Akthanakos

Akthanakos is a Zarosian Mahjarrat, and a sworn enemy of Enakhra. The Ugthanki, camels of the deep desert, were trained to fight by Akthanakos, and as such are named after him Both he and Enakhra disappeared shortly before the God Wars began, being locked in a conflict with each other in Enakhra's Temple. During the Enakhra's Lament quest, the player's actions cause him to be freed from Enakhra's control and he and Enakhra head to The North. He also has small appearances in Ritual of the Mahjarrat, Koschei's Troubles, The World Wakes and Missing, Presumed Death.

Arrival to Gielinor
Like the other Mahjarrat, Akthanakos lived on Freneskae, the realm of perpetual warfare, along with many other tribes. Here, they would live to survive the elements and the destructive power of the legendary "Mother Mah", an Elder God that created their race and whom they would prevent from wreaking havoc on Freneskae through the Rituals of Rejuvenation and Enervation, although at least one Mahjarrat regarded her as a mere myth and the rituals as superstitious traditions. Due to the constant conflict with neighbouring tribes such as the Mahserrat as well as the frequent sacrifices at the Rituals, the Mahjarrat tribe never counted more than a few hundred members and was ruled.

In the Second Age of Gielinor, however, the two demi-gods Icthlarin and Amascut travelled to Freneskae in order to recruit the Mahjarrat to fight the Zarosian invaders of their homeland, the Kharidian Empire, in the Kharidian - Zarosian War. Some Mahjarrat opposed the proposal while others agreed to go, causing a large battle to break out. Eventually, after the death of Salisard and the sacrifice of Abrogal, those in favour of travelling to Gielinor emerged victoriously and the entire Mahjarrat tribe accompanied the two gods to Gielinor. There, Akthanakos aided the Menaphite warriors in driving back the Zarosian army, with success. During this time, they were known as the Stern Judges of Icthlarin. Soon after arriving, Akthanakos took on the aspect of one of the local gods, choosing to depict himself with the head of a camel, and, using an amulet known as the Camulet, he was able to communicate with the camels in the region, and he trained them to fight for him, and he named them after himself, calling them the Ugthanki.

However, as the Menaphites had almost ensured their victory a couple of years later, the Mahjarrat Sliske, who had got into a feud with Icthlarin over his methods in battle, approached the Zarosian legate, a Chthonian demon named Duke Ceres, and made arrangements to desert the Menaphites and join Zaros. Most of the Mahjarrat convened at the fortress of Kharid-et and soon emerged, joining arms with the Zarosians, proceeding to slaughter the retreating Menaphite armies. The god Tumeken, father of Icthlarin and Amascut, swiftly interfered by sacrificing himself, his armies and half of his empire to repel the Zarosians; he used his powers of fire to create a massive explosion, turning half of the empire into a desert wasteland as well as obliterating his own army and most of the Zarosian one. Of the approximately five hundred Mahjarrat present, less than a fifth survived the explosion thanks to Azzanadra, who quickly erected a magical barrier as protection. Akthanakos was amongst those to survive and join the remainder of the Zarosian on the march to Forinthry. He was given the rank of tribune in the Army of Zaros.

Under Zaros' leadership
Although a tribune, Akthanakos made a habit of travelling to the Zarosian settlement of Senntisten between his campaigns, and watched as it grew from a small village into the capital city of the empire. Akthanakos was fascinated with the developing city, and on at least one occasion watched it from atop the Basilica at night, pleased with its beauty, a sentiment he shared by Azzanadra and even Zaros himself.

Despite this, many of Zaros' servants grew increasingly discontent with Zaros, and gradually began to rally under a new leader: the Mahjarrat general 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, having already got hold of the Stone of Jas.

Elder Artefacts in tow, Zamorak and his followers revolted against the Empty Lord in 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 accidentally impaled on the Staff of Armadyl, and by chance, Zamorak stole some of the Empty Lord's power, causing Zaros to leave his body, and leading to the collapse of his Empire. After Zaros's defeat, the newly ascended Zamorak was taken to Infernus by his demonic allies so he could fulfil a promise he made to them.

Imprisonment by Enakhra
The time period after Zaros and Zamorak's banishment was tumultuous, 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.

Some time after the betrayal of Zaros, but before Zamorak returned to Gielinor and started the God Wars, Akthanakos was surprised when Enakhra contacted him, apparently repentant of her betrayal of the Empty Lord and wanting to switch sides. Meeting in a temple dedicated to Zamorak that Enakhra had constructed deep within the Kharidian Lands while Zamorak was still mortal, Enakhra pretended to discuss this apparent change of heart, however Akthanakos soon discovered to his shock and horror that he had been deceived; Enakhra's supposed defection was 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 for thousands of years, at the mercy of his great foe. With his disappearance, his camel followers became much more violent.

Liberation
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 Enakhra and the knowledge she would no doubt have. To this end, he posed as a humble sculptor, and manipulated an 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 his 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 camel-headed 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, transformed back into their skeletal forms and vowed to destroy one another, before both heading off to the Mahjarrat Ritual Site in preparation of the upcoming 18th Ritual of Rejuvenation, where they would continue their fight.

