RuneScape Dragonkin / Characters

The dragonkin are one of the oldest and most powerful races in RuneScape, even predating Guthix's arrival to Gielinor. They are most famous for creating the dragons, and are equally infamous for their fiery, destructive temper.

Naturally, there will be spoilers here, some of which may be unmarked, so proceed only with utmost caution. You Have Been Warned.

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In General

Always a Bigger Fish: While Lucien gains an advantage at first over the Dragonkin he fights, he ultimately gets skewered by the Staff of Armadyl, courtesy of Sakirth. The Dragonkin then warn the others present of their intention to destroy cities.
Being Tortured Makes You Evil: Zig-zagged. As part of their binding to the Stone of Jas, the Dragonkin suffer continual torment whenever someone who isn't an Elder God (a false user) draws power from the Stone. The Necrosyrtes have given in to the curse, and endlessly scheme to kill the False Users and anyone who draws their ire. The Dactyl, on the other hand, fight off the curse and, as a result, are somewhat less malevolent.
Big Bad Ensemble: They and the Mahjarrat are the biggest direct threats in the game. The Elder Gods are the Greater-Scope Villain to both.
Bird People: The character models for the Dragonkin used to resemble vultures, since they were inspired by the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal, but later they were changed to look more like dragons.
Blessed with Suck: Their ties to the Stone of Jas. Whenever someone other than Jas uses the stone to gain power, the Dragonkin will gain an equivalent amount. However, this also puts them in terrible pain that can only be eased by destroying things, preferably the false user.
Breath Weapon: Fireballs, as demonstrated in the Mos Le'Harmless section of "The Ritual of the Mahjarrat".
Combat Pragmatist: Justified that their opponent was powered by two artifacts and rejuvenated by their ritual, but two against one isn't exactly fair.
Draconic Humanoid: Of the winged, fire-breathing variant.
The Dreaded: They ravaged the world during the Fourth Age, effortlessly thrashed Lucien, and are strong enough to pose a threat to the younger gods. They are very widely feared.
Enemy Within: According to Kerapac, Jas's curse on the Dragonkin has a fail safe mechanism that manifests as a sort of inner demon, an Echo of Jas. In order to weaken the curse's hold over Strisath, Kerapac has the player defeat it.
Eviler than Thou: In "Sliske's Endgame", they unexpectedly manage to pull this on the eponymous villain, demolishing his plans figuratively by demolishing the Stone of Jas quite literally.
Evilutionary Biologist: The Dactyl qualify as this, performing all sorts of torturous and unethical experiments in their efforts to break free of the curse and create a new race to carry on their legacy.
Expy: The Dragonkin were originally based on the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal.
Fantastic Caste System: There are four factions of the Dragonkin; the Necrosyrtes (previously the Syrtes), the Dactyl. the Nodon, and the Aughra. The Necrosyrtes have given in to the curse, and seek only to kill False Users and anyone who gets in their way. The Dactyl are more scientific, and seek to either break the curse or create a new species free of Jas' influence, whatever the cost. The other two sects are more obscure, though it's known that the Nodon tried to (magically) hibernate through the curse, and the Aughra were an abyss-based sect that had a focus in exploring other worlds.
Hair-Trigger Temper: The pain inflicted by the curse makes them rather touchy. Given their immense strength and power, this makes them very dangerous to be around.
Immortal Procreation Clause: The Dragonkin are practically immortal, but can still be killed, and lost the ability to reproduce after getting cursed by the Elder Gods.
Kill the God: They are compelled to fight False Users, many of which are the younger gods. They also want to kill Jas for enslaving them.
MacGuffin Guardian: Enslaved by Jas for the purpose of protecting the Stone of Jas.
The Maker: They are the creators of the dragon race.
Make Way for the New Villains: At the end of "The Ritual of the Mahjarrat", when they kill Lucien.
No Name Given: The Dragonkin that Robert the Strong fought as seen in a flashback in "A Tail of Two Cats" is unnamed.
No-Sell: Power drawn from the Stone of Jas is almost completely ineffective on them. The Kethsians and Lucien found this out the hard way.
Sanity Slippage: The constant torment inflicted by their curse causes many of them to slowly lose their minds.
Slave Race: Enslaved by Jas with a curse to protect the Stone of Jas from being misused. They hate Jas for doing this to them and are looking for a way to free themselves.
Time Abyss: All of the surviving Dragonkin. Dialogue with Zaros implies that their race pre-dates the birth of the five Elder Gods and the current universe.
Unstoppable Rage: Anyone who touches/uses the power of the Stone of Jas causes a rage in the hearts of the dragonkin, leading them to take it out on anyone they think deserves it, especially the one using the power- thus, the deaths of Lucien, who used the power and tried to keep the stone for himself, and Idria, who foolishly tried to make an alliance with them when they were discussing who to kill.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The Necrosyrtes have been conspicuously absent from the plot after Kerapac destroyed the Stone of Jas during Sliske's Endgame.
The Worf Effect: They manage to slay Lucien, easily the most powerful Mahjarrat at the time, with frightening ease.
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: Most of the Dragonkin have "You won't like them when they're angry." as their examine texts.

