Zaros

Zaros (also known as The Empty Lord, Great Lord and God of Unknown Power) is the god of Emptiness and Control, in a Machiavellian kind of way. His arrival in Gielinor was one of the most important events of the early Second Age. During this age, he ruled a vast empire called Forinthry stretching from Ice Mountain in eastern Asgarnia to Kharyrll in Hallowland, and from Ghorrock in the north as far south as Ullek as he waged war against the Kharidian Lands. From his arrival soon after Guthix entered his first great slumber until his downfall at the hand of Zamorak, he was the most powerful god known on Gielinor both in personal power and influence. Zaros is the patron of the Ancient Magicks and Ancient Curses, and is associated with conquest and domination. Zaros has recently regained contact with his followers on Gielinor by way of the Communion Portal.

Present-day Saradominists and Zamorakians consider Zaros an adversary. Others, like certain inhabitants of Kharidian Desert and some Mahjarrat, still worship Zaros as their lord. There is currently no indication as to Zaros's motives, other than that the player may be part of his plans at some point in the future.

Saradominists such as Lennissa have claimed that

"Evil will always breed more evil, and will never be satisfied with what it has. The Empty Lord chose to ally himself with the dark creatures of this world, fully aware that their own natures would cause them to rally against his rule, and take every opportunity they could to betray him."

- Lennissa

Some of Zaros' followers are evil in the conventional sense of being ruthless, enjoying being deceptive and seeking power for power's sake. In addition, the Ancient Curses seem to be evil (or at least highly combative) in nature: they focus on inflicting damage on others and draining others of their powers. Although some may jump to the conclusion that Zaros is evil, evidence is inconclusive. It is very likely Zaros' army of demons and vampyres committed evil acts, but there are no records of Zaros himself promoting evil: however, it is likewise true that there are no records of him promoting good. Additionally, even creatures who did not and do not follow Saradomin or Zamorak, such as the Pharaoh Queen, call Zaros a 'vile creature' whom they clashed against long ago, though this may be due to his war with the Menaphite Pantheon.

Zaros's legacy is still strong, as Saradomin will not speak of him, instead making evasive responses; when asked about Zaros by a player in the God Letters, he refused to say anything: "For your own continued good health, I implore you to drop this subject. Speak that name no more, and trouble not your mind with such thoughts."

Zamorak fears him immensely, as Zaros will seek out vengeance against him if he manages to return, the reason Zamorak tried to omit every reference leading to him, to try to prevent him from returning. Saradomin also joined Zamorak in this action, as he dislikes Zaros immensely, for unknown reasons however, most likely because of his unholy influence (demons, vampyres, the Mahjarrat...).

According to the Mysterious ghost, "As I told you, the Empty Lord was extremely powerful, but not so powerful that he could rule over the other deities of this world. Should he have made a move against any other god, then he could still have been easily brought down by the combined efforts of the others." With the aid of the Staff of Armadyl, though, Zaros's power would have been magnified to a degree enabling him to overcome all the other gods; however, due to interference by certain followers of Zamorak and Saradomin, he failed to obtain the artefact.

Notable followers of Zaros include the Mahjarrat Akthanakos, Azzanadra, Jhallan, Sliske and Wahisietel. Traditionally, the vampyres, dragon riders, and demons of Gielinor were allied with Zaros, but most, if not all of these, switched their allegiance to Zamorak once he defeated Zaros.



History
Although Zaros' conquest during the second age was incredibly well documented, as described in Twice Burnt lore, very few texts or references to Zaros exist to this day. This is largely due to a collaborative effort by several active gods during the third age to wipe all knowledge of Zaros from Gielinor. As such, only fragments of references to his power and activities have been recovered from a small number of reliable resources, and even fewer as to his alignment, or intentions, leading Zaros to remain as quite a bit of an enigma.

Second Age
Zaros arrived in Gielinor after Guthix entered his first sleep. Therefore, it is likely that Guthix has little knowledge of Zaros. Proof of this is that when Guthix was asked about Zaros in God letters, Guthix said he has no information about Zaros but his name seems familiar.

