Zamorak

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This article is about the god. For other uses, see Zamorak (disambiguation).
This article is about the god. For the boss encounter, see Zamorak, Lord of Chaos.
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God (winged)God (wingless)God (upon ascension)MahjarratDesperate Times (1)Desperate Times (2)City of SenntistenSenntisten
Zamorak.png
Zamorak
Release date22 July 2013 (Update)
Also calledThe Scourge,[1] Lord of Chaos and Death,[2] The Dark Lord,[3] The Usurper,[4] God of Dark Fire,[5] Imperator[6], Dictator of Infernus and the Lower Planes[7]
RaceMahjarrat
MembersNo
Quest NPC
Location(s)Empyrean Citadel, Zamorak's hideout, Black Knights' Fortress
GenderMale
Actions? (edit)
Examine• The god of chaos has returned.
• The god of power and chaos, locked in battle with his enemy, Saradomin.
• The god of chaos.
• He seems oddly calm considering his divinity has been stripped from him.
? (edit)
Advanced data
NPC ID? (edit)
LinksMRND
Infobox • Talk page
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Zamorak chathead.png
Zamorak (Mahjarrat) chathead.png
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Zamorak chathead.png
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Zamorak chathead.png

Zamorak (/ˈzæməræk/ ZAM-ur-ack) is the god of chaos, power, and destruction, as well as personal ambitions and change. Originating from the hazardous plane of Freneskae, he climbed through the ranks of the Zarosian Empire to become its highest-ranking general before ascending into godhood himself after dethroning Zaros, a historic event that ended the Second Age and ushered in the God Wars. Throughout the Third Age, he and the other gods who remained battled over Gielinor until Guthix woke from his slumber and banished the gods with the Edicts of Guthix. After the fall of the Edicts with Guthix's death, Zamorak was the second god to return to Gielinor after Saradomin.

While no formal institution that teaches his beliefs exist in the Sixth Age, there are disparate groups and factions, such as the Cult of Hazeel, the ZMI, and the Kinshra, who follow the god, if not his philosophy in its entirety. Many powerful Mahjarrat who survive to this day also claim allegiance to the god who once led them in revolt against the Empire.

Deity info[edit | edit source]

Zamorak
AlignmentChaos
SymbolZamorak symbol.png
Ascended byObtaining the Stone of Jas and
defeating Zaros with Staff of Armadyl
Tier4
ColoursRed, black, gold
AdjectiveZamorakian
Databox • Talk page

History[edit | edit source]

Main article: Zamorak/History

Zamorak began his life as a Mahjarrat, a tribe of the race collectively known as Dreams of Mah.[8] Very little is known of his life in his birth world, but when Icthlarin and Amascut came into Freneskae seeking soldiers for the defence of Menaphite territories against the encroaching Zarosian legions, Zamorak joined the others in leaving Freneskae and coming to Gielinor. When the Mahjarrat turned against Menaphites near the end of the war, Zamorak followed the majority and joined Zaros as well.

As a Zarosian Mahjarrat, Zamorak was given the rank and authority of a legatus, commander of a whole legion.[9] His military prowess did not go unnoticed, and after an unspecified length of time passed, he was granted the rank of Legatus Maximus, the highest-ranking military commander in the Zarosian Empire. This was partly prompted by Azzanadra's own promotion as Pontifex Maximus, a role that oversaw the civil infrastructure of the burgeoning Empire.[10]

Near the end of the Second Age, Zamorak planned and successfully executed a palace coup against the god Zaros, having attracted followers for his radical stance against what he saw was stagnation of an empire at the limit of its growth. Many of his associates in this coup were Mahjarrat, some of who missed the brutal but simple life of Freneskae where the strong ruled over the weak, and others who were disgruntled at what they felt was a rank beneath their station.[11] With the help of two Elder Artefacts, the Catalyst and the Siphon, he seemingly slew Zaros and ascended into divinity. This act of betrayal would mark the beginning of the end of the Zarosian Empire, as well as the beginning of the Third Age and four millennia of warfare across Gielinor known as the God Wars. Towards the end of the God Wars, Zamorak found the Stone of Jas and, in a desperate bid to stop an alliance of gods seeking to destroy him, reduced the Zarosian territory of Forinthry to a wasteland known today as the Wilderness. This explosion awoke the sleeping god of balance, Guthix, who banished all the major gods of Gielinor with the Edicts of Guthix, including Zamorak.

