On the 15 of August, 2008, Jagex released an article about Future PvP Updates. At the very bottom of this article was the following line:

“ Finally, we'd like to let you in on a little secret – we're currently working on our highest secret – we're currently working on our highest level, longest, most exciting quest ever. Not necessarily for launch in '08 (it's not something we want to rush, after all), it’s already had more development time than the entirety of "Recipe for Disaster"... but you’ll have to wait to find out more. We're adding secret hints and references all the time about this one, so if you need to know more, just look around! Leave no stone unturned...."

The article also mentioned a quest which could possibly include the stone as part of its main storyline. Since this hint was contained inside an article about the future of PvP, it was overlooked and ignored by a large majority of players (which was probably the intention).

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Index

1.0     A Distant Rumble
    1.1       The Mysterious Mithril Cavern
    1.2       My notes
    1.3       Dragonkin
          1.3.1     Freneskae
   1.4       The Necrosyrtes
   1.5       The Mahjarrat
          1.5.1       Zamorak
          1.5.2       Zemouregal
          1.5.3       Lucien
          1.5.4       Azzanadra
          1.5.6       Akthanakos
          1.5.7       Enakhra,
          1.5.8       Sliske
          1.5.9       Hazeel
          1.5.10     General Kazard
    1.6       The Mahjarrat who are going to the North
          1.6.1       Postbag # 25
          1.6.2       Postbag # 22
    1.7     Icyene
          1.7.1       Queen Efaritay
          1.7.2       King Ascertes Hallow
          1.7.3       Safalaan Hallow
2.0     Armadyl Communique
    2.1       Idria
3.0     The Stone of Jas
   3.1       The Stone in Ancient Pages
   3.2       Melzar Metions the Stone
   3.3       The Tower of Life's Energy
   3.4       The Oracle speaks of the Stone
   3.5       Juna
   3.6       Jack from "Meeting History"
          3.6.1     The Wizard's Tower
    3.7       A True and Concise History of the Discovery of Runes
    3.8       From the Moonclan Manual
    3.9       Jas in the Wild
    3.10     A Myth to the Mahjarrat
4.0     The Eye of Saradomin
    4.1       Wizard Elriss
    4.2       Conversation with Elriss
5.0     Movario
    5.1       Transcript of the Conversation
6.0     The Elder Gods
    6.1       Book of Folklor
    6.2       Portal of Life
    6.3       The Anima Mundi
    6.4       The Planar Theory
7.0     The Gods
    7.1     Guthix
          7.1.1     Followers of Guthix
    7.2       Zamorak
    7.3       Saradomin
    7.4       Zaros
    7.5       Armadyl
    7.6       Bandos
8.0     God Wars Introduction
    8.1       Armadyl's Eyrie
    8.2       Bandos Stronghold Introduction
    8.3       Zamorak's Fortress
    8.4       Saradomin's Encampment
9.0     The Edicts of Guthix
10.0   Places in Gielinor, Past and Present
    10.1     Dareeyak
    10.2     Ghorrock
    10.3     Annakarl
    10.4     Carralangar
    10.5     Kharyrll
    10.6     Senntisten
    10.7     Saranthium
    10.8     Lassar
    10.9     Padewwa
    10.10   Ullek
    10.11   Menaphos
    10.12   Darkmeyer
    10.13   Acheron
    10.14   The Grand Library
    10.15   Prifdinnas
    10.16   Tirannwn
    10.17   Arposandra
    10.18   Falador
    10.19   The Flames of Lloigh-enn
    10.20   Yu'biusk
    10.21   Digsite
11.0   The Clans
    11.1     Iorwerth Clan
    11.2     Cadarn Clan
12.0   Characters in Runescape Worthy of Notation
    12.1     Viggora
    12.2     Drakan
    12.3     Seren
    12.4     Iban
    12.5     Thammaron
    12.6     Delrith
    12.7     Malak
    12.8     TUMEKEN
    12.9     AMSCUT "THE DEVOURER"
    12.10   ICTHLARIN
    12.11   Sir Vant
    12.12   King Vallence
    12.13   The Wise Old Man
    12.14   Agrith Naar
    12.15   King Vargas
    12.16   Dimintheis
13.0   Lores and Histories
    13.1     Conversations with a Mage, by Samael Leynes
    13.2     Herman's Book
    13.3     The Fall of Six
14.0   Postbags
    14.1     Postbag # 5
    14.2     Postbag # 9
    14.3     Postbag # 13
    14.4     Postbag # 22
    14.5     Postbag # 23
    14.6     Postbag # 25 noticeboard
    14.7     Postbag # 27
    14.8     Postbag # 30
    14.9     Postbag # 32
15.0   Dark Squall
16.0   3 November 2008 - Behind the Scenes - November

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1.0 A Distant Rumble

On the page, "28 October 2008 - Hallowe'en Event and Quest" very inconspicuously placed at the very bottom of the page is one wee little very important line. Here it is...under the heading.
"In other news..."

"A distant rumble has recently been heard just north of Baxtorian Waterfall..."

1.1 - The Mysterious Mithril Cavern -

-Proof of Mithril door in the Baxtorian Journal - Page 20 -

"Our theory of artificial origins has been vindicated! We have discovered a sturdy door, which seems to be a similar age to the original excavations. I am sure that there is a magical or mechanical activity behind it, though it may be simply be a great rush of water."

Dive into the Whirlpool and run South west. Here there are some stairs, which were believed to be ‘too slippery to climb’. However I managed to climb them. Once there there was a wide corridor in which opened to a large room. The room looks frozen.

At the end of the cavern in which you enter, there is a shallow trough with shallow stone edges around a flat gray surface, with anvils covering the front, the pointy part facing left. The most striking feature are the dragon heads. They are bronze-ish, with horns twirling from there spot to curve directly parrelell to the edges of the mouth, which is opening rather largely , the bottom setting on the floor. There are little dirt lines on the floor, to suggest either water flowing, or pipes, because where the dirt meets the edge of the trough, there are shallow indentions. The dirt runs off into holes in the walls, there is also a conveyer belt. If you look at the grooves near the walls they seem to have a small blue rock blocking them. If you try using a metal bar on the anvil it reads 'the anvil resists the metal bar, pushing it away'. when you use a pick axe on it nothing happens. Maybe a glitch, maybe a hint. There are 10 anvils, 2 you can't reach.

The are three Dragon heads in which there mouths are open, and hang over a large trough shaped in the letter ’u’ or ‘n’ depending on the camera angle you are looking at.

1.2 - My notes -

A book given during Barbarian Training by Otto Godblessed. It records entries from ancient pages which are sometimes obtained when rummaging barbarian skeletons or as monster drops in the Ancient Cavern.

1     I have researched these accursed creatures of mithril more, the results are disturbing. Analysis leads me to believe that they were created by a higher power, what sort of creature could be so powerful?
2     ...metallic for missiles and magical energies...green for close combat and magic...both have their breath weapon for which they are infamous...next I will try reason and logic, may Guthix watch over me.
3     I must caution against offering the wrong gifts to the spirits inhabiting the world beyond this. They seem quick to anger if the offerer was in any way responsible for the offering's death.
4     Item 1 - mithril present in large quantities as suspected. Item 2 - guarded by vast dragons of the same metal. Recommendation - this has potential to undermine our monopoly, suggest we keep the location secret.
5     The combination of each of these prime ingredients will result in a fine pie, heightening the reactions of the lucky fellow who eats it. Sadly, most demand in my establishment is from scruffy fellows who make the place look untidy.
6     …no one I know of has access to an onyx amulet, the cost is just too immense. Enchanted, charged dragonstone amulets appear to be able to increase the perceptions of the wearer, at least when mining rocks for ore, they can increase the yield of precious gems.
7     ...because her coach was a pumpkin. We laughed so much I thought my sides would split. I think that too much dwarven ale may have clouded by views, since it no longer seems a fit fest...
8     In search of the incarnation of Scabaras, I probe the darkest recesses of the hidden world. If he lies in wait, I must be the one to reunite him with his fellow deities. What would befall us if he were forever isolated? His bitterness can only grow...
9     I am not sure anymore will ever read this, as I say my final farewells. If any find this pass on my regards to Annalise, if she still lives. I cannot see this being a place visited by those as doomed as I am.
10     If I ever get my hands on Otto he'll be in his grave. Sending me to this place to fester and die. 'See wonders' he says 'Impress the spirits' he says. The only way I'll be impressing the spirits is as one. While he sits out there living in luxury...
11     ..is the stone here?...was the stone here?...will the stone be here?...would that my sanity were firm enough that I knew what my questions meant. Then I might seek an answer.
12     A momentary flash but I saw it! Hornless but the same deep crimson of its set-mates. A glorious thing to see, guarded by the creatures in the upper galleries. I must have it, I will have it!
13     It read 'Laufata ki Glough ki Ta Quir Priw Undo eso, Tolly, gnomo kar is Glough hamo sarko pro Arposandra Qua!' - If only I had studied my languages more diligently.
14     When Pukkamay first made toad crunchies, everyone thought he was mad. 'Chewy toads, in crunchies? It'll never work' they said - how wrong they were...
15     ...I learned my lesson when I tried to take that Zamorakian wine. I really think the monks overreacted. I always thought they were supposed to be teetotal anyway. 16     The Baxtorian Falls are well worth investigating, in my opinion, since water leaves the lake above this area yet none appears to flow into it. What could be the source of this quantity of water?
17     My investigations show that water temperature in the Baxtorian Falls area are substantially higher than might be expected given the local climate. The source of this heat will now be the focus of my studies.
18     Our best guess is that some sort of heat generation process is occurring in the tunnels we have scryed, though the denizens are proving quite a hindrance to our free travel. Research was never this dangerous for my teachers.
19     Barakur has proved his worth, as we were forced to slay several dragons on our way to inner regions. The caves are clearly of artificial manufacture, though the excavations must have been thousands of years ago, to judge by the...
20     Our theory of artificial origins has been vindicated! We have discovered a sturdy door, which seems to be a similar age to the original excavations. I am sure that there is a magical or mechanical activity behind it, though it may simply be a great rush of water.
21     The door resists all of our efforts to penetrate it, even the Fishing explosives which Derril suggested were tried with no success. There must be some way through which is linked to magic though perhaps all who know the secret are now long dead.
22     Buy from Bob's Brilliant Axes - if you see our prices bettered, let us know and we will best them. Offer subject to availability and at Bob's discretion. Does not affect your legal rights under Lumbridge laws.
23     ...barred the magi loyal to the great lord Zamorak from entering the tower, keeping the new-found power of the runes to themselves. But one brave soul gathered his followers and forced his way into the library...
24     ...created spheres of power to support those who should come to that dread place thereafter. But the well senses the light of these spheres, and will not...
25     ...and I have lost my way in the accursed dungeon. The air is foul and bugs are everywhere...a noise from down the tunnel. There was a bell on the floor. Grasping the bell I rang it with all my might...it attacked me.
26     …perhaps dragonkin were involved? A wild theory, I know, but look at the evidence…

1.3 - Dragonkin -

Dragon metal was discovered thousands of years ago by the Dragonkin. They and the Necrosyrtes made the armour and it was given to, or bought by, the inhabitants of RuneScape. The Dragonkin told no one what it is made of, or how it is made, so very little is known about it. It is currently the hardest known metal in all of RuneScape, however this is questioned by many people as there has been no testing of the strength of God Armour or Barrows armour. Many attempts have been made to try and melt it down, one attempt is by Mr. Mordaut (who inadvertantly revealed that the Dragonkin were the original creators of the metal) , but none have been successful.

Along with being mortal, dragonkin could not reproduce. To protect themselves and carry on their lineage they created a race of weaker clone beings that could reproduce... those clones are known today as Dragons.

During the A Tail of Two Cats quest, players are able to see a cutscene of Robert the Strong defeating a dragonkin.

When getting notes that can be copied into My Notes, one of them hints of Dragonkin.

Jagex has revealed that the Dragonkin storyline is to be expanded in further updates.

It is believed that the Dragonkin are currently hiding underground in Morytania, due to an imp saying in a Postbag from the Hedge that the place smells of "dragon poo", which has not happened in over 1000 years, according to the imp.

The King Black Dragon is supposedly a dragonkin, or in contact herewith them, and the metal dragons are supposedly the most powerful of the current dragons and were fashioned from metal for the dragonkin's protection.

Strangely, Castle Drakan looks like Dragonkin's castle in cutscene of A Tail of Two Cats

1.3.1 - Freneskae -

Freneskae (or Feneskrae or Freneskrae) is a dimension beyond RuneScape. It is the original home of the Mahjarrat. In the Second Age, Icthlarin brought the Mahjarrat from Freneskae. It is thought to be a very hellish place, much like the Wilderness. There may be other gods and demigods of Freneskae that are not known of yet. Zamorak spoke of his own race, the Mahjarrat, as the "devourers of Freneskae" and both Zamorak and Guthix agree that Freneskae is the source of the rare and powerful Dragon weapons and armours.

From Location: Home > Player Submissions > God letters > Issue 25 - Guthix Reiterates

The Question - I have also come across the Lost City of Zanaris, and all it has to offer. I have also been in the marketplace there, and there I had come across a fairy named Jakut, who was selling swords of a type of metal called Dragon. The fairy had also told me that these weapons were from a realm called "Frenaskae" or something similar to that effect, however the name or spelling eludes me at this point in time. The guardians of Armadyl who I have also helped in my travels have also told me about this place briefly, but I cannot remember if they said it was a place or person. Either way, it is all very mysterious to me. This realm or person must hold extreme power if they have these weapons made of this material called Dragon that is even more powerful than the Runite or Rune metal we know on RuneScape. Is anything known about this place or person, whatever it may be?

The Answer - Freneskae is a realm of near constant warfare, that hath developed techniques and weaponry far beyond the inkling of most mortals. It hath influenced this land, for many warriors that were used by mine brethren in the wars of the gods came directly from that plane, and when defeated here oft did drop pieces of their strange and powerful equipment as they fell. Such powerful equipment inevitably became prized amongst warriors for both its power and sturdiness, although most warriors desirous of such equipment cared little for its origin.

1.4 - The Necrosyrtes -

The Necrosyrte swere a race which Fairy Aeryka claims to have invented dragon metal instead of the Mahjarrat. There is no other mention of them, so little is known about them. 'Necrosyrte' is a genus of vulture, leading some players to suspect that the word may be linked to the Dragonkin, who share some visual similarities with vultures.

In Postbag # 19, one of the letters, answered by a Green Dragon, also says that "The very weapons that make you strong bring Kin's return ever closer", perhaps hinting at a connection with the Dragon Weapons.

1.5 - The Mahjarrat -

A "tribe" of chaotic, "accursed creatures" according to Saradomin. Known members are Zamorak, Zemouregal, Lucien, Azzanadra, Akthanakos, Enakhra, Sliske, and Hazeel. Saradomin claims the only Mahjarrat with the powers of a god is Zamorak and the others are merely mortal, albeit very long lived, very hard to kill, very powerful and very evil. The most powerful of the mortal Mahjarrat is Azzanadra who is very nearly as powerful as a minor god. Originally they served Icthlarin, but were soon taken by Zaros to follow his bidding.

The Shield of Arrav has the power the resist the magicks of the Mahjarrat.

1.5.1. - Zamorak -

Zamorak is the god of chaos, and being one of the three major gods. His symbol is similar to the letter W, which is also shown on his God armour. Guthix calls him a personification of Chaos, when asked about this in one of his letters. His followers burnt the original Wizards' Tower to the ground, depriving the Saradomin mages of the time of much of the knowledge of magic, and in particular how to make runes. Zamorak was the second main participant in the God wars. Though he did not shape the world as did Guthix, Zamorak had corrupted many parts of the would-be orderly world Saradomin envisioned with taints of "evil" (in the opinion of most people), especially in human nature and such. He was one of the gods featured in the God Letters. According to Saradomin, also in the God Letters, Zamorak's name is pronounced "Zam-oh-rack." Zamorak, like Saradomin and Guthix, does not speak of Zaros, as he is extremely frightened of him, (although he pretends not to be) as shown in the issue 18 of the God Letters.

1.5.2. - Zemouregal -

A mahjarrat who conspired to destroy Varrock through the elder demon Delrith - it was foiled first time by an adventurer called "Wally" and the player gets the opportunity to foil the second attempt, though Zemouregal isn't involved this time. For a demonstration of the powers of an elder demon, one merely needs to see the ruins of Uzer. He also troubled the hero Arrav during his quest to retrieve the shield which now bears his name.

Rumoured to be the mysterious old man who gives small trinkets to disguise his true intentions of reviving forbidden summoning magics using the banned Life Rune. He has made no appearance in the game so far.

1.5.3. - Lucien -

Lucien is a Mahjarrat and was part of the rebel force which rose against Zaros at the start of the Third Age - but he did not take part in the actual battle. He sniffed out the spy in their camp, but knew the spies were actually aiding them. Lucien represents a massive threat to Zamorak, as Lucien now posesses the Staff of Armadyl - The same weapon which Zamorak used to slay the mighty Zaros. It would appear that Lucien is more friendly to Zamorak...but among chaotic evil beings, friendliness works on intimidation and Zamorak is nowhere near as powerful as Zaros was.
According to Viggora, Lucien was/is a powerful user of magic, but was conveniently "otherwise occupied" when the great uprising took place.

