Mephiles Sol

"I do not fear death anymore. Instead, I fear a lack of it."

- Mephiles Talkur Sol

Mephiles (Pronounced Meh-fuh-liss) is the God of Decay and Rejuvenation. He is seen as a lesser deity due to his recent ascension and lack of following, but has greatly influenced the course of various Gielinorian religious factions during the fifth and sixth ages. Mephiles is often associated with Necromancy, Influence, Despair and Willpower.

Originally a mortal Fremennik outcast known as Talkur, he was killed during a Pre-Fremennik Daemonheim campaign, to be later resurrected as a Wight in service to the Necromancer Fer ‘Ireth and the Immortulies order. Breaking free from his master grasp over the century, Mephiles became deeply involved into the newly discovered art of Divination, eventually hoarding thousands of wisps, divine shards and the Well of Life to fuel his tremendous magical abilities, along with control over South Kandarin. Mephiles eventually peaked with power in desperation to prevent his master from ‘destroying death itself’, and as revenge for taking his afterlife away.

By discovering the secret of combining the power of his various divine hoards, Mephiles created the False Artifacts; fake Elder Artifacts that could mimic their power to a lesser degree, using their power to create a Divine Simulacrum in the Elder Halls of Freneskae. Sacrificing his mortal body for the Simulacrum, Mephiles ascended as a divine being to finally destroy his former master.

Mephiles has just returned to return to Gielinor since his Ascension, but in a short time has shifted the mortal side of the new god wars from open conflict into a treasure hunt for his False Artifacts, along with greatly advancing the fields of Divination and Necromancy. The Mephistopheles, formerly known as the Kaledrake Militia, acts on his behalf on Gielinor; his followers consisting mostly of Humans and Necroviles who study Divination, Necromancy and Traditional Ancient Magic.

Early Life
''This section is currently under construction. The contents will change rapidly as it is completed.''

Mephiles, originally named as Talkur, was born in the 132nd year of the Fifth Age within the Fremennik Isles. This was a period of great strife between the Fremennik Islanders and the Lunar Clan, which where warring over the loss of trading ships in lunar territories. His heritage is shrouded, as he was born during a raid by the Lunar clan upon his family's colony. His body acted as a conduit for the clan's magical attacks, absorbing it in his newly born body, which would grant Talkur a natural affinity with the magical arts for his later life.

Following the attack, he was found as one of only a few survivors of the attack which has claimed his true parents. A young couple took in Talkur as adoptive parents on the Fremerink mainland, at the fishing and transport hub of Rellekka. Three years later, Talkur became a older brother with the birth of Balkor. While growing up within the nomadic community, Talkur developed as a sheltered and shy boy who would be willing to fight if provoked. He often ventured around the settlement, playing with wooden shields and swords with the other boys.

Aged seven, his father began to take him on basic hunting trips for game such as rabbit and other native animals. While the initial trips allowed the two to bond, the fourth trip lead to Talkur unlocking the power he absorbed at birth, when a pack of dire wolves ambushed the young Fremerink in the icy hunting grounds north of Rellekka. A primal instinct activated within him, which slaughtered the wolves with one hellish screech. He had tapped into the magic his newborn body absorbed at birth during the Battle of the Fremennik Isles.

Talkur was put forward to the Chieftain of the village at the time after this trip by the locals, fearful that he was a weapon planted by the Lunar Clan to destroy them. While the Chieftain dismissed these allegations, he was fearful at the young child's power, and was bound by the founding laws of Rellekka to pass an edict over Talkur and his future within the community. Talkur was sentenced to be banished from the territory once he was at age to defend himself, 17, and to be striped of his birth-name and branded as "Mephiles"; a local name for the banished.

Banishment, Pilgrimage and Religion
''This section is currently under construction. The contents will change rapidly as it is completed.''

Following Mephiles' banishment, he desired to understand what his magic could do. Naturally, he wished to see the Lunar Clan. Without many funds, goods or skills to offer for passage to the island, he traveled to East Ardougne to get a job of some kind. Mephiles found himself a poorly-page job as a errand boy for the palace, being sent to and from the port near Witchaven for the latest imports of meats, fine wine and spices that the royals consumed. Mephiles struggled with the position for almost a year, building up a small fund for his pilgrimage to Lunar Isle. With enough funds, he fled in the middle of the night back to Rellekka to arrange a trip with Lokar, leaving behind nothing at Ardougne.

Mephiles avoided the guards around the main square and entrance by wading though the North Sea coastline, surprising Lokar as he tied up his boat for the night. Lokar bickered about how Mephiles shouldn't have returned and the risks he put not just himself, but was easily silence when Mephiles showed him the gold coins he offered for a one way trip. Not deterred by the fact that the Lunar Clan will attempt to teleport away those without a Seal of Passage, Lokar reluctantly sailed him to Pirates Cove and introduced him to the Captain who would take him over the sea.

