- The below page is a current re-write of RuneScape gods.
RuneScape has several fictional deities, or gods. These gods contribute a lot to the RuneScape plot, giving RuneScape more of a storyline. The gods often play roles in quests and are a major topic for discussion among players. The gods also provide an impact in the fact that there are many items that involve various gods, such as the Guthix Prayer Book and the Holy Symbol of Saradomin.
Three Main Gods edit
These are the most widely recognized gods in RuneScape. Most players choose a god. Players who prefer nature and balance would follow Guthix. Players who have the same qualities as Saradomin (Wisdom and order) would follow that respective god, and those who share Zamorak's hard-headed brute force, chaos and power technique would follow him. Although the majority of players follow after Saradomin and Zamorak, many still follow Guthix. Most often, these three gods are represented as being "brothers". However, Guthix established in the God Letters that their actual relationship is beyond mortal comprehension, and the term "brothers" is merely used as a convenience. Most Saradominists have been brought up to believe in only these three gods. From 24 September 2002 through 9 December 2004, players could submit questions to the RuneScape gods; however, the gods will no longer communicate with mortal beings.
Saradomin edit
- Pronunciation: (sa-rah-doe-min)
- Symbol: A four-pointed star "+"
Saradomin is a fictional deity from the game RuneScape. Saradomin is the God of wisdom and order. Saradomin was one of the two main participants in the God Wars after Guthix departed. Saradomin's symbol is a four-pointed star, and he himself is usually visually represented as an old man with a bald head and a beard. Saradomin has the most human followers in the more "civilized" areas of the RuneScape world, and altars to his skill can be found everywhere. Saradomin monks have set up altars of worship to him, the largest being the Monastery/Prayer Guild and a church on the island Entrana. Entrana is the place where Saradomin first arrived on RuneScape. It is entirely dedicated to him to such a high degree that players are not allowed weapons or armour there, for these are considered by Saradomin to be Zamorak's implements of death. (Less is known about Saradomin's place of origin. From various quests to do with the Majharrat and Zaros we discover Zamorak is probably from Freneskae, but there is little information on Saradomin. He seems to have come from a dimension other then Gielinor or Freneskae.) An elite group of soldiers known as the Temple Knights were given the task of protecting the holy house of worship on Entrana. Recent requirements were put into play on becoming a Temple Knight. First, you must belong to the order of the White Knights of Falador. Second, you must be a devout follower of Saradomin with an abundunce of experience in the planes of fighting evil. Only those with the purest of heart may become an Initiate in the Order of the Temple Knights. Players may become a Temple Knight and buy Initiate armour from Sir Tiffy Cashien after completing the Recruitment Drive quest, and more advanced armour after the Wanted! and Slug Menace quests.
Despite Guthix's ban on the Gods interfering in the RuneScape realm, they will still offer their followers help in the form of prayers that offer temporary stat increases and various protections. As Saradomin dislikes undue violence, he appreciates it when one gives an enemy an honourable burial. The prayer skill can thus be analogised to gaining the favour of the Gods. More than this, the prayer skill seems to be directed to Saradomin specifically, as neither Guthix nor Zamorak have much interest in burying bones. Despite this, it is said by Necrovarus, the ghost priest in charge of the ectofuntus, a way of training the prayer skill, that the ectofuntus generates unholy units of power. One may assume that this form of worship is not directed at Saradomin, and likely is directed toward Zamorak, as things dedicated to him have names such as "unholy symbols" and the "Unholy Book".
Players can learn the magic spell "Saradomin Strike" at the Mage Arena, which causes a lightning bolt to strike whoever it is cast upon.
In Saradomin's old letters, he usually talks with the same fully modern British English as the authors of the game, but from time to time he will lapse into an older English like that used by Guthix, a partial testament to his true age in a way.
Saradomin's motto is "Strength through Wisdom". However, many recent actions by or on the part of Saradomin have cast him in a dubious light. For example:
- In the 'Gods Letters' section of the RuneScape Site, Saradomin claims to have created RuneScape and that he is the most powerful God. This is a known lie, as it has been confirmed that Guthix was the one who shaped RuneScape to its current form. However, Saradomin did help make RuneScape into what it is today, while Guthix only created the world but did not shape it to its current form.
