Death

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For what happens when a player dies, see Death (mechanic). For other uses, see Death (disambiguation).
"Grim" redirects here. For other uses, see Grimoire.
"Reaper" redirects here. For the Distraction and Diversion, see Soul Reaper. For the title, see the Reaper.
2005 Halloween event2007 Halloween eventDeath's office (free-to-play)Death's office (members)2009 Halloween event2010 Halloween event2011 Halloween event (sitting)2011 Halloween event (movable)2011 Halloween event (examinable)The World Wakes (interactive)The World Wakes (examinable)The World Wakes (cutscene)Missing, Presumed Death (examinable)Missing, Presumed Death (unarmed)Missing, Presumed Death (arms folded)Missing, Presumed Death (interactive)2014 Halloween eventDishonour among Thieves2015 Halloween eventNomad's Elegy (interactive)Nomad's Elegy (examinable)Nomad's Elegy (alt)Nomad's Elegy (command)Tales of NomadSliske's Endgame (examinable)Sliske's Endgame (interactive)2017 Halloween event2018 Halloween event (interactive)2018 Halloween event (examinable)2020 Halloween event2020 Halloween event (shop)FortunesTwilight of the GodsNecromancy!, sittingNecromancy!City of Um
Death
Death (2005).png
Release31 October 2005 (Update)
Also calledGrim Reaper, Harold, Nigel[1]
RaceUndead
MembersNo
QuestNo
LocationNear the player
ShopNo
GenderMale
OptionsExamine
ExamineDo not fear the Reaper.
Map
? (edit)
Advanced data
NPC ID? (edit)
LinksMRND
[view] • [talk]
Grim reaper hood chathead.png
Death chathead.png
Death (2020 Halloween event) chathead.png
Death (2020 Halloween event) chathead.png

Harold Death Esquire,[2] better known as simply Death or the Grim Reaper, is a legendary Guardian of Guthix who is responsible for the reaping of souls in Gielinor. He and his pet Muncher, a skeleton hellhound, can be found in his office north of the Draynor lodestone. He runs the Soul Reaper distraction and diversion, features in The World Wakes; Missing, Presumed Death; and Nomad's Elegy and has been the main figure of many Halloween events. He also plays a minor role in Some Like It Cold and Dishonour among Thieves.

He also acts as a "Death Tutor" when players die for the first time and explains death, item losses, and gravestones.

Players doing clues in Treasure Trails are sometimes directed to him with the anagram 'Hated'.

Powers and abilities[edit | edit source]

Death draws his extremely powerful scythe.

Death is very powerful, and in his role as the regulator of life he is responsible for freeing souls from bodies with his scythe and escorting them to the Grim Underworld, the underworld of Gielinor, where Icthlarin, the Menaphite god of the Underworld, then guides these souls through it safely. The two have a good relationship as both require one another for their respective roles.[3]

Contrary to popular belief, Death cannot kill or revive people on a whim, as he is only capable of killing people whose time has come in order to ensure balance.[4] Should he be unable to perform his duties, Death has several helpers who can use fragments of his scythe to collect the souls of the dead.

In combat, he is a fearsome adversary. His massive scythe is able to slice several foes at once, and he has an arsenal of magical spells at his disposal. He has been seen using a blue spell that sucks life out of a victim, as well as creating lethal spirit balls which inflict fatal damage when touched. He usually defends himself instead of actively trying to kill others, due to his vow to maintain balance and inability to kill anything not fated to die.

He is capable of fighting any of the powerful bosses that he may assign as reaper assignments, which he is forced to do if the World Guardian refuses enough of his tasks.[5]

Death is capable of existing in multiple places at once, as seen during the 2014 Halloween event. He is even powerful enough to turn back time itself, as seen in Some Like It Cold if the adventurer was unfortunate enough to die during the submarine sequence.

History[edit | edit source]

Origins[edit | edit source]

A stained glass window in Death's office depicting Harold prior to his death.