At some point, Zaros discovered the race known as the Dragon Riders in a realm very different to Gielinor, both geologically and culturally; it was a peaceful world, with no need for conflict. Eventually, after some time observing them, Zaros came before the Dragon Riders, whom he had learned had suffered infertility for some decades, and gave to them a proposition:

"I have an offer for your people; I can cure your infertility. You must stop playing nanny to these beasts and have children of your own. Come away from this world and receive my gift."

Faced with the promised prospect of the return of childbearing to their race, the Dragon Riders accepted the Empty Lord's offer and accompanied to Gielinor through a portal (which is suggested in Last Riders to have lead to what is now the King Black Dragon's Lair). The Dragon Riders adapted quickly to the ways their new world worked, learning the concepts of combat, war, betrayal, loyalty, and lies, and over time proved to be formidable soldiers for the Empty Lord, becoming feared by Zaros' enemies. Yet despite this, Zaros did not deliver on his original promise, and with their infertility still an issue, the Dragon Rider's numbers were eventually depleted, never to increase again, until in the end only five of them remained: Hannibus, Morvannon, Apropos, Balustan, and Ablenkian.

After his arrival, Zaros persuaded the Mahjarrat, a powerful race of near-immortals, to join his forces. The Mahjarrat had previously served Icthlarin, the Menaphite god who originally brought them to Gielinor from their native realm of Freneskae. Zaros conquered much of the what is now the Kharidian Desert with the Mahjarrat's assistance, gaining many followers. He then moved north to conquer Misthalin, Asgarnia and the whole of what is now the Wilderness, which was then a fertile plain. He founded several cities, of which Senntisten became the capital of his empire. This empire crumbled when Zaros was betrayed and banished by his foremost general, Zamorak.

Betrayal
Zamorak, a Mahjarrat general in Zaros' service, wanted to usurp Zaros' leadership of his vast empire and the Mahjarrat. When he, by chance, got hold of the Staff of Armadyl, he decided to make his move. With his close Mahjarrat followers Hazeel and Zemouregal, as well as the vampyre Lord Drakan and others, he plotted Zaros' downfall. His allies would engage Zaros' bodyguards while Zamorak fought their liege.

One week before his plan was executed, Zamorak approached the five remaining Dragon Riders, and gave them an offer; that he would provide them what Zaros could not deliver, in exchange for two of their number joining him as personal bodyguards. Morvannon and Apropos agreed to the deal, believing that if they helped Zamorak take Zaros' place as a god, he would cure their infertility as was long overdue.

Staff of Armadyl
Valdez, a Saradominist explorer, stumbled upon the Staff of Armadyl. He realized this immensely powerful weapon should not fall into the wrong hands. However, a thief called Rennard found Valdez, knocked him unconscious and stole the Staff. He intended to sell it to Zaros. Instead, Zaros's messenger, Kharrim, took it to Zamorak, who was mortal at that time. Lennissa, a Saradominist spy, found out about the sale and informed her superior Dhalak, a Saradominist mage. Dhalak was supposed to pass the information on to Saradomin himself, but he instead enchanted the staff so that Zaros could not detect it. He hoped that Zaros, the greatest enemy of Saradomin at that time, would be defeated.

Defeat
Zamorak, accompanied by his loyal followers - many of the Mahjarrat, vampyres, demons, and a human called Viggora, set out to attack Zaros in his throne room.

