Gielinorian God Wars

The Third Age, also known as the God Wars, was a time of great calamity in RuneScape. Although the God Wars themselves are not a part of the gameplay of RuneScape (except for the God Wars Dungeon), they are frequently referenced throughout the game and form the basis for many quests, characters, items, and locations.

History


During the Second Age, Zaros had almost complete control of the world. The areas that are now the Wilderness, Northern Misthalin, Northern Asgarnia and Northwestern Morytania, formed the greatest part of his kingdom, where many great fortresses and cities were constructed. When he was betrayed and defeated by his Mahjarrat general, Zamorak, the Second Age ended and the other gods could now begin ruling without interference. However, many gods, the most significant being Saradomin and Zamorak, wanted complete control.

After Zaros' defeat in single combat, Zamorak quickly set about to rounding up his remaining loyalist followers, and destroying his fortresses and cities. The majority were destroyed quickly, but Senntisten held out for many hundreds of years. The war escalated as other Gods, seeing an opportunity attempted to seize control of areas that had previously been Zaros'; since Zamorak was unable to efficiently conquer and maintain his holdings, due to the speed with which he acted. The war escalated further, and by the time of the Fall of Hallowvale, almost the entirety of Gielinor was in chaos. The gods, at the time, could directly interact with the world, which caused destruction far beyond any seen before or after the wars.

During the wars, countless civilizations, races, and animal species disappeared. Many were destroyed, while others hid themselves or went under drastic changes in order to survive. Much of the world itself went under drastic changes, with much of the land being ruined or reformed. Many of these changes were so catastrophic that they continue to affect RuneScape, even today.

In fact, the entire world was on the brink of destruction when the fighting awoke Guthix from his sleep. Upon the end of the First Age, Guthix went into a deep slumber that stretched over many millennia. When he awoke, it found the world in ruin. It was so enraged that he instantly demanded that the gods stopped fighting their wars on RuneScape, and to continue to hold influence only through their followers. Most of the gods left RuneScape, although they continued to watch over it and hear the prayers of their faithful. It was at this time that the Third Age, which had lasted approximately 4000 years, finally ended.



On 28 August 2007 Jagex released a dungeon entitled The God Wars Dungeon. A massive cavern that had been frozen for æons in the northern Troll Country began to thaw due to tectonic movements in the Wilderness. This cavern, it was revealed, was the site of one of the God War's last battles; its monsters have not realised that the God Wars are over and keep on fighting. Players are able to explore the dungeon, but not without conflict. Though this is a massive battle, with hundreds of monsters and warriors fighting for their gods, it is a mere scruff of what was once the great God Wars.

Historical discrepancies
The true history of the God Wars is always somewhat difficult to determine. Having occurred several thousand years ago, information about the God Wars is difficult to come by.

However, an even more hindering factor are the differences in accounts of the wars. Saradominists and Zamorakians often disagree on what truly occurred at the time. For instance, Saradominists such as The Wise Old Man state that when victory was nearly Saradomin's, he pitied the Zamorakians and allowed for a truce to be made. Zamorakians, however, insist that this was not the case, and have their own beliefs on the matter. Most now accept that it was actually Guthix that ended the wars, but others still reject this.

Another difficult subject are the Edicts of Guthix, which were created by Guthix when he ended the wars. Some religious groups doubt their existence. Others, however, including many important religious advisers such as Aeonisig Raispher, highly encourage the following of the Edicts. This makes understanding them difficult, and has been the cause of many political disputes since their creation.

Known events
The God Wars gave birth to many historical battles and events, which shaped the world we know today. Listed below are known events that took place during the wars, although there are many others that have long since been forgotten. Note that these events are not in order.


 * Bandos arrived to Gielinor.


 * Uzer, the largest city in the Kharidian Desert, is besieged by Thammaron, an Elder Demon and chief lieutenant of Zamorak. Despite the Clay Golems' efforts to save the city, they are defeated and Uzer is destroyed. Thammaron, however, is severely wounded by an elite group of golems and is forced to flee the dimension. The wounds eventually prove fatal. Thammaron's army was crushed by Azzanadra.


 * The Dorgeshuun goblin tribe is banished by the god Bandos after refusing to fight in a battle which they could not possibly win. Trapped underground, they struggle for survival, managing to build a city known as Dorgesh-Kaan approximately 800 years before the end of 3rd age. A civil war soon erupts between the republic and tribal factions, but ultimately the republic wins due to an earthquake that wiped out the opposing army.


