RuneScape locations

Gielinor, often known simply as RuneScape, is the fantasy realm in which the MMORPG RuneScape is set. "Gielinor" is what the mythical god of balance, Guthix, called the land he found himself in. Gielinor is divided into several kingdoms, a few unclaimed areas—such as the Wilderness—and numerous islands. Most of the islands are located in either the southern sea or the northern sea. In addition to these surface areas, many extensive dungeons and caves exist below ground, usually inhabited by monsters. Players can travel throughout Gielinor by walking, running, using magic spells to teleport to various locations, canoeing, and using vehicles operated by NPCs. Most of the land area of Gielinor is restricted to players who choose to become members by paying a monthly fee for additional content. The area occupied by a player is displayed in full detail in the game window. A small circular mini-map in the upper right section of the game screen shows a larger area centred around the player. The mini-map shows the location of NPCs, items, and other players using coloured dots. There is also a separate Java applet showing all of Gielinor; however, this map shows little detail and does not display players, items, or NPCs.

Kingdom of Misthalin

The Kingdom of Misthalin is available to all players and tends to be the most populated area on the free worlds. When RuneScape was first released to the public, Misthalin was the only area in Gielinor. Most of the quests available to all players take place or begin there.

In the history of RuneScape, Misthalin is one of the oldest human kingdoms. Its capital city of Varrock has existed for hundreds of years longer than most other cities. It is one Gielinor's largest metropolises, containing a wide array of shops, banks, chapels, and skill training areas.

Lumbridge, located on the southeastern edge of Misthalin, is the small town where new players begin play. It is home to a variety of NPCs who provide brief tutorials on some of the different skills. Most players reappear in Lumbridge after their death. South of Lumbridge lies the Lumbridge Swamp, home to a few goblins and giant rats. Draynor, a village rich with natural resources, lies west of Lumbridge. The Barbarian Village, a village of barbarians found just west of Varrock, is the home of the Stronghold of Security. Available to all players, it is a dungeon that breaks the fourth wall, educating players on account safety and security. Edgeville, a small town north of the Barbarian Village, is located on the edge of the Wilderness. The Wizard's Tower, located south of Draynor Village, is home to many famous wizards. The magic emanating from this tower is thought to keep peace and balance throughout Gielinor. The Dark Wizard's Circle, a ring of stone pillars surrounding a dolmen just south of Varrock, is inhabited by a number of dark wizards.

Misthalin borders the Wilderness to the north, Asgarnia to the west, Morytania to the east, and Al-Kharid and the surrounding desert to the southeast.

Kingdom of Asgarnia

The Kingdom of Asgarnia is a large human kingdom. Asgarnia is open to all players of RuneScape, but tends to be more crowded on member worlds than on free worlds. Asgarnia was one of the first major land additions in early RuneScape Classic.

Asgarnia lies between Misthalin to the east, Kandarin to the northwest, and the Wilderness to the north. Asgarnia is allied with Misthalin, and travel and trade between them is fully open.

Falador, located in the centre of the kingdom, is Asgarnia's capital and largest city. The White Knights, sworn to uphold justice and defend Falador, live within a castle in central Falador.

Port Sarim is a sea port located south of Falador. It has a large dock area where players can board ships bound for Karamja, Entrana, Crandor, and the Void Knights' Outpost. Rimmington, a small town south of Falador, is the default location for player-owned houses built with the construction skill. Just north of Rimmington is the crafting guild. Ice Mountain, with its snow-covered slopes, is located north of Falador. Black Knight Fortress, one of the largest strongholds of Black Knights in Gielinor, sits just north of Ice Mountain. Just east of Ice Mountain is a monastery. Goblin Village, a town populated entirely by goblins, is located just west of Ice Mountain. Dwarves have constructed a large underground mine under Ice Mountain and extending south.

A small part of Asgarnia is available only to members. Taverley, a peaceful village northwest of Falador, is populated by Druids. Burthorpe, a militaristic town north of Taverley, defends Asgarnia against the trolls in the mountains to the north. Although it is considered to be an Asgarnian holding, Burthorpe's isolation and militarization have led to it becoming relatively independent.