Harold was the first being to die on Gielinor, presumably meeting his end during the First Age. Although it is unknown exactly how he met his end, it is at least known that he was not murdered. The first being murdered on Gielinor was Rasial, and given that Harold was the first to die it is known that Rasial's murder occurred some time after Harold's passing. That said, having been the first to die, Harold, like Rasial, was among the first humans that Guthix brought to populate Gielinor from Teragard or one of its colonies. Rasial and Harold are known to have been contemporaries in their mortal lives, both followers of Guthix. While it's unconfirmed, based on a stained glass window in his office depicting him before his death, Harold may have died of old age. As the first being to meet their end on Gielinor, he was given the task of both regulating the balance of life and death and acting as Gielinor's psychopomp -- making sure that souls are able to leave their former bodies when they pass on.[6] To help with his duties, Guthix himself outfitted Harold with his signature robes and his scythe, the only known weapon capable of "reaping" souls and sending them to the underworld. He also bestowed a weakness upon him, ensuring that he cannot kill those whose time has not yet come, and likewise cannot save those whose time has.[4]

Guthix tasks Harold with regulating the balance of life and death and acting as Gielinor's psychopomp.

At the end of the First Age, Guthix withdrew underground to sleep in the hope that the mortal races would forget him. Not long after, other gods began to arrive. These included Tumeken and Elidinis, who soon had two children, Icthlarin and Amascut. Icthlarin became God of the Dead, while Amascut became Goddess of Rebirth. They tasked themselves with roles that made Death's role easier: Icthlarin and Amascut would meet the souls that Death escorted to the gates of the underworld, and then Amascut would allow those worthy a choice to be reincarnated instead of continuing to the afterlife. Icthlarin, in turn, took on the responsibility of escorting souls to the afterlife. However, it was after an incident on Freneskae that Amascut's mind became warped and this dynamic changed significantly. Amascut began to devour souls, and the underworld filled up with her soul-devouring beasts, making Icthlarin's role much more important than it had been before.[7]

Becoming a Guardian of Guthix[edit | edit source]

At the end of the Third Age, Guthix awoke from his slumber, sensing the devastation that the gods had caused to Gielinor. Guthix proceeded to bless various beings greatly, including Death, and tasked them with protecting him while he cast the gods out of Gielinor.[8] After Guthix finished casting the gods out, creating the Edicts of Guthix in the process, he tasked some of the guardians with various duties, although as Death was already busy with his current duties, Guthix did not bestow any more on him. Guthix then departed back into the ground to resume his slumber, and Death resumed his role as guide of souls to the underworld.[4]

Recent activity[edit | edit source]

Although Death continued to perform his duties throughout the Fourth and Fifth Ages, he also garnered a bit of a social life, even founding his own clan known as The Horsemen alongside the three other horsemen of the apocalypse and a man named Frank, although the latter was only let in because 5 people are needed to start a clan and Frank happened to be wandering past at the time. At some point he also adopted a skeletal hellhound known as Muncher, who he likes to keep alongside him in his mansion.

Protecting Guthix[edit | edit source]

Death fights the forces of K'ril Tsutsaroth during the Attempt to assassinate Guthix.
The following takes place during The World Wakes.

In 169 of the Fifth Age, Death accompanied his fellow Guardians (apart from Ocellus and Solak) and other Guthixians to Guthix's Cave after an adventurer triggered the alarm system. Like the other Guthixians, he chose to keep Guthix asleep and to preserve the edicts. The party arrived shortly after Zilyana and K'ril Tsutsaroth left, unable to open a giant door. Death explained their purpose and formed an alliance with the adventurer, not knowing that they were secretly working for the Zarosians on Sliske's "request". The adventurer managed to solve a locking mechanism for the door and unlock it, allowing passage for the Guthixian group.

At the other end of the door, they met with Cres, another Guardian of Guthix who had been placed to guard Guthix's cave with his automatons. After the adventurer was uplifted to become the newest Guardian by Guthix, Cres concluded that the other factions were about to storm the central room and kill Guthix, so the adventurer was placed as the leader of the group. The attacks indeed begun shortly after, with Bandosians and Zamorakians attempting to penetrate the storage wings. The adventurer aided Death in deterring the fearsome demon K'ril and his forces before dealing with Enakhra and her posse. After she had been dealt with, Zilyana invaded the room with her army of Saradominists, who swarmed the Guthixians. Death managed to easily hold his own in the ensuing battle.

