RuneScape Forum Archive | OSRS; Skotizo & Silverlight

Nov

2023

Tria Prima

Posts: 9 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

In a recent Q&A session, a question was given to the mods asking about the lore between Skotizo and Silverlight. The response was to let the players try to come up with their own. And so, here is my attempt at explaining it.

Part 1 - Skotizo

Starting off, I looked into Skotizo, and learned that he was a Zamorakian General who was sent to Karamja to find a powerful artifact. He found it, stole it, and then fled with it to Zeah, later creating the catacombs that weave their way under the city of Kourend. I made the assumption that the artifact in question was the crystal on Skotizo’s back which bears a strong resemblance to the Dark Altar. Given the nature of the catacombs and its inhabitants, I hypothesized that the artifact had two main properties: it emanates large quantities of dark energy and it manipulates life. From what I recall from RS3, Zaros bears the aspect of darkness and furthermore has attempted to manipulate various life-forms in the past; so I went to the wiki in hopes of finding some sort of connection.

To my luck I actually found a solid lead. Zaros had created four power stones, each attuned to one of the four elements of Ancient Magick. And with them he created the Nihil from four different races. Based on this I speculate that the artifact is a Dark Power Stone, a precursor and prototype to the four power stones that came after. It was likely a failure, horribly warping those it was used on both physically and mentally. Thus Zaros decided to hide it far away in the southern jungles of Karamja, guarded in a temple to keep away those who might want to use it. Zamorak likely learned of its existence while serving as Zaros’ general. After banishing him and taking his place as a god, Zamorak attempted to find the artifact to further boost his already frightening powers. But after Skotizo took it for himself, he left the continent to avoid Zamorak’s wrath.

09-Apr-2019 03:24:08

Nov

2023

Tria Prima

Posts: 9 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

At this point I imagine the Dark Power Stone, in addition to granting him great strength, also started to corrupt Skotizo’s body. After a certain amount of time it eventually fused with his body, leaving Skotizo no means of removing it. It was like a cancerous mass that also gives you super powers. However, before he succumbed to it he discovered the Dark Altar, a strange font of power that resonated with the power stone. Whether the Dark Altar had similar origins as the power stone is unknown, but to Skotizo it was a life saver. As long as he remained near the altar it would keep the power stone under control. So Skotizo decided to build the catacombs where he could hide away while keeping within its vicinity. He summoned a large number of monsters to serve as guardians for him and kill any intruders that may stumble in. He still remains there to this day, lurking in the deepest part of his lair.

Part 2 – Silverlight & Ancient Shards

From what I know, Silverlight is effective against both vampyres and demons. I would guess that the sword is an alloy of silver and some other metal that demons are weak to. Going back to the wiki I learned of Bane Ore in RS3 which can be tuned to different monsters. If Silverlight does contain Demonbane in it, that would explain not only why it’s effective against demons but also why it grows stronger from the blood of powerful demons (Similar to Balmung and the dagannoths).

09-Apr-2019 03:24:40

Nov

2023

Tria Prima

Posts: 9 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

After the power stone fused with Skotizo’s body he began to ‘shed’ crystal shards. Maybe these ancient shards were created as a means to expel the excess energy of the power stone; or perhaps as a genetic phenomenon resulting from their fusion. Either way, they are littered across the catacombs, corrupting the creatures that reside in it and in turn making them prisoners of the catacombs and the dark altar. But how is it that the ancient shards affect Silverlight? The answer lies in their composition. These shards are the crystalized demonic blood of Skotizo. It’s because the shards possess demon blood that they are compatible with Silverlight and in turn make it stronger.

Part 3 – Further Speculation and Ideas

Based off these ideas, I would venture to guess that if Zenyte Shards are similarly made from the blood of demonic gorillas, they might also be able to be used on Silverlight.

If Silverlight does possess Demonbane, it’s probably a far older and more important sword than thought.

If the Dark Altar is stabilizing the power stone in Skotizo, then if it were to shut down as it nearly did in ‘The Ascent of Arceuus’, Skotizo would likely succumb to its powers and mutate into a far more fierce and powerful monster.