Mephiles bribed the captain to redirect his trading route from Rellekia to make a stop at Lunar Isle, despite warnings of the village’s objection to outsiders: especially Fremenniks. Upon arrival, Mephiles and the crew where subjugated to an ambush by the clan, who had predicted his arrival. Captured, he was brought before the war council of the Lunar Clan, who were to try him as an agent of the Fremenniks. Upon the trial starting however, the council was split upon the discovery of his title: Mephiles: the title for a Fremennik who has been exiled for the use of magic. Mephiles proved this by recovering titles

Some wanted to continue the trial regardless for his shared heritage: to show that even their exiles where not safe from persecution, while others wanted to dismiss the case since he was not truly a part of the war as a exile. Divided for days, the matter was drawn to the reigning Oneiromancer’s attention. During this period, Mephiles remained oblivious to the debacle, excluding casual chat he overheard from his jailers.

Her decision was swift: Mephiles was dragged from the cells, malnourished and suffering from constant cold exposure, into the central hall, where much of the island’s population had gattered, along with the war council and the Oneiromancer herself. Against what little resistance he had left, they adorned him in specially treated Suqah robes and a decorative drayman staff, before lighting the brazier in the centre with a strange mixture of wood and mixtures that smelled potently sweet. The mixture intoxicated Mephiles, subjugating himself into a dream state that was suggestable by the Lunar Clan in the hall. While his physical self was being publically interrogated without the ability to deceive or restrain himself, his mind was being subjugated to torments of the past: Visions of the battle that claimed his birthparents, twisted versions of his adoptive family and the Fremennik villagers, along with his own fears. He awoke hours after, face down in a now empty hall. The Oneiromancer and War Council stood at the far end of the hall, concluding their discussion before two approached Mephiles. He braced for the worst: expecting a bolt of lightning or a sword to pierce his agony-riddled form and end it all. Instead, he was uplifted. The Omeiromancer smirked and explained that he had passed the most ardigious of the trials aMoon Clansman must face, and that he was now one of them.

Mephiles took time to adjust to the sudden adoption by a new clan, but soon began tuition to learn about magic, runecrafting and how to control his birthpower. The Oneiromancer did try to discover why Mephiles had his mark, but even after seven years, neither had a clue. But either way, Mephiles had made a home and gained power. It was also during this period he had a brief romantic affair with a woman named Elise, who would receive rare Cobalt Roses as romantic gifts.

And then then the Fremennik attacked.

A breakdown in negotiations between the Fremennik and the Lunar Clan lead to a bloody beachside assault sometime in the Year 164 of the Fifth Age. Mephiles, along with all the island’s able-bodied men, where called to arms. Even with the advantage of magic however, the Fremennik outnumbered them five to one, decimating their ranks. As the women sealed the village with a magical barrier, Mephiles and his troupe of 6 battle mages where subdued by a whole squadron of axe-wielding barbarians, and left unconscious.

[To be continued...]

The Death at Daemonheim
''This section is currently under construction. The contents will change rapidly as it is completed.''

Resurrection
Three months followed Mephiles' death at Daemonheim. His corpse had been well preserved from the wild plants that had grown over his body, who's magicial propities warded away maggots and carnivores. The hot, humid conditions generated by The Rift at the center of Daemonheim had made the majority of his armor rust and fall apart, along with generating a pungent smell of death.

The corpse was discovered by an bound shade, ordered by the Necrolord Fer 'Ireth, to recover the remains of any living creature within Daemonheim for study, along with bodies for general purposes. A group of simple-minded skeletons treated the body with a strange mixure of herbs and bonemeal, designed to avoid additional cellular decomposition along the journey to the Immortulies Sanctum; a small chamber under the ruins of Uzer, tainted with the countless magics of necromancers who subcummed to their art since the Gileniorian God Wars.

Fer 'Ireth examined Mephiles' remains, noting that he had exceptional magical energies still locked within his dead body from both his natural infusion at birth and the organic preservation. It was decided that Mephiles would be resurrected and bound to Fer as a lich: the most powerful of the undead hoards known to exist on Gilenior.

On the 13th of Moevyng, Year 161 of the Fifth Age, Mephiles was reanimated as a Lich by Fer, in the presence of Ares and 3 assisting shades; the latter being terminated during the rite to fufill Mephiles' life force drain on his new master. While suscessfuly summoned by the Necrolord, difficulty soon followed, as Mephiles entered a form of shock from Reanimation Sickness; a condition most intelligent undead suffer from after their first reanimation as the necrotic disease slowly kills off the reanimated immune systems of the body, such as white blood cells and T-cells.

Mephiles recovered over a three week period, slowly regaining control over his limbs and the eventual termination of his bodies' former functions, completing his first resurrection.

The Tainting of the Flesh
''This section is currently under construction. The contents will change rapidly as it is completed.''