Being forced to defend himself from Zilyana's troops.

Zilyana proceeded to send forth troops in an attempt to kill Juna, who had barricaded the passage to Guthix, while duelling Cres herself. Her troops were vanquished by the adventurer, but Zilyana, thinking the automaton to be Guthix, stabbed Cres in his torso, killing him. At that point, a small party of Zarosians arrived, having avoided all combat by trailing Zilyana's legion. The three parties pleaded for the adventurer to either aid them in protecting Guthix (Guthixians), killing him (Saradominists) or bargaining with him (Zarosians). Death was convinced the adventurer would pick their side, but was devastated and betrayed if they didn't. At that point, Sliske, concealed in the Shadow Realm, broke the seal to Guthix and made his way to the god.

The adventurer attempted to pursue him, but was held back by attacks from Death and the Valluta (in case they didn't side with the Guthixians), who had lost trust in them, or Char and Nex. They survived, however, and witnessed Sliske breaking his promise and killing Guthix using the staff of Armadyl. Guthix then took the adventurer in confidence and took them to a projection of his memories, explaining his history and why he wants the gods banished, before dying. Death and the others arrived soon after, realizing that Sliske was the one who killed Guthix. Guthix's death resulted in the Edicts being shattered, and Saradomin being the first god to return, forcibly teleporting the Zarosians away to avoid further conflict. If the adventurer betrayed the Guthixians, they forgave them, knowing that Guthix had chosen them to be the World Guardian. Death warned his fellow Guardians that this was just the beginning, as they soon departed to return to their intended roles.

Kidnapping[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Missing, Presumed Death.
Death, imprisoned within the Empryean Citadel.

Shortly after the dawn of the Sixth Age, Death was kidnapped by Sliske, the Mahjarrat that had slain Guthix, and imprisoned within a shadowy cage within the Empyrean Citadel, a citadel that formerly belonged to Armadyl that Sliske had captured. During his absence, Frank temporarily fulfilled Death's duties in the Soul Reaper minigame, while his helpers took some of his shards to reap souls, although they could only do so to monsters and there were too many souls for them to handle.

Sliske planned to bring all of the major gods to the citadel, intending to use Death to lure Icthlarin there, as, without Death to reap souls, Icthlarin would have no souls to escort through the underworld. Sliske used similar measures to lure the other gods, which included framing Saradominists for the murder of elves and Serenists for the murder of Saradominist monks, and claiming that he was having a "Grand Ascendancy", where he would ascend to godhood.

Shortly after his disappearance, the World Guardian was recruited by Brother Samwell to investigate the murder of his fellow monks. After their investigation ran fruitless, Icthlarin appeared and told the World Guardian of Death's disappearance. A band of wights sent by Sliske then attacked the duo, and one of them dropped a box, which contained an invitation for Sliske's "ascendancy" at the Empyrean Citadel, and also revealed that Sliske had kidnapped Death. While Icthlarin suspected that the "Grand Ascendancy" was one of Sliske's tricks, he nevertheless travelled to the citadel, taking the World Guardian with him, in order to try and rescue Death.

When the duo reached the main chamber of the citadel, they found Bandos, Saradomin, Zamorak, Armadyl and Brassica Prime, who had also been lured to the citadel. Sliske then presented Death inside his cage, and also revealed that he had captured the dragonkin Strisath. He revealed that the "ascendancy" was a ruse, and revealed that he obtained the Stone of Jas, and that he would be holding a contest, with the stone supposedly being awarded to the one to kill the most gods. Icthlarin and the other deities were outraged, and refused to trust Sliske, forcing him to "get things started himself". Sliske then attacked Icthlarin and tossed the World Guardian the key to Death's cage, before proceeding to release Strisath and teleport away, which caused the other gods to flee in fright.

Death teleports Icthlarin and the World Guardian away, moments before being fried by Strisath's breath.

