RuneScape Forum Archive | On Chaos Druids

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

This did not mean that they considered abandoning their participation in the principles of their gods, but they no longer felt as though their knowledge of and relations with the native and principle spirits at work in the world were sufficient to keep them safe. Therefore, they searched ever more intently for new principles which might bring peace to the warring empires.

In this renewed search for principles beyond what even the gods knew, the mystics of the 3rd age developed a concept they called "the ultimate darkness." This concept stands in contrast to an assumption held by previous generations of mystics. In the early centuries of mysticism, the mystics believed that if one could discover all of the principles at work in the multiverse then one would know how everything in the multiverse fit together, as well as how one might best participate in the work of the spirits.

In part because of the reconception of the shadow realms and abyss due to the advent of golem construction and in part because of the dissatisfaction with the principles of the gods, the mystics began to doubt whether knowledge of the principle spirits could ever make sense of the multiverse and the wars unfolding across it. They called this failure of magical knowledge "the ultimate darkness."

Metaphorically, this meant that whatever might provide humans with the peace for which they longed is invisible to their spiritual sensitivities. It - whatever it is - lies beyond their magical knowledge. This led to a somber demeanor among the schools of mysticism and subdued their earlier thirst for knowledge.

The concept of "the ultimate darkness" also profoundly affected the concept of anima . The classical definition of anima as receptivity of the visible to the invisible presupposed that "invisible" meant native and principle spirits.

24-Jul-2016 03:36:04 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2016 04:08:35 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The concept of anima was then expanded to include receptivity to "the ultimate darkness." Mystics described this as an inarticulate desire deep down, beneath all the spirits at work in the heart.

This new concept of anima led mystics to the conclusion that just as the multiverse was inexhaustible by their magical knowledge, so too was anima . Their own hearts became for them a mystery just as the multiverse had been rendered mysterious by the destruction of the Godwars. Therefore, the mystics reconceived their own work as studying the known spirits, both native and principle, both in their hearts and in the world, for the sake of finding some satisfaction of their longing in "the ultimate darkness."

This is the image of mysticism that has come down to us millennia later: the mystic studies what is invisible and knowable in order to find satisfaction in what is invisible and unknowable. Mysticism remained a search for native and principle spirits, but the 3rd age brought about the completion of its development from its roots in ancient sorcery. By setting its sight beyond even the principle spirits, it had become a new magical discipline among the humans of Gielinor.

In the wake of this development, there were some mystics who abandoned the causes of their gods, claiming that humans ought to serve no god at all, even that humans ought to cooperate with no communities or native spirits at all. Many of these were executed as traitors. Others went mad of their own accord or found themselves devoured by demons in the same way as Aesa Fellsdottir, for they had unwittingly abandoned the spirits which protected their minds and bodies and their very ability to exist in Gielinor.

24-Jul-2016 03:36:32 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2016 04:14:51 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

In the end, these unfortunate mystics were few. But the maturation of mysticism had another far more important and long-lasting effect. Once mystics admitted that anima could not be exhausted by their magical knowledge, they came overwhelmingly to reject the practice of necromancy. The reason why requires some explanation.

Necromancy involves re-introducing dead organic matter to spirits, so that the spirits will render the body self-sustaining and receptive to further spirits once again. If the necromancer does not introduce a sufficient number of spirits or the right spirits to the dead body, then he will get a poor result, such as a mere walking skeleton or rotting zombie. The necromancer must continuously reintroduce such undead creatures to the right spirits in order to maintain their undead life.

For the purposes of warfare, hordes of skeletons and zombies are often sufficient. But necromancers also sought to re-animate loved ones, or themselves as liches. This required intimate knowledge of the oneself or of the one loved. But the later mystics held that anima included an element that escaped magical knowledge. And so no one could ever be resurrected fully.

Some necromancers disagreed, claiming to have the capacity to restore completely the lives of the dead. In response the mystics took the following position. They argued that: first, it is possible to restore fully to life certain simple forms of anima ; second, it may be possible to restore fully to life some humans, but if the human had found satisfaction in "the ultimate darkness" that satisfaction could never be restored by the art of necromancy; and third, the mystic, therefore, if he is succeeds in finding satisfaction in "the ultimate darkness" forfeits his capacity for lichdom and mortal return (See Irwin Feaselbaum's dialogue).

24-Jul-2016 03:36:53 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2016 04:18:40 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Therefore, lichdom and necromancy related to human souls were condemned by the vast majority of mystics. Similar faults were also found in the then disappearing Church of Zaros. While the teachings of the Zarosian Church had included many reflections on obscurity and the unknown which resembled the new concept of "the ultimate darkness," it was decided that the Zarosian teachings on self-control presupposed the exhaustibility of anima by magical knowledge, supported the practice of necromancy, and so deserved condemnation.