The Crusade Strikes
While Fer was using Ares and Mephiles to eliminate his rivals and expand his power base, The Silver Temple had been observing. A long-since excommunicated branch of the Temple Knights, these Saradominists did not observe the rules of chivalry that bound the rest of the god’s armed forces together, so they could eliminate more enemies from the fallen empire during the Gileniorian God Wars. Fer’ Ireth had been a long-standing target for millennia, even becoming a myth within their own ranks as an illusion conjured up by the Zarosian Resistance for more time. However deluded, the Silver Templars had sent a scout to observe Firan’s recent activities. Originally believing that he was acting on the behalf of The Enclave; the modern leaders of the zarosian cause, the realisation that Fer was still alive reignited a centuries-old crusade against the Necromancer.

Rallying together the scattered remnants of the order, Riggly LeRamox, Grand Bishop of the order united The Silver Temple for the first time in a lifetime, leading a crusade to the Immortulies Ruins in northern Uzer. Ambushed by a battalion of dirty-fighting knights within the upper chambers, Mephiles and Ares were equally matched against what should have been to their advantage.

The duo did not last more than 20 minutes until the second wave of knights broke their defence, forcibly retreating to the lower chambers. The lower zombies and ghouls that Fer had created before the two did swarm at the knights out of instinct, but equipped with silver-edged swords and spell tags, the numerous experiments of Fer fell swiftly. During the distraction, Mephiles and Ares were dragged into the inner sanctum by Fer, which was sealed behind him.

Fer confirmed with the duo that he had acted rash and had unwillingly jeopardize his own work by allowing The Silver Temple to find them. With the knights haven disposed of the other undead, Riggly and his warlocks begun to melt though the solid mithril frame that held the inner sanctum both impenetrable and together. With haste, Ares was dragged onto the ritual marker, while Mephiles was ordered to pack up as much research as he could into his backpack. Ares was infused with a sizable portion of Fer’s lifeforce, focused though his staff. This triplicated Ares’ ectoplasm density, allowing for physical interaction with the world. But more importantly, Ares’ life force was regenerated to an important threshold; to where he could manipulate the undead and sustain himself. With the ritual complete, Ares was ordered to tether this gift with Mephiles, so to sustain him. When questioned why Mephiles would need it, Fer remained silent. The tether was simple enough to create, and so with one final burst of power, the duo were teleported out of the complex and deep into the lower desert.

Returning hours after the incident, they saw the ruins engulfed in fire from a mesa, with the camp of the Silver Temple knights in song and dance, parading around artifacts before throwing them back into the flames. Believing their master to be dead, Mephiles and Ares moved north to the Kingdom of Misthalin to escape detection.

The Frost
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The Final Drop of Blood
''This section is currently under construction. The contents will change rapidly as it is completed.''Mephiles was now without Fer's life-force for 24 months now; the necrotic disease that had resurrected him was almost absent from his body, replaced by the dependence on the Waters of Life. However, a dwindling supply from the well south of Ardounge and the failure to augment the properties into a renewable form left Mephiles in limbo between life and death.

Mephiles however was determined to escape death again, gambling his life by infusing his remaining supply of the life-renewing in one burst to regenerate his lost magical and physical strength at the cost of a minuscule lifespan of just 4 days. Finally able to leave his tower, Mephiles traveled to what had been a place of interest following a recent earthquake: Guthix' resting place.

Entering the newly consecrated temple was easy for the Lich: the Druids had disabled the remaining defenses and did not challenge anyone they though had pilgrimage to pay their respects to Guthix. Mephiles was exasperated by the sight of the dead god, unaware of the events that had unfolded for the world because of his confinement. He attempted to study Guthix's corpse to no avail, the druids intervening at every chance.

But the solution was there. By the third day, Mephiles was decaying again, suffering from weakened bones and strained flesh. Knowing he didn't have much longer, only his faith to Zaros kept him going, praying that the Empty Lord would provide a cure for his impending fate. And he so did provide, for a small part of the great plan still would require Mephiles.

The final day begun with a aftershock. The temple shuddered as flares of energy dispersed from Guthix's corpse and into the earth above them, bound for Lumbridge. However, as it did, fragments of green rained upon the small camp of pilgrims that had camped for the night, including Mephiles, who upon physical contact with the shards begun to draw energy from them. The energy was minute, but enough to power his body like the waters of life had done.

Hoarding the shards from everyone throughout the morning had made the druid's suspensions grow to breaking point, demanding that he leave the temple. Several Druids were wounded in a skirmish before they backed off in fear, along with the pilgrims. Drained and at the brink, Mephiles quickly cobbled the shards together, crushing them up with a pestle and mortar into a fine powder. Poured into a vial of stale unicorn dust, snapdragon and rainwater, he consumed the mix in one swig.

