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Zamorak (pronounced /zæməræk/ "ZÀ-mo-rack"[7]) was once a Mahjarrat who sought to be heir of Zaros. In doing so, he became the god of chaos, with the elements of destruction and power often being attributed to him.
As a mortal, he was an exceptionally powerful warrior, but notably less skilled in magic compared to other Mahjarrat such as Azzanadra or Lucien. As a military genius who was also knowledgeable about Freneskae’s harsh culture, Zamorak assisted in creating a considerable empire in the Second Age, earning the title Legatus Maximus Zamorak the Scourge[1] by Zaros.
Although Zamorak is considered as a mystical infatuation of chaos by his followers, he is seen as an evil god by his rivals and their followers. However, there has been a great deal of historical ignorance with respect to the human NPCs of Gielinor who got influenced by Saradomin.
Zamorak simply grew tired of the stagnation in the Zarosian empire, already being the most powerful Mahjarrat at that time, followed by Azzanadra[8]. As a result, he betrayed Zaros with a large group of followers, and attained godhood by absorbing the Empty Lord's power by accident after having obtained the Stone of Jas which, in conjunction with the Staff of Armadyl, granted him enough power to do so.
What followed Zamorak's betrayal of Zaros was a less successful rehearsal of the latter's empire, as the former usurped leadership over many races living under Zaros' banner, yet failed to convince everyone in doing so. Zamorak also feared to be overthrown himself, opting for alternative means to subjugate followers to fight his enemies.
Some followers praise him as a liberator from Zaros' reign. Zaros' suspected return is a major blow for both Zamorak and his followers, as well as for Saradomin; as some of Zaros' most powerful followers from the Second Age still remain today. Despite Zaros' extremely long time of absence, he is still feared by both Zamorak and Saradomin.[9]
Beliefs[]
Many would have to jump far beyond their own shadow in order to deal with the foundations of Zamorak’s beliefs. It is an occult philosophy involving chaos put into practice, originating from the Second Age. Despite his seemingly good intentions, his questionable actions have cultivated mass propaganda from others. Although some negative opinions have been expressed against Zamorak throughout history, his beliefs quite complex to be labelled as evil. Instead, one should look beyond his gruesome actions and search for his motives behind them.
Fortunately, the literature and events which have appeared recently allow us to thoroughly examine Zamorak's philosophy. Before these came to light, he could be considered some kind of anti-hero, or the ultimate incarnation of evil. Propagandists against Zamorak would attribute this to the fact that under him, the evil qualities of his followers had a demonic influence that began to proliferate luxuriantly[10].
Although Zamorak was a Mahjarrat who originated from Freneskae, a distant planet with a harsh warrior culture, his political legacy emerged from the Zarosian empire. For example, it is well documented that his army in the Gielinorian God Wars contained generals which formerly served the Zarosian empire. He would spread his beliefs after he had come to serve Zaros' army as a general in the Second Age, as he had slowly begun to loathe the mighty, yet stagnating, Zarosian empire.
Zamorak's rise to power could be explained by the fact that the empire's elite longed for change: his allies in the betrayal of Zaros, like Bilrach, Lucien, and Zemouregal had been world-dominant Mahjarrat; Lord Drakan's vampyres were mature citizens, and others, like Viggora, became pioneers of human freedom. They would support Zamorak's radical religious ideal[11], which felt incomplete in Zaros' empire[12]. Zamorak reportedly embraced part of Zaros' morals, as stated by the latter in Fate of the Gods.
Although it is often said, especially by Saradominists, that Zamorak is the epitome of evil, he considers himself merely the god of chaos; his teachings state that self-improvement, greatness, strength and purpose are brought by chaos, whereas order and constancy supposedly lead to stagnation of society. Zamorak preaches that the best comes out of mortals when chaos and pressure are applied and that through conflict, mortals unlock their true potential. Proof of this can be seen with the first Wizards' Tower, which Zanmaron the Red believed to have grown great out of conflict; the four orders of wizards constantly tried to best each other, pushing them to create new inventions and technologies.
Despite also being the god of destruction, he is said to oppose pointless genocide and believe that destruction should have a purpose, unlike for instance, Bandos.[13] This is not to say he will abstain from committing mass genocide if it would serve his goals, as was evident with his failed attempt to create a chaos dwarf army for himself when he ran low on soldiers during the God Wars, effectively a genocide of all "normal" dwarves. Occult mythology has also given Zamorakian shrines and relics mystical aspects of regeneration. Themes such as the discovery of Iban, the Chaos Tunnels, several Zamorakian Mahjarrat, the Dark Lord, or the dungeons of Daemonheim jostled among the old stories of Zamorak's eventual revival.
