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Al Kharid–Menaphos War
Beginning End
Fourth Age 119, Fifth Age
Place
Kharidian Desert
Outcome
Unstable peace treaty; flight of Apmeken; massacre of the desert monkeys
Combatants
Army of Al Kharid Army of Menaphos
Commanders
Sultans of Al Kharid
Emirs of Al Kharid
Pharaohs of Menaphos
Casualties
Unknown Unknown
Concurrent war
Amascut Conflicts
Previous war
Kharidian Desert Campaign
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The Al Kharid–Menaphos War was a series of conflicts between the emirate of Al Kharid, located at the northern fringes of the Kharidian Desert, and the great city Menaphos in the far south. The war lasted for centuries and is said to have resulted from the Menaphites' attempts to expand their territory northwards.[1]

The exact details of the war are unavailable. The campaigns of conquest have been fairly unsuccessful, not least due to the harsh climate in the desert, which makes it difficult for large armies to travel the great distance between Al Kharid and Menaphos.[2]

The four demigods of the Menaphite Pantheon - Apmeken, Crondis, Het and Scabaras - constantly attempted to end the war and bring peace to the desert.[3] In 119 of the Fifth Age, the Apmekian Pharaoh of Menaphos, a young, progressive leader, finally made peace with Al Kharid so that the desert civilisations could prosper once more.[4]

Upon discovering that the war, and thus the destruction, had ended, Amascut, the Devourer, became enraged and, after dealing with the Pharaoh, hunted down Apmeken, the most active deity in the attempts to make peace. After a brief battle in which Amascut easily bested her opponent, she cursed Apmeken, depriving her of her senses, a fate that also befell her main followers, the desert monkeys.[5] Furthermore, the Devourer used Apmeken's sight, speech and hearing to create three simian demons - Ayuni, Leeuni and Eruni respectively - who proceeded to slaughter the desert monkeys. Without their senses to aid them, most of the monkeys were killed - only three, Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru, are known to have escaped to Ape Atoll.[6] Following these events, Apmeken went into hiding.

However, despite the fact that the war was officially over, hostilities between the two cities remained high. Even today, the people of Al Kharid would not be welcome in Menaphos and vice versa.[7][8] The peace between the two is described as 'shaky' and either polis would attempt to profit from political unrest in the other if the chance arose.[9]

In 169, Amascut kidnapped Prince Ali Mirza of Al Kharid and sent an ambassador from Menaphos, Jabari, to kill Ali's father Emir Shah so that the nation would be forced to pay the ransom she demanded: the Kharid-ib. Otherwise, the leaderless emirate would be conquered by Menaphos and the war rekindled. Although Shah did die and the Kharid-ib was lost to Amascut, the prince was rescued by an adventurer, Ozan and Leela, and succeeded his father as emir. As Jabari was acting on Amascut's orders, the actual involvement of Menaphos and the pharaoh is unknown. The "ambassador's" claim that he was acting as a peace envoy for the pharaoh therefore remains open to doubt. Over the course of that same year, Scabaras and Apmeken both returned to the desert, and the latter's senses were restored, as was the desert monkey colony.

Trivia[]

  • Analyzing combatant's culture, we can see:
    • Menaphos is a civilization based on Ancient Egypt, in addition to the fact that its leader is called Pharaoh, its fictitious religion if it is inspired in Egyptian mythology. Some other small details stand out in this culture:
      • A hierarchy that includes the use of slaves.
      • Construction of pyramids.
      • The mummification practice.
      • The dress of civilians, guards and nobles.
    • Some terms of Al Kharid refer to Muslim culture, in local government the head of state is called Sultan and Emir.

References[]

  1. ^ Osman, "Contact!", RuneScape. "Our two kingdoms were at war with one another for centuries. They tried to expand their kingdom northwards many times over the years, but we held them off."
  2. ^ Osman, "Contact!", RuneScape. "The desert is a great equalizer. It’s very difficult to move large armies about in it, particularly if you don’t have ready access to water."
  3. ^ Mizaru, "Do No Evil", RuneScape. "However, unbeknownst to Amascut, Apmeken and some of the lesser deities worked to bring peace to the long-warring desert. Slowly, they patched the ill-feeling between Al Kharid and Menaphos."
  4. ^ Mizaru, "Do No Evil", RuneScape. "Fifty years ago, the progressive young Pharaoh of Menaphos proposed an alliance of Al Kharid, in the hopes of bringing prosperity to the desert. He was a worshipper of Apmeken."
  5. ^ Mizaru, "Do No Evil", RuneScape. "Amascut was furious. Without war there could be no destruction on the scale that she desired. She cured the pharaoh and hunted down Apmeken. They fought a battle in the dunes of the desert. It did not last long; Apmeken was no fighter. Amascut could not destroy the lesser god, but she could curse her, so she stole Amascut’s sight, hearing, and speech. Perhaps we were caught in the boundaries of the curse, or perhaps we suffered in sympathy; I don’t know, but many of us desert monkeys lost our senses."
  6. ^ Mizaru, "Do No Evil", RuneScape. "Yes, but Amascut was not satisfied with merely incapacitating us. She took Apmeken’s stolen senses and, from them, forged three foul creatures – Leeuni, Ayuni and Eruni – setting them upon the monkey population. Perhaps, if we’d had our senses, more of us would have survived. My brothers and I were able to escape by helping one another. After travelling to Karamja, we heard about Ape Atoll and set off for it. As far as I know, we were the only ones to survive the massacre."
  7. ^ Osman, "Contact!", RuneScape. "Technically, yes, but that doesn’t mean that bad blood will instantly run good. As spymaster of Al Kharid, I’ve been responsible for many a dark deed. The Menaphites would find it difficult not to try to punish me or extract certain delicate information out of me if I managed to fall into their arms."
  8. ^ Ambassador Jabari, "Stolen Hearts", RuneScape. "And your ‘people’ had best steer clear of Menaphos, if they value their lives."
  9. ^ Ambassador Jabari, "Stolen Hearts", RuneScape. "This situation is untenable and you know it. The peace between our kingdoms is shaky at best. Between the emir’s illness and the prince going missing, you need to establish some stability here."
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