His dead organs contracted and rebounded into life, shocking his reviving body systems. The pure, unrestrained fragments of Guthix's godly powers was rejuvenating him at a unprecedented rate. Minutes past as the pain fluxed, Mephiles screeching in pain as he continued his self-resurrection. Then it stopped. Looking into the shattered glass of the vial, Mephiles visage was like that when Fer and Ares would revive him. He had found a way to sustain himself again.

He could fight again for Zaros. He could live in limbo again.

Battle of Lumbridge
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The Bird and The Beast
With Bandos and Armadyl waging a bloody conflict across Misthalin and Asgarnia, Mephiles sought another opportunity to extract the life force of Guthix and the Anima Mundi from right under the Gods’ noses, setting out for Varrock.

Ambushing a Armadylian caravan, being escorted by a human captain to Draynor Village, Mephiles slaughtered the diviners and stripped the captain of his armor, weapons and eyepatch. Combined with some herbal hair dyes that the Fremennik use and an transfiguration potion to tighten his undead skin, he created the persona of Captain Jova. The forces of Armadyl and Bandos had been summoned with haste, so no real records existed to confirm or expose the existence of Jova. Across the six weeks, Mephiles planted siphons on various caravans, which remotely stored wisps and energy in magical canisters, buried within the carpentry of the caravans. He would extract the canisters at nightly intervals, teleporting them back to his tower to be processed by Viza into the Well of Life.

Mephiles remained absent during other events during the conflict, such as The Battle of Gunnarsgrunn, to not draw attention to himself.

Following Bandos’ demise and Armadyl’s victory, Mephiles sought his opportunity and removed the canisters from the now abandoned caravans, along with any remaining wisps that were no longer required to fuel the Divine Focus. He also slaughtered an unfortunate highwayman from the local roads, dressing him up in Jova’s equipment and dying his hair, before igniting the body. Armadylian forces investigated, believing that Jova had been killed by Bandosian forces as revenge.

Now residing within the Tower of Life, Mephiles has begun refining the potent mixture of the waters of life, the divine tears from the Battle of Lumbridge and the Wisps from the Armadylian-Bandosian Conflict. It’s unknown what Mephiles plans to do with the resulting power, other than to continue to fuel his life-force. Ares however has concerns that Mephiles intends to use the resulting mixture as a power source for ascendency, or a terrible weapon of mass destruction, being inspired by the Divine Focus and The Scarecrow.

Race To Ascension
''This section is currently under construction. The contents will change rapidly as it is completed.''

While Mephiles was refining the divine mixture, Ares had manipulated a shaman in the Karamja jungle named Ivan, to hunt for the assailant of a local deity known as the Spirit of The Stars, who had mysteriously disappeared, leading to a swarm of undead attacking the local tribes. Disguised as a spellsword for hire, Ares was hired by Ivan, who also recruited a crossbowman, a exiled bandosian commander and along their journey, a polearm-wielding easterner.

The journey led them to a crypt, where the Spirit of the Stars was rejuvenating itself with the aid of the daughter of one of Ivan’s old shaman friends. However, the group is ambushed by Sihrus, an old enemy of the Immortulies order, who had targeted the Spirit of The Stars to allow his necromantic creations to conquer the local tribes. After a drawn out battle against several skeletal behemoths, Sihrus is defeated and seemingly destroyed by a rejuvenated Spirit of The Stars.

However, Sihrus leaves behinds two powerful artifacts; a flawless diamond amulet and his wand. Ares abandons his disguise and telegrabs the amulet, which was one of Fer’ Ireth’s four artifacts. Within close proximity to Fer’s spellbook and cloak, both wielded by Ares, Fer returned in a semi-ethereal form, recruiting the easterner to his side, in return for the wand. He also attempted to recruit the bandosian, but fails to convince him and simply pays him for his service.

The resurrection however is not left unnoticed, as Mephiles’ connection to Fer is restored with his former master’s return. A potent mixture of fear and anger by this revelation causes an imprint of Mephiles’ emotions to be absorbed by the collected wisps and felt by the local presence of the Anima Mundi, causing a vicious storm to batter southern Kandarin and East Ardounge. Mephiles accelerated his plans with the return of Fer, utilising newfound knowledge of the animating properties of the divine materials he had harvested to create the Necrovitalia Cognito: a twisted, immobile hive mind created from a strain of Gargoyle-consuming plant known as Canifis Gargovore. Housed and nurtured in the many abandoned catacomb complexes under the ruins of Senntisten, Necrovitalia Cognito breaded a new species of undead: Necroviles. Spawned as swarms of twitching blood veins, Necrovile spawn latch onto the recently deceased, reshaping them into one of the many castes of necrovile sub-species that Mephiles and Viza had conducted up. Packs of Bestia Necroviles, accompanied with the bat-winged Votalus Necroviles where the first batch to successfully enter service in the Mephiles Paradigm. Teneabre, Vitium, and Sano Necroviles later evolved independently to fill nieces in their primal society.

