - especially with how vague RF is at establishing lore - what a character's backstory is too much, you're very welcome to get creative with it. We love headcanoning things & messing around with what the series does / doesn't establish! For example: our Frey's backstory, which I've enclosed under a readmore as an example of what kind of extrapolation one is free to do.*)

"Born to a long line of Earthmates privy to the secrets of Norad that dedicated themselves, generation after generation, to studying methods for artificially regulating the Elder Dragon Ventuswill's runes for the sake of prolonging her life and rescuing the long-missing guardians. Her determination to be the one to find the answers to this generations-long mystery led her to the Royal Magic Academy in the capital, where she was enrolled as a student specialising in Rune magic, & later graduated to a research assistant. Working with now-famous Rune specialist Candy & fellow research assistant and Earthmate Lest, the three of them worked together to perfect the Rune Spheres with Candy's knowledge of Runes and Frey + Lest's abilities to connect with the earth. She also trained with the royal knights in the capital during this time, learning her way around various weapons just in case of emergencies. Eventually, their efforts bore fruit and their project was deemed a success; after seeking an audience with the King and requesting permission to deliver the Rune Spheres to Selphia, she left her research team behind to close the lid on their efforts and bring the Rune Spheres to Ventuswill in hopes they would aid her failing health."

* Disclaimer: This backstory is not meant to be set for both protagonists of 4 and a Lest is very welcome to have a backstory lore! This is just Frey's for how her situation is & is just an example for what you can do with canonicity and backstory writing - Lest can have his own unique backstory if he is ever picked up & this can be handwaved as an alternate universe situation.