Forcae

A Dactyl dragonkin and one of Kerapac's peers. Forcae is responsible for the creation of the metal dragons.

The Ghost: Doesn't appear directly in-game and is only known through his journal, in which all ten of its pages are obtained as drops from adamant and rune dragons.
A God Am I: After spending who knows how many centuries creating different kinds of dragons, he develops a bit of a god complex.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He gets ripped apart by his own creations.
I Have No Son!: Has a daughter, Lasthes, who he disowned after she joined the Necrosyrtes.
Not Enough to Bury: Visiting Forcae's lab on Kethsi will have players finding a small pile of ash within a suspiciously dragonkin-shaped shadow burned into the ground.
Posthumous Character: By the time the player finds the ruins of his lab, he is long since dead.
Too Dumb to Live: After creating the Nigh-Invulnerable runite dragons, severely weakening himself in the process, he tried to discipline them and force them to respect him.

Karuulm

A dragonkin exclusive to Old School RuneScape, Karuulm initially inhabited Mount Karuulm, in the far western reaches of Zeah. There, he created wyrms, drakes, and hydras, including the Alchemical Hydra. After the arrival of Skotizo, he abandoned Mount Karuulm, traveling south to Mount Quidamortem. Little more is known about his travels.

The Ghost: He has yet to make any appearances outside of his notes, which can be found throughout Mount Karuulm.
Maker of Monsters: He created the wyrms, drakes, and hydras, in addition to possibly creating the Great Olm.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Left Mount Karuulm after the arrival of Skotizo.

Kerapac

A Dactyl dragonkin. Brilliant, determined, and absolutely amoral, Kerapac created many of the dragons seen in game, such as the Queen Black Dragon, frost dragons, and celestial dragons.

For tropes concerning his boss fight in the Elder God Wars Dungeon, see here.