- An advisor to King Roald in Varrock acts as a Saradominist lobbyist, pressuring the king into making favourable decisions and making sure no other denominations have representatives. This is a religious totalitarian attitude, and is often considered hypocritical for a god claiming to be good. However, a single follower's actions do not necessarily represent that every follower of that religion has religious totalitarian attitudes, although some followers of Zamorak attempt to portray it that way. Non-fundamentalist followers of Saradomin will sometimes claim that he has little control over what his followers do, saying that a few followers have given Saradomin a bad image.
Guthix edit
- Pronunciation: (guh-thix), commonly mispronounced as:(gun-thinx), (goo-thix), or (ga-thix)
- Symbol: The mark of balance is a squiggle with a line on its bottom, like \~
Guthix is a fictional deity from the game RuneScape known as the God of balance and nature. This does not always mean it strives for peace. As such, Guthix cannot be sexed. In other words, Guthix is neither male nor female (here Guthix is referred to as "it" instead of "he" or "she"). Considered neither good nor evil, Guthix does both when it needs to balance out the actions of Saradomin and Zamorak when either of them tips the scale too far in their own favour, such as when it developed a cure for the poison both sides were using to wreak havoc. Guthix is immensely powerful, more so than any other god.
Guthix arrived on Gielinor (the name it gave to RuneScape) to find it barren and lifeless. It reshaped the world and went into a deep "sleep", or as it is described in one of its god letters, a state of meditation so intense it could not concentrate on anything else. In its sleep about 20 other deities entered Gielinor. The God Wars occurred between these deities, and Saradomin and Zamorak usurped, and did quite a bit of damage to, the world Guthix created. They would have continued to battle and completely obliterated Gielinor had Guthix not reawakened. While Guthix claims that it single-handedly stopped the god wars, it is worth being noted that the Elves, who, unlike ,many other gods' followers, do not endorse propoganda, claim that the war was stopped when "the gods realised that they would destroy the very thing they were fighting for." Whether Guthix made then realise this, or that either version of events is a downright lie, remains to be seen. After this Guthix hid underground for many years and cried until the rocks themselves wept with him thus creating the minigame tears of Guthix. It has also made the other gods not interfere directly with worldly affairs. This is sometimes breached, however it is usually too trifling for Guthix to stage a full on confrontation over it, and consequently wreck the balance.
Guthix is seen as a floating skull with tendrils attached to it in the God Letters, but it is a shape shifter. It has been seen as a multicoloured butterfly and a rock-like object. Its true form is impossible to comprehend by mortals, and it has said its true name is impossible to pronounce with vocal cords. Its followers are limited but include the druids, gnomes, the Void Knights, and players who choose its path. The dwarves, though not particularly religious, are indeed Guthixian, should one ask them about it. The unique trait about Guthix is that, unlike Zamorak and Saradomin, it does not need followers to remain on the mortal realm but instead draws strength from the planet itself, showing why it does not demand worship from those who follow his ways.
The town of Taverley is completely inhabited by followers of Guthix: the druids. The druids (as well as chaos druids) are experienced in herblore and areas of farming, due to their connection with nature through Guthix.
In the Mage Arena, players can choose to get a Guthix cape and staff and learn to perform the god spell "Claws of Guthix", in which giant purple roots erupt from the ground behind the enemy and crush them.
In its letters on RuneScape.com, Guthix speaks in a dialect of Early Modern English (Such as the kind used in Elizabethan England by Shakespeare) often thought to be Middle English. It is changed slightly to allow readability, though.
It and Zamorak also both share followers called Chaos Druids and Chaos Druid warriors who follow both Guthix and Zamorak.
It has referred to RuneScape as an "experiment" and it has said sheep are important to the experiment, although it has never given any more detail on this.
Guthix's motto is "Balance is Power".
Zamorak edit
- Pronunciation: (zam-ore-rack)
- Symbol: A glyph resembling a ram's horns, (V) or )W(
Zamorak is a god from the game RuneScape. Zamorak is the God of chaos and, by extension, war. Guthix calls him a personification of Chaos when asked about this in one of his letters. His followers burnt the original Wizard's tower to the ground, depriving the Saradomist mages of the time of much of the knowledge of magic, and in particular the knowledge of crafting runes. Zamorak was the second main participant in the God wars. Though he did not shape the world as Saradomin did, 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.