Although Icthlarin questioned why Sliske had given the World Guardian the key, he protected them from Strisath's dragonkin-breath with a magical shield while they released Death, which they were able to do relatively quickly. After Death was freed, Icthlarin's shield broke, but Death was able to teleport himself, Icthlarin and the World Guardian away before Strisath was able to kill Icthlarin.

After the trio arrived safely back in the Silvarea mountain pass, Death warned the adventurer that gods would die in the coming days, and that as a World Guardian, they would be able to influence their fate. He also reassured Brother Samwell that the souls of his fellow monks would be safely escorted to the afterlife. Death then returned to his duty of reaping souls, while Icthlarin returned to the underworld.

Imbalance between life and death[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Soul Reaper.
Death inside his office, ready to task adventurers with Soul Reaper assignments.

Some time after his kidnapping, Death noticed an imbalance in the harmony of life and death, with life outweighing death significantly. In order to address this imbalance, Death invited the World Guardian to his office, and tasked them with correcting the imbalance by claiming the souls of various powerful monsters every day. In exchange for the World Guardian's help, Death was happy to reward them with various items and perks.

Capturing Nomad[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Dishonour among Thieves.

Although Death had not mentioned nomad, the warrior-mage greatly infuriated him, as Nomad stole souls that Death was to reap and bring to the Underworld for Icthlarin to guide. Apart from the immorality of this, Nomad's consumption of souls caused his lifespan to be significantly extended to what was well beyond a normal human. Death had constantly pursued Nomad, but was always one step behind.

That was until he obtained intelligence that Nomad was harvesting incandescent wisps south of the Poison Wastes, and was able to capture him. Death intended to exact justice on Nomad for stealing numerous souls, along with his own unnatural lifespan.

The World Guardian, who met with Moia and learned that Zamorak intended to steal the Stone of Jas, was requested by the chaos god to assemble a heist team that included Nomad, as Zamorak stated that he had taken out many traitors in his absence. Moia was able to track Nomad to Draynor Village, but his trail had gone cold near the nearby lodestone. The World Guardian headed into Death's office and found Death attempting to exact justice. They requested that they release him, much to Death's surprise, but due to them saving him at the Empyrean Citadel, Death was forced to oblige. Though the World Guardian apologised to Death, Death told them not to worry, as he was confident that they would bring Nomad back to him.

However, Nomad ends up betraying the heist team, and teleported away before Zamorak could kill him, frustrating Death once more as he now had to track him again.

Fight against Nomad[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Nomad's Elegy.

Death is first seen when the World Guardian ends up in his office after an explosion at Nomad's underground temple kills them. Death explains that Nomad is getting stronger and taking souls from Gielinor for his own purposes. He thinks up a plan with the World Guardian after they have grabbed allies Death had found useful when they were with them. After creating a battering ram and breaking through heavy Ascension resistance, he senses the presence of a "god" and is shocked by the abomination he sees later on.

He assists in taking down Gielinor by removing souls from the construct to weaken it. After Nomad is defeated by the World Guardian, they can decide who can kill Gielinor. If Death killed Gielinor, he is given an invitation by Sliske for killing a "god". Before Death can exact his vengeance on Nomad however, Sliske takes him away, much to his disappointment, although he is reassured of the victory by Xenia and the others. After the fight, he returns to his duties.

Sliske's Endgame[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Sliske's Endgame.

After stopping Nomad, Death returned to his office with Icthlarin regarding Sliske's Endgame. Both agreed that they could not let the gods claim the Stone, and that they would not use it for their own gains. The World Guardian arrived and handed them their invitations, which they accepted.

