WI: 700 year system

The 700 year system is a the principle calendar method used by the Zamorakians. Although the 700-year system is split into decades, centuries etc. for short-term administration, the 700-year system is in place for religious reasons.

Reasons
The 700 year system is also known as the "Spiritual century system" because at the end of each period the strength of Zamorakism across the entire planet is bolstered. For the first 24 hours of a new 700 year period a huge wall of fire crosses the planet. Anyone and anything in it's way are filled up with a tiny part of Zamorak's soul on the instant the fire crosses them. This soul then divides and weakens as the person or creature ages and gives birth, until at the end of the 700-year period the soul fragment is practically non-existent. By being consumed in the firewall, the person or beast is momentarily freed from Zamorak's influence as the soul fragment is returned to him, but is almost instantly filled up with another soul fragment.

The firewall
The firewall is hundreds of miles tall and deep red. It is roughly a hundred metres thick but transparent. At the ground huge spears of red light shoot up; higher up the firewall these become wispy trails. The firewall feels intensely hot or shockingly cold depending on that person's level of belief in Zamorakianism. The system goes as follows:


 * Near-fatally hot: Insanely martyristic
 * Exceedingly hot: Unstable believer
 * Very hot: Extreme believer
 * Quite hot: Not-quite total follower
 * Pleasurable warmth: Devout follower (Unswayable; see below)
 * Slight chill: Open follower
 * Noticeably cold: Concealed follower
 * Ice cold: Grudging follower
 * Near-fatally cold: Atheist

Unswayables
Unswayables are the only ones who feel completely at ease during a firewall as they are the only ones who Zamorak feels are his perfect followers. Although they would do anything for him, Unswayables would not to do crazy things like go into suicidal rages, as many of the martyrs would do. Since Zamorak wished for a society of pure, mindless slaves, he ensured these martyrs would likely die and ensure that only 'proper' followers would remain. In the same way, the deathly cold that anarchists feel is designed to remove them as well.

Usage in Zamorakian calendar
Unlike in our timeline where the past is divided into ages depending on certain trends, in the What if...? timeline all of Zamorakian history is based on the 700 year cycles. Cycles are numbered, so the first would cycle would be C (cycle)-1, the next C-2, and so on. However, the previous systems of timing years (i.e. a decade = 10 years, a generation = 20 years etc.) are still in use by the Zamorakians as they cannot think of a better way to divide up the years.