1.5.4. - Azzanadra -

After the Mahjarrat were taken from Icthlarin by Zaros, Azzanadra did not join the rebels of General Zamorak and, when fighting broke out, he was the main force opposing them. So powerful was Azzanadra, that the entire rebel army were occupied with him and Zamorak had to fight Zaros in single combat. Zamorak, now a god, allied with Saradomin so as to use their combined power to seal Azzanadra in a pyramid. However, he is freed in the Desert Treasure quest, something which may well spark some interesting conflict between the gods...Especially after Icthlarin made an appearance shortly afterwards.

1.5.5. - Akthanakos -

Akthanakos is a camel-headed Mahjarrat loyal to Zaros, and a sworn enemy of Enakhra. Due to the player's actions in the Enakhra's Lament quest, he is freed from Enakhra's control and chases her to The North. The camels of the deep desert are presumed to be named after him. Akthanakos, like the other Mahjarrat, left the world of Freneskae during the Second Age. Upon arrival, he moved south, to the Kharidian Desert. During the betrayal of Zaros, Akthanakos stayed loyal to Zaros, unlike Enakhra (although they have been rivals long before arriving to Gielinor, according to him). Enakhra wanted to please Zamorak and made a temple for him, and then tricked Akthanakos into believing that she wanted to join Zaros's side. However, Enakhra tricked him and forced into servitude as a Bone guard. Only recently has he been freed, and now seeks vengeance against Enahkra

1.5.6. - Enakhra -

Enakhra is the only known female Mahjarrat. She built a temple under the desert in honour of Zamorak. Thousands of years ago, Enakhra tricked Akthankos, a fellow Mahjarrat and follower of Zaros, and trapped him as a bone guard. In the quest Enakhra's Lament her and Akthankos then leave the player to continue their battle up in the North.

1.5.8 - Sliske -

Sliske was a Mahjarrat during the God Wars. It has been said that he is the figure in The Fall of Six, who gave the Barrows brothers their powers, and lead to their downfall, though this is speculation. Little else is known about him. In Postbag 27 it is confirmed he is a Zarosian.

According to postbag # 20, Sliske 'the serpent-tongued "delves the shadows" but it's currently unknown what it means.

1.5.9. - Hazeel -

Reverred as a deity by his cult, you get the option to revive him in Hazeel Cult. Hazeel appears at a level way above 250, thanks the adventurer who restores him, and travels north of the western parts of Runescape (members area) to a place where no mortal has yet been, to regain his strength that he may return with destruction and chaos. This place may well be the frozen lands of Acheron.

Hazeel is likely to clash with Zamorak just as Zaros did. Zamorak considers Hazeel "not the sharpest arrow in the quiver", but Hazeel is off doing an errand for Zamorak. Hazeel is a Mahjarrat. Hazeel was very powerful in the area now known as Ardougne at the start of the Fourth Age but was betrayed and banished by the Carnillean family ancestors.

1.5.10. - General Khazard -

General Khazard is a Mahjarrat, and therefore near-immortal. He started a war with the gnome people, and one of his Scouts says he might try re-igniting the war between Sophanem and Al-Kharid. His undead form is physically very strong, stronger than any human, though compared to Mahjarrat like Hazeel he is quite weak. It must be noted, however, that this is not his true form and he probably thinks other Mahjarrat are weak themselves, as he refers to "them" as cunning, not strong.

He has some influence in the ghost world, as he was able to send some of his scouts to spy on human strongholds.

1.6 - The Mahjarrat who are going to the North -

Hazeel
"I must leave you loyal subjects for time is short, and I have many pressing matters to add(c)ress before I make my return, I must leave now, and head northwards to join fellow mahjarrat and regain my strength and powers, I shall return when I am ready to fight my enemies and much blood shall flow across these lands."

Hazelmere
"Skilled brothers numbering eight, will assemble to fight the Mahjarrat deceiver, and they will be heading north to confront him."

Lucien
"You have defeated me for now! I shall reappear in the north!"

Enakhra/Akthanakos
Enakhra­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­­­­ : I will be waiting for you in the north....

Akthanakos.
Akthanakos: It will be a pleasure to fight you again.

General Khazard
"The planets are nearing alignment; we will meet in the place of half light and ice soon."

The Mahjarrat are currently traveling north to regain their powers. It is speculated they are going to Acheron.

1.6.1 - Postbag # 25 -

When you look at the chaosudoku in postbag from the hedge 25#, you will see all sorts of runes. If each rune represent a letter, there will stand:

MAHJARRAT
GATHERS
AN
ARMY
HE
SHALL
SLAY
MANY
MASTERS

1.6.2 - Postbag # 22 -

From Grimgnash:

"The threat from the north shall be of Mahjarrat made."

A reference to do with the Mahjarrats going to the North.

1.7 - Icyene -

The Icyene were a race of winged beings that had inhabited Morytania before the God Wars. During the God Wars, they were driven to extinction, although rumours say that Lord Drakan kept some of the Icyene and they served him as Vyrewatch. There is a fairly popular theory that Safalaan is an Icyene. Otherwise, it is said that Commander Zilyana, who resides in God Wars Dungeon, is an Icyene. The Icyene had also established Hallowvale, which later became Morytania. They also forged the Godsword.

When the Saradomin sword is examined, it reads; "The incredible blade of an Icyene."

1.7.1 - Queen Efaritay -

Queen Efaritay is apparently lost to history, during the time of the battle of the Salve.

The only remaining memories of the once glamourous and reverenced Queen Efaritay are mentioned in letters and documents found in the once abandoned, now inhabited city of Burgh de Rott and in ancient books in forgotten libraries.

On the basement wall of the run-down inn in Burgh de Rott there still hangs a plaque which reads: "Blessings on Efaritay, our Icyene Queen from far off lands and her loving children of Hallowed name."

And if that didn't convey her importance in those times, the ancient books of the secret library of the Temple of Paterdomus state it clearly:

“Eight centuries and score into the history of our land there came a darkness which fell about the land once called Hallowvale. The Queen of that sad time, an Icyene of once formidable power, became to be deposed by ‘his-dark-self’ and his hordes. Against all of her considerable will she was forced to kneel and attend ‘his-dark-self’ in order that she might save her loving husband Ascertes.” -

From an Ancient Book from the secret library

“…One such tale is of a Queen from a far away land of considerable power and revered by the peoples. It is also claimed that the peoples named the land ‘Hallowvale’ after her, though there is no true record of this.” - From a Battered Tome from the secret library

1.7.2 - King Ascertes Hallow -

King Ascertes Hallow was the Icyene king of the "Hallowed Land", an ancient civilization located in what is now the swamplands of Morytania. Ascertes and his wife, Queen Efarity, were said to have arrived in the then-wooded region from a distant land and established the region's capital city, Hallowvale. This was during the late Second Age.

Ascertes and his wife ruled for some 820 years, their race's lifespan far beyond that of humans. During this time, the Hallowed Land was said to have flourished, its many peaceful settlements existing as far north as the Northern Sea. However, during the God Wars, the vampyre Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan attacked the Hallowed Land, managing to take King Ascertes captive. This forced Queen Efarity to surrender.

Ascertes and his wife are presumably deceased, executed or imprisoned until their deaths. However, a slim chance exists that they may still live today.

1.7.3 - Safalaan Hallow -

Safalaan Hallow is the leader of the Sanguinesti division of The Myreque. He is also the one who promotes you at the end of "Darkness of Hallowvale" to private. When you first meet him he is sketching Castle Drakan and he asks you to finish it for him. Safalaan has pale blue eyes and is a very tall man. He is also well-dressed, while every other human in Meiyerditch wears rags. For some, this is evidence that Safalaan may be a Vampyre. However, others believe that Safalaan is actually an Icyene, as in Legacy of Seergaze he single-handedly defeats a pair of Vyrewatches with a mysterious power blast. What Sarius Guile says to you in the Darkness of Hallowvale quest implies that Venascula Drakan has a romantic interest in him.

In In Aid of the Myreque it is revealed that his last name is Hallow. This may be connected to the plaque in the Myreque base in Burgh de Rott, which reads: "Blessings on Efaritay, our Icyene Queen from far off lands and her loving children of Hallowed name." Note that the word Hallowed is capitalized, which normally would be used with names only.

In the book 'Histories of the Hallowland' (known as Battered tome) the following piece of text can be found:

"…One such tale is of a Queen from a far away land of considerable power and revered by the peoples.

It is also claimed that the peoples named the land ‘Hallowvale’ after her, though there is no true record of this." This implies that the full name of the former queen of Hallowvale, Queen Efaritay and also her husband name King Ascertes Hallow, contained the word 'Hallow'. Perhaps this is a clue that Safalaan is an heir. Also, in a cutscene from " Legacy of Seergaze " Quest. Safalaan releases an energy from his body that scares off the Vampyres, although later he won't reveal the source of his power.

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2.0 Armadyl Communique

And at the same time as that release, some players received am "Armdayl Communique" from a Armadyl Guardian. When I went to speak to him however I got this message and when i talk to him it says

"Sorry I'm already engaged with important business and don't have time to talk to you at the moment"

The Communique reads as follows:

Dear (Players name),

Alas, I regret to inform you of a dire situation, which i know you worked hard to prevent. My name is Idria. Im a leader, of sorts, of the Guardians of Armadyl. I realise that you made a supreme effort in preventing Lucien from gaining the Staff of Armadyl.

Please accept my gratitude for your efforts in this endeavour, however, it seems that the resourceful Lucien has found another route to our beloved treasure. We belive a certain treasure hunter by the name of Movario had something to do with this, but, of course, there is no proof.

For my own part, I wish you well and advise you to be on your guard against Lucien's machinations.

Yours most respectfully,
Idria."

2.1 - Idria -

Idria says she is one of the Leaders of the Guardians of Armadyl. Guardians of Armadyl are found only in the Temple of Ikov. If players wish to claim the staff of Armadyl they must defeat all of the guardians in the room. Players can also talk to or kill a Guardian to obtain an Armadyl pendant if they lose theirs. Strangely, the symbol in the guardians of Armadyl's plate body is not the symbol of Armadyl, but of Saradomin.

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3.0 The Stone

Jas is believed to be an elder god, who existed even before Guthix had arrived and shaped Gielinor. Whether Jas created Gielinor is unknown, but he/she probably left with the other Elder Gods. The only thing that links is back to him/her is the Stone of Jas, a strong magical object that illustrates the great might the Elder Gods have, even surpassing Guthix's power.

In the last days of the Fourth Age, a Fremennik seer discovered an ancient cave beneath the mountains of the eastern Fremennik Province. Here the seer discovered the Stone of Jas, a strange and powerful artefact that, in some way, had caused the stones near it to become rune essence. Although the Stone of Jas was "removed by those who walk a higher astral path" upon its discovery, the rune essence it had created was not.

The seer, realizing that these stones could be mentally crafted into runes that allowed humans to cast magic, brought the new discovery to the kingdom of Misthalin. Here, before a group of various civilians from the Misthalanian capital city of Varrock, the seer displayed simple tricks he could perform with the runes, such as creating a small gust of wind. At the time, this was marvel. This discovery would mark the beginning of the Fifth Age, a time of massive progression.

The Zamorakian mage in varrock talks about Lucien looking for the stone of Jas.

3.1 - The Stone in Ancient Pages -

The Stone of Jas was mentioned in the Ancient Pages, old scraps of paper found in the dangerous

Ancient Cavern.

Three qoutes from the notes found in the ancient cavern are:
"...is the stone here? ...was the stone here? ... will the stone be here? ...would that my sanity were firm enough that I knew what my questions meant. Then I might seek an answer."

"Our theory of artificial origins has been vindicated! We have discovered a sturdy door, which seems to be a similar age to the original excavations. I am sure that there is a magical or mechanical activity behind it, though it may be simply be a great rush of water."

"The door resists all of our efforts to penetrate it, even the fishing explosives which derril suggested were tried with no success. there must be some way through which is linked to magic, though perhaps all who know the secret are now long dead."

3.2 - Melzar Metions the Stone -

A quote from the bookcases in Melzar's Maze is:
"With power of custard have mastered life force. (...)"

"...Had dream last night of great cabbage. Cabbage of Jas. Used by gods to create all life and magic. All runes have part of its power. So with runes I can control power above magic..."

So if you read the Moonclan Manual, you now know that the Stone of Jas is the source of all Magic and Life, hidden by the Gods after that V------- found it.

3.3 - The Tower of Life's Energy -

A quote from Effigy in the Tower of Life quest is: "(...) There’s a dungeon under the tower. Long ago we found a strange source of energy that we believe was left behind by the great Guthix. He used to create life with such ease. We realized we should be able to use this powerful substance. (...)"

The Portal of Life was a triumphant creation of Guthix. It is said to have been sealed during the Second Age.

3.4 - The Oracle speaks of the Stone -

The Oracle that lives on Ice Mountain will often speak in riddles, and sometimes amongst the ramblings she makes a clear reference to the Stone of Jas. She will state:

"Jas left a stone behind."
"He who wields the power of custard mixes it with his own tears."
"The godwars are over... as long as the thing they were fighting over remains hidden."
"The great snake of guthix guards more than she knows."

3.5 - Juna -

Deep beneath the swamps of Lumbridge, Juna the Serpent has guarded the Tears of Guthix for three thousand years.

From one of the Postbags:

Dear Juna,

While I appreciate being able to collect the Tears of Guthix every six days or so, I wonder why I'm not allowed to mine the magic stones anymore? The light creatures are still attracted to my sapphire lantern light and don't seem to mind transporting me over to where I can mine them. I can see the possibilities of making enchanted jewelry with these gems. So why am I not allowed to mine them? Think of the many stories that can be told if these gems were available to mine!

Sincerely,
Your Humble Storyteller,
Renelda

Dear Renelda,

It has been an age since I coiled myself round a quill, and quite literally so: the last time being in the Second Age, when my quill came from Armadyl himself. Alas, it is a story from an irrelevant time; I would far prefer to hear any of yours.

Anyway, the stones you talk of are too brittle for any purpose other than His tears - a symbol, if you like, of how soft and unready the world was for great Guthix. To use the rocks for jewellery or your own benefit would be disrespectful and not particularly thankful for the lessons the tears have taught you.

I apologise for being a little strong in my warning. Do come and tell me a story sometime.

Juna

3.6 - Jack from "Meeting History" -

A conversation with Jack from the meeting history quest is: Jack: "When I was a kid, some druids discovered runes, apparently created by Guthix himself, for us to use" You: "By Guthix?" (A picture of a stone appears) Jack: "Yes, he's created countless numbers of them, storing them all over the place; so, soon after their discovery, this world was dubbed Runescape. (...)

In Jack's story of the meeting history quest, you can see a stone that's probably the Stone of Jas. The imprints on the top of this stone look the same as those at the minigame Fist of Guthix, so Guthix probably punched the stone there after the godwars to try to break it, leaving those imprints behind.

So Guthix created all the runes (before the 4th age), and he probably did this with the Stone of Jas. This means that the stone was an item of Guthix.

3.6.1 - The Wizard's Tower -

The Wizard's Tower was originally created early in the First Age by the druid Jack (Meeting History) to research and develop the new arts of Magic and Runecrafting. The wizards within the Tower also created the Mage Training Arena for mages to train the more mundane spells. During a meeting of Wizards at the Tower, the Zamorakian mages, believing their Saradominist counterparts would selfishly hoard the magical knowledge, set the Tower alight. Most of the mages within the Tower were killed, while most magical knowledge and the art of Runecrafting were lost to the flames. Though the Tower has been rebuilt, it is still in the process of rediscovering the lost knowledge.

3.7 - From the Moonclan Manual -

"As we all know, from the tales told to us in the Secret Tounge, 'magic' was first discovered in these lands by V------- when he accidentally stumbled upon the Stone of J--.

The stone was clearly not of this world, and the mere touch of it unlocked something within the mind of V-------. As we know, the stone was instantly removed by those powers who walk a higher Astral Path than ourselves, but its very existence showed V------- possibilities that had never occurred to our kind before.

His lifelong search for the stone did reveal its eventual fate, and the myths suggest that the stone may yet still lie somewhere within this world, but he did discover something of great importance in the caves where first he found the stone; the very rocks that had surrounded it had been subtly changed by its presence. The rocks in their contact with the Stone of J-- had gained a yearning to be something they were not, and V------- discovered that by focusing thought upon them he could transform them entirely for short periods of time into the very elements of the universe.

This is a mere parlour trick, as many of our young have done the same thing with essence as children, making the cold-burning fire in their hands on summer nights, and V------- knew that should he be able to affect a permanent change upon these stones, he could have access to the very powers of the gods themselves!"

3.8 - A True and Concise History of the Discovery of Runes -

An entry in the "Lores and Histories" section of the Official RuneScape Website known as "c" makes an unclear reference to the stone. The story, which is said to have been an extract from the book "Conversations With a Mage" by Samael Leynes, was added to the website more than five years ago. In the interview, an elderly mage discusses the the significance of the discovery of magic. He speaks of the way in which the runes were found, but hesitates when he discusses what else was found. This presumably refers to the Stone of Jas.

3.9 - Jas in the Wild -

In the Spirit Realm on the other side of the weak portal located in Level 47 Wilderness (in the unnamed ruins south of the north eastern volcano and east of the Demonic Ruins), an adornment on the crumbling walls can be seen that half symbolises the Stone of Jas.

