Second Age

The **Second Age** is the period of time following the creation of Gielinor. During the slumber of Guthix, many Gods start to arrive on Gielinor, establishing territories and gaining followers. Many Gods would introduce their own races to Gielinor. It is known many more gods existed during the Second Age than today. The exact number is unknown but it may have exceeded twenty. These gods either allied with the more powerful gods on the plane during this time, perished during the God Wars that followed this age, or fled the plane during either period. This age could be considered one of the most important ages in the history of Gielinor, as many of beginnings of the feuds between the Gods and their followers can be traced back to this age.

The political structure of Gielinor during this age was dominated by the god Zaros, who was so influential that the Second Age could also be deemed the "Age of Zaros." Zaros founded the largest empire in the history of Gielinor during this age, and his highly aggressive means of expanding it made him feared by the gods that opposed him.

It is known near the end of the Second Age that the Staff of Armadyl fell into the hands of Zamorak after a series of events, and it was the key to his plans to betray Zaros. During his betrayal against Zaros, Zamorak stabbed Zaros with the staff, but Zaros did not fall, and they struggled until the staff pierced them both at the same time, when a part of Zaros' power flowed via the staff into Zamorak. After that, Zamorak became a god and Zaros was banished, locked in a distant and empty realm.

There is no known definite moment that marks Second Age's end, unlike some other ages. It could be considered to have ended abruptly with Zaros' banishment. Or it could have came to an end sometime after that, when the other gods, perplexed by Zamorak's ascension, banished Zamorak from Gielinor. What is known is by the time Zamorak returned, with an army behind him and declared war against all the other gods, much fighting had already broken out, triggering the Gielinorian God Wars, and the Third Age had begun. The Second Age lasted roughly 2,000 years.

## References

Main:History

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jagex. "Twice Burnt." *RuneScape* Lores and Histories.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jagex. "Tumeken's Dream." *RuneScape* Lores and Histories.
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `johna2`
4. ↑ Mod Crow. "Declare your allegiance!." 9 July 2013. *Community Home* Forums.
5. ↑ Queen Senliten, "Missing My Mummy", *RuneScape*. "That vile creature Zaros and his minions. Ever plotting in the dark lands of Morytania[sic]. During my reign, we defeated him temporarily with the aid of the Stern Judges. Icthlarin be praised for his strength and wisdom. [...] Like many of the servants of the gods, and indeed like the newcomer gods worshiped by most of the North, the Stern Judges were not native to this world. Icthlarin, in his wisdom, foresaw that he would need servants to do his bidding among mortals. He thus transported the faceless ones to these lands."
6. ↑ Gram Kobold, "The Book of Sliske", *RuneScape*.
7. ↑ Azzanadra, *RuneScape*. "Be aware, mortal, there could be as many as a hundred of us still upon this world, with dozens more returned from other realms, but equally there could be as few as ten, each as mighty as one of your armies."
8. ↑ Neite, "A Tail of Two Cats", *RuneScape*. "The Devourer was so in love with death and destruction that she even started destroying her own worshippers. We tolerated this until she even started to destroy her own temples and clergy. [...] The last of her priestesses gathered and cursed her. Unfortunately she also cast a spell of her own, condemning us to an eternity of walin RuneScape in her form. [...] We cursed her so her name would be forgotten, that any corporeal body she adopted would soon cast her out and never again would she gather willing worshippers."
9. ↑ Crystal Singing for Beginners, "Lletya", *RuneScape*.
10. ↑ Histories of the Hallowland, "Paterdomus", *RuneScape*. "It is also claimed that the peoples named the land ‘Hallowvale’ after [Queen Efaritay], though there is no true record of this."
11. ↑ Viggora, "Declaration of Viggora", *RuneScape*. "I hoped that this would let humans deal as equals with our lord's demon and Mahjarrat forces. But most of them still saw humans as nothing more than feeble apes. Even though humans had become our lord's most reliable strategists and engineers, the other generals treated me with disdain. I resolved to show them that humans were more than our lord's pets. I designed and built a vast fortress for myself naming it Viggora's Fortress. It towered high above the green lands; from the top I could look to the north-west and see half of Forinthry on a clear day. It was strong in its construction and cunning in its design, but also beautiful in its craftsmanship. Before my lord's other generals, I declared that my fortress was a testament to the talents of humankind in the service of our lord. 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."
12. ↑ Valdez, "The Curse of Zaros", *RuneScape*.
13. ↑ Rennard, "The Curse of Zaros", *RuneScape*.
14. ↑ Kharrim, "The Curse of Zaros", *RuneScape*.
15. ↑ Char, "The Firemaker's Curse", *RuneScape*.
16. ↑ Lennissa, "The Curse of Zaros", *RuneScape*.
17. ↑ Dhalak, "The Curse of Zaros", *RuneScape*.
18. ↑ Viggora, "The Curse of Zaros", *RuneScape*.
19. ↑ Mod Jack. "How Did Zaros Trip?." 19 August 2013. *RuneScape Lore Discussion* Forums.
20. ↑ Mod Emilee. "Game Update FAQ - 14/09/11." September 2011. *Recent Game Updates* Forums.