Al Kharid and the Kharidian Desert

Al Kharid is a wealthy desert city with a bank and several stores. It is a monarchy, with a large palace in the southern portion of the city. Al Kharid lies just east of Lumbridge and south of Varrock, and it is the only desert city accessible to free players. North of Al Kharid is a scorpion-filled mining pit made a popular mining location for players because of the nearby furnace to smelt their ores. Nearby is the Duel Arena, where members can duel other members for fun or with items or money at stake.

The Kharidian desert, accessible only by members, lies south of Al Kharid. When travelling within the desert, players must bring water in waterskins or slowly die of thirst; white desert robes may also be worn as extra protection from the harsh desert sun.

Inside the desert, a network of magical flying carpets can be used by members for a fee. The town of Pollnivneach, in the eastern area of the desert, is a hub for the flying carpet business, and has several shops and a tavern. It is mainly inhabited by bandits and the Menaphites, thieves from Menaphos. The ruins of Uzer, a once great city now destroyed, lies northeast of Pollnivneach, on the eastern side of the River Elid. South of Uzer is Nardah, a city normally full of water, but struck by a drought in recent years. In the western area of the Kharidian Desert, the Bedabin desert tribe has set up a semi-permanent camp that is the center of many quests. South of the Bedabin camp is a bandit camp, home to a large number of bandits highly aggressive towards followers of Saradomin or Zamorak. Far to the south are the cities of Menaphos and Sophanem. Sophanem is under quarantine by Menaphos because of a deity-inflicted outbreak of plague similar to the Biblical plagues; because of this, adventurers can only enter after completing certain quests.

Kingdom of Kandarin

The Kingdom of Kandarin is the largest and most complex kingdom in Gielinor. Ardougne, the capital city, is divided into East Ardougne, ruled by King Lathas, and West Ardougne, ruled by King Tyras. East Ardougne is a wealthy city populated by merchants and thieves. Just east of the city is the Legends Guild. West Ardougne is devastated by the plague that is the center of the Plague City storyline, the longest ongoing storyline in RuneScape.

Hemenster, a small town north of East Ardougne, is home to the fishing guild and the ranging guild. Seers' Village, located in central Kandarin, northeast of Ardougne, is a town populated by wizards with the ability to predict the future. Catherby, a fishing village on the eastern border of Kandarin, is popular for its fishing resources. Yanille, a small city south of Ardougne, is home the magic guild. South of Yanille, ogres populate the city known as Gu'Tanoth in the Feldip Hills; numerous ogre tribes live in the surrounding area as well.

Troll Lands

West of the Wilderness and north of Kandarin and Asgarnia are a series of huge mountain passes and tunnels, home to tribes of trolls. The land is almost entirely mountainous. The plateau at the southern edge is known as Death Plateau. In the northeastern area of the mountains is Trollheim mountain, a troll-filled and heavily guarded maze. West of Trollheim is the Troll Stronghold and the Mountain Camp. Troll Stronghold is the main concentration of trolls in the mountains, and the Mountain Camp is a peaceful temporary camp of reclusive human herders. North of the Mountain Camp is Trollweiss, the most dangerous mountain in Gielinor. Many extremely dangerous Ice Trolls and ice wolves live on its slopes, and the heights of the mountain are cold enough to kill any humans there. Near the top of Trollweiss is the Ice Path, both deadly cold and icy, with a risk of falling.

Fremennik Province

The Fremennik Province is a large area north of Kandarin. Added in late 2004, the area is the centre of a quest that grants access to all of its numerous wares as a reward. With places to train the thieving, fishing, and combat skills, Rellekka, the central city of the Fremennik Province, is a favourite location among players for training skills. Ports with ships travelling to Lunar Island, Waterbirth Island, home of the Dagannoth sea monsters, and the islands of Miscellania, Etceteria, Jatizso and Neitiznot and the other Fremennik Isles can be boarded in Rellekka. East of Rellekka are the mountains of the trolls, covering such areas as Trollweiss and the underground dwarven city of Keldagrim. Near these mountains is the Slayer Dungeon, a cave system filled with monsters that players can fight using their slayer skill.

