RuneScape Forum Archive | The Fate of Romeo

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The tramp breathed a sigh. "Now, I've said all I have to say about that whole sorry situation, and will say no more. I hope this answers all of your questions, because these are the only answers you will be getting."

With that, the tramp walked away from me and back toward the cages. He no longer even acknowledged my presence.

I knew then that it was time to leave. I headed back into Varrock Square, and took a look around. Apart from the absence of Romeo, Varrock Square still looked the same physically. But somehow, I knew it would never really be the same.

I could not help thinking about Romeo. Despite everything, I felt sorry for him. I know that if the tramp's story was true, he had murdered four people, but his madness was not entirely his own fault.

And I had to wonder if that whole story was in fact the truth. Was the tramp telling me what really happened, or was there something else going on? Granted, the story explained a lot, but still I had to wonder...

I realized I would not get any answers in Varrock, so I decided to venture elsewhere to get a more objective viewpoint.

I spoke with the Wise Old Man in Draynor Village, and told him what the tramp had told me.

"Well, you can't believe everything a ragged tramp tells you." the Wise Old Man said.

"But surely you keep up with what's going on in the world." I told him. "I mean, you knew about my thwarting the Hazeel cult just an hour after I did it. So you'd know all about what's going on in Varrock."

"I know what I know." said the Wise Old Man. "And knowing what I know, I do not speak of it. Perhaps you would be wise to do the same."

I had come to recognize this type of answer from the Wise Old Man. It was his usual reaction to any of my questions involving gods other than Saradomin, Guthix, and Zamorak. I would get nowhere questioning him on the subject any further.

(continued)

04-Oct-2010 17:11:50 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:40:22 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

And perhaps he was right. Perhaps it was best that I not bring up Romeo, or Juliet, or their families unless someone else brought them up first.

So I decided it was best to move on to new adventures. Things would not be the same, but life in Gielinor would indeed go on.

The End... or is it?

---------------------

Author's note: As it turns out, this is only the end of Act One. Originally, this was the whole story, but then I took a look at the Varrock Census. Apparently, while Jagex might be through with Romeo and Juliet, they might not be through with Draul Leptoc and Phillipa.

And so more ideas as to just what happened came, and I wrote Acts Two and Three.

And now, let us begin Act Two, where we will discover three more explanations as to what may have happened to Romeo and Juliet.

04-Oct-2010 17:12:00 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:40:47 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The Fate of Romeo and Juliet, Act Two: Other Explanations

After hearing the tramp's story about the tragic fates of Romeo and Juliet, and the others, and seeing as how no one else was talking about them, I had endeavored to put the whole thing behind me. Varrock, it was clear, had moved on. So I figured I should move on as well.

So I met with the dwarf Dororan in Barbarian Village, and had more success uniting him with the chieftain's daughter Gudrun than I had uniting Romeo with Juliet. Mostly because Dororan wasn't suffering from some sort of brain disorder, and Gunthor and the other barbarians were more reasonable than many gave them credit for.

Afterward, Dororan and Gudrun moved into Draul Leptoc's now vacated house. But neither of them knew what happened to the previous owners. All they knew was that said owners left a lot of interesting things behind. Gudrun was not sure how Gunthor was able to give her the house. She said the previous owner left the house to him, but believed that Gunthor had actually bought the house and was ashamed to admit it because it was beneath his dignity to barter like that. But it was clear she didn't really know.

If the tramp's story was true, King Roald had stripped Draul Leptoc of his property and given it to Chieftain Gunthor. But I still had my doubts.

So, once again, I decided to do some investigating.

First, I looked in the Varrock Census. It was still nine or ten years out of date, but I noticed some changes. Draul Leptoc was still in there, listed as 'Lord', and Phillipa DeMarne was listed as 'minor noble'. But there were no listings at all for Romeo Gontamue and Juliet Leptoc. It was as if they had never existed at all.

I began to seriously wonder what was going on there. Clearly someone was hiding something.

Now, more than ever, I really wanted to know the whole story behind their disappearance. And the tramp's story was not enough.