Propagandists who had long sought to suppress the Church of Zaros counted the mystics as a late-coming ally and their conclusions as a final victory over Zarosianism. Although the Zamorakian School benefitted from this rejection of the Church of Zaros, it did nothing to curb the use of necromancy within its own ranks. Similarly, the Ancient School of Muh agreed with many of the mainstream positions of mysticism but also made several exceptions with regard to necromantic practice in accord with the traditional rites of Menaphite religion.

To complete the treatment of the Third Age, we have been told that the Void Knights were active and at least some knew of Guthix, but we know next to nothing of druidism in the first three ages of Gielinor. I assume that the worship of Guthix had largely disappeared among humans, according to his wishes, except perhaps some traditions, maybe among the Fremennik, which honored him as the god who brought humans to Gielinor. I would not be surprised if the Void Knights of the 3rd age were a kind of reactionary splinter group from among the Fremennik, just as today's Void Knights were founded by an inspired Saradominist.

Of course this changed dramatically in the 4th age. Although I include the 4th age in the broad era of mysticism, the 4th age is probably more rightly called the age of druidism, for reasons which will become clear.

24-Jul-2016 03:37:35

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The appearance of Guthix at the end of the 3rd age probably shocked all the participants in the Godwars, and his actions changed the world dramatically thereafter. I expect that many mystics abandoned the then militarized schools (Muh, Fremennik, Academic, and Zamorakian) in favor of the pacifist order of druids. These likely gathered in communities around the stone circles set up throughout Gielinor at the time.

All of a sudden, the Godwars had ended. Various races were scattered about the world in broken communities, inheriting cultures marked by hardship and uncertainty. In a brief time, the whole world had been cleansed of powerful enemies. For the first time in many millennia, the mortal races had only to cooperate among themselves in order to enjoy peace and prosperity in the world of Gielinor.

But unlike the 1st age, the humans at the start of the 4th age brought with them a terribly complex past. They were not one people but many, having been separated for thousands of years. And the world was not neatly divided among humans and dwarves and gnomes and elves and skavids and other peaceful races. The wars had left behind also goblins and orks and ogres and vampyres and demons; hordes of undead, as well as the mysterious Mahjarrat and dragonkin; among other terrors in the world.

It is likely that humans turned back to sorcery with great interest and formed once again tightly knit communities. Some of these communities would draw upon the magical knowledge of local populations of druids. These druids honored nature and probably preserved some of the traditional teachings of mysticism, such as the rejection of necromancy. Other human communities likely looked for help to the mystics educated in the four remaining schools. Regardless of the pacifistic doctrine of the new druid order, all required some knowledge of the arts of war.

24-Jul-2016 03:38:03 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2016 04:21:45 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Perhaps much of the magical heritage of humanity upon Gielinor would have been lost in the upheaval which marked the end of the Godwars, but I propose that a new and powerful cultural force came onto the scene in the early years of the 4th age, a force which preserved the memories of ancient sorcery, of the suffering of the Godwars, of the maturation of mysticism, of the mystics' rejection of necromancy, and of the concept of "the ultimate darkness." This was the School of Streit - the remnant of Aidos - a school of mysticism formed and maintained in secret for nearly 5,000 years.

These solemn and powerful mages, decked out in their heavy, traditional robes, emerged as symbols of authority and unity for the human race. Though they came from a small village on the edge of the desolation of Forinthry, they became counselors to human communities throughout the world, ambassadors to the newly appearing elves, dwarves, and gnomes, as well as authorities in the practice of magic even for the druids and mystics of the other schools.

In the early years of the 4th age, human magics took three distinctive forms: the new sorcery of druidism; the old mysticism that had barely survived the wars, tired, militarized, and scattered; and the bold, carefully recorded tradition of mysticism proclaimed by the School of Streit. Though these orders maintained their separate structures of governance, slowly increasing communication among them, as well as with the magics of the other friendly races, brought them closer together in their practices over the course of the 4th age.

24-Jul-2016 03:38:41

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Things changed following the destruction of Streit by the dragon Garak. Once the authority embodied in this school disappeared, along with the carefully kept records and scholarship of millennia of mysticism, new innovations in magic, both good and bad, appeared among the human populations. Although discouraged by the druids, experiments in necromancy returned. And a new discipline was discovered by some druids especially sensitive to the spirits at work in nature.

The new discipline began with the following insight: "The spirits of nature are perfectly balanced to support the lives of everything which lives in the world of Gielinor. The spirits live in their realm of shadow, while we live in the realm of light. But is not this strict division inordinately rigid? Might not there be some balanced way by which the spirits visit us and we visit the spirits?"

Based upon these questions, the druids developed a spell by which they established a connection with the shadow realm. It may sound strange to identify the spirit realm with the shadow realm, but indeed these are the same - it is the invisible dimension of Gielinor, populated by spirits, secrets, lost things, and pocket dimensions - generally the stuff of legends - simply accessed in a different manner.