Anti-Villain: Although not malicious at heart, he'll use whatever means imaginable to destroy the Elder Gods, even if it comes at the cost of all life on Gielinor.
Armor-Piercing Question: Seren voices her aversion to the idea of putting the Elder Gods into a permanent sleep as she reveres them as creators of mortal life. Kerapac quickly refutes her, questioning her whether that alone is an acceptable excuse for the Elder Gods to treat mortals as little more than playthings.
Berserk Button: Forcae seems to be this according to Vicendithas, who only had to mention his name every time he stole lab materials from Kerapac for the latter to immediately shift the blame to him.
Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: He gets his long-awaited revenge against Jas in the climax of "Extinction", using both the power of the Needle and the Staff of Armadyl to defy and defeat her, followed by a shadow leviathan dragging her into Erebus. Kerapac is unable to stop himself from getting dragged into Erebus, but is content with his fate, having finally avenged his people for all the suffering Jas put them through for aeons.
The Chessmaster: Upon learning of Sakirth's experiment, he arranges for him to acquire a test subject in the form of Tarshak and gain access to the Vault, where the Elder Mirror is kept, seemingly without Sakirth realizing, just so he could gain insight from it.
Death Seeker: He begs for death after Jas seize the Needle's power from him and enslaves him, but she denies his request and he is at her mercy once again.
Determinator: Even by the usual standards of the Dactyl, Kerapac is singlemindedly determined to free himself from the curse. Although he succeeds in destroying the Stone of Jas, the rest of his hard work goes out the window after Jas seizes the Needle's power from him and binds him to her will once again, with the World Guardian's intervention.
Facial Horror: Blowing up the Stone of Jas while standing right next to it burned off the right half of Kerapac's face. He started wearing a small, metallic mask to cover the scars, but eventually discarded it some time after Desperate Measures.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Kerapac once speared one of his students in the throat over an issue so minor Phalaks cannot remember what it was.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Despite the World Guardian's attempts to disrupt his plans of sacrificing Gielinor, Kerapac doesn't kill them immediately out of pity and respect. This act of mercy becomes his own undoing; after the World Guardian infiltrates his lab and dispels it of shadow anima to allow the Elder Gods to intervene, Jas seizes the Needle's power from him and enslaves him to her will once again.
I Lied: Dismissive of Seren's proposal to peacefully appease the Elder Gods, Kerapac instead proposes putting them into a permanent sleep using the power of the Needle. However, Kerapac has a true plan in mind, as he swipes the power of the Needle from Gail and begins to formulate his own plans to sacrifice Gielinor and destroy the Elder Gods.
Kill the God: His ultimate goal is to kill Jas, an Elder God. Though he doesn't kill Jas in "Extinction", he is able to defy and defeat her even while under her mercy, which also allows a shadow leviathan to drag her into Erebus and end the threat she poses towards the multiverse permanently.
Lack of Empathy: Doesn't hold a high opinion on so-called "lesser races", and dismisses one of his creations, Therragorn, as a failed experiment.
Loophole Abuse: When Jas arrives at Freneskae to retrieve the eggs of her sisters, Kerapac is able to use the Needle against her only because she did not order him not to. He was visibly surprised when it worked, too.
Manipulative Bastard: Plays the Council of Seren, Charos and the World Guardian like a damn fiddle and they do not realize until he steals the Needle, at which point they are powerless to stop him.
No-Sell: Due to his ability to control time after acquiring the Needle's power, any damaged inflicted on him is undone immediately.
Nothing Personal: He holds no ill will against the World Guardian despite his intention to sacrifice Gielinor and destroy all of the Elder Gods, and encourages them to make the most of their remaining time with their loved ones before Gielinor is no more.
Omnicidal Maniac: After he acquires the power of the Needle for himself, he makes plans to sacrifice Gielinor to destroy all of the Elder Gods and save the rest of the multiverse from suffering the same imminent fate as Gielinor.
Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions: He doesn't think much of spiritual beliefs such as fate or afterlives.
The Perfectionist: No matter what he does, Kerapac is never satisfied unless things fit his vision of perfection. This tends to alienate the people around him since Kerapac reacts violently when others don't follow his lead or things don't go the way he intended.
Power-Up Full Color Change: After he seizes control of the Needle from Gail, his entire body turns crystal blue.
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Seren adamantly believes that peaceful appeasement is the only acceptable solution to convince the Elder Gods of the worth of mortal life. Kerapac disagrees, as he and his kind attempted to do the same thing themselves an aeon ago, only to instead be bound and enslaved to their wills.
Suddenly Shouting: Which gives his ensuing action the proper gravitas:
Kerapac: WE WILL NO LONGER BE SLAVES!
Time Master: His acquisition of the Needle's power grants him power to manipulate time, undoing any damage to him as if nothing occurred in the first place.
Uncertain Doom: His status following Jas's defeat in Extinction is unclear after he himself is dragged into Erebus. He is content with his fate, however, having finally avenged his people for all the suffering Jas put them through for aeons.
The Unfettered: He'll do anything to ensure that his race is freed from Jas's curse, not giving a damn what others think.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He's of the sentiment that the Elder Gods need to be stopped. Unfortunately, this culminates to him backstabbing the World Guardian by acquiring the power of the Needle for himself, and leaving for Orthen to make plans to destroy the Elder Gods (which involve sacrificing Gielinor).

Kranon

A Syrtes cleric who tried to find a more... unorthodox path towards freeing himself from the curse. Find him under "Elite Dungeon Bosses" here.

Naressa

A Nodon dragonkin who broke free of Kerapac's mind control in Senntisten.