Gnome lands

The Tree Gnome Stronghold, located northwest of Ardougne, is dominated by the Grand Tree, a massive tree covering the northern area of the stronghold. The gnomes of the stronghold live in houses built in or on top of the many trees in the area, and the Grand Tree is the largest living area. It is the location for several quests, many shops, banks, and restaurants, and an area to train the agility skill. Just west of the Grand Tree lies a playing field where players can play Gnome Ball, a sport similar to rugby. Around the Tree Gnome Stronghold, there are several transportation networks, including a system of gliders.

Tree Gnome Village is a fairly small village of gnomes located south of Ardougne. It is protected by a hedge maze and several magical orbs of protection. The village is at war with the Khazard army, led by General Khazard. The factions fight continuously at a battlefield just northwest of the village. Tree Gnome Village has a small dungeon and an intelligent tree linked to the Tree Gnome Stronghold, Varrock, and Ardougne.

Tirannwn

The elven land of Tirannwn is located to the west of Ardougne. Tirannwn is not technically part of the Kingdom of Kandarin, but rather it is a separate, wild land not under human rule, separated by the mountains of Arandar. Most of Tirannwn is covered by a huge forest, Isafdar.

The main inhabitants of Tirannwn are elves, but even they have not established settlements in most of Isafdar. The main settlement of the elves is Prifddinas, a city grown from magical crystal seeds. No human has ever entered its walls.

A few elves have rebelled against Prifddinas, and have left the area. The rebel elves frequently move throughout Isafdar, and they have a semi-permanent settlement known as Lletya in eastern Isafdar.

The ruler of West Ardougne, King Tyras, has launched an invasion of Tirannwn, and this battle is part of a series of quests, known as the Plague City quests, that relate to Ardougne and Tirannwn. Although the quests begin with a simple goal of rescuing a woman trapped in the quarantined city of West Ardougne, adventurers later discover that the plague is merely King Lathas' excuse for quarantining the city in order to gain assistance from an elven Lord Ioworth, in a planned invasion of Camelot.

Morytania

Morytania is a dangerous swamp land east of Varrock, inhabited primarily by werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. The few humans who live there struggle for survival against these monsters. The Myreque, an organization of human rebels, fight against the dominant vampires, who demand blood tithes from the humans and werewolves of Morytania.

The settlement closest to the entrance near Varrock is Canifis, a town populated by werewolves. Canifis, despite being somewhat hostile towards humans, allows players to use its bank and several shops. The largest city is Meiyerditch, a huge human ghetto controlled by vampires. A group of extremely powerful vampires known as the Vyrewatch prey on the humans, collecting the blood of the impoverished citizens. Burgh de Rott, an impoverished human town held by some of the few free humans in Morytania, is located west of Meiyerditch and becomes the home of the Myreque organization after a quest. Just north of Burgh de Rott is Mort'ton, a human village whose inhabitants became living zombies after a magical plague caused by shades fell upon them. In the easternmost area of Morytania is Port Phasmatys, a literal ghost town whose inhabitants fell under the curse of a powerful necromancer and were forced to remain in Gielinor as ghosts. Along the northern coast of Morytania is Fenkenstrain's Castle, the home and laboratory of Dr. Fenkenstrain, a mad scientist based on Dr. Frankenstein. South of the castle are the haunted woods, infested with vampires and leeches.

Historically, the evil forces of Morytania, led by the vampires and werewolves, have fought against the kingdoms of Misthalin and Asgarnia. The sacred River Salve acts as a barrier that keeps the evil within Morytania.

Southern sea

The southern sea is in the center of Misthalin, Asgarnia, and Kandarin. Located southeast of most of Kandarin and southwest of Asgarnia and Misthalin, this sea extends north up to Catherby and even farther south than the Kharidian Desert or the Feldip Hills.

Karamja

Karamja is by far the largest island in the southern sea, and it is placed almost directly in the center of the sea. Most of the island is a jungle available only to members; however, non-members may access a small area on the northeastern end of Karamja from a ship docked at Port Sarim. This small area is known as Musa Point and contains a banana plantation and a large volcano. A cave under the volcano leads to the island of Crandor and to the city of TzHaar, the domain of the TzHaar warrior-race.

A fence west of the volcano divides the predominantly free section of the island from the much larger member section. The port of Brimhaven, a haven for pirates, is located beyond the fence. The Kharazi jungle and the village of Tai Bwo Wannai is across an isthmus south of Brimhaven. Further south is Shilo Village. The jungle itself is quite dangerous for the unwary, with aggressive tribesmen and well-camouflaged poison spiders.

