Renmark

Renmark was a world of untamed magic, where the landscape and its inhabitants transformed with the cycle of the seasons. It was once home to various magical races, including unicorns, stags, and ice sprites, and was governed by four seasonal courts locked in an ever-shifting balance of power. The world was ultimately destroyed by Guthix during his travels through the multiverse, fragmenting its lands and peoples across different planes of existence.

Geography

Renmark's geography was deeply influenced by its magical seasonal cycle. As winter turned to spring, and spring to summer, the very environment reshaped itself - forests bloomed, lakes froze and thawed, and even settlements changed form. The transformation extended to living creatures, many of whom were seasonally mutable and unaware of their prior forms.

After the sundering, Renmark shattered into multiple landmasses scattered across different planes. Several of these have since been identified:

• Land of Snow: A realm of eternal winter ruled by the Queen of Snow. It is the setting for various Christmas events.
• Land of Glades: A fragment in which it is always spring. It is described as a lush, slow-moving paradise inhabited by multiple animals. It serves as the setting for Easter events from 2024 onwards.
• Land of Sunlight: A harsh, arid realm of constant daylight. It is largely inhospitable, and its centaur population developed a culture based on survival and resourcefulness. It was previously ruled by the King of Roses, today known as Santa Claus.
• Land of Harvest: A fragment caught in perpetual autumn, home to haunted fields, wandering yaks, and the Horsemen. It serves as the setting for Halloween events from 2024 onwards.
• Land of Holly and Hawthorn: A fragment described as a periphery where neither perpetual light nor eternal winter can endure the other. It was featured during the 2011 Easter event.

The Enchanted Valley, reachable via fairy rings, is strongly implied to be part of, or closely linked to, the Land of Glades.

Guthix confirmed the existence of several of these lands following the destruction, though others - including the Enchanted Valley - were discovered later.

History

Prior to its destruction, Renmark operated on a seasonal cycle in which both its environment and inhabitants transformed with each passing season. Creatures such as snow imps and black unicorns would become blossom fairies and light unicorns, respectively. Inhabitants generally retained no memory of their previous forms. Renmark was described as a world of wild fae magic.

Teragardian human colonists arrived on Renmark through a portal known as the Schism. They attempted to study and capture unicorns for their healing powers. According to centaur folklore, the forest spirits cursed them by fusing them with the unicorns they pursued and banishing them to the Land of Sunlight, resulting in the creation of the centaur race.

The god Guthix visited Renmark during his travels across the multiverse, using The Blade to open portals between worlds. He had hoped to settle there, taking a liking to the balance among the seasons. However, beneath Renmark's surface, he encountered a bloated parasitic entity named Mur feeding on the world's life. Guthix attempted to sever the parasite from the planet but misjudged the power of The Blade. The result was the complete destruction of Renmark.

The impact shattered the world into multiple fragments and disrupted the natural seasonal cycle. Beings that once changed form with the seasons were split into distinct entities. Guthix expressed regret and concern that Mur may have survived and now lurked in the cosmic pathways carved by The Blade.

Following the cataclysm, Guthix was able to locate several surviving fragments of Renmark, including the Land of Snow, the Land of Sunlight, and the Land of Holly and Hawthorn. Other regions, such as the Land of Glades and Enchanted Valley, were not found by Guthix but are known through other sources.

During the God Wars, Saradomin discovered the Enchanted Valley and brought its centaurs and unicorns into his service.

Inhabitants

Renmark was home to a number of species, many of which were altered or divided during the planet's destruction:

• Unicorns: Magical creatures with strong healing properties, divided into light and dark varieties depending on the season.
• Centaurs: Believed to have formed from the fusion of humans and unicorns during the sundering of the planet. Some populations, such as those in the Land of Sunlight, developed harsh, survivalist cultures.
• Ice sprites and snow imps: Seasonal fae creatures, which transformed as the seasons changed.
• Stags: Mentioned among the native fauna. Little is known about their role.
• Pixies: Reside in the Enchanted Valley and are described as easily excitable and fond of forest walks. Their ancestors are originally from Cheanannais, a separate world, but they consider the Valley their home. They use fairy rings to travel quickly between worlds.

Trivia

• The name "Renmark" resembles words from Scandinavian languages, where ren can mean "pure" or "reindeer", and mark can mean "land" or "wilderness". This may suggest meanings such as "pure land" or "reindeer ground", although no official etymology has been confirmed.