3.10 - A Myth to the Mahjarrat -

During the Defender of Varrock quest, Zemouregal's gargoyle servant, Sharathteerk states that "Your cousin Lucien may be close to finding it..." to which Zemouregal replies "I have no time for the things of fairytales." From the evidence available, the artefact which Lucien is close to finding is possibly the Stone of Jas, and many Mahjarrat consider it naught but a myth.

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4.0 Eye of Saradomin

An ancient artefact said to be used by the gods to create both Gielinorian magic and the Anima Mundi. It was also responsible for creating rune essence. Its location is now unknown, although it may hold more secrets of the Elder Gods. The reason why the "Stone of Jas" would be also be known as the "Eye of Saradomin" is simply because the old wizard's tower was run by saradominists.

4.1 - Wizard Elriss -

A prominent member of the Runecrafting Guild in the famed Wizards' Tower, claims to have many theories regarding the nature of magic. A Ring of Charos will convince her to further explain her theories.

According to Elriss, she is searching for an ancient artefact that she believes is the origin of runes and the magic they create. She claims that several texts that survived the burning of the Wizards' Tower in the year 70 of the Fifth Age speak of such an artefact, referring to a legendary "Eye of Saradomin". She says that it should give off a very specific type of energy, much like Movario and Dave claim.

4.2 - Converstaion with Elriss -

(you need 50 runecrafting, a ring of charos (a), full runecrafting robes and you must have shown her all 12 talismans for this)

Elriss: Welcome to the Runecrafting Guild.

You: What is this place?

Elriss: This is the Runecrafting Guild, as I just said. After the secret of Runecrafting was re-discovered, I set up the guild as a place for the most advanced runecrafters to work together.

You: Work together towards what?

Elriss: Towards a greater understanding of Runecrafting of course. The basics of Runecrafting may have been re-discovered, but many of the secrets of the first Wizard's Tower remain unknown.

You: What secrets?

Elriss: Oh, nothing to interest an adventurer such as yourself, I'm sure.

You: I am interested.

Elriss: We all have our projects, adventurer, Acantha and Vief are happy to involve junior runecrafters in their feud, but others prefer to keep their research private until it is revealed. An idea may be subjected to cruel ridicule if it is aired prematurely, as I have learned to my cost. You must forgive me if I am not so forthcoming again.

You: (Charm) You can tell me.

Elriss: You seem trustworthy. I suppose I can tell you a little. I am looking for an artifact that gives off a very specific type of energy. After many years of research, I think I'm finally drawing near.

You: What artifact are you looking for?

Elriss: I know you are an experienced runecrafter, unlike the wizards of this tower. Perhaps you will understand. Have you ever wondered how the rune essence and the rune altars came to be? How the altars and the rune essence can work together when they are so spread out? Some of the surviving records of the old Wizard's Tower, if read properly, suggest that there was one artifact that originally created the rune essence and all the altars. The wizards called this the Eye of Saradomin. That is what I am looking for. None of the other wizards believe it's possible, which is why I am working secretly. When I find it, its power will all be mine.

You: How are you looking for it?

Elriss: You have already been helping me, actually. I am using the Runecrafting altars to triangulate the artifact's position. Every time Acantha and Vief send teams through around the altars, the signal's position becomes a little clearer.

You: You were using me!

Elriss: People use one another. That is how life is. Years ago, a treasure hunter used me on his quest for this artifact - used me in a far more hurtful way than I've used you. After he left, however, I worked out what he was after and it set me on this line of research. If you are strong enough, you will learn from this. If not, I have no time for you and no sympathy.

You: Who was it? What happened?

Elriss: We were apprentices together here. He left after graduating, but a few years later he came back. I was young and naive and fell in love. I thought he would stay at the tower but he never wanted me to become a proper wizard. He was a treasure hunter, stealing magical artifacts from tombs and selling them for base gold. He used me to get at the tower's records and was never interested in me. He only wanted to look into the records for clues about the artifact's location. I saw what he was reading and tried to help him, but he was angry. He wanted to keep his research secret from me! Once he had what he was looking for, he left without a word. Well, now I have no use for him. I went over what he had been reading and I found the clues he had found. I will find that artifact, and I will use its power to crush him like an insect.

Elriss speaks of this mage being a treasure hunter. Because of the Communique portion reading, "We belive a certain treasure hunter by the name of Movario" we now can be certain the mage Elriss is speaking of is indeed Movario.

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5.0 Movario

Movario an arance mage, has been looking for an artefact of unimaginable power. He and his lackey Darve, a Khazard soldier, can be found in Dorgesh-Khaan (You need mith grapple to get to him), bumbling around. They were arguing about Morivan's power-locater-device-thing. Darve insisted that it was broken, Movario said that it was just having trouble finding the right source. They mentioned a source of great power near by in one of the caves.

If you examine Movario it says "Examine: He knows a thousand arcane secrets, every one of which would drive you mad."

Movario can be found in the Dorgesh Kaan agility course (the grapple route), and can be charmed if you are wearing a Pendant of Lucien and ring of charos(a). You hear someone talking and you stumble upon their conversation.

There is an option to pickpocket one of them, and you get the Amulet of Lucien.

5.1 - Transcript of the Conversation -

Moravio: Well we don’t know how big this thing is, if we find it, I suppose we might need someone else to help us carry it.

(you): So what are we looking for?

Movario: Your not very well briefed are you?

Darvo: To be honest, I'm still a bit hazy on that point too.

Movario: Sigh!

Movario: Lucien has asked us to search for artifacts that give off a very specific type of energy. After many years of research, I think I’m finally drawing near.

Darvo: You don't sound very sure.

Movario: Bah! My detection device is totally shot. I don't understand it. I wouldn’t hang around for now adventurer, it could be a long while before I can get a clear reading.

(you): Okay I’ll be on my way.

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6.0 The Elder Gods

These are the divine deities said to be the first true gods of Gielinor. According to Guthix, the Elder Gods were responsible for creating the world itself, using their powers to make the plane of Gielinor in a time before even the First Age. They are most prominently alluded to during the Meeting History quest.

When Guthix discovered the plane, the Elder Gods seem to have departed. Guthix, not powerful enough to create a plane of his own, shaped the world and named it Gielinor. Apparently he did not try to hide the knowledge of the Elder Gods at first, willingly sharing this information with the first humans to be brought through the Portal of Life.

Since this time, though, virtually all knowledge of the Elder Gods has vanished. Speculation that a time existed prior to the First Age was, until recently, very little. Rumour of the Dragonkin and TzHaar's pre-First Age origins, however, has abounded for some time.

Guthix using what is possibly the Elder Gods' Stone of Jas to create runes. Of the Elder Gods little is known, whether in terms of their nature or their actions. Whether they simply created an empty plane or further shaped it is unknown. The only physical remain of their time period may be the Stone of Jas (a.k.a The Eye of Saradomin), an ancient artifact said to be used by the gods to create both Gielinorian magic and the Anima Mundi. It was also responsible for creating rune essence. Its location is now unknown, although it may hold more secrets of the Elder Gods.

6.1 - Book of Folklore -

The Book of folklore or The Myth of the Elder-dragons can be found whilst looking through the many book shelfs of the Wise Old Man's house.

It reads...

Although the Elder-dragons are generally considered to be a myth, stories tell of an ancient race that dwelt on Gielinor before any other. In some arcane way their lifeforce was linked to the life of the world itself; it is written that, as long as the Elder-dragons continue to live, the world shall not end.

However, sceptics claim that the myth of the Elder-dragons was invented to cast doubt on claims that this realm was lifeless until the gods first arrived.

In the last postbag, Evil Dave had his EVIL sections, and in it, he said "DRAGON DRAGONS." Perhaps it is in reference to the 'dragon heads' found in the mysterious room in the ancients cavern.

Upon searching the Aspidistra plant in Brimstail's cave, you'll receive the message "Gronda! Gronda!", an anagram for "Dragon! Dragon!"

6.2 - Portal of Life -

When Guthix created the world, it is believed he also created a gateway through which the many worlds, or universes, could commune. Its only known users are the elves and humans, who arrived in Gielinor during the the First Age. The gate is thought to have been sealed soon after their arrival; whether by Guthix or another is unknown.

Since then, none have been able to access Gielinor directly through the portal. Instead, beings from other worlds have found alternative methods of entering, usually through unstable portals, fairy rings or other means of teleportation. Based on the amount of references to humans throughout all the ages of Gielinor's history as noted in books and seen in cutscenes, this demonstrates that the portal was a huge success.

With the Meeting History quest showing all the work that Guthix did in forming Gielinor, though being the god of balance and tranquility, it is doubtful that he would be ecstatic at his achievement, it would be hard to overstate his satisfaction.

Whether or not the Portal of Life will ever be opened again is unknown. If it ever were to be opened, this would open up countless possibilities for Gielinor. The potential dangers of connecting Gielinor to other worlds may have caused the gate to be sealed by Guthix.

The Portal of Life is mentioned briefly in the Plague City storyline, discussed and seen in a short clip during Meeting History, and spoken of in the book Prifddinas' history. The World Gate is only mentioned briefly during the Plague City storyline. It is discussed in Meeting History. It is spoken of in the book Prifddinas' history. It is a location rarely spoken of in Gielinor. It is said to have been sealed during the Second Age.

6.3 - The Anima Mundi -

The Anima Mundi is a name given by the gnomes to the life force that exists within all things. It is Latin for "The Soul of the World".

The Anima Mundi is sacred to the gnomes, for they believe Guthix created it when it shaped Gielinor in the First Age. The Anima Mundi seems to be an integral part of the world itself, without which it cannot exist.

The Anima Mundi is very important to the spirit trees, as they use not only as a means to survive, but to commune with one another as well. If they are separated from the Anima Mundi, they become weakened and corrupted, and slowly lose their life force until they die.

There have been few throughout the world's history that have attempted to experiment with this force, as doing so is not only dangerous and nearly impossible, but considered an unholy act that goes beyond mere evil. One gnome, Glouphrie, is known to be conducting experiments involving the Anima Mundi within his hidden city, Arposandra. This has allowed him to create large amounts of warped terrorbirds and warped tortoises, amongst other things.

Apparently, interfering with the Anima Mundi creates massive amounts of waste material, as is evident in the Poison Waste in southern Isafdar. It is here that Arposandra dumps the sewage made by its experiments, which slowly destroy more of Isafdar each day. The substance itself is very sticky and full of explosive chemical compounds. It has also made the area's life energy very weak, and nearly caused the death of at least one spirit tree.

6.4 - The Planar Theory - The Planar Theory is a set of theories believed by many, including Odranoel Polyhistor. It is an idea of how the Planes are alingned and the distribution of energy which effects their environment.

It takes it that the planes are not truly flat but curved, and that the curve can be modified through arcanery and the like. When the curved area comes in contact with another plane, likely another curve, the dimensions can be crossed through what has been dubbed a portal. The natural portals are however weak and require arcanery (Movario an arcane mage)to enhance them.

The theory also requires the planes' area to grow as they reach point zero, which is the Midworld

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7.0 The Gods

7.1 - GUTHIX -

Contrary to popular belief, Guthix did not create Gielinor, he merely arrived. As he says himself "I claim not the creation of Gielinor; I claim its rightful ownership, for none other dwelled here when first I arrived."

Guthix is widely considered the best source of factual statements, as both Saradomin and Zamorak are known to lie to either further their aims or glorify themselves - Guthix neither does nor requires either of these.

Guthix has been known since the end of the Third Age (indeed, it was his appearance that ended it) but was present and active far before any other god and further back than recorded history goes and he refers to Gielinor as "my experiment".

A piece of graphic art depicting a metallic silver skull, considered to be a symbol of Guthix. This image was released by Jagex in the God letters issue of the Postbag from the Hedge. Guthix is the god of tranquility, nature and balance. Guthix desires only one thing: total equality. Because of this, Guthix is neither a "he" or a "she". Most people call Guthix an "it". It is neither good nor evil, and uses both to reach equilibrium with all the gods. After creating Gielinor, Guthix went into a deep sleep. When it awoke, Saradomin and Zamorak were causing chaos in their God Wars. The battlefield was the Wilderness. To stop the wars, Guthix wrote up a treaty for all the gods, saying that they may not interfere in the world of RuneScape (as "Gielinor" was replaced by "RuneScape" as a name) except in the form of prayer, and that all wars must only be fought in the God Realm.

Guthix shows it needs no followers to exist by absorbing energy from the earth. Guthix appears mostly as a floating, hairy skull, as portrayed in the Postbag. However, Guthix is a shapeshifter, and is able to take the form of anything. It was as a butterfly when it came to Gielinor. Guthix's god symbol is a wedge with the large end facing left and a bolt of lighting going up from it, but its true symbol is an upright snake. Full Guthix armour is considered to be Guthix platelegs/Guthix plateskirt, Guthix platebody, Guthix full helmet, and, Guthix kiteshield.

Evidence from the God letters suggest that Guthix is the strongest of the gods, and Jagex has reported to have claimed it is the strongest god, with Zaros being the second strongest. It is somewhat notable that Guthix is the only character in RuneScape who is known to be a shapeshifter besides the Mahjarrat, although the Mahjarrat have not been linked to Guthix in any way.

Guthix's symbol is the Silver Sickle(M), although it is not a "true" symbol. His clothes are the Druid Robes(M). The "Squiggle" symbol you see on the Guthix Staff or the Guthix Platebody is not his true symbol either, and Guthix claims his ancient symbol lies undiscovered and forgotten although he does not rule out that one day it may be rediscovered.

7.1.1 - Followers of Guthix -

Druid - Followers of the god of balance, found in Taverley. Filliman Tarlock - Druid in Morytania Gypsy Aris - Old gypsy that lives in Varrock. Homunclus - Creation from alchemy gone terribly wrong. Void Knights - Protectors of Gielinor, found at the Void Knight Outpost. Gnomes- The small humanoid race that lives in the Tree Gnome Stronghold. Dwarves- Another small humanoid race of miners. Barbarians - Inhabitants of Fremennik province and surrounding areas. Seers - A group of humans who are often considered prophets. Queen of Snow - A NPC from the 2007 Christmas event who has created by Guthix

7.2 - ZAMORAK -

Zamorak is a deity of chaos - not to be confused with evil. Zamorak is a Mahjarrat and achieved the powers of godhood by using the Staff of Armadyl to weaken Zaros to the point where he was just defeatable.

His tale started with Icthlarin where he, and the other Mahjarrat, were bound to serve this god. Zaros coveted their power, so took them from Icthlarin, but they organised a rebellion against this mighty god and eventually were victorious.

Zamorak, while presiding over the Wilderness, also has pockets of support in most dungeons where his Chaos Dwarves, Chaos Druids and Demons extend his influence. There are also pockets of Zamorakians in Taverley, south of Taverley, north of Ardougne, in Keldagrim and in southern Varrock.

7.3 - SARADOMIN -

Saradomin is the deity of order, not to be confused with good - Guthix put it best when he described Saradomin as "merely control, this is an impure motive". It is known he first entered the lands on Entrana...Yet beneath Entrana is very much the realm of Zamorak.

Saradomin's realm is most of Gielinor and all three major kingdoms of Kandarin, Asgarnia and Misthalin are (at least on the surface) aligned to Saradomin.

Saradomin is one of the ancient gods, worshipped and known since the most ancient times. His followers the Temple Knights have allowed players access to their powerful Initiate Armour, which is melee armour made from mithril, but painted white and with the same prayer bonus as real monk robes.

7.4 - ZAROS -

Zaros had power equal to the mighty Guthix. At this time, late in the Second Age, Zamorak was a mortal, one of Zaros' Generals. He organised a rebellion together with Hazeel, Lucien, Zemouregal,

Thammaron and Drakan. Using God-Weapon, the Staff of Armadyl, he managed to barely defeat Zaros moments before his own death. This banished Zaros from the world. The other gods then banished Zamorak from the world for this, but the magic of the Staff of Armadyl made Zamorak into a god himself. Shortly afterwards, Zamorak and Saradomin were rumoured to be actually allied with each other - The Church of Saradomin has destroyed and repressed records from this time - but it seems they worked together to banish the mighty Azzanadra.Zaros was defeated before Guthix awoke, thus Guthix does not know of him.

The followers of Zaros were, in the Second Age, the first to have access to magic. This hints that Saradomin was not too active at this time, as Fremennik lore states that the Fremenniks shunned those who turned to magic. We know that Fremenniks worship Armadyl, thus the ancient wizards would have been followers of Zaros. This makes Zaros perhaps one of the most ancient gods, arriving very shortly after Guthix took his leave and slept. Saradomin, Zamorak, and their followers will not speak the name of this god. Guthix gives the reason: "Just speaking the name of a god canst give them power enough to enter this plane, and with followers then they mayst remain. "

Zaros was one of the ancient gods, worshipped and known since the most ancient times but during the Third Age, his followers were massacred, their towns destroyed and his temples ransacked. He is now forgotten.

Zaros and his followers controlled the entire Wilderness (remember, this was before the Third Age when the place got torched), the whole of Morytania and some lands immediately west of the River Salve. His main temple was where we now have the digsite and one of his larger cities was Kharyrll, the site of modern-day Canifis. Paddewwa, now known as Edgeville, was also controlled by his followers. He essentially controlled the entire land north of Misthalin and Asgarnia, as well as lands to the east and north east, a vastly larger area than any other god had, or has ever had since.