Inside the labyrinth, strange magic began to strip the divinity from the gods, making them mortal once more inside. Death commented that as the Grim Reaper, he could always tell when a mortal would die, and if he focused enough, could tell the fate of any mortal being and remember it like a vivid memory. Gods on the other hand, gave up their soul when ascending and thus, had no afterlife. This caught the World Guardian's attention, so Death told them that he would let them know the fate of one such god as they needed to stop Sliske, which would foreshadow their deaths in the future:

  • If asked about Zaros, Death commented that he would burn as hot as a star, before coming to a giant blackness, ending his prolonged sadness.
  • If asked about Seren, Death commented that she would be relieved and accepted, her mind focused on the past with loud singing in the background.
  • If asked about Saradomin, Death commented that he heard the clashing of swords and warmth of light, then a coolness of shadow that continually looped itself until he passed.
  • If asked about Armadyl, Death commented that he would feel light before falling to the ground, but with pride.
  • If asked about Zamorak, Death commented that he would feel the rocks beneath him as shadows peered down on him with sadness.
  • If asked about Icthlarin, Death became horrified at his fate, seeing a painful death of "rending teeth and blood", dying fearing for others. He vows to never let Icthlarin suffer this fate, even if it means breaking his oath.

Leisure time[edit | edit source]

Postbag from the Hedge.jpg
 This article or section contains information only featured in Postbag from the Hedge.
Postbags are written for fun and the information contained in the letters is not to be considered canon unless otherwise mentioned.
Death's mansion.

When not reaping souls, Death lives in his mansion, where he has employed butlers and helpers to help him with its upkeep. His touch of death, however, has resulted in hundreds of accidental deaths over the years, despite supposedly only being able to kill people whose time has come. When his 999th servant Alfonse was killed when Death patted him on his back in gratitude, he contacted the Servants' Guild for a new worker and got 10% off due to them being number 1000.[9] While waiting for the servant's arrival, his house became an utter mess due to an incident involving Muncher eating the postman. His helpers also serve a vital role, as he has tasked them with sending souls to the underworld in his place with fragments of his scythe if he were ever unable to perform his duties.

Muncher, Death's faithful companion.

He is often accompanied by his skeletal pet hellhound, Muncher, for whom he cares deeply, although he is not happy when he disobeys his orders. Death has often had trouble with pets in the past due to their short lifespans, and his touch of death, which resulted in his pet bunny exploding when he tried feeding it a carrot. As such, Muncher, being undead, is the perfect pet for him. Aside from Muncher, he has experimented with undead fish to keep him company (he attempted to achieve this by undoing their deaths with a magical resurrection hourglass he had obtained).[10]

Audio options icon.png
A player encounters Death in his office.

He also enjoys music, and is a big fan of bands such as Adamantite Damsel and Ping & Pong. When the latter two died before their time came, he reversed time so they could make more music for him, although he was saddened by this, as he would much rather have them with him. In addition, Death enjoys crochet and embroidery, stating that it keeps his skeletal fingers flexible.[2]

Death cleaning his mansion.

Death is also one of the five founders, and the leader, of a clan known as The Horsemen. The clan has organised two events in their citadel in the sky known as "Deathcons", with the most recent event, Deathcon II, occurring in 169. He also has an acquaintance known as the Soggy Teabag On The Bench Gremlin, who places soggy teabags on benches,[2] and is on good terms with the other Guardians of Guthix (bar Ocellus), although he does not see them often due to his duties. He also has a good relationship with Icthlarin, as Icthlarin ensures that the souls Death reaps reach the underworld properly. Death also once had a mentor, whose eyeball he keeps in his living room.

Like all beings, he was bound by the Edicts of Guthix, which supposedly dictated that he must always have black robes, (despite them being blue) a scythe and spiderwebs in his house. He was forced to maintain the quality of these items as well, often needing to sharpen his scythe or to clean or even replace his robes should they get stained with blood (causing havoc in Varrock when he would go to Thessalia's Fine Clothes to purchase new robes). Despite Guthix's death, he still respects the Edicts and continues wearing his apparel.

Holiday events[edit | edit source]

A soul being reaped by Death.

Death was involved in many Halloween events, where he often tasked adventurers with solving problems for him in his mansion, such as removing a spider in his bathtub, or preparing a party for him. During most of these events, including those that he was not otherwise involved in, Death appeared when a player died to escort them to their respawn point. When he appeared, he proclaimed a random phrase, a list of which can be seen below;

  • Let me escort you away, (player name)...
  • (Player name) is mine!
  • Now is the time you die, (player name).
  • Muahahahahaha!
  • There is no escape, (player name)...
  • Beware Mortals. (Player name) travels with me now.
  • I claim (player name) as my own.
  • Your time here is over, (player name).
  • I have come for you, (player name)!