Latched into the heart of the Cognito, Mephiles orchestrated a wave of terror in Gillenior’s underworld, with swarms of Necroviles being sent to eliminate several figures of power within the Kingdom of Kandarin. Necroviles were also used to terrorise major Divination sites, securing access for his Paradigm's followers undetected. Fer and Ares did encountered the Necroviles sometime during this period, leading to several battles across Asgarnia, but the duo were unaware that Mephiles was their master until the White Wolf Engagement, where a major trade blockade was sabotaged by the Kaledrake Militia; a mercenary clan consisting of dark wizards and spellswords from various kingdoms, then under the employment of Ares. Necrovile forces were routed and exposed when Viza intervene to organise a tactical retreat.

While suffering heavy losses, Mephiles took advantage of the blockade’s effect to secure a major stockpile of divination energy, strengthening his emerging forces and his own divine reserve. the Kaledrake Militia also had their allegiance bought over by Mephiles in return for tuition in necromancy. The two forces became synonymous as Necrovile legions were incorporated into the militia, while the militia itself was usurped by Mephiles into his paradigm. Kaledrake forces enforced a occupation across the abandoned, battle-scarred wilds between East Ardougne and Yanhile, with the Khazard fortress being partially rebuilt as their new permanent headquarters. Raiding parties gained control of resisting settlements and kandarin patrols, providing a steady source of bodies and equipment for the Necroviles. The region was considered to be lost by the Ardoundge Government within a year, being referred by locals as the Fields of Toil.

Exubitor Necroviles were developed as Mephiles delved into the darkest secrets he could decipher from the tomes he had saved from The Silver Temple, being appointed as the personal guard for himself, the Kaledrake clan leaders and the hive mind of the species. But the Excubitors were not Mephiles’ crowning achievement.

Knowledge from the eldest worlds in the multiverse had traveled to Gilenior with the World Gate’s activation since the God Wars; including detailed legends of the powers that many Elder Artifacts wielded, particularly with the Staff of Armadyl. Though months of experimentation, calculations and close examinations, Mephiles was convinced he could pool the majority of his accumulated power into a single, false artifact. Such an artifact would not be able to kill a god, but would wield a terrifying, near endless pool of divine power that could be channeled into the wielder’s being. Mephiles considered a earth-shattering proposal: A strong, consistent reservoir of divine power that originated from the Elder Gods could be channeled through a false artifact to achieve ascendancy in the same way that the young gods had used Elder Artifacts and the

execution of their peers, though to a lesser intensity. In short, Mephiles proposed he could become a demigod.

Mephiles’s conclusion was timed well, as Fer’ Ireth and Ares launched targeted strikes at Kaledrake camps and resupply posts, including the converted Kaledrake fortress, to triangulate the source of the Necrovitalia Cognito. Now limited in time for the control of his undead forces, Mephiles acted swiftly to delay Immortulies’ allies, along with Fer and Ares themselves, while he sourced a sutiple source of Elder Energy to fuel his ascension.

Immortulies’ former allies, including nobility in Ardounge, where assassinated bruitly in public under the guise that the two paradigms where still united. Retaliation from the Mages Guild and even the Guardians of Armadyl where used to stall Fer and Ares.

Mephiles searched for weeks though the countless tales and legends etched into the multiverse’s history, increasingly paranoid over when Fer would overpower him either mentally or tactically. The paranoia Mephiles inflicted on himself had an indirect control on the stem, leading to the newer generations of Necroviles to be much more guarded of their surrounded. This ultimately exposed Mephiles to a crippling blow, with Fer identifying his paranoia though their insidious resurrection bond and tracing it back to the stem.

The link however exposed Fer’s mind as well, unwittingly exposing a wealth of knowledge that Fer knew, but considered to be irreverent to his goals; including tales that the Majharrat had told of their homeworld and the Elder God, Mah.

Including the Elder Halls.

A stroke of genius stuck the wright, who realised that Mah’s divine power, which was a thousand times more potent than the well, whips and shards combined, would had manifested into wisps that could be shaped though standard divination; including into a new, divine body. A Simulacrum.

The process he realised was fraught with perils; His undead form would be destroyed in the process, leaving him as a disembodied spirit for fleeting moments. He also could not predict what the Simulacrum would grant to a humanoid form; he could change species, be incompatible or even be beyond his control. He could also not attempt a second chance: the ritual was a one-way process

The alternative was not prosperous either; Fer would regain control and complete his final act of unifying Mephiles and Ares into his catalyst for destroying death, which would compromise both mortals and gods alike. He had no choice.

Mephiles enacted The Final Plan: the prelude to his final solution for Fer. As his enemies approached the Dig Site, Mephiles ordered his remaining Necroviles and Kaledrake forces to the fields beside Eagle’s Peek, while Mephiles, Viza and his independent Excubtor Necroviles would charge though the freshly-reopened World Gate and navigate to Freneskae’s Elder Halls. The Necroviles and Viza would mount a final defence at the Sanctum of Zaros, giving Mephiles the precious time to construct a Simulacrum.

