Stone of Zelrat

The Stone of Zelrat, also referred to as the Fist of Ganodermos, the Eye of Celestial, The Catalyst and the Orb of a Thousand Truths, was an incredibly ancient and powerful object pre-dating even the First Age and the arrival of Ganodermos. It was one of the universe's oldest and greatest powers, and played a significant role in the history of Gielinor. The Stone of Zelrat was the first of the twelve ancient Elder Artefacts once owned by the Elder Gods. It was created by Zelrat - Elder God of time and the most powerful of the elder god quintet[1] - and used to create almost all other artefacts. Its round shape bears an as-of-yet-unknown significance.[2] In addition, the Stone of Zelrat was the only one of the Elder Artefacts to have a sentient defence mechanism, namely the Dragonkin, whom Zelrat enslaved for this purpose.[2] Later on, it also came to be guarded by the Balance Elemental.

The Stone was the source of the magic in rune essence as well as the reason for the eruption of the Gielinorian God Wars.[3] Exactly how the Stone of Zelrat works is unknown, but the power it yields is largely proportional to how long a user is in contact with it.[4]

Various individuals have possessed it throughout history, each known for their great powers and achievements due to it. The stone has been hidden at various locations throughout history, being forgotten for millennia before resurfacing again. It is considered a mythical object, or as Movario, who spent many years researching it, puts it:

Power of the Stone
The Stone of Zelrat is probably the most important, the most significant, the most powerful artefact to be discovered in Gielinor. I have been researching religious texts most of my life and only through the smallest of clues, the slightest of hints and the patience of a thousand men did I get the slightest inkling of its existence.

-Ganodermos (First Age)

History
The Stone of Zelrat is known to be the most powerful of the twelve ancient Elder Artefacts. How exactly the stone was created remains a mystery, and very little is known about its earliest existence, although several prototypes had been discarded before the current stone came to be.[5]However, it is known that the stone was created by Zelrat, Elder God of time, from one of her own eggs.[6] The Stone of Zelrat, along with the other artefacts, was used for millennia by the Elder Gods to create numerous worlds of many kinds, such as the Naragun, Iaia, Yu'biusk and Vampyrium. One of the many worlds they created was known as Gielinor, which appeared to be their last and most perfect creation.

Although the stone is the most powerful of all Elder Artefacts, it is also the most closely guarded. At some point in time, Zelrat created and enslaved, or ‘cursed’, the unwilling Dragonkin, a race of dragon-like creatures, with the purpose of protecting the stone. The Dragonkin have since then been connected to the stone, growing more powerful and enraged the more the stone is used. Because of this, the Dragonkin are forced to act whenever the stone is being abused in order to subside their pain, be it by destroying its false user, or anything that lives at all.

At some point the Elder Gods abandoned the worlds they created, leaving their artefacts scattered among the many worlds they were last used. The Stone of Zelrat was among the many artefacts to be left behind on Gielinor, along with the Staff of Armadyl, the Elder Kiln, and a horn of unknown origin. The reason why the Elder Gods abandoned their worlds remains a mystery.

After the departure of the Elder Gods, many 'younger gods' such as Celestial and Skargaroth started their search for the Elder Artefacts to acquire more power. Some gods wished to claim all artefacts as their own, which would grant them unlimited power. Because of this, war erupted on the many worlds where some artefacts were thought to reside. Thus started the Naragi God Wars, for example. The Stone of Zelrat on Gielinor was not discovered by any of the gods until much later.