Gielinor

Gielinor (pronounced Gill-in-or), nicknamed RuneScape by the Humans inhabiting it, is the w

orld in which most of roleplay occurs on. It is the final creation of the Elder Gods which now reside deep below its surface, and was later discovered by the god Guthix in the First Age when he was exploring realms with the Elder Sword. Its currently known land (excluding custom content regarding other continents) includes Misthalin, Asgarnia, the Kharidian Desert, Kandarin, Karamja, Troll Country, the Fremennik Province, Tirannwn, Morytania, the Feldip Hills, the Wilderness, The North and the northern and southern seas.

The demonym of Gielinor is Gielinorian.

This page contains Custom Content

This page contains content that is not official RuneScape lore. It has been made exclusively for use in role-playing and may be subject to change should Jagex release contradictory official content into the website or game.

Location

The first artistic interpretation of Gielinor from space, drawn atop of Tuska's back during the Tuskan War.

Little is known about where exactly Gielinor is in relation to the rest of the realm,

Gielinor's moon, the planet of the Fairies.

only that Zanaris which is Gielinor's moon, orbits it. Astromancers have yet to determine Gielinor's location in space relevant to the other worlds of the realm, or even if the said other worlds can be seen from Gielinor.

Geography

Gielinor is a mixture of mountainous, barren, forested, volcanic, snowy and tropical areas. Most of its cities lie in

River Lum

kingdoms, and others on numerous islands. Much of Gielinor is lush with water resources, enabling the existence of vast rivers and seas. There is also a large, destroyed continent to the north called the Wilderness. Known continents of Gielinor are the Wushanko Isles and the Forinthry site, which is today called the Wilderness. Tropical areas lie to the south, while the north is cold and icy. The south-east is largely a barren desert, the far west is a dense taiga forest, and the far east has a humid, marshy climate.

Official Regions

These regions are the regions that are present and confirmed by Jagex in-game.

Custom Regions

These are regions that have been created by role-players and do not exist in-game or in Jagex lore, and are often labelled as custom content.

Cruor

Cruor is a continent far east from the mainland, being rougly the size of Misthalin, Asgarnia and the Kharidian Desert combined. A very rough circle shaped mass of land, Cruor is notable for its dark, burned ground in the south, lush plains in the Nashuko Isles and its vast mountain regions and grand cities, as well as its swamp-lands in the west and its small desert in the east.

Not much is known about Cruor prior to its discovery in the Fifth Age. Historians believe that the continent was originally inhabited by the Fremennik in the Fourth Age, however other sources point to the Second Age for its first humans. Hauptsitz had seemed to be like a castle built for war, thus others believe it to be a battleground for the God Wars. What is known however is whenever the Fremennik had settled on the continent, tribes began to create settlements and these eventually would turn to cities after The Great Cruorian Fremennik Tribal Wars, as depicted by very few elders alive today, and would all combine into a Fremennik Empire of Cruor, led by a Mahjarrat who had disguised himself as one of these powerful Fremennik Warriors. His name was Frostyx.

During an expedition by Das Kaiserreich der Cruor, an empire rising in Misthalin, the peninsula known as Hauptsitz today was discovered with several Fremennik Warriors guarding the ruined castle. Warships fired and an invasion occurred, the Cruorian forces proving to be superior over their enemy and had put the Fremennik through a very lengthy period of subjugation. Years after, while the land was thought to be an island, after a revolt led by the enslaved Fremennik, scouts discovered a lot more land than what they had originally thought of there to be. After coming to more conflicts, it was discovered to be a huge continent, and after the Cruor-Fremennik War that ravaged the continent for over a decade, its borders were defined and the continent was officially named Cruor, in the name of the Empire.

Cruor also has an archipelago named the Nashuko Isles, and at one point had an unnamed island to east of its coast, near Hauptsitz. This island however has since been sunk into the ocean. At one point, the continent was ruled by five kingdoms that all answered to the higher Empire, however these ways have reverted back to the original Das Kaiserreich der Cruor, which dominates the continent. The continent has only come under mass invasion three times, twice by Lionheart and once by Dargonia.