Fighting from the Inside: Naressa was able to realize she was not in Orthen and fought against the dream Kerapac used to control her.
Heroic Willpower: Though Kerapac forced the Nodon to attack Senntisten, only Naressa was able to overcome his control.
Odd Friendship:
- With Gregorovic. It becomes less odd (or perhaps even odder) when it is revealed that Gregorovic is a Chthonian demon named Erasinus.
- After Twilight of the Gods, Naressa moves back to Orthen, where she stays in Vicendithas's lab and becomes friends with him. She considers his work impressive.

Phalaks

A Dactyl dragonkin and formerly one of Kerapac's students before they parted ways.

Armor-Piercing Question: Asks the World Guardian how many centuries of ceaseless agony they could endure before they treated the death of a False User like V as a cause for celebration.
Bystander Syndrome: When Tarshak crashes into his lab demanding help after V's power mutates him, Phalaks isn't particularly interested in obliging.
Deadpan Snarker:
- While he's not exactly ungrateful to the player for fending off Tarshak, he still mocks them for thinking that not killing them isn't enough thanks.
  Phalaks: Did you expect a rousing cheer and my eternal gratitude, stone-toucher? We live and I have not yet attacked you. Is that not thanks enough?
- He also mocks humans for their sense of heroism.
  Phalaks: I have noticed your kind does tend to blindly stumble forward towards danger simply because it exists. What is your word for that?
  Player: We call it being a hero.
  Phalaks: Interesting. We call it utter stupidity.
- Phalaks is quick to crack a joke at Tarshak's expense after the player kills him.
  Kerapac: I should have known some human was behind this.
  Phalaks: Technically Sakirth and Tarshak are behind all of this, although from the look of things, the latter is more 'under' than 'behind' at this point.
For Science!: His experiment log details some of his research: Phalaks performs experiments on Tarshak's mutated corpse (such as grafting a head for the sake of granting mobility) and apparently performs other forms of experimentation on grotworms and humans. He is certainly Kerapac's student.
Ignored Expert: Phalaks objected when Kerapac had Verak Lith attempt to reproduce; Kerapac did not listen, and as a result the fertilized eggs ended going to waste.
Jerkass Has a Point: When he expresses regret that he was not involved in V's death, the player calls him out on it since V was a hero who did not deserve to die. Phalaks cuts them off by pointing out that, as a False User, V's very existence was a constant source of pain and rage both for himself and all dragonkin.
The Maker: He created the King Black Dragon in an attempt to replicate Kerapac's Queen Black Dragon. He later created Verak Lith, a Superior Successor, while working on ways to kill Kranon.
My God, You Are Serious!: Doesn't believe Tarshak's "wild tale" of draining V's power until the World Guardian corroborates it.
Poisoned Weapons: Attempts to hit Tarshak with a poisoned bane dart when he gets too angry during Hero's Welcome. He is then visibly surprised when it doesn't kill him.
Resign in Protest: When Kerapac insisted that Verak Lith attempt to reproduce against Phalaks's objections, the fertilized eggs burned themselves because the hatchlings had developed over-advanced flame sacs. Phalaks was so disgusted at Kerapac destroying his work that he immediately left Kerapac's service.
Virtue Is Weakness: Does not think too highly of Vicendithas and his sense of ethics.

Sakirth

The self-proclaimed leader of the Necrosyrtes.

Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He certainly seems to think so.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Kills a severely weakened V with the Elder Mirror, transferring his leftover power to Tarshak.
Hero Killer: He's the one who takes out both V and Lucien.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: He ends Lucien's life with a staff of Armadyl to the chest. None of Lucien's Mahjarrat comrades (including his cousin Zemouregal) mourned his death.
Kill the God: Uses the Elder Mirror to kill a severely weakened V.

Skeka

An Aughra mystic and one of the main characters of the Orthen Archaeology mysteries.