He has also been shown to reward his followers' loyalty, as he did with Moia, although he is known to betray others, such as Queen Rashiliyia, whom he double-crossed by resurrecting her son as a zombie who then proceeded to massacre the royal family and its guards, causing her to go mad. Although his involvement is not confirmed as it could have merely been a native attempt at necromancy that was wrongfully blamed on Zamorak. The famous adventurer Randas likewise suffered after pledging fealty to Zamorak, and his soul was damned after the god's power became too much for him, although this is likely to have been the work of Lord Iban, or indeed the Dark Lord.[14] Zamorak is shown to remember allies from long past as even after thousands of years he still remembered Viggora when gathering his followers in the Sixth Age and stated he would give Viggora life again if it were within his power.
It should be noted that a good portion of what is known of Zamorak today comes in the form of literature written while the Saradominist religion was in near-full control of Gielinor. As Zamorak is considered the chief enemy of Saradomin, this literature is negatively biased towards him. This is strikingly illustrated by the false report of Operation:Phoenix, which blames the destruction of the First Wizards' Tower entirely on a Zamorakian attack. Although this operation never took place, the tower's destruction invoked mass hatred towards Zamorakians, leading to their near-exile from society in many cities.
Followers of other deities and even some of Zamorak's followers believe he is an evil god (though many members of this latter group seem to be under the impression that the Saradominist propaganda is accurate), and point to his many destructive and ethically gruesome actions. They also note his consistent reliance upon demons, vampyres, and other traditionally "evil" creatures that don't fit the template of mere chaos. They add that the strength Zamorak's followers might gain from chaos does not justify the suffering of innocents, and Zamorakians often interpret his ideals very differently. It is worth noting, however, that even demons are not universally evil, and that the vampyres of Gielinor currently control a society that is largely stagnant—a society that Zamorak would likely not approve of, given his vocal disdain for complacency and his fondness for ambition and drive.
It's also worth noting that, according to some accounts, his reliance on so-called "evil" creatures was largely a matter of gaining support where he could find it. Alongside his Demonic and Vampyric followers, he had human followers; humans were, at the time, widely regarded as one of the weakest races in Gielinor. Rather than possessing an affinity for evil, as some might assume based on the nature of many of his followers, he may have simply gathered support where he could find it. Others got subjected to the forces described as chaos, mostly for personal gain. Some Zamorakians don’t have any place in this matter, as they have failed to put the worldview of Zamorak into practice, while some eventually dispose of his concepts and ideas, selfishly spreading meaningless chaos without benefit to society, resulting in pointless destruction, death, and misery
If one reads through his teachings, then one comes to the conclusion that many Zamorakians, especially Mahjarrat, but also the Avernic demon and human races, who had given themselves Saradomin as a moral enemy, were on the best foot with the esoteric. When taking a look at the lavish support on which Zamorak finally slipped into power, one must conclude that in any case, either through luck or providence as claimed in The Curse of Zaros quest[15], there were not necessarily always metaphysical powers in play, but instead a spontaneous adaptation to the circumstances described by Zamorak during the Children of Mah quest[16].
Zamorak's motives are still under question. It is clear from the dialogue between Zamorak and Sliske that he sees himself as a hero seeking to "liberate this world from the other gods." His motives are very similar to the Godless in many ways. However, almost everything he has done over the history of Geilinor could also be seen as a play for power; from bringing down Zaros to trying to take the Stone of Jas from Sliske, his actions have both struck against forces he considered evil and personally benefited himself. Zamorak is full of rhetoric in favor of his own morality, but his true motives remain unknown.
History[]
Followers of Zamorak[]
A chaos altar dedicated to Zamorak.
Groups and races[]
- A number of Mahjarrat
- Certain Demons, a race from Infernus - they generally look like wicked, red beasts, typically with wings, although there are variations.
- Monks of Zamorak are monks who have devoted their life to the worship of Zamorak
- Dark wizards and various other similarly-titled mages such as witches
- The Kinshra, also known as the Black Knights, sworn enemies of the White Knights.
- Khazard's Army, an army owned by General Khazard, the Mahjarrat warlord.
- The Dagon'hai, a Zamorakian organisation of wizards based in Misthalin.
- Zamorak Magical Institute, an organisation attempting to steal various runecrafting secrets from the Wizards' Tower.
- Werewolves, inhabitants of Morytania
- Chaos druids, occultists who practise in dark magics and sacrifices.
- Undead, various kinds of re-animated dead beings.
- The Huzamogaarb tribe of goblins, although technically not followers of Zamorak, actually fought for Zamorak during the God Wars as footsoldiers.
- Necromancers, dark mages who specialise in raising beings from the dead.
- Zamorakian Order of Paterdomus, Zamorakian extremists that have taken over the Temple of Paterdomus.
- Order of Red Wizards, one of the former four orders of the first Wizards' Tower and inventors of the elemental spells.
- Gorak, powerful and aggressive beasts that look like a combination of a chicken and a rhinoceros.
- The Red Axe - A group of dwarves dedicated to Zamorak.
- Chaos dwarves - Former Guthixian dwarves cursed by Zamorak into fighting for him.
- Chaos dwogres - Dwarf/ogre hybrids fighting for Zamorak.
- Chaos giants - Dangerous entities created by the Red Axe to fight for Zamorak.
