Daemonheim

Daemonheim (pronounced "Dee-mun-heim"; /ˈdiːmənhaɪm/ ) is one of the oldest structures still standing on Gielinor. A place of treasures, fierce battles and bitter defeats, it is a castle located on an icy peninsula in the eastern Wilderness, though it does not actually count as Wilderness. It is currently the only place where a player can train the Dungeoneering skill aside from Resource dungeons, Sinkholes, Tears of Guthix, penguin points or experience lamps.

Most of Daemonheim's history is told through the Chronicles of Bilrach which are discovered as a player trains the Dungeoneering skill. Currently, an army of Fremenniks have set up a campsite in the area to prepare for their next expedition into the enormous labyrinths below the castle.

A taint is present in Daemonheim; the Fremennik have set up a quarantine to prevent anyone from taking items in or out of the castle. Therefore, one cannot bring items into the castle with the exception of a ring of kinship, skill pendants, the mad necklace and an orb of oculus so it is necessary to have enough room in the bank to deposit items. However, some have smuggled items out and have them available for the price of a certain amount of Dungeoneering tokens. Players can form a raiding party for Dungeoneering here by entering the free-for-all room and be matched with a party, or using the ring of kinship to make a party of the player's choice. It is also possible to go in alone.

History
Not much was known about Daemonheim since it had remained unexplored by most people until the late Fifth Age. Most people didn't even know it existed. The castle's architecture suggests that it was built by the Dragonkin, since a Dragonkin statue can be found at the top of the stairs to the first floor. The original purpose of the castle is largely unknown due to the lack of written records during the time of its construction, though it dates back to at least the time of the God Wars. However, the most recent history of Daemonheim is revealed through the various journals and notes left within the tunnels beneath the castle by the Mahjarrat Bilrach and his followers. Bilrach wrote in one of his journals that he also thought the castle was built by the dragonkin, and that they had left it for an unknown reason.

Long after the castle was built, Bilrach had begun digging tunnels beneath Daemonheim in the year 1225 of the Fourth age. He enslaved a large number of followers including humans, giants, and goblins in order to help him reach an area known as the Rift. The Rift is believed to be an area where the space is unstable and where the boundaries between dimensions are weak, possibly located miles below Daemonheim. To this day, it continuously distorts Bilrach's tunnels causing their layouts to be random each time they are visited. It also created new plants, metals, and new species of fish, all which are tainted by the Rift's magic. Bilrach's plan is to dig towards this Rift and unleash Zamorak upon Gielinor, most likely in hope of being better prepared for the Ritual of Rejuvenation.

In order to acquire the resources necessary for the construction of his massive dungeon network, Bilrach also uncovered several remote locations hidden from the rest of the world, now known as resource dungeons. Among these dungeons included sources for rocks, woods, and followers. These dungeons were sealed off with the same magic used in the construction of the rest of Daemonheim. Thus, a certain Dungeoneering level is required to enter them.

To ensure that no one followed him into his tunnels, Bilrach also filled his tunnels with enormous traps and puzzles, and experimented with portal magic to acquire even more followers such as Kal'gerion demons, stalkers and behemoths to guard the tunnels he dug, creating an enormous dungeon network below the castle. Unfortunately, during one of his portal experiments he accidentally opened a portal leading to the realm of the Gorajo, a magical tribe of humanoids. The Gorajo were strictly against necromancy and demon summoning and attempted to stop him. Today several members of the Gorajo can be found inside the dungeons such as the divine skinweaver and the enigmatic hoardstalker.

In the year 169 of the Fifth age, a strange power washed over the entirety of Gielinor. Every single human was lifted into the air and faced directly towards Daemonheim, with red mist circling around them. After completion of The Ritual of Rejuvenation that same year, it is revealed that the disturbance was caused by the death of a Mahjarrat, most likely Bilrach. It mostly drew the attention of the Fremennik tribe, whose Seers were easily able to point the source of the power they felt. The Fremennik sent an army to investigate the source of the power. After arriving at the castle, they gave it its current name, Daemonheim, translated into "Demon Halls", although, as Thok, Master of Dungeoneering says, the dungeons contain much more terrifying creatures than demons.

The discovery of the dungeons beneath Daemonheim also attracted many adventurers from all over the world. Today, the Fremennik, along with the many adventurers supporting them, are raiding the dungeons floor by floor trying to reach the source of the strange power.

Reaching Daemonheim



 * Taking the ferry from Al Kharid or Lumbridge Swamp.
 * Taking the ferry from south-west Taverley.
 * Walking through the Wilderness.
 * Teleporting there by using the ring of kinship which is received by the Dungeoneering tutor.
 * During the 2010 Christmas event there were cupboards all around Gielinor which could teleport you there. However, since this event is over, this method of reaching Daemonheim is no longer available.

Inhabitants
The NPCs of Daemonheim are Fremenniks.
 * Thok, Master of Dungeoneering, seller of the Dungeoneering capes.Thok.png
 * Dungeoneering tutor, teaches players about Dungeoneering.
 * Wiglaf, a cook.
 * Estrith, a member of the Fremenniks.
 * Rewards trader (Marmaros), trades Dungeoneering tokens for Dungeoneering rewards and recharges items for tokens or coins.
 * Sonje, a member of the Fremenniks.
 * Fremennik shipmaster, takes players to Daemonheim from Al Kharid. (and vice versa)
 * Fremennik banker, runs a banking service.
 * Smuggler, runs the shop inside a dungeon.
 * Fremennik scout, setting up a camp inside a dungeon. Players need to help him as a puzzle challenge.
 * Torsteg and Hilda, guards who stand at the border of the Wilderness.
 * Guard, who makes sure nobody enters the Wilderness unprepared.
 * Skaldrun, the storyteller of the Fremennik Sagas.
 * Talsar, can teleport people to sinkholes and tell them when the next one will appear

Development history
On 22 February 2010, exactly thirty days after the strange power, Daemonheim was suddenly released. At the time, it was known to players as the Wilderness Castle. Curious players tried to get in, but were unable to as the castle was blocked off by the Fremennik guards named Hilda and Torsteg. Hilda mentions that Daemonheim was the source of the strange power and have blocked it off to contain an unknown threat. Some players, however, attempted to view it using the orb of oculus and found some tents and a ruined castle.

