RuneScape Forum Archive | The Oracle of ScapeRune

WolfLord7777

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Prologue: To Know the Future, One Must Look to the Past

The following is an extract from “The Annals of the Oracles”, written and compiled by the Oracles of Runescape.

At the dawn of time itself the universe was bursting with energy. When the energy contained became too much, the universe cracked.

As monumental amounts of energy were released every second, it began to coalesce into a single being. And so the god Guthix was born from nothing.

From the energies contained within himself, and from which he himself was created, Guthix created the material universe from raw energy.

As Guthix moulded the universe to suit his desires, he created other sentient beings, granting them a small portion of his power and granting them a world with which they could do what they wished.

As the universe expanded, and more and more gods were created, Guthix became weaker. His control over the universe wavered. As he created the last god, his concentration broke, and the world which he had created was almost destroyed. As he strove to save his precious universe, the god which he was creating and the planet whom it would rule were, split, creating two polar opposites. One god was the true rendition of absolute evil, the other the true rendition of absolute good.

Then Guthix fled inwards, still battling with the forces that threatened to destroy his universe.

And so the plane of Gielnor, and the worlds Runescape and ScapeRune were created, along with Zaros and Saradomin.

18-Jan-2011 01:02:38 - Last edited on 18-Jan-2011 01:33:53 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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The following is an extract from “The History of ScapeRune”, compiled by the historians of ScapeRune over the course of the last five ages.

A pair of twins were born in the first age. They were the sons of one of the most powerful human tribes in ScapeRune. They showed immense power, and by the time they were 20, when their father died, they had helped to quadruple the tribe’s power and wealth. They then split the tribe in half and went on their own way. Over the years they garnered a large following, and soon they were the equal second most powerful tribes. They then joined forces to destroy the leader of the only tribe still to oppose them, a man ten years older than them called Morak. The three of them all had huge armies, the biggest armies of the entire age. But before they could do battle, Zaros appeared. He told the three of them to stop, and when he saw that they were about to continue anyway, he told them that he would let them live if they combined their forces in his name and became his first Disciples. He told them the secrets of magic and made them immortal. He also added Za to the beginning of his name to signify that they were his disciples. This was the end of the first age.

Over the second age, he found another six mighty soldiers and added them to the ranks of his Disciples, who became known as the Nine. He subjugated all of ScapeRune to his rule and raised a mighty army, the likes of which had never been seen before and would never be seen again. Then he marched on Runescape, creating a rift between the two worlds so powerful that it would never fully close. This was the end of the second age.

In the third age there was a huge war between Runescape and ScapeRune. Saradomins forces drove Zaros back time and time again, although his armies were getting weaker and weaker. Saradomin called upon aid from the other gods, and they combined against Zaros. Still the battle raged, until Zamorak attempted a rebellion.

18-Jan-2011 01:02:45 - Last edited on 18-Jan-2011 01:34:13 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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Zamorak had always been the most powerful of the Nine, and the most ambitious. He called upon two of the Nine to help him one agreed, the other did*’t. One ran to tell Zaros, and Zamorak immediately attacked. Zamorak’s fellow traitor fought with the other Disciples, Zamorak attacked Zaros. Zaros was far more powerful. He almost killed Zamorak, finally knocking him the floor. But as he fell, Zamorak pulled Zaros down with him. Zaros fell onto Zamorak’s enchanted staff, and part of his power was transferred to Zamorak. While Zaros recovered, Zamorak and his fellow conspirator fled to Runescape, casting of the prefix Za and any allegiance to Zaros.
When he had recovered, Zaros discovered that one of his own Disciples had killed one of the Nine. He invaded Runescape again, intent on revenge as well as domination. The world shook as the gods grappled for power, ripping the world apart. Then Guthix, eldest of the gods, awoke from his slumber and used his power to create the Edicts of Guthix, which stopped gods from coming bodily back to Runescape and blocked up the rift between the worlds, which meant that all the other gods were driven out and could not come back until they could defeat Guthix. Then Guthix went back to sleep and wept at the destruction wreaked on the worlds he created.

18-Jan-2011 01:02:52 - Last edited on 18-Jan-2011 01:34:29 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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Chapter One: The Encroaching Darkness

Admiral of the Fleet Derk McCarthy of the Ardougne Navy stood on the battlements of the wall encircling Ardougne and stared out at the barren and bloody battlefield before him.

Oily flames licked at the sky as the marauding ScapeRune army burned everything in their path and slaughtered any of the survivors from the desperate delaying action that the Runescape War Council had organized to try and stop the invading army.

As he looked out at the blood soaked ground Derk thought about how, less than an hour ago, the survivors of that delaying force had arrived back at the gates, bedraggled and drastically depleted.

Of the 25 000 men deployed, less than 6000 returned, and most of them were too injured to continue fighting. They had lost more than 22 000 fighting men and had only managed to delay the invaders for a couple of hours. True, they had managed to destroy two of the three bridges across the river and killed over 40 000 ScapeRune soldiers, but while the ScapeRune army could weather the losses, they could not.

Derk himself has lost most of his armoured marines, his flag ships personal guard and lost his personal bodyguard, Colonel Grant “Snake” Webster.