Following the assassination of Guthix, Zamorak was the second god to return to Gielinor after his arch rival, Saradomin, at the beginning of the Sixth Age. They fought each other at the Battle of Lumbridge, and while Zamorak lost, he narrowly escaped with help from his half-Mahjarrat general Moia. Along with the other major gods, Zamorak dismissed the idea of gods competing for the Stone of Jas, as proposed by Sliske, the Mahjarrat who assassinated Guthix. After Zamorak rediscovered the Stone and used it to regain the power he had lost to Saradomin, he attempted to make off with it before Sliske got hold of the Stone. He then sent his forces to compete with those of Seren, Zaros, and Sliske to claim a large pool of anima unearthed in the Heart of Gielinor. When the Mahjarrat noticed their power was fading away, they gathered at Freneskae at Zaros's behest to perform a final Ritual of Rejuvenation, reversing Mah's drain on the Mahjarrat and ending the need for any more rituals. In exchange, he entered a pact with Zaros to undermine Sliske's endgame. Zamorak competed with other major gods in Sliske's Endgame but was among those ejected from the competition during the showdown between the World Guardian and Sliske after the dragonkin Kerapac shattered the Stone of Jas.

With the subsequent looming threat of the Elder Gods, Zamorak was called to assist other young gods in stabilising the three remaining Elder God eggs to keep them from hatching. Believing Seren wanted to keep the young and Elder Gods' forces in an ongoing stalemate and that Gielinor was already doomed, he eventually betrayed the alliance and left, hoping to die a free god.

Zamorak returned following the death of Iaia to lead an overwhelming demon army against the other major gods' weakened forces, but his efforts were halted when the World Guardian reestablished Guthix’s edicts, banishing him once again.

Ideology[edit | edit source]

“ My philosophy is 'strength from chaos and adversity'. It is about improving oneself by overcoming obstacles. ”
— Zamorak

Zamorak espouses the belief that the strong must not be hindered by the weak. Trials and tribulations, he argues, act as filters against those too apathetic to fend for themselves, while others that step up to the new challenge become strengthened by it.[12] He is noted to be particularly egalitarian regarding the origin-species of an individual as long as he can perform; this trait is most visible in the form of his acceptance of General Viggora,[13] the first human warrior to be raised to the rank of general in the Zarosian Empire. Likewise, Moia, considered a curiosity at best[14] and an abomination at worst by many of the Mahjarrat,[15] was allowed to rise to the position of Zamorak's lieutenant based on her personal accomplishments and the willingness to become malleable (morally and physically) for the sake of survival.[16]

Zamorak has no particular qualms about how to conduct war, as seen with his destruction of Forinthry to escape his rival gods' at the time. He does not mind resorting to tricks and deceptions when necessary, something which has gained him the allegiance of many demons and disgust of enemies. He is one of the few gods who is not disturbed by raising the dead instead of letting them rest in peace, and as such, frequently employs necromancers in his armies. He is particularly picky when it comes to mortal necromancers - those who wish to join are forced to spend a week in the Shadow Realm, and if they remain mostly intact, they are allowed to work for him, as he cites that they have to be prepared to do so.[17]

Followers of Zamorak[edit | edit source]

Following Zamorak's banishment from Gielinor, most of his followers have since retreated into the Wilderness and are currently engaged in a civil war.