The ancient shards can be used in conjunction with the altar to teleport across the catacombs. Also the player can build an obelisk that connects to the wilderness obelisks using ancient crystals dropped by revenants. So it could be that Zarosians used such crystals as a means of teleporting.

The Dark Altar is probably related to Zaros

Maybe Skotizo was actually still loyal to Zaros and took the artifact and fled to Zeah to safely await his return.

09-Apr-2019 03:25:06

Nov

2023

Tria Prima

Posts: 9 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Part 4 – Flavor text

The lore for this would probably be found in the Arceuus Library, as a drop from Skotizo, or maybe on a skeleton in the catacombs. It might read something along the lines of:

“As of late the demon that lurks beneath our great city has not left its den in the deepest parts of the catacombs. This has given me more time to navigate these maze-like tunnels and try to find what secrets might be buried here. Progress I still slow, however, as each turn in these caves leads towards creatures more bloodthirsty than the last. Nearly all of them are changed in some way or form, and each of them seems driven to attack anyone who ventures down below the surface.”

“Today I discovered a strange crystal while exploring the catacombs. Unfortunately, before I could make it back to the surface to analyze it, I accidently woke a nest of bloodvelds that chased me away from the exit. I ended up running deeper into catacombs until I lost not only the monsters but my way out as well. I wandered for hours trying to find my way back to a part of the catacombs I would recognize. But just as I was beginning to lose hope, I came across a second discovery: a strange altar residing deep in the heart of the catacombs. As I walked up to study it, I felt the crystal I picked up earlier resonate with it, and in an instant I found myself near the hole I had entered from hours earlier. To think these caverns would hold such a secret as teleportation! I must research this further. Unfortunately, when I was teleported it seems the crystal fragment was destroyed in the process. I’ll just have to find another. I will not let this discovery escape me!”

“I’ve done it! I’ve successfully managed to bring back another crystal. The guard I hired to protect me wasn’t so lucky, but what I’ll learn from this shard will more than make up for his sacrifice. I have to start research immediately.”

09-Apr-2019 03:25:34

Nov

2023

Tria Prima

Posts: 9 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“The crystal appears to radiate with a dark energy similar to that of the dark altar. More so its composition appears to be that of blood from a greater demon. Somehow it has undergone crystallization and carries with it a small portion of the demon’s power. I still haven’t discovered the key to how it allows people to teleport but I suspect it’s similar to how the demon brought the monsters to the catacombs in the first place.”

“I decided to look more into demonic blood to see if I could find any more clues. Regrettably, while I could not find anything related to teleportation, I did find a legend about a demon-slaying sword that grew stronger by drinking the blood of powerful demons. I wonder if perhaps that sword would be compatible with the crystal shards that litter the catacombs. If so it might even become powerful enough to kill the demon that lurks below; using its own power against it no less. Alas, even if this sword does exist, all stories of it say it originates on another continent to the east. Finding it would be nearly impossible. I suppose it is back to the drawing board.”

“I think I found a clue at last. If I’m right the answer to all my questions can be found in…”

The rest of the story is cut off from there. Anyway, that’s everything I have. Thank you for reading.

09-Apr-2019 03:25:47

Hguoh

Posts: 7,581 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

According to the lore book The Promised Gift, Zaros intended to give Nex the power stones as a gift, but was unable to do so presumably due to his untimely ‘demise’ at the hands of Zamorak.

This understanding is supported by Nex’s absence and Pernix’s explanation of this (saying that she was building a fortress to contain a tremendous new power source) during the lead up to the coup flashback in The Children of Mah.

Acknowledging this information, it seems altogether unlikely that the power stones had been brought to Gielinor prior to Zamorak’s coup (likely remaining on Freneskae as that is where Zaros used them). But even if we err on the unlikely side and assume they were on Gielinor, I see no reason for just one to have ended up on Karamja of all places given the lack of Zarosian presence on the island.