As the team passed through the gate unhindered, chaos ensued as the Necrovitalia Cognito was slain. The Necroviles turned into rabid, senseless creatures immediately, turning Eagle’s Peek into a chaotic hunting ground for both sides. Fer and Ares lead though the gate soon after, trailing Mephiles’ path following news of the chaos reaching Burthorpe. The duo strided though the chaos and entered the world gate to Freneskae.

The ritual soon began, with Mephiles and a few still-lucid Necroviles harvesting Elder Energy in vast quantites, while Mephiles taped into the power of his False Artifacts to transmute their power into the raw simulacrum. The storms above Freneskae grew extremely violent from the tremendous energy surged, combining into a luminous pillar of cyan, purple and green that shot through the clouds, revealing Frenesake’s natural orange skies.

Necroviles fell against Fer and Ares as they approach the Sanctum, where Viza was prepared. Armed with two bows, she ambushed the duo with an avalanche of volcanic tides, forcing them into the closed environment of the Sanctum. While effective in a more closed, reinforced environment that restricted her opponent’s devastating casting abilities, the mummy was forced further and further back into the chamber, eventually being cornered into the Nihil chamber. Disturbed by the commotion of the battle, startled Nihil swarmed the trio. Numbers fell, but Fer and Ares managed to reach higher ground. Viza perished in the final stand, overwhelmed by numbers, and was consumed.

Mephiles' Ascendancy
But Viza’s sacrifice was not in vain. The ritual was almost complete: all the energy from Gilenior was now ported into the ritual, and was now a matter of time as it was stabilised from the presence of the Anima Mundi well in the centre of the chamber. Mephiles waded in its power as his sworn enemies entered the halls.

Fer and Mephiles, still bound with some degree of respect for another’s success in their fields, pleaded with the other to submit: Mephiles begging Fer to reconsider the implications of his final plan for not just Gilenior, but for all of creation. It was a futile effort however: the duo engrossed with their beliefs and ethics beyond the point of return. With their staffs drawn, the battle began.

Mephiles only needed to stall Fer and Ares for a few minutes while his Simulacrum finalised, drawing an impenetrable shield against himself, while the final, most engrossed of the Necroviles species that had remained loyal to his Paradigm swarmed. They fell in droves against spell after spell of ancient sorcery from the duo, while gracefully dodging the metal talons and the occasional lash of darkness from Wightgrasp. They soon exposed a weak spot within the shield’s generation though The Star that resided around Mephiles’ neck, beaming spell after spell into it until it backfired.

The shield and star shattered, with the star embedding itself into three parts of the volcano wall. Exposed to attack, Mephiles lashed out relentlessly, chasing the duo with beams of continuous, ancient power that could melt bone and flesh together. Boulders and rocks tremored downwards from the mouth of the volcano. Mephiles turned the remaining wisps against the necromancers, lashing out with rapid sparks of divine energy. Ares ingeniously turned them against his former friend, propelling them back to knock him off-centre from the well.

Separated from the Anima Mundi, Mephiles enraged and gorged upon his remaining stored power. His speed and agility as he sped-trod across the charred rock was a blur to Ares, who soon took a strong bludgeoning to the head from Wightgrasp. Dazed and confused, Mephiles cursed Ares with masses of tainted flesh tendrils to incapacitate him; strangled down on the cusp of the destructive well. Now it was only the master and former apprentice.

Fer and Mephiles entered blow upon blow with each other, both from magic and physical strikes from their staffs. Ancient Magic, curses, charms and raw power stuck against each other with fury and chaos without pause. But it was too much for Mephiles; his blows where ineffective against Fer’s own artefacts. Exhausted and weakened, Fer seized his oppotinity. He used his opponent’s speed against him, using magic to alter the gravity around the room. Mephiles was thrown around the volcano and its egg-chambers like a child’s ragdoll, haemorrhaging his last pints of the water from the Well of Life. His flesh failed to heal, leaving him broken in mid-air.

A pause emerged in battle, the two exchanging a final glare. “Pax Decum.” Mephiles hissed ironically, just before his master propelled him towards the well. But the deed was done.

Mephiles hooked his only working hand onto the Simulacrum as he hollowly bellowed towards what seemed like oblivion. Upon contact with the Anima Mundi, his physical form ignited into green flame and putrid stench that even made Fer grimace with disgust. Fer stared mincingly as his famed creation seeming burned into eternity. Then the ground began to shake. Mephiles cackled manically, seemingly incorporeal. His physical form was finally destroyed, allowing his spirit to momentarily transcend into the nearby Simulacrum, which was immune to the destructive Anima Mundi well. He shot out, infused with the power that had been hidden away for eons, as a string of helixes power and shot towards his former master. Fer’s artefacts, which had protected him since the God Wars from mortal harm, finally subsumed to a stronger power. The cloak of protection and amulet of souls dissolved upon contact, while the staff cracked and withered.