This connection, established in different locations, began the growth of the summoning obelisks. Herein lies the genius of these druids in maintaining balance - every spell of summoning a creature from the spirit realm would require as a cost a certain number of spirit shards shaved from the growing obelisks; should the druids have used summoned the spirits too frequently, they would have depleted the obelisk and broken the connection; should the druids have summoned the spirits too infrequently, the resulting massive obelisks would have become attractive to their enemies and put the druids themselves at risk.

24-Jul-2016 03:39:03

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Furthermore, the naturally developing architecture of the obelisk came to balance the artificially developed architecture of the stone altars. Whereas the altars of the druids represented receptivity of humans to the spirits of nature who dwelt separately in the shadow realm, the obelisks represented the activity of humans to reach out to the spirits and welcome them into the realm of light.

Finally, the druids developed yet another counterbalance, a teleport spell for visiting the spirit realm. Although the spirits were less welcoming of humans than the humans were welcoming of summoned spirits, the druids determined that their forays into the spirit realm were appropriate and useful as an additional source of spirit shards.

A number of developments followed the advent of summoning among the human populations. First, the ogres, drawing upon their own tradition of summoning, adopted the new technology of summoning obelisks and shards. Second, experimentation increased with regard to accessing the shadow realm. Several kinds of access were distinguished.

For example, some might walk in shadow and from the shadow spy upon those in the realm of light - this could be achieved by violating certain spirits of the light, such as the Mahjarrat did among the Menaphites by removing and preserving human organs, in order to bring their servants into the shadow realm. Some might find themselves lost in shadow, such as Relomia - they see little or nothing, for they lost their connection with the spirits which constitute the realm of light. Some discovered pocket dimensions - places where a spirit creates a miniature realm of light, hidden in the shadow. Finally, some learned to reattune themselves, not with the spirits of the light, but with a broader range of spirits to which their hearts were sensitive - this led them to the spirit realm as we know it today.

24-Jul-2016 03:39:24 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2016 04:26:12 by AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A further manifestation of the shadow realm came to be studied in dream magic, or oneiromancy. This may have been prompted by the use of dream magic by the Mahjarrat. Zemouregal's use of oneiromancy against Arrav of Avarrocka is one example. Dreams among the Fremennik around the times of the rituals of rejuvenation likely inspired the interest in oneiromancy which persists among the Moon Clan until today.

Finally, around this same time some druids constructed the four elemental obelisks. Their actions followed from the following line of thought - one much less inspired than that which led to the advent of summoning: "We have altars and obelisks dedicated to the spirits of nature, as well as altars dedicated to the elements of magic. Would it not be more balanced to construct obelisks corresponding to the elements of magic as well?"

Additionally, in contrast to the natural and gnarled look of the summoning obelisks, the elemental obelisks were crafted with great precision. And instead of growing and yielding their benefits with time, the elemental obelisks gave a constant and complete access to the relevant magical element. These were used by the mystics of the surviving schools to create staves aligned to the four basic magical elements, though little came of these, since runic magics retained the same simplicity that they had had since the early ages of the world.

In addition to these new practical interests, the late 4th age also saw some important conceptual developments, which have significantly influenced the runic magics of the modern day. First, following the destruction of the School of Streit, the return of necromancy, and the discovery of summoning, magic was largely reconceived according to the concept of exchange. In the practice of summoning, for the cost of a determinate number of spirit shards, the mage purchased the company and service of a summoned familiar for a determinate extent of time.

24-Jul-2016 03:39:50

AttilaSquare

Posts: 1,792 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Necromancy also made use of this concept. While necromancy had taken many forms in ages past, one form in particular came to the fore in the late 4th age - that of exchanging life for life. For the cost of one living thing, the necromancer could resurrect or sustain another, at least for some amount of time. Thus emerged the roots of the modern tendency to quantify anima .

Next, while summoning and much of the sorcery of the 4th age had concerned itself with the native spirits of Gielinor - since Guthix's Edicts prevented much meddling with principle spirits - dream magic revealed a new way to reach beyond Gielinor's shadow realm. In dreams, the distinction between shadow and abyss is obscure. In one moment, one might find oneself in what appears to be the realm of light or in some believable alternative to it; but then in another moment, one might find oneself in another world entirely or in no world at all. One is attuned to a broad array of spirits in dreams.

By learning to control their dreaming, oneiromancers were able to scry on their enemies, to seek out secrets and pockets in shadow, and to explore the nearest regions of the abyss. (Obviously, "nearest" is a metaphor - more accurately, oneiromancers came to sense those principle spirits most easily sensed from the world of Gielinor.) This newly discovered access to the abyss led, on the one hand, to the research that would culminate in the pact with Azacorax, giving humans permanent waking access to the abyss and making possible their modern teleportation spells. And, on the other hand, it led to a new discipline of summoning - summoning not of native spirits but of foreign creatures.

24-Jul-2016 03:41:03 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2016 04:29:03 by AttilaSquare

Forums

On Chaos Druids