Colossus

This article is about creatures who have ascended to a god-like status. For other uses, see Colossus (disambiguation).

A colossus (plural colossi) refers to various powerful creatures living on Gielinor. The colossi are various creatures who have somehow managed to ascend to a higher state of being, akin to godhood, believed to be caused by an abundance of anima before the First Age. Some of these creatures still remain today. Zaros defines a colossus as an animal demigod, while Anya states that they are thought to be animal-gods, creatures exposed to the raw life force of their native worlds, growing sentient and powerful in the process. Anya also confirms that the subject of colossi was studied on Vampyrium. Utu, one of the colossi of Havenhythe, describes them as beasts imbued with a portion of the abundant anima that coursed through the lands, possessing immense knowledge and power.

Long before the First Age began, the local wildlife that had evolved on the planet over the aeons could ascend to a god-like status in very rare circumstances, a phenomenon believed to be caused by nexuses of magical energy in Gielinor's Anima Mundi. Although a high level of anima would be required, the colossi could seemingly ascend anywhere, such as the island of Kami-Shima, which was the source of the four Guardian Beasts of the Eastern Lands.

When Guthix arrived on Gielinor, he attempted to live in harmony with these powerful creatures and even gained the trust and friendship of some of them, making them the first Guardians of Guthix. He would, however, step in if they became too great of a threat to the people he brought to the world. The colossi of Havenhythe, Dilimbabbar, Kayazu, and Sudumuzid, were among the eldest and most powerful, and came to be worshipped as gods and divine messengers of Guthix by the humans who settled there. The phenomenon of spontaneous ascension seemed to disappear after Guthix began to populate Gielinor. The new inhabitants' use of magic seemed to cause the phenomenon to die out, but some colossi have still survived to the Sixth Age. Over time, the intelligent races brought to Gielinor seem to have resonated with the colossi, causing some to become sentient and intelligent. Utu also notes that many colossi have since fled Gielinor, and many more have perished, with few remaining.

The colossi are very varied and their ascension has affected them in different ways, but they share a few common traits. They tend to be larger and more powerful than other members of their species, they have no need for food, and they seem incapable of dying by natural causes. Their divinity, however, can be leeched through haemalchemy, as demonstrated by Ninbaradari, who used colossi blood to fuel her own claimed ascension.

Known colossi

Active

• Araxxi (araxyte)
• Fiara (earwig)
• Inanna (wolf)
• Anzagar (wolf)
• Thalassus (sea monster)
• Valluta (tortoise)
• Wushanko Guardians
  • Byakko the White Tiger (tiger)
  • Genbu the Black Tortoise (tortoise)
  • Seiryu the Azure Serpent (serpent)
  • Suzaku the Vermillion Bird (bird)

Deceased

• Loarnab (hydra)
• Dilimbabbar (wolf)
• Utu (wolf)
• Kayazu (fox)

Unknown

• Hippophobos (unicorn)
• Skorpios (unknown)
• Sudumuzid (bat)
• Typhon (unknown)
• Ur-Det (unknown)

Shadow colossi

• Raksha, the Shadow Colossus (dinosaur)

Mentioned

This list is compiled as a part of an ongoing project and may be incomplete.

Transcripts Colossus is mentioned in:

• Colossi & the time of colossi
• Raksha, the Shadow Colossus (quest)

Trivia

• Despite being called a colossus by Zaros, Raksha does not meet the definition of one as it ascended through exposure to the Codex and not through a spontaneous surplus of anima. It is possible however that Raksha was a colossus before any contact with the Codex, which just amplified his abilities. Alternatively, due to Raksha being exposed to shadow anima rather than its natural counterpart, it can be considered a 'Shadow Colossus' or rather, an 'anti-Colossus'.