A single, bone-clawed hand emerged from the helix. Then another and another, tearing into Fer’s limbs like a knife to butter. Vicious goo and purple smoke seeped out from the wounds, while Fer contorted between pain, shock and disbelief on his face. A face emerged, cloaked in gold-trimed teal and purple robes. The face underneath was Mephiles, contorted into the estatisity of when he was alive. Eyes where bloodshot and emerald green, but emanated a cyan corona around the sockets. His skin was charred, almost hardened, but glistened in the pale light like crystal. Cracks soon emerged, revealing a faint aquamarine glow beneath. One bone-clawed hand solidified to the same crystal flesh, reaching for Fer’s forehead. A burst of divine power shot though the necromancer.

Fer fell to his knees, relinquishing his staff and tome of knowledge; the former shattering upon impact. Ares however, arose dazed and confused, but also seemingly enlightened. The metal link between master and apprentice was broken, revealing the truth to Ares. As he came to his knees, Mephiles’ new body fully resurfaced and landed feet first onto the ground. His fingertips crackled with newfound divinity. Ares looked over, a myriad of expressions clear on his face; but mainly revelation.

“It is over Fer.” Mephiles said into Fer’s ear, kneeling down to seize the tome of knowledge from Fer. He glanced silently at the book for a moment, before deciding against he was thinking. He slung the book underarm into the Anima Mundi, which dinstergrated it within seconds.

A unknown power drew Wightgrasp to his reach and slid into a staff holster on Mephiles’ back. He turned to Ares, who now was possessed by his own anger and stood beside Fer.

“My work here is done, old friend. I trust you will make the right decision?” Mephiles queried Ares, seemingly like nothing had happened between them. Ares just nodded, raising his staff.

The crunch to Mephiles was both thrilling… and disappointing: he knew it was all over, but he expected more of a grandeur exit for the great Necrolord Fer ‘Ireth then a simple crunch of flesh upon bone within the abdomen. He though he had beaten any satisfaction away during the fight; his anger and hatred diminished.

But something more now possessed him. Divinity; or at least a fragment of it. He was now a Tier 7 deity: a young demigod. Without warning, he clicked his fingers to teleport Ares away to the World Gate. And then he looked up.

“What now?” Mephiles pondered to himself. “What now?”.

Self-Exile
Mephiles left Freneskae though the World Gate after hours of contemplation, but did not return to Gielinor. Confused and overwhelmed from recent events, Mephiles reprogrammed the gate to randomly send him across the multiverse. Mephiles explored many worlds and realms, including Infernus and Teragard, remaining anonymous to prevent the other Young Gods from discovering his existence.

In this time Mephiles gained a loose understanding of his new powers and body, particularly with controlling the balance of light and dark energy within all beings. During this time Mephiles also transmuted Wightgrasp, his personal False Artifact, into a sleeker form. He also documented a rough map of the Mutiverse on Teragard papyrus.

After three months of travel, Mephiles eventualy stumbled upon a chain of lifeless and shattered worlds. Upon enquiring local worlds, he learned about the devastating wake of Tuska and how she consumed entire worlds to sustain her hunger for Anima. Intrigued, he considered chasing Tuska and attempting some research on her power in an attempt understand his own. Pinpointing Tuska's wake on the Mutiverse Map, Mephiles shuddered as he realized that Tuska was on a direct collision course with Gilenior. Without thought, he begun the long journey across realms to return home and warn the population.

The Battle for Gielinor
'' This section covers a ongoing event. The contents will change rapidly as it progresses. ''

Returning to Gilenor, Mephiles was shook upon learning that Tuska was in orbit of Gilenior, closing in day by day, while The Godless, Zamorakians, Armadylians and Saradominists banded together to mount a defense on Tuska's own back, hoping to launch a two-pronged plan; impaling Tuska with a Anima Spear with the aid of various adventurers and the World Guardian, while forces on Gilenior would launch assaults on Tuska's Airut and other followers, while establishing divine focuses to bombard Tuska.

The presence of Tuska in orbit was enough to induce Divine Entropy; a principle of divination where a super-large divine being's presence would dilute the effect and power of lesser divine beings within a exponential radius. With Tuska being so large in comparison, Mephiles was being weakened from the surface of the planet even when Tuska was approximately half the distance between Gilenior and Zanaris.

He knew his own forces where decimated and so decided to ally himself into the service of the four defense factions. The Armadyl faction where the only ones who accepted his help, being the most tolerant. Mephiles would also decide to hide his divine status from everyone unless required to do so, fearing retribution.

Powers and abilities
As a very new demigod, Mephiles is of lesser power than most major gods; around a level compared to one of the lesser deities of the Menaphite Pantheon. While very powerful, he is still quite capable of being overwhelmed by groups of powerful mortals.

