The beginnings of the Secessionists

Soon, in Runescape, there was sparked a new public interest in Magic, making it so everyone-I mean everyone-had access to some bit of magick. Thankfully, it hadn't eliminated the use of anything but Magick, as the Khult, a magic-supremacist organization from another Universe, would have wanted. It enhanced all such things, catapulting Runescape into a renaissance. Yes, there were many wild, untamed places in the world-likely, they would remain that way. The world wouldn't be as much fun without wild, dangerous places full of monsters, they reasoned. They were, as it happened, right.

And, as a bit of a downside, some people resented the civilization of the land.

As Haru, a representative and Warden of the Council of Norumbega, a democrat through and through, man of a dizzying array of talents and weaponry, pointed out: “Yes, the cities are mostly civilized, but they still have a poor part, Morytania is still dangerous-it will probably never be entirely purged, though. The point is, good friends, that this world isn't tamed completely-except in the delusions of those fools who believe that by removing the thugs and such from the wilderness, and accidentally releasing the Revenants from the scorched earth of the wilderness. They did destroy a large part of the world's criminal economy, though,.. but on the other hand, they caused the Great Exodus... in other words, Runescape is like the mythical Aslan-It's not tame. Simple as that, now don't bother me, I have to go see my physician friend. Ciao!”

These people left Runescape for other lands, giving away nearly all of their valuables. As is written in another book soon to come, known in Gielinor as “Ravencraft's Comprehensive History of Noobs”:

Then, on December 10, 2007, it all changed. Everything familiar-everything!-was ripped away. Many famous glitches and bugs-all little misfiring nerves in runescape were fixed. And that huge battle arena I told you about? It was gone. And replaced with incredibly overpowered ghosts known as Revenants, hated by all.

Falador-a city made of bleached pale-white stone, home to major displays of chaos-was the first to show their discontent in what was arguably the biggest riot in the history of Runescape. This riot was big. It was mind-bogglingly big. People spammed, and covered up almost every inch of the screen. The forums were loaded with complaints and rants. Rare items-sold by quitters, usually high-levels who thrived on Pking-were common at the Party Room, allowing people to get items such as Dragon Chainbodies and abyssal whips in the blink of an eye. I don't do it justice-to see what it was really like, and get an impression of the awe-inspiring size, visit youtube or google “end of runescape”.

People sort of died down, for a while, with many people trying to start up riots, again and again...

Other people, the roving Noob tribe, who were struck by the rising costs of items such as Rune essence, the immense crackdown on everything, the inability to scam, and the disappearance of bronze, began to disappear. They joined with all who disagreed with the changes, and wanted Runescape to be in the barely remembered anarchic state of old, when you could PK anywhere but the inside of Lumbridge castle. Some people started the game... and never came out of the castle.

Nobody knows exactly where these two vastly different tribes went. Some say that there was a humongous battle of colossal scale, with resources made by the people whose businesses and livelihoods were destroyed. These people-the surprisingly large amount who didn't quit-are claimed to have taken a particularly large ship to Lumbridge, attempting to lay waste to that town, the place where all new travelers go.

It's said they were driven far, far back into the swamp, into the Slayer Caves, where they led an expedition into it's deep recesses...

Nobody knows what happened to them. Long after, a deformed-looking thing in the famous JUnE (Juggernaut Universal Enterprises) Spelunking Outfit, No.3, was found hanging upside down, bound by the feet, hanging over Juna's Chasm. On it's chest, written in dried blood, it said:

“STAY AWAY FROM THE GARDEN OF THE SECOND SUN AND THE DOOR OF CALLABRAX”.

What the Garden of the Second Sun was, and who or what Callabrax might be was unknown. The previously-mentioned Haru had said that he was engaged in a horrific battle on a planet known as “Callabrax”, or “Counter-Gielinor,” but it was destroyed horribly. It would be like the Wilderness now. Perhaps even worse. Rendered uninhabitable in the most serious sense of the word. Any habitation on its surface would be absolutely impossible without a breathing apparatus of the most powerful kind. The type so big you have to lug it around.

Wherever, whatever, or whenever, attacks by noobs became commonplace.