The Legend of Arrav, Part I

Anonymous author, reprinted from the scroll named Arrav of Avarrocka, the Hero of Men.
Original date of writing unknown.

The Legend of Arrav is almost a founding document for the city of Varrock. In ancient times, when first men came to this land, they founded the village of Avarrocka, where Varrock now stands, and Arrav was their first and greatest hero.

This lengthy tale explains how Arrav came to be, how he carried himself as a man, and how his doom came upon him. In times of darkness and fear the people of Varrock still turn to this story as a beacon of hope - for, if in those days before the power of runes, man could protect himself from the horrors of the Necromancer, surely we can still protect ourselves now.

- Reldo

Childhood of a Hero

egend tells us that a mighty hero was born near the town we now call Varrock, but no record of his birth or parents were ever found. A wandering group of travellers seeking sanctuary from the goblins and ogres that infested the land found a human child while following a river on a day when both sun and moon were mingled in the sky.

The child was unusually tall for one so young, with dark eyes and a fierce countenance, yet fair hair and skin, and a kind smile. The elders of the tribe saw this child as a good omen, and decided that they should set up camp at this place, and named their camp Avarrocka. The child was brought into the camp and raised as their own child, and they taught him how to hunt, and how to farm, and how to kill, for the times of legend were harsh and cruel.

And the tribe's greatest hunter taught the young men of the tribe the skills of hunting. He taught them the skill of silence, and of the parts of animals that caused sickness and should be removed before eating, and where to stand in wind and streams so that animals could not detect the hunter's presence, and of tracking the prey in the forests through which they moved. And the child was more gifted than the rest of the young adults, as well as standing a head taller. When the time came for the young men to hunt their first animals alone, the child brought back to the camp a large stag, with fair white skin and deep red eyes, and the elders saw this as a good omen.

And the tribe's greatest farmer taught the young men the importance of farming well, and of the times of the calendar that seeds would grow best, and of the changes in the clouds that showed how crops would grow, and of growing certain crops together to prevent the sprouting crops from being consumed by the birds, and by the pests of the land. And when it came for the crops to be harvested, all were awed by the height of the child's grain, and the succulence of his fruits, and the elders saw that this was a good omen for the village.

And when the tribe's mightiest warrior taught the young men how to fight, all were amazed at the prowess of the child, for he moved as though he had been born with a sword drawn, and his strength and speed were equal to men twice his size and age. And the elders of the village saw how fortunate they were that such a mighty warrior should have been delivered unto them.

o came the tenth year after finding the child, and by all reckonings they took the child to be around twelve years old, yet the child was still unnamed. So the elders decided to send the child on a quest to find a name, for they would not be able to call the young man 'Child' for much longer. And they said to him, "Go forth and bring back a name that your people may know you." So the child left the lands around the village for the first time since he had been found.

And the child wandered far, following the rivers and hills and clouds and stars to find his name. After a number of days, he did come upon an encampment of goblins who had discovered the village of Avarrocka, and did plan to make it their own with a nightfall attack. And as the goblins saw him, they screamed at him in their own language "arrav" as they attacked him. And they screamed "arrav" louder as he bested them, by individuals and by groups, until they all lay dead or defeated.

So the child returned to Avarrocka, and the elders asked him if he had found his name yet. And the child recounted the tale of the goblin camp, and how their murderous plans had been thwarted by his luck in finding them, and his skill in fighting them. And one of the wisemen said to him:

"Your name, Child, is now Arrav, for that is the name the fates have given you. It is a curse word in the goblin tongue. The fates have decided your true name to be a curse upon goblins, for that is what you truly are." All agreed that it was a good name, and much rejoicing was had for the village had been spared the sword and the flame.

And as Arrav grew, so did the village of Avarrocka, for it was situated on fertile land, and it became prosperous. As the tales of Arrav's defeat of the goblins spread among both humans and goblins the village grew larger, as humans came to live there in peace, and Goblins stayed away, for they were fearful of Arrav, the Curse of Goblins.

Click here to view 'The Legend of Arrav, Part II'

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