Staff of Armadyl

The Staff of Armadyl is a quest item in the Temple of Ikov quest. If allied with Lucien, the staff of Armadyl is stolen from a table within the Temple of Ikov dungeon after killing a Guardian of Armadyl and brought to Lucien to complete the quest. If allied with the guardians, the player will receive an Armadyl pendant to equip and prove they are no longer allies of Lucien, then go and kill him.

Multiple copies of the staff cannot be obtained. The staff also cannot be telekinetically grabbed. If the staff is dropped and then the quest is completed, attempting to pick up the staff will yield the message: "You have completed the quest of the Temple of Ikov."

However, by dying while carrying the staff, it can be sent to Death’s Domain. This allows the player to take another staff, and any extra staves stored there will remain when the quest is completed.

A replica of the staff is on display at the Varrock Museum after explaining what it looks like to the museum curator on the 1^st floor^[UK]2^nd floor^[US] with the quest complete.

The Staff of Armadyl is a powerful artefact named after Armadyl, the god of justice, who once possessed the staff. It is an extremely powerful god-weapon, considered one of the most powerful items to ever exist in Gielinor^[1] and has a very important role in its history. It is not known when or how it was created, but at some point was placed in the Temple of Ikov, guarded by the Guardians of Armadyl for safekeeping.

Near the end of the Second Age, the staff was stolen from the temple by a Saradominist explorer named Valdez. He claims that he found Temple of Ikov abandoned, and that the staff was left unguarded within.^[2] He then took the staff to give to Saradomin, but was robbed by the thief, Rennard, who took the staff and decided to sell it.^[3] Rennard hired a Zamorakian messenger named Kharrim with searching for an interested buyer.^[4] Kharrim went to his master, the Mahjarrat general Zamorak, who was planning a rebellion against his master Zaros, and arranged the sale.^[5] Zamorak and Kharrim met Rennard at a tavern, and Zamorak purchased the Staff of Armadyl from him in exchange for some jewels and trinkets.^[6]

Lennissa, a Saradomin spy in Zaros' camp, became aware of the theft and intent to sell the staff.^[7] As she was being investigated by Lucien, she could not risk delivering the message herself, and passed it on to the wizard, Dhalak so he could inform Saradomin.^[8] However, Dhalak, being aware of the growing faction plotting against Zaros, decided not to deliver the message to Saradomin. Instead, he cast a spell of concealment on the staff so that it could easily get close enough to Zaros' domain without Zaros noticing its power, as he believed the internal conflict in the Zarosian Empire would be beneficial to his lord Saradomin.^[9]

Zamorak, who was now able to get close enough to Zaros with the staff, launched an attack on his castle. Zamorak's followers (including several Mahjarrat, as well as Lord Drakan, Viggora, and Thammaron)^[10], distracted Zaros' bodyguards while Zamorak attacked Zaros himself.^[11] Zamorak was able to stab Zaros in the back with the staff,^[11] but Zaros continued the fight, and when Zaros grabbed Zamorak's throat, he stumbled in such a way that Zamorak was impaled with the staff as well.^[12] In this way, Zaros' power flowed through the staff into Zamorak, who ascended to godhood. Thus began the Third Age. Zaros slowly disappeared from the world, cursing everyone responsible for his banishment to remain on this world as invisible ghosts.^[13]

Shortly after Zamorak's betrayal and subsequent ascension, he was banished by Armadyl and Saradomin, who reclaimed the Staff of Armadyl and the Stone of Jas, respectively, from Zamorak's possession.^[14] Under the care of Armadyl and his followers, the staff was returned to the Temple of Ikov, with its guardians protecting it.

In the present day, the Mahjarrat Lucien sought to obtain the staff, tasking an adventurer with obtaining it for him, as the Temple of Ikov was protected by a magical barrier that he could not overcome.^[15] Although the player can ally with the Guardians of Armadyl to stop him from obtaining the Staff, he was ultimately successful in finding a way to obtain it.^[16] During the events of While Guthix Sleeps, Lucien enacts his plans in earnest using the power of the Staff, which drastically amplifies his capabilities. With his newfound power, he amasses an army of Undead Heroes, effortlessly wipes out a group of heroes assembled by the Crux Eqal to stop him, and succeeds in claiming the Stone of Jas, placing him on the verge of attaining godhood.