Zamorak on his altar at the Black Knight's Fortress, after losing his wings to Zaros.
A chaos altar dedicated to Zamorak.
Zamorak standard.png

Groups and races[edit | edit source]

Notable individuals[edit | edit source]

  • Agrith Naar - An ancient demon of the weather, disguised as Denath, a dark mage. He was killed by an adventurer.
  • Balfrug Kreeyath - A demon who played a large part of destroying Ullek. He is now a bodyguard of K'ril Tsutsaroth.
  • Bilrach - A Zamorakian Mahjarrat and right hand of Zamorak himself. He is extremely loyal to Zamorak and responsible for the creation of the dungeons under Daemonheim in order to attempt to bring Zamorak back prior to the events of the World Wakes.
  • Culinaromancer - A maniacal mage who draws his power from food. After attempting to kill the Secret Council of Gielinor, he was defeated and his head exploded.
  • Dark mage - A ZMI mage who keeps the abyssal rift open. He resides in the Abyss where he prevents the universe from imploding.
  • Delrith - An ancient demon who attacked Varrock, banished most recently by the same adventurer.
  • Enakhra - A fellow Mahjarrat who built a temple to Zamorak in the desert. She is known to have strong feelings for Zamorak.
  • General Khazard - A Mahjarrat native to Gielinor and raised by Hazeel. Revealed to be Zamorak's son in Children of Mah with Palkeera.
  • Hazeel - A Mahjarrat who helped Zamorak rebel against Zaros. Was defeated by Carnilleans, but the Cult of Hazeel has plans to return him.
  • Hreidmar - Leader of the Red Axe company, a Zamorakian company in the Dwarven Consortium. Defeated by the adventurer.
  • K'ril Tsutsaroth - One of Zamorak's most feared tools of destruction. He now resides in the God Wars Dungeon.
A Zamorakian altar in Varrock.
  • Lord Daquarius - Current Lord of the Kinshra.
  • Lord Iban - A former Black Knight and immensely powerful mage claiming to be the spiritual son of Zamorak. He had taken control of the Underground Pass but was killed by an adventurer hired by King Lathas.
  • Lord Milton - Lord of the Kinshra before Sulla, who declared war on Asgarnia, starting the Battle of North Falador. Assassinated by Sulla.
  • Lord Shadwell - Lord of the Kinshra before Milton, known for his aggressive and extremist actions.
  • Lord Sulla - Previous Lord of the Kinshra and initiator of the War of 164. He was killed in his attempt to escape Asgarnia.
  • Lord Valzin - Founder of the Kinshra and pivotal character in the foundation of Asgarnia itself.
  • Lowerniel Drakan - Ruler of the vampyre race from the realm of Vampyrium, who aided Zamorak in his overthrow of Zaros. In return, Zamorak allowed him to invade and conquer Hallowvale, the region now known as Morytania. He was slain by an adventurer during the Fifth Age.
  • Moia - A former student of Zamorak who now serves as general for Zamorak's armies.
  • Moldark - Zamorak's emissary in Edgeville.
  • Palkeera - A Mahjarrat and the former lover of Zamorak, with whom he had Khazard.
  • Scorpius - A famous astronomer who has since become a ghost.
The legendary godsword with a Zamorakian hilt attached.

Relationship with other gods[edit | edit source]

Armadyl[edit | edit source]

During the God Wars, Zamorak frequently clashed with Armadyl, who was often allied with Saradomin. Many of the Aviansie who came to fight for Armadyl were killed by the Mahjarrat god, something that greatly saddened the more pacifistic deity, when Zamorak created the Wilderness. Zamorak admits Armadyl himself can be reasoned with moreso than Saradomin, and still views the avian god with disdain and contempt, but likely some degree of caution too after Bandos was killed. Armadyl still holds a grudge against Zamorak for the near-extinction of his original race.

Bandos[edit | edit source]

The god of war changed alliances several times during the God Wars, and formed a triumvirate with Armadyl and Saradomin to bring a quicker end to Zamorak. At the very end of the wars, Bandos eagerly clamoured for Zamorak's death.

