Mahjarrat

The Mahjarrat (pronounced /mɑ:dʒæræt/ MAH-jer-att) are a warlike, very powerful and long-lived yet mortal tribe, originally from the realm of Freneskae, using exceptionally strong magics. They are one of the most powerful races to have ever walked on Gielinor. Originating from a realm created by the elder god Mah, they have very long lifespans, able to live for millennia. In general, their deaths are either the result of very intense wounds, being chosen as the sacrifice in one of the rituals of rejuvenation, or from missing a significant number of rituals without conserving energy. Each Rejuvenation makes the Mahjarrat more powerful than they were at the last rejuvenation, making them increase in power over the years "and potentially maybe even reaching godhood levels". The average Mahjarrat is approximately one and a half times as tall as a human. Mahjarrat possess the ability to detect other members of their race around the world, although certain circumstances can circumvent this. In addition to extremely powerful magic, they are shapeshifters, able to take on almost any form at will. Maintaining a disguise for extended periods saps a lot of their power, however.

Although not immortal, Mahjarrat age slowly, and in the period of time before the next ritual takes place, their flesh decays, and they are able to survive as skeletal beings for some time, regaining their flesh with the next ritual they attend. Provided that they continue to attend the rituals (or find some other source of rejuvenation), they are not likely to die of natural causes. This Ritual of Rejuvenation is an event that takes place amongst the Mahjarrat when the planets are in alignment and they have agreed to have one every five hundred years, although this has been different in the past. During the ritual, a sacrifice amongst the Mahjarrat is decided, usually through battle, who is killed in order to rejuvenate the others. The Mahjarrat is sacrificed and the nearby ritual marker channels their power into the surviving members. In addition, each rejuvenation makes a Mahjarrat slightly more powerful than the last. This sequence of rituals allows the Mahjarrat to be practically immortal, not dying of age, and dying out at the same time. Unlike the Dragonkin, however, who cannot die of age either, Mahjarrat are able to reproduce.

Most of the Mahjarrat were brought to Gielinor by the Menaphite god Icthlarin, but soon left his service and became the most powerful soldiers of the god Zaros. They were once referred to as The Stern Judges of Icthlarin and the Faceless Ones by the Menaphite people, but such terms are no longer commonplace. Senliten mentions the history of her lands, where she will talk about the Stern Judges. The Mahjarrat Quest Series revolves around the race, although they also are involved in a number of other quests and generally play a significant role in Gielinorian history as a whole. In general, most (Saradominist) humans fear the Mahjarrat, some even considering them to be a myth, referring to them as evil and foul beings or even demons, most likely due to the lack of knowledge about them. Although Icthlarin brought a huge part of the Mahjarrat to Gielinor, some stayed in Freneskae for unknown reasons. Many Mahjarrat like Wahisietel do not know of their existence or forgot it due to the immense gap of time.

Most Mahjarrat allied themselves with Zamorak when he betrayed Zaros at the end of the Second Age, creating a deep schism between the race's Zamorakians and Zarosian loyalists. It is unknown how many still survive to this day, as Azzanadra states "Be aware, mortal, there could be as many as a hundred of us still upon this world, with dozens more returned from other realms, but equally there could be as few as ten, each as mighty as one of your armies." After the eighteenth ritual, there are only nine (ten including Hazeel) known living Mahjarrat on Gielinor, with the current status of two being unknown (although one of them is deceased).

Freneskae
The Mahjarrat were originally the inhabitants of a world known in the common tongue as Freneskae, often called the "realm of perpetual warfare". Virtually nothing is known of the Mahjarrat's history prior to their arrival in Gielinor, although Freneskae was apparently a plane of endless war and conflict due to their presence there. The Mahjarrat are known to believe in some type of creator god, although its role in their history is unclear. It is known that this creator-god is in fact an Elder God who created Freneskae and possibly even the entire Mahjarrat race. The number of Mahjarrat living in Freneskae prior to the Mahjarrat's departure is unknown, although, counting back, it would have been a number between thirty and forty. To be able to rejuvenate themselves, the Mahjarrat likely built a new ritual marker in the North, as the original one from Freneskae could not be moved.

Virtually all aspects of Mahjarrat society centred on war. A handful of folk tales and stories - such as that of the Muspah - survive to this day and suggest that the race may also have possessed some type of rudimentary culture outside the immediate circle of war.

Arrival to Gielinor
Near the beginning of Gielinor's Second Age, Icthlarin, the Menaphite god of the dead, brought all of the Mahjarrat to Gielinor at the promise of large battle. Icthlarin needed warriors to ward off the forces of Zaros who were invading the Kharidian Lands from the north and their ability to regenerate from death and change appearance appealed to him. Queen Senliten mentions an oath of obedience which the Mahjarrat took before their arrival upon Gielinor, which means Icthlarin may not have enslaved their race, but negotiated their service. What he offered their race in return was the opportunity to fight for the Menaphites and defend their land in the Kharidian-Zarosian War, although the Mahjarrat apparently never fully succumbed to his rule and Icthlarin never had the influence he thought. The Mahjarrat became known as the "Stern Judges" or the "faceless ones" (due to their shape-shifting abilities) to the desert locals and combatants of the war, due to their abilities. According to Queen Senliten, the Mahjarrat fought against Zaros when he first started to invade the desert from the North. Their arrival was fairly grotesque; it is described by a Menaphite mercenary from that time, Gram Kobold, as a small army following Icthlarin through a giant interdimensional rift. For years the Mahjarrat served Icthlarin and the Menaphite Pantheon eventually won the war. When the war ended, Icthlarin took away all of Sliske's wights, which he had created from the Zarosian invaders, to allow them to pass on to the afterlife. This angered the Mahjarrat immensely and it appears he made some sort of deal with Zaros and joined his numbers. Also around this time, Icthlarin's sister Amascut's mind was warped and corrupted by the Mahjarrat's power and presence. Although the details of this are vague, she became known as the Devourer - an evil goddess of destruction. Eventually, all other Mahjarrat also came into the service of Zaros, a god that saw their value as soldiers and offered them to serve under him rather than attempt to defeat them. Zaros offered the Mahjarrat power in his growing empire, and they, tired of being denied war, following Sliske, gladly accepted. The Mahjarrat soon became Zaros' greatest soldiers and climbed up to high ranks, as was the case with Zamorak and Azzanadra, amongst others.