Zamorak was not always a god and should not be a god but was once a mortal Mahjarrat. How he became a god was once not known, and the specifics are still vague. However, it is now known by talking to ghosts involved with a revolt which he led. He was a general of the great god Zaros until he and some of his close followers decided to rebel. Using the Staff of Armadyl, which he obtained through a series of circumstances mentioned in more detail during the miniquest, Zamorak was able to stab Zaros in the back with it whilst his close followers (including Hazeel, Drakan, Zemouregal, a human warrior named Viggora, and some others not mentioned by name) fought off Zaros' body guards. He stabbed Zaros in the back with the staff but this did not do much at first other than sending Zaros into a blind rage. Even though Zamorak was the most powerful of the Mahjarrat, who originate from a plane of eternal war and thus are great fighters, Zaros was still able to beat Zamorak. However, when Zaros had him in his grasp and was ready to deliver the death blow, Zamorak lunged himself at Zaros, causing the Staff of Armadyl to impale Zamorak as well as him, resulting in the transfer of his power through the staff into Zamorak like an electrical current. After this, Zaros faded out of the dimension while cursing all humans involved in the revolt to be invisible ghosts for the rest of eternity, and Zamorak seemed more solid, although he did not become a god until a short time later.
Zamorak is portrayed as a larger figure with a red tint in his face and horns resembling Satan and other demons of the Judeo-Christian religion. Zamorak commands the various types of demon and dragon, and has the ability to summon undead creatures, as well as controlling many of the creatures associated with evil, such as certain tribes of goblins, werewolves, shades, and all of the vampires. Other followers of Zamorak include Zamorak mages, dark wizards, necromancers, black knights, and the entire city of Khazard. In previous ages the Zamorakians, hated and feared by Saradominists, were driven out of main cities.
Though not as common as altars to Saradomin, chaos altars are still a relatively common sight in the RuneScape world. There is a Chaos Temple north of Falador on the border of the wilderness. In this small temple, evil monks guard the Wine of Zamorak which is used in the herblore skill. If a player takes the wine Zamorak will use a much weakened form of the Flames of Zamorak spell on the player with a little box of dialogue saying "STOP STEALING MY WINE! GAHHHH!" and all the monks in the temple will attack the player. Although most of society disapproves of them, Zamorakians have a number of secret societies such as the Zamorakian Magical Institute. Zamorak's territory is mainly in the former battlefields of the God Wars now known as the Wilderness. Zamorak also controls the lands to the east of the river Salve but he has met with far more resistance here than in the wilderness.
In the mage arena one can learn the spell "Flames of Zamorak" which sets fire to the target. If one goes into Zamorak's castle wars portal with items of another god one will get a message from Zamorak. He expresses his disgust that the player dares come to him wearing items of his lesser brothers and that such wrongdoing should be rewarded with time in the most mischievous of forms. The player then spends the rest of the waiting period in the form of an imp. Zamorak rarely uses Early Modern English, unlike Guthix and Saradomin. He also tends to be extremely sarcastic and tactlessly honest, and thinks he has a way with women, however like the other gods he is biased toward himself. The only thing he fears is Zaros, and he fears his former employer immensely.
Zamorak's main source of entertainment is death. He does not usually care who it is who dies, with exceptions being someone he knows personally, such as Lord Drakan or Hazeel.
His motto is "Strength through Chaos".
Other Gods edit
These gods still exist in the world of RuneScape, but are not as popular as the 3 main gods. They have little or no active followers, no letters, but maybe some holy objects dedicated to them. The creators of RuneScape have on occasion hinted at there being 20 or more gods, demigods and immortals, but rarely are they forthcoming with information.
Armadyl edit
- Pronunciation: (arm-a-dile)
- Symbol: The only source would point to it being a star shape, but this is also the symbol of the city of Falador, which it might be alternatively.
Armadyl appeared around the same time as Zaros did and seemed to have disappeared at the same time also. His true alignment is unknown, but many players believe that he is the god of pure good. He is Saradomin's predecessor, and they are friends unlike Zaros and Zamorak. When Zaros was defeated, Armadyl probably decided his work was done, but if Zaros rises he may make another appearance too. However, he has managed to keep a small cult of followers even with his "disappearance". Armadyl's Staff is kept in the Temple of Ikov after its uses in banishing one god while creating another. Although Armadyl's furture could not be told as he was once mortal,being upon hiding from such god's to destroy him.