Appropriated Appellation: When the rest of the Dragonkin mockingly began calling her 'Skeka', she decided to adopt the word as her name.
Astral Projection: This was one of her abilities.
Body Surf: As her discoveries increased, she and her team continually jumped into the bodies of dinosaurs.
Charm Person: Some of the Aughra, Skeka included, can do this. After spending so much time in the Abyss, their abilities intensified.
Freaky Friday Sabotage: She wanted to pull a Grand Theft Me on the Raksha to escape the pain of the curse, but something went very, very wrong and it didn't work.
Hive Mind: The end result of the above Freaky Friday Sabotage- Skeka's mind was scattered among a group of yellow salamanders called the Xolo.
Malicious Misnaming: 'Skeka' means either 'killer' or refers to the personification of death. She got the name for her dissections of local fauna, even though she always treated them with respect and care, and only dissected those who hadn't been killed by the dragonkin.
Named by Democracy: The other dragonkin called her Skeka, which she wound up using.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Even Skeka herself never wrote down her real name in any of the documents found in Orthen.
Platonic Life-Partners: With Varanus. His death hit her hard.
The Stoner: She and her team used to get high on various substances regularly.

Strisath

A Necrosyrtes dragonkin usually seen with Sakirth and Sithaph.

Attack! Attack! Attack!: Attempting this on Sliske got him trapped in the Shadow Realm.
Beat the Curse Out of Him: Kerapac's experiment allows Strisath's rage to subside for a time, long enough that the two can talk in a somewhat civilized manner.
Enemy Within: When Kerapac sends the World Guardian into a construct representing the curse, they encounter an Echo of Jas who violently objects to their presence. Defeating it temporarily weakens the curse's hold on Strisath, but is not enough to permanently remove it.
Small Role, Big Impact: Kerapac's experiment on Strisath, amongst several other factors, allows Kerapac to find a way to theoretically put an end to the curse of the Dragonkin. This culminates in the destruction of the Stone of Jas during Sliske's Endgame.
Unstoppable Rage: Like all Dragonkin, Strisath feels incredible pain and rage towards False Users of the Stone of Jas that can only be alleviated by killing them or by causing massive destruction to vent their rage. When Sliske lets him loose in the Empyrean Citadel, he goes on a destructive rampage that sends all the gods running.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Sliske lured Strisath into the Shadow Realm while he was guarding the Staff of Armadyl, allowing Sliske to steal it. This allowed Sliske to locate the Stone of Jas after the player and their allies went to great lengths to hide it where no one could possibly find it. This, in turn, allowed Sliske to kickstart a second war between the gods.
Unwitting Test Subject: Kerapac captures Strisath after his rampage in the Empyrean Citadel and, with the World Guardian's assistance, experiments on him in an attempt to better understand the curse of Jas.
Wicked Cultured: Before the curse of Jas set in, Strisath was one of the Dragonkin's most celebrated philosophers. These days he mostly spits curses (and fireballs) at False Users.

Taraket

A Dactyl dragonkin who took part in Kranon's ritual. Find him under "Elite Dungeon Bosses" here.

Tarshak

Tarshak/The Abomination

A Dactyl dragonkin. At the behest of Kerapac, he pursued the Fremmenik hero-god V. He was eventually captured by the Necrosyrtes and infused with V's divine energy as a test. It all went downhill from there.

Almighty Idiot: Devolves into this by the time the World Guardian finds him in his sanctum.
Always a Bigger Fish: Inverted. While the Dragonkin are usually widely feared, he ultimately meets his demise at the hands of the World Guardian (which is also the first instance of the player character killing a Dragonkin) after he mutates into a nameless monstrosity.
Body Horror: He eventually devolves into a hideous, mindless atrocity. Phalaks speculates that it could be a fail-safe in the curse to stop them becoming too powerful, or simply a side effect of Tarshak abusing his connection with the Stone of Jas.
Dumb Muscle: Both the Dactyl and the Necrosyrtes comment that Tarshak was never very smart.
Fantastic Racism: Tarshak does not seem to think too highly of humans, or any other race for that matter. He refers to the World Guardian as a "stone-touching animal" and cries out that he can hear their "filthy ape heartbeat".
Half the Man He Used to Be: Is torn in half as a result of a giant banite rock being dropped on him, but this still doesn't kill him.
Jerkass Has a Point: After V's death, Sakirth decides to kill the player on a whim until Tarshak violently puts a stop to that; in his own words, now that they have the means to kill False Users the player is a lesser concern in comparison. Sakirth only relents because Tarshak has become strong enough to hurt him, but he does appear to see his point.
Tarshak: I said leave him/her! They are a petty distraction. We have the tools to drain the False Users in our hands and you waste your time stepping on ants? You fool!
Lovecraftian Superpower: His deformations made him strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Strisath, Sakirth, and Kalibath, and he most likely would have won if Kalibath hadn't stolen one of his protective charms. When he mutates into the Abomination, he's more than a match for the player even after getting torn in half.
Power-Upgrading Deformation: He begins mutating into an abomination after being infused with V's power.
Rasputinian Death: He takes a lot of punishment to bring down. He gets beaten on by the Necrosyrtes, gets shot with a poisoned dragonbane dart (which Phalaks notes should have killed him almost immediately), fights the player, gets crushed beneath a massive lode of bane ore, tears himself in half trying to get out from under the rocks, and is finally put down by the player kiting him through his own fire and the collapsing ceiling of his lair.
Sanity Slippage: He goes completely insane very quickly.
We Hardly Knew Ye: His first and last appearance was in "Hero's Welcome", where the World Guardian ends his life after he transforms into an abomination.