All of the confusion was cleared up on 12 April 2010, when Dungeoneering was finally released. Since the re-release of the Old Wilderness, Hilda and Torsteg now guard the entrance to Daemonheim from invading PKers.

Future updates


After the release of the first resource dungeons on 19 July 2010, mysterious structures appeared on the Daemonheim peninsula, in particular a tall tower structure. It is currently unknown what these structures may represent or what they may be used for in future updates to Daemonheim. One of them seems to resemble the face of a Dragonkin. New decorations were also placed on the castle floor - the same main symbol but more detail added. Also, on 19 August 2010 a new update was added in which the occult floors were released. Currently, in the lobby, there is one waiting room for each set of floors, circling clockwise up to the Warped floors. Each room has a coloured logo inside. The Warped floors, which were released on 2 November 2010, span from the floors 48-60 and require up to level 119 Dungeoneering to complete. According to the Game Update FAQ in the Recent Updates Forum for the week of the Warped floors' release floor 60 is not the bottom of Daemonheim and that a finale event is planned.

Trivia



 * The Fremenniks here will not address you by your Fremennik name even if you have completed The Fremennik Trials.
 * Ghostly figures can be seen walking all across Daemonheim. They cannot be examined nor do they appear on the minimap. These might be the spirits of the Fremenniks who died within the dungeons. Players are also unable to communicate with these figures even while wearing the Ghostspeak Amulet.
 * Unlike other chickens, the chickens in Daemonheim cannot be attacked and when examined it says "Who are you calling chicken?" or "Yep, definitely a chicken".
 * There are rooks (also known as crows) scattered around Daemonheim that cannot be attacked, and when examined it says "You're being watched." This could be a reference to the Norse god Odin's rooks, Thought and Memory (Hugin and Munin), who were said to go out and collect information for Odin. This could also relate to how the Fremennik are based on the Norse.
 * The name Daemonheim means "demon halls/home," as verified by Thok, Master of Dungeoneering. It is a portmanteau of the words "daemon," meaning demon, and "heim", meaning (and being etymologically related to the English word) home in German and Old Norse.
 * At the Occult barrier, a torch is lit. At the right angle, the torch will glow red.Occult barrier torch glow.png
 * When Daemonheim was released as a teaser, it was the first time that free players could talk to warriors from the Fremennik Province.
 * If one would try to enter Daemonheim before Dungeoneering was released, Torsteg would stop them and yell out: "You shall not pass!" as a reference to Lord of the Rings, where Gandalf stops the Balrog of Moria shouting the same phrase, It could also be a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail during the black knight scene.
 * Mod Mark H had written a suggestion in the forums known as Deepstone Keep which led many players to believe Daemonheim was just that, though he confirmed otherwise. However, many aspects of the gameplay are quite similar to it.
 * The railings of the stairs in the main hall of Daemonheim appear to have Armadylian symbols.
 * Even though it qualifies as a dungeon, Daemonheim has no dungeon icon ([[File:Dungeon icon.png]]) on the World Map as the dungeon for every raid is random.
 * The lobsters around the coast used to be attackable. They would drop a raw lobster 100% of the time.
 * Before 1 December 2010, it was possible to get the message for the Regicide quest within Daemonheim.
 * The boat ride from Al Kharid to Daemonheim goes through the Unknown. This could mean that there is more to Morytania, likely an ocean with more islands.
 * You can light a fire upstairs at the castle, but you cannot light a fire on the ground floor or anywhere else at the Daemonheim castle.
 * The crate north west of Thok (Master of Dungeoneering) has a Seren symbol on it. (west side of the crate) The crate on the pier in Al Kharid also has this symbol.
 * Next to the Unknown Structure, there is another broken-off column that appears to have once held a similar statue. The missing figure head or statue appears to be on its side, in front of the pier where players disembark the Fremennik boat. Its position and location suggests that it was unceremoniously (and perhaps violently) thrown off of its pedestal. Exactly how or why this happened is unknown.
 * If one was to attempt to enter one of the specialised waiting rooms carrying an item not allowed in Daemonheim, then drop it, it would float, suspended above the door.
 * There is a rock near the Wilderness entrance to Daemonheim that if you walk near it, it will push you one step back.
 * The normal doors have a different examine text than the doors found inside Daemonheim. The examine text for the normal door reads "The door is closed/open", while the doors within Daemonheim reads "This door is closed".
 * South of the Daemonheim Castle, there is what looks to be a dried up fountain in the shape of the two fish Yin and Yang fountain.png as Yin and Yang.
 * If you die at the place where you have to jump down the broken stairs (possibly due to poison) you will respawn where you are.
 * West of Thok, Master of Dungeoneering, there is a man standing by a camp fire named Wiglaf. This is a possible reference to the warrior who suceeeded Beowulf in the classic Norse legend.
 * According to Mod Crow, when the Edicts of Guthix banished the gods from Gielinor, Zamorak buried himself at the bottom of Daemonhiem.