Under Zaros' Rule
Zaros, with many humans, the Mahjarrat, vampyres, dragon riders, demons, and other races at his disposal, soon established an unrivalled empire in eastern Gielinor. Nearly all of modern-day Misthalin, Asgarnia, the northern Hallowland, and Forinthry soon came under the god of control's rule. The Mahjarrat, his greatest soldiers, revelled in the bloodshed. The Zarosian Kingdom was one of great prosperity, but the Mahjarrat were not content. Soon they became divided and began to work towards their own ends. The most significant of these was Zamorak.

Zamorak was amongst the strongest beings to have ever walked on Gielinor. He earned himself the nickname "The Scourge of the Battlefield", ruthlessly proving his power in combat countless times. This earned him favour with Zaros, who quickly appointed him to the rank of general. Yet, despite this, Zamorak was not willing to serve Zaros, and even as his kingdom expanded from Senntisten, Zamorak plotted against him. Azzanadra became Zaros' champion and remained forever loyal to him. Soon, other Mahjarrat, such as Lucien, Enakhra, Zemouregal and Hazeel, joined Zamorak in his plotting to overthrow Zaros. Others, including Azzanadra, Wahisietel and Sliske, remained loyal to Zaros.

By a coincidental series of events, the staff of Armadyl, an Elder Artefact, eventually fell into the hands of Zamorak. With the assistance of individuals such as his fellow Mahjarrat conspirators, Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan, Viggora and others, Zamorak devised a way to defeat the Empty Lord. First, he eradicated all potential threats, such as Zaros' other generals; Azzanadra, Nex and Char to name some. Zamorak, Zemouregal, Hazeel, Enakhra, Drakan, Viggora, Thammaron, Morvannon and Apropos eventually approached Zaros' citadel and attacked. A great battle raged in Zaros' stronghold. Zamorak, backed by the aforementioned Mahjarrat, attacked Zaros in the throne room. While Zamorak fought, his allies ensured that none of Zaros' bodyguards would interfere. Zamorak impaled Zaros with the Staff in his back, but the latter fought on and was on the winning hand. Eventually, he grabbed Zamorak by his throat and proceeded to choke his former general. However, while choking Zamorak, Zaros miraculously tripped. The staff then impaled both Zaros and Zamorak, and, acting like a lightning rod, transferred some of Zaros' power into Zamorak. Zaros faded from existence and Gielinor's plane, while Zamorak seemed to become even more real. Zaros left his body to avoid death and cursed all those that had aided in the betrayal. The curse struck but did not affect the Mahjarrat, however, for they were creatures of pure magic.

Under Zamorak's Rule
Despite the intense hatred between many of the gods, they all agreed that Zamorak had to be punished and so, even though Zamorak stood triumphant, the gods banished him from Gielinor. Not long after his banishment, Zamorak returned. With the aid of the Stone of Jas, the staff of Armadyl and Zaros' powers, Zamorak had managed to ascend to godhood himself. Calling upon his former warriors, Zamorak declared war upon all that opposed him. Thus began the Gielinorian God Wars. Throughout the Wars, the Mahjarrat would prove a terrible force on the battlefield. The remaining Zarosians played a tactical move, sending their strongest army, led by Nex, to conquer the ritual site for themselves. While this was initially successful, Nex was imprisoned by Saradominist troops not long after the battle had begun. Individials such as Sliske went into hiding, but Azzanadra continued to fight for Zaros and defended the Zarosian stronghold Senntisten in an attempt to re-establish contact with his god. Eventually, Zamorakian troops claimed the city for Zamorak. Azzanadra was imprisoned in Jaldraocht by a Zamorakian-Saradominist alliance. The Zamorakian Mahjarrat continued to wage war upon what few Zarosians remained. Most were forced into the Kharidian Desert (which had become a desert as a result of the Kharidian Campaign of Zamorak's demonic armies), where they live as bandits today and the Zarosian Mahjarrat were all imprisoned or forced into hiding. Towards the end of the God Wars, the Mahjarrat Palkeera gave birth to a son, Khazard. He was raised to follow Zamorak.

Shortly before the end of the Third Age, at the end of the God Wars, Zamorak found the Stone of Jas, which Saradomin had confiscated from him. As a final act of Zarosian extermination, he used its power to destroy Forinthry. This caused so much damage to the Anima Mundi, however, that Guthix awoke from his slumber. Seeing the horrors that had been unleashed upon Gielinor, he demanded an end to the God Wars and banished all the Gods that participated from Gielinor. As a reminder of his power, Guthix struck a massive blade into the centre of a crater in the ruins of the Zarosian kingdom Forinthry and created the Edicts of Guthix. Still, the Mahjarrat that sided with Zamorak continued to be loyal to him, as this would help in the future Rituals.

After the gods had been banished and Guthix retreated into a cave to sleep, the Mahjarrat began to search for him in an attempt to return Zaros or Zamorak. After he was deemed unfindable, however, most Mahjarrat gave up the search and settled for the events. Hazeel continued his tutoring of Khazard, for example, and Zemouregal retreated to his fort in the North.