After Missing, Presumed Death, players are able to enable a permanent version of this effect, although without the phrases.

2007 Halloween event[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during 2007 Halloween event.

During the 2007 Halloween event, Death owned a house accessed through the Dark House Portal south of Falador. He ordered the player to do his house chores because his servant had recently passed away from his touch of death. One of the first tasks the player was tasked with was to find the skull of the servant in his Garden. The next task was to reorganise his items in the correct spot in the western room. By using his diary, the player could effectively put his items in order. Afterwards, he told the player to try out his obstacle course on the second floor, used to keep his servants on their toes. The player had to do this twice, and after that, he had to talk to the Grim Reaper to receive the Grim reaper hood and a new Zombie Hand emote.

Web of Shadows[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Web of Shadows.
Eek the spider.

In 2009, Death's house was revisited again. He would tell the player he had a spider in his bathtub, and wanted it removed, being unable to do so himself in case he accidentally killed it with his touch of death (and not because of a fear of spiders or anything like that). If players refused, he would kill them and they would appear outside the portal with all of their items.

After travelling into the Spider Realm (Death appears to own a portal leading to this realm) and speaking to the Spider Queen, the player was ordered to place cobwebs into Death's house, as Death had violated the Edicts of Guthix by cleaning them. After putting cobwebs into his house with the assistance of Eek the spider, the Spider Queen would reward you with a Web cloak and Eek.

Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow.
Death's party.

During the 2010 event, Death was in need of help preparing a party he was hosting. During this event, it became clear that Death is a big fan of Zabeth Corvid, and he begged the player to fetch an autograph. After completing little tasks around his house for the party being held, players were rewarded with a Bone brooch (which when used would morph you into a pile of bones) and the Puppet master emote.

Deathcon II[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Deathcon II.
Death inside his tent in his citadel.

In 2011, Death was revealed to be the owner of his very own clan, with its very own citadel. The player was asked by Frank to help prepare the Citadel for a "DeathCon" event. The player had to perform tasks for Beauty, Frank and Infinity. After this was done, the player had full access to the citadel (with a Deathcon lanyard) and got a Deathcon t-shirt as a souvenir. The player also unlocked the Living on Borrowed Time emote.

Death's Door[edit | edit source]

The following takes place during Death's Door.
Death inside his mansion.

In 2014, Death's mansion was attacked by a number of ghosts sent by the insane necromancer Melzar the Mad. Melzar sought to capture Death's realm in order to gain enough power over Death to restore his fallen friends and family of Crandor to life, even though their souls had long since passed on. As Death is unable to deal with already-deceased souls, and Icthlarin was unable to deal with souls that had never visited the underworld, Death sent Muncher to recruit adventurers into his mansion to try and deal with the ghosts, giving them tools made by a friend of his. He awarded adventurers who defeated ghosts with a unique set of armour.

Gauntlet of Souls[edit | edit source]

Main article: Gauntlet of Souls

In 2015, Death played a role in Gauntlet of Souls, which featured a battle between Icthlarin and Amascut. Death guarded the Soul Rift portal near the Burthorpe lodestone through which adventurers could enter the Underworld. The adventurer helped to gather and escort souls for Death and Icthlarin, protecting the rescued souls from Amascut's Soul Devourers. With Icthlarin's help, the adventurer fought against the Avatar of Amascut, as well as Amascut herself.

Til Death Do Us Part[edit | edit source]

Main article: Til Death Do Us Part

In 2018, Death played a major role in saving Moia, who had been trapped by a Chaotic rift that had appeared just outside Draynor Manor. He was unsure of the rift's origins, but knew that there was nothing good from it and feared that something was trying to make its way into Gielinor through it. Death constructed several pillars to help stabilise the rift and stop whatever was behind it from coming through. He recruited adventurers to help him keep the unknown entity at bay.