- Cult of Hazeel, a cult in service of the Mahjarrat warlord Hazeel who worship Zamorak.
- Cult of Iban, followers of Lord Iban, who claims to be the spiritual son of Zamorak.
Notable individuals[]
- Agrith Naar - An ancient demon of the weather, disguised as Denath, a dark mage. He was killed by an adventurer.
- Balfrug Kreeyath - A demon who played a large part of destroying Ullek. He is now a bodyguard of K'ril Tsutsaroth.
- Bilrach - A Zamorakian Mahjarrat and right hand of Zamorak himself. He is extremely loyal to Zamorak and responsible for the creation of the dungeons under Daemonheim in order to attempt to bring Zamorak back prior to the events of the World Wakes.
- Culinaromancer - A maniacal mage who draws his power from food. After attempting to kill the Secret Council of RuneScape, he was defeated and his head exploded.
- Dark mage - A ZMI mage who keeps the abyssal rift open. He resides in the Abyss where he prevents the universe from imploding.
- Delrith - An ancient demon who attacked Varrock, banished most recently by the same adventurer.
- Enakhra - A fellow Mahjarrat who built a temple to Zamorak in the desert. She is known to have strong feelings for Zamorak.
- General Khazard - A Mahjarrat native to Gielinor and raised by Hazeel. Revealed to be Zamorak's son in Children of Mah with Palkeera.
- Hazeel - A Mahjarrat who helped Zamorak rebel against Zaros. Was defeated by Carnilleans, but the Cult of Hazeel has plans to return him.
- Hreidmar - Leader of the Red Axe company, a Zamorakian company in the Dwarven Consortium. Defeated by the adventurer.
- K'ril Tsutsaroth - One of Zamorak's most feared tools of destruction. He now resides in the God Wars Dungeon.
A Zamorakian altar in Varrock.
- Lord Daquarius - Current Lord of the Kinshra.
- Lord Iban - A former Black Knight and immensely powerful mage claiming to be the spiritual son of Zamorak. He had taken control of the Underground Pass but was killed by an adventurer hired by King Lathas.
- Lord Milton - Lord of the Kinshra before Sulla, who declared war on Asgarnia, starting the Battle of North Falador. Assassinated by Sulla.
- Lord Shadwell - Lord of the Kinshra before Milton, known for his aggressive and extremist actions.
- Lord Sulla - Previous Lord of the Kinshra and initiator of the War of 164. He was killed in his attempt to escape Asgarnia.
- Lord Valzin - Founder of the Kinshra and pivotal character in the foundation of Asgarnia itself.
- Moia - A former student of Zamorak who now serves as general for Zamorak's armies.
- Moldark - Zamorak's emissary in Edgeville.
- Scorpius - A famous astronomer who has since become a ghost.
The legendary godsword with a Zamorakian hilt attached.
- Solus Dellagar - A major criminal hunted by the Temple Knights. Was apprehended in a "trial mission" of an initiate Temple Knight. His loyalties are open to doubt.
- Surok Magis - The new leader of the Dagon'hai who attempted to take control over Misthalin by manipulating the mind of King Roald. Currently incarcerated when he was captured working for Lucien.
- Tarn Razorlor - A necromancer lurking in the depths of the Mort Ridge Mine. Was killed by an adventurer.
- Thammaron - An elder demon who was a lieutenant to Zamorak. Thammaron perished after the Battle of Uzer.
- Twin Furies - A pair of deadly demons that consists of Nymora, the Vengeful, and Avaryss, the Unceasing. They serve as generals of Zamorak's army in the conflict for The Heart.
- Urval - A former druid who was banished from Taverley for preaching Zamorak was Guthix's perfect incarnation.
- Viggora - A human General of Zaros who aided Zamorak in his betrayal and ascension of said god. He was cursed when Zaros fell and roams the land as a ghost.
- Wizard Ellaron - Last Red Wizard to live. He died in the Abyss due to an overflow of magical energy inside him after attempting to blow up the Wizards' Tower.
- Zemouregal - A fellow Mahjarrat who launched an assault on Varrock from the Wilderness and defeated Arrav in the process.
Dialogue[]
Gallery[]
.png "Zamorak (Battle of Lumbridge).png (365 KB)")
.png "Zamorak (wingless).png (533 KB)")
.png "Zamorak (ascended).png (914 KB)")
.png "Zamorak (God Letters).png (28 KB)")
_concept_art.jpg "Zamorak (Mahjarrat form) concept art.jpg (456 KB)")
Trivia[]
The Zamorak icon in a player-owned house, showing his symbol facing downwards.
- In most older content, Zamorak's symbol is oriented facing downwards instead of upwards. The current version of his symbol became more common over the years until it eventually became the only variant seen in new content.
The frozen door
- The version of Zamorak's symbol seen in some areas of the God Wars Dungeon is also significantly different from the symbols used elsewhere. The God Wars Dungeon graphical update removed most of these instances, but it can still be seen on the upper-right hand corner of the Frozen door and on the hilt of the replica Zamorak godsword.
References[]
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