As Derk looked out over the battlefield a line of vehicles rumbled forth from the ruins, each with a battery of missiles on a rack on the back.

Derk turned around and jogged to the other side of the 70 feet thick stone wall, his bodyguard unit of 20 men following him.

Behind him a barrage of missiles hit the wall. Most glanced of the heavy metal sheets plating the stone wall, and the others barely scratched the heavily reinforced granite blocks.

***

18-Jan-2011 01:03:02 - Last edited on 18-Jan-2011 01:35:10 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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A red robed figure stood on the edge of a shattered bridge and looked out at the huge walls of Ardougne, long wooden staff in his right hand. Below him the raging torrent of the river flowed over the ruins of the central span of the bridge, which had collapsed into river.

Blood soaked his hands and robes, flowing bright scarlet down his wrists and staining his hands with gore. More blood saturated his face, as if he had tried to smear himself with as much blood as possible.

A man in full battle dress came up behind him and bowed down.

“My Lord, our siege weapons are barely penetrating the walls. We have been battering them with hundreds of salvos for three hours now, and we haven’t made a mark.”

“You will continue until I say otherwise. Three hours is not a very long time. Now do not disturb me again until you have something of consequence to report,” the robed man replied in a dry, husky voice which crackled with power.

“But, My Lord, we don’t have enough supplies to continue-”

The robed man turned around so fast that the armoured man barely saw it and whipped his hand wielding the staff through the air.

The soldier heard a whistling sound and roared as an invisible whip slashed his cheek. It cut straight through his cheek, revealing a set of cracked teeth. Blood spurted out in a fountain of gore. The man clutched at his desiccated face and collapsed onto the bridge

The robed man waved his hand again, and another gas)h appeared on the prone mans clasped hands. He screamed in absolute agony as gallons of blood poured out of the gaping holes in his hands. Each gas)h opened and closed as his hands spasmed, looking like the gills of a fish.

The robed man slashed his hand through the air again and again, staining the grey stone of the bridge red with blood. Soon the prone body stopped convulsing and became still.

Then the robed man turned back to his contemplation of the walls of the city as the dying man behind him gurgled out his last breath.

***

18-Jan-2011 01:11:20 - Last edited on 26-Jan-2011 02:18:00 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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The wavering light of the flames from Roals torch illuminated the roughly-hewn rock walls of the tunnel in an uneven light.

Roal glanced again at the tunnel branching away into three before him, hoping that it might have changed since he last looked, less than a minute ago.

“Deother, choose quickly. I know that you’re lost and afraid of getting more lost, but those things will get past the barrier Dorn made any minute now. We don’t have any time to waste, unless you think we can hold them off when they’re coming from all sides?” Roal said anxiously.

Roal was standing in the middle of the tunnel with a spluttering torch in his right hand and an enchanted blade given to him by Deother in his left. Fang was leaning against the wall, methodically field-stripping his assault rifle while his eyes flickered from place to place constantly, roving for anything out of the normal.

“If I make a mistake we could be here for months, or we might not ever get out. I need to make the right choice,” Deother replied from his position before the gaping tunnels without turning around.

“Bloody elves,” Roal heard Fang mutter behind him.

Roal unconsciously nodding. He and Fang had become good friends during their short time together, and he agreed with him in any case. Elves might be faster and more agile than humans, but they live on a very different timescale. He might as well try to lift a mountain as rush an elf. Especially a Lord. Dorn could do it, but he couldn’t.

He did*’t realise he had said the last part aloud until he saw Fang nodding.

He noticed Deother stiffen and his lips curl in distaste, as they always did when anyone mentioned the ancient, red-cloaked man.

“Deother, why do you hate Dorn so much?” fang asked, his assault rifle slung back into his shoulder holster and Roal knew he was thinking along lines as he was.

“It’s this way,” Deother said suddenly and abruptly, pointing to the right-hand tunnel.

18-Jan-2011 01:11:28 - Last edited on 26-Jan-2011 02:20:08 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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“That does not answer my question, elf,” Fang said as Deother strode down the right-hand tunnel.

Roal shrugged at Fang and followed suit. Swearing, Fang followed him.

***

The red light from Dorn’s staff illuminated everything equally, giving everything a flat appearance.

“Why the hell did*’t you make sure they were following us before you ran off!” Dorn yelled, his eyes burning so brightly Selvaria thought that they would melt the rocks.

*I thought they were with you. And anyway, I did*’t have time to check behind me, with trying to avoid being brained by those . . . things . . . and trying to keep up with you it’s a wonder me and Hawk aren’t lost as well, let alone try to check up on others we thought were safe,” Selvaria replied coolly, looking Dorn straight in the eye.

“So you “soldiers” don’t have the skill to look after those in need as well as yourself? I was told you were more skilled and less selfish, captain. No wonder the wars going badly, if the best you’ve got is the likes of you,” Dorn replied silkily.

Selvaria blinked. She still found Dorn’s sudden and unexpected mood swings confusing and annoying.

