In the final months before the gods returned to Gielinor, no city felt the growing tension more than Varrock.
Once considered the heart of trade and politics across Misthalin, the city stood at the center of every rumor, prophecy, and fear spreading through the kingdoms. Refugees flooded through the gates daily carrying stories of burning villages, vanished caravans, and creatures roaming the roads after dark. The city guards struggled to maintain order as panic slowly spread through the streets.
At first, the nobles dismissed the warnings.
The wealthy districts near Varrock Palace continued hosting feasts and political gatherings while merchants at the Grand Exchange focused only on rising profits. Prices for weapons, armor, and food doubled within weeks as traders realized war might soon return to the world.
Below the surface, however, Varrock was already beginning to fracture.
The poorer districts suffered first. Food shortages spread through South Varrock after supply caravans from the east stopped arriving. Street gangs gained control over entire neighborhoods while desperate citizens turned to smugglers and black markets simply to survive. Some whispered that Zamorakian cults had begun recruiting openly among the starving.
The Church of Saradomin became overwhelmed as frightened citizens gathered daily seeking protection and answers. Priests preached that order and unity were the only defenses against the coming darkness, but even within the church strange events began occurring. Sacred candles reignited on their own. Statues wept golden liquid during prayer. Several priests claimed to hear divine voices calling from beyond the heavens.
Meanwhile, the Varrock Museum uncovered records sealed since the Third Age.
Archaeologists working beneath the museum discovered references to forgotten battlefields buried beneath the city itself. Ancient tunnels connected to ruined God Wars fortifications were mapped beneath Varrock’s foundations, suggesting the city may have been built atop far older ruins tied to the original conflict between the gods.
As these discoveries spread, fear only worsened.
The eastern districts closest to the Wilderness became increasingly dangerous after sunset. Entire patrols vanished along the outer walls while survivors reported hearing war drums echoing from beyond the northern horizon. Strange figures cloaked in crimson were seen entering the city through abandoned sewer tunnels before disappearing into the slums below.
Then came the infestation beneath the city.
The sewers of Varrock became overrun by violent swarms of rats unlike anything seen before. Merchants reported stolen supplies while entire basements collapsed into hidden nests below the streets. Rumors spread of a monstrous creature commanding the infestation from the darkness beneath the city — a massive Rat King empowered by strange crimson magic leaking through ancient ruins underground.
At the same time, political division consumed the palace.
Some nobles demanded Varrock ally itself fully with the followers of Saradomin before war arrived. Others argued the city should remain neutral, fearing another God War would destroy civilization entirely. Secretly, several advisers within the court had already begun communicating with Zamorakian agents promising power and survival once the old gods returned.
The city itself seemed to sense what was approaching.
The great walls of Varrock trembled during the night from distant earthquakes. Dogs barked endlessly toward the Wilderness. Fires in the Blue Moon Inn reportedly changed color without explanation. Even the sky above the city darkened unnaturally during the final week before the return.
Three days before the heavens opened, every bell in Varrock rang at once despite no one touching them.
Panic spread instantly through the streets.
Citizens gathered in temples praying for protection while others attempted to flee south before the roads closed. Soldiers fortified the western gates expecting invasion while refugees crowded outside the southern walls begging to be let inside.
Then, on the final night of peace, the sky split apart above Gielinor.
A crimson scar burned across the heavens as divine fire rained beyond the horizon. Ancient magic surged through the streets of Varrock, shaking the city to its foundations. The hidden altars beneath the city reignited for the first time in thousands of years.
And from somewhere deep below the streets… something answered.
and ardounge
In the final days before the return of the gods to Gielinor, Ardougne stood divided long before war officially began.
Unlike Varrock, where fear spread openly through the streets, Ardougne hid its instability behind wealth, politics, and secrecy. The markets remained crowded, noble houses continued their celebrations, and guards patrolled the walls as though nothing had changed. Yet beneath the surface, the city was quietly preparing for conflict.
The first signs appeared along the trade routes.
Caravans traveling between Ardougne and Kandarin began arriving late — if they arrived at all. Survivors reported ambushes by organized raiders carrying ancient symbols tied to forgotten Zamorakian armies. Others claimed to have seen armored warriors walking through the forests at night without making a sound.
The Ardougne Council publicly dismissed these stories as panic and bandit activity.
Privately, however, several noble families had already begun stockpiling weapons and hiring mercenaries.
The city’s spies became increasingly active during this period. Messages intercepted at the docks revealed communication between hidden cults operating throughout Kandarin. Rumors spread that agents loyal to both Saradomin and Zamorak had infiltrated the city government itself.
No one knew who could still be trusted.
East Ardougne remained stable at first, though tension filled the streets. Merchants profited heavily from rising demand for weapons, armor, and magical supplies while thieves’ guilds expanded rapidly beneath the city. Assassinations of political rivals became increasingly common, often disguised as robberies or disappearances.
West Ardougne suffered far worse.
Though officially sealed due to plague for many years, strange activity began occurring behind the walls dividing the city. Witnesses claimed red lights could be seen flickering above abandoned buildings during the night. Guards stationed near the barriers disappeared without explanation, and screams were sometimes heard echoing through the empty districts after sunset.
Some believed Zamorakian cultists had established hidden sanctuaries within the ruined half of the city. Others feared something much older had awakened beneath the plague-ridden streets.
At the docks, sailors refused to remain in port after dark.
Ships arriving from distant regions brought stories of violent storms appearing without warning across the seas. Entire crews vanished during voyages while strange symbols appeared carved into wooden hulls overnight. A growing number of captains believed the oceans themselves had become cursed as divine energies returned to the world.
Meanwhile, druids near Kandarin reported worsening disturbances in nature.
Forests surrounding Ardougne became unnaturally silent during certain nights. Animals fled deeper into the wilderness while ancient stone circles began radiating unstable magical energy. Several Guthixian druids warned that the balance protecting Gielinor was failing rapidly.
Most ignored them.
Within the city, fear turned citizens against one another.
Supporters of Saradomin demanded stronger laws and military action to prepare for the return of chaos. Secret Zamorakian followers spread unrest among poorer districts, preaching that the old kingdoms deserved to burn. Neutral factions attempted to prevent open conflict, but every passing day pushed Ardougne closer to collapse.
Then the disappearances began.
Nobles vanished from locked estates. Guards failed to return from patrols beneath the city. Entire underground smuggling routes fell silent overnight. Whispers spread through taverns that an unseen force was gathering powerful individuals for purposes unknown.
By the final week before the gods returned, Ardougne had become a city drowning in paranoia.
The gates were heavily guarded, spies watched every district, and armed mercenaries filled the streets. Few slept peacefully. Many believed war was inevitable.
Then the sky broke open.
As crimson fire burned across the heavens above Gielinor, magical shockwaves surged through Ardougne’s streets. Hidden altars buried beneath the city reignited instantly. Ancient wards protecting forgotten tunnels beneath West Ardougne shattered apart.
And somewhere beneath the divided city, sealed doors untouched since the Third Age slowly began to open once more.