His simulacrum body grants Mephiles a weak, balanced control over the aspects of light and dark energy. Mephiles can carefully tip his body’s balance of power to favour one or the other, allowing him the abilities to both assist and disrupt a being’s life force in various ways, though overextending this ability can physically drain himself to exhaustion and weaken his divine power for a time.

Mephiles’ control over the undead far exceeds that of most necromancers, though he prefers to directly encounter his opponents in combat, only requesting assistance from his Necroviles while against overwhelming odds, such as an army or Godless strike force.

It is also assumed that due to his ascendancy, Mephiles is immune to the loyalty-inducing presence of Zaros like the other gods, though this cannot be confirmed as the two have never met.

Religion
While Mephiles is a newborn god, the remnants of the Kaledrake Forces and Mephiles’s Paradigm of Immortulies have reformed into the Grey Paradigm, who actively follow him. The Grey Paradigm’s members are mostly disturbed by the bloody conflict between the Kalredrake forces and the Necroviles following the stem’s demise. Despite this, the Grey Paradigm has gained the attention of Mephiles, as a new faction he is taming to ensure stability.

As Mephiles is still loyal to Zaros, many customs and practices of worship from Zarosianism remain unaltered, with Mephiles seemingly idolised as “Zaros’ Instrument” making Mephilianism an extension onto Orthodox Zarosianis.

The Grey Paradigm has three main objectives appointed by Mephiles himself:
 * To expand the knowledge of all magics to any and all who either seek or deserve it.

plan to destroy death.
 * To secure the False Artifacts that Mephiles created, and if possible, destroy them.
 * To ensure that Fer ‘Ireth’s Legacy is obliterated and buried for all time, so to prevent another from completing his

Philosophy
Like Zaros, Mephiles extends the view that mortals need divine guidance to power and greatness, but without direct interference or force, and will not punish those who disobey him or those teachings. Mephile extends this view onto scientific views. Mephiles encourages the teaching of the magical arts, notably necromancy, and to use that to defend Gilenior from forces that threaten her or her peoples. Mephiles encourages research into all areas of magic and science, while dissolving the prejudices of people who deny it to flourish without strong arguments to do so.

Naming & History
===Species & Limitations===
 * The name Mephiles derives from Mephistopheles, a demon that first appeared featured in the german Faust legend. This is a sly nod to how the Fremennik are derived from the Vikings, which have close ties to the germanic people.
 * The surname of Sol is incorrect, since Fremennik use the titles of their relatives, professions or feats instead of surnames (if the Fremennik take a similar naming style from Viking culture). A in-game explanation is given by Mephiles to Ares during the original saga, stating that his handwriting made the word Son look like Sol, eventually adopting the surname over time.
 * Mephiles’ birth name or place of origin was not revealed until two years after his inception, being a running joke since it wasn't revealed until Void Adept completed The Fremennik Trials.
 * Conveniently, Mephiles’ death wasn't even revealed until Dungeoneering was released, one year after his name and birth. Before that time, Mephiles refused to talk about the subject with anyone.


 * Mephiles’ undead sub-species is known as a Wight, the same as the Barrows Brothers.
 * Mephiles' undead sub-species is commonly misinterpreted as a Lich, Zombie or a Ghoul. These are all incorrect. While Mephiles wields powerful magic and a has a immense will to escape death, he did not resurrect himself and has a fleshy form. Mephiles’ intelligence and combat ability would also rule him out as a zombie. Mephiles resembles a Ghoul the most, but does not crave human flesh, instead consuming life force from a necromancer or objects of great power, such as Divine Tears.
 * Another misconception about Mephiles is that he cannot feel pain. This is partly incorrect. Mephiles has a greater tolerance to pain due to his decaying nervous system, but this regenerates as he absorbs life force, and degenerates when he consumes in by the use of magic, physical combat and over time.
 * Mephiles is affected by the blessing of the River Salve, making him unable to enter or leave Morytania without the use of teleportation.

Other

 * A retconned and scrapped storyline from the 2008 season involved Mephiles entangled with a future version of himself and his successor as the Immortulies Dux, Ilana, over the future disappearance of Ares in a few months time. The storyline would have concluded on the revelation that Ares’ disappearance was organised by a second version of Mephiles, from a farther and devastated future, to lure his previous versions and advert his fate by exterminating the Immortulies order, being defeated in the process by Illana’s sacrifice, erasing the alternative timeline and preventing these events in the first place. It’s unknown if Ilana will return in a future, canon adventure.
 * Mephiles' brother, Balkor, was shortly roleplayed as a minor role in a Void Knights RP as a new squire. The only reference that Balkor made to Mephiles was over why he was treated unfairly by Peer The Seer during his trials. Balkor was fatality wounded duing an ambush of pests on the Void Knight ship, The Bowsword' , just weeks after arriving. He died and was buried at sea one week later.