Third Age
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| Third Age | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Wartime | ||||||||||||||||||
| Calendar | Zamorakian | ||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 4508 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Epoch date in V | -6654 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Events | |||||||||||||||||||
| Epoch | Zamorak defeats Zaros | ||||||||||||||||||
| Conclusion | Guthix returns to sleep | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | ||||||||||||||||||
| ← Second Age | Fourth Age → | ||||||||||||||||||
The Third Age, also known as the Wartime Period[1] or the God Wars, is one of the ages of Gielinor. The age lasted exactly 4508 years according to Reldo[1] and officially began when Zamorak, returning from his banishment as a god, began a war to retrieve the Stone of Jas which had been previously confiscated from him by Saradomin in the previous age. This war, also known as the God Wars, would span through the entire age and saw many significant events that shape the world even today, most dominated by war and the gods.
They only ended when Zamorak, cornered by Saradomin, Armadyl, and Bandos in Forinthry, used the Stone of Jas as a last ditch effort to save himself.[2] This would result in the whole of Forinthry being destroyed, scarring the land so harshly that nothing would ever grow. Meanwhile, the druids of Guthix had been attempting to end the war by waking the god of balance; four of them, Atrew, Thera, Ria and Rief, conducted a ritual that succeeded in doing so. Guthix, horrified and saddened deeply by the destruction he saw, slammed a giant blade into the middle of Forinthry (what is now known as the Wilderness Crater) establishing the Edicts of Guthix. These edicts banished most current gods from Gielinor, and prevented new ones from coming to the planet so that nobody could destroy it further.
Calendar[edit | edit source]
Although many competing armies had their own calendars, the dominant calendar during this age according to Reldo was the Zamorakian Calendar, still in use today by Zamorakian Mahjarrat.[3] Zamorakians disagree whether to start the calendar based on when Zamorak ascended or when he returned from Infernus. Reldo opts for the former, putting the return of Zamorak and hence the start of the God Wars at year 17 or 19 of the Third Age.[4][5] Modern human Zamorakians rarely follow this calendar however, opting to use the local calendar.[6]
Major events[edit | edit source]
- Year 17/19: Zamorak returns to Gielinor having ascended to godhood at the end of the Second Age.[4][5]
- The Zarosian Extermination; The Zarosian Empire is being attacked by a combined effort of Saradominists and Zamorakians, with intention of removing all references to Zaros.
- The gnomes and the dwarves go into hiding. The dwarves establish the city of Keldagrim deep beneath the mountains.
- The elves retreated into the city of Prifddinas, some elves however venture out to fight of their own volition.
- C. 1650: Nex leads a Zarosian army in the Battle for the Ritual Site, she and her followers are however sealed in the Ancient Prison by Saradominists.[7][8]
- C. 1650: The Saradominist Temple Knights are founded.[7]
- The vampyre Lord Drakan conquers the Saradominst kingdom of Hallowvale, founding the land of Morytania. Queen Efaritay is imprisoned and her husband King Ascertes transformed into a vampyre.
- The Dorgeshuun tribe rebels against Bandos and goes into hiding.
- Azzanadra, a powerful high-ranking Zarosian Mahjarrat, is imprisoned in Jaldraocht Pyramid.
- The Battle of Annakarl is won by the Zamorakians.
- The cities of Uzer and Ullek in the Kharidian Desert are destroyed by the armies of Thammaron and Balfrug Kreeyath respectively.
- The capital city of the Zarosian Empire, Senntisten, falls some time before Year 3804, reducing the once great Zarosian Empire to nothing.
- Saradominists take control over the remains of Senntisten from the Zamorakians, founding the city Saranthium.
- The Godsword is forged by a combined effort of Saradomin, Armadyl and Bandos to use against Zamorak. The transportation unit is assaulted by Zamorakians, and a great fight breaks out in the God Wars Dungeon. Nex is momentarily released by a group led by Sliske, but she's imprisoned again by a combined effort of all four factions.
- Zamorak cornered by the alliance and in desperation uses an unstable Stone of Jas, incinerating the land of Forinthry, scarring and cursing it, turning it into the Wilderness.
