Following the RuneFest Reveals, we now present an in-depth blog on The Nightmare of Ashihama.

Poll Blog: The Nightmare of Ashihama

The Nightmare boss arena. Image is work in progress concept art and is subject to change.

All staff variants now have a Hitpoints requirement of 50 to wield

The Volatile Nightmare Staff's special attack cost has been increased to 55%. This is to make it harder to combo with other 50% special attack weapons

The Magic attack on the Siren's Tome has been lowered from +25 to +15

The Magic defence on the Siren's Tome has been lowered from +20 to +15

The Magic attack on the Inquisitor's Great Helm has been lowered from +0 to -5

The Magic attack on the Inquisitor's Hauberk has been lowered from +3 to -11

The Magic attack on the Inquisitor's Plateskirt has been lowered from +1 to -9

Siren's Tome must now be created by attaching a Siren's Charm to a Mage's Book

The Slash, Stab, Crush and Ranged on the Siren's Tome have been lowered from +0 to -10

The Magic Damage % on the Siren's Tome has been lowered from +10% to +4%

The Volatile orb and Eldritch orb special attack no longer have a projectile, instead they will always hit the enemy two ticks after they cast (This attack is not a guaranteed hit, it still has to pass accuracy checks)

The base damage for both the Volatile and Eldritch orb special attacks now scales to Magic level The max hit of the Volatile orb special attack max hit at 99 is now capped at 58 (before Magic damage bonuses) The max hit of the Eldritch orb special attack max hit at 99 is now capped at 44 (before Magic damage bonuses)



Shura, the siren. Image is work in progress concept art and is subject to change.

Sisterhood Sanctuary Sisterhood Sanctuary

The Sisterhood were once a group of pious Saradominist warriors, charged with fighting for their god on the bloody fields of Morytania. Their leader was a member of the Justiciars, an elite holy order of Saradomin who wielded power far above that of an average human. Her name was Phosani.



As the war for Hallowvale raged on, Phosani began to feel betrayed by her god – and it appears that some of her companions felt the same.



The exact details of the Sisterhood’s conversion to Zamorak are not known but suffice to say they would be far too gory to detail here. What we do know is that at some point Phosani and her loyal companions allied with Lowerniel Drakan, the leader of the vampyre forces, and offered up the majority of her army as a blood tithe to him. The remainder served as thralls for Drakan’s vampyres, and the Sisterhood took up residence in an abandoned hermitage nearby.



The sect eventually expanded their lair by building a handful of houses and digging deeper into the dungeons beneath the town. The subterranean warren became a sanctuary where they could enact their rites and offerings in relative peace.



One of the high ranking members of the Sisterhood was a divine healer and a talented chemist who experimented with many strange tinctures. During one such experiment, she discovered a miraculous formula that she called the ‘Elixir of Everlasting’. Legends say that this elixir could extend a human life indefinitely.



Of course, Phosani deeply desired the elixir so she could live as long as her vampyre lords – but such meddling with the natural order always has consequences. The elixir had devastating effects on the drinker – they would sleep for longer and longer at a time, until one day they simply never woke up again.



It wasn’t long before Phosani and her generals succumbed to this sleeping sickness. Out of respect, their still-sleeping bodies were moved deep into the sanctuary and the entrance was sealed behind them. The formula was hidden away to prevent more victims from imbibing the elixir.



The townsfolk were so moved by Phosani’s plight, and so frightened of the elixir that caused it, that they renamed the town ‘Sleep’. Of course, over time, the spelling has changed...



The Sisterhood Sanctuary. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.



In modern day Slepe it seems that Phosani’s affliction has resurfaced. The sleeping curse has attracted The Nightmare, a creature that feeds on dreams and twists them into dreadful nightmares. Since The Nightmare has taken up residence, the townspeople have reluctantly agreed to reopen the Sisterhood Sanctuary. But all may not be as it first appears once you face The Nightmare for yourself...



The Sisterhood Sanctuary walls. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.