Crandor

Crandor is a small island north of Karamja, accessible by boat from Port Sarim and underground tunnels from Karamja. Crandor is home to Elvarg, a dragon who lives in a dungeon under the island and must be slain for a quest. The island contains deposits of minerals and ores and also a number of monsters.

Tutorial Island

Tutorial Island, located east of Karamja and southwest of Lumbridge, is where every player starts RuneScape and chooses their starting base character appearance. All activities performed here are intended to teach new players the skills needed to play the game. All new players go through various stations in a set order to learn the basics of the game, including in-game skills and how to use the game interfaces. Once Tutorial Island is complete, the player is teleported to Lumbridge and is unable to return.

Entrana

Entrana, also known as the Holy Island of Saradomin, is located north of Karamja and is accessible either by ship from Port Sarim, or via hot air balloon. No weapons or armour are allowed on Entrana; players are searched at the ship and hot air balloon and are denied passage if they possess any such items. Entrana has Temple of Saradomin, a small glassmaking industry, and a dungeon exiting to the Wilderness. Entrana is inhabited by monks, unicorns, bears, and a rare indigenous bird known as the Entrana Firebird.

Ape Atoll

Ape Atoll is a members only island located far south of Karamja, accessible by gnome glider to the nearby Crash Island, then by boat to Ape Atoll. The island is filled with poisonous jungle creatures and highly aggressive, intelligent monkeys who worship the monkey god Marimbo. They imprison any humans they discover on the island; therefore, the island is extremely dangerous for any human not wielding a monkey greegree, a magical device that transforms the wielder into a monkey. With this greegree, players will not be harmed by anything on the island.

Void Knights' Outpost

The Void Knights' Outpost is a tiny island located southwest of Ape Atoll. This is the base for the Void Knights, an organization of worshippers of Guthix, the god of balance. Their job is to kill any monsters from other dimensions that sneak onto the islands south of their outpost. Players can assist them in the Pest Control minigame.

Mos Le'Harmless

Mos Le'Harmless is an island populated by pirates located east of the Kharidian Desert. The island is the home of a rum distillery and a team-based minigame but is mostly occupied by jungle.

Northern sea

This sea extends from far northwest of Kandarin to east of Morytania, streching across the northern edge of the Wilderness. In the part of the sea north and northwest of Kandarin, there are several islands: The Fremennik Isles, Waterbirth Island, Miscellania and Etceteria, Lunar Isle, a large iceberg, and a pirate's cove. Another island, Dragontooth Island, is located east of Morytania. Boats sail to most of these islands from the Rellekka docks. The southwestern portion of this sea turns into several waterfalls, leading to a river that flows through Kandarin from the northern sea to a body of water west of the ogre lands.

Lunar Isle

Lunar Isle is a moon-shaped island in the north-west of the sea. It is home to the powerful wizards of the Moon Clan. There is a race of trolls there known as the Suqah that wander in the central portion of the island. Players must have started the "Lunar Diplomacy" quest to gain access to the Lunar Isle.

Fremennik Isles

The Fremennik Isles are a group of seven small, rocky islands in the northern sea, located between Miscellania and Lunar Isle. The islands are rich in natural resources and are connected by a series of bridges. The largest two islands, Jaitizso and Neitiznot, are inhabited by two human nations in constant dispute with each other. In Neitiznot, much of the industry is founded on the yaks and arctic pine to the west of the town, while Jaitizso relies heavily on its mines. King Gjuki Sorvott IV rules Jaitizso while Mawnis Burrowgar rules Neitiznot. The Isles are also inhabited by a large population of ice trolls to the north, mostly located in the more northern of the Isles. These trolls are ruled by the Ice Troll King.

Wilderness

See also: RuneScape combat

The Wilderness is a vast, barren wasteland in the northeastern section of Gielinor. It was created when Zamorak cast an evil spell during one of the last battles of the God Wars. Within it, players can fight monsters, which generally tend to be more challenging than in other locations, or fight other players in player versus player (PvP) combat.

External links

• RuneScape world map (Java applet)
• RuneScape world map (JPEG image, 1.4MB, last updated 19 September, 2007)