(continued)

04-Oct-2010 17:12:14 - Last edited on 05-Feb-2022 15:18:43 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I realized, however, that I would get no answers from Reldo, or from anyone in Varrock. Or, at least, anyone in 'mainstream' Varrock.

First, I decided to go to the Jolly Boar Inn next to the Lumber Yard, and just south of the Wilderness. I figured that if I needed to find people who knew things they weren't supposed to know, this would be the right place.

The Jolly Boar, as usual, was filled with drunkards, thieves, and at least one Black Knight. Most of whom tended to mind their own business unless people bothered them. But here, I was in a bothering mood.

So I went up to the bartender and asked. "Do you know what has happened to Romeo and Juliet, and the Leptocs?"

The bartender gave me an odd look. "Now why are you asking me about that?"

"I figured you were keeping up with what was going on in Varrock. They've all disappeared, and no one seems to know what happened to them, and some are acting as if they were never there at all."

"Really?" the bartender raised an eyebrow. "Now that's strange. Have you talked to everyone there?"

"Well, no, not everyone. Just enough to give me the idea that I wasn't going to get anywhere by asking people." I replied. "Only one person was willing to tell me anything, and that was the tramp by the thief cages."

"And what did he say?" the bartender asked, clearly curious.

So I told the whole story about the dinner, and the tangled web of murder and treachery. As I finished, laughter came from some of the bar patrons.

The bartender just smiled. "I know Draul Leptoc pretty well. He may have trouble controlling his temper, but he's not a murderer. And I doubt he would kill people to try to manipulate Varrock into going to war with the barbarians. I don't think he cares about the barbarians much, as long as they stay on the other side of the River Lum and don't bother him."

"Well, his own daughter Juliet thought he was capable of killing Romeo." I replied. "And I heard that from Juliet herself."

04-Oct-2010 17:12:26 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:44:16 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Well, he might make an exception there, but I don't really know what's going on." the bartender replied.

"I do." said the Black Knight.

"You?" I asked. "But ... you never talk to anyone. You just wander around here silently until someone fights you."

"That is because I usually have nothing to say." the Black Knight replied. "But now I do."

"My tale is short and to the point." the Black Knight began. "The other night, Zemouregal returned to Varrock. This time, he approached from the north side of the Grand Exchange."

"He knew that another invasion was out of the question. He needed to devote the majority of his time to preparing for the Mahjarrat ritual. So instead, he decided he would take vengeance on the descendants of the man who assisted Arrav."

"He now knew who they were ... the Leptocs."

"So he sent a group of zombies past the west wall of the Grand Exchange, past Lucien's house, to the Leptoc house. Romeo, as it happened, was nearby. Juliet and her father, plus Romeo, were seized and taken to the edge of the Wilderness where Zemouregal awaited."

"And there ... Zemouregal quickly put them to death. With his vengeance complete, he headed back to the north to prepare for the ritual." the Black Knight concluded.

"But ... what about Phillipa? Was she there too?"

"I neither know nor care about this person." the Black Knight said coldly.

"But what about the census? Why are Romeo and Juliet's names gone?" I asked.

"I have told you all I know, and all I will tell you." the Black Knight said. With that, he marched out of the Jolly Boar.

I thought for a moment. If this story were true, then perhaps they died as heroes, saving the life of the true descendant of the elder who had assisted Arrav. And no one would ever know.

But I did not have long to ponder this, for then, the thief in the bar spoke up. "The story I heard was similiar to that, but different."

"Oh, really?" I asked.

04-Oct-2010 17:12:39 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:47:24 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Yes. Okay, where do I begin? Now, you've been around lots of places, right?" the thief asked rhetorically. "So you've seen a lot of things, and know all about these conspiracies and shady dealings, right?"

"Yes." I said.

"Then you probably know about the strange Saradomist-Zamorakist conspiracy too, right?"

"Well, I know about it, but I can't say I know much about it." I said honestly.

"You probably know about as much as I do." the thief replied. "They're a collective of Saradomists and Zamorakists, from the looks of them, who are taking an interest in the Morytania area and may be willing to go against the Guthixian edicts. Beyond that, none of us knows anything."