The result of the betrayal and the God Wars was a large abyss between the Zamorakian and Zarosian Mahjarrat factions. The two camps would become incredibly separated, with only certain individuals such as Kharshai and Jhallan (although the latter remained loyal to Zaros) wishing to exist in peace.

Post-God Wars
By the end of the God Wars, only a handful of Mahjarrat still survived and only a few of those were attending the rituals. By the end of the Fourth Age, the number of the Mahjarrat missing the rituals reached its peak, seeing that Enakhra, Akthanakos and Bilrach would become otherwise occupied, Azzanadra, Kharshai and Jhallan (the latter only missed the seventeenth) were imprisoned and Lamistard and Mizzarch had already been sacrificed. This meant that, at the seventeenth ritual, only two Zarosians - Wahisietel and Sliske - were to attend. A Zamorakian, Ralvash, was sacrificed nonetheless. Nevertheless, the living Mahjarrat continued to serve Zamorak and Zaros, though they became very divided in their actions. Only at the eighteenth ritual did Enakhra, Akthanakos and Azzanadra re-surface (and, technically, Jhallan, albeit encased in ice).

Today, the Mahjarrat are working towards different goals, and a few can still be found in the far reaches of Gielinor. While the Zamorakian Mahjarrat continue to increase their power and expand their conquered territory, the few faithful to Zaros remain in hiding and secretly prepare for his return. After the 18th ritual, most of the alive Mahjarrat participated in the Assassination of Guthix, which marked a defeat for the Zamorakians when Guthix was slain by Sliske. This cleared the path for Zamorak and Zaros to return, and both gods are currently plotting.

Abilities
Legends tell of the Mahjarrat's many great powers, although whether they are shared by all Mahjarrat or only apply to certain individuals is unknown.

The Mahjarrat live incredibly long lives, to the point where they are nearly immortal. Even some of those that arrived in the Second Age still live, and the rest are suspected to have died in combat or been sacrificed. The Mahjarrat Azzanadra refers to himself as old, his arrival in Gielinor occurring between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago (although his age upon arrival is unknown). The only known surefire way to kill a Mahjarrat is by sacrifice, but they can still wither and die given enough time and alack of rejuvenation. Once every 500 or so years, one of the Mahjarrat is sacrificed in order for the other Mahjarrat to regain power as well as, as the name suggests, rejuvenate. However, it seems that the Mahjarrat are able to rejuvenate without killing one of their own; without the ritual, by draining energy of portals, however, the only Mahjarrat that know about this are Moia and Bilrach.

Magically, the Mahjarrat are second to none, and can use magic without the assistance of runestones, which races such as the humans and even the elves use. Not all use magic primarily, but with training they are nearly unstoppable. For instance, some such as Enakhra can cast spells that prevent the victim from aging, but at the cost of making them nearly entirely immobile. They use this to their advantage, torturing and starving their victims for hundreds to thousands of years. It has been stated that they can prevent wounds from healing, inflicting pain with their minds, raising the dead, and placing themselves in a sleep that, in time, can heal even the most severe of wounds. Some are capable of darkening the skies with living blood and clouds that take on dangerous forms and block the sky. Those particularly skilled, such as Zemouregal, are known even to possess the ability to hide godly energy from detection and traverse the Realm of Dreams. Others, like Lucien and Zemouregal, dabbled in the art of necromancy, able to summon large armies of undead warriors and trolls to aid them in battle. They are also some of the original users of Ancient Magicks. The Guardians of Armadyl claim that the Mahjarrat were at one point so many and so powerful that "they once dominated this plane of existence," a possible reference to their dominance during the God Wars. Mahjarrat are able to heal their wounds in battle, nullifying even major damage inflicted within a short time. They each have a trademark spell as well. Aside from magic, some Mahjarrat may possess other powers. Khazard, for example, is proficient in melee combat and Sliske controls the Shadow Realm. The Mahjarrat appear to possess some type of innate race-awareness, and are under most circumstances able to "feel" the presence of other Mahjarrat in their world. In this way, the Mahjarrat are usually able to determine whether or not other members of their race are alive, weakened, or dead. This awareness is not fool-proof, however, and under extreme conditions Mahjarrat may become undetectable even to extremely powerful members of their race. Kharshai and Jhallan are two Mahjarrat known to have achieved this in the past, although Jhallan's disappearance was unintentional. Kharshai managed to achieve this by wiping his own memory, forgetting his identity as a Mahjarrat and how to use his own power. This had two noticeable effects; the first prevented other Mahjarrat from detecting his presence in the world and the second effect is a heavily reduced degeneration. Without knowledge or use of his power, he was able to miss many rituals and still maintain his strength.

Some of the more potent Mahjarrat appear to be more powerful than certain low-tier deities in combat. For example, Hazeel in his newly resurrected and weakened state surpasses the essences of the demigods Crondis and Apmeken and the Bandos Avatar, despite the latter containing much of Bandos's full godly might. These three are all tier 7 gods.

Physically, most Mahjarrat are very strong. Many can easily shatter bones with their bare hands and defeat many armed humans. Their essence seems to be bound into the four ancient elements of smoke, shadow, blood and ice, as both Azzanadra and Akthanakos have been captured by binding their essence in four diamonds representing those elements. The Mahjarrat were some of the first wielders of Dragon equipment that is now in use today, though Fairy Aeryka in Zanaris claims that it was made by the Necrosyrtes (a subsect of the Dragonkin race who give into their rage and pain) and Enakhra states that the Mahjarrat were not responsible for its creation.

They are shape-shifters, capable of shape-shifting into seemingly anything they wanted to, though none seem capable of impersonating another Mahjarrat. They are even capable of shape-shifting by accident, as Jhallan discovered when he turned into a Muspah while he was having a nightmare. This is why they are called "the faceless ones" by Menaphites. In addition, they are able to make each other shape-shift. Mahjarrat are also able to teleport themselves, and almost anything or anyone with them, to presumably almost every location.