 * Akthanakos is tricked by Enakhra into her temple, where he becomes imprisoned.


 * The followers of Zaros struggle against the fury of the other gods that all fight for control over the Zarosian empire, the Zarosians are forced to flee into the desert and live as bandits.


 * Azzanadra, The Champion of Zaros, is brought down and imprisoned into a pyramid, it is also hinted that Zamorakians and Saradominists joined forces to bring him down as he was immensely powerful and even thought to be invincible.


 * The Wilderness, during the second age, was part of Zaros's domain. Upon Zaros's defeat and the beginning of the God Wars, the Wilderness becomes a centre of warfare as a multitude of races and factions attempt to lay waste to the remaining Zarosians. By the end of the Wars, the Wilderness, which had been a forested paradise, is permanently scarred by the war and barren of all but the most twisted of life.


 * Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan, a vampyre lord, is given control over Morytania due to his assistance in Zamorak's rebellion. Southern Morytania, at the time a lush forest called Hallowland, is quickly overrun by Drakan's hordes of werewolves, vampyres, and the undead. Queen Efaritay, the Icyene queen of the area, is captured, giving Drakan complete control over the land. He converts the area's cities into large ghettos where the inhabitants are farmed for blood and corrupts many of the icyene into the vyrewatch. He then raises the sea and casts storms over the sun, transforming the landscape into a ravaged swamp. As his main fortress he constructs Castle Drakan. Southeastern Morytania was renamed Sanguinesti Region. These events would later lead to the construction of the Paterdomus, the death of six of The Seven Priestly Warriors, and the closing of the Abandoned Mine.
 * Count Draynor, the brother of Lord Drakan, sets his sights upon the area that is now Draynor Village, although whether he gains control of the land during the Third or Fourth Age is unknown. Once separated from Morytania in the Fourth Age following the blessing of the River Salve, he is greatly weakened.


 * The Barrow Brothers lead the forces of Saradomin into the heart of Morytania, seeking to release the land from Drakan's control. They are killed in battle and buried at the Barrows, only to be turned into spirits by a stranger that may have been Sliske.


 * The "Myriad" civilization, that used to dwell in the Lumbridge area, was destroyed almost completely; the Light Creatures in the Lumbridge Swamp Caves are all that remain.
 * The Aviantese, a race of bird-creatures devoted to Armadyl, disappear. Several were frozen in a massive battle, and have recently returned to continue their battle.


 * The dwarves, after realizing that the wars could force their race to extinction, seal themselves beneath the world's surface. They construct the dwarven capital of Keldagrim, which exists even to this day. Upon finishing its construction, the dwarves cease their use of magic.


 * The Digsite, known as Senntisten at the time, is destroyed by the forces of or Zamorak, but is claimed by Saradominsts some years later. The wars ultimately destroy Senntisten, and in its place is constructed Saranthium. Senntisten was the largest Zarosian city. The construction of Saranthium is known to have taken place between 3740 and 3804 by the evidence on two coins found at the digsite, the only surviving records of dates from this age.


 * The elves are forced to retreat into Tirannwn due to the danger of the lands beyond Arandar.


 * The gnomes, like the dwarves, are forced to flee beneath the surface of the world. Their capital, the Gnome Stronghold, falls into ruin and remains so until the Fourth Age.


 * Mother Mallum, the queen of the sea slugs, attempts to conquer the world. She is narrowly stopped by the Saradominist Temple Knights, an organization which was founded during the God Wars as well.


 * Hazeel conquers the land that is now Ardougne as part of his contract with Zamorak.


 * Paddewwa, Kharyrll, Lassar, Dareeyak, Carrallangar, Annakarl, and Ghorrock, Zaros's last remaining fortresses, are destroyed.




 * A large cavern, known now as the God Wars Dungeon, in an icy land north of Trollheim plays host to a massive battle between the followers of Bandos, Saradomin, Zamorak, and Armadyl. The cave is hidden during the battle, freezing the combatants. Thousands of years later, in the year 169 of the Fifth Age, the combatants are unfrozen due to tectonic movement in the Wilderness. They then resume their battle as they try to obtain the Godsword.


 * The Dagannoths emerge roughly during this time, resulting in great losses for the Fremenniks.


 * Bandos leads the ogres into the Feldip Hills, quickly wiping out the local populace and claiming the land as his own.