Whilst the followers of Zamorak distracted the guards, Zamorak fought Zaros and managed to stab him in the back with the Staff of Armadyl. This weakened Zaros, but he still seemed to be much more powerful than Zamorak. With the staff still impaled in his back he seized Zamorak by the throat and lifted him into the air. Zamorak would have been killed, but somehow Zaros stumbled and fell onto his back. The Staff of Armadyl impaled Zamorak without leaving Zaros' body. Unexpectedly, it acted as a conduit that transferred at least some of Zaros' divine power to Zamorak. For "usurping/banishing" a god, Zamorak was banished from Gielinor. However, according to information in While Guthix Sleeps he somehow obtained the Stone of Jas and returned to Gielinor as a god. At Zamorak's return, most of Zaros' followers abandoned their original god and sided with Zamorak. There were notable exceptions however, including the fortress city of Padewwa and the magnificent capital of Zaros' empire, Senntisten. When Zamorak banished Zaros his physical body died but his spirit was sent to another plane of existence to remain there forever. If Zaros were to ever return to gielinor he would need a physical body. It is unknown what happened to his physical body.

"The Empty Lord was a powerful god, stronger than any of the others awake at the time, possibly even as strong as Guthix is, and Zamorak was but a mortal: a Mahjarrat warrior all the same, with all of the strength and power that entails, but mortal nonetheless, but to see him fight, you would not think of him as a ‘mere’ anything...He was war itself! Flurry after flurry of blows he rained upon the Empty Lord, and the very castle walls shook and quivered with their power, but the Empty Lord would not fall! Even with the weapon of a god embedded in his back, he fought on, and with each blow our victory seemed less and less certain..."

- Viggora

Aftermath
Zaros faded from Gielinor while Zamorak seemed to become more real. However, before he was "banished", Zaros uttered a curse onto all those involved in the rebellion. The curse was to make them wander around Gielinor as ghosts for eternity. The following six people were affected by the curse:
 * Valdez, a Saradominist explorer
 * Rennard, a seemingly Zarosian thief
 * Kharrim, a Zamorakian messenger
 * Lennissa, a Saradominist spy
 * Dhalak, Lennissa's boss
 * Viggora, a Zamorakian warrior

Zamorak and his followers were also targeted by Zaros' curse, but as he and most of his followers were magical, the curse seems to have had no effect on them. (e.g. Thammaron, Lord Drakan and the other vampyres, all the Mahjarrats that aided Zamorak).

The remaining followers of Zaros were actively hunted by followers of both Saradomin and Zamorak. However, Zamorak soon turned against Saradomin and other gods, starting the God Wars. Even during the God Wars, when Zamorak battled with other gods, he occasionally joined forces with Saradomin to fight off the remaining followers of Zaros.

The Dragon Riders that Zamorak had enlisted, Morvannon and Apropos, were branded traitors by Zamorak's other followers and were eventually hunted and killed by his vampyre allies and helldogs respectively. At the same time, those who remained loyal to the Empty Lord, Balutsan and Ablenkian, were also labeled traitors by Zaros' followers and were also slain, by a number of ripper demons still loyal to the Empty Lord. Only Hannibus survived, and was able to escape to the cave in which his race had first stepped foot on Gielinor.

Before the God Wars during the third age, some Saradominists attempted to wipe the memory of Zaros from Gielinor. The Saradominists locked away a group of Zarosians, including Nex in a dungeon close to the present day God wars dungeon.

Return
In the recent Q&As from three Jagex Moderators (Mod MMG, Mod Roderick and Paul Gower), it has been hinted that Zaros will return soon. It was also hinted many years ago by the Chaos Elemental in a Postbag from the Hedge with the phrase "bizarre boron swell", an anagram of "Zaros will be reborn".

During The Temple at Senntisten, the player collects three items to give to Dr Nabanik (Azzanadra), used to contact Zaros. This creates a connection between the temple and the plane where Zaros is located, allowing speech. This connection is only the start of what may happen when Zaros is fully reborn, as shown in a cutscene. The cutscene shows the dark mage's portal going crazy (almost destroying the universe according to him) but the mage thankfully manages to control it. It also shows an earthquake which cracks a Zamorak statue at the Captured Temple. The Monks of Zamorak are furious, and suspect it is the Saradominists' fault.