- Extinction of virtually all aviansie, Icyene, centaurs, light creatures, wyrms, white dragons, orks, ourgs, fayrgs, and raurgs that resided on Gielinor.
- Guthix is awoken from his slumber and alongside loyal followers retaliates against the other gods and their forces.
- Aeternam, a loyal servant of Guthix freezes the combatants in the God Wars Dungeons in time.
- Guthix banishes the most powerful gods and establishes the Edicts of Guthix to keep them out.
- Seren shatters herself into many crystal pieces to avoid being forced to leave after establishment of the Edicts.
- Guthix seal the Stone of Jas in the Ancient Guthix Temple.
- Guthix travels the world to witness the destruction, his mourning manifests as the Tears of Guthix.
- Establishment of the Guardians of Guthix, creation of the Balance Elemental.
- Guthix returns to his slumber deep beneath the earth.
Major battles[edit | edit source]
- Battle for the Ritual Site
- Dorgeshuun Civil War
- Fall of Hallowvale
- Morytania Campaign
- Assassination of Elspeth
- Kharidian Desert Campaign
- Battle of Uzer
- Battle of Ullek
- Battle of the Godsword
- Many many other battles that have been lost to time
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ^ a b Reldo's ages seventeenth edition, written by Reldo, RuneScape. "The Third Age (Wartime Period)
Calendar: Zamorakian
Length: 4508 years
Epoch date in V: -6,649" - ^ Zamorak, "Dishonour among Thieves", RuneScape. "...If I must meet my end, then each of you will meet yours!" , See: Transcript:Dishonour among Thieves#Memory of Forinthry
- ^ Reldo's ages seventeenth edition, written by Reldo, RuneScape. "The calendar of this period is the Zamorakian calendar. [...] Surviving Zamorakian Mahjarrat still use this calendar (with their choice of the epochs) and I believe the first system is the dominant calendar on the infernal planes from which demons emerge."
- ^ a b Reldo's ages seventeenth edition, written by Reldo, RuneScape. "[...] there are actually two disputed dates for the calendar's epoch, and Zamorakians are roughly divided half and half in which they use. The first system is based on the day Zamorak slew Zaros and ascended to godhood, while the second is based on the day he returned to Gielinor seventeen years later with an army of demons and began the God Wars. I have chosen the first of these two systems as the epoch on which to anchor the Third Age."
- ^ a b Zemouregal's memory, written by Zemouregal, RuneScape. "Nineteen years later, Zamorak returned to Gielinor [...]"
- ^ Reldo's ages seventeenth edition, written by Reldo, RuneScape. "Modern human worshippers of Zamorak tend not to use this calendar, instead using the local calendar."
- ^ a b Veilinius, "Azzanadra's Quest", RuneScape. "Let's cast our minds back to about five thousand years in the past. One happens to find oneself in command of the Order of the Temple of Zaros, but things aren't going so well for our chaps. [...] Saradomin is doing about the best and old Sucellus reckons it's on account of his crown. So he comes to me and he tells me to take the entire order of knights on a deep cover operation. Reckons if we can pinch the crown that'll put the Zarosians back on top again. [...] So our part of the plan, of course, goes off without a hitch. Absolutely smashing job. Obviously Saradomin is suspicious at first, but Zarosians are converting all over the empire and after we take out the Angel of Death our loyalty and usefulness are beyond question."
- ^ Ashuelot Reis, RuneScape. "Before the destruction of the city and his imprisonment, Azzanadra was working at Senntisten to reestablish contact with his master, but other Zarosian forces did not sleep. Many stayed in this area, trying to gain control of the area around the Mahjarrat ritual site, in an effort to gain the upper hand over their Zamorakian counterparts. The leader of these Zarosian forces was Nex, Zaros's most powerful weapon. [...] Although time wears down all things, Nex could not be stopped, only gaining in power the more it fought. Eventually, Saradominists managed to lure it into a series of icy caverns - the same in which we now stand. [...] After great effort and sacrifice, they managed to subdue the Zarosian forces and place them and Nex into a frozen, enchanted sleep. They promptly regrouped and created a massive temple to lock the beast within, the remains of which you see still scattered around today."