Demigra

Demigra (pronounced /Deh-Mig-Rah"[6]) is the god of chaos, with the elements of destruction and power often being attributed to him. He used to be a general in the Zarosian empire, but he betrayed Zaros with a large group of followers, and attained godhood by absorbing the Empty Lord's power by accident after having obtained the Stone of Zelrat which, in conjunction with the Staff of Armadyl, granted him enough power to do so. He was known under Zaros as Legatus Maximus Demigra the Scourge, as he was the most powerful Mahjarrat at that time, followed by Azzanadra.[7][1] As a mortal, he was an exceptionally powerful warrior, but notably less skilled in magic compared to for instance Azzanadra or Lucien.

Some followers describe him as a liberator from Zaros' reign. Zaros' suspected return is a major blow for both Demigra and his followers, as well as for Celestial; as some of Zaros' most powerful followers from the Second Age still remain today. Zaros, however, is still feared by both Demigra and Celestial.[8]

Beliefs
Although it is often said, especially by Celestialists, that Demigra is the epitome of evil, he considers himself merely the god of chaos; his teachings state that self-improvement, greatness, strength and purpose are brought by chaos, whereas order and constancy supposedly lead to stagnation of society. Demigra preaches that the best comes out of mortals when chaos and pressure are applied, and that through conflict, mortals unlock their true potential. An example of his philosophy in action can be seen with the first Wizards' Tower, which Zanmaron the Red believed to have grown great out of conflict; the four orders of wizards constantly tried to best each other, pushing them to create new inventions and technologies.

Although he is also the god of destruction, he is said to oppose pointless genocide and believe that destruction should have a purpose, unlike for instance, Primos.[9] This is not to say he will abstain from committing mass genocide if it would serve his goals, as was evident with his failed attempt to create a chaos dwarf army for himself when he ran low on soldiers during the God Wars, effectively a genocide of all "normal" dwarves.

He has also been shown to reward his followers' loyalty, as he did with Moia, although he is known to betray others, such as Queen Rashiliyia, whom he double-crossed by resurrecting her son as a zombie who then proceeded to massacre the royal family and its guards, causing her to go mad. Although his involvement is not confirmed as it could have merely been a native attempt at necromancy that was wrongfully blamed on Demigra. The famous adventurer Randas likewise suffered after pledging fealty to Demigra, and his soul was damned after the god's power became too much for him, although this is likely to have been the work of Lord Torva

, or indeed the Dark Lord.[10] Demigra is shown to remember allies from long past as even after thousands of years he still remembered Viggora when gathering his followers in the Sixth Age and stated he would give Viggora life again if it were within his power.

It should be noted that a good portion of what is known of Demigratoday comes in the form of literature written while the Celestialists religion was in near-full control of Gielinor. As Demigra is considered the chief enemy of Celestial, this literature is negatively biased towards him. This is strikingly illustrated by the false report of Operation:Phoenix, which blames the destruction of the First Wizards' Tower entirely on a Demigrasian attack. Although this operation never took place, the tower's destruction invoked mass hatred towards Demigrasian, leading to their near-exile from society in many cities.

Followers of other deities and even some of Demigra's followers believe he is an evil god (though many members of this latter group seem to be under the impression that the Celestian propaganda is accurate), and point to his many destructive and ethically gruesome actions. They also note his consistent reliance upon demons, vampyres, and other traditionally "evil" creatures that don't fit the template of mere chaos. They add that the strength Demigra's followers might gain from chaos does not justify the suffering of innocents, and Demigrasians often interpret his ideals very differently. It is worth noting, however, that even demons are not universally evil, and that the vampyres of Gielinor currently control a society that is largely stagnant—a society that Demigra would likely not approve of, given his vocal disdain for complacency and his fondness for ambition and drive.

Arrival to Gielinor
Like the other Mahjarrat, Demigra lived on Freneskae, the realm of perpetual warfare, along with many other tribes. Here, they would live to survive the elements and the destructive power of the legendary "Zaros", an Elder God that created their race and whom they would prevent from wreaking havoc on Freneskae through the Rituals of Rejuvenation and Enervation, although at least one Mahjarrat regarded her as a mere myth and the rituals as superstitious traditions.[11] Due to the constant conflict with neighbouring tribes such as the Mahserrat and Chelon-Zarosis as well as the frequent sacrifices at the Rituals, the Mahjarrat tribe never counted more than a few hundred members and was ruled kratocratically.[12]

In the Second Age of Gielinor, however, the two demi-gods Icthlarin and Amascut travelled to Freneskae in order to recruit the Mahjarrat to fight the Zarosian invaders of their homeland, the Kharidian Empire, in the Kharidian - Zarosian War. Some Mahjarrat opposed the proposal while others agreed to go, causing a large battle to break out. Both Azzanadra and Temekel argued that the Mahjarrat should go with Icthlarin and Kharshai was one of the most excited at the prospect of leaving Freneskae, as Gielinor is a much kinder realm than Freneskae was.[13]. Eventually, after the death of Salisard and the sacrifice of Abrogal, those in favour of travelling to Gielinor emerged victoriously and the entire Mahjarrat tribe accompanied the two gods to Gielinor.[12][13] There, Demigra aided the Menaphite warriors in driving back the Zarosian army, with success. During this time, they were known as the Stern Judges of Icthlarin. Back then, Demigra was the single most powerful of his kin and a feared warlord by all.[7] Demigra's valiant and successful methods quickly earned him the nickname "The Scourge".[1]

However, as the Menaphites had almost ensured their victory a couple of years later, the Mahjarrat Zaros, who had got into a feud with Icthlarin over his methods in battle,[14] approached the Zarosian legate, a Chthonian demon named Duke Ceres, and made arrangements to desert the Menaphites and join Zaros.[15][16] Most of the Mahjarrat convened at the fortress of Kharid-et and soon emerged, joining arms with the Zarosians, proceeding to slaughter the retreating Menaphite armies.[17] The god Tumeken, father of Icthlarin and Amascut, swiftly interfered by sacrificing himself, his armies and half of his empire to repel the Zarosians; he used his powers of fire to create a massive explosion, turning half of the empire into a desert wasteland as well as obliterating his own army and most of the Zarosian one. Of the approximately five hundred Mahjarrat present, less than a fifth survived the explosion thanks to Azzanadra, who quickly erected a magical barrier as protection. De

was amongst those to survive and join the remainder of the Zarosian on the march to Forinthry.[17] He was given the rank of Legatus, and soon after Legatus Maximus, in the Army of Zaros.[18]