History

First Age / The Creation Age

“	This...this was what I had been looking for, yet until I set foot here I had not known it. So much beauty...a world completely unspoiled.	”
–Guthix's first recollections of Gielinor.

Guthix arrives in Gielinor.

Gielinor was created by the of Elder Gods, Jas, Ful, Bik and Wen, very long ago. It was their perfect and last creation of the present cycle of the universe. The TokHaar, a race created by them, were tasked to design the mountains of the world. They forged the Xil to dig up the earth and rock, the Mej to blast it into size that the Ket could carry, and the Hur to craft the sediment into cliff-faces and slopes. This race is immortal, powerful, and directly dependent on the Elder Kiln. When Gielinor was completed and deemed to be perfect and thus the last planet in the cycle of the universe, the Elder Gods entered into hibernation far below the planet.

Gielinor was rediscovered by Guthix when he was travelling between realms with the Elder Sword. He found it at the beginning of the First Age and believed it to be perfect, the land containing many Elder Artifacts. Guthix decided the planet had to be shared with mortals so he opened gateways allowing them to enter, reshaping the world in the process. He then entered a long slumber so the mortals could enjoy the land without his presence. Those humans began to form the first civilizations and, after the arrival of Seren, the Elves joined them. Guthix also hid runes throughout the land when he found Gielinor. This resulted in mortals calling the world "RuneScape"; a portmanteau of rune and landscape.

Second Age / The Godly Age

“	Gielinor is a precious jewel in the looted treasury of the cosmos.	”
–Saradomin, explaining why Gielinor is so important to him.

The Second Age began with the arrival of other major gods, Armadyl, Bandos, Saradomin, and Zaros, who sought domination of Gielinor for various reasons after Guthix entered hibernation far below the surface of the planet. During this time, Armadyl's followers were composed mainly of Humans and Aviantese; Bandos of goblins, orks, ogres, and ourgs; Saradomin of Humans and Icyene; Zaros of Mahjarrat, Dragon Riders, demons, Auspah and Humans. Zaros was the most active and powerful god, in every sense of the word. After negotations for a singularly mighty empire made of all the gods and their followers failed, Zaros made his own and began a conquest to force this ideal.

At the peak of his empire, he was betrayed by some of his most prominent generals whom were lead by Zamorak, using the Staff of Armadyl. Zaros would have been killed had he not abandoned his body and fled Gielinor. However, the majority of his power was still siphoned and Zamorak ascended to godhood. For his perceived murdering of a god, Zamorak was banished by the other gods, but soon returned and declared war.

An artistic interpretation of Zaros' downfall.

Third Age / The First God Wars

“	If I must meet my end, then each of you will meet yours!	”
–Zamorak's final words before the Forinthry catastrophe.

Over nineteen years of absence from Gielinor, Zamorak traveled to the various planes and planets of the Runeverse to recruit an army and conquer Gielinor. Upon his return he promptly declared the start of the God Wars which immediately destroyed what little uneasy peace there was amongst the gods' kingdoms. This series of devastating campaigns and intense battles caused the extinction of many races and resulted in a war the likes of which had never been seen on the planet, maybe nowhere else in the cosmos. The last event of the God Wars occurred when Zamorak finally acquired the Stone of Jas, albeit cornered by Armadyl, Bandos, and Saradomin. Almost defeated, they moved to land a killing blow, but Zamorak lashed out with the fully unmoderated power of the Stone and permanently incinerated the entire continent of Forinthry. This killed almost all natural life, the Aviansie, and even the other three gods barely lived.

The destruction was so intense that the Anima Mundi, the life force of Gielinor itself, cried out in pain and awoke Guthix. With a short and barely contested campaign he enacted his Edicts against all the major gods, which banished them from Gielinor and prevented them from returning, with the exception of the Elders (that he did not even know were on Gielinor) and Seren whom chose to shatter herself into crystal to spread amongst her people. After solving a few remaining issues such as hiding the Stone of Jas once more, Guthix entered his slumber once more so that mortals could live on Gielinor without gods again.