"Yes, I knew that. But what do they have to do with..."

"I'm getting there." the thief said. "Anyway, Romeo was on his way back from Father Lawrence's church, when he heard voices from the Varrock sewer. Normally, he ignored such things cause they were none of his business. But who was that he saw standing at the top of the manhole listening? It was Juliet!"

"At once, he went into shock, seeing her returned from the dead. But Juliet shushed him, telling him to listen carefully."

I found myself almost transported to the scene as the thief spoke.
----
"In Saradomin's name!"
"Praise Zamorak!"

"I saw a man dressed in Saradominist symbols pass through the market." Juliet said to Romeo. "It did not seem strange, until I found him approaching a man dressed in Zamorak robes. I expected them to fight, but instead they..."

It was at that point that two Zamorak monks dragged Romeo and Juliet into the sewer.
----
"And since neither Romeo nor Juliet were skilled adventurers, they both fell easily. It was then that they began to cover their tracks. Their agents excised the names of Romeo and Juliet from the census, and their bodies were disposed of. Soon, it became clear that no one would speak of this again if they knew what was good for them."

04-Oct-2010 17:12:49 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:49:55 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Draul Leptoc and Phillipa both panicked and got out of Varrock as fast as they could. If Leptoc could leave his hunting trophies behind, you KNEW this had to be serious." the thief concluded.

"And how do you know all this?" I asked.

"A friend told me." the thief replied. "Alas, I have not heard from him in a few days. The conspiracy may have made him 'disappear' as well."

"How convenient." I muttered.

"That's not what I heard." said a blonde woman who looked a bit drunk. "You mentioned Cordero in that story you repeated, right?"

"Yes, I did." I replied.

"Well, the story I heard has him in it, too. In fact, he's the one who started it." the woman said.

I had met Cordero, albeit briefly. I never really paid all that much attention to what he had to say, for by the time he arrived in Lumbridge as a tutor, I pretty much knew the cooking basics already. He seemed generally content to just pass along cooking advice.

"Really?" I asked. "He didn't seem like the sort to instigate anything. Unless he wanted the Lumbridge cook's job, but I never heard of any discontent."

"He was only part of it, but the story starts with him." the woman began. "Let me start from the beginning."

And as she spoke, I found myself almost transported to the scene.
----
Juliet and Phillipa stood on the west balcony of the Leptoc house. From there, they had a good view of the Cooking Guild to the northwest, and the River Lum to the west.

"Good view from here. A shame those goblins keep roaming about the land between the Cooking Guild and the Barbarian Village." Phillipa commented. "But what can we do?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." Juliet replied. "Wait a minute, what is this?"

Someone emerged from the Cooking Guild, slamming the door angrily and heading south from the entrance.

"That's Cordero, an old friend of the family." Juliet said. "He's been going to the Cooking Guild a lot ever since he lost his cooking tutor job."

04-Oct-2010 17:18:25 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:52:08 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"He looks quite angry. I wonder what happened in there." Phillipa remarked.

"I don't know, but I might as well ask him. Maybe I can help." With that, Juliet left the balcony and headed downstairs. Draul Leptoc, her father, did not stop her because he was busy speaking with a messenger from the King.

She went out on the street and intercepted Cordero just as he was passing the West Varrock bank.

"Cordero, you seem upset. May I ask what is the matter?" she asked him.

"Nothing." he said. "The Cooking Guild still hasn't found me a new job yet. That's all."

"Maybe I could help?" Juliet asked.

"You can't, I'm afraid. If you could, I'd have asked you long ago. Now good day, Juliet. May it treat you better than it has me." Cordero replied.

Cordero kept walking, into Varrock Square, and Juliet attempted to follow, but as she did, she bumped into someone, and they both fell to the ground.

"Romeo?" Juliet gasped.

"Juliet?" Romeo gasped. "But ... you're dead! I saw your body lying ever so still in that dreary, dark, dank, dusty, dirty..."

"Romeo!" Juliet interrupted. "I wasn't dead! I drank a Cadava potion that made me APPEAR dead to escape my father's house!"