The Nightmare The Nightmare

The true origin of this creature is unknown, but Ashihama legend tells of an ancient ritual that birthed an otherworldly horror. Taking on the appearance of a large, hag-like woman, this fiend gains energy by leeching people's life force during their sleep. Those affected experience horrifying nightmares, and thus the monster was named.



The Nightmare. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.

The Nightmare is a group boss located in the Sisterhood Sanctuary below Slepe. You can access the boss by running south of Port Phasmatys or by paying 10,000 coins to Andras (north of the Ectofuntus) to take a boat. Shura will be found outside of the boss room offering information about the fight.



When the first player steps through the barrier a timer will count down to the arrival of The Nightmare to allow more players to enter the encounter. Once The Nightmare spawns no more players will be allowed to enter her arena until she despawns again, which she will do upon being defeated or when all challengers have left. Dying during The Nightmare fight will cause a Hardcore Ironman to lose their status, reverting them to a regular Ironman.



The Nightmare. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.

Poll Question #1

Should we add a new group boss called The Nightmare to Old School RuneScape? This boss would be located in the depths of the Slepe Dungeon.





Rewards The Rewards We’d like players to test out the rewards before voting on them. This will allow us to make any necessary changes to ensure the rewards are balanced and fitting to Old School RuneScape. From Thursday's game update, we will open the tournament worlds with the following rewards for you to try out. All of the rewards are subject to change. Please let us know your thoughts via the discussion links found at the bottom of this page.



Inquisitor's Mace



The Inquisitor's Mace was once the personal weapon of The Inquisitor, a former Justiciar who was one of the founders of Slepe. Since their disappearance, it has remained sealed in the Sisterhood Sanctuary, lost to the world. However, The Nightmare’s arrival has unearthed this powerful weapon. Are you brave enough to claim it?





The Inquisitor’s Mace. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.

This 1-handed crush weapon will be a rare drop from The Nightmare. It will be tradeable and requires 75 Attack to equip. It will not degrade. It will have the following stats:





Poll Question #2

Should The Inquisitor's Mace be a potential reward from The Nightmare? This item will be tradeable and requires 75 Attack to equip.



Nightmare Staff and Orbs



Its former name long since lost to the world, the Nightmare Staff is a powerful magic weapon once in the possession of the shamans of Ashihama. Through the use of different orbs, the shamans were able to adapt the staff to any task, giving them complete power over the island. Alas, even the shamans were not able to withstand the power of The Nightmare. Now, their staff is all that remains...





The Nightmare Staff. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.

When killed, The Nightmare has a rare chance of dropping the Nightmare Staff. This staff will be tradeable and require 65 Magic and 50 Hitpoints to equip. It will not degrade and will autocast both standard and ancient spells. It will have the following stats:







The Nightmare will also have a rare chance of dropping three different orbs. These orbs are tradeable and can be attached to the Nightmare Staff. Attaching an orb to the staff makes it untradeable and gives it a Magic requirement of 75. The orbs will have the following effects: Harmonised Orb (blue): Allows the Staff to cast standard spells a tick faster than normal and removes the tick delay when autocasting. However, the staff loses the ability to autocast ancient spells.

(blue): Allows the Staff to cast standard spells a tick faster than normal and removes the tick delay when autocasting. However, the staff loses the ability to autocast ancient spells. Volatile Orb (orange): Gives the Staff a special attack that fires a single spell at the target. This spell requires no runes to use but costs 55% special attack energy. The attack deals up to 58 base damage (which can be increased using damage boosting items) with 50% improved accuracy. This number includes the Staffs own Magic damage bonus.