Varanus

Varanus/The Keeper

A Nodon hunter responsible for the capture of the Raksha and one of the main characters of the Orthen Archaeology mysteries.

The Beastmaster: With the aid of Skeka, Varanus was able to refine his approach to hunting dinosaurs until he was able to tame an entire pack of varanusaurs (which Skeka named after him) to assist him in his hunting trips. Varanus was even able to eventually subdue the rexes inhabiting Anachronia. The only notable exception was Raksha, who was too intelligent to be tamed.
Challenge Seeker: Varanus was constantly looking for bigger and deadlier prey to hunt, until he finally met his match in the form of the Raksha.
Combat Commentator: Serves as this while fighting the Raksha.
Cruel and Unusual Death: When Varanus captured the Raksha, it showed him a vision of the violence it intended to inflict upon him. While Varanus was reeling from the vision, the Raksha sticked him with one of his poison spikes, content that Varanus would not survive to enjoy his victory. Except Varanus did survive, and would go on to become the custodian of the Raksha's prison.
The Extremist Was Right: While Varanus will concede that Kerapac's methods can be extreme, he determined that binding himself to the Raksha was necessary in order to keep it imprisoned.
Faking the Dead: After being poisoned by the Raksha, Kerapac managed to save his life. Realizing the Raksha would need someone to keep it contained within its prison, Varanus agreed to become its keeper, having firsthand experience of how cruel and vicious it could be. Afraid that other Dragonkin would attempt to free him of his role, or perhaps even euthanize him, he declined to reveal his true name when he was visited and allowed the rest of the Dragonkin to believe that he had died.
Fate Worse than Death: Defied; Varanus is quite content with his current situation since it means he can keep the Raksha imprisoned and stop it from killing anyone else. He is, however, aware that other Dragonkin might disagree with him on this, which is why he kept his identity a secret after becoming the Raksha's keeper in case anyone tried to free him.
Fish out of Temporal Water: Thanks to Kerapac's time travel shenanigans, Varanus is largely unaware of the status of the modern world: while the Elder Gods enslaved the dragonkin and razed Orthen untold thousands of years ago, both events only took place relatively recently in the eyes of Varanus. Case in point, the humans seem like a strange new species from his point of view.
Great White Hunter: Varanus was such a skilled hunter that he was able to capture the Raksha when everyone else failed. After his death he was buried in his own crypt, an honor reserved for the most revered among the Dragonkin.
Half the Man He Used to Be: Following whatever procedure Kerapac performed to preserve his life, Varanus no longer has legs, his lower torso replaced by machinery.
Heroic Sacrifice: Varanus captured the Raksha at the price of his own life. Or so he let everyone believe.
Humble Hero: While Varanus was rightfully proud of his achievements, he never let his pride blind him to the bigger picture. Notably, after the Raksha poisoned him, his biggest concern was ensuring that it would never hurt anyone else.
The Jailer: After faking his death, Varanus was made the Raksha's jailer, being the only dragonkin with the necessary experience for the job. He would identify himself as The Keeper to any Dragonkin who came to visit, so that they would continue to believe that he was dead.
Man in the Machine: Kerapac managed to keep Varanus alive after he was poisoned, eventually placing him in charge of the Raksha's prison. Currently he's encased within a large glass tube and connected via machinery to the prison systems.
Mr. Exposition: Explains the Raksha's backstory at great length so that the player understands how vital it is that the Raksha does not escape imprisonment.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Invoked; he identifies himself as "The Keeper" to all who visit the Raksha's prison in a deliberate effort to maintain the illusion of his death, as he felt that if word got out that he was still alive his fellow Dragonkin would attempt to free him of his role, potentially releasing the Raksha. The player is only able to deduce his identity after recovering his journals from his crypt.
Platonic Life-Partners: With Skeka. Varanus provided her with new fauna to dissect and study, and Skeka provided him with data to refine his approaches. After his death, Varanus bequeathed his pet hypnotic dinosaur to her.
Underestimating Badassery: Varanus did not believe that the Raksha could communicate, thinking it to be a creature of instinct and the rumors greatly exaggerated. This proved to be his undoing.
Worthy Opponent: After having hunted virtually every other dinosaur in Anachronia, Varanus saw the Raksha as a quarry worthy of his skill.