This manifestation of power appears to have violated the Edicts of Guthix, which prohibits all other gods from directly interfering with Gielinor (only the gods' followers can act on behalf of their gods). If this was indeed a violation, it is not known whether it was intentionally in violation of the Edicts, as the edicts were proclaimed during the God Wars, long after Zaros had disappeared from the plane of Gielinor. And according to Guthix, he did not know of Zaros, meaning that Edicts do not affect him, as he had not been in Gielinor at the time they were put in place. It in the 25th God Letter that Guthix stated that he did not know of Zaros and when telling stories to Juna following the completion of the quest The Temple at Senntisten, she speaks of Zaros's return as a move towards balance; all of which proves Zaros was unaffected by the Edicts of Guthix.

In the 14 September 2011 FAQ for The Ritual of the Mahjarrat, Paul stated that:


 * "There’s plenty of other rewards I gave for this quest. While it’s the end of some storylines, such as those of the Ritual, Lucien and Arrav, it has not provided an ending for Zaros. In fact Zaros’s, involvement in this quest was minimal, so I don’t think receiving rewards from him at this point is something to be expected."

This could mean that Zaros will be featured in later quests.

In the 4 november 2012 Lore Live Stream at 26:19, Mod Mark stated that they haven't "decided anything yet" for Zaros' return.



Religion
The symbol of Zaros is a circle surrounding an equidistant cross, and is found on an ancient talisman at the Digsite, on the Ancient Staff, the Ancient clue scroll rewards (dragonhide, runite armour, vestments etc.), and on Glarial's tomb in the Waterfall quest. Zaros's colour seems to be purple or black, although cream and light blue dominate the restored temple at Senntisten.

Originally Zaros was worshipped by an unknown empire in the north-east of Gielinor (the Wilderness); however, that empire was destroyed by Zamorak and Saradomin. Most traces of the Zarosian religion, such as altars and temples, have been destroyed by Saradomin and Zamorak; however, there are two known altars remaining: one underneath the Digsite and another in Azzanadra's pyramid.

On the Ancient Spellbook, the four teleports that lead to different levels of the Wilderness are also destroyed grounds of Zarosian worship: Carrallangar, Ghorrock, Annakarl and Dareeyak. The other teleports, Ice Mountain (Lassar), Canifis Pub (Kharyrll) and Edgeville (Paddewwa) were important military and defence fortresses. The Digsite is referred to by its ancient name, Senntisten.

Zaros probably had a treaty with Scabaras at one point. Talking to the Kalphite Queen head in a player-owned house, will sometimes cause her to say, "we are faithfully waiting for the return of Zaros". This is odd because the Kalphites are allegedly followers of Scabaras—for example, a Keris dagger works on the Kalphites. The Kalphites are also occasionally said to have been spawned from the blood of Scabaras. This may lead some to believe that the Kalphites are the followers of both Zaros and Scabaras. This is suggested somewhat by the fact that the Mahjarrat appear to have jumped from following Icthlarin to Zaros in a single and random instance. If Zaros was somehow in leagues with another desert god, he could have orchestrated it more easily. While this is somewhat speculative, it is still possible. Another possible explanation of the Kalphite Queen's message is that Scabaras was an enemy of Zaros, and the Kalphites are meant to stop his resurgence.

Some gravestones also show the Zarosian symbol on its top. When read, it reads "_______, servant of the Unknown Power, perished in this place." Some gravestones found in the Yanille Agility Dungeon and near the entrance to the Mind Altar also bear the Ancient symbol of Zaros as well; why they are in a such places is not known yet but it is possible that followers of Zaros are buried there.

Due to deliberate effort on the part of Jagex, little is known about Zaros' actual teachings.

The Zarosian religion makes extensive use of the Latin language; for example, Nex and the names of her 4 wizards are all derived from Latin, the Ancient Hymnal includes hymns in Latin, and there is a Latin inscription in the Zarosian prison of the God Wars Dungeon.