Zaros' symbol is the Talisman of Zaros and his weapon is the Ancient Staff. He has his own set of very powerful magic. The Zaros talisman is found when digging during the Digsite Quest. It should be given to the Archaeological expert when found. It has the symbol of Zaros on it. The symbol of Zaros is a circle surrounding an equidistant cross, and is found on a Sigil at the Digsite, and on the Ancient Staff, and Zaros's colour seems to be purple or black. Originally Zaros was worshiped by an unknown empire in the north east of RuneScape and the city of Uzer, however the empire has been destroyed by Zamorak and Saradomin while Uzer was destroyed by Thammaron, one of Zamorak's generals. Most traces of the Zaros religion, such as altars and temples, have been destroyed by Saradomin and Zamorak, however there are two known altars remaining: one underneath the Digsite and another in Azzanadra's temple. On the Ancient Spellbook, 4 teleports that lead to different levels of the Wilderness are also destroyed grounds of Zarosian worship, Carrallangar, Ghorrock, Annakarl and Dareeyak. The other teleports, Ice Mountain (Lassar), Canifis Pub (Kharyrll) and Edgeville (Paddewwa) were important military and defence fortresses, but the Digsite is referred to ancient name as Senntisten. Azzanadra, Eblis and Akthanakos are the only current important non-player character worshippers of Zaros. The Bandits of The Bandit Camp in the south-west of the Kharidian desert also appear to worship the empty lord. It is also rumoured that Sliske also supports Zaros, but that hasn't been confirmed.

Gravestones also show the Zarosian symbol on its top. When read, it says "_______,servant of the Unknown Power, perished in this place."

Postbag 5#

In postbag 5, the reply of the chaos elemental, the solution of the anagram "Bizarre boron swell" is "Zaros will be reborn". This hints that Zaros WILL return and it's just a matter of time before he's back in Gielinor.

7.5 - ARMADYL -

Armadyl's followers became Saradominists after Armadyl faded. They were based in a village that later became Varrock, Avarrocka. His followers, a handful, reside deep underground in the Temple of Ikov. Strangely, the Temple is in central Runescape while Varrock is very much eastern.

It is known that Armadyl was present in very ancient times and his symbol resembles a shepherd's crook. Armadyl was one of the first gods of humans in Runescape and is passively respected by the Fremenniks, which is perhaps fitting as Armadyl himself takes a more passive approach than

Saradomin.

Armadyl is focussing his efforts, albeit somewhat diminished, with the followers of Ikov. He is apparently a "good" deity, though Saradomin insists he differs on only "minor points" yet Armadyl's "interests lie elsewhere". Saradomin also considers Armadyl to be somehow related to himself - though this may just be metaphorical in the same way that Guthix refers to Saradomin and Zamorak as his "brothers".

Though much less important today than he was in the very early history of Gielinor, Armadyl is still at least passively worshipped in the Fremennik Province north of Kandarin and in the Temple of Ikov. The Fremenniks especially have changed very little since the Second Age and preserve many of the customs originally developed with Armadyl before Zaros lured away many humans with promises of great magicks. However, the Fremenniks aren't terribly religious anyway.

Talk to a Guardian of Armadyl. They will tell you about their god, Armadyl, who is a good god that most Saradominists have never heard of, because he left Gielinor after the God Wars, and most Saradominists only believe in three gods.

During the quest "Temple of Ikov" you receive the Pendant of Armadyl. The Armadyl pendant is obtained during the Temple of Ikov quest if the player decides to side with the guardians of Armadyl. After the quest it can be retrieved by talking to them.

7.6 - BANDOS -

Bandos (also known as the Big High War God, Goblin God and Sky Goblin by the goblins) is a god of war and the deity of many of Gielinor's less intelligent races such as goblins and ogres, although orks and some ogres at least know his name (according to the High Priest in Land of the Goblins).

Until recently, Bandos was almost completely forgotten by the humans of Gielinor due to his disappearance after the God Wars.

There are very few items dedicated to Bandos at the moment. These include the ancient mace, Bandos armour, and the Bandos Godsword. Additionally, if you have completed As a First Resort..., you may use the Bandos Pool. This marks you as a follower of Bandos, and ensures that you will not be attacked by his followers for one hour, specifically in the God Wars Dungeon.

Bandos strongly resembles the god known as Ares

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8.0 God Wars Introduction

More than two thousand years ago, the lands of RuneScape were torn and scorched during the greatest war ever waged: the god wars. During this time, the gods sent their mightiest minions to walk among their followers, gathering them to battle and, inevitably, to their deaths. In modern-day RuneScape, the Wilderness is the scar that this war left.

In recent times, though, the sheer number of adventurers wandering the land have had a remarkable environmental effect - something akin to global warming from the massive numbers of logs burnt* has thawed a place best forgotten. Now, freed from their icy stasis, the warriors that went to fight in one of the last great battles of the god wars have returned to life, without the slightest inkling that their war ended so long ago.

* Of course, some volcanic activity was also involved, but that's not nearly as exciting.

In the Third Age, a terrible war took place between Armadyl, Zaros, Saradomin, Zamorak and possibly many others. Each deity took a faction or allied with another until only Zamorak and Saradomin remained. The wanton destruction of the lands awoke the nature god Guthix. The ancient and terrible power of Guthix, previously unknown, banished the war from the lands before it could destroy them, and he banished the gods with it. Zaros had, at this time, already been defeated as Guthix does not know of him.

The God Wars Dungeon lies deep beneath the ice, north of Trollheim, on the edge of the cliffs that separate the trolls from the Wilderness. There, little more than ruins now, is a temple whose dedication is long since lost, and, within the bounds of that decayed structure, the boldest and strongest of heroes might find a crack into the world below.

8.1 - Armadyl's Eyrie -

Armadyl is an almost entirely forgotten god rumoured to have ruled the air and skies over RuneScape.

He is usually assumed to be a good deity, though during the strife and terror of the god wars it must have been difficult to recognise good from evil.

The eyrie established within the God Wars Dungeon has largely undisturbed ice on the floor, for Armadyl's soldiers have little need for the ground.

8.2 - Bandos Stronghold -

Few have even heard of the god called Bandos. For many centuries he has been thought to be an ancestor of the ogres, perhaps even the beast that claimed the lands of the Feldip Hill and Jiggig.

Now that the God Wars Dungeon has defrosted, though, scribes across RuneScape are puzzled by this old god's reappearance.

Bandos has never been worshipped by civilised races, but is occasionally revered by ogres and other unsavoury creatures. During the god wars he allied himself with different factions at different times, seeming to revel in bloodshed for its own sake. Adventurers heading into his Stronghold are likely to discover just how brutal his armies were...

8.3 - Zamorak's Fortress -

Once only a mortal, Zamorak is now a powerful god whose minions have been frozen in ice for thousands of years and are only now getting the chance to prove their worth. Through life and death his servants are nothing if not loyal, and with beasts such as K’ril Tsutsaroth at his command, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Every god is his enemy, and every mortal his pawn, and none are safe from Zamorak’s wrath, as his search for the infamous godsword continues…

8.4 - Saradomin's Encampment -

Down where the icy river wends and falls is the Saradomin Encampment; two tiers of land that house those with fealty to Saradomin. Although pious and devout, the followers that reside here are fearsome foes, if one should choose to face them without a symbol of Saradomin's glory.

Saradomin has chosen an Icyene, a member of the race that tempered the godsword, to recover the very item they helped to make.

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9.0 The Edicts of Guthix

The Edicts of Guthix, most prominently alluded to in the Darkness of Hallowvale quest, are a series of decrees Guthix created for the world after the last God War. At the time of this writing, there is "balance" in Gielinor between the god of order, Saradomin, and the god of chaos, Zamorak. If either god were to upset this balance by attempting to invade the other, then the other god would potentially call on reinforcements from other realms. This would escalate the crisis and lead to another devastating God War. If the Edicts of Guthix are violated, a select group of Guthixians have sworn an oath to conduct a ritual to re-awake Guthix, causing him to remake the world as it has never been, destroying RuneScape as known by its modern inhabitants in the process. As of the end of the Darkness of Hallowvale the Edicts of Guthix are being investigated by Saradomin scholars for a loophole after the revelation that werewolves had crossed the River Salve and kidnapped humans for blood tithes.

During the Legacy of Seergaze quest, a player discovers followers of both Zamorak and Saradomin, who are working together to bring down Edicts of Guthix.

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10.0 Places in Gielinor, Past and Present

10.1 - Dareeyak -

Dareeyak was one of Zaros's fortresses that resided in the area that is now known as the wilderness.

It was destroyed during the Third Age. The fortresses' demise came about when Zaros's loyal soldiers were destroyed by followers of Zamorak (most of whom were betrayers of Zaros) as well as by Saradomite forces.

Dareeyak remnants, now know simply as the Ruins, lie to the west of a bandit camp located in the 23rd level of wilderness. According to Summer Bonde, a girl that lived in a neighboring farm during the early Fourth Age, the ruins may not actually be the remains of Dareeyak. Summer says that, when she was young, she would visit the area, which was at the time a small town. This suggests that the structures may have been re-used by later settlers, or that Dareeyak's remains were actually destroyed and built over.

10.2 - Ghorrock -

Ghorrock was a Zarosian fortress located in what is now the wilderness. It was destroyed during the Third Age by Zamorakian and Saradominist armies. It seems strange to build a fortress in such a freezing place which is at the edge of the world so this means that the fortress was probably built as a city or that even in the second age trolls were causing trouble. Ghorrock lies in what is currently known as the Ice Plateau in level 45 wilderness. Those with the knowledge of Ancient Magicks can teleport there using the Ghorrock Teleport spell. For those attuned to Lunar magic the

Ice Plateau Teleport spell can take them there as well. The Frozen Waste Plateau ( Ice Plateau ) is located in the northwest corner of the Wilderness, in both the free-to-play and pay-to-play area. It contains ice giants and ice warriors in the free-to-play area, and ice spiders in the pay-to-play area. There are also spawns of water runes and cosmic runes. It's an icy and snowy place that spans from level 43-56 Wilderness. Revenants are rarer here than in other locations, but DO still appear.

10.3 - Annakarl -

Annakarl was one of Zaros's fortresses that were located in what is now the wilderness. It was destroyed during the Third Age by followers of Zamorak and Saradomin. It is speculated that the Demonic Ruins in level 47 wilderness are all that remains of Annakarl.

10.4 - Carralangar -

Carralangar was one of Zaros's fortresses that resided in current-day wilderness. It was destroyed during the Third Age, when Zaros's soldiers were being destroyed by followers of Zamorak and Saradomin. Carralanger lies in what is currently known as the Graveyard of Shadows in level 19 wilderness (Between Bounty Hunter and Clan Wars).

10.5 - Kharyrll -

Kharyrll was a fortress controlled by Zaros during the Second and early Third Ages. It was destroyed during the God Wars. Later on, the ruins were removed to make way for the new town, now called Canifis. Werewolves feel at home at this town in these days, pretending to be humans.

10.6 - Senntisten -

Senntisten was once a mass temple complex dedicated to Zaros. It was destroyed during the God Wars.

Senntisten lies in what is currently known as the Digsite. During the Digsite quest, players find a Zarosian symbol and a tablet telling all mortals to tremble before the power of Zaros. This was also a part of a city three times bigger than Varrock which is said to have reached Paddewwa (Edgeville).

10.7 - Saranthium -

Before the God Wars, was a Zarosian town, probably the capital, called Senntisten.

During the Third Age, Zarosians probably made a teleport so that they could escape far away battles. Zamorak rebelled against Zaros (stealing a large quantity of his godly essence), but, though Zaros's other lands were quickly overrun, such was the power of Senntisten that it was not until around 3,500 years later that the city was defeated. It is evident that the city was totally Zamorakian by the year 3740, possibly earlier. However, the forces of Saradomin soon began various attacks on the city, and they eventually won it by 3804 (possibly earlier). They buried all Zamorakian and Zarosian altars, including one that players discover in the Digsite Quest, and items with Zamorakian or

Zarosian symbols on. They then built their own city on top, and renamed it Saranthium. Zamorak was not pleased at losing such a huge city and fought back. The city, however, survived the God Wars, though gradually fell into ruin during the barbaric early years of the Fourth Age

10.8 - Lassar -

Lassar, during its years of service in the Second and early Third Ages, was a massive fortress on the edge of Zaros's main kingdom. It's main features were impressive spires. It existed atop what is now known as Ice Mountain, a large mountain in northern Asgarnia. At the time, Asgarnia is believed to have been much colder than it is today, yielding snow year-round; yet nearly all of it had been settled by the Zarosians.

Lassar was likely near the edge of Zaros's largest kingdom, which, at the very least, encompassed the entirety of the Wilderness, Misthalin, and Asgarnia (although it is speculated that it could have included nearly all of Gielinor). Lassar most likely served primarily as an outpost, which could protect the area against invaders. It is unlikely that it served as a realm of transport, as Ice Mountain was far more dangerous than it is today. When Zaros was overthrown by the Mahjarrat Zamorak, his kingdom was beset by many religious and racial factions that had suffered under his rule for many years. Lassar was most likely destroyed within the first thousand years of the war, although by whom is unknown.

10.9 - Padewwa -

Little is known of Paddewwa. Geographically, it was in approximately the same area as modern-day Edgeville. During its existence, Peddewwa was a mighty military fortress, not far from the northwest edge of Senntisten (which was roughly in the area of Varrock).

Its exact purpose is something of a mystery, as Zaros held absolute power in nearly all of what is now Asgarnia, Misthalin, and the Wilderness. This puts Paddewwa near the center of Zaros's main kingdom, meaning it was unlikely to see military conflict. Proposed reasons for its existence suggest that it was more of a symbolic settlement or that it also served as a residence for citizens. In the beginning of the Year 165 of the Fifth Age, King Roald of Varrock had the area incorporated as the town of Edgeville. For some time, ruins had stood at the location of Paddewwa, known to those of Misthalin as the "Ghost Town". Whether or not these were the ruins of Paddewwa is unknown, and it is possible they were the remains of a much later settlement. A small crypt can be found at the south of the town, which may be the only standing part of Paddewwa.

10.10 - Ullek -

The remains of Ullek are very few. Pillars and columns designed by the masons of the city can still be found in small numbers throughout the southeastern swamp, but they have been eroded to the point where they tell little of their culture. A number of doors have been discovered hidden in the cliffs, leading to the city's former storage chambers and tombs. The tombs are particularly well-guarded, protected by complicated locking mechanisms that few now can open.

The Varrock Museum has recently taken an interest in Ullek, and has sent a large number of archaeologists to the area; although they have not been fully trained because of the museum's limited funds since their expansion. Robbers such as Simon Templeton have also taken an interest in the ruins, although most of the city's treasure is long gone and the undead remaining from Balfrug's assault are very aggressive. This, coupled with the dangerous wildlife and climate of the desert, has allowed for few findings regarding Ullek.

The High Priest of Scabaras's chambers, found in the caverns of Ullek. Few of Ullek's remains can still be found today, although scattered stonework still dots the swamps of the southeastern Kharidian Desert.Recently a large congregation of insect-like Scabarites discovered Ullek's tunnel system. The religion of Scabaras states that to obtain enlightenment, one should completely isolate themselves from the outside world. Realizing the value of the now-abandoned tunnels and swamp, the Scabarites have begun worshipping in the area. To ensure their minds are not polluted by contact with outsiders, they have sealed most of the tunnels' entrance points, and positioned guards in the surrounding area. They have also discovered large strains of locust and scarab, which they are using as beasts of war. This has made studies in the area extremely dangerous.

Amascut, The Devourer, recently discovered the Scabarites and convinced their high priest that to obtain ultimate solitude, all other life must be destroyed. The Scabarites found that Ullek's cave system was distantly connected to Sophanem Dungeon, which they used to launch an assault on Sophanem. During the Dealing with Scabaras quest, players manage to rescue the High Priest from Amascut's control, saving Sophanem from the corrupt Scabarites. Some, however, continue to follow Amascut, seeing her teachings as superior.

During the Smoking Kills quest, players venture into the sealed tombs of Ullek, where most of the dead's tombs have been robbed by thieves and treasure hunters over the years. Its guards continue to protect the bodies of the city's dead, living on as spirits who protect the tombs at all costs. Amascut sends the player into the tombs during the quest, where they must seek out the spirit of Catolax, a former Slayer Master from Ullek that died in the caves beneath modern-day Polnivneach. Catolax’s name roughly translates from latin as "open the underworld".

The Second Age saw a rise in power of the Menaphites, a group of humans that had settled in the Kharidian Desert during the dawn of humanity. The Menaphites played large roles in the construction and management of numerous settlements within the desert, including Ullek and Uzer.

The God Wars that scarred Gielinor during the Third Age brought great battle to the Kharidian Desert. Uzer was destroyed by the Elder-Demon Thammaron and Ullek fell soon after to Balfrug Kreeyath. To worsen matters, exiled followers of the fallen god Zaros were forced into the desert, where they wreaked havoc amongst the local populace. The only surviving cities were Menaphos and Sophanem, which were, at the time, little more than small Menaphite camps. The refugees from the destroyed settlements fled to Menaphos and Sophanem, where they contributed to the cities' prosperity. By the Fourth Age, the twin cities were amongst the largest in the world.

10.11 - Menaphos -

Menaphos held a large deal of political power within the Kharidian Desert, being the only city with any real strength; the only other settlements were small towns and camps such as Nardah and Polnivneach. Menaphos went to war with Al-Kharid for some time, but little is known of this.