 * The wyrms, a species of ancient dragons much more powerful than any known dragon today, slowly disappear from continued use in combat and evolution. A specific species of wyrm, the White Dragon, also disappears.


 * The Wyverns, a species of flightless two-legged dragons, are believed extinct due to a massive climate shift. Their reanimated skeletons can now only be found in the Asgarnian Ice Dungeon, the last remaining place that is cold enough for them to survive.


 * Dragon, a type of metal found only in Freneskae and forged by the Dragonkin, falls into the hands of several other races such as humans, Fairies, and Implings.


 * The Eastern Lands become largely inaccessible due to Necrovarus's conquering of Port Phasmatys. Some now doubt that the Eastern Lands ever existed due to the strange tales that surround the place.


 * The knowledge of Ancient Magicks, a book of extremely powerful battle spells, is largely forgotten. Having been used by only a select few Zarosians, their death resulted in the near extinction of these magicks. However, the spells have resurfaced and have fallen into the hands of evil mages such as Solus Dellagar, who recently slaughtered over 500 enemies at Edgeville and committed a number of crimes across Gielinor.


 * Contact with an underwater city is lost, with all memory of the city nearly vanishing from Gielinor. Few now remember it save Guthix himself.


 * It is likely that during the wars the barrier between Gielinor and Zanaris was broken, resulting in the weak border and easy transportation between the two worlds today. This happened to numerous other worlds as well, such as Puro-Puro, the Gorak Plane, the Killerwatt Dimension and countless others. Some of these worlds contained dangerous creatures, such as Goraks, that wrought havoc within Gielinor. But the threat was not contained within RuneScape; many battles were held in other worlds, and many were destroyed entirely due to the God Wars.


 * Amongst the greatest desert cities was Ullek, a settlement found in the cliffs and swamps of the south-eastern desert. Shortly after Uzer was attacked by Thammaron, Ullek was attacked by Balfrug Kreeyath, a 3-faced demon and future bodyguard of K'ril Tsutsaroth. The few that escaped eventually took refuge in Sophanem, which was a small village at the time.


 * The desert deities of the Menaphites, which had ruled the Kharidian Desert for countless years, fall from power, perhaps because of the large amount of combat taking place within the desert. Although they continue to hold sway in areas such as Menaphos, their influence diminishes largely in the outside world, even leading some to doubt their existence.


 * Yu'biusk is the original world of the goblins. Here they live in peace for thousands of years until being discovered by Bandos. Bandos takes them to Gielinor and leaves their world in ruin. Once in Gielinor, they become his warriors, referring to him as the "Big High War God".


 * Nezikchened, a black demon of massive proportions, may have been imprisoned in a cave beneath the Kharazi Jungle during these times. Although little is known of Nezikchened, it is likely that he was a servant of Zamorak and was imprisoned by a small group of warriors, most likely Saradominists.


 * Many of the thousands that perish in the Wilderness return from the dead as bitter Revenants. These creatures terrorize the Wilderness even after the God Wars end, their crazed minds filled with bloodlust. Not able to die permanently, these creatures haunt the Wilderness even today.


 * Dragontooth Island, a small forested land east of Morytania, is used by Saradominists as an outpost. They are brutally killed by an unknown enemy, leaving much of their tale a mystery.


 * Agrith-Naar, a powerful demon, is banished from Gielinor by Guthix upon his awakening. Agrith Naar, however, manages to influence Gielinor by controlling natural disasters.


 * The mysterious Ancient Cavern was most likely created during this time. Judging by a series of ancient pages found within the cave, appears to have been artificially created thousands of years ago by an unknown entity. The presence mithril dragons that inhabit it suggest that the creator(s) must have been extremely powerful. In recent years, it seems a great number of people have been attracted to the cavern for various reasons. One is known to have been searching for the incarnation of Scabaras. Another seems to have been involved with Glough and Arposandra. A third believed the cavern was somehow involved with the Dragonkin. It would seem that the cave contains a great power.


 * A large island north of Morytania, commonly known today as "Kudos Island", is ravaged by war. Many of the animal species unique to the island are entirely wiped out. These long-extinct creatures are now being studied by the Varrock Museum, and the island itself will soon be reachable via barge.


 * General Khazard, a mahjarrat, gained power in Kandarin and was amongst those who attacked the gnomes in the area.


 * The Fist of Guthix is formed shortly after Guthix returns to the surface. The manner in which it was created, though, is debated.


 * The town of Eastbridge is destroyed in the intense fighting.

