Letters #19 - Guthix Embraces Change

Guthix Embraces Change

Q-PEA'S EVER ELUSIVE NATURE DEITY HAS MANIFESTED HIMSELF ONCE MORE, TO TAKE ON THE QUESTIONS DEMANDED BY HIS FOLLOWERS: WOULD HE MAKE AN EVIL SILVERLIGHT? WHY IS IT COLD UP NORTH? WHAT IS THE POINT OF WORSHIPPING GUTHIX ANYWAY? ALL THESE AND MORE ARE ANSWERED IN LETTERS 19!

Salutations, mine followers! As perhaps thou hath already noticed, mine experiment upon this land continues apace and the land itself shines with renewed vigor. So, in the pause I take to let things settle, I hath returned to physical form in order to answer some of thy queries.

Dear Guthix, you are the god of balance, yet in all my years of selling runes I have stocked only three of the elements of nature: fire, earth and water. I have never found the greatness and majesty of wind. Why? Betty, of Betty's Magic Emporium, Port Sarim

I am indeed puzzled by the claim, for long hath I considered Wind Strike to be the foundation upon which all mages build the castle of their knowledge; although thou seem to have made a slight error in thy claim, for the element is not the wind, but the air itself; a far more potent power indeed.

Guthix, I study the old powers in my tower, and the Library has found nothing new for a long time. What can you tell me of Zaros, or the other gods? I know you are reluctant to speak of them. But if Zamorak is evil, does Zaros make him look kind and caring? I hunger for knowledge of the gods who came before. And how can Saradomin and Zamorak be your brothers, if you came to this plane before them? Are all gods brothers and sisters?

Strength through knowledge,
Wizard Grayzag, of his tower near Draynor

Thy first question I cannot answer, for I know not of the being thou speak of. Certain events that occurred during my slumber are unknown to me, for my mind was occupied elsewhere in my slumber, and I had but tangential influence and knowledge of the events of this land. The name seems almost familiar, and I hath a feeling that there are reasons why I should know it, but alas, truthfully I do not.

As to thy secondary question, the term of brother towards my fellow deities is an honorific rather than a familial one, for our past ancestrys are mightily different, yet I call all deities on this world brother or sister, for this is the closest term that humans have to describe our relationship.

Hail Guthix,

First, I follow none of the gods, for I cannot tell which to trust most. That said, I have two questions I would like a decent answer to, from any god who will give one:

1. In letters 16 you said that dwarves learn Superheat Item at a young age. But everybody in my trade knows dwarves dislike magic and never use it...

2. Runes can be bought in shops like mine, and many monsters drop them. But should the high wizards not make their own runes? Or is it stranger that they cannot?

Thanks in advance,

Aubury, of Aubury's Rune Shop, Varrock

In answer to thy queries;
1) That which is widely known is not necessarily true, just as truth is not always widely known. The dwarves are a highly noble and intelligent race. They know of the benefits that magic doth bring to the metallurgical arts, and use such spells accordingly.

2) Thou mayest have noticed that there hath been a minor explosion in the quantity of runes available throughout the world recently. I hath been informed that a lost skill hath been resurrected, but I know not the reason why this secret hath now been shared, nor the purpose for which those behind this discovery plot towards.

Dear god of many words,

I hear many rumours of the world the Deepening will bring. Some I admire, and some I wish were false. One rumour says "a crafter can make rings which hold hidden powers, as amulets do." I sell the ring moulds, so it would be great if you cleared this up for us unwise beings. It is hard writing like you, seriously.

Rommik, of Rommik's Crafty Supplies, Rimmington

I see many things, and from different moments of time. I think thou will be glad to hear that such items will indeed be obtainable upon this land, although as to a timeframe, I am afraid I canst not be more specific.

To Guthix,

I keep the key to Silverlight's cabinet in the palace. If you gave Silverlight its power, should it not harm all creatures, good or evil? Or is there a sword that weakens "good" creatures? Sir Prysin, of Varrock palace

Rest assured loyal follower that if a creature of the magnitude of power of Delrith yet of opposite alleigance should try and force himself upon this world, I will personally take steps to imbue such power as I may to prevent it.
Whether this be by indirect intervention, such as the empowerment of a weapon beyond other weaponry, or by a direct appearance on my part I cannot say.

Thou canst not measure the appropriate response to a situation until that situation hath occurred; this is the nature of balance.

Almighty Guthix, I am a great believer in thy philosophy of balance, but yet there is something i canst not understand:
You say you slumbered while Saradomin, Zamorak and the other gods came into Q-pea and changed it. If you care so for balance, why did you sleep so long, and let them upset it so badly? Were you tired from balancing things? Or had you just survived a fight to the death with another god who claimed the world?

