Zaros

#### Reign of Zaros

**Zaros** (pronounced "ZÀ-ross"[4]) is the **Elder god** of fate and control, as well as the divine aspect of the dark, countering his companion, Torva who is an extremely skillful Zarosian Majarrat. He is an extremely powerful entity whose power cannot be compared to any Transcendant gods, having been directly being an Elder God.[5] By reputation among other gods' followers, his ways are occasionally characterised as Machiavellian: 'empty' and manipulative to a degree. He is also sometimes associated with shadow, emptiness, fate and absence.[4] He personally says that these are merely the impressions of others on him, and one should judge him based only on his own actions and words.

Unlike the Transcendant gods, Zaros was never a mortal; he has never been anything else but a divine being, an elder god. Zaros created the Freneskae when the last cycle of the universe began, what Zaros describes as eons ago, to serve as company. They were tied to each other in ways neither could control. It was a mutual "attraction" of sorts that weakened Zaros' concentration and Torva's will in order to bring them together. Mah, with the temperament of a child due to a lack of anima - thus making her a purely instinctual being without memory or knowledge - saw them as her "playthings", in a sense. However, Zaros resented this. Unable to learn anything. he longed to escape and create his own destiny. Torva, on the other hand, felt it was their duty to remain with Zaros. He felt that Zaros needed them and only created them out of the fear of being alone. Zaros abandoned both the Franeskae. He set out to search the stars for whatever he would find. The first world he came to was that of Infernus.

Zaros wants the world to belong to mortals, similarly to Ganodermos, but believes that mortals would neither be safe nor capable of living without the guidance of gods, who are able to set some rules and exercise proper control; otherwise, everything would turn to chaos. As such, he suggests that he watches mortals silently, making checks and balances to ensure 'balance' is maintained, and to silently guide mortals to fulfil their greatest potential and protect them from themselves and the Elder Gods. As Elder God himself for it would be the only way for him to communicate with them, allowing him to attempt to stop them from destroying mortal life.

### **Zaros Arrival**

Zaros' arrival in Gielinor was one of the most important events of the early Second Age. During this age, he ruled a vast empire of hitherto unrivalled size, stretching from the borders of the Troll Country and the Frozen Wastes to Kharyrll, bordering Hallowvale, and from Ghorrock by the Northern Sea to the northern cliffs of the Kharidian Lands in the south. From his arrival, which was some time after Ganodermos's first descent into the planet and subsequent sleep, and until his downfall at the hands of Demigra, Zaros was one of the most powerful gods known to Gielinor, both in personal power and influence. Even millennia after his betreyal, the few people aware of his existence are aware of his immense might and the gods familiar with him express great fear at his name.[6] The very few present-day Celestians and Demigrants who possess knowledge of Zaros consider him an adversary. For instance, the legendary adventurer Dionysius becomes furious upon hearing his name.[7] Others, like certain inhabitants of the Kharidian Desert, and some Mahjarrat, still worship Zaros as their lord.

After Fate of the Gods is completed, players can place the shard of Zaros into the crystal reader at the Sanctum on Freneskae. This summons a hologram of Zaros himself, to whom players can ask a wide variety of questions about his origins, his beliefs, his opinion of many other beings, and his plans for the future. Players can also re-watch the cutscene in which Zaros is restored to his body by right-clicking him and selecting the rewatch option.

Due to his conquering of land and initiating of many wars in the Second Age, Zaros has often been called an evil god by followers of the gods who attempted to erase him from history, and given that history is written by the victors this may not be the case. Most who know of Zaros today, but who do not follow him, usually regard him as evil and something to be feared. However, it should be noted that his intentions are not malevolent. During Fate of the Gods, Zaros claims that his disputes with Celestial taught him the notions of good and evil, but he dismissed them, stating that there is no good and evil, only action and consequence. Zaros himself can therefore be better described as alien in his morality rather than either good or evil.