Brassica Prime[edit | edit source]

Although the vegetable god himself is of a much lower god tier than Zamorak, he nonetheless views him as a potential threat owing to his followers being literally everywhere and his belief that the god is only pretending to be insane.

Guthix[edit | edit source]

Whilst asleep near Ardougne, more Zamorakian forces than any other attempted to slay the god of balance. Following the Edicts, many devotees tried to bring back their lord, but with no success until Sliske killed him. However, in the words of Zamorak's general Moia, Guthix took no sides and didn't favour any god over any other (except Brassica Prime), believing he too had a side that saw the need for chaos and conflict, both of which lie at the heart of Zamorakian philosophy.

Marimbo[edit | edit source]

The gorilla goddess views Zamorak as a threat to the world and wishes for peace so that the inhabitants might party and have a good time. At some point in time, she and Zamorak were in a room together and for reasons unknown, she bit him and thus he's slightly terrified of her.

Saradomin[edit | edit source]

Moreso than any other young god, Saradomin is Zamorak's arch-enemy and foil. Saradomin's philosophy runs counter to Zamorak's, and at many points in history the two have butted heads, most recently at the Battle of Lumbridge where they struggled to gain the remnants of Guthix's power. However, where a third, more dangerous faction has been involved, usually Zarosian, the two have forged truces until the mutual foe has been driven off.

Seren[edit | edit source]

Seren views Zamorak negatively owing to his betrayal of Zaros, despite her dislike of her sibling. Likewise, Zamorak despises Seren because of the role she played in bringing the Mahjarrat to near-extinction.

Zaros[edit | edit source]

Zaros does not consider avenging himself on Zamorak for betraying him to be a top priority. Meanwhile, Zamorak dreads the thought of Zaros seeking retribution at any time for his role in the Zarosian Extermination, in which Zamorak and Saradomin competed with each other to erase every trace of the Empty Lord's empire and culture from Gielinor, even capturing, converting, and killing countless Zarosians between them.

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.
Zamorak speaks in:

Gallery[edit | edit source]

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 15 January 2018 (Update):
    • Zamorak is no longer visible in the Black Knights' Fortress until The Death of Chivalry has been completed.
  • patch 15 February 2016 (Update):
    • Zamorak's model has been updated in Missing, Presumed Death, One of a Kind and Birthright of the Dwarves.
  • patch 7 April 2014 (Update):
    • Several examines that refer to Zamorak as evil have been made more objective.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