Despite their efforts, the rift continued to expand in size and influence. He would have to rely on his old friends, first calling in War. The portal also began to spew out Infernal demons, which War would provide adventurers with his javelin to slay them. Famine and Pestilence were soon called in to help, in which the portal responded to their presence with hulking zombies and a caustic stalker respectively. At the end of the event, a manifestation of Lucien emerged from the portal, but with the assistance of the adventurers, they were able to defeat the manifestation.

Dialogue[edit | edit source]

This article on an NPC has an associated dialogue page.
Click here for a transcript of possible conversations and other messaging related to this NPC.
Death speaks in:

Works[edit | edit source]

Transcripts Death is the author or co-author of:

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Concept art of Death and his scythe

    Concept art of Death and his scythe

  • Steam trading card wallpaper

    Steam trading card wallpaper

  • 3D model sculpt

    3D model sculpt

  • Necromancy wallpaper

    Necromancy wallpaper

Graphical updates[edit | edit source]


Update history[edit | edit source]

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included—see here for how to help out!
  • patch 31 October 2022 (Update):
    • Some players who have been unable to complete Death's miniquest should now be able to finish it and claim their reward.
  • patch 13 September 2021 (Update):
    • Reaper Assignments will now correctly indicate that the Arch-Glacor is the target when using quick-chat.
    • Fixed an issue that caused some of the boss buttons on the Reaper's Choice list to be disabled even when players met the requirements.
    • Raids bosses and the first two bosses of each Elite Dungeon are once again hidden in Reaper's Choice, and cannot be assigned as a Reaper Task.
    • Fixed an issue where all subsequent bosses in the Reaper's Choice interface after the first locked boss were also locked.
    • Death once again ignores 'soft conditions' on bosses when determining whether he can assign them as a Reaper Task. For example, Death will assign the Magister provided you have 115 Slayer even if you don't have any Keys to the Crossing. Soft conditions include acquirable items like Barrows Totems, Ascension Keystones, etc.
    • Corrected an issue where Song from the Depths was unintentionally a requirement for Death to assign Queen Black Dragon as a Reaper Task.
  • hotfix 13 September 2021 (Update):
    • Death will no longer assign bosses he shouldn't.
  • patch 18 January 2021 (Update):
    • Fixed an issue on mobile which caused the information on the Death Tutorial to not appear when tapping the information icon.
  • hotfix 7 December 2020 (Update):
    • Players can no longer kill Death. Nice try.
  • update 26 October 2020 (Update):
    • Death has been graphically updated within his office.
  • patch 5 January 2015 (Update):
    • Death will once again automatically initiate the death tutorial conversation after dying for the first time.
  • patch 8 September 2014 (Update):
    • Death and Frank now have right-click options for getting an assignment or viewing rewards when you visit them via Death's portal.
  • patch 13 August 2013 (Update):
    • The combat overlay will no longer appear on Muncher in the Death tutorial.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • The name Harold Death Esquire is a pun on Hades, the god of the underworld in Greek mythology.
  • The stained glass windows in his office that tell the story of how he came to be are numbered from 1 to 4. Window 1 depicts him as an old man tending to wheat fields with a scythe. Window 2 shows him having recently died with Guthix's icon shining overhead, indicating the god's arrival. Window 3 shows Guthix outfitting him with his current robe and scythe. Window 4 show him directing some walking souls of the deceased to their fate.
  • Upon examining Death's note on the desk in front of him, the text says "Not a notebook." This is a reference to the Death Note series, in which the main character kills by writing names in a notebook. There is also an apple on the desk, which one of the characters is fond of.
  • Upon closer inspection of Death's note you can see the text is Lorem Ipsum, a common filler text.
  • Examining Death's door behind him gives the text "Knock, knock, knockin on death's door...", a reference to the Bob Dylan song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".
