The Mystery of the Black SkyI was tending my fields in Catherby a while back on a very hot, dry, and bright sunny day. As I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked up at the sky, I was immediately struck with a question--why, in the realms of Runescape, is the sky black? I mean, look at it. It is black as pitch, and yet the sun still shines brightly. How is that possible? What causes this? Was the sky ever blue? These questions vexed me like a puzzle box and would not let me go. I had to know! Fueled by the thirst for knowledge, I made a quick stop at my house, loaded up my backpack with some food, strapped on my black dragonhide armor, grabbed my trusty bow and arrows, and headed into Runescape to search out the answers. The first place that I thought would be logical to find answers was the observatory. I wound my way around the castle wars arena, walked all the way up to the observatory, and spoke with the professor there. He told me that there is much debate and many theories in the scientific world about why the sky is black. However, he holds the view that it is some sort of eclipse. Said the professor, "The only truly logical explanation of such a phenomenon where the sky appears darkened and yet light from the sun is visible, is clearly the obstruction of said light source by a solid, albeit yet presumably invisible, heavenly body which blocks a percentage of the illumination from the light source but not its entirety." Erm…riiiight. My next stop was to be the Chemist in Rimmington. *Sigh* Yet another scientist. As I was walking from Falador and south towards Rimmington, I was greeted by a drunken dwarf. (I think he is stalking me, because everywhere I go, there he is offering me beer and his ridiculous kebabs.) I asked him why he thought the sky was black, to which he replied, "Blimey, so it is! *Hic* I ‘aven’t noticed that before, matey." Aaaand then he passed out. I finally made it to the Chemist and asked him his theory. He said that it is his belief that there are too many people who like to set fires in the land of Runescape, and that the smoke from these fires turns the sky dark. He said that the soot and ash acts like a filter for the sun’s rays, causing the sky to appear black. My next stop was the mage of Zamorak. I made my way up from Falador to Edgeville and encountered a Black Knight along the way who said that the black sky is a sign of future world domination by the Black Knights. Ok...anyway, after arriving in Edgeville, I cautiously crossed into the wild and talked to the mage of Zamarok. He rather hurriedly told me that the black sky was the result of a curse. "Erm…apparently," he said, "Zamorak got mad one Christmas at all the peace and joy that was going around, so he cursed the inhabitants of Runescape and turned the sky black. Yeah, that’s it." Hmmm, not sure I can believe that. Okay, not having been satisfied thus far, my last resort was to go to Seers' Village and talk to one of the seers. I found one on the first floor of a modest two story house. I told this seer that I sought knowledge and power and he replied that knowledge comes from experience, power from battle axes. "Ha ha very funny, but seriously, why is the sky black, oh Seer?" I said. "Let me tell you a story, fair warrior lady," he replied. "Long ago, before there were many inhabitants in the Runescape lands, the sky was blue. Guthix, the nature god, used to roam the lands and commune with the inhabitants. One day, while strolling through Zanaris admiring his own handywork, Guthix met a beautiful fairy woman named Crysimine. They quickly fell in love, and while they were together, the land never looked so beautiful. The grass was always green, trees flourished, and flowers bloomed in colors never seen before or since. That is, until tragedy struck. It is rumored that there was a mage of Zamarok who was out to get Guthix. According to legend, he found out about the love that Guthix and Crysimine shared and put a curse on Crysimine, that not even the gods can break, and turned her mind and heart against Guthix. Controlled by the evil mage, she lead Guthix on, and caused him to give and give to her, getting nothing in return, until he was nearly powerless. She then left him lying in a heap in the wilderness, unable to keep the balance that he is so famous for. He managed to recover in time. There is now light, and life goes on, but it is she who turned his blue skies to black. He still suffers some and longs for her return. One day, if the curse is lifted and they can be together again, maybe the darkness will bleed daylight and the skies will be blue again. One can never be sure. Hope lives on." So there you have it, folks. No one seems to really know what happened, or if we will ever see the blue sky resting over Runescape. You can choose to believe the scientific explanations or go on faith. Either way, I'll still have questions. I suppose it’s okay, though, because as the seer said, "Hope lives on." |