The Zamorak icon in a player-owned house, showing his symbol facing downwards.
  • Zamorak is likely based on the Devil of the Abrahamic religions.
    • He has a strong association with fire, demons, and other traditionally evil races; and his symbol resembles a pair of demon's horns.
    • Prior to RuneScape 3, Zamorak referred to himself in the God Letters as a “god of chaos and evil”.
    • His avatar in the God Letters resembled a stereotypical humanoid devil with short horns and prolonged ears.
    • In The Hand in the Sand, one of Bert's lines is "Idle hands'r Zamorak's tools", a reference to the common adage "Idle hands are the Devil's tools".
  • In most older content, Zamorak's symbol is oriented facing downwards instead of upwards. The current version of his symbol became more common over the years until it eventually became the only variant seen in new content.
The frozen door
  • The version of Zamorak's symbol seen in some areas of the God Wars Dungeon is also significantly different from the symbols used elsewhere. The God Wars Dungeon graphical update removed most of these instances, but it can still be seen on the upper-right hand corner of the Frozen door and on the hilt of the replica Zamorak godsword.
  • In Sliske's Endgame, Death can be asked how Zamorak would die. Death cryptically claims that he feels "the rock beneath me as shadows peer down. I hear their chattering like crickets. They are sad. There is no happiness there."
  • There is a festival held in his honour by the werewolves.
  • Zamorak can be considered a foil to Azzanadra. While both are Mahjarrat that achieved godhood, Zamorak chose to betray Zaros while Azzanadra remained loyal to him.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ^ Viggora, "The Curse of Zaros (miniquest)", RuneScape. "At that moment I was reminded for whom I fought, and why General Zamorak had earned his nickname 'the scourge' upon the battlefield..."
  2. ^ The History of the Kinshra, written by Poule Scryant, RuneScape. "The orders of magi at that time contained many dark wizards, also followers of the Lord of Chaos and Death."
  3. ^ Jagex. Postbag 40 - "Transcript:Previously, in Dorgesh-Kaan.", Letter 2, by Idria. RuneScape Postbags from the Hedge.
  4. ^ Jagex. "God Wars Dungeon." 28 August 2007. RuneScape News.
  5. ^ Goblin book, RuneScape. "Then Big High War God go to demons and ask, Will you fight in my army? But demons say, No, we fight for God of Dark Fire."
  6. ^ Jagex. "Military Forces of the Late Third Age, Military Organisation." "Military Forces of the Late Third Age."] RuneScape Lores and Histories. *
  7. ^ Bilrach, "Twilight of the Gods", RuneScape. "I bring a message from Zamorak, Lord of Chaos, Imperator of Gielinor, Dictator of Infernus and the Lower Planes, et cetera."
  8. ^ Mod Jack. "Mahjarrat Race Name." 2 April 2014. RuneScape Lore Discussion Forums. Lost reference
  9. ^ Jhallan's memory (book), written by Jhallan, RuneScape. "On Zamorak, Wahisietel, Hazeel, and Zemouregal he bestowed the rank of Legatus, the commander of a whole legion."
  10. ^ Jhallan's memory (book), written by Jhallan, RuneScape. "Some years later, when the humans occupant of the position died, Azzanadra was elevated to the rank of Pontifex Maximus and became the head of the church, and thus the second in command to the whole empire. To avoid conflict between his most favoured servants, Zaros also created the rank of Legatus Maximus and awarded it to Zamorak."
  11. ^ Enakhra's memory (book), written by Enakhra, RuneScape. "To Lucien he said: It is the destiny of every Mahjarrat to rule! You and many others languish as mere Tribunes."
  12. ^ The Book of Zamorak, written by Moia, page 14, RuneScape. "People become complacent and do not seek to better themselves. Achievement is defined by overcoming obstacles, and obstacles are only created through chaos and strife; through the unexpected."
  13. ^ Declaration of Viggora, written by General Viggora, page 7, RuneScape. "The other generals sneered at it, sneered at me sitting on my throne; sneered at the human race for trying to stand tall and attempt such a mighty work. They dubbed it Viggora's Folly, and called it a testament to my idiocy. Only one of the generals remained silent, a Mahjarrat warrior known as Zamorak the Scourge. Zamorak did not mock me or my fortress. I remembered this."
  14. ^ Zemouregal, "Nadir (saga)", RuneScape. "Ah so it's the half-breed again. Lucien, you must share your methods with me; you know of my enchant for studying the ethology of mongrels like these."
  15. ^ Azzanadra, "Sliske's Endgame", RuneScape. "...my lord, did you know of this, this abomination?" Azzanadra to Zaros, when hearing about Moia's origin
  16. ^ The Book of Zamorak, written by Moia, page 16, RuneScape. "I was my father's servant, and knew not how to be otherwise, but now my lord has shown me. Under Lucien's rule I did as I was told; as a spy, or an unwilling jester, but never anything more than a pawn. In Daemonheim I found dangers that I had never anticipated, and power that I had been denied. In short, I encountered chaos and it forged me anew."
  17. ^ "Elder God Wars Dungeon", RuneScape. "All of my mortal necromancers must endure a week-long submersion in the Shadow Realm. Those who emerge with their bodies and minds largely intact are permitted to enter my service. Rest assured that my people are equipped for work of this nature."
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