Koschei the deathless

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Koschei the deathless is a warrior that players must fight in order to complete The Fremennik Trials quest. The player must defeat him three times without dying; although they are told they must defeat him to win, the act of dying to him having defeated him three times is considered enough to win you the vote. This is because the test is one of bravery, not strength.

Koschei's level is not shown; however he will get progressively stronger and his attacks faster each time he is defeated. His max hits are 34 in his first form, 54 in his second, and 74 in his third. Although the fourth form is difficult, it is not impossible to defeat him; if he is defeated the player will be rewarded with a Fremennik blade. Koschei's last form has 2550 life points.

Koschei the deathless is fight-able as a class E boss monster in the Dominion Tower minigame if the player has completed The Fremennik Trials.

Strategy
A Ring of Recoil can be an aid in killing the fourth form. When he hits, he always hits for 10-15 life points, but at a rate of 3-4 hits per second, and due to the rounding-up of the ring of recoil, would always hit him back for 10 at the same attack rate. Note, however, that a player would have to bring several rings of recoil, because each can only reflect 400 life points. Low-levelled players may find his third and fourth form rather difficult, so a Gnome Amulet or Combat Bracelet is strongly advised, for it will provide a little protection (do not wear a ring of life, or you will most likely have to start over again if your Lifepoints get too low). There are certain safe spots in Koschei's basement, such as the pillars of fire, or the many chasms in the ground. Players need only run quickly over to one side of a hole, and because Koschei only moves at a walking speed, players should be at one end of a hole long before he reaches the other end. However, do not stay in a safe spot for too long, or Koschei will disappear and you will have to fight him all over again. It is also strongly advised that players bring high-healing food, such as monkfish or sharks, as in his third and fourth form he hits progressively harder and quicker. Also, it appears that if you take too long fighting Koschei, he will simply disappear and you will have to start the challenge all over again. It is interesting to note that, if you manage kill him three times, decide to try and kill him a fourth time, but find yourself unable to, the trial will still be deemed as a success. Once your life points reach 10, the player will kneel down and be transported back to Thorvald, still completing the trial. This is because the challenge is a test of bravery, not strength.You can talk to Chieftain Brundt about Koschei's history. It is possible to bring certain weapons into Koschei's chamber. If you bring in a Dramen branch and a knife, you can carve a Dramen staff then and there. Also, as the Golden Hammer gives no stat bonuses, it means it is possible to use that in the fight as well. '''Note that if players die on his first, second, or third form, they will die a normal death and lose their items! Players can only die to his fourth form to get the vote!'''



Blood Runs Deep
During the Blood Runs Deep quest Koschei accompanies the player to attack Waterbirth Island and defeat the Dagannoth Mother together with the Fremennik Armada. The player is also accompanied by Baba Yaga, Prince Brand and Princess Astrid. In the first room he keeps an eye on the entrance, to soon find out that the Dagannoth Kings are coming. Koschei will call Baba Yaga, the prince and the princess to help with the fight, telling the player to kill the queen alone. They succeed in holding them back, though both Brand and Astrid die. After this Koschei will probably return to Rellekka.

Dominion Tower
In the Dominion Tower, the player fights four rounds against Koschei, with Koschei becoming more powerful each time he arises from being killed. However, Koschei can be killed in the fourth round (and must be, if the player is to win the match).

At the start of the fourth round, Koschei drains the player's prayer points to 0. Prayer points can be restored by the usual means (potions, the Falador shield, etc.).

Trivia

 * Koschei has many traits (including the trait of being hard to kill) that are similar to that of the Russian Legend of the same name. However in this legend, Koschei's soul was in a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a hare, inside an iron chest, which was buried under a green oak tree, which is on the island of Buyan, in the ocean. The only way to defeat him was if the egg or the needle was broken, and in some legends it has to be done on Koschei's forehead.
 * He has a Zamorak symbol on his chest. However, in which way he is, or was, related to the god is unknown, or, if he is just a supporter.
 * Koschei's name is spelled Коще́й Бессме́ртный (Koschéi Bessmértny) in Russia where he is a popular figure in its folklore. As is usual in Russian transliterations, there are numerous other spellings. The spelling in other Slavic languages (like Polish "Kościej") suggests that his name may be derived from "kost" (rus. кость pol. kość=bone); thus suggesting a skeleton-like appearance, which also indicates a possible connection with the Mahjarrat.
 * His examine info of "He keeps on going." during Blood Runs Deep is possibly a reference to the energizer bunny commercials as the commercials are known for saying "It keeps on going and going...".
 * He is the fastest attacking NPC in the game, along with Scarab swarms.
 * The attack speed for his first three forms is exactly the same as unarmed combat.
 * If you poison him, he would remain poisoned through all forms.
 * "Koschei" is also the name of "The Master", one of the antagonist in the famous British sci-fi Doctor Who. The Master displays an ability to "regenerate" more number of times than the other members of his species can, hence, in a way, he can also be considered "deathless". The first few "faces" of the Master include a beard and a moustache.

Koschei the Deathless