The 18th Mahjarrat Ritual of Rejuvenation
Akthanakos arrived at the Ritual of Rejuvenation just in time to witness Enakhra offering him as the sacrifice, which prompted him to insult her by saying that she needed the rest of the Mahjarrat to do what she is too weak to do herself. Enakhra's repeated demands that Akthanakos be sacrificed were ignored by Lucien however, who claimed that because he was the most powerful Mahjarrat he should be the one to decide who is sacrificed, and then revealed Jhallan, pulling him out from his icy abode, and said that he should be the sacrifice. Akthanakos and the Zarosian Mahjarrat disagreed with this however, with Wahisietel stating that Lucien himself should be the sacrifice, and a battle broke out between the Zarosian and Zamorakian Mahjarrat, with Akthanakos fighting against Enakhra. However, after Zemouregal was nearly killed by Arrav, Lucien's refusal to help him caused him to demand that Lucien be the sacrifice, and all of the Mahjarrat turned on Lucien, both Enakhra and Akthanakos putting aside their differences to attack Lucien.

Despite their efforts, Jhallan was sacrificed regardless, and Akthanakos and the other Mahjarrat were rejuvenated, restoring their flesh and power. After witnessing Lucien's death at the hands of the Dragonkin, Akthanakos teleported away with Enakhra, terrified.

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 the renewed signature, 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 Zarosians in future rituals.

The Discovery of Guthix's Refuge
Despite the rebuttal from Kharshai, an opportunity soon arose to Akthanakos and his brethren far greater than winning the allegiance of a 'misguided' Mahjarrat. Shortly following Kharshai's resurfacing, the archaeologist Orlando Smith uncovered what he believed to be the original resting place of Guthix, something that many beings on Gielinor had sought for centuries in their quest to remove the Edicts barring their respective gods from returning to the world. And the Zarosians were no different. Akthanakos, along with Azzanadra and Wahisietel, came to the agreement that Guthix would be dealt with; however, whilst other factions sought to do this by force, this trio agreed that they would instead bargain with Guthix to allow Zaros to return, and in the process gain knowledge from such an ancient being as Guthix. There was opposition during these discussions, however, such as from Char and Nex, who thought killing Guthix a more effective solution. Nevertheless, they eventually sided with Akthanakos et al upon the persuasion of Sliske, who appeared to agree with his Mahjarrat brethren, claiming that negotiation would be the best method of going about things. And so a plan had been set in motion.

With the help of the same adventurer that had liberated Akthanakos, and helped his fellow Zarosians so many times in the past, Smith was able to gain access to Guthix's Cave, intending to retrieve relics from the First Age to take back to Varrock Museum. However, in their exploration, the adventurer unwittingly activated an ancient security measure, opening up further areas in which to delve, but also sending out an alarm by way of the Sword of Edicts, alerting many of the gods' followers that Guthix had been found at last. Following this, Orlando was promptly killed by newly activated Automatons, who detected a Mahjarrat presence and sought to eliminate it. After the Automatons were defeated by the adventurer, Sliske - who had been scouting the scene around the same time as Akthanakos had been dealing with Kharshai - revealed himself, and after informing the adventurer of the gravity of the situation, offered to them the proposal agreed upon by his fellow Zarosians, and suggested that for the time being the adventurer side with the Guthixians, who had the best knowledge of navigating the temple/cave, in order to more efficiently reach the slumbering god, whereupon the Zarosians would intervene and attempt to persuade Guthix to their way of thinking.

Whilst the adventurer did their part, Akthanakos and his fellows did theirs, gathering their numbers (Sliske freeing Nex from her icy prison, Azzanadra retrieving Char from her cave), before setting off for Guthix's Cave, shadowing the trail left by the various factions attempting to reach Guthix. Eventually, after a great battle at the centre of the cave, the Zarosians, Akthanakos included, revealed themselves to the other factions (with the exception of Sliske, who had disappeared), and requested the adventurer - their agent - take them to Guthix, against the protests of the Saradominists and Guthixians, prompting the adventurer to make a choice as to who to throw in their lot with. Regardless of the decision, the large wall being guarded by Juna suddenly crumbled as the entrance to Guthix's chamber was revealed. Akthanakos and the others however insisted that this was not part of their plan, and they as much as the others were surprised by this turn of events.

As it turned out, it was Sliske who had bypassed them all to reach Guthix, and with the adventurer as witness, slew the God of Balance with the Staff of Armadyl in the name of Zaros, against the wishes of his compatriots, nullifying the Edicts of Guthix keeping the gods at bay. Akthanakos insisted that this was not the Zarosian intent, but the argument soon dissipated upon the arrival of Saradomin, first of the gods to return to Gielinor, who teleported the Zarosians, including Akthanakos, to their original locations. Where Akthanakos is currently is unknown. Despite Sliske's betrayal, the death of Guthix nonetheless counted as a victory for the Zarosians, and Akthanakos and his brethren now continue in their plans to return Zaros to the world.

Sliske's Grand Ascendancy
Several months after the death of Guthix, Sliske emerged once more, issuing invitations to his 'Grand Ascendancy' at the Empyrean Citadel of Armadyl. Intrigued, Akthanakos joined Azzanadra and Wahisietel in venturing to the citadel to speak with Sliske, believing that as fellow Zarosian Mahjarrat they would be welcomed inside. However, much to their surprise, they - like the followers of the other gods in attendance - were barred entry by the Barrows Brothers, and were forced to remain outside.

Trivia

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