Yours, in reverence

Sanfew, druid of Taverley

I know for many mortals sleep doth exist only as periods of inactivity, but this is not true of myself.
Mayhap the word slumber was an inexactitude of mine; as thou may know of me, I find the language of mortals problematic, just as understanding the message of the wind, or the songs of sand wouldst be difficult for you. My slumber was the slumber of the caterpillar as it becomes the butterfly, or the slumber of acorns as they dream of oaks.

It consumed my attention wholly, for I was gathering and focussing mine power in preparation. Mine rest was not a case of lack of consciousness, rather it was a focus of concentration so great as to exclude all other activity by myself.

Dear Guthix,

Earlier I was at the Ice Plateau, collecting cosmic runes for my master. I started thinking, as I heartily slaughtered Ice Giants: why do they carry bananas? And then it hit me. Why is there an Ice Plateau at all? Nowhere else in the Wilderness is icy. Did the great explorers forget to salt it? Does my master's fire not reach it? I would like to know why it exists. The Mage of Zamorak, at the edge of the Wilderness

No fire, even the persistent remains of the wilderness war, may warm the cold ice wastelands of the north. This spot thou speak of in the Wilderness is the furthest north many inhabitants have ever ventured... but it is not the only land this far north to visit, as I feel sure thou will shortly discover...

Dear whomever god is out there....
For many years the newcomers have asked me what the gods look like, and I have searched for a picture of Saradomin, Zamorak or Guthix to show them. So far I have found none. Are there pictures of thyselves anywhere in this world?
Or will there be another battle between Saradomin and Zamorak, one we can watch? Will we ever see you in person?

From the helper of newcomers,
The Lumbridge Guide, of Lumbridge castle

As much as the praise of my likeness embarrasses mine senses, I know full well that there are various representations of mine form across these lands, from long ago when I travelled this world more openly, and interacted with its' inhabitants more.
As for my visage, thou may see it represented at the start of this letters page - so too may thou find representations of my brothers scattered around the world as well as in their letters to their followers.

Oh balanced Guthix:

One of my players has wandered off the pitch, all the way to the foot of White Wolf Mountain. He stands there as if stuck. When travellers speak to him, he says he does not have the ball. When they try to tackle him, he cries foul. He is not even playing. What is going on? And one more thing: how do you feel about the sheep of Ardougne? You love sheep, and the travellers killed the plague sheep even though they had no plague.

A believer in balance
The Gnome ball referee, of the Tree Gnome Stronghold

I know the Gnomeballer of which thou speak; he is an honest lad, virtuous and true, yet if his intellect were a flame he would hath not the heat to cook some shrimp. Frequently when his coach tells him to 'go wide' (as the phrase has it) his enthusiasm for the game carries him beyond the limits of what most players would consider a sensible position.

As for the slaying of innocent sheep in Ardougne, I approve all acts made in the name of balance.

Where's Reldo?

Yes, I know he is the librarian of Varrock, but I cannot find his library, let alone talk to him. Is he invisible? Or did the grown-ups make him up? Maybe the library does not even exist. Maybe he would have a job for the children who read his books, if only we could meet him. Shilop, a child of Varrock

Reldo can be found within the confines of Varrock Castle, unsurprisingly within the library, and he indeed hath a quest for those willing to speak to this man of gentle learning. He also provides information necessary for a secondary quest which thou may come across later in thy travels.

Oh holy one of balance -
In an earlier reply you said the true name of the land is "Geilenor". If so, why does the sign over my counter say "The Bank of Q-pea"? Even if Q-pea is the common name, nobody calls Falador "the town down the road". So why call Geilenor "Q-pea"?

One confused follower -
A Banker, of the east bank of Varrock

Gielenor is the 'true' name of this land, yet it doth not roll from the tongue so easily, and hath been superceded in popularity by the more common 'Q-pea'.
It is similar to the way that there is a planet I know of whose real name is 'Terra', orbiting a star named 'Sol', yet to it's inhabitants it be more commonly referred to as 'Earth' and orbits the unoriginally named 'Sun'.

Oh mighty ones in the sky,

How we look up at the stars and wonder where you are. A poet once said that "the heart is the unit by which we are all measured". By my measurements, an adventurer's heart beats about 100,000 times a day. How many times does yours beat?

Seeking guidance through experiment,

Wizard Traiborn, of the Wizards' Tower

One full year of this planet is the equivalent of one heart beat for myself, although the parallel is flawed for I hath no heart and do not breathe.
Mine is the scale of planets, dancing and circling the cosmos, of continents rising and falling, and of mountains growing. As thou may imagine, I find it hard to accurately measure time upon a smaller scale than this.