Appearance
Despite being capable of altering their appearance, the Mahjarrat possess a natural form, which is somewhat similar to those of humans, but larger. Their skin is tougher and contains markings and stripes. It disappears after numerous years due to the old age, however, it is recovered after they experience a Ritual of Rejuvenation.

Some Mahjarrat posses trademark features that differs them from the others, such as Hazeel, who posses horns. Their clothes are different and can be used pretty much to identify them, for example, Khazard, who is the only known Mahjarrat that wears plate armour. Each Mahjarrat has a gemstone or crystal embedded in their forehead, which is connected to the race's creation.

Language
According to Azzanadra, the Mahjarrat have their own language, although perhaps because of their continuous involvement with so many other races they tend to speak in the common tongue, even amongst themselves.

During the quest The Temple at Senntisten, Azzanadra refuses to tell the name of the Frostenhorn in the Mahjarrat tongue, claiming that doing so could be dangerous. However, it is unclear what this means. The name of Freneskae, the Mahjarrat home-world, is one of few words known to be taken directly from the Mahjarrat language, although its pronunciation and spelling differ drastically from their original incarnation; variations such as Feneskrae, Freneskrae or Freneskæ are sometimes used in the common tongue because of the language's difficult structure. Similarly, the names by which individual Mahjarrat are known today are likely approximations of their original titles.

Akthanakos
Akthanakos is a Zarosian of average power. He is dressed in brown-orange robes with a blue trim. He is also often seen with the head of a camel, camels being his followers, and he has thus been mistaken for the Camel God. Akthanakos met his rival, Enakhra, in a temple that she built dedicated to Zamorak in the Kharidian Desert. He was transformed into a boneguard when he was tricked, where he remained imprisoned until 169 of the Fifth Age, when he was freed by an adventurer. Afterwards, Akthanakos teleported to The North along with his adversary. He arrived there in time for the Ritual, siding with the Zarosians. During the usual political battle, he duelled his rival Enakhra. When Kharshai resurfaced, he arrived seconds after Enakhra to convert him to Zarosianism. When Kharshai refused to join either side, Akthanakos angrily left the scene. He was a part of the Zarosian faction during the attempt to assassinate Guthix, wishing to bargain with Guthix rather than kill him.

Azzanadra
Azzanadra is the second most powerful Mahjarrat. He follows Zaros and has always been loyal to him. Azzanadra is dressed in purple and always has some form of headdress. He was known as the 'Champion of Zaros'. When Zaros was defeated, Azzanadra continued to fight against the forces of Zamorak and Saradomin to try and help save Zaros' kingdom. He operated from Senntisten to restore communication with his god and later fought in the Battle of Uzer. He was found to be immortal, so Azzanadra was locked in the Jaldraocht Pyramid and his essence was bound into four diamonds. He remained trapped there until 169 of the Fifth Age, when he was freed by an adventurer. He had become oblivious to time and was thus surprised to see the God Wars over and shocked that he could no longer hear Zaros in his mind. As a reward, he taught the adventurer the Ancient Magicks.

He travelled to the Misthalin Digsite and, posing as archaeologist Dr Nabanik, he acquired permission for an excavation with the help of the qualified adventurer and began to restore the Senntisten Temple. He hired an assassin to steal a formerly Zarosian relic from Entrana and got the adventurer to retrieve the frostenhorn and the Barrows icon. With these, Azzanadra created a communion portal and established permanent contact with Zaros. In return he received some power and he taught the adventurer the Ancient Curses. During the 18th Ritual, he battled Zemouregal. He had also tasked the adventurer with setting up magical beacons around the ritual marker, using which he channeled the extreme power of Zaros into the exceedingly powerful Mahjarrat Lucien, severely harming him. After Lucien's demise, Azzanadra left the site.

Later that same year, Azzanadra acted as a leader of the Zarosian faction during the hunt for Guthix. He freed Char from her cave and sent Sliske to do so with Nex. Azzanadra, Wahisietel and Akthanakos agreed to negotiate with Guthix about Zaros' return and convinced Char and Nex to join them, but were later betrayed by Sliske, who killed Guthix. Nevertheless, Azzanadra was content. He is currently planning Zaros' return.

Bilrach
Bilrach is a Zamorakian Mahjarrat described as the god's lap dog. Zemouregal mentions him as a Mahjarrat of average power, albeit weak-willed. In his notes he says: "Bilrach is of average power for our kind. He seems willing to go along with what I suggest, so he will be useful for now." Bilrach looks noticeable different from other Mahjarrat, perhaps due to influences in Daemonheim. Currently, he has dark green and brown robes and two small horns on his chin. During the God Wars, Bilrach summoned the monstrous demon K'ril Tsutsaroth to the world. In the Fourth Age, Bilrach began tunnelling in Daemonheim in search of The Rift to return Zamorak after hearing whispers in his mind. He wrote Mysterious Chronicles which can be found throughout the dungeons, where Bilrach expressed that he feels like the other Mahjarrat look down on him and fears he may have been next in line as the sacrifice. To prove himself worthy, he would show his devotion to Zamorak by bringing him back to this world through an interdimensional portal (The Rift). During these travels, he visited many strange realms and allied himself with or enslaved strange races such as behemoths, stalkers and Kal'gerion demons. Bilrach had also taken the ritual marker with him to Daemonheim (albeit in pieces, the last one of which was delivered in 168 of the Fifth Age). When Lucien and Zemouregal found this out after the 17th ritual, Lucien sent his daughter Moia to hunt down Bilrach. She found him at the bottom of Daemonheim after 499 years of search, where she was taken to The Rift by him after discovering that the power of strange portals can rejuvenate a Mahjarrat.