Selvaria turned away angrily, enraged at his insinuations against her courage. She had fought in over eight battles and 59 skirmishes. She had done over 100 live drops and 500 practice drops. She had fought for her country since she was 21 and almost died doing her duty on several occasions. And this man called her a coward, when all he did was use cheap tricks and lies.

There was a crack, and Dorn appeared before her.

“You have been charged with protecting that young man and I suggest you do it better in future or Runescape will be consumed by the Empty Lord. If you shirk from your duty at the first sign of trouble you have no business on this trip. So, do I have your word that you will do better, or do you humans abandon your word as soon as you abandon your friends?” Dorn said, his voice still that silky, slightly mocking, slightly angry.

18-Jan-2011 01:11:36 - Last edited on 26-Jan-2011 02:20:38 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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Selvaria’s face creased in anger at the implication that she wouldn’t hold to her word.

“I swear to treat him as if he were the Speaker of the Council of the Nine himself. Now do you think we could get away from here? That barrier you set around the room where we were attacked won’t last forever.”

Dorn’s face creased in anger, though Selvaria did*’t know why, she had said what he wanted.

“What did you mean, “you humans”?” Hawk said curiously, “You’re human too.”

“I was human, many thousands of years ago. Now I am far more,” Dorn said angrily, “I could obliterate your entire Guild of Mages with a wave of my hand. Don’t worry about that room; it will be sealed until we are long gone.”

Then he strode off past Selvaria, the red light from his staff following him.

Selvaria and Hawk hurried after him, trying to keep up to the figure in red robes that seemed to move faster than he should.

Selvaria’s face creased as she thought of the attack on their party, less than an hour ago, although it seemed like years.

They had paused for a moment while Deother read his precious maps for the correct path.

Then she had heard a noise and had turned around. There were several more like it, and Selvaria had thrown a large incendiary grenade.

It flashed bright white, stripping rotten flesh from mouldy bones.

The creatures illuminated by the flames writhed, falling into each other and into the walls, trying to reach the fresh meat they could sense before them even as they disintegrated.

Then, as if the first few were just a diversion more poured out of the other tunnels like a flood.

Deother’s twin swords flashed as he danced and weaved, slashing through rotten flesh like a knife through butter. After they were so much as touched by his blades the creatures fell to rise no more.

Dorn threw beams of light out of his hands which struck the creatures even as they tried to dodge it. As the light struck them they disintegrated into a pile of dust.

18-Jan-2011 01:11:44 - Last edited on 26-Jan-2011 02:21:22 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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Then even more came from behind Selvaria, reaching forward with grasping arms.

Selvaria swung the short-bladed knife Deother had given her expertly. It struck one of the creatures square in the face, before it fell to the ground and did*’t move.

Then Fang, just behind her, shrugged his assault rifle from his shoulder strap and fired the underslung grenade launcher. There was a flash of white and the world shook. There was a deep rumbling from all around them. Selvaria was surprised, whatever grenades Fang used they packed one mighty punch.

Dorn and Deother both shouted “This way!” at the same time, running down different tunnels. Selvaria sprung forward, just in time to see Hawk duck round the corner Dorn had gone for. She followed suite, just as rocks cave behind them fell to the ground.

Dorn raised his arm and a silvery shield of something like water encircled the chamber, still with atleast thirty of the creatures in it. It fell down in a sheet just behind Selvaria. One of the creatures pounded into it, bouncing off like it was a brick wall. Selvaria stuck her hand through it. It slid straight through.

She turned around and saw Dorn and Hawk running up the tunnel in front of her.

She ran after them.

Selvaria broke out of her reverie and saw Hawk hurrying to keep up with Dorn whilst trying to watch her anxiously at the same time.

She laughed at the similarity between the position she was in and the one she had just thought about and picked up her pace.

18-Jan-2011 01:11:51 - Last edited on 26-Jan-2011 02:21:36 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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Chapter Two: By Land and Water

The water of the river split around the dark metal shape being slowly lowered into the water. It was atleast 150 feet long and 20 feet wide. It took eight large recovery vehicles, each with a huge winch capable of lifting a battle tank to lift it.

Three more were already out in the middle of the river. They were almost completely submerged, with only the top of their conning towers still out of the water. A large number of boats were milling around them, offloading soldiers by the dozen. Another black shape had already completely submerged, barely visible in the deep water.

Suddenly one of the winch cables snapped violently. As the cable snapped it writhed like a snake with its head cut off. It crashed into three workers, all but cutting them in half.

“That’s the third bloody cable gone,” Captain Troy Carter muttered angrily.

He was the man in charge of the force about to board the submarine being loaded into the water. A thick knotted scar slashed across his face, starting at his chin and continuing diagonally across his face ending at his left ear that was almost cut in half. His left eye was an empty socket, after his eye had been cut in half it had had to become infected. The scar was a memorial to failure in the Imperial ScapeRune Army. It had been given to him by the First of the Nine after had failed to capture an important enemy commander. More scars knotted his body, but the one on his face was the most visible.

“We’re only a few minutes away from loading, Sir. We don’t really need another one,” a voice said behind him.

18-Jan-2011 01:11:59 - Last edited on 27-Jan-2011 08:42:07 by WolfLord7777

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The Oracle of ScapeRune