I have a few questions for thee,

1. Is the picture at the top of your letters really what you look like?

2. I cannot choose which god to follow. I prefer balance to anything, and you are the greatest of the three. I don't like Zamorak, though his answers are the funniest. And Saradomin seems the only god who ever does anything for us. (I mean no offence to your keeping of nature, but a skill or a helpful item of your own would be nice.)

3. Do you like monkeys? They steal my bananas.

Luthas, of the banana plantation, Karamja

The picture at the start of this letters page is an approximation of the form I currently choose to take. I have no set form, and appear differently to different beings, for my true form is not precisely of this world, and the thoughts and beliefs of the viewer can influence not only their perception but my very physicality itself.
If thou hath a strong belief of what I should look like, then thou mayst find that if thou ever encounter me in the solid, that I indeed do...

As for the beings known as monkeys, I hath no particular inclination either way - in many ways they remind me of humans in that respect.

Most honorable Lord of Balance

All my life by the water I have followed no god. Lately I have read the answers you so graciously write to your followers, and I have chosen to become one of them. I have but one question: what do you require of those who call you their Lord?

Harry, of the fishing shop in Catherby

Belief in the power of balance, and a striving towards that goal in all that thou accomplish are the only beliefs I demand of mine followers. All else is pomp and folly created by those whose interests lie in themselves, not in the glory of balance.

Dear whichever-deity-happens-to-be-stuck-with-mail-duty-at-this-time:

I went to the Library of Varrock to read the history of Q-pea for my monks. Reldo has found little about the first four ages of the land. So I thought I would ask the gods. After all, gods are the beginning and the end, are they not? Perhaps somewhere in your memories lies some solid knowledge of the first four ages?

With thanks and blessings,

Brother Omad, of the Ardougne monastery

Much of the time thou speak of is a void to mine recollection, for I was elsewhere occupied. I know that both Zamorak and Saradomin were active upon this world (more active than they hath been since then, certainly) yet their endless quarrelling and secrecy may mean that thou must search hard for information about these ages.

Or perhaps thou may choose to wait, for Reldo is as diligent as historian as he is a caretaker of information, and I know that he actively seeks for information regarding these ages.

Oh great and mighty Guthix,

I have a few questions I would like to inquire from your almighty knowledge.

1) I have no idea which god to side with. Zamorak? Saradomin? You? Or none at all?

2) You claim the Saradomin does things out of his own selfishness. How can that be true if he is the one who only seeks peace and not chaos?

3) How did you gods appear in the first place? Were you created by some sort of 'being' first?

4) You are a floating skull with tendrils sticking out right? What are those for? Don't you feel weird being the only god without a physical form?

5) Final question. You, Saradomin and zamorak are brothers, right? Who is your father then and why do all of you look so different?

I hope you can impart some of your great wisdom to me.

Your most confused follower,

Wilough, of Varrock

I will attempt to answer thy queries as best I can;
1) Thou should make thy choice according to thine own nature; in truth thou do not make the choice at all, for thine own morality hath already made it long ago. This is the way balance is preserved, and I will not try and influence thy choice one way or the other.

2) Saradomin may truly believe that his motives are pure, and that he doth seek only order upon this land, but order cannot exist without the counterpoint of chaos to define that order.
I view Saradomin differently than he himself perceives things, and all I can see of his desires is the need for control; this is not a pure intention, and to mine eyes makes him little different from his brother Zamorak.

3) I exist because I must exist; if I did not, then I would be created again, for the universe requires balance in all things.
Many of the deities of this land also exist because their function is required to fulfill the roles they do.

4) I am one with nature, and as such mine appearance doth change with the thoughts of the viewer; just as if you asked a bird and a fish what this planet looks like, thou wouldst recieve very different answers, both true in their way, yet missing the insight of the other. So too is my presence upon this realm.
Physical presence is an aspect of my being, yet it is only needed where physical presence is necessary; to say I hath not this presence is to underestimate mine influence.

To Guthix,
I am still searching for the right god, and I was wondering... Do we get anything special for worshipping you? A strength bonus, perhaps? In return I would give that god's followers a discount on helmets.
From the divine searcher,
Peksa, of the helmet shop, Barbarian Village

I canst speak not for other deities of this land, but from me thou recieve only the self satisfaction that thy cause is true, and that balance will be served by thine decision.

Long hath I tarried here answering thy queries, and time works against me once more, for I hath many things to do in preserving the precarious equilibrium of this world.
So I must leave thee once more, to ponder upon my sayings, and perhaps to glean truths from them. Until next we meet;

Balance Is Power!

Guthix

DISCLAIMER: The views of Guthix do not reflect the views of DoubleU. DoubleU tried to stop him giving away its secrets, but he is a god. If you would like to contact him however...