Enakhra
Enakhra is the only known surviving female Mahjarrat. She has red robes and her facial stripes are pink. Enakhra is very vindictive and condescending, and quite powerful. She is known to have gone on a mission with Zamorak and others in the Second Age to raid Fremennik villages for Zaros, when the group discovered the auspah Char's tremendous powers. Enakhra also participated in Zamorak's rebellion against Zaros. Enakhra has feelings for Zamorak, and built a temple for him in the desert. Zamorak took no notice, and she later trapped Akthanakos, her rival, inside. Her hold over Akthanakos was broken by an adventurer in 169, after which they both travelled Northwards. At some point, she met with Zemouregal. According to the latter's notes, she declined his offer to "sire more of our race" due to her feelings for Zamorak. During the Ritual, she fiercely demanded Akthanakos to be the sacrifice, although she wasn't particularly listened to. During the great battle, she duels with him, as always. They left together after Lucien's demise, both scared. She later appeared to convince Kharshai to join the Zamorakians when he resurfaced, but was turned down. She warned him not to rely on any Zamorakian help in the future and teleported away. She, along with a group of dark wizards and other Zamorakian mages, infiltrated Guthix' cave after its discovery and, independently of the other Zamorakian factions there, tried to penetrate to the main chamber and kill Guthix so that Zamorak could return and rule the world with her. She was narrowly stopped by the adventurer, Fiara and Valluta and was thus forced to leave.

Hazeel
Hazeel is a follower of Zamorak and, according to the latter, was almost like a brother to him. He became the mentor of Khazard after Palkeera's death and aided in Zamorak's rebellion. As a reward, he was given permission to invade the region that is now Ardougne, with his pupil conquering the area south of it. He was later killed by an ancestor of Ceril Carnillean who later claimed his estate. In the sixties of the Fifth Age's second century, a Cult of Hazeel began to plot against the Carnillean's descendants. They had the resurrection of Hazeel as a goal. When Ceril's armour was stolen by the cult, he hired an adventurer to retrieve it. They were given the choice to revive Hazeel by the cult, or leave him imprisoned. If the adventurer sided with the Cult of Hazeel, Hazeel was revived and headed to the North. If so, he would attend the 18th ritual and duel Sir Tiffy Cashien. Hazeel has green robes with brown and grey parts and his grey hood has a gold trim. He is characterised by horns protruding from his forehead.

Jhallan
Jhallan was a Zarosian Mahjarrat who, unlike his kin, did not care for power and wished to exist in peace. Jhallan was generally considered a weak Mahjarrat, and attempted to keep away from conflict. According to Zemouregal, he did not attend the 17th ritual, which made him even weaker. This is because he had accidentally frozen himself inside ice. When he was released from the ice by an adventurer, he was in the form of a Muspah, a mythical creature of the Mahjarrat, because he accidentally shapeshifted to its form while having a nightmare in the ice, but soon remembered his true race and returned to his skeletal form. He was extremely weak when awoken, and talked about the Mahjarrat ritual and how it could help him regain strength. He asked for the adventurer to take him to a place where nobody would find him, but still within range of the ritual so that he could be rejuvenated and regain his powers. The adventurer subsequently re-encased him in ice right under the ritual marker. Lucien somehow discovered this and pulled Jhallan out from his icy prison during the 18th ritual and sacrificed him. Jhallan had a dark grey robe with a headband containing his Mahjarrat gem.

Khazard
Khazard is the youngest of the Mahjarrat, born towards the end of the God Wars. Khazard is a follower of Zamorak. Khazard is powerful, but vain and fairly egocentric. His mother was Palkeera. Khazard was tutored by Hazeel, another Mahjarrat. He claimed much territory and built up a following in Southern Kandarin, in a region which is now named after him. Khazard is the general of a large army of humans and is in war with the gnomes. He owns a hellhound pet by the name of Bouncer, for whom he deeply cares. Khazard and his puppy were slain by an adventurer during the rescue of the Servile family, which he had enslaved. He can be found afterwards north of the agility log near Sinclair Mansion, in the Shadow Realm. From there he had scouts update him before the ritual about recent developments. He devised a plot to have Bouncer's ghost assassinate the adventurer, but this failed. Right before the Ritual, he and a small group of elite guards assaulted the party heading for the Ritual in addition to revealing Ali the Wise's real identity as Wahisietel - a Zarosian Mahjarrat against whom Khazard seems to hold a serious grudge. Upon defeat, he teleported away, only to briefly reappear later and battle with Idria. Khazard is the only Mahjarrat not to wear robes - he has black plate armour instead, with the skull emblem of his army painted on his chest. He prefers to stay in his skeletal form even after rejuvenation, to better strike fear into friend and foe.

Kharshai
Kharshai is a neutral Mahjarrat and generally friendly towards humans, while most other Mahjarrat harbour some disdain towards humans and other 'weaker' races/species. He is mentioned by Azzanadra as a possibly imprisoned Mahjarrat. Zemouregal describes him as a Mahjarrat of "Average power who kept out of trouble by going along with the majority". He mysteriously disappeared sometime before the 17th Ritual. Kharshai is neither Zamorakian nor Zarosian and claims that neutrality is the best way for Mahjarrat to live. Kharshai once experimented with a mineral called bane and created the Balmung battleaxe. He wanted to try it out by tuning it to dagannoth, but, while traveling to Waterbirth Island by ship, he was attacked by an assassin whose identity he does not recall. His ship was destroyed by the battle, and the unknown assassin is responsible for the Zamorakian mark on his chest. Additionally, Kharshai erased his own memory, both as a means of hiding himself from the other Mahjarrat, and as a means of preserving his power; evidently, without any knowledge of his Mahjarrat power, he had managed to avoid growing weaker over time. Therefore, despite having missed two Rituals, Kharshai bears the humanoid face of a relatively empowered Mahjarrat, rather than the skull-like countenance of a weakened one. Kharshai, who had shapeshifted into a human, was found on sea by Brundt of Rellekka and he could predictably not recall what had happened. He could only mutter 'Kharshai', which the Fremennik heard as 'Koschei'. Koschei was taken care of and passed the Fremennik trials and became known as Koschei the Deathless. Koschei fought valiantly during the Battle for Rellekka, at one point briefly defending himself from the Dagannoth Kings on his own. In the Fifth Age, he regained his memory with the help of an adventurer. Enakhra and Akthanakos immediately arrived to win him for their respective sides, but he refused, and they left. He is currently still in Rellekka.