Vicendithas

Kerapac's son, a Dactyl scientist and the indirect creator of the gemstone dragons.

Abusive Parents: His father treated him badly, constantly belittling and mocking him. For his part, Vicendithas never seemed to like Kerapac much.
All of the Other Reindeer: Vicendithas is looked down upon by Kerapac as a disappointment, and the rest of the Dactyl look down on him to follow suit. When the truth gets out that Kerapac was responsible for Jas cursing the Dragonkin in the first place, the Dactyl are quick to turn him into a pariah, which in the words of Vicendithas makes him doubly cursed for being related to Kerapac.
Clone Angst: Using the Effigy Incubator for several months reveals that Vicendithas isn't Kerapac's son, Kerapac tried to clone himself to escape the curse. After many, many failures, the result was Vicendithas. He's genuinely shocked by this, but eventually decides that he is more than the circumstances of his creation.
Family of Choice: Following the events of Extinction, Vicendithas creates a Dream Land version of Iaia for the Ilujanka refugees to inhabit following the destruction of their homeworld. Hannibus is so touched by the gesture that he offers Vicendithas a place among the Ilujanka as family.
Like a Son to Me: He considered the dragons he created to be his children. This got him a lot of mockery and abuse from the other Dactyl.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Vicendithas is vastly nicer and far more empathetic to others than Kerapac, sapient or not. Where Kerapac only ever helps others if he stands to gain something in exchange, Vicendithas tends to help others with his research even if he stands to gain nothing at all. Falls into Duplicate Divergence territory once it is revealed that Vicendithas is a clone of Kerapac.
The Maker: Of the crystal dragon and, by extension, the gemstone dragons.
Mercy Kill: Intended to euthanize Astellarn after she fled the Dragonkin Laboratory, aware that she would one day return since it was the only place she knew as home. He never got the chance since he abandoned the place with Kerapac after the black stone dragon became too powerful to control.
Sent Into Hiding: When Kerapac learned of the crystal dragon and her progeny, he demanded that Vicendithas turn them over so that he could dissect them and learn how to make more. Vicendithas became outraged and refused, hiding the gemstone dragons in a cave in Karamja and the crystal dragon in a secret location that only he knows of.
Sins of Our Fathers: He's shunned by the other Dragonkin in part because of what Kerapac did. Fittingly, the sidequest where the player decides to work with him is named after this trope.
Take Up My Sword: A variant: Kerapac promised to fix the Ilujanka's infertility, but while he tried to do so, he wound up not fulfilling his promise. Vicendithas independently decided to finish what his father started, and has been making some headway.
They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: Vicendithas does not appreciate Hannibus attempting to help him mend his relationship with Kerapac, and constantly brushes him of when Hannibus brings it up. Moia later also attempts to follow Hannibus's example, although for less altruistic reasons; Vicendithas can only exasperatedly wonder why suddenly everyone is obsessed with his relationship with Kerapac.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: No matter what he does, he never seems to gain a shred of respect from Kerapac. By the time of Extinction, Vicendithas decides that he no longer cares.
What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Vicendithas, being asexual, admits he does not understand the appeal of romance and finds the concept exhausting. He even ponders if Kerapac might've had a point when he chose to reproduce via cloning.
White Sheep: While he can be blunt and brusque on occasion, he is considerably kinder and more moral than his father. Which is actually pretty surprising, given that he's a clone.
Virtue Is Weakness: Becomes a victim of this trope thanks to Kerapac, who derides him for treating his test subjects with any kind of care that goes beyond mere practicality. Most of the Dactyl appear to agree with him, and treat Vicendithas with disdain for it.