The God of Chaos at work.

Fourth Age / Reconstruction

“	He wields a six foot tall longbow and travels with his faithful panther Odysseus. He is said to have had a personal crusade against the Dragonkin...	”
–Reldo the Historian on Robert the Strong.

A Dragonkin.

The Fourth Age was marked by the absence of major gods, the reconstruction of settlements destroyed by the God Wars, the invasion of the Dragonkin, and the creation of many kingdoms. It lasted roughly 2,000 years.

At the very beginning of the Fourth Age, the Dragonkin invaded Gielinor due to the heavy use of the Stone of Jas during the God Wars and revealed themselves to be a true threat to other mortals. Having no gods to protect them, mortals rose and fought them by themselves, the most notable of these being Robert the Strong. He forced the Dragonkin back to their stronghold and became one of the most important heroes in Gielinor's history.

A stone circle was also built in Taverley as both a place of devotion and means to call upon Guthix, as revealed in Druidic Ritual.

Circa 700-800, a new hero named Arrav was gaining popularity in in the newly-founded Avarrocka. He defended Avarrocka from the invasion of a Mahjarrat named Zemouregal, who was seeking a very powerful shield known as the Shield of Arrav. Exposed when destroying the invading army, Arrav was promptly killed by Zemouregal. Zemouregal disappeared with Arrav's corpse and shield, planning to later revive him.

In the middle of this age, Seven Priestly Warriors drove back dark creatures coming from Morytania and blessed the River Salve with the power of Saradomin, creating a protective barrier for the west.

At the end of the Fourth Age, in the year 1937, settlers established a town on the River Lum. Across the river, they built a bridge and hence the town was called Lumbridge.

Fifth Age / The Enlightenment Age

“	People talk about wizards having a 'gift' for magic, but the first thing you're told when you join the Wizards' Tower is that it's not true. Magic isn't handed down by gods or random chance. Anyone can learn it if they put in the effort.	”
–Ariane explaining magic to the once-fledgling Adventurer.

The Wizards' Tower, a symbol of Fifth Age progress.

The Fifth Age is the shortest age of history; lasting only 169 years but with many important changes in the context of Gielinor, mainly consisting of the growing dominance of the humans.

In the first years of the Fifth Age, mainland Human mages discovered rune essence and runecrafting, but kept their locations a closely guarded secret between a select few of them, so as not to let the information fall into enemy hands. Due to the power of the runes, humans started to become more significant within the world, and the human kingdoms of Misthalin and Asgarnia quickly grew to become some of Gielinor's most important kingdoms. The mages who discovered the runes created a great tower in southern Misthalin, which became known as Wizards' Tower. The first Wizards' Tower was destroyed as a result of magical experimentation and runecrafting was lost; However, Saradominist mages used the accident to marshal support against the other orders by blaming them. Later, a second Wizards' Tower would be built upon the ruins of the first, primarily by Saradominists suspicious of the followers of other gods. The knowledge of runecrafting wouldn't be rediscovered until the end of the Fifth Age.

After many accidents involving magic, in year 9 of the Fifth Age, the Mage Training Arena was built to properly guide the mages, who had just discovered magic and runecrafting, preventing further disasters.

During the twelfth year of the Fifth Age, Scorpius, an astrologer of the Fourth Age, built a gigantic telescope in the west to track the stars and predict the future, gaining dark knowledge. After some time, still in the early Fifth Age, his ways were rediscovered and the Observatory was restored.

In the year 47, the Fremennik, a tribe discontent with mortals practicing magic and runecrafting, destroyed the Mage Training Arena. The Mage Training Arena was later rebuilt, but significant magical knowledge was lost. During the campaign, the Imcando Dwarves were left devastated and the Runecrafting Altars left in ruins, albeit still functional. The settlement of Gunnarsgrunn was also founded by the end of the campaign, because the invaders needed time to regroup; It is unknown why they stayed, or were allowed to.

