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The Fourth Age saw many conflicts between the peoples of Gielinor, many of which sought to claim land they had fought for during the God Wars. Amongst the largest of these conflicts was a century-long war fought primarily between the humans of Misthalin and Asgarnia and the inhabitants of Morytania.
Background
Lord Drakan, a powerful vampyre lord, had been given Morytania by Zamorak for his assistance in overthrowing Zaros. Quickly wiping out the native inhabitants of Hallowvale during the God Wars, he had since claimed nearly all of Morytania for himself. Parts of eastern Misthalin and the northern Kharidian Desert were also under his control. Not content with this, he launched a major offensive on Misthalin in approximately Year 1100 of the Fourth Age. His army of werewolves, vampyres, and other beasts proved nearly unstoppable.
Early conflicts
Using his control of Silvarea, a winding mountain pass, to their advantage, Drakan's forces began to push further into Misthalin. Detecting this threat, the emerging nation of Misthalin and the tribes of modern-day Asgarnia retaliated.
At the time, there were few large human settlements, and Varrock (then called Avarrocka) was by far the largest in the area. Apart from this, there were only small outlying villages such as Draynor Village that payed homage to Avarrocka. This made organisation of an army difficult.
An army consisting largely of mercenaries and militias met Drakan's hordes at Silvarea, and for years held him back. As his strength in the Kharidian Desert was lost, Drakan put all of his effort into gaining Misthalin. For decades a continuous war raged in Silvarea. Slowly Drakan gained ground, and humanity's very survival came into question.
The Seven Priestly Warriors
Beneath the Paterdomus six of the Seven Priestly Warriors have been buried.
Near the year 1200, Seven Priestly Warriors emerged as leaders in the war. Hailing from many small villages scattered throughout Asgarnia and Misthalin, they rallied support throughout the nations, travelling to small villages and telling the villagers of their cause. Soon thousands of soldiers gathered in Varrock, where the Priests blessed them in the name of Saradomin.
A series of massive battles took place in Silvarea, the Saradominist army led by the Seven Warriors. Under their leadership, most of Drakan-controlled Misthalin was quickly reclaimed, and the war first turned in favour of the Saradominists and Guthixians.
A final battle took place near the site of modern-day Paterdomus. The Seven Warriors fought side by side, finally forcing the Morytanians from Misthalin. To ensure that they could not return, the River Salve, which divided the nations, was blessed with holy power. Should the Morytanians try to cross it again, they would be burned by the water. This would mark the beginning of a period of little conflict between the nations for centuries.
The construction of Paterdomusedit
Although the Salve would theoretically prevent the Morytanians from crossing, it was decided that a fortress was a necessary precaution. Thus the Paterdomus Temple was built near the site of the war's final battle as both a watchtower and symbolic edifice.
Built on the River Salve itself, the Paterdomus was built over the only clear entrance into Misthalin from Morytania. In it many priests served as protectors of Saradomin. When each of the Seven Priestly Warriors died, they were buried in the catacombs beneath the Paterdomus. A rumour persisted, though, that Ivandis Seergaze, the most famous of Warriors, was buried in Morytania itself.
Fall from use
As time progressed, it became apparent that Drakan had, for the time, given up on claiming any more land outside Morytania. The fear of Morytania faded away with time, and as it did, the Paterdomus was seen as somewhat useless. Fewer priests took residence in its halls, and contact with Varrock lessened.
The threat of Morytania diminished to the point that in the year 1777 of the Fourth age settlers foolishly travelled through the Paterdomus to begin colonising the northern part of the nation. Ultimately, this proved a mistake, and the settlers were almost entirely wiped out, or enslaved and forced to pay blood tithes.
The Zamorakian invasion
In the year 169 of the Fifth Age, when contact between Varrock and the Paterdomus was almost non-existent, the Zamorakian Order of Paterdomus invaded Paterdomus. As there was no longer any military presence in the Temple, the local monks were quickly dispatched and the temple captured. The temple's records were destroyed and its statues covered.
King Roald of Varrock was unaware as to why he had stopped receiving letters from Drezel, one of the Temple's monks. He enlisted the help of an adventurer, whom he sent to Paterdomus to see what had happened.
Drezel Legacy
Once there, the adventurer was denied access to the temple by a man inside. Claiming to be Drezel, he asked that the adventurer first killed the Temple Guardian that resided in the mausoleum beneath the Paterdomus. Unaware that the man inside was actually a Zamorakian monk, the adventurer killed the Guardian and returned to Roald to report what had happened.
King Roald ordered the adventurer's execution, as the Guardian had actually been put in place to guard the tunnel beneath Misthalin and Morytania. The adventurer, wanting to put things right, was instead sent to the temple to locate Drezel