Kharshai's appearance was heavily altered by his time as Koschei. He currently has white and red robes and a diadem with a gem on his head.

Lamistard
Lamistard was a Zamorakian Mahjarrat who was terminated during the 16th Ritual. Lamistard attempted to tunnel under the Ritual Site to avoid the political battle, but accidentally broke into the basement of Zemouregal's northern base. Zemouregal found out and imprisoned him until the next Ritual, where he suggested him as sacrifice and most of the other Mahjarrat agreed. According to Zemouregal's Notes, he was a supporter of Zamorak, but this did not protect him from his fellow Mahjarrat.

Lucien
Lucien is a godhood-aspiring Zamorakian Mahjarrat whose goal is to obtain Elder Artefacts and harness power for himself. He is also the cousin of Zemouregal. Lucien has grey and purple robes and his grey hood has a gold trim. He also has a small emerald embedded into his forehead. He was amongst Zamorak's contra-Zaros conspiracy, but did not actually participate in the rebellion. In the Fifth Age, he performed a massive attack on Varrock with aid of Solus Dellagar, but he was repelled with magic. From then on he became intent on acquiring the staff of Armadyl and stole it, with the help of the treasure hunter Movario or an adventurer in 169.

Afterwards, he sent Movario to seek the legendary Stone of Jas while establishing a network of spies, mercenaries and assassins himself. He attempted to kill several high-ranked officers in organisations working against him, such as Crux Eqal and Thaerisk Cemphier, but these attempts all failed due to the aid of the adventurer. An alliance between these two and the Temple Knights then gathered an octet of heroes to apprehend the Mahjarrat, but Lucien proved too powerful. He was first seen raising an army of undead in the Wilderness near his camp and was soon attacked. His power exponentially amplified by the staff, he was able to kill most of his opponents, even the legendary gnome Hazelmere. After this, the alliance tracked down Movario and sent the adventurer to find the Stone of Jas before he could. This succeeded, but Lucien appeared in the Ancient Guthix Temple and stole the stone, taking it north with him. At this point he also revealed his plan of becoming a god and dethroning Zamorak, as well as his wish to establish Mahjarrat authority in the world. Lucien has also offered Zemouregal an alliance. Although Zemouregal was originally against the idea, he reconsidered when he noticed Lucien gaining considerable power.

During the 18th ritual, he summoned many dangerous ice creatures to kill his adversaries and duelled Wahisietel himself. He did not appreciate the other Mahjarrat attempting to voice their opinion over whom to sacrifice and proclaimed himself to be the only one worthy to decide. When his cousin got into serious trouble and begged for Lucien's help, the latter ignored Zemouregal, which prompted him to rally everyone else to turn on Lucien instead of their own opponents. Lucien was powerful enough to ignore everything. After several battles, he pulled up Jhallan from below and sacrificed him. Azzanadra channelled the power of Zaros into Lucien, severely damaging him, which triggered his fear. Lucien summoned the stone once more, but was met by three Dragonkin, who were intent in destroying him, the false user. Lucien challenged them and was winning the duel until he was attacked from behind by Sakirth and subsequently killed.

Mizzarch
Mizzarch was terminated during the 15th Ritual. According to Zemouregal, Mizzarch was rather weak and had no allies.

Moia
Moia is the daughter of Lucien. She was appointed the task of searching for Bilrach within Daemonheim by Lucien after the 17th ritual. She is only half Mahjarrat, but has an extended human lifespan and the abilities to read, erase and steal people's memories, as well as disguise herself as various things and teleport short distances at will. Moia infiltrated Daemonheim, where she caused quite some havoc. For example, she terminated Yudura, a cruel necrolord who wished to overthrow Bilrach. She finally met Bilrach in 168 and went with him to 'The Rift' after discovering she could extend her lifespan using portal energy. The next year, one of them died. When she went through The Rift, she appeared in Zamorak's realm and followed him. The god proceeded to teach her lessons on the nature of chaos, Moia learning that without chaos life grows stagnant, and no development is made without chaos. She served as a general of Zamorak during his clash with Saradomin at Lumbridge.

Palkeera
Palkeera is the deceased mother of the Mahjarrat General Khazard. She is mentioned in Zemouregal's Notes Part II. It is currently unknown how she died, except that it happened shortly after giving birth.

Ralvash
Ralvash was terminated during the 17th Ritual. Zemouregal describes him as a Mahjarrat of average power, and rather ugly due to his closely placed eye sockets.

