Melzar the Mad is one of the three wizards, along with Thalzar and Lozar, who escaped from Crandor when the dragonElvarg destroyed it, and is the only one of them that is still alive. He has since lost his sanity, leading to his nickname, and has secluded himself and his piece of the map to Crandor in his maze north-west of Rimmington. He is fought during the Dragon Slayer I quest.
In combat, Melzar can kick, punch, cast Fire Strike or a Curse spell, or cast a spell that produces a cabbage in a random spot in the room. (Note that the cabbages CAN be used for food.)
He built a castle on top of the Crandorian refugee camp which Elvarg had destroyed then locked himself inside, sealing himself on the lowest floor. He then populated the castle with the undead forms of the Crandorians, having turned to necromancy.[1] He also managed to trap a lesser demon, channelling its magic to aid his necromancy.[2] He experimented with raising rat corpses, but found that the rats he experimented on did not obtain any of their living behaviours beyond basic movement.[3] He attempted to summon their spiritual forms, using personal items to bind the spirits.[4] During his experiments, he started becoming obsessed with cabbages, and dreamed of the Cabbage of Jas.[5] He eventually succeeded in reanimating several skeletons, but had trouble binding flesh to them. He selected two skeletons to grow flesh onto to turn them into zombies.[6] He was unable to progress any further in his attempts at necromancy as he went mad not long after this.
According to Malignius Mortifer, Melzar's madness was caused by a backfiring spell, which also affected his ability to get his spells to work as intended.[7] However, his own notes indicate a descent into madness caused by grief and anger.
This article on an NPC has an associated dialogue page. Click here for a transcript of possible conversations with this NPC. Click here for a list of other transcripts that this NPC speaks in.
^Guildmaster in Dragon Slayer I. Old School RuneScape. "Melzar built a castle on the site of the Crandorian refugee camp, north of Rimmington. He's locked himself in there and no one's seen him for years. The inside of his castle is like a maze, and is populated by undead monsters."
^Melzar the Mad in Melzar's notes. Old School RuneScape. "...My ritual was a success! I have managed to subdue a lesser demon. I can channel it's magic to master the forces of life and death - as long as its chains hold..."
^Melzar the Mad in Melzar's notes. Old School RuneScape. "...On my fortieth attempt, the process was partially successful. The rat's flesh continues to decay, but it regains the faculty for movement it had in life. It is too early to say how many of its mental faculties have survived...[...]...Close study of the undead rat's behaviour reveal that no behavioural patterns acquired in life survive the process, even if the brain is perfectly preserved. I will have to find a way to conjure the deceased spirit separately..."
^Melzar the Mad in Melzar's notes. Old School RuneScape. "...I have searched the ruins of the refugee camp and found many personal items. I can use these to conjure up spirits of my deceased countrymen..."
^Melzar the Mad in Melzar's notes. Old School RuneScape. "...Had dream last night of great cabbage. Cabbage of Jas. Used by Gods to create all life and magic. all runes have part of its power. so with runes I can control power above magic..."
^Melzar the Mad in Melzar's notes. Old School RuneScape. "...I have succeeded in animating several of the skeletons, but without complete anatomies they cannot hold the spirits of my dead countrymen. Most will serve as guards, but I have selected two on which I will grow flesh..."
^Malignius Mortifer. Old School RuneScape. "The forces required to wield power over the dead are very difficult to control. Melzar's concentration slipped, and his spell rebounded upon him. Although he did not die, his mind broke. Now he dwells amidst the beasts that fill his strange home, and when he attempts to do magic he gets... amusing results."
Combat stats
Magic defence
Ranged defence
Asgarnia✓
