Mil Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 http://services.rune....ws?post_id=123 BackgroundThe Mahjarrat storyline is one of the longest running in RuneScape. Unlike many of RuneScape's storylines, it is not a linear series of quests; many of the Mahjarrat have their own individual story arcs. The first hint of Mahjarrat in RuneScape was in early 2002 when I wrote a history of the RuneScape world for the website. I made mention of undead necromancers who raise armies of undead to fight against humans. This was my first vision of the Mahjarrat. Back then most of the quests in RuneScape were standalone stories, but we were starting to see the need for some ongoing storylines, and one of the best ways to do that is to have recurring villains. So, I wanted something evil, powerful and also intelligent to provide a worthwhile ongoing adversary for the adventurers of RuneScape. Amongst the various fantasy creatures, liches seemed to fit the bill quite well. Back when I first wrote that history of RuneScape I envisioned the Mahjarrat to be liches. My idea of what Mahjarrat are has evolved quite a bit since then, though they still hold some lich-like qualities: they are magic-wielding, skeletal-looking and tend to have power over the undead. This is where the similarities stop. Mahjarrat aren't technically undead, rather than reanimating their own corpses they have found a way to stop themselves dying in the first place. Mahjarrat are a race in their own right rather than an undead form of human, and come from a terrible and distant world. Introducing the MahjarratWatch out!The first quest to directly feature a Mahjarrat - Temple of Ikov - came out in the summer of 2002 and introduced Lucien. It included the first mention that Zamorak used to be a Mahjarrat and introduced the concept that Lucien was after powerful artefacts so that he could follow in the footsteps of Zamorak and become a god. While writing this quest, I came up with the idea of the Stone of Jas, which wasn't featured in game for another six years. In retrospect, I might have done that quest a little differently. The choice of whether to help Lucien or hinder him was meant to set up differences in future quests, but, when it came to it, the storyline of future quests rather relied on Lucien getting the Staff of Armadyl, so the choice you make ends up being rather irrelevant. The Mahjarrat in the earlier quests also tended to be weaker than I'd now have liked, which was partially because there were fewer high-level players back then, and partially because I hadn't realised quite how much of a threat I wanted them to pose. More Mahjarrat were revealed shortly after, in the Hazeel Cult and Fight Arena quests. At the time, Khazard and Hazeel weren't named as Mahjarrat. This is because Mod Tom hadn't specifically designed them to be Mahjarrat; he just needed some villains for his quest. However, later on, we needed more Mahjarrat in the world and it seemed they had some rather Mahjarrat-y qualities, especially the skull-headed Khazard who was already a Mahjarrat in all but name. Desert Treasure introduced a Mahjarrat called Azzanadra. He had been mentioned briefly as a Mahjarrat by the guardians of Armadyl, but we hadn't really had much of idea who he was till we wrote this quest. Mod James introduced some changes in direction from the original Mahjarrat concept in this quest. This was the first time we'd released a Mahjarrat allied to Zaros and helped create the concept of different Mahjarrat factions. This was also the first time we'd released a Mahjarrat who wasn't obviously a villain. A lot of this was covered by a Postbag from the Hedge entry. Getting Organised What could DIRAKS mean?You may have got a sense that, up to this point, we were making the storyline up as we went along. This would be because, in the early days, we often were. We were trying to make interesting updates for our players, rather than plan long-term story arcs. However, our number of developers was increasing, so, with lots of different people working on storyline, inconsistency and contradictions were starting to creep in as different people tried to pull stories in different directions. So, around 2005, I started to document my storyline plans more. For example, I compiled a master document of the timeline of the RuneScape world from the 1st Age to the present day, which included a mixture of information that had already been released to the public and some of my ideas for things to be revealed later. When it came to documenting the Mahjarrat, I wanted to think of solutions to some of the loose ends and inconsistencies. For example, various Mahjarrat had mentioned that they were heading to the north. Originally I had just intended that they were heading off into the Wilderness, as it is a lawless area suitable for those Mahjarrat who want time to set up their diabolic schemes. Other developers picked up on the heading north and sent their own Mahjarrat that way, which started to imply we were building to something more significant going on in the north. Having a think about this, I decided that a reason for all Mahjarrat heading to the area would be some sort of periodic event or ritual which was the secret to their phenomenally long life. I thought it would be suitably dark if they needed to sacrifice one of their numbers so that the rest could live on. It was clear that at some point we were going to need to do a quest featuring this ritual. The ritual, for some Mahjarrat, is a time when their paths briefly overlap before they carry on with their plans and schemes. We then knew to bear this in mind for all future Mahjarrat quests. Mahjarrat AppearanceZemouregalAnother problem I had was that the Mahjarrat didn't have a consistent appearance. Hazeel and Azzanadra didn't look a thing like the skull-headed liches I had originally envisaged. I