"Well, that seems like a strange thing to do. Couldn't you have just tied your sheets together into a rope and climbed down the balcony?" Romeo asked.

"Now that I think about it, yes I could have." Juliet replied. "Why does Father Lawrence have to make things so complicated?"

"It matters not." Romeo said. "For now, fate has brought us back together. I am the south, and fair Juliet is the sun!"

"What does that mean?" Juliet asked.

"Maybe ... I got that wrong." Romeo blushed. "It's just that the cook you were following was headed south, so that's the first direction that came to mind."

"Cordero!" Juliet exclaimed. "Something is wrong, I just know it!"

04-Oct-2010 17:18:38 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:55:19 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

With that, she rushed southward, followed by Romeo. They passed through the south entrance of Varrock, and spotted Cordero heading toward the entrance to the desert.

Soon, they caught up with him near where Ali the leaflet dropper was advertising the businesses of Al Kharid's marketplace. Cordero, however, did not head south. Instead, he headed east, toward the other side of the northern desert mining area.

Juliet and Romeo followed, as Cordero headed toward a gathering of people. Juliet recognized them from her last trip to Lumbridge. At the head of the group was Monlun, the mining tutor. Then there was Gee, the local farmer, and Julian, a Lumbridge citizen who occasionally gave people work. Also present were the Prayer tutor and the Crafting tutor, though Juliet, sadly, could not recall their names.

Cordero spoke. "Still no work. One would THINK that I'd get a cooking job somewhere. Varrock palace, the White Knights' castle, Castle Ardougne ... none of them are interested in hiring me."

Gee spoke up. "I don't even know why I was let go. My sister Donie still has a job, but I was told I was not needed. Couldn't they have found me a farming patch to guard? I've tried to join Martin the Master Gardener's Group of Advanced Gardners, but he told me all the positions were filled."

Monlun addressed the group. "You know why we are here. Since Roddeck arrived in Lumbridge, all of us have been dismissed from our tutor positions. Roddeck, for some mysterious reason, knows everything we know about mining, cooking, crafting, and prayer. Who IS this Roddeck? For someone who claims to be a simple gentleman, he seems to know a lot about the various skills. If you ask me, I find this to be more than a bit suspicious."

04-Oct-2010 17:18:50 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 16:56:07 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Julian spoke up. "Have you seen the Lumbridge Guide lately? It's sad, really. There he is, reading through his scrolls, and not being able to give out any of the information he used to give out. All he can do now is tell adventurers a little about Lumbridge. It's almost as if someone ... or something ... is keeping him from being the wealth of information he used to be. Is it some edict he has to follow? Is it ... some spell?"

"What is going on?" Romeo blurted out.

Monlum noticed Juliet and Romeo for the first time. "Who are these people?"

"This is Juliet." Cordero explained. "I've been a friend of her family for some time now. She's followed me probably thinking she can help me. And the man is probably this Romeo I've heard about."

"But surely I can help you." Juliet protested. "My father has connections. Surely he can find you some work."

"I've been all through this with the Cooking Guild." Cordero replied. "No one wants to hire me. No one even wants to acknowledge I exist. If I can't give tips to novices anymore, surely I can still cook. But no, that's not what they think."

Monlum nodded. "I have been, for some reason, unable to claim any mine as my own. I wander from mine to mine these days, never able to settle down. Enough is enough! Roddeck is the man responsible for our present problems, and it is time we confronted him on it."

Juliet noted the hostility in Monlum's voice. "What are you planning?" she asked nervously.

"You will have to come along. You know too much now." Monlum said.

"Oh, goody! An adventure!" Romeo shouted. "I am sure we have quite a story to tell to all those adventurers who pass me at Varrock Square."
---
"To make a long story short..." the woman continued.

"Too late." I said.

"Anyway, they all marched toward Lumbridge, and toward Roddeck's house. It was there that the trouble began." the woman continued.

04-Oct-2010 17:19:03 - Last edited on 05-Aug-2013 17:01:35 by Darelzel

Forums

The Fate of Romeo