Gielinor

**Gielinor** is the final creation of the Elder Gods, and was later discovered by the god Guthix in the First Age when he was exploring realms with the elder sword.

Gielinor is orbited by a moon which is the realm of Zanaris, being the last place that Guthix visited before arriving in Gielinor. Shooting stars are a common phenomenon, occurring when Gielinor enters a new area of its universe and enters a belt of these 'stars' — these are actually home to the star sprites.

Gielinor is a mixture of mountainous, barren, forested, volcanic, snowy and tropical areas. Most of its cities lie in kingdoms, and others on numerous islands. Much of Gielinor is lush with water resources, enabling the existence of vast rivers and seas. There is also a large, destroyed continent to the north once called Forinthry, now known as the Wilderness.

## Creation and Discovery

Gielinor was created by a quartet of Elder Gods Jas, Ful, Bik and Wen very long ago. It was their perfect and last creation.

Gielinor was rediscovered by Guthix when he was travelling between realms with the elder sword. He found it at the beginning of the First Age and believed it to be perfect, the land containing many Elder Artefacts. Guthix decided the planet had to be shared with mortals so he opened gateways allowing them to enter, reshaping the world in the process. He then entered a long slumber so the mortals could enjoy the land without his presence. Those humans began to form the first civilisations and, after the arrival of Seren, the elves joined them.

## Second Age

The Second Age began after Guthix entered his slumber, with the arrival of other major gods like Armadyl, Saradomin, and Zaros. During this time, Armadyl's followers were composed mainly of humans and Aviantese; Saradomin of humans and Icyene; Zaros of Mahjarrat, Dragon Riders, demons, Auspah and humans. Zaros was the most active and powerful god, in every sense of the word. He utilised his personal and military might to wage war with all the other gods, inexorably expanding his empire.

At the peak of his empire, he was betrayed by one of his most prominent generals, Zamorak, using the Staff of Armadyl. Zaros would have been killed had he not abandoned his body, fleeing Gielinor. For his perceived murdering of a god, Zamorak was banished by the other gods, but soon returned and declared war.

## Third Age

Zamorak finally returned some years later sought to reclaim the Zarosian lands for himself. The series of devastating campaigns and intense battles collectively known as the God Wars caused the extinction of many races and resulted in a war the likes of which had never been seen on the planet. The last event of the God Wars occurred when Zamorak used the Stone of Jas in a last ditch attempt to save his life.

The destruction was so intense that the Anima Mundi, the life force of Gielinor itself, cried out in pain and awoke Guthix. Guthix created the Edicts of Guthix, which banished all the major gods from Gielinor and prevented them from returning. After solving some matters like hiding the Stone of Jas again, Guthix entered his slumber once more so that mortals could enjoy Gielinor without gods, but not before weeping at the destruction and creating the Tears of Guthix.

## Fourth Age

See:Fourth Age

The Fourth Age was marked by the absence of major gods, the reconstruction of settlements destroyed by the God Wars, the invasion of the Dragonkin, and the creation of many kingdoms. It lasted roughly 2,000 years.

At the very beginning of the Fourth Age, the Dragonkin invaded Gielinor due to the heavy use of the Stone of Jas during the God Wars and revealed themselves to be a true threat to other mortals. Having no gods to protect them, mortals rose and fought them by themselves, the most notable of these being Robert the Strong. He forced the Dragonkin back to their stronghold and became one of the most important heroes in Gielinor's history.

A stone circle was also built in Taverley as both a place of devotion and means to call upon Guthix, as revealed in Druidic Ritual.

Circa 700-800, a new hero named Arrav was gaining popularity in in the newly-founded Avarrocka. He defended Avarrocka from the invasion of a very dangerous Mahjarrat named Zemouregal, who was seeking a very powerful shield known as the Shield of Arrav. Exposed when destroying the invading army, Arrav was promptly killed by Zemouregal. Zemouregal disappeared with Arrav's corpse and shield, planning to later revive him.

In the middle of this age, Seven Priestly Warriors drove back the evil creatures coming from Morytania and blessed the River Salve with the power of Saradomin, creating a protective barrier for the west.

At the end of the Fourth Age, in the year 1937, settlers established a town on the River Lum. Across the river, they built a bridge and hence the town was called Lumbridge.

## Fifth Age

See:Fifth Age

The Fifth Age is the shortest age of history; lasting only 169 years but with many important changes in the context of Gielinor, mainly consisting of the growing dominance of the humans.

In the first years of the Fifth Age, mainland human mages discovered rune essence and Runecrafting, but kept their locations a closely guarded secret between a select few of them, so as not to let the information fall into enemy hands. Due to the power of the runes, humans started to become more significant within the world, and the human kingdoms of Misthalin and Asgarnia quickly grew to become some of Gielinor's most important kingdoms. The mages who discovered the runes created a great tower in southern Misthalin, which became known as Wizards' Tower. The first Wizards' Tower was destroyed as a result of magical experimentation and runecrafting lost; However, Saradominist mages used the accident to marshal support against Zamorakians by blaming them. Later, a second Wizards' Tower would be built upon the ruins of the first, primarily by Saradominists suspicious of the followers of other gods. The knowledge of Runecrafting wouldn't be rediscovered until the end of the Fifth Age.

After many accidents involving magic, in year 9 of the Fifth Age, the Mage Training Arena was built to properly guide the mages, who had just discovered magic and runecrafting, preventing further disasters.

During the twelfth year of the Fifth Age, Scorpius, an astrologer of the Fourth Age, built a gigantic telescope in the west to track the stars and predict the future, gaining dark knowledge. After some time, still in the early Fifth Age, his ways were rediscovered and the Observatory was restored.

In the year 47, the Fremennik, a tribe discontent with mortals practising magic and runecrafting, destroyed the Mage Training Arena. The Mage Training Arena was later rebuilt, but significant magical knowledge was lost. During the campaign, the Imcando Dwarves were left devastated and the Runecrafting Altars left in ruins, albeit still functional. The settlement of Gunnarsgrunn was also founded by the end of the campaign, because the invaders needed time to regroup; It is unknown why they stayed, or were allowed to.

In the year 129, Crandor was annihilated when an adventurer awoke a sleeping dragon named Elvarg, who, after killing the adventurer, emerged from ground and razed the island kingdom to ash. Some refugees escaped via fishing boats, landing on the shores of Rimmington, but Elvarg followed and massacred them. Only three mages are known to have survived the destruction. Thirty years later, an adventurer slayed Elvarg, avenging the people of Crandor.

By the end of the Fifth Age, the God Wars Dungeon thawed and many powerful beings were rediscovered. Azzanadra, being freed from his prison by an adventurer, managed to re-establish contact with Zaros.

## Sixth Age

See:Sixth Age

The Sixth Age is the current and ongoing age in Gielinor. The Sixth Age began with Guthix's assassination at the hands of Sliske, a powerful Zarosian Mahjarrat. This marked the end of the Edicts of Guthix, and thus the gods' return to Gielinor. This event also marked the naming of a new World Guardian and Guardian of Guthix, a human adventurer immune to divine influence tasked with defending Gielinor. Although Guthix has died, his powers can still be seen: they are reflected in the nature of Gielinor, causing strange events such as glowing trees crying at his demise and butterflies dispersing his power and memories.

## References

See:Cosmology

1. ↑ Mod Rowley. Twitter.\*
2. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB88piitm9o