After the end of the Menaphos - Al-Kharid war, it was believed that Menaphos would open its gates to the rest of Gielinor. This, however, was not the case, due to the many plagues set upon Sophanem by Amascut. To prevent the spread of the plague, Menaphos closed its gates immediately. Many of the citizens of Sophanem were trapped inside, and any attempts by the Sophanites to negotiate with Menaphos were met with violence. The city's closure was met with a great deal of resistance from the city's slaves, who rioted when they discovered that the slaves in Sophanem were no longer working because of the plagues. The riots were stamped out by the city's guards quickly.

Even today, the city remains sealed. Furthermore, recent reports show that the city is cutting off ocean-based trade in the Southern Sea, suggesting that the city is attempting to become more independent. This may mean that Menaphos means to remain sealed permanently.

Little is known of Menaphos itself due to its closure and the lack of any features being visible on the world map. It is known to be a very large city, capable of functioning well even when shut off from the outside world. It is said to be divided into four districts; the port, the slums, the Imperial District, and the Merchant District. The presence of a port, coupled with the map displayed while using charter ships, suggests that Menaphos is located at the southernmost point of the desert, along the Southern Sea. Aristarchus, a Menaphite scholar that took refuge in Polnivneach when the plague set in, also states that the city houses a grand library. The massive gate that seperates Menaphos and Sophanem, as seen from a Sophanem rooftop.

Menaphos worships the Desert Pantheon of gods in much the same way as most of the other inhabitants of the desert. Religion is very important to the people of the city, and so many temples and pyramids have been constructed in honour of these deities. It has been hinted by Jagex that, when the city is opened, more desert gods may be revealed. The current High Priest of Icthlarin also makes his home here. The city's dead are usually sent to Sophanem to be mummified properly so that Icthlarin can guide them to the afterlife. The two cities are linked by large bridge that spands the River Elid, although only the section of Menaphos's side is guarded by military fortifications.

10.12 - Darkmeyer -

Darkmeyeris an area spoken of in the Leather book found in the Paterdomus Temple Library.

According to the book, Darkmeyer makes up the northern half of the Sanguinesti region while Meiyerditch makes up the southern half. This suggests that Castle Drakan is at least part of Darkmeyer, and that Meiyerditch may be larger than first believed.

The book states that Darkmeyer is the home of Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan, the vampyric overlord of Morytania and betrayer of Zaros. Some people believe that Darkmeyer is accessible from the small castle in the east of Meiyerditch. There is, however, no way for players to access it currently.

In the In Aid of the Myreque quest, the player finds three interesting books in the hidden library at Paterdomus (Modern day Morytania). One of them tells you that there is in fact a second, and perhaps larger, city in the Sanguinesti region that is not in ruins. Darkmeyer may be where Drakan is lurking, because he is not mentioned by any important people of Meiyerditch. The large castle at the east of the city may be the gate to Darkmeyer. Castle Drakan is the home of Lord Drakan, the vampyre lord of Morytania. Found just north of Meiyerditch, it looms over the Sanguinesti Region and reminds all that are trapped there of the vampyres' dominance. Castle Drakan cannot currently be accessed by players due to the walls that surround it. There is also pipes leaking strange liquid to the swamp.

In the quest Darkness of Hallowvale the player must assist Safalaan in drawing the castle from the north, west and south. Also below the castle walls at a certain point of drawing the castle you see a cutscene with Vanstrom Klause speaking to Lord Drakan's relatives and a juvinate.

10.13 - Acheron -

Acheron is an arctic land said to be found to the north of the Fremennik Province. As of now, little is known about it, and it cannot be accessed by players in any way. Acheron is named after a river in Greek mythology that was said to border the underworld.

Brundt the Chieftain and some crew on Lady Zay are currently the only characters that speaks of it. According to Brundt, the climate is so bitterly cold that few can survive in it, and players will need an agile body just to live. This suggests that in Acheron players may need certain items to live, and may suffer side effects such as a lowered stats or continuous damage, such as in the Kharidian Desert, in the Mort Myre Swamp and on the Ice Path.

The wildlife is believed to consist of mammoths, polar bears, penguins, yetis, and other such creatures, as stated in a previous article by Jagex. Acheron may be the "motherland" that the penguins spoke of during the Cold War quest.

In a recent Postbag from the Hedge, Brundt states that the Fremenniks will lead an expedition to Acheron soon.

In one of the most recent Letters to the Chaos Elemental, it mentions yetis, a possible reference to Acheron.

10.14 - The Grand Library -

The Grand Library is a massive library said to be hidden beneath the capital city of the elves, Prifddinas.

The Grand Library is said to contain vast knowledge, and many secrets that have never fallen into the hands of humans. Although almost nothing is known about its actual contents, it is understood that it was one of the key factors in allowing the elves to survive the early years of Gielinor, after they entered through the World Gate. It provided them with the knowledge to create Prifddinas, amongst other things.

When the God Wars drew to a close, the elven goddess, Seren, was forced to depart from Gielinor. However, since she feared that the knowledge of the library could fall into the wrong hands without her there to physically protect it, she sealed the Grand Library. It is now protected by nine powerful seals, and there is no known way to break them.

It is believed that one of these seals may have been broken by the clan of Lord Iorwerth, although how they accomplished this and for what reason is unknown.

10.15 - Prifdinnas -

Prifddinas was built by the elves when they arrived in Gielinor through the World Gate in the First Age, when the world was still being shaped by Guthix. With them came Seren, a goddess of pure crystal.

10.16 - Tirannwn -

The elves settled in Tirannwn, a large wooded area west of modern-day Kandarin. With the nearly impassible mountain range of Arandar to the east, the maze-like woods to the south, and the ocean to the west, the elves were safe from attackers, although they did perform a small amount of exploration in Kandarin. The elves built the city with crystal they had been given by Seren, which could be shaped by singing in a certain way. The elves themselves were divided into eight clans, which peacefully coexisted in Prifddinas. Each was given a small tower at the edge of the city. In the middle was built the Tower of Voices, where they could commune with Seren herself.

Following the God Wars of the Third Age, Seren was forced to leave Gielinor in accordance with the Edicts of Guthix. The elves could still speak with Seren in the Tower of Voices, however. When the Fourth Age came, many of the elves travelled east, exploring the lands that are now Kandarin, Misthalin, and Asgarnia. Protected by the Cadarn Clan and led by the elven king Baxtorian, they created many settlements. They also formed ties with the humans and gnomes in the area, although they did have difficulties with Bandos followers such as the goblins and ogres to the south. Before long they had peacefully gained control of nearly all of Kandarin.

During the absence of the powerful Cadarn Clan, however, the Iorwerth Clan betrayed the elves and easily took control of Prifddinas. When conflict forced the elves beyond Arandar to return to Tirannwn, they found the city taken. All attempts to reclaim Prifddinas failed, leaving them stranded in Isafdar, where they still fight today.

During the cataclysmic God Wars, the elves were constantly threatened by the wars beyond Arandar. To prevent the discovery of Prifddinas, the elven capital, they had to ensure that the mountain range that seperated Tirannwn from Kandarin was not crossed. When invading forces crossed the mountains, the elven clans would eliminate them.

Soon the Cadarn Clan proved the strongest of the eight families, eventually almost completely controlling the elven military. As a result, the Cadarn Clan was extremely important, often standing as the sole line of defense against the wars beyond.

When the God Wars ended, many elves travelled through the Underground Pass into Kandarin, where they began to establish settlements and treaties under the rule of King Baxtorian. Nearly all of the Cadarn Clan left Tirannwn, taking up protection over the elven settlers. However, this left Prifddinas open to attack, not from foreigners, but from the Iorwerth Clan, one of the eight Elven Families.

10.17 - Arposandra -

Arposandra is a hidden city, and very little information is currently known about it. When

translated from the gnome language, it means "Stone City." It was founded late in the Fourth Age by the gnome Glouphrie after he was banished from the Gnome Stronghold by King Healthorg after he covered up the death of the silver Spirit Tree Argento. The only other mention of Arposandra is on an Ancient page that can be found in the Ancient Cavern beneath Baxtorian Falls. The page is but a brief sentance in gnomish. A direct translation has yet to be made, but its mention of Arposandra is clear. It has been partially translated as follows:

Laufata ki Glough ki Ta Quir Priw Undo eso, tolly, gnomo kar is Glough hamo sarko pro Arposandra Qua!

The eye [ki] Glough [ki] The Guardian Tree Land for a, (Stupid, Idiot), no gnome [is] Glough [hamo] begone to Stone City (Guard, Guardian, Protector)!

10.18 - Falador -

Modern day Falador was founded in the Year 8 of the Fifth Age, although the Varrock museum states that Falador existed in some form since the mid Fourth age, and the surrounding areas were ruled from it. As no evidence of Faladors existence shortly before the discovery of Rune essence can be found, it is safe to presume that the Fourth age kingdom was defeated, presumably by Goblins, although the date of this is unknown. Modern Falador was built only 8 years after humans discovered runes. Radallinn, the leader of one of the area's nomadic tribes, sought to establish a permanent settlement in the area with the help of the newly discovered runestones. This was made possible with the help of two orders of knights: the White Knights and the Kinshra, also known as the Black Knights. With their aid, the kingdom of Asgarnia was born.

Little is known of the city's early days, although it is likely it faced conflict with the goblins that still inhabited the area. A massive quarrying operation is assumed to have occurred, although the origin of the white stone the city is built from has never been specified.

Falador's political situation has always been a difficult one. Even in the early day's of the city's founding, political unrest plagued the city. King Raddallin, though the city's ruler, always was forced to compete with the White Knights and Black Knights, both of whom sought to increase their political influence in the area. Although the nobility was unaware of it, the White and Black Knights had secretly been rivals even before they came to the aid of Falador. The White Knights established themselves in a castle in Falador while the Black Knights were given a fortress on the nearby Ice Mountain.

Some time after Raddallin's death, his descendant, King Vallance took the throne. He continued the prosperity that his father had started, and soon Falador had gained strength and importance nearly equal to that of other significant human settlements such as Varrock and Crandor. In the Year 139, Crandor was completely destroyed by the dragon Elvarg. This caused a brief period of political turmoil due to the loss of of the city, which had previously been an important city-state. Falador, like the other settlements in Misthalin and Asgarnia, was forced to defend itself for fear that Elvarg would attack the mainland.

In the Year 162, King Vallance, now very old, fell ill. This left the city's central government weakened, allowing the White Knights to gain political supremacy. In Vallance's absence, they declared the Black Knights to have no power in Asgarnia, leading to a massive revolt that ultimately resulted in the Black Knights' departure to their mountain fortress. Although King Vallance, by position, continued to rule, the White Knights had practically gained control of the city. To protect him, they relocated him to a hidden location, although his death seemed likely. The city soon found political unrest when Burthorpe, led by Vallance's heir Prince Anlaf, declared itself independent. Although it continued to remain a part of Asgarnia, the White Knights and the Imperial Guard found themselves in an intense rivalry that, to this day, threatens to throw Asgarnia into a very bloody civil war.

Although Vallance survives, the city is now ruled almost entirely by Sir Amik Varze, the leader of the White Knights. Furthermore, the ancient Temple Knights have become involved and have showed their support for the White Knights. In recent years, Falador's importance has only grown, rivaling that of Varrock and East Ardougne. Today it is one of Gielinor's largest markets, and has established close ties with many of the world's more influential cities and kingdoms.

10.19 - The Flames of Lloigh-enn -

The Flames of Lloigh-enn are a legendary portal of transportation created at some point in the ancient past.

The Flames of Lloigh-enn are the pair of torches players first observe on the log-in screen. Apparently, the Flames are a means to travel between the "Worlds", in much the same way as the World Gate, Portal of Life, and fairy rings function.

10.20 - Yu'biusk -

Yu'biusk is the home plane of the goblins, separate from the RuneScape realm of Gielinor. According to Grubfoot's dream, it was originally a cool and wet place, with many plants growing and its inhabitants at peace. During the God Wars, Bandos (referred to as the "Big High War God" by the goblins) brought the goblins to RuneScape to fight for him. The plane became deserted and desolate after thousands of years of Bandos' control over it.

Yu'biusk as it appeared before Bandos arrived.During the Land of the Goblins quest, the player travels with Zanik and Oldak through a fairy ring to this now-barren place in hopes of bringing the goblins to peace. After opening a strange coffin-like box, Zanik disappears, and the others are forced to go back through the portal as it closes. Zanik presumably remains trapped on Yu'biusk. The box has the symbol of Bandos printed on it. Players can return to Yu'biusk after the quest is completed by using the fairy ring code BLQ. However, there is no sign of Zanik other than the mysterious box that she is locked in.

Strongbones states: Yu'biusk is not a place on RuneScape. It is another plane of existence. No goblin alive today has ever been there. It is many millennia since the Big High War God brought our ancestors from Yu'biusk, but the call to that plane is still strong in us. If barriers between the planes were ever to be broken, goblin blood would call out to open a portal to Yu'biusk.

10.21 - Digsite -

The Canal Barge is a small ship currently being built north of the massive Digsite east of Varrock. The barge has been under construction since the improvements made to the Varrock Museum, and will eventually take players to a mysterious island north of Morytania.

The barge, when complete, will require 100 kudos to access.

The barge is one of the Varrock Museum's current projects. According to Curator Haig Halen, the idea for the barge surfaced shortly after the discovery of a previously uncharted island north of the swampy region of Morytania.

According to Lead archaeologist Abigail, a field operative of the museum, the organization's funds were already thinning when the idea was approved. Having recently recieved a massive donation from the government of Varrock, the museum was already in the middle of several projects, including an excavation of the Senntisten/Saranthium ruins in eastern Misthalin and a total revamp of the museum itself.

Some of the museum's last money went into the construction of the barge, which will eventually lead to what has been dubbed by many as "Kudos Island". The island, which has been left untouched since the God Wars, is said to be littered with the remains of long-dead species.

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11.0 The Clans

11.1 - Iorwerth Clan -

Led by Lord Iorwerth, the Iorwerth Clan was able to easily take the city, allowing them to control the Tower of Voices. The other seven families were forced to leave Prifddinas.

The only known member of the clan that is alive today is Islwyn Cadarn.

11.2 - Cadarn Clan -

Baxtorian was the leader of the Cadarn Clan, who were dedicated to protecting the rest of the settlers. Although they were strong, the conflict that still engulfed Kandarin threatened to defeat them.

Baxtorian soon established alliances with several of the local races. The gnomes, who had only recently returned to the surface, were more than happy to re-establish ties that had been lost for over 4,000 years. The human tribes, who were much more divided, eventually agreed to a treaty. The ogres and Thorobshuun goblins that inhabited the Feldip Hills, however, were now locked in a bloody civil war due to Bandos's departure. Deciding that two out of three aliances was enough, Baxtorian soon established the elves as a powerful but peaceful force. For almost 1,900 years his kingdom prospered.

Baxtorian and his wife, Queen Glarial, were famed for their control and understanding of nature. Legends state that they had the ability to control the elements, creating hills, rivers, and trees even as they walked. Even as Baxtorian's kingdom reached its peak, disaster struck. All contact with Tirannwn ceased; none sent to the Arandar mountain pass returned, and efforts to scry beyond the mountain range were blocked by an unknown darkness.

When conflicts in Kandarin forced the Cadarn Clan to return to Tirannwn, they were unable to defeat the Iorwerth Clan. They now live with the other six clans, exiled in Isafdar, where they continue to fight to reclaim Prifddinas.

His only know descendant that is currently living, is Islwyn Cadarn, an elven bowyer, whom starts the Roving Elves quest when spoken to.

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12.0 Characters in Runescape Worthy of Notation

12.1 - Viggora -

Viggora is an invisible ghost who was once a human follower of Zamorak during the rebellion against Zaros. He rose to become one of Zamorak's bodyguards, a great achievement for a mere human, as almost all the others were Vampyres, Demons, and Mahjarrat.

He will tell you the story of how Zaros's betrayal and the curse that Zaros placed on those who took part in the betrayal, with the human participants cursed to become ghosts.

12.2 - Drakan -

Drakan is the most powerful of the vampires and the ruler of Morytania. He was also one of the rebels under Zaros' control until the ascendancy of Zamorak.

12.3 - Seren -

Seren founded and united the race of the Elves.

Elves are not native to Gielinor and were brought through the World Gate by Seren and with her. This World Gate, however, was lost at the end of the Second Age (which coincided with the defeat of Zaros) and so Elf Crystal now has no source. The Elves consider themselves lucky that their crystal cannot be destroyed in any way (You can't do alchemy on it, for example) and that it came from the "ancestral home of Seren", wherever that may be. She is apparently present within all elf crystal.

There is one known altar to Seren found in the elven town of Lletya. It resembles the altars of Saradomin, but made of wood with no symbol in the place where it normally would be. Seren is usually considered the goddess of the elves, although it is implied in the Path of Glouphrie that she is the divine aspect of the Anima Mundi. Following the God Wars of the Third Age, Seren was forced to leave Gielinor in accordance with the Edicts of Guthix.

She is also the original provider of crystal bow and the crystal shield. More information is provided on her and the history of this great crystal city in one of the books of Prifddinas' history found in the bookshelves of Lletya.

Seren's name comes from the Welsh word 'seren', meaning star. And from the Latin word "seren", meaning to make clear.

