Akthanakos

Akthanakos is a Zarosian Mahjarrat, and a sworn enemy of Enakhra. Due to the player's actions in the Enakhra's Lament quest, he is freed from Enakhra's control and chases her to The North. The camels of the deep desert are presumed to be named after him. After the events of the quest he is most likely one of the few Mahjarrat friendly to the player (such as Jhallan, Wahisietel, Hazeel (if the player resurrected him) and Azzanadra).

History
Akthanakos, like the other Mahjarrat, left the world of Freneskae during the Second Age, and was brought over to Gielinor by Icthlarin, the Menaphite god of the dead. The Mahjarrat spent some time serving under Icthlarin as his Stern Judges, fighting against the enemies of the Kharidian Empire, but their servitude was not to last. Eventually the Mahjarrat switched their allegiance to Zaros, a powerful and enigmatic god against whom Akthanakos and his ilk had warred in their role as Stern Judges of Icthlarin. Under Zaros, the Mahjarrat proved themselves dangerous weapons of war, eventually becoming amongst the finest warriors of the Zarosian Empire, which, at that time spanning most of the known continent, was the largest in Gielinor's history. Akthanakos, amongst others, admired the prosperity that Zaros brought and was happy to be under his rule. However, the same could not be said for everyone.

Eventually, many of Zaros' servants grew increasingly discontent with Zaros, and gradually began to rally to a new leader: Zaros' favoured general, the Mahjarrat Zamorak. Zamorak and his followers, including a significant number of fellow Mahjarrat such as Enakhra [with whom Akthanakos had been long-term rivals, even before the traversal from Freneskae to Gielinor], Hazeel, Lucien and Zemouregal, plotted ways in which to overthrow their master, and after a series of events, were handed what would be the key to victory: the legendary Staff of Armadyl. God weapon in tow, Zamorak and his followers revolted against the Empty Lord at Zaros' main castle, and whilst his lackeys dealt with Zaros' bodyguards, Zamorak confronted his master alone. The skirmish between them ended when both Zaros and Zamorak were both accidentally impaled on the Staff of Armadyl, and by chance, Zamorak stole some of the Empty Lord's power, banishing him from this world and leading to the collapse of his Empire.

The time period after this betrayal [including Zamorak's rise to godhood] was tumultous, and saw the defection of most of Zaros' servants to the cause of Zamorak. Akthanakos was one of few to remain loyal to the Empty Lord, not only creating a schism between the respective Mahjarrat factions, but also intensifying the hatred between Akthanakos and his rival Enakhra, who had become infatuated with Zamorak. Blinded by her devotion to the god of chaos, Enakhra constructed a temple dedicated to him deep within the Kharidian desert; however, her tribute was rejected, with Zamorak preferring a weapon that could kill a god over some temple in the desert.

Some time after this, Akthanakos was surprised when his rival contacted him, apparently repentant of her betrayal of the Empty Lord and wanting to switch sides. Meeting in Enakhra's Temple to discuss this apparent change of heart, Akthanakos discovered to his shock and horror that he had been deceived, Enakhra's supposed defection but a ruse to lure her rival to the temple and entrap him there forever. To this end, Akthanakos was transformed into a lowly Bone guard to serve Enakhra, and would remain in this form seemingly forever, at the mercy of his great foe.

Enakhra's Lament
Thousands of years after being imprisoned, freedom came to Akthanakos in the year 169 of the Fifth Age in the form of an adventurer. Enakhra's temple, and the Mahjarrat herself, had long since disappeared beneath the sands of the desert, yet there were still those who knew of its existence, such as the Zamorakian mage Lazim, who sought the power within the temple for himself. To this end, he posed as a humble sculptor, and manipulated the adventurer into helping him build a statue, due to now being unable to do so himself. Upon completion of the statue however, the dune upon which it stood caved in, revealing the tunnels of the temple below. Lazim's true intentions revealed, the adventurer was then hired to explore the temple thoroughly, and in doing so, received odd visions about the temple's history, including Enakhra's entrapment of Akthanakos.

Eventually, after solving the temple's puzzles, the adventurer came across the final chamber, guarded by Akthanakos in its Bone guard form. After a brief encounter, Akthanakos beseeched the adventurer to free him from his incarceration by sealing Enakhra away behind the nearby wall. This allowed for Enakhra's hold over Akthanakos to break, and for the first time in millennia, assume his natural Mahjarrat form. Enakhra however would not be held, shattering the adventurer's hard work, but Akthanakos' request had been granted. The two rivals, now in a struggle again, vowed to destroy one another, before both heading off to The North in preparation of the upcoming 18th Ritual of Rejuvenation, where they would continue their fight.

The 18th Mahjarrat Ritual of Rejuvenation
Akthanakos arrives at the Ritual of Rejuvenation just in time to witness Enakhra offering him as the sacrifice, which prompts him to insult her by saying that she needs the rest of the Mahjarrat to do what she can't do by herself. He then suggest she be the sacrifice, but is ignored by Lucien, who claims that because he is the most powerful Mahjarrat he should decide who is sacrificed and then brings out Jhallan as the sacrifice. When a battle breaks out between the Zarosian and Zamorakian Mahjarrat, Akthanakos fights against his old rival Enakhra and has the upper hand in the fight, almost beating her before all the Mahjarrat turn on Lucien and fight him instead.

When the ritual takes place, Akthanakos is rejuvenated and empowered (his combat level goes from 250 to 350) and his appearance transforms into a more humanoid-like one. After witnessing Lucien's death at the hands of the Dragonkin, Akthanakos teleports away to avoid being killed as well.

Finding Kharshai
Some time after the Ritual of Rejuvenation, the near-invincible warrior known as Koschei the deathless recovered the memories of his past, revealing himself to be the Mahjarrat Kharshai, who had slipped from the radar of his brethren since at least the 17th Ritual. When Kharshai's identity was revealed, Akthanakos, sensing his presence once again, appeared before him, and was surprised to find his rival Enakhra already present. Akthanakos came with the excuse of merely investigating, but was accused of attempting to persuade Kharshai into joining the Zarosians. In the end, Kharshai threatened his fellow Mahjarrat, asserting his neutrality, and told the two to leave before he forced them to. An angered Akthanakos then departed, but not before vowing that Kharshai would not receive support from the faithful of Zaros in future.

The World Wakes
Akthankos appeared along with Azzanadra, Wahisietel, Sliske, Nex and Char during the Attempt to assassinate Guthix.

Trivia

 * Akthanakos' name might have been derived from the Greek word Athanatos, meaning "immortal" or "without death".

Akthanakos