Alignment
Zaros' alignment was a subject of much debate within the RuneScape community. Making the subject of Zaros' alignment was very confusing in the fact that even Zarosian players are split on the subject of Zaros' alignment, with some players who follow Zaros that claimed he was evil, and other players following Zaros who claimed he was good. Some believe he is neither, and that he is solely an all-powerful being with interests in maintaining power, for his own purpose rather than good or evil. However, in the Official RuneScape livestream (4th November 2012), both Mod Mark and Mod Osborne confirmed that Zaros is a manipulative God who in turn holds a status as one who is neither good or evil, but is manipulative, powerful and 'empty' - hence the reference to the 'Empty' Lord. It was further resolved that he is the god of Control and Manipulation, in a Machiavellian kind of way.

Former theories
A theory of Zaros' alignment is considered to be the same as Zamorak's as Zamorak's power came from Zaros (see above articles). This is also supported by the examination of his god book "The unholy book of a forgotten god." Part of this is due to Jagex's deliberate lack of clarity concerning Zaros, and part of this is due to evidence found in game that is often thought of as conflicting. An example of such proof, that Zaros is neutral, is that Saradomin, Guthix,and Armadyl blessed d'hides have curved horns while Zamorak, Bandos, and Zaros have pointed horns; on the other hand Saradomin, Guthix, and Zaros rune god armour has wings, while Zamorak and Bandos have horns. However, it must be noted that at this point in time there is no conclusive evidence for Zaros being good or being evil. On top of that, other gods are not described as being 'good or evil': the question of alignment is about something else. e.g. the alignment of god Zamorak is 'chaos', but by Saradominist he is often described as evil. In a similar matter, Bandos calls Guthix evil. One can conclude that good and evil are merely perceptions and interpretations of alignment, not the alignment itself.

Groups and races

 * Desert Bandits - This group also reveres Azzanadra, as they believe he will bring back Zaros.
 * Certain Mahjarrat, not including the ones who betrayed him (e.g. Zamorak, Lucien, Bilrach and Zemouregal).
 * Possibly Kalphites.
 * Probably some past citizens of Mort'ton - Tombs within the Shade Catacombs feature the symbol of Zaros. Also, the roads of Mort'ton roughly resemble the symbol of Zaros
 * Possibly an amount of the monkeys on Ape Atoll - Zaros' symbol can be found on some gravestones.
 * Blood reavers.
 * Ancient mages, Ancient rangers and Ancient warriors
 * Possibly waterfiends and Pyrefiends, as they appear in the Ghorrock fortress during the Temple of Senntisten quest and Armies of Gielinor.
 * It was also confirmed in the lore Twice Burnt that a race known as the Auspah were loyal to Zaros during the Second Age.
 * According to the in-game lorebook Last Riders, at least some ripper demons remained loyal to Zaros after his banishment.
 * The majority of Dragon Riders [two are known to have eventually defected to Zamorak].
 * Demons

Notable individuals

 * Ali the Wise - See Wahisietel.
 * Azzanadra - A powerful Mahjarrat attempting to bring Zaros back to Gielinor. He is involved in the quests Desert Treasure, The Temple at Senntisten and The Ritual of the Mahjarrat.
 * Char - A powerful Auspah, possibly the last of the race. She is extremely loyal to Zaros and is rumoured to be his concubine.
 * Eblis - A Bandit of the Kharidian Desert Bandit Camp. He is involved in the Desert Treasure quest.
 * Sliske - One of the more powerful Mahjarrat who inhabits Morytania, controlling the Barrows Brothers.
 * Jhallan - A pacifist Mahjarrat who is involved in The Tale of the Muspah quest. Deceased as of The Ritual of the Mahjarrat.
 * Akthanakos - A Mahjarrat who is the sworn enemy of Enakhra. He is involved in the Enakhra's Lament quest.
 * Wahisietel - A wise Mahjarrat who works closely with Azzanadra, under the disguise of Ali the Wise. He reveals his true identity in Ritual of the Mahjarrat.
 * Possibly Glarial - An ancient Elven queen. Her tomb on the inside, located near Baxtorian Falls, features the symbol of Zaros.
 * Nex - Leader of the last Zarosian army.
 * Fumus - Nex's bodyguard and a mage of smoke.
 * Umbra - Nex's bodyguard and a mage of shadow.
 * Cruor - Nex's bodyguard and a mage of blood.
 * Glacies - Nex's bodyguard and a mage of ice.
 * Virtus - An immensely powerful mage of the Second Age, mastered in all the types of magic.
 * Torva - An extremely powerful warrior of the Second Age, who single handedly killed an entire pack of ripper demons and fought against Hazeel.
 * Pernix - An extremely powerful and mysterious archer of the Second Age, who was very experienced in combat.
 * Max - Seller of the max cape (revealed in Postbag from the Hedge 46)