Sliske
Sliske is a very powerful, devious and manipulative Zarosian Mahjarrat and self-proclaimed master of the Shadow Realm. While he is very loyal to Zaros, he will never do anything that would not gain him any personal profit and/or fun. His abilities in combat have not been seen, since he always uses a collection of undead wights to fight for him. Azzanadra describes him as 'Sliske the serpent-tongued, who delves the shadows'. During the Kharidian-Zarosian War, he converted many Zarosians into wights, but these were all taken away by Icthlarin after winning the war. Sliske disappeared with a grudge against the god, and records of him under Zaros are not at hand. Sliske is known to have tricked Saradominists at the Battle for the Godsword into Guthixianism by posing as a druid during the God Wars. He taught them a ritual that would supposedly wake Guthix, but it really unlocked the Ancient Prison, where the Zarosian general Nex and her armies had been imprisoned earlier. As always, Sliske teleported away, going back into hiding. Later, Sliske appeared before the six commanders of the Morytania Campaign that was initiated to liberate Morytania from the vampyres. He gave them power to make their campaign possible, but, when the kingdom's capital was reached, he took their powers and claimed the "Barrows Brothers" as his own loyal wights. In the Fifth Age, he began to follow the adventurer that has been mentioned often before, considering them as his next wight. During the 18th Ritual, he was met in person for the first time, bringing along his wights to battle the Zamorakian forces, Lucien and Zemouregal in particular. He laughingly agreed to Lucien's decision of sacrificing Jhallan, stating that he was indeed useless. After the Ritual was over and Lucien killed, he remained to gain some profit and attempted to convert the adventurer into his next wight. The priest Akrisae Kolluym saved their life, and thus Sliske did add a seventh warrior, although he had missed his original target. He then pursued the Dragonkin and, through means unknown, acquired the staff of Armadyl which had been used to kill Lucien.

Sliske once again gained the most profit, as he intended, during the attempt to assassinate Guthix. He explained the situation to the adventurer when they appeared in Guthix's cave and advised them to aid the Zarosians while pretending to help the Guthixians. He convinced them that the Zarosian faction wished to bargain with Guthix to return Zaros to the world, rather than kill him, as all other factions desired. When the other factions began to arrive, he left the cave and went to Azzanadra and the others for last preparations. He once again released Nex from her prison and still pretended to agree with the other Mahjarrat's plan. When the Zarosians arrived to the temple, Sliske was not with them. Instead, he secretly broke into Guthix's chamber himself and slew him with the staff before the adventurer's eyes before, once more, teleporting away.

Wahisietel
Wahisietel is a friendly and clever Zarosian who seems to have a form of rivalry with Khazard. He wears robes in different tinges of brown, green and dark yellow and has a thick, blue scarf on his shoulders. His trademark spell is a small green orb shot from his hands. After Azzanadra's imprisonment in Jaldraocht, Wahisietel attempted to save Senntisten by turning the Zamorakian and Saradominist armies against each other. This failed, and Senntisten was evacuated on orders of Dagroda and subsequently destroyed. To avoid being spotted as a Zarosian, Wahisietel disguised himself as the Nardarian scholar "Ali the Wise" and also began hiding his Zarosian alignment from his kin at rituals. When the God Wars were over, Ali informed the last Zarosian colony at Ghorrock of this. In the Fifth Age, he desired to perform some surveillance on his kin for the forthcoming ritual and, with the help of an adventurer, successfully gathered information on the other Mahjarrat's endeavours. Once Azzanadra was released from Jaldraocht, the two old friends met up and Wahisietel assisted in the restoration of Senntisten. He also helped in stealing Arrav's heart from Zemouregal to break the latter's curse over the hero. He joined the Crux Eqal alliance when heading to the ritual site in 169 when the group were intercepted by Khazard, who revealed Ali's real identity. Wahisietel fought Khazard with his allies and won. He later bravely duelled Lucien during the entire Ritual, despite being considerably weaker than his opponent. He insisted throughout the entire process that Lucien be sacrificed due to the threat he posed. In the end, he teleported back to Nardah under the guise of Ali. When the cave of Guthix had been discovered, Wahisietel, Akthanakos and Azzanadra formed the plan to negotiate with rather than kill Guthix and convinced Char and Nex to agree, with Sliske merely pretending to do so as well. Wahisietel and the others arrived just after Cres' death and he was teleported back to Nardah by Saradomin after Sliske slew Guthix.

Zamorak
Zamorak was the most powerful Mahjarrat of his kin when they arrived to Gielinor. Under Zaros' service, 'General Zamorak the Scourge' was his strongest warrior, although he never seemed content. At some point, he began plotting a rebellion against Zaros. First, he took Perjour's journal on a mission to raid Fremennik settlements. He duplicated the book and kept the real book, which transferred Perjour's thoughts directly to Zaros, for himself, while giving him the 'fake' one, thus hiding his plan from Zaros. He later acquired the Staff of Armadyl and, with several co-conspirators, including Hazeel, Zemouregal and Enakhra, and attacked Zaros in his citadel. After a duel, Zaros' powers were transferred into Zamorak and the latter became the most powerful mortal to ever date, but was banished by the other gods after that, while Zaros left his body to avoid death and fled the realm. Shortly afterwards, Zamorak returned, having become a god using the Stone of Jas, with an army so big that he could conquer the world and declared war against all the other gods, starting the 1st Gielinorian God Wars.

Zamorak's involvement in the war was great, but the most notable action he did himself occurred shortly before the end of the God Wars. Zamorak launched an extremely strong spell in Forinthry, which, empowered by the Stone of Jas, laid waste to the former Zarosian kingdom. Zamorak caused so much destruction that the Anima Mundi literally cried out in pain and awoke Guthix after he slumbered for thousands of years. Seeing the horrors caused to the world, Guthix struck a massive blade in the centre of the wilderness Zamorak had created and created a large crater and the Edicts of Guthix, which banished all the gods that participated in the war and preventing them from ever returning, including Zamorak. Until 168 of the Fifth Age, Bilrach had been attempting to find a way around the Edicts of Guthix by having Zamorak enter Gielinor via "The Rift", a place in the bottom of Daemonheim that weakens all the interdimensional barriers; with the late aid of Moia, a half-breed Mahjarrat. However, either Bilrach or Moia died in Daemonheim, whereby one of them can no longer serve Zamorak. In addition, the Mourner Death Guard and the Iorwerth Clan, with the aid of King Lathas, have been working towards returning a Dark Lord with the help of the death altar, but, when the Temple of Light's safeguard were restored in 169, the Mourners were rendered unable to proceed.