12.4 - Iban -

Zamorak's son-in-spirit, resurrected from the dead by a witch. Whatever he is, he has extreme magical powers. He is thus part human and so only a demigod, if that. Iban took over a trade tunnel and created a temple of chaos there, portal of the damned. People in there go insane after too long, yet it is rumoured there is a way to destroy Iban by reversing how he was resurrected. Iban owned an ancient and powerful magical staff but this staff seems not to have originally been his.

Iban prevented King Lathas from passing to West Runescape, yet Lathas seeks to bring a great evil into the world...what could it be, it is clearly not Zamorak's power, Iban would not prevent that.

12.5 - Thammaron -

An elder demon who destroyed the city of Uzer late in the Third Age, during the wars of the gods. He also was among the rebels who rose against Zaros with Zamorak, but his demonic hordes were crushed by Azzanadra.

12.6 - Delrith -

A demon (possibly an elder demon?) who almost destroyed Avarrocka in the early Fourth Age. Attempts are being made by the Dark Wizards to summon him again, but it is known that a freshly summoned elder demon is very weak.

12.7 - Malak -

Malak is also a powerful vampire lord, but not so powerful as Drakan. He recently organised the assassination of a fellow vampire lord.

12.8 - TUMEKEN -

Principal deity of the ancient desert people. Little else is known. Tumeken may well have been an ally of Zaros.

12.9 - AMSCUT "THE DEVOURER" -

The God of Destruction. She possesses humans or animals and is up to no good in Icthlarin's Little Helper after possessing a desert traveller and coercing the player to do his/her bidding. Being aligned to Destruction, The Devourer is possibly sympathetic to Zamorak's cause and vice versa. Amscut apparently didn't get on well with Zaros, prompting Zaros to place a curse upon her. Amscut was also cursed by her priestesses, who made it so that though her deeds would be remembered, she would not be, thus could have no followers.

This god is daughter of Tumeken and Elidinis.

12.10 - ICTHLARIN -

Icthlarin is the Demigod of the dead, the son of Tumeken and Elidinis, and brother of Amascut. He was the original leader of the Mahjarrat. Icthlarin is first encountered in the Icthlarin's Little Helper quest.

Strangely, this god was worshipped by the Mahjarrat until the third age until Zaros took them for his own servitude.It is likely that the Mahjarrat may well have their revenge to carry about against

Icthlarin. Icthlarin is one of the ancient gods, worshipped and known since the most ancient times. Icthlarin's role as a Demigod is not concerned with the act of death but with taking care of the dead, and making sure they reach the afterlife. To this end He is important in the funeral rites of those who worship Him. This role as a protector of souls often brings Icthlarin into conflict with Amascut, who wishes to consume the souls of the deceased.

12.11 - Sir Vant -

Sir Vant is a White Knight who can be found in the basement of a house in Lumbridge, directly east of the general store. He claims to be guarding the three-headed dragon lair and is waiting for the White Knights of Falador to come aid him.

12.12 - King Vallence -

King Vallence is the official ruler of Asgarnia. However, he has not been seen for many years and Sir Amik Varze, of the White Knights, rules in his place. It is said that he may be involved in a future quest. Theories as to why the king has not been seen for so many years around, one of them is that the White Knights are not telling the complete truth, and may have murdered him in order to gain full control of Falador.

Most of the White Knights have names that are a play on words. For instance, there is "Sir Vyvin" (surviving), "Sir Prysin" (surprising), "Sir Renitee" (serenity), Sir Amik Varze" (ceramic vase), "Sir Tiffy Cashien" (certification) and "Sir Vant" (servant). There is a lone white knight standing outside of Burthorpe, the only area of Asgarnia controlled by the Imperial Guard rather than the White Knights. Players speaking to him learn that he is watching something, an indicator of another rivalry between the two factions.

When talking to Bob the Jagex Cat, the following dialogue can be triggered: "Well, those white knights are far more complicated than you might imagine. Not the 'goodie goodies' they claim to be. Just watch your back."

It has also been speculated that, as the King of Falador, King Vallence would have previously been a white knight, and would have been called Sir Vallance. Much like other knights of Runescape, this could be a play on the word surveillance, which could be a clue to his whereabouts.

Kash’s Note: Interestingly enough, if you note that in the Moonclan Manual it states that "V-------" found the "Stone of Jas". Vallence is the ONLY person on Runescape who's name fits the number of spaces needed.

12.13 - The Wise Old Man -

The Wise Old Man, known by his true name as Dionysius (he signs his name *D), is a retired adventurer that has recently settled down in his house in Draynor Village, opposite Draynor bank. During his younger days, Dionysius was a famed hero, saving countless lives and fighting back the dark forces of Gielinor.

Dionysius, after years of adventuring the globe, has settled down in Draynor Village, where he initially lacked funds to purchase a decent house. However, after single-handedly masterminding the Draynor Bank Robbery, Dionyius's intentions and values are the subject of much speculation.

The Wise Old Man is amongst the most popular characters in RuneScape, playing roles in several quests and cutscenes. He is also a commonly recurring character in the Postbag from the Hedge, often having a special section at the end of each Postbag.

The Wise Old Man was born in Varrock many years ago. During his time there, he performed numerous deeds that were considered heroic by the youth of the time. One of his more memorable actions was painting "Saradomin Pwns" on the Zamorakian Temple in the southern part of the town. When he turned 15, the age at which children of that time advanced to adulthood, he turned down a prestigious offer to study amongst the priests of Entrana and decided to travel the world before settling down.

He spent many years traveling RuneScape, visiting many lands and performing countless memorable actions. One of the first areas he visited was the mines outside of Keldagrim, where some of the oldest dwarves still remember his aid in their war against a rogue tribe of trolls that threatened to destroy the city.

Shortly after leaving the dwarves, he traveled into the eastern mountains, where a now-disbanded mountain tribe told of an invincible warrior who wielded a powerful staff.

Some time after leaving the mountain tribes he traveled to Karamja, where he taught the natives of certain herbs that would aid them in combat. He also ventured into Brimhaven Dungeon, which few people at the time dared to enter. Afterwards, he advised the locals to charge any adventurer who wished to enter the dungeon, which is why Saniboch charges a fee of 875 coins for any player to enter.

He later travelled into the Kharidian Desert, where he lived amongst the Bedabin for some time. He traveled to many of the desert cities, including Menaphos and Sophanem. He also studied the mysterious pyramid to the south of the Bandit Camp. He would never speak about what he discovered in the pyramid, and it troubles him to this day.

He was wondering around some snowy area when there was an avalanche and he helped Larry out, by shrinking him. Larry uses this spell in Cold War.

After countless adventures, Dionysius traveled back to Entrana to complete his studies. Even on Entrana he found excitement, when he ventured into the demon-infested dungeon beneath it. At one point, he was offered admittance to the Temple Knights. He is also the author of "Magicks Most Destructive" of which very few copies survive today, and only fragments of it remain in the Temple Knight library. There is a copy in the Chemist's house, but it is currently unreadable. Only many years later, after many more adventures, did he finally retire and settle down in Draynor Village.

He robbed the local bank, killing seven people in the process. One of these unfortunate victims, an NPC named Elfinlocks, dropped a blue partyhat. A player can watch the robbery's recording by speaking to the guard outside the bank. It can be watched once for free; afterwards, a fee of 50 coins must be paid in order to view it again. His telescope, which pointed to the bank prior to the robbery, is currently pointing towards the Wizards' Tower.

The Wise Old Man also has a Saradomin staff and Saradomin armour. (According to the Strange book, he had it trimmed with some of his stolen money.) When player asks him about Zaros or Armadyl, he denies their existence. Apparently, he is a Saradominist who only believes in three gods (Saradomin, Guthix and Zamorak).

The Temple Knights, realizing how dangerous he is, are currently monitoring him, and have labeled him as an ultraviolet archangel threat. The Bank of RuneScape, the guards of Draynor Village, and many of the locals are also monitoring him closely, although he does not seem to be worried about this. In postbag # 29 it is stated in the Dossier on him: "Addendum: It has been noted that the

WOM has been expending considerable time and effort gathering information on the Wizard's Tower."

12.14 - Agrith Naar -

According to Father Badden, Agrith Naar used to inhabit its own dimension from which he could control all chaos in the world. However some ancient priests faced off against him and brought him to the mortal realm, where they encapsuled him into an immortal body, so that he would remain a forever young man but with no power at all.

When speaking to Juna the snake at the Tears of Guthix, there is a possiblility that the player will mention the Shadow of the Storm quest. After telling her about it she says "Agrith-Naar was one of the demons my master banished at the end of the great war. It seems he found a way to work around the ban on direct intervention." This may mean that there are other ways to get around the Edicts, as is being looked in to in the Myreque series.

12.15 - King Vargas -

King Vargas had a yeti curse put upon him. The former king of a small Fremennik island known as Miscellania, one travelled to Acheron, where he was somehow turned to a yeti. He is the only yeti currently in-game, although he may also still retain some of his physical human properties.

12.16 - Dimintheis -

In Defender of Varrock we discover that Dimintheis is a descendant of the founder of Varrock, one of the eight original elders. His last name is not the same as the list of elders, but his mother, or some female in his family tree, is a descendant and married into the Fitzharmon family.

He is the only person who can successfully wield the Shield of Arrav, unlocking its magical properties. He uses the shield to zap all the zombies and save the city.

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13.0 Lores and Histories

13.1 - Conversations with a Mage, by Samael Leynes -

The power of the runestones is well known to us now, and even children are taught a very basic understanding of the workings of magic and their advantages in defending our walls. This memoir shows that this was not always the case and that in a mere few centuries our understanding has increased... but so have the dangers of those who might misuse them.

- Reldo

The question seemed simple enough, yet the old man looked at me with a strange mixture of pity and contempt. I had asked him where the runes that now shaped our daily lives had come from. I waited patiently for his answer, apparently ignoring the look upon his face, for I was sure that his previous eloquence and his tales from before mankind meant that he favoured me. Eventually, with a jarring cough, he began to speak to me of the runes which had allowed man to use the Arts Of Magick to assist him.

"As my time on this plane draws to an end, the treachery of the evil followers of Zamorak still burns within my heart and mind, as I know that such knowledge as those like me have gained will forever be lost to the ages. I have not much time, yet must tell what I know concerning the runes and the dangers that their treachery hath brought upon our fair world.

"I am one of the few left alive who remember the time before we had the runes; when man fought man for food; when there were no havens from the creatures that seek to destroy us as a race. Yes, I remember still the times before men and dwarves considered each other allies, and only the bravest of heroes would venture beneath the ground - lest he fall foul of the wrath of the dwarves who had claimed that as their own.

"I remember the names of the kingdoms before they were kingdoms, of the men who ruled before there were kings. I remember how the discovery healed old wounds between families, made mankind safe in this world for the first time in our memories, and made even the humblest of men able to walk with a king as an equal... Yes, I remember..."

I waited some small amount of time after these words, for I did not wish to impose upon the old man too much, for we had talked at this inn for a long time of many things - which I have recounted to you in this humble tome, dear reader - but I was obliged to hurry the old man, for it had been a long night already, and I was afraid for his health as he coughed heavily, and he seemed lost in his thoughts.

I purchased another mug of ale from the innkeeper, and prompted the old man for an answer to my original query.

"An answer you want is it, boy? And you have fresh ale? Well, we will see... but you must know that sometimes a simple question gets not a simple answer...

"I remember my father, a smith of the highest standing, first telling me as a boy that a man from the north had madest a discovery of... well, there are some secrets I fear I must take to my grave in case they fall into the wrong hands. Yet I will say this; this man of the north had found something of great importance that required a great deal of study, and had bought some paltry supplies such as hammers and chisels from my father, which is how he knew of it.

"Even as a young boy I had an interest in this world in which we dwell, and this discovery surprised me. That night I stole away from my parents' home in the land we now call Misthalin so that I might join this man in examining his findings. What had he found? Patience, boy, I am coming to that - but I cannot reveal too much, for evil walks this land, and if it knew all of the secrets which had been discovered all of man would suffer in ways you cannot imagine... let us just say, that this man from the north had discovered Magick.

"I was not the only one who had come to see his discovery. A group of people, perhaps two score in number from all over this realm, and of all ages and tribes had heard similar rumours. They were as consumed by curiosity as I and had come to pledge themselves to exposing the secrets of this discovery. I cannot describe to you the awe and wonder we all felt when first the man from the north demonstrated the power he had discovered... To strike a foe with a mighty gust of wind at will! This feat is almost commonplace nowadays, and seen in brawls all over the lands, but back then... it was as though we had gained the power of a god!

"And as we trained and studied, our powers grew stronger and more unbelievable... I saw men moving objects with just the power of their mind, others turning useless items into the purest gold!

"But these skills and powers were not the greatest discovery that we made. It was discovered that we could take these powers and magicks, and bind them into solid objects which we called rune stones, for each had been marked with the rune symbol of the Magick which we had bound into it.

"These stones could then be given to someone who had not studied nor trained with our group - and the Magickal energies bound within them could be released at will. We all agreed that the discovery, and the Magicks it had allowed us, and our ability to store these magicks in compressed form as stones, required much investigation, far more investigation than was possible with just the small group that we were... so we vowed to all return to our homelands and spread the message of our discoveries, so that we could gain more followers to assist us in our research.

"When I returned home, my parents scolded me for my thoughtlessness and selfishness in leaving them with not a word of explanation - yet the looks on their faces when I showed them the powers I had achieved through my studies! When I smelted some of my father's ore in my hand without the need of his furnace, he almost collapsed with wonderment, for it was then that he saw what I could see when I had left home; that this discovery was the future of our people on this world.

"Only my mother gave me words of caution, which I did not understand then in my foolish youth; that there was danger in trying to match the gods, for the gods are jealous and do not want mere mortals having powers such as they possess... Many times since then I have thought on her words and wished I had understood them as I do now."

Again the old man's story seemed to be unfinished, and again he seemed to be waiting for some hidden signal to proceed. Having become used to his ways in the hours I had spent with him, I rose to fetch him more ale, but he snapped out of his reverie with a wave of his hand.

"No, boy, I need no more ale. I have had my fill for this night, and all the ale in Misthalin cannot wipe away the memories of treachery and bloodshed that I have, no matter how much I sometimes wish they could. Just indulge an old man his memories of loved ones long dead for a moment, I shall return to my tale when I am ready."

13.2 - Herman's Book -

Found by searching Herman's desk in Piscatoris Fishing Colony

This world of Gielinor has always had its share of heroes throughout its history. Tales of the daring exploits of legendary figures such as Arrav, Camorra, Robert and Wally have held children spellbound for generations. But even in these modern times, the world still needs heroes. One such figure, stranding protectively between civilisation and the forces of chaos, is that of Dionysius.

The young Dionysius was educated in Varrock, where records tell us that he regularly attended the local Saradominist chapel. Local tradition has it that Dionysius led a band of young men to graffiti a Zamorakian temple in the south of the city, although doubtless such things have happened often in the busy city that is Varrock. It was expected that Dionysius would become a priest, but he seems to have had other plans...

At the age of 15, the age at which children of that era completed their education, Dionysius is reported to have turned down a prestigious invitation to study on the holy island of Entrana. Instead he declared a wish to travel the world before settling to a permanent career. The path trodden by the young Dionysius is a winding one. The older dwarves living near Keldagrim remember a youth of that name travelling through their mines at that time. They claim that he gave them great assistance in defending the mines from a rogue tribe of trolls, eventually driving the trolls out of those mines completely. It is believed that the young Dionysius travelled amongst the mountain tribes after he left the dwarves. One tribe, now disbanded, used to tell of a strange mystical warrior named 'Deesus' - surely a corruption of 'Dionysius' - who helped defend their camp from the monsters that roam the northern lands. 'Deesus' was said to be an invincible warrior who wielded a powerful staff. Dionysius subsequently travelled across the seas to the tropical island of Karamja, where some of the oldest natives tell of how he brought with him strange herbs that increased their powers in combat. He is also remembered for venturing into the deep caves underneath that island, where very few dare to tread. One Karamjan family claims that a pale-skinned 'shaman' visited their village a few generations ago and told them to build a hut over the entrance to the caves and demand money from anyone wishing to enter; this 'shaman' may have been Dionysius.

Even in the depths of the Kharidian desert, some will remember a stranger who lived with the tent-dwelling Bedabin tribe for a while, studying the great mysterious pyramid of the desert. No-one could make him speak of what he discovered about the desert bandits who live near it.

By now an adult, Dionysius returned to the civilised lands and finally travelled to Entrana. Always a tough youth, he had now learnt great magical powers, and many on Entrana recall that they were in awe of his abilities, venturing fearlessly into the cave under that.

The rest of the pages seem to be missing.

13.3 - The Fall of Six -

“ I recently received a remarkably tattered manuscript from a strange old man who lives in deepest, darkest Morytania. This scroll was evidently ancient and contained an intriguing new angle on the famous legend of the Barrows. I'm not entirely sure of the significance, but the man signed his letter off with the words 'Dig dig dig' - perhaps he has lived in Morytania too long. ”
— Reldo

A Stranger Watches
The stranger had watched the campaign from its first footfall into the lands east of the river, always from afar. His lidless eyes were affixed to the six commanders, resplendent in their armour, their weapons poised to attack as yet unmet foes. Behind each commander, a phalanx of war-hardened soldiers, their metallic armour glinting even in the pale light of these dead lands – brilliant fingers of light inching towards the heart of Hallowvale.