Zaros edit
- Pronunciation: (Zah-ros)
- Symbol: An X in a circle. "(X)"
Zaros is thought to have once had Zamorak's place as a major god. Many players believe that he is the god of pure evil, but there is no ingame proof that this is the case. Zamorak and other members of the Mahjarrat, Zaros's minions, attempted to defeat Zaros. Zaros, who had the staff of Armandyl embedded in his back, almost killed Zamorak, but then Zamorak lunged at him. The staff impaled both Zaros and Zamorak transmitting a small portion of Zaros's power to Zamorak. This transference of power removed Zaros's title as a god and instead gave it to Zamorak. Many believe Zaros is dead, however, evidence from various quests including Desert Treasure and the Digsite quest seems to suggest otherwise. Bob the Jagex Cat, Jagex's pet cat that wanders members' servers, will occasionally drop a hint that he is Zaros: "...since I know I'm Zar- erm, well no, I, erm, meow!" Some of the charecters in runscape conected to Zaros warn of rising again. The kaliphite queen says "Do you not wonder where we got those trinkets you prize so highly? They are from times past when we ravaged the land, when we fed on all before us until it was laid barren. Yes, soon we shall crawl forth again." in a reacent responce to an inquisitve runscape player.
Seren edit
- Pronunciation: (seh-rehn)
Seren is the goddess of the elves. It is said she inspired the elves to build their city (Prifddinas) the way they did so they could communicate, protect themselves and prosper. She is also the original provider of crystal weaponry. 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 village. 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 should be. She supposedly led the elven race through a 'World Gate', where they discovered Gielinor. It was lost before the Second Age. Each of the elven clans was given one crystal seed, which when planted grew into a towering crystal mass, which then formed the walls of what is now Prifddinas. Later, the elves broke out into war when the Iowreth Clan captured the central crystal tower, their last means of worship and communication with Seren. Crystals are now used for crystal bows, saws, and shields.
Elidnis edit
- Pronunciation: (el-id-niss)
Elidnis is a goddess belonging to the Menaphite Pantheon. She is the Menaphite goddess of growth and fertility and she is also goddess of the river Elid. She helped build the town of Nardah when a woman named Nardarine almost died of hunger and thirst in the desert when trying to escape the God Wars between Saradomin and Zamorak in the Third Age of RuneScape. She also bound three wandering spirits to the river Elid. They are involved in the Spirits of the Elid quest, which players may talk to learn more about the God Wars after they have completed the quest. Their names are Tirrie, Nirrie and Hallak, and they have power over the river Elid.
Icthlarin edit
- Pronunciation: (ik-thla-ran)
- Symbol: An ankh-like glyph "(|/\|)"
Icthlarin is a rather unknown God to most of RuneScape, but in the deserts, especially in the ancient cities of Menaphos, and especially the city of Sophanem, he is better known than all of the above-mentioned Gods. Icthlarin is the God of the dead and was the former leader of the Mahjarrat, before Zaros took his position and sent him into a desert exile, much like what the gods did to Azzanadra. Icthlarin is seen as something of a combination between a man and a dog since he has a dog's head and the body of a man (which is covered in greyish-black dog fur) bearing much resemblance to the Egyptian god, Anubis. His greatest adversary is his sister who craves to destroy the souls of man in direct conflict with Icthlarin's will. His followers include the Menaphites, cats, and other peoples of the deserts. Being the God of the dead, Icthlarin can grant immortality to beings by simply refusing them a natural death (they can still however be murdered) which he does for the cats now employed as the guardians of the dead. He is also the first god to appear directly to your character.
Amascut edit
- Pronunciation: (aim-ma-skut)
- Symbol: An upside-down Icthlarin symbol "(|V|)"
Amascut is a goddess of destruction and is often referred to as The Devourer. She sometimes goes disguised as The Wanderer to lure in unsuspecting victims. She is a goddess belonging to the Menaphite Pantheon. As her name suggests, she is inclined towards the destruction of everything in existence. Although she is not the sworn enemy of man, in the recent centuries she has taken to the destruction of the souls of humans. She was once worshipped by human followers before she took to destroying humans which was tolerated until she began to attack her own temples and clergy. Soon the remnants of her followers banded together, confronted the Devourer, and cursed her so that she would never be remembered, her acts would be remembered, but not that she did them, and she no longer tries to recruit disciples. Her former followers include some of the cats in RuneScape and the Menaphite Thugs are known to follow her as well.