In the year 129, Crandor was annihilated when an adventurer awoke a sleeping dragon named Elvarg, who, after killing the adventurer, emerged from ground and razed the island kingdom to ash. Some refugees escaped via fishing boats, landing on the shores of Rimmington, but Elvarg followed and massacred them. Only three mages are known to have survived the destruction. Thirty years later, an adventurer slayed Elvarg, avenging the people of Crandor.

By the end of the Fifth Age, the God Wars Dungeon thawed and many powerful beings were rediscovered. Azzanadra, being freed from his prison by an adventurer, managed to re-establish contact with Zaros.

Sixth Age / The Second God Wars

“	I believe that the Elder Gods' time is done, that they have failed. A new world order is required. Conscious life was not the intention of the elder gods, but it is their creation nonetheless. Yet they are blind to it, and would consign it all to the Abyss without a second thought. If I were an Elder God, they would have to listen to me, and I could show them their error.	”
–Zaros' plans and wishes.

Guthix' death.

The Sixth Age is the current age and began with Guthix's assassination at the hands of Sliske, a powerful Zarosian Mahjarrat. This marked the end of the Edicts of Guthix, and thus the gods' nigh immediate return to Gielinor. This event also marked the naming of a new World Guardian and Guardian of Guthix, formerly known as the renowned Adventurer, a Human of ambiguous details whom carries the Edicts upon themselves and is immune to godly magic.

Although Guthix has died, his powers can still be seen. Soon after his death, manifestations of the Anima Mundi's sorrow was shown by weeping trees, butterflies propogating tiny bits of memory and power, and some conjecture wisp colonies are an unbridling of the Anima Mundi in response to his death.

After the Edicts' undoing, Saradomin was the first god to return, followed closely by Zamorak. Upon Zamorak's arrival, the ascended Mahjarrat immediately moved to harvest the divine power that had been hidden away beneath the forest of Lumbridge, but he was intercepted by Saradomin. This escalated into a rather contained but all out war which lasted for ten weeks and two days. The entire forest and half of Lumbridge itself became collateral damage and was destroyed. When all of the divine power had been harvested by the respective gods' warriors, Saradomin acquired a very small bit more and was able to eek out a victory over Zamorak, but this was not enough to deliver a killing blow and so Zamorak and his followers retreated and regrouped. Saradomin ascended further in godhood by what he absorbed and siphoning what Zamorak absorbed, while Zamorak descended in power.

In the midst of the aforementioned battle, Saradomin (with illusion magic to conjure himself before the World Guardian outside the battle) commissioned the World Guardian to aid him in the heist of a magical artifact, the Wand of Resurrection, from a Kinshran catacomb alongside the devout Temple Knight Sir Owen Sonde. The Wand held a stipulation - only one of noble intent could use it correctly. After a series of skirmishes, the duo were able to retrieve the Wand but Owen was struck dead by a powerful blast from a hidden necromancer. The World Guardian fought and killed this necromancer and was intent to attempt to resurrect Owen with the Wand, but Saradomin intervened. It is unclear what exact disagreement led to it, but Saradomin forcefully commandeered the Wand and used it himself. While Owen was indeed revived, he was corrupted in the process and thus showed that Saradomin was not of noble intent.

Sometime after, Icthlarin discovered that Death had been kidnapped by the Mahjarrat Sliske due to the souls of newly deceased mortals not being reaped. After the status quo of games and trickery signature to Sliske, the Mahjarrat then sent the World Guardian and Icthlarin invitations to his "grand ascension" ceremony where he claimed he'd been able to asecend to godhood. Icthlarin, unable to complete his own job and as it relied on Death, had no choice but to accept the invitation and thusly teleport himself and the World Guardian to the Empyrean Citadel. There he was greeted by Saradomin, Zamorak, Bandos, and Armadyl; Brassica Prime was present but silent, and mysterious purple energy floated above the podium intended for Zaros. The World Guardian, however, was forced to run a gauntlet of challenges set up by Sliske to enter because they were not a deity.