decided at that point that the skull heads were their default appearance, but one of their abilities was to change what they looked like. I then made sure this got conveyed in Enakhra's Lament, which was in development at the time. While Guthix Sleeps is the most epic Mahjarrat quest so far. This is one I had originally planned to do myself, as Lucien's plan to become a god was a storyline which had been in my head for years. I had already written a teaser involving Movario and Darve in anticipation. In the end, though, Mod Tytn ended up writing the vast majority of the quest. He managed to include the key plot points I needed while adding plenty of his own plot and writing style. The four 'Mysteries of the Mahjarrat' quests of 2009 were originally meant to be released as subquests of one single quest, in the same style as Recipe for Disaster. For me, this was the opportunity to introduce more of the nature of the Mahjarrat to RuneScape's adventurers, and to move a couple of the Mahjarrat storylines in a direction ready for the ritual quest. Ultimately, the four sub quests didn't really have enough in common to hang together under the same quest title, especially Missing my Mummy which was really more of desert quest than a Mahjarrat quest. Fortunately, they each ended up being strong enough to stand as individual releases in their own right. What's Next for the Mahjarrat?A new area to exploreSo, what is next for the Mahjarrat? Well, this brings me onto the quest I am developing now. Finally, we get to the quest where the ritual actually happens! Unreleased quests are about the hardest sort of content to talk about in a devblog. As a quest writer, I have designed the stories to be mostly revealed during the course of gameplay, but I'll try to say a little about its development. In writing the story for Ritual of the Mahjarrat, I had to tie quite a lot of elements together; after all, this is the time when nearly all of the Mahjarrat come together. This was quite a challenge. While I have written more of the Mahjarrat material than anybody, there is plenty which has been written by others, both in quests and in website material. In fact, there's so much going on that I couldn't hope to finish all of their storylines in one quest and do them all justice. There are stories I most definitely want to bring to a conclusion at this point, so, in some ways Ritual of the Mahjarrat will have something of a finale feel, but there will be some loose ends. What's more, one major plotline - which has only really been touched on before - begins in earnest during this quest. You'll know what I mean when you play the quest. So, when is Ritual of the Mahjarrat going to be released? I am sure that this is what many people reading this blog are hoping to glean. Well, it's not yet in a state where I can be confident of giving a release date. Right now, I've written my first build of the quest and other Jagex staff have played through it and given me feedback on how it can be improved, especially in regards to rewards and cutscenes where I need to make some heavy changes and additions. So, now, I'm implementing feedback. Once I've done that, it will need to be handed over to our QA team for a good bout of bugtesting and then over to the Localisation team who will make versions of my quest that I can't read. What else can I tell you about the forthcoming quest, without spoiling things too much?There will be some Mahjarrat death. It's not really a case of players getting to decide who dies, though; that would leave me in a bigger mess than the choice at the end of Temple of Ikov.The rewards will feature useful equipment for mages.The rewards will feature equipment which will be useful for rangers in certain situations. You will learn some more of the history of the RuneScape world, including a significant reveal concerning the Third Age.The storyline dictates there will be quite a lot of combat, and while I want it to be challenging, I'm not aiming for it to be as hard as Nomad as this is a quest that seems to be most anticipated by the sort of questers who are more interested in storyline. As combat goes it will be particularly interspersed with plot. There will also be lots of exploration and puzzles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salad Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 The rewards will feature useful equipment for mages.The rewards will feature equipment which will be useful for rangers in certain situations.Interesting. Wonder if it will be greatly overpowered or greatly under powered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sy_Accursed Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm highly intrigued by the storyline "touched on in earnest" that will really start in this finale. I'm guessing:Lucien story won't be finished or he's the one who dies.Azzandra story won't be finished.Sliske might get a story line seeded to continue. Operation Gold Sparkles :: Chompy Kills :: Full Profound :: Champions :: Barbarian Notes :: Champions Tackle Box :: MA RewardsDragonkin Journals :: Ports Stories :: Elder Chronicles :: Boss Slayer :: Penance King :: Kal'gerion Titles :: Gold Statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Douglas Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 "I'm not aiming for it to be as hard as Nomad as this is a quest that seems to be most anticipated by the sort of questers who are more interested in storyline. " Come on. The sort of questers who are interested in storyline ARE the questers who desire challenging boss fights and difficult content. Up the ante already! Proud Gladiator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylpheed Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm highly intrigued by the storyline "touched on in earnest" that will really start in this finale. I'm guessing:Lucien story won't be finished or he's the one who dies.Azzandra story won't be finished.Sliske might get a story line seeded to continue. I get the impression that the storyline he is talking about is relating to the Dragonkin. We saw them at the end of WGS and there's the mural depicting them burning (presumably) Kethsi to the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J35u5_M4 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Wow, can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprites Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 A difficult quest doesn't always equal a breathtaking storyline. ;) I'm hoping they will keep it like While Guthix Sleeps, where there are slow parts with little or no combat, and also boss fights and combat related things thrown in. Kill corporate radio. http://www.killradio.