(orange): Gives the Staff a special attack that fires a single spell at the target. This spell requires no runes to use but costs 55% special attack energy. The attack deals up to 58 base damage (which can be increased using damage boosting items) with 50% improved accuracy. This number includes the Staffs own Magic damage bonus. Eldritch Orb (green): Gives the Staff a special attack that fires a single spell at the target. This spell requires no runes to use but costs 75% special attack energy. The attack deals up to 44 base damage (which can be increased using damage boosting items). This number includes the Staffs own Magic damage bonus. It also restores the caster's Prayer points by 50% of the damage dealt. This can boost the caster’s Prayer points above their Prayer level to a maximum of 120.

In dangerous PvP deaths, staffs with orbs attached will drop both the staff and the orb. Poll Question #3

Should the Nightmare Staff be a potential reward from The Nightmare? This item will require 65 Magic and 50 Hitpoints to equip when uncharged and can be altered with different coloured orbs.



Poll Question #4

If question 3 passes, should the Harmonised Orb be a potential reward from The Nightmare as described in the blog?



Poll Question #5

If question 3 passes, should the Volatile Orb be a potential reward from The Nightmare as described in the blog?



Poll Question #6

If question 3 passes, should the Eldritch Orb be a potential reward from The Nightmare as described in the blog?



Siren's Tome



A magical tome created by the Sirens of Ashihama. This tome was once in the possession of Quin, a powerful Siren who ruled over the seas of the lands to the east. The tome was lost to her when one of her servants betrayed her, claiming it as their own. In time, the original tome was destroyed, with only a small part of it surviving, the charm. This charm eventually found its way back to Ashihama, where it was claimed by the Nightmare. Despite the tome being destroyed, it may yet be recreated. All it would take is for the the charm to be combined with a suitably powerful book...





The Siren’s Tome. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.

When killed, the Nightmare has a rare chance of dropping the Siren's Charm. This can be combined with a Mage's Book to create the Siren's Tome, a new best in slot offhand magic book. The book will not tradeable but the charm will be. It will have the following stats:







Poll Question #7

Should the Siren's Tome be a potential reward from The Nightmare? The boss will drop a tradeable Siren's Charm which can be attached to a Mage's Book to create the untradeable Siren's Tome. The tome will require 75 Magic to equip.



Inquisitor's Armour



The Inquisitor's Armour once belonged to The Inquisitor. She crafted this armour from her old Justiciar garb, altering it to better reflect her newfound ferocity. The Nightmare’s emergence has disturbed this powerful armour from its resting place, ready for a new owner to claim.





The Inquisitor’s Armour. Image is work in progress and is subject to change.

When killed, The Nightmare has a rare chance of dropping one of the three pieces of The Inquisitor's Armour, a new set of melee armour with a focus on crush accuracy and defence. The three pieces are the Great Helm, the Hauberk and the Plateskirt. All three pieces require 70 Strength and 30 Defence to equip. They are all tradeable, do not degrade, and can be packed into a set at the Grand Exchange.



The Inquisitor’s Armour will have the following stats:







Poll Question #8

Should The Inquisitor's Armour be a potential reward from The Nightmare? This armour will be tradeable and require 70 Strength and 30 Defence to equip.





Far to the east, there’s an island called Ashihama which is home to a group of sirens. For a long time, the isle was plagued by nightmares. The sirens’ dreams were stolen and feasted upon by a force beyond all reckoning. A band of brave sirens led by Shura defeated the creature in its own lair, but somehow, it escaped across the ocean to Morytania... and where else would a creature of nightmare hide, but the cursed town of Slepe?The Nightmare has feasted on the dreams of the townsfolk and become so powerful that it can no longer be ignored. Now Shura needs your help to enter the Sisterhood Sanctuary below the town of Slepe and defeat The Nightmare once and for all.Expand the sections below to learn more about The Sisterhood Sanctuary, The Nightmare of Ashihama, and the Rewards.We intend to poll everything in this blog following beta testing and in accordance with your feedback. Please make sure you have expanded the various sections to see all of the information available. Your feedback is invaluable, and as such we invite you to be vocal about sharing it with us. Your comments will help us finalise The Nightmare of Ashihama design.

Discuss this future update on our official forums, the community-led 2007Scape Reddit, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.