Koschei the deathless

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 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.

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 must bring several rings of recoil, because each can only cause 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. There are certain safe spots in Koschei's basement, such as the pillars of fire, or the many holes in the ground. Players need only run quickly over to one side of a hole, and because Koschei only moves at a walking speed, player 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. Also, it appears that if you take too long fighting Koschei, he will simply disappear. If you kill him three times, decide to try and kill him a fourth time, but find yourself unable to, do not worry about failing the trial. Once your life points reach 10, the player will kneel down and be transported back to Thorvald, still completing the trial. 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. The Golden Hammer gives no stat bonuses, which means it is possible to bring that as well. This is strongly recommended as the Golden Hammer is a very fast weapon. '''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.

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.
 * Koschei's name is spelled Коще́й Бессме́ртный (Koschéi Bessmértny) in Russian.
 * 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 is also a popular figure in Russian 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 name is similar to Kharshai, a Mahjarrat. Seeing as the warrior was found with no memory, it is possible that he is actually the Mahjarrat mentioned and the others simply wiped his memory, or imprisoned his soul elsewhere, as a punishment for not following Zamorak. It would explain his superhuman abilities and the symbol of Zamorak branded on his chest.
 * 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.
 * His third form's attack speed is exactly the same as unarmed combat.