The six were brothers, hailing from one of the smaller townships of Misthalin – they had shown a glimmer of prowess in combat even back then, though their chores as farmers chewed up much of their time. If they had been born in another age, their lives would have been filled with thankless obscurity, but in this age of the God Wars, there were many opportunities for such men to earn renown.

Their thirst for fame is what led the stranger to them, for although their skills were unmatched in their township, they desired to be the best of all men, and the stranger had promised them this, for he knew power and could grant it. His long years had taken him to many distant lands where he had collected much arcane knowledge and many artefacts of value and strength, and it was those very weapons and armours he had given them, that they now wielded, which granted them their desire. If they had not been blinded by such desires, had heard the deviousness in the stranger’s voice, or could have seen the calculating eyes hidden deep within the dark recesses of his cowl, then they may have taken a different path.

The campaign moved with great speed, deeper and deeper into the darkness; for a year, many battles were fought like the one the stranger now watched below. The phalanxes engaged the rank and file, spurred on by the brothers’ fearlessness and courage, while the brothers themselves squared up to the enemy champions. Ahrim, the eldest brother crumbled his foes with powerful magics, and sapped their strength and their will to fight. Dharok and Guthan, the next eldest, did not need their foes to be weakened to decimate them – great axe cleaving limbs from bodies, spear skewering organs.

The brothers were strongest when united, fighting side-by-side or back-to-back. Should any enemy manage to survive long enough, and have the chance to strike a blow, Karil would fire a swathe of bolts to pepper their chest as they took their swing, throwing them back. This battle was the campaign’s most unrelenting and bloody – the brothers’ confidence and skill had grown over the years as the power they wielded made them feel invincible, made them living heroes to their followers. The straggling enemy survivors were routed, but even they were cut down – try as they might to flee, Torag pounded them into the dirt, and their prayers rang hollow as Verac flayed the skin from their bones.

Another victory.
A thin smile slowly curled upon the stranger’s mouth, snagged teeth protruding, and he thought, Truly, they are worthy - now is the time, before he slowly and deliberately turned heel and made his way down from his cliff top perch to the battlefield remnants below, and the camp the brothers’ army was now constructing.

The Pact, Fulfilled
Dusk had settled by the time he arrived at the camp; there was much song and laughter, rejoicing of the day’s battle and stories of valour. Various beasts were slowly roasting on spits over open fires, the crackling lost among the din of celebration, sparks dancing in the cool half-light. He picked his path through the piles of litter of the camp but his path was always directly towards the brothers. As more became aware of his presence a silence enshrouded the camp, as if the stranger himself were holding their mouths shut.

To the surrounding army it looked no more than the robed stranger staring into each of the brothers’ eyes, but to the brothers it was the realisation of their fate. They froze, in unison, as if caught in the path of a crushing wall of water, finally understanding the cost of the deal they had struck with the stranger. Misthalin now felt so very far away; a different land, a different time. The brothers, once united by blood, and by bloodshed, and by the pact they had taken together, now stood alone. Their power had separated them from other mortal men, now it had separated them from each other.

The silent stranger’s message could be heard only in the brothers’ minds – a raspy, conspiratorial whisper:

"The time has come, my warriors. The gifts I bestowed upon you have served you well, and you, in turn, have served your god. Now, it is time to begin your servitude to me... to my god. You shall stand ever vigilant for His return, and then you will be champions in His glorious army - we shall have victory against the usurper. But first, you must die..."

The brothers flinched back, hands tightening on weapons, but the stranger did not attack. After this briefest of moments to the onlooking soldiers – a lifetime to the brothers – the stranger turned and strode to the edge of the camp, back through the charred remains of the defeated and the victorious dead. The brothers just stood and watched, in shock, as the odd figure disappeared from the camp, delving into the shadows at its edge, but the silence remained and with it now a palpable tension, the air thick with doubt and unease. The stranger returned once again to his perch above the battlefield and watched as the last of the light fell from the sky and as the campfires burnt themselves out.

The rays of morning slowly crept around the camp, like a beast stalking its prey, stirring the army to wake. It went some way to renewing the soldiers’ hope, but the brothers themselves remained silent, as if they had absorbed all the doubt and despair their followers carried the previous night. Camp was broken and the retinue continued its journey further still towards the heart of these dark lands. Despite the meeting with the stranger, the brothers still had their purpose, and even though they now knew its full extent, they continued bravely on, resigned.

Ruination
Yet more battles followed that fated night, the enemy growing in number and strength, the stranger now clearly visible in his observation of them, no longer concealing his presence. The brothers continued to fight, as heroes among men, yet they slowed, they erred. Ahrim’s spells would miss, Dharok’s strength declined and Guthan weakened by the day. Karil no longer managed to stay the blows of his targets, his brothers receiving wounds before he could fill their enemies with bolts. Torag slowed, and Verac seemed to instil less fear in his opponents. They bruised and bled, requiring tending from their medics after each skirmish.

Now, at the heart of this accursed land, as the sun fell low in the sky, the stranger watched again as they pitched their final camp, watched as they rested... and watched as the marshalled forces of their enemy crashed upon the camp – demons, wolves and hounds, undead creatures and other such horrors. The brothers fought bravely one last time, rallying their troops to them, fending off the dread beasts’ raid. Many men fell around them, yet, despite their losses, together they managed to set the enemy to retreat, striking a heavy blow in return.

At first light the camp was refortified, but the brothers fell around their campfire. All morn and eve, they were tended upon once more, but this time they did not recover. Muttering feverishly, their wounds did not close and their breathing weakened. Even in the act of dying they fought against the darkness, clinging to all the life they could, but much as the sun above giving way to night, so too was their fate inevitable. As the last rays of light failed, so too did the brothers and the campaign with them. Sorrow and despair now afflicted the camp. The remaining officers came to the realization that without their leaders they were lost and must now turn back if there were to be any hope of survival, but as a reflection of the brothers’ bravery, they vowed to honour their martyred heroes as a final act before retreating.

For six days, the survivors dug up the earth and built crypts for the brothers; for six nights, their enemies surrounded the camp, chiding and braying, mocking the loss of their leaders, breaking their spirit but not attacking. The stranger took no joy from this – he had no love for either side – his involvement complete. On the last day, he watched the crypts being covered and the burial mounds completed, and the remnants of the brothers’ army turn their back on the dark to begin their long journey home. As they passed from view he turned, again walking deliberately and slowly towards the brothers, now dead and interred in their barrows.

Arms outstretched atop the central mound, the stranger chanted in some foul, ancient language, casting his old magic. A vulgar purple light formed in front of him, fell to the earth, and bled into each of the barrows.

________________________________________________________________________

14.0 Postbags

14.1 - Postbag # 5 -

Oh, great and powerful Chaos Elemental, I am a lowly scholar, longing to know more of your origins, as well as your abilities.
My first question to you is, can you talk? If not then I am wasting my breath, I suppose. The second: If you are a pure manifestation of Chaos, then why do you not fire your oh-so-deadly spells when there arent every victims? This would seem that there is indeed a strong order within you.
The third: Are you any relation to the Air, Water, Fire, and Earth elementals presently residing under the ground of a town known as the Seers' Village? My fourth, if you are indeed of common origin as those elementals, are there as of yet undiscovered Mind, Body, Death (etc.) elementals lurking in some corner of the world? I wouldn't fancy meeting the elemental of blood!
And my last question, how did you come to the land which we have come to know as 'the Wilderness'? I can imagine that the story would be quite a thrilling tale!

With my scholarly questions asked, I can only plead that you haven’t already killed the postman who is unfortunate enough to deliver this, and that you would be courteous enough to fill another page or two in the library of Varrock.

Many thanks for your time,
Coolcoder9t

Go. It smells like quarter past. Cabbages make the best soup. No, broccoli! Killerwatt killerwatt where have you been? Duckling ugly an was once there. Chaos Soahc, Jas. Hello? 15 at the last count.

Did it ask a question? Bizarre boron swell, coolcoder9t tasty, doctor cole cruchy, meaty goodness.

Chompy make da bestest yums! No, it seeks the blade. Stop the shifter, torcher and penance! Burn down the rum! Arrr, that it be. Checkmate queen, the boys are in town. My arm's adventure seeks solace with the sorcerers’ garden. Wilderness? Rewind less? Weird lens? Tanath cur!! Tanath cur!!

Dear King Black Dragon,
Have you noticed that you're not the strongest monster in runescape anymore? After the Kalphite queen and now the Chaos Elemental came along, they made you look weak. You cannot let this happen to you! Fight them! You could own them if you tried. Tell me if you get back your title as strongest monster.

Later,
Hobbman

Our time here is short. Our masters only leave us this place so we may bring false hope to the humans. With defeat comes rebirth, with rebirth comes conflict. With conflict comes passion, with passion comes power. With power comes a price. New challenges will only bring them closer to the end, to the precipice of the unknown, to the Kin, and they will show no mercy.

Your perception of strength will be your undoing, tasty morsel.

Dear Vargas Why don't you tell us what happened ( in detail) in the icelands. What type of monster bested such a great adventurer as yourself? And when will the wedding be? I mean how hard is it to find a priest I can read a Guthix wedding ceremony or would u rather have a Sara of Zammy i could fine someone!

Sincerely your humble sucessor
Acet High King of Miscellania

Dear Regent,

Regarding the wedding, you know how awkward my children can be! Both of them claim to have nothing to wear, Brand is busy writing his own version of the wedding march (Guthix save our ears from that one) and Astrid, well, Astrid seems to think that she needs her own palace built before she even puts thought to a wedding. Kids can be so demanding! Apart from all of that, there are rumours that Etceterians are exploring the caves below the islands, which can only lead to no good. We can't have the palace cave in during a royal ceremony, now can we?

Regarding my travels in the icelands, I have been considering getting my story written down as a book so all may enjoy it. If I do, I’ll let the Postie know and we can discuss it over a nice warm glass of mead.

14.2 - Postbag # 9 -

Letter: Colonel Thormen reporting to General Azzanadra,

My recent adventures through the sole land still remembering the Lord, i.e. the Desert, have brought some interesting results. After freeing you from that terrible much too small prison those traitors wrestled you in, I have spoken to some ghosts. After finding out these were the foul mud crawlers that, like inferior slaves, brought that snake of a Zamorak the Staff of Armadyl, only my immortal loyalty to the Lord kept me from turning around and leaving these heretics in their righteous punishment. This disgust made however that I couldn't remember everything afterwards. I would like to ask you to clear some things up.

I know, so far, that Zaros has been proud ruler of your race the Mahjarrat. One of the ghosts told me, however, that a god named Icthlarin was a ruler of the Mahjarrat as well, and that your sunken brother Zamorak stole it from him. Now, this would mean that either Zamorak stole the rule over your race from Icthlarin, and gave it to Zaros, or it would mean that Icthlarin is our Lord!

Now, the first possibility doesn't seem likely to me, as I know that Zamorak was a shameless thieve, and wouldn't have handed the Mahjarrat over to the Lord. It seems most likely to me that Icthlarin is indeed Zaros. Could you, o divine warrior of the south, please imply me with your knowledge on the subject?

Another, more recent, accomplishment I have made, is the freeing of your loyal brother Akthanakos. He was trapped by that foul ant of an Enakhra, and they are now battling each other in a place they call 'the North'. I did not understand what they meant, but I understood that it was urgent. Maybe it's the land of Acheron I have heard about. Maybe you, the benefactor of all that is good, can figure out what the meaning of 'the North' was.

Other than that, I must inform you about the whereabouts of Gielinor. It is two, almost three ages after Zamorak cowardly imprisoned you. As you saw, the place your pyramid was built has turned into a the sole place where the Lord is worshipped anymore. After Zaros was stabbed in the back, Zamorak and Saradomin claimed his lands.

Now, the places where once stood the mighty fortresses of Ghorrock, Dareeyak, Annakarl and Carralangar have been claimed by that traitorous pretender. Also, the lands east of the Salve, where once stood Kharyrll, have been claimed by him as well. Saradomin rules the rest of Zaros' former empire, including some lands to the west.

He tells our human species that he is the good god, and that we should live by his 'wise philosophies' of law and order. It sounds like a strong dictatorship to me, but most humans fall for his tricks. Our Lord is almost forgotten, the world seems doomed... We must secure the rise of the

Lord, so that he may bring wisdom to our lands again!

Yours and Zaros' eternally,
Players name

Azzanadra' Reply:

Greetings Colonel,

Well I am impressed that postman has managed to track me down and pass me your missive, clearly I am getting careless in my old age.

You seem to have some severe theological misconceptions: One thing I must make very very clear, Icthlarin is not in any way shape or form the same person as my lord! It is a sad day when so much has been forgotten of him, that even one of the loyal could make such a mistake. Had you not rendered great services to our cause recently, you would have caused me to question whether you were even a true follower.

Also no one "stole" the Mahjarrat from anyone. The Mahjarrat will align themselves with the God of the path that they feel fit. Icthlarin was a fool who thought he could control us, but he never had the influence that he thought. When Zaros found us we no longer needed Icthlarin, for we had found in Zaros, not only one of great power, but also a god who truly understood the ways of the Mahjarrat. Of all the choices that I have seen only through Zaros shall we have our ultimate glory.

Those who subsequently have come to follow Zamorak the pretender are shortsighted and not truly understanding of what it is to be a Mahjarrat, their arrogance will be their downfall in the end.

Yes, I have made some quick travels through RuneScape since being freed from my incarceration and I can but concur with you on the poor condition of this world, though I know not why you call it Gielinor. It saddens me that the once great empire is not only gone, but as good as forgotten. Far too many seem to believe the lies of Saradomin and Zamorak and some other upstart called Guthix. When the time is right we will definitely need to change this state of affairs.

On a happier note it is good to hear that Akthanakos is around and still loyal to our lord, for he disappeared and we did not know what had happened to him. I know what is meant when they say they shall go to the north, but now is not the time to speak of it.

For the Glory of Zaros!

Azzanadra

14.3 - Postbag # 13 -

Greetings Hazeel, It has been almost a year since I resurrected you, and yet whilst I occasionally emerge from the vast nothingness beneath the earth to ponder what else could lurk still deeper (I could have sworn I saw some sort of demon of flame down there at one point, I shall keep looking for it.), I notice that East Ardrogene still stands, Falador is as pompously Saradoministic as ever, and Varrock has not been thoroughly destroyed since Delrith's attack. I was pleased at Agrith-Naar's recent attempt to resurrect him, but he did it so poorly I had to banish poor Delrith for his own good. The Varrockian Guards would not have been so merciful. Not long after that some idiot monks mistook my protection of Delrith as heroics, and sent me off to deal with Agrith-Naar, an accomplished demon in his own right. While normally I would have left him alone, his banishment is necessary for the defeat of the Culionomancer, whose continued existence would destroy the universe. (As good as this sounds, I keep all my stuff in the universe and prefer it damaged beyond repair rather than destroyed.) After seeing the accomplishments of Agrith-Naar and various other agents of Zamorak, I notice that after an entire year you have yet to raise a finger in the destruction of the nonbelievers. Please get to work, Zamorak wants the world to burn and you hold the torch.

Lord Thgin, loyal servant of Zamorak and traveler of the depths.

Hail Lord Thgin, traveller of the depths,

I write to you from the north on behalf of my liege and master, Lord Hazeel.

My lord has called upon me to write to you and relay his assurances that all is going to plan; although you have waited long and have heard little, a solitary year is but nothing to the great Hazeel.

Lord Hazeel has spoken highly of you – an honour granted to few who serve him – and he believes you will soon be instrumental in the enterprises already underway. I am afraid that I cannot disclose to you at this time the reason for our journey to the north or more details of my master's plans. Lord Hazeel's business is urgent and the success of his endeavours is paramount; secrecy is imperative. The danger that this missive will fall into the wrong hands is too great to take any risks. Rest assured, however, that he will call upon you when the time is ripe for action.

Lord Thgin, word of your exploits has travelled widely; your respect for Zamorak is to be commended and your efforts on my master's behalf are beyond praise. We will be honoured to count you as one of our number in the days ahead. For now, let the blinded Saradominists bask in their false sense of security; the Age of Zamorak will be upon them before they have time to brush their pitiful teeth.

Yours in darkness,
A friend and fellow servant of Zamorak

14.4 - Postbag # 22 -

Dear Thurgo,

Since you are a Master Smith, and one of the last remaining Incando Dwarfs, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me about a peculiar ore that I found in the Sanguinesti Region. It's blue-green and it known among the Vampyres and those living in the Ghetto (The Vampyres are forcing the humans to pay blood tithes and to mine this) as Daeyalt Ore. Do you recall anything pertaining to this ore? Does your ancestor's lore mention it? What could the Vampyres be making with it? Weapons with power beyond our wildest dreams!? Should we run and scream like the Barbarians?! What about Redberry Pie?! WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE PIE!?!?!!??! Thanks in advance for your response

-Peanutbirdie
RuneScape's Beer Baron

Beer Baron,

Don't worry about the pie, mate. Post it to me; I'll keep it safe and sound. I've attached a self-addressed pie dish.

As for these blue-green rocks, mate - well, I haven't heard nowt about them, and we Imcando keep pretty meticulous records of every rock in RuneScape. This rock you got ain't natural. It'll have some magical hoobery-joobery on it, and I'm guessing those vampire types are after the hoobery-joobery. Don't take it from me, course. There's tall'uns with heads in books who'll give you an idea less raw than old Thurgo. I'm just giving you my two gold pieces' worth.