09-Apr-2019 15:12:54

Nov

2023

Tria Prima

Posts: 9 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Ah, It didn't occur to me that the power stones might not be on Gielinor. However, a hypothetical fifth power stone (the one I bring up in my post), would probably have been made separately from the others.

Granted, if it was a prototype it still would probably be on Freneskae given your information. There would need to be a reason for how such an artifact ended up in Karamja. One explanation could be that it was brought there by a third party. But at that point one could make a dozen speculations that could all be true given the lack of info we currently have on this artifact.

09-Apr-2019 21:42:54

Nov

2023

Lego Miester

Posts: 35,339 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A pretty darn good explanation if ever I saw one. It does certainly seem worth the lore writers delving deeper into why Skotizso has a dark altar-esque artifact on his back, and whether that'll come to play in later content, or if its magic anticlimactically died with him (but gave us a pretty sweet sword). Headcanon Haven, where everything is made up and the points don't matter.
OSRS Lore: Xeric
Slepe Tight - Slepe Lore

10-Apr-2019 06:46:37

May

2011

Aquamancer

Posts: 2,047 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Well, in regards to the lore about Silverlight, it most definitely is not an ancient sword, or made out of silver or demonbane. According to Varrock Museum in both OSRS and RS3, Silverlight is "[a] steel sword" and "[a] striking example of early 5th Age weaponsmithing" meaning that it is a rather recent creation and specifically made of steel, not some strange alloy of silver and demonbane. Its magical abilities come from the sword "[being] magically treated to make it especially powerful against demons", indicating that the sword's powers are ultimately derived from some form of magical enchantments, though: the magic in the sword could also explain why the weapon can harm vampyres. The fact that Binding book from Legends' Quest (again, in both games) describes the sword as legendary indicates that despite its relatively young age, the weapon has become the stuff of legends in a matter of a century or two.

There are other sources of information about Silverlight. RS3 versions of Demon Slayer state that Silverlight is the only weapon that can damage Delrith, that Silverlight is a holy sword (the fact that the Spirit of Faith specifies that the sword is powerless without faith might indicate some sort of tie to Prayer, but then again, both cases of the sword being holy come from Saradominists who are unable to provide sources for the information, so take this with a grain of salt), and that the three spirits all wielded Silverlight in the past, but since Gideon specified that Delrith entered the world previously 150 years ago, they likely used the sword for different purposes.

20-Apr-2019 11:44:31

May

2011

Aquamancer

Posts: 2,047 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

As for less canonical sources, in "Eulogy for a Forgotten Hero", a Lores and Histories story removed after Demon Slayer rework and thus probably noncanonical, it appears that Silverlight was owned by an unknown adventurer who died fighting moss giants in Varrock Sewers, before Wally took the sword and used it to kill Delrith. How the adventurer had obtained the sword before being slain is unknown, but it is possible that this adventurer was the very first owner of Silverlight. Now that is probably not canon anymore, but still, food for thought...

In addition, Silverlight likely grew stronger after the Adventurer slew Agrith-Naar with it because we had summoned Agrith-Naar's true form to Gielinor. According to demon lore in RS3, demons can create astral projections of themselves to other planes while leaving their true bodies back to Infernus. Given that we explicitly summon Agrith-Naar back to Infernus, and that Agrith-Naar was said to have been an exceptionally powerful demon, it'd be possible that some Agrith-Naar's real power was transported into the sword via his blood. The dialogue indicates that the quest's experience reward is essentially a player turning Agrith-Naar's power into combat experience, so it'd make a lot of sense.

Here's the quote:
You try to wipe Silverlight clean, but Agrith-Naar's blood has fused with the blade. You heft the sword and sense that it has become more powerful. You feel the power flowing up into your arm. You can direct it into any combat skill...

Finally, some speculation. Given that no other object in-game has similar powers as Silverlight, it is likely that the spell in question is very obscure or difficult to cast. After all, there has to be some reason as to why there's only one Silverlight, instead of several Swords of Light. In addition, given the sword's association with Saradominism and its description of holiness, it is possible that the sword was created or commissioned by Saradominists.

20-Apr-2019 11:47:05

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OSRS; Skotizo & Silverlight