With theatrics, Sliske arrived and revealed that he had captured both Death and Strisath, one of the Dragonkin, and that there would be no ascension and he would not become a god. He also detailed how he found the Stone of Jas using the Staff of Armadyl after trapping Strisath in the Shadow Realm. With almost all of the deities of Gielinor present, the god of mischief revealed a contest: Whomever would slay the most deities by the coming of the next solar eclipse would win the Stone of Jas. This was met with varying opinions, but it was most certainly acted upon.

Armadyl and Bandos were the first to take action. They utilized Divination in their plans to create powerful weapons and to gather energy, they sent out caravans while followers and adventurers fought a hit-and-run ground war across Asgarnia and Misthalin. This war lasted six weeks and Lumbridge was once again subject to collateral damage but was able to defend itself adequately after rebuilding from the previous war. Falador, Rimmington, Varrock, and Edgeville also had to tide off the zealous factions. In the end, Bandos lost by a large margin and was killed by the end.

Soon afterward and through unknown means was the arrival of a new race on Gielinor called the Airut. This aided the growing knowledge collected by seasoned adventurers and Slayer Masters of the approaching arrival of an unknown god named Tuska.

Zaros returning to corporeal form.

In the second year of the Sixth Age, Zaros returned to Gielinor in full strength with the aid of the World Guardian. He revealed his history and aspirations before assigning his most faithful followers to individual missions. Zaros, in corporeal form, is currently observing world events from the Shadow Realm. The World Guardian also obtained an Elder Artifact called The Measure and can see into the Shadow Realm; The latter a gift from Sliske, who has grown even more powerful through continued use of the Stone of Jas.

Near the end of the second year, Zamorak commissioned the aid of the World Guardian to reclaim the Stone of Jas. Zamorak revealed he would not play Sliske's game, but rather steal the Stone, wherever it may be. The World Guardian traveled the globe to retrieve Zamorak's faithful. Moia, Hazeel, Jerrod, Nomad, Khazard, Daquarius, Zemouregal, and Enakhra. Days of planning culminated in the nearly successful heist of the Stone. Zamorak laid hands upon it and regained the power he lost from the Battle of Lumbridge and was aided by the World Guardian in assaulting Sliske directly, but before the killing blow could be landed, the god of mischief teleported himself and the Stone away.

In the middle of the third year, the boar goddess Tuska arrived in near space and presented a dire issue. Although a non-sentient animal and void of tactics, the amount of Anima it had consumed from other planets created a shield around it which was not unlike the Edicts of Guthix that avoided even the gods and even the powerful being Vorago from attacking her. Saradomin, Zamorak, Armadyl and The Godless with the aid of Vorago went up against the beast in hope to bring her barrier down. Zaros did not take part of this event and ordered his emissary Soran to observe the event for him, Zaros placed his trust in the mortals of the planet that championed for the factions that went up against Tuska, and would only intervene if needed. Fortunate for everyone involved, Tuska's shield was deactivated thanks to the alliances which allowed the manifestation of the Anima Mundi, Vorago launched itself into space and delivered the killing blow to Tuska. The lifeless corpse plunged into the southern ocean near the desert with almost no collateral damage. After this, the portal window atop the now dead Tuska's back activated and for reasons unclear turned into a world gate and became attuned to the planet of Mazcab, a planet formerly ravaged by Tuska and oppressed by Airuts.

Trivia

• Quests often have player choices and one's own experience is dicated by it. For the purpose of this page, quest choices without the statistics for them revealed (like Death of Chivalry) are detailed with ambiguous and unsure wording. Inversely, quest choices with revealed statistics (like Fate of the Gods) are detailed with wording that assumes the majority decision is "official" canon.