Major conflicts


During the God Wars there were thousands of individual battles and wars between the people of RuneScape. Although many battles and wars of the Third Age have been forgotten, some of the more significant conflicts are still remembered today, such as the ones listed below. Please note that although these battles are basically in order, there may be some that are slightly out of place.


 * The Fall of Senntisten
 * The Destruction of the seven Zarosian Fortresses
 * The Wilderness Campaign
 * The Dorgeshuun Civil War
 * The Sea Slug Conflicts
 * The Fall of Hallowvalle
 * The Morytania Campaign
 * The Destruction of Uzer
 * The Battle of Ardougne
 * The God Wars Dungeon battle.

War tactics


The God Wars were a bloody time marred by battles. Because the land was ever-changing from the constant battles which plagued its surface, there were only a few long-standing cities. Occasionally large camps would be created, but rarely did any significant settlement survive for long.

Because of this, the battles of the God Wars were more violent and bloody than any other. Everyone was pushed to fighting; there were very few "civilians". There were no walls to hide behind and no cities to lay siege to. The majority of battles were battles held on open land with make-shift defensive structures placed to protect soldiers. While some armies made use of strategy and cunning tactics to overcome their foes, others chose brute force. Followers of Bandos in particular were known for their strength and brutality. Making use of overwhelming numbers, Bandos's armies took no prisoners.

Equipment


Armour such as this was used often in the God Wars. Far stronger than most metal used today, its resilience made it the equipment of choice for those that could create it. What it is made from, depending on class is white dragonhide, enchanted silk, and enchanted silver, but where it came from is unknown; the art of smithing this equipment was lost long ago. This armour is crafted so well that it can still be used today, and is highly prized amongst those with the funds or the skills to obtain it.This armour was called third age armour.

Siege weaponry was used primarily during the beginning of the Wars, although it was utilized at times later into the Third Age. To eliminate the remaining settlements, soldiers made use of battering rams, siege ladders, and other such equipment.

Combatants




Every race, god (except Guthix), civilization, and animal species fought during the God Wars, resulting in the destruction of most of the world. Any that could fight fought, and those that refused were either enslaved or forced into hiding. These times saw the extinction of many of the world's races, many of which were incredibly advanced but weak in combat.

Click the above link to learn more about the individuals, mortal and immortal alike, that are known to have fought in the God Wars. Keep in mind that the list is very incomplete, and that perhaps millions of individuals have been forgotten.

Impact on Gielinor today




The God Wars continue to have an impact on Gielinor today. Many of the lands that were seized by certain races in the God Wars are still under their rule today. Many areas, such as the Feldip Hills and Morytania continue to be affected by their roles in the Wars. The wilderness, in particular, has remained virtually unchanged since it was destroyed during the wars.

The God wars also serve as a historical reminder to the rulers of the modern age. Since the Edicts of Guthix were put in place, there have continued to be countless battles; indeed, the Fourth Age was a time of great violence between the world's races. The only thing that has prevented these from escalating into all-out wars are the Edicts, which prevent large-scale attacks between different races and religious factions. Rulers must be careful to abide by these. For instance, King Roald III of Varrock is currently faced with a difficult situation; the werewolves of Morytania have begun to kidnap travellers near the Paterdomus to appease the blood tithes of the vampyres. However, the king can not launch a full-scale assault, as doing so could result in another God War and the destruction of the world. Some wish to circumvent the Edicts or remove them completely, including a number of splinter groups currently operating near the Paterdomus temple. The God Wars could be seen as RuneScape's equivalent of nuclear war in the real world.

Excavations are also being performed in the search for relics from these ancient times. This is a difficult task, however; the God Wars occurred over 4000 years ago, so nearly all of the artefacts from this time have been destroyed. Furthermore, there were few permanent structures during the time, leaving us with little understanding of the architecture, literature, or any other cultural aspects of the age. Fortunately, there is a considerable amount of armour that has survived within the earth, and in some areas pottery and other such relics can be found. The largest excavation currently underway is being performed by the Varrock Museum at the Digsite east of Varrock, which was once the Zarosian capital of Senntisten (and later Saranthium). Other, smaller digs are also underway, such as the one performed by the Dorgeshuun. Recently, they discovered a large number of artefacts from the Dorgeshuun civil war while they were helping the dwarves to build the Dorgesh-Kaan - Keldagrim Train System.

Trivia

 * It is currently unknown as to whether or not Brassica Prime was involved in the God Wars.