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Douglas Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 A difficult quest doesn't always equal a breathtaking storyline. ;) Yes, but a breathtaking storyline in a game just screams for epic combat and skilling challenges. Proud Gladiator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amundogus2 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Finally an interesting Dev Blog! Im pretty much convinced the storyline that has only been "tounched on in earnest" is the Dragonkin storyline. The quest seems less finished than I would like it to be considering how long it is since they said it would come out =/ Back in early 2010 we got a postbag saying that "more than one mahjarrat will die this year" or something similar. "There are only two strategies in war. Move forward or change. The victor is the first to realise that when he cannot move forward he must change." ~ Mod Mark H ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quyneax Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Good read, hope the fights are hard enough to take a few tries even at max combat. Supporter of Zaros | Quest Cape owner since 22 may 2010 | No skills below 99 | Total level 2595 | Completionist Cape owner since 17th June 2013 | Suggestions 99 summoning (18th June 2011, previously untrimmed) | 99 farming (14th July 2011) | 99 prayer (8th September 2011) | 99 constitution (10th September 2011) | 99 dungeoneering (15th November 2011) 99 ranged (28th November 2011) | 99 attack, 99 defence, 99 strength (11th December 2011) | 99 slayer (18th December 2011) | 99 magic (22nd December 2011) | 99 construction (16th March 2012) 99 herblore (22nd March 2012) | 99 firemaking (26th March 2012) | 99 cooking (2nd July 2012) | 99 runecrafting (12th March 2012) | 99 crafting (26th August 2012) | 99 agility (19th November 2012) 99 woodcutting (22nd November 2012) | 99 fletching (31st December 2012) | 99 thieving (3rd January 2013) | 99 hunter (11th January 2013) | 99 mining (21st January 2013) | 99 fishing (21st January 2013) 99 smithing (21st January 2013) | 120 dungeoneering (17th June 2013) | 99 divination (24th November 2013) Tormented demon drops: twenty effigies, nine pairs of claws, two dragon armour slices and one elite clue | Dagannoth king drops: two dragon hatchets, two elite clues, one archer ring and one warrior ring Glacor drops: four pairs of ragefire boots, one pair of steadfast boots, six effigies, two hundred lots of Armadyl shards, three elite clues | Nex split: Torva boots | Kalphite King split: off-hand drygore mace 30/30 Shattered Heart statues completed | 16/16 Court Cases completed | 25/25 Choc Chimp Ices delivered | 500/500 Vyrewatch burned | 584/584 tasks completed | 4000/4000 chompies hunted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sy_Accursed Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm highly intrigued by the storyline "touched on in earnest" that will really start in this finale. I'm guessing:Lucien story won't be finished or he's the one who dies.Azzandra story won't be finished.Sliske might get a story line seeded to continue. I get the impression that the storyline he is talking about is relating to the Dragonkin. We saw them at the end of WGS and there's the mural depicting them burning (presumably) Kethsi to the ground. But dragonkin is hardly jsut "touched on" we have HEAPS of law on them and the whole robert the strong quest about them. Operation Gold Sparkles :: Chompy Kills :: Full Profound :: Champions :: Barbarian Notes :: Champions Tackle Box :: MA RewardsDragonkin Journals :: Ports Stories :: Elder Chronicles :: Boss Slayer :: Penance King :: Kal'gerion Titles :: Gold Statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doranbolt Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I love questing and i really enjoyed reading up on the storylines of quests. This particular storyline is my favorite and im hoping this new quest with be up to our expectations and be as good as if not better than While guthix sleeps. Thanks for the read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylpheed Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm highly intrigued by the storyline "touched on in earnest" that will really start in this finale. I'm guessing:Lucien story won't be finished or he's the one who dies.Azzandra story won't be finished.Sliske might get a story line seeded to continue. I get the impression that the storyline he is talking about is relating to the Dragonkin. We saw them at the end of WGS and there's the mural depicting them burning (presumably) Kethsi to the ground. But dragonkin is hardly jsut "touched on" we have HEAPS of law on them and the whole robert the strong quest about them. I'm sure yours and Jagex's definition of "touched on" are different. Saying there's heaps of lore on them is a bit of an overstatement IMO. They have only appeared fleetingly in two quests, one of which is directly related to the Mahjarrat storyline. If it isn't the Dragonkin I would imagine it would either be something to do with Zaros or Daemonheim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyPunchers Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I don't even like quests and this is interesting! :thumbsup: Thanks to all those who have messaged me concerning a revamp of my Range-Slayer guide. Because of you all I will start rewriting it asap.