Well, I'll have to keep an eye out for this unnatural rock. The true test of a rock is in its taste, 'Birdie. The miner's mouth ain't let me down yet.

Thurgo

14.5 - Postbag # 23 -

Letter:

My Lord Zamorak,

What is the fire on the login page called? It have the icons of runes randomly. Is it the flames of zamorak?

pker,
Player name

Zamoraks Reply:

"The flames of Lloigh-enn are an often rumoured, almost mythical, barrier between various dimensions, that require a spell recited most precisely, that is different for each individual who wishes to pass through.

I am surprised a mere mortal has heard of them, let alone encountered them in person; I had thought them long since extinguished. You have my gratitude adventurer, it is not often the curiousity of Zamorak is excited. I will have to look into this, it could be very useful in my plans."

Letter:

O lord of Chaos,

I wish to know more of Hazeel's background. Who is this mysterious individual whom I played a great part in resurecting from the dead? I have to admit that I did not do this task because I have fealty for you, actually I am a follower of Guthix (praise be to the Balance), but because I had a loathing for the family residing on Hazeel's rightful property. I did; however, hate to kill the dog. But, anyway, I would like to know more about him, Hazeel, the Great Warrior of Chaos...seeming only second to your power in Chaos, which even Zaros should fear, if he ever returns, of course.

Signed,
Player name, Seeker of Truth

Zamoraks Reply:

Hazeel is a mahjarrat like myself; you might find it easier to think of him as a distant cousin of mine. He once had a great deal of power in Ardougne, but was betrayed by their pitiful ruling council for breaking their small minded and pathetic laws.

The man responsible (an ancestor of the cringeworthy Ceril Carnillean) for his death was given his house and riches as reward, but he obviously didn't do a good enough job as Hazeel was merely wounded and placed an enchantment upon himself so that he might heal and return. the fact that Hazeel isn't the sharpest arrow in the quiver, meant that he forgot to take care of the scroll needed to revive him, and had to rely on his loyal followers to complete his spell for him.

Hazeel is now quite alright, and currently running a little errand for me in an undisclosed location. I would tell you more as you seem to have your head screwed on right about who the best deity is around here (me!), but I know those stupid Saradominists sometimes try and spy on my motives through these letters, so I'm not giving too much away. If you helped him out, you already know where he is; if you chose to work against me, then you get no help on this matter from me.

Perhaps you may meet him again, perhaps you may not; it really depends on how successful he is in his mission for me, I suppose. He has let me down before, so I would say he has a fifty-fifty chance of blowing things (and himself up) on his mission.

14.6 - Postbag # 25 noticeboard -

The solution of the chaosudoku was "mahjarrat gathers an army, he shall slay many masters."
Some letters were also circled and made an anagram of "lucien"

Letter To Guthix

Q) Do you have a some sacred animal(s) that you favor i.e. Athena with her thing for owls, Freya's love for cats, or Zeus' eagle? It'd be great if you did so that we Guthix-worshippers could have something a little more concrete to protect and worship to show our devotion.

A) I respect the sheep, for their purpose is essential, albeit secret. Some day the rest of you mortals might discover the true power of the sheep, innocent in appearance but essential in bearing, and realise why they shelter under my protection for the time being.

14.7 - Postbag # 27 -

Question:
"To the wise old man, Juna, and Reldo.

Of all the beings I have met in my travels, you are among the wisest and most learned of all. If it’s not too much trouble, there are a few questions that have been bothering me for a while and every time someone asks them, the question is dodged. I am hoping that I may get some answers from you about Zaros.

During the time before he was betrayed, Zaros was possibly the most powerful god in existence. Yet only one city remains with living followers, and they only had one artifact of Zaros in their possession, a staff with the symbol of Zaros at the end. Even the dig site near Varrok had more artifacts. Where might other items be found? Finally, during the god wars many different races followed different gods. The goblins followed Bandos, the humans followed whoever they saw fit, but who followed Zaros? I hope you can help put my mind at ease. (Even though I have asked the wise old man about Zaros he never gives me an answer, so maybe he will get the hint that I know how dangerous Zaros is and yet I won’t give up seeking answers just because of this fact.)"

Answer:
"Our loyalty here in the Bandit Camp is to Zaros, the banished one, though it is true we are few in number these days. Zaros was defeated at the end of the Second Age, before the God Wars. Subsequently, most of Zaros's followers switched allegiance to other gods out of fear, opportunism or necessity.

The few remaining loyal followers of Zaros were not numerous enough to directly involve themselves in that war. Some, like Sliske, had apparently disappeared into hiding; others, like Akthanakos and our master, Azzanadra, had been imprisoned.

Why is there little evidence of Zaros's existence? Well, history is written by the victors. There are many reasons why Zaros is no longer remembered: the greed of Zamorak's desire for even greater power leading to the destructive God Wars; the arrogance of Saradomin in trying to erase Zaros's memory from the world. This 'Dig Site' you mention sounds most intriguing... I may have to pay it a visit.

As to Zaros's appearance...well, a god can take many forms. The stories of my people speak only in metaphor. It is our hope that, even if it takes us a thousand lifetimes, we can return our lord to power, so the world can once again place its eyes upon his glorious visage.

Eblis"

14.8 - Postbag # 30 -

Dear Hotswing,

Despite your comments regarding my age (I'm only 28, I'll have you know!), I shall do my best to answer your questions.

I have read a few short and terrifying stories from Morytania that use Charos as a character, but these are all fictional, and generally make him out to be some sort of cowering and simpering fool.

The documents I have detailing his life tend to disagree with these depictions, favouring instead an image of a remarkable man of especially impressive charisma. This, of course, you know, so I shall move on to answer your questions.

It is entirely possible that Charos is still alive. He was in service to the vampyres' ruler, Lord Drakan, and though the histories indicate that Charos fell out of his master's favour, vampirism has a nasty habit of allowing unscrupulous individuals to keep living, or, rather, not living. Even if he was not 'blessed' by his lord in this way, there are some incredibly nasty tales that describe the vampyres employing certain scientists and sorcerers who are capable of keeping a mortal from dying, or raising them from the dead.

As to whether you may have to face him, I honestly cannot know (you might be better advised to ask some fortune teller - if you believe in such absurd mumbo-jumbo). If, however, he has been turned into a vampyre, he may well be a powerful foe, and very likely will want his ring back. After all, if someone came along and stole your favourite trinket, wouldn't you want to find out who had it to get it back?

Oh, and before I forget (and not due to my age or any presumed 'rotting' of my brain), I also uncovered this rather charming painting of Charos's castle, now called Castle Fenkenstrain, I believe.

Yours memorably,
Reldo

Evil Dave’s RuneScape Conspiracy Theories

A MODERATELY TERRIFYING HELLO to you all!

I hope you’ve had a STUPENDOUSLY EVIL TIME wandering the lands of Morytania, defeating vampyres and generally unravelling the Myreque mess. I would have helped, of course, but I’ve been too busy putting together a little EVIL something for you all.

You see, not everything in RuneScape is how it seems. I, as a man of the world, have come to know some facts that THEY don’t want you to know. As a CHAMPION OF THE TRUTH (Evil Division) I felt it my duty to inform you…

EVIL DAVE’S THEORY 1 – Firemaking is EVIL

Have you noticed that, when Firemaking, you always travel to the west? WEST! This may seem like nothing to you, but think about it. Think about the word ‘west’.

West is an anagram of STEW!

Is this a coincidence? I think not! Stew is EVIL, as you have no doubt found out from trips to my BASEMENT OF DOOM. Firemaking must then be EVIL too, as it leads you west - the direction of all that is NEFARIOUS, DODGY and DOWNRIGHT NAUGHTY.

It has also led me to believe that over the mountains by Ardougne (where I often go for picnics of SPINECRUMBLING TREPIDATION) there must be a big ocean of stew, with dumplings and bread rolls and a big ladle the size of the Wizards’ Tower.

EVIL DAVE’S THEORY 2 – The mysterious blacknessness

Mummy got me a map of RuneScape (which had Taverley spelt wrongly – pffrt), showing FABULOUSLY EVIL BLACK SQUARES surrounding most of RuneScape! Find a map and look at it, if you dare. They are there, as plain as I am EVIL.

Look to the west (EVIL!) of the Deep Wilderness. A perfect black square. Look near Meiyerditch. Another one! You have to ask yourself – what else is black and square?

Black square shields!

Can you think of anything else that is both black and square? No. Using both maths and logic, we must deduce that the black squares are, indeed, massive black square shields.

Now we know this to be fact, what are the HEINOUSLY EVIL Black Knights protecting under their massive black shields? Massive Black Knights of course! I fear that even EVIL DAVE and his well-trained HELLRAT BERSERKERS will not be enough to stop them.

EVIL DAVE’S THEORY 3 – The Future of Dragons

I often chat to Oziach, and something he said got me thinking:

“Evil Dave,” he said, “Have you heard about dragons?”

I nodded.

“You have always been on the ball, Evil Dave. Have you heard of a steel dragon?”

I sipped my EVIL STEW and nodded again.

He continued: “As well as steel dragons there are mithril dragons. Now, if we consider that this progresses through all the metals, to adamant dragons and rune dragons…”

I could see where Oziach was going with this.

“…then eventually, somewhere in RuneScape there must be a dragon dragon!”

DEAR ZAMORAK! Can you imagine the POWER I would have with a dragon dragon? I would use it to cook EVIL STEW whenever I wanted and fly to the shops in a matter of seconds! Of course, that’s less a theory and more a CATACLYSMIC PLAN OF SUPER-DOMINATION.

I hope my other two theories - which aren’t technically theories - instead, INDISPUTABLE FACTS – enlighten you about the real RuneScape. Adventurers, you must question everything and trust no one, for nothing is as it seems in Gielinor. Not even mummy. Or UNCLE NIGEL.

14.9 - Postbag # 32 -

Shoelaces Lament/Chaos Elemental Future Telling - 7/24/08

Dear all Creatures and NPC's of Runescape,

As you all know, the Runescape we have come to be very fond of is going through massive changes. I know that that this is going to effect each and every one of you. As we have seen from the development diary, the changes have been taking place on similar realms, but not yet Runescape. How are you all going to cope with all of these changes happening to you? Did it hurt? How many chickens were killed in the process?!? And what we all want to know, how many dwarf graphic engineers did it take to hold down the Kalphite Queen long enough? –

From
*Shadesleer P.S.*

P.S.* I realize not many people and creatures in Runescape have Computers (and that's O.K.), but have any of you had insight on what files are needed for our computers to run the new Runescape.

That way there is not a huge dash to download the proper files. (to prevent issues)

~~Hi Shadesleer,

It wasn’t easy finding someone to answer your letter. For a start, you talk about things that few on RuneScape would understand: computers, Development Diaries and the like. From the short list of people who would understand, three are bordering on mad, one is too busy bartending, another is possibly fictional and the rest are gods. So...mad it is, then.

Postie Pete~~

Dear Shadesleer P.S,

A laborer missed the High Detail boat,
like the large friends of Charles Perrault. (author of "Tales of Mother Goose" a reference to "Grimm's Tales")
Who? Nigel! Who? (The Grim Reaper has an alias of “Nigel”)
A smothering yeti, that’s what. (smothering yeti - Meeting History)
He has a brother, you know – an outpost up a family tree. (anagram for meeting history quest, which began in the outpost)
Two seasons in quick succession? (Spirit of summer and Summer's End)
That’s the work of rockhopper. (Penguin Hide and Seek)
I saw him a minute ago...singing Hollywood, Flesh and Blood. (Falling Stars)
Life is fun at the purdy brown (Joshua Purdy Brown was the first Circus Master)
including some hard acts to follow. (Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza – The Circus)
Stir a vodka nutcracker, (Varock is under attack)
and find something hidden in the near raving. (Arrov - Defender of Varrock)
The choice is green or yellow during centrifugal – search within: I’m in, I game. (mini game "The Great Orb Project”)
Nothing can save him: simulated udder. (Nothing can save him: Duradel must die)
Clue in Growth Journal shows a culprit. (Lumbridge Development Diary - Sir Vant has found a three-headed dragon underneath Lumbridge that causes an earthquake and caves in the mine.)
Guaranteed slimes sing, (Legends must rise again) or am I just repeating myself?
Parties swarm like it's 1915. (The First World War - 1915)

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15.0 Dark Squall

A quest that is due to come out is "Dark Squall"
Dark Squall has been spotted several times by different players in the chaos tunnels, his dark face with red eyes (odd-shaped face, almost like he’s wearing a gasmask) with one bare pink hand slightly visible. He is wearing a pale crimson hood with blue-grey trim, pale crimson full length robe with large, boot-length purplish-blue trim at bottom, and two blue patches on the front just above the trim, knee height. He wears over these robes a grey open jacket, changing to brown towards bottom, and with a whitish trim around the edge, and brown cuffs on the sleeves. Around his neck is a big, rounded golden chest ornament or amulet, in a clamshell shape, with a green and crimson central mark with a green arc above it. It seems to be hung on a deep crimson necktie with two golden-tipped ribbons hanging below the ornament.

Hazelmere's description of the evil robes after Path of Glouphrie:

"There will be a time of great change and you will do a lot of good during this time. At times your task will appear impossible, and it will seem if the power of Guthix, which you seek with mighty intent, will slip away even after you have prevailed so hard.... Skilled brothers numbering eight, will assemble to fight the Mahjarrat deceiver, and they will be heading north to confront him. The time after this is... clouded to me, but I see you clearly, dressed in the evil robes of night, lightly decorated with ochre like burnished gold and the rust colors of autumn leaves. Though the robes represent an order of evil, you will not follow that path. You will remain true to Guthix. Of the eight, only two shall return; one represents the path of Slayer and one the path of the warrior.

This might have been different, but I have made my choice, and it is up to you to to prove I made the right one."

Many players have seen Dark Squall teleporting through the Chaos Tunnel portals. According to players, he appears, says something random, and teleports away, assumedly to another portal.

Things he is known to say are:

"Yes, thats right..."
"Infernal teleports"
"Hmm..."
"Can't be"
"No, that's wrong..."
"Blasted things!"
"Another portal?"
"This one, i'm sure"
"Here!, no wait"
"At last"
"I must be close..."

Dark Squall definitely looks like a Zamorakian...is he also looking for the stone of Jas?

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16.0 3 November 2008 - Behind the Scenes - November

We've written a lot about combat-orient orientated multiplayer content in RuneScape recently. This mostly focused on the way that it had been relegated to the sidelines, until the introduction of PvP worlds invited it back into the heart of the game. There's one aspect, however, that we haven't mentioned: its relationship with skill-orientated multiplayer content.

We felt that producing a piece of content, which would appeal both to those players who prefer combat and those who prefer non-combat skills, was a major challenge for us. So, we put our thinking caps on and the result is this month’s headline update: 'Stealing Creation'. Stealing Creation will be a new 'safe' minigame, where teams of players work together to control resources across the game area. This area will change each time the game is played, so you will need to keep your tactics varied.

The game will focus on collecting 'sacred clay', thought to be the building blocks used by gods to create worlds. You'll enter the minigame with nothing, which means you'll need to use your skills to gather resources and make the equipment you need to dominate the game. For those of you who are just as happy making swords as you are using them, it will offer lots of choice as to the kind of experience you want to have playing the game. But what of the pure skillers? Can you create equipment for your battling buddies while they defend your back? Can those doing the fighting rely on someone else to make them powerful? With the added ability to fight as a clan, battles can be organised for very specific groups of players. So, if you want to gather with your clan buddies to take on your enemies, you will be able to.

Speaking of enemies, Zamorak was once mortal like the rest of us, but through clever manipulation and some devious planning he became revered as a god in Gielinor. The god wars that followed brought about great destruction and change – it would be impossible to do that now, wouldn’t it? What does it take for something like that to happen? Gathering some of the most important artefacts and keenest minds to research them would be a good start...but that is bound to attract attention, isn’t it?

That’s where our November quest will join things. Specialists and concerned dignitaries will be gathered to discuss the whereabouts of the Staff of Armadyl, an ancient and powerful artefact from RuneScape’s distant past. All they will need is a willing adventurer to conduct the more interesting parts of the...investigation. Will this link to the mysterious dragonkin symbols found recently, or the rumours of the dragon forge? While Guthix sleeps through the centuries, treachery is afoot, and terrible dangers appear on the horizon. In our first Grandmaster quest ever, with the longest, deepest storyline we have ever attempted, it will take an expert adventurer to find out.

Finally, after that huge update will come something much, much smaller! For a few days over the last weekend of November, you’ll notice Thanksgiving turkeys wandering around the map, gobbling and generally minding their own business. Hunt them down for some tasty drumsticks or find the turkeys in disguise for a special reward. Look out for more short celebration updates like this in the future.

Updates after November

The Phoenix

Some months ago, we asked you to vote on the next Summoning familiar, and you chose the phoenix. There were some great discussions on the forums taking the idea far beyond what we had originally imagined, so we decided to expand the idea out to another 'Distraction and Diversion' similar to the Shooting Star update or Bork from the Chaos Tunnels. You’ll find this update (planned for early next year) features not only a new Summoning creature and a repeatable activity, but also a quest!

Mobilising Armies

With any tactical game you need to spend a long time fine-tuning its different aspects to try to make it as fair, balanced and fun as possible. Mobilising Armies, our headline update for December, is no different and we have been working hard to tweak the key scenarios for this: Conflict, Siege, Hoard and Rescue. We'll have more on this update in next month's Behind the Scenes…