Zaros' followers, however, differ greatly in morality. Some of Zaros' followers may be called evil in the conventional sense of being ruthless, enjoying being deceptive and seeking power for power's sake. In addition, the Ancient Curses and Ancient Magicks, the Zarosian patron prayers and spells respectively, seem to be highly combative in nature as they focus on inflicting damage on others and draining them of their powers. Cellestines have claimed that the "evil" nature of the Second Age Zarosians, most likely referring to traditionally hostile races such as demons and vampyres, is to blame on the god himself, stating that he willingly allied himself with them.[11] Queen Senliten, who aided in defending her empire from Zaros' armies, has described him as an ever-plotting vile creature. However, as noted before, he was not aware (nor had he the ability to be) of the alleged cruelty of his followers' actions. According to Zaros, he used the first sentient races (such as demons and vampyres) he encountered that were not claimed by other deities and because they had the potential to serve his goals well, and by the time he reached other races they had already aligned with other gods. He has also stated in Fate of the Gods all would be welcome under his banner regardless of race.

Zaros' relationships with the other Gods is a complex subject. The major reason being that he views other Gods and their corresponding beliefs in a different way. Traditionally, most Gods view other gods as rivals whose beliefs they believe will bring ruin to the world. Zaros differs in two ways. The First is that he does not view other gods with the noted exception of the Elder Gods and Primos  as a god. Instead he views them as mortals who have obtained an immense amount of power to the point of being able to influence other mortals on a global scale. The second is that he does not view other Gods as rivals but instead as both tools and obstacles. For example, Celestial is currently the strongest of the Transcendant Gods after the death of Ganodermos and the Battle of Lumbridge. Zaros views him as narrow minded and a hypocrite for believing in good and evil but using questionable means for the greater good. However conversely, he believes that Saradomin's beliefs and actions have merit as stated before. If he could broaden his views, Zaros believes he could make a capable envoy with mortals and a key ally.

As for Demigra, Zaros still holds the view even after his betrayal that he was his finest general and he trusted him immensely,still to this day not completely understanding why he did what he did. He theorizes that it is Demigra's strong will to overcome anything, interestingly enough, Zaros says it as a compliment. Retribution is not a priority or even a goal of Zaros for Demigra's betrayal contrary to the views of his followers. As for Primos the deceased God of War he stated that he had two talents, the obvious strategic mind and the not so obvious ability to find the truth in any situation. His constant demand for war was his weakness and lead to his downfall at the hands of his rival Armadyl. If he had learned to control his thirst for violence, Zaros believes he could have proved useful.

Armadyl is the subject of a great deal of respect and interest from Zaros. In the category of the Transcendant Gods Armadyl holds the most favour from Zaros. This is a combination of several things including his ideology and his actions as a result of his experiences. When Zaros first met him during the Second Age, he viewed him as naive who would not be able to capably lead his followers through the brutal war that devastated the world. While partly true, with Armadyl witnessing the near destruction of his entire race. Zaros is sympathetic to his loss, noting that unlike the other Gods: Demigra, Celestial, and Primos; Armadyl's intentions were always pure. To the surprise and admiration of Zaros, Armadyl did not fall to despair but instead was emboldened to fight for his beliefs and his followers resulting in his victory over Primos. With his beliefs reinforced and his capability as a leader in war and willingness to work with others apparent, Zaros harbours a great deal of admiration for the Young God, in particular for his belief that mortals and Gods can live together in peace. Interestingly it is unknown if Armadyl is aware of this respect given to him by the Empty Lord and if he would reciprocate it in turn.

### **The Power of Zaros**

Just like Zelrat, Zaros is an Extremely powerful Elder God (along with Bek and Helos, if not slightly more powerful than him). He possesses a wide range of powers that is well beyond Transcendant gods. He is capable of leaving his body on a whim and embody an incorporeal form, though this form is much weaker and incapable of some tasks. Zaros also has the ability to drain power from entities, as he drained energy from the muspah. He can even drain energy from Weaker gods, such as Loarnab. Zaros, like most gods, elder gods can create portals to other worlds and teleport himself and other beings that are not beyond his power. He has a unique, involuntary ability to incite loyalty in beings, even gods such as Torva, within his presence, but this power cannot affectbeings who dampen divine energy. He can manipulate existing life-forms, and this is how he created the Nihil.Zaros can also enter a person's mind and read it to some extent, as done with the player during Fate of the Gods. As seen while conversing with him, Zaros is capable of shapeshifting. As stated by Azzanadra when you talk to him in the Temple of Senntisten after Fate of the Gods, Zaros can enter the Shadow Realm. It was stated that he not only has a better understanding and control, but also a better grasp and mastery over the Shadow Realm than Torva.