  • Death can blink even though he has no eyelids.
  • One of Death's examine texts is 'Don't fear the Reaper', a reference to the song of the same name by Blue Öyster Cult.
  • A Postbag from the Hedge revealed that Death has the catch phrase, "Gotta reap 'em all." This is a pun on the catch phrase "Gotta catch 'em all" from Pokémon. In the same Postbag from the Hedge it was said his customary black robes act as the legendary Reaper skillcape, although this was likely a joke.
  • The Temple Knights appear to have written a dossier concerning the reaper, which was published in Postbag from the Hedge #35.
    • According to the dossier, the Grim Reaper was the Champion of a Belltolling contest, but nobody survived. The only witness was a passing zombie about to terrorise a nearby village.[11]
    • The dossier reveals that he has many aliases, including Grim Reaper, Nigel and Destroyer of Life.[11]
    • Death has a mother, who looks exactly like him, as shown by the drawing in his dossier.[11]
  • He is voiced by the same voice actor as TokHaar-Hok.[12]
  • One of Death's examine texts is "He decides who to free, and who to blame", a reference to the Johnny Cash song "The Man Comes Around".
  • Another of Death's examine texts is 'Founder and leader of The Horsemen', a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
  • War refers to him as "Old Boney".[13]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ^ Jagex. Postbag 35 - "Transcript:But how do you pruh-nounce Rell-doh?", Temple Knights' Dossier: Grim Reaper, by Temple Knights. RuneScape Postbags from the Hedge.
  2. ^ a b c Jagex. Postbag 24 - "Transcript:Spooky goings on!", Letter 4, by Death. RuneScape Postbags from the Hedge.
  3. ^ Jagex. Above the Lore - episode 4: The Secrets of Sliske Above the Lore podcast, 20 June 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Death, "The World Wakes", RuneScape. "When Guthix appointed me as a guardian, I was given the task of retaining the balance of life and death - as well as the power to do so. With all great power, there must be balance, so Guthix also bestowed a weakness upon me. I can only strike a killing blow on those who are due to die. I cannot take the lives of those whose time is not over, and equally I cannot save a life that is due to end... As much as I may sometimes wish to."
  5. ^ Death, RuneScape. "My patience only stretches so far. You have wasted enough of my time, I must address this imbalance myself. Be gone, mortal."
  6. ^ Jagex. Above the Lore Episode 10 - Missing Presumed Death Above the Lore podcast, 23 September 2013.
  7. ^ Thaerisk Cemphier, "Book of the underworld", RuneScape. "Thousands of years ago - before she became The Devourer - Amascut would stand opposite Icthlarin beside the gates of the Underworld, both atop separate pulpits... As her mind has become warped she is no longer the God of Rebirth, instead hell bent on devouring any souls she can before they reach the afterlife."
  8. ^ Mod Jack. "Order of Ascension - FAQ." 5 June 2013. Recent Game Updates Forums.
  9. ^ Death, "The Grim Reaper's diary", RuneScape. "A tragic day. Alfonse and I were in the garden looking at the state of a spiders nest. I patted my trusty servant on the back in thanks for all his hard work. Sadly, my touch of death killed him instantly. Feel quite guilty. (...) Ordered a new servant from the agency today and got a 10% discount for getting past the 1000th servant mark. Woo hoo!"
  10. ^ Death, "The Grim Reaper's diary", RuneScape. "My plan to make the undead fish is going quite well. I managed to obtain a resurrection hourglass today, so have added that to the fishtank to finish the process. It's so difficult to have pets when everything you touch dies horrifically. I remember having a rabbit once that exploded when I fed it a carrot!"
  11. ^ a b c Jagex. Postbag 35 - "Transcript:But how do you pruh-nounce Rell-doh?", Temple Knights' Dossier: Grim Reaper, by Wise Old Man. RuneScape Postbags from the Hedge.
  12. ^ Jagex. Mod Stu's Twitter account. 18 September 2013. (Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.) Mod Stu: "I'm pretty sure Death is currently voiced (the first time you die and go to his monochromatic study) by TokHaar-Hok's actor."
  13. ^ War, "2018 Halloween event", RuneScape. "Old Boney! What is not to love about him! We've been friends for a long time, I'm probably closer with him than the other riders."
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Retrieved from ‘https://runescape.wiki/w/Death?oldid=36184501’