At the end of 169, Zemouregal, Enakhra and K'ril Tsutsaroth each led their own legions into Guthix's Cave to slay the god. They all failed, however, being defeated by the Guthixians. Nevertheless, when Sliske killed Guthix, the path for Zamorak to return became open.

Zemouregal
Zemouregal is a powerful Zamorakian Mahjarrat, Lucien's cousin and a practised necromancer. Zemouregal is dressed in grey and dark blue with brown trims. In combat, he uses magic, but more often he is seen using necromancy and sending forth battalions of undead, using portals to 'heal' them. He was amongst Zamorak's companions when he rebelled against Zaros, and received a fortress near the Ritual Site for reward. During the Fourth Age, Zemouregal confronted the Avarrockian hero Arrav in the Land of Dreams and tried to steal his famous and powerful shield. He eventually launched an assault on Varrock with the aid of an army of the undead. He nearly won, but was stopped eventually by Arrav, who, by saving the city, also sacrificed himself. Zemouregal killed him and fled with his body, to animate him and use him as his general. In 169, Zemouregal attempted a final attack on Varrock before heading to the ritual. In his base under the Wilderness, he was seen with Arrav by his side as well as Sharathteerk by two scouts of Varrock, who reported their findings to the city. The three soon attacked Varrock Palace with an army of armoured zombies, but were stopped with the shield of Arrav. An angry Zemouregal headed for The North with Sharathteerk and Arrav afterwards, where he remained in his fort to prepare for the ritual.

Later, an adventurer, on Wahisietel's order, stole Arrav's heart, which is how Zemouregal had cursed him, from the latter's base and infiltrated his fort where they smashed the obsidian crystal used to maintain the curse. During the Ritual, Zemouregal battled Azzanadra and tried to convince Lucien to sacrifice a Zarosian. When Arrav was freed from Zemouregal's hold due to the proximity to his heart, he went berserk against Zemouregal, who came in great trouble due to the heavy attacks from Azzanadra and Arrav. He begged his cousin for help, but Lucien ignored him and the influential Zemouregal persuaded all of the other forces on the battlefield to take on Lucien instead of each other. After Lucien's demise at the hands of Sakirth, Zemouregal left the scene in fear, glad that Lucien had been defeated.

After the discovery of Guthix's cave triggered the alarm system, the dark wizards of the Varrock stone circle immediately notified Zemouregal, who realised what had happened. He immediately formed a plan of action and headed to the cave with his undead. Zemouregal penetrated one of the storage wings leading to the main chamber, but was defeated by the adventurer and Cres and his automatons. He angrily had to leave the cave and head back to his fort upon defeat.

Mahjarrat-related quests

 * Temple of Ikov (Lucien)
 * Fight Arena (Khazard)
 * Hazeel Cult (Hazeel)
 * The Fremmenik Trials (Kharshai)
 * Desert Treasure (Azzanadra)
 * Enakhra's Lament (Enakhra, Akthanakos)
 * Defender of Varrock (Zemouregal)
 * While Guthix Sleeps (Lucien)
 * The Tale of the Muspah (Jhallan)
 * Missing My Mummy (None, only general lore)
 * The Curse of Arrav (Lamistard, Zemouregal (minor))
 * The Temple at Senntisten (Azzanadra)
 * Ritual of the Mahjarrat (Akthanakos, Azzanadra, Enakhra, Hazeel, Jhallan, Khazard, Lucien, Sliske, Wahisietel, Zemouregal)
 * The Curse of Zaros miniquest (Zamorak)
 * The General's Shadow miniquest (Khazard)
 * The Firemaker's Curse (Zamorak (minor))
 * Nadir (Moia, Lucien, Zemouregal (minor), Bilrach)
 * Blood Runs Deep (Kharshai (minor))
 * Koschei's Troubles miniquest (Kharshai, Akthanakos, Enakhra)
 * The World Wakes (Akthanakos (minor), Azzanadra, Enakhra, Sliske, Wahisietel (minor), Zemouregal)
 * Birthright of the Dwarves (Zamorak (minor))
 * Missing Presumed Death (Akthanakos (minor), Azzanadra, Enakhra, Hazeel (minor), Kharshai, Khazard (minor), Sliske, Wahisietel, Zamorak, Zemouregal)
 * Mahjarrat Memories miniquest (Kharshai)
 * Fate of the Gods (Azzanadra, Sliske)

Trivia

 * The word Mahārāja (also spelled maharajah) is Sanskrit for "great king" or "high king." This might be where the name of the Mahjarrat was derived from (since they are powerful).
 * An even more likely link is found in the Arabic word "Mahjar", which means "Diaspora":a dispersion of a people from their original homeland.
 * After the 18th Ritual of Rejuvenation, there are 10 known living Mahjarrat. Four of them are Zarosians and five of them are Zamorakians (if the player resurrected Hazeel) and one is particularly neutral, known as Kharshai.
 * Before the release of Defender of Varrock, Mahjarrat looked like generic skeletons at the time, adorned with armour or robes (with the exception of Hazeel). They were later updated to look more unique and the release of Ritual of the Mahjarrat brought along another generalising graphical update. However, Bilrach, Kharshai, Zemouregal (only during Nadir) and Sliske (only during The World Wakes & Missing, Presumed Death), have an even newer model. In addition, in RuneScape Classic, Hazeel and Khazard both looked like generic Black Knights.