Deep within the Kharidian Desert, south of Shantay Pass, unrest is growing within the cities of Menaphos and Sophanem. With the threat of the Devourer still lurking in the shadows, the High Priest of Icthlarin has deemed it time to make contact with the citizens of Sophanem who had fled to Menaphos in the face of the recent plague. Thus far his attempts have proved futile, however, as Menaphos remains wary of the contagion and refuses to comply.

Perhaps all is not lost, though! Perhaps some brave soul will step up to this challenge and help out the High Priest! They will need to be well versed in the ways of the desert lands, having survived Icthlarin's Little Helper as well as Gertrude's Cat and Prince Ali Rescue. Adventurers with a desire to help should brave the desert as far as Sophanem and seek out the High Priest in the shade of the temple found in the south-west of that city.

Be prepared for what an ancient dungeon full of dangerous high-level creatures might throw at you. Rumour has it that certain sturdy inhabitants of this town have recently vanished during attempts to make contact with those over the river, so folk afraid of physical danger should probably steer well clear of this mission. Especially likely to come to a sticky end are those who rush in blindly and unprepared, though the careful and nimble explorer might find that success comes relatively easily. Those who prove themselves in this task can expect not only generous Thieving and Combat experience, but a new weapon that will prove most potent against Kalphites and other, as yet mysterious, foes. These rewards will come from both the High Priest and more unexpected sources; will you be among the first to experience them?

Make sure to pack your lantern, tinderbox, food, and plenty of guts, though maybe not your life savings. You'll need them for one of the most dangerous places in RuneScape!

(No, honestly, we really mean that.)

In other news...

Fans of Barbarian Assault will be glad to hear that we've fixed a number of bugs in that popular minigame, including the issue whereby players' side-interfaces occasionally disappeared and the problem with the Horn of Glory interface getting closed. On a lighter note, the egg launchers have had their mechanisms adjusted so that they should no longer shoot innocent-looking pet cats.

If you're waiting to be recruited for a game of Barbarian Assault, please note that you'll now need to turn on the ACCEPT AID option if you wish to receive recruitment offers. This option is controlled by the button on the left of the Run/Walk toggle.

The animations of the defender weapons have been adjusted to fix the problem where players appeared to stop walking for a moment if they got hit while wielding a defender.

The effect of the Flames of Zamorak spell is to temporarily reduce its victim's magic level. This was not working against players who'd boosted their magic levels (such as by drinking a potion). We have now fixed the spell to make it drain its victim's magic level, even if that level had been boosted. A corresponding bug has been fixed with the Claws of Guthix.