Marimbo edit
- Pronunciation: (mar-im-bo)
- Symbol: A diamond on the end of a line, -<>
Marimbo is the god of monkeys across RuneScape. The majority, if not all monkeys of Ape Atoll are his followers. According to his monkey followers, Marimbo once lived on the island, with his master, another God, who is unknown to this date. Marimbo was said to have drunk an unknown liquid, which had belonged to his master. When he drank it, he gained incredible intelligence. Because of this, he was for some reason forced to leave the village and island him and his master lived on. The village which he left, Marim, was named after him. In Marim, there is a shrine in which he is praised, and in the centre a statue which is persumably of him.
Demigods/Mahjarrat edit
Iban edit
- Pronunciation: (I-bahn)
- Symbol: No known symbol. The symbol used for his staff is a red claw-like shape.
Iban claims to be the son of Zamorak, but in reality, his connection to Zamorak is in power, morality and ways rather than in physical relation. Iban was originally one of the Black Knights, a knightly order that worships Zamorak. He desired power beyond what any human could gain. After he died in battle, a powerful witch found his body and captured his soul, binding it to a voodoo doll along with the components to bring him back to life. Iban made his realm in a large underground pass formerly used for connection between Ardougne and the lands to the west. In his new form Iban fortified the underground pass with physical traps and evil power, effectively stopping travel to the western lands. Though not physically related, many consider Iban to be worthy of the title "Son of Zamorak." In one of a long series of quests, adventurers kill Iban, opening the Underground Pass once again to travellers.
Hazeel edit
- Pronunciation: (Ha-Ziel)
- Symbol: A gold version of Zamorak's symbol, called "Mark of Hazeel".
Hazeel is a powerful Mahjarrat follower of Zamorak. He is worshipped by an evil cult known as the Hazeel Cult. Many years earlier he was killed by a member of the Carnilien family, a wealthy family in Ardougne. In a quest centred on this family and the Hazeel Cult, players may choose to either stop the evil cult or to bring Hazeel back to life. Hazeel was involved in the battle in which Zaros fell.
Lord Thammaron edit
Lord Thammaron is the mighty demon lord of a demonic plane. He is not known well within RuneScape, but the Demon Butler, a house servant in the Construction skill, used to work for him. It is unknown at this time whether he is actually a demonic demigod or not. In the quest The Golem, players discover that Thammaron has been dead for many years. It is interesting to note that Thammaron left a skeletal corpse, while any other demon killed in the game only leaves ashes.
Azzanadra edit
Pronunciation: (azz-ah-na-dra)
Seen in the Desert Treasure quest, Azzanadra is a Mahjarrat who serves Zaros. Thought to have been Zaros' champion or general, Azzanadra appears as a ghostly, jackal-headed deity. He was taught the Ancient Magicks, a powerful form of elemental magic, by Zaros, but was imprisoned after Zaros' fall. Upon being released in the Desert Treasure quest, he has no idea how much time has passed, and mourns learning that his lord has fallen. His whereabouts or actions are currently unknown. Somehow, Azzanadra is fully immortal, even against gods. This is why he was imprisoned rather than killed by the gods.
Jahalsel edit
- Pronunciation: (jah-hel-cell)
- Symbol: A horizontal line coming from a vertical line. -|
Jahalsel is said to have greatly admired Guthix and considered him the "father" of the other two. His followers are heavily concentrated in the mid-east. Jahalsel was once a duke from Draynor and is said to have Draynor Manor. A war between Misthalin and a Goblin warlord forced Jahalsel into Morytania. While staying in Canifis he claimed to have been enlightened and gained divinity. When the war ended he returned to Draynor where he continued to rule until leaving RuneScape to join his fellow gods. He tought his followers to find hope and strength in their own happiness. He also preached that Guthix will "awaken" when all people in RuneScape see the "link" between good and evil. His motto is "Peace is Happiness."
References edit
- Library of Varrock, with letters to the gods and histories
- Basic RuneScape History as most Saradominists know it
- Letter Archives - RuneScape letter archives. Retrieved 26 October 2006.