Zorgoth

An elder Dactyl.

In Old School RuneScape, he was locked in the Lithkren Vault for most of the Fourth Age, which he spent working on his creation, Galvek, a massive dragon-like creature capable of harnessing the four elements and controlling lesser dragons. When the player accidentally unleashes him, he raises an army of dragons and sets out to destroy humanity.

In the main game, Zorgoth's influence begins to make itself apparent in the second half of the Fort Forinthry quest series.

The Aloner: Stuck in a dungeon, with nothing but his experiments, for over a millennium.
Big Bad: Of Dragon Slayer II.
Big "NO!": His last words.
Canon Immigrant: Zorgoth's first appearance was in Old School as the Big Bad of the Grandmaster quest Dragon Slayer II. He would later make a cameo appearance in the main game, showing up during a flashback in the quest Desperate Measures.
Conflict Killer: The human kingdoms might have quarrels, but Zorgoth's dragon army represents such a huge threat that they're all willing to put aside their differences to stop him.
Hero Killer: Galvek kills Bob the Cat with a fireball.
Hoist by His Own Petard: As Galvek dies, he breathes one last blast of fire, which incinerates Zorgoth.
Humans Are Insects: His journal goes into detail about exactly how disgusting Zorgoth finds humans.
"I despise humans. Their population spreads across every world they touch, like some foul moss across rotted wood. Where they walk, devastation follows. Trees, stone, ore, creatures, they are all whittled down to nothing so that a single village thrives. And there are more villages than there are reasons to have them, with more appearing with each passing day. Everything about humans is repugnant. Their science is laughable, their oratory stunted. Their religions weak and reek of desperation. Whatever they touch, they coat in vile oils and greases that erupt from their very skin to taint the world around them."
Keystone Army: Galvek is capable of commanding dragons; without Galvek, there won't be a dragon army.
Kill All Humans: His goal. Requiem for a Dragon elaborates on his motivations by having Zorgoth write on his journal how humans have damaged creation far more than his own kind ever did, yet Jas was content with doing nothing to stop them while the Dragonkin were enslaved and cursed by her.
"If she will not punish them, then I shall."
The Perfectionist: Zorgoth became frustrated how his efforts in Ungael to produce a weapon capable of wiping out humanity bore nothing but hundreds upon hundreds of failures.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Zorgoth was locked up in the Lithkren Vault for over a thousand years.
The Unfettered: Zorgoth makes Kerapac look like a saint in this regard. Kerapac wanted to liberate his people and kill the Elder Gods in order to get revenge, and was willing to perform all manner of unethical experiments to get even an inch closer to that goal. Zorgoth, on the other hand, wanted to wipe out humanity because he found them that repulsive, and ultimately found himself resorting to necromancy when he learned about the properties of black stone.
Virtue Is Weakness: Zorgoth spent a lot of time and resources in Vorkath's creation, only to become dismayed when what was meant to be his masterpiece turned out to be a docile, meek creature who would rather protect its targets than hurt them. In his frustration, Zorgoth resorted to various means to excise Vorkath's weakness, such as poison or physical coertion; when none of them bore fruit, Zorgoth simply killed Vorkath.
"It's failure after failure after failure, just like this latest experiment. He was meant to be a weapon, a deadly creature of fury and rage. He was supposed to annihilate human cities, but instead he looks on them with affection. He sees a human and wants to pull them under his wing, to warm them against the elements so they can keep nice and safe. He wants to coo at their progeny and laugh at their games. How dare he? I had such plans. I poured so much time and resources into building this weapon and he thinks his targets should be protected. No, no, this will not do."

Characters / RuneScape Dragonkin

Forcae

Kerapac

Naressa

Phalaks

Sakirth

Skeka

Strisath

Tarshak/The Abomination

Varanus/The Keeper

Vicendithas

Zorgoth

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Characters / RuneScape Dragonkin

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Forcae

Kerapac

Naressa

Phalaks

Sakirth

Skeka

Strisath

Tarshak/The Abomination

Varanus/The Keeper

Vicendithas

Zorgoth

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