Players
In addition to his NPC followers, Zaros has many player followers. Zaros was rated the third most popular god in Jagex's Odd Gods poll, falling behind Saradomin by a mere 113 votes. Amongst members, Zaros rated second, defeating Saradomin by nearly 900 votes.

In both cases, Guthix was the most popular.

Bob the Cat
Bob the Jagex Cat was thought to be Zaros due to some dialogue when talking to him using the Amulet of Catspeak. However, there is no real evidence to support this. In the "Tail of Two Cats" quest, players find out that Bob is or was "Robert the Strong". Robert the Strong existed during the Fourth Age. If the player asks Bob the Cat while they have a cat following, he will tell their cat to join him and destroy Zamorak. Also, asking Bob the Cat in Catherby, should the player ask him about cats being created by Guthix and he will say "Well, I don't believe much really since I know I am Zar-.... erm, well, no, I erm, meow?" The complete word could also be "Zarosian," which would only apply to his faith and not his identity. It would also not clash with the fact that Bob is "Robert the Strong".

After completing The Temple at Senntisten, Dr Nabanik (Azzanadra) tells you to not get your information from a talking cat, and states that Bob is not Zaros.

Affiliated Quests

 * The Dig Site
 * Desert Treasure
 * The Temple at Senntisten

Affiliated Items
Costume colours
 * Ancient staff
 * Ancient talisman
 * Relic
 * Stone tablet
 * Ancient hymnal
 * Bloodfire diamond
 * Ice diamond
 * Rock diamond
 * Gale diamond
 * Ancient book
 * Ancient vambraces
 * Ancient d'hide
 * Ancient coif
 * Ancient body
 * Ancient chaps
 * Ancient platebody
 * Ancient platelegs
 * Ancient full helm
 * Ancient plateskirt
 * Ancient kiteshield
 * Ancient crozier
 * Ancient mitre
 * Ancient stole
 * Ancient robe top
 * Ancient cloak
 * Ancient robe legs
 * Damaged book
 * Ancient page 1
 * Ancient page 2
 * Ancient page 3
 * Ancient page 4
 * Torva armour
 * Zaryte bow
 * Ancient Ceremonial robes
 * Pernix armour
 * Virtus armour
 * Zarosian purple
 * Royal Gold

Trivia

 * Some items attributed to Zaros, such as the Ancient Statuette, previously had Zaros as part of the item name (i.e. Zaros Statuette). This was changed by Jagex so Zaros' past will continue to be shrouded in mystery.
 * Zaros is also the name of a city in Greece.
 * Although Zaros' robes (or at least his hood) appear golden in colour this may be due to the communion portal because the portal is gold or orange in colour. When wearing an Ancient Stole or various other Zaros aligned items the Zarosian symbol may sometimes be golden in colour, Further proof that Zaros' chosen colours are Purple and Gold.
 * When you examine an Ancient Book it will say "The unholy book of a forgotten god". This may be proof that Zaros was in fact an evil god but the examination could simply be from the player's character's point of view.
 * He currently seems to be testing his influence on Gielinor through his demons (Demon Flash Mobs), together with Zamorak, although it is unknown if they are aware of eachother summoning their demons.
 * Interestingly enough, occasionally when the Zarosian demons appear in the aforementioned flash mobs, the Demon General may yell: "We mean you no harm". This is most likely a reference to the movie "Mars Attack!" where the Martians say: "We come in peace!", and then start shooting the humans.