[/color] Formerly RobinHoodie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xSxqPowerx Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Good read, hope the fights are hard enough to take a few tries even at max combat.Absolutely no chance of this. :( He said it would be easier than Nomad, and I think a fight would have to be literally twice as hard as Nomad for me to come anywhere close to not being able to do it first try. Anyway, great Dev Blog, really looking forward to this quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saradomin_Mage Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I just hope that this doesn't end up as some half hour lolquest. I can't recall a quest this year that had a true, classic quest-y feel to it. I certainly hope this won't disappoint. In real life MMO you don't get 99 smithing by making endless bronze daggers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howlin0001 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Sounds like it should be fun :P Who wants to take bets on when the quest will actually be released? I'm thinking mid to late 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert_R Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I was hoping a quest this big would have a good storyline and be one of the hardest in terms of combat if not the hardest. But I guess I can settle for one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brunokiller Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm highly intrigued by the storyline "touched on in earnest" that will really start in this finale. I'm guessing:Lucien story won't be finished or he's the one who dies.Azzandra story won't be finished.Sliske might get a story line seeded to continue. I get the impression that the storyline he is talking about is relating to the Dragonkin. We saw them at the end of WGS and there's the mural depicting them burning (presumably) Kethsi to the ground. But dragonkin is hardly jsut "touched on" we have HEAPS of law on them and the whole robert the strong quest about them.Sliske, perhaps? Regarding the dragonkin, we haven't really ...interacted with them yet... My blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master_Smither Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Was really hoping for a nice tough fight, but I am satisfied with good content and possibility for good rewards. Really looking forward to this quest and hopefully it doesn't come out next month because I'll be gone <_< . Click for My Blog670th to 99 Smithing July 21st, 07 |743rd to 99 Mining November 29th, 07 | 649th to 99 Runecrafting May 18th, 08 | 29,050th to 99 Defence October 20th, 08 | 20,700th to 99 Magic November 8, 08 | 47,938th to 99 Attack December 19, 08 | 37,829th to 99 Hitpoints December 24, 08 | 68,604th to 99 Strength February 4, 09 | 27,983rd to 99 Range February 9, 09 | 9,725th to 99 Prayer June 8, 09 | 6,620th to 99 Slayer December, 12 09 | 4,075th to 99 Summoning December, 28 09 | 3,551th to 99 Herblore February 24, 10 | 3,192th to 99 Dungeoneering November 11, 10 | 146,600th to 99 Cooking December 29th, 10 | 11,333rd to 99 Construction June 7th, 11 | 16,648th to 99 Farming August 1st, 11 | 19,993th to 99 Crafting August 2nd, 11 | 89,739th to 99 Woodcutting Janurary 1st, 12 | 55,424th to 99 Fishing May 9th, 12| 60,648th to 99 Firemaking May 12th, 12 | 16666th to 99 Agility May 17th, 2012 | 24476th to 99 Hunter June 1st, 2012 | 57,881st to 99 Fletching June 1st, 2012 | All 99s June 1st, 2012 | 3183th to 120 Dungeoneering July 24th, 2012 | 2341st to 2496 Total level July 24th, 2012 | Completionist Cape July 24th, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuggernongy Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Sounds like it should be fun :P Who wants to take bets on when the quest will actually be released? I'm thinking mid to late 2012 Hah, I'm going to guess it'll be a mad rush to get it out around late November this year, just so they can say at least they got it released this year. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Arcane Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Thrilled to finally get a Dev Blog on this, can't wait for the quest!! I'm gonna take a wild stab at the dark and hazard a guess that the quest will come out....October-November time this year. Dragon crossbow getting released anyone? :razz: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squisher_33 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 yay im gonna kill the quest boss in 60 seconds with rapier, turmoil, overload, steel titan, and use no brews, just soul split thats fun right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amundogus2 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 yay im gonna kill the quest boss in 60 seconds with rapier, turmoil, overload, steel titan, and use no brews, just soul split thats fun right?Jagex isnt gonna cater each boss to insanely maxed players... "There are only two strategies in war. Move forward or change. The victor is the first to realise that when he cannot move forward he must change." ~ Mod Mark H ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlskid Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Agreed. From the sounds of it I think that the boss will be more like some of the dungeoneering bosses are today.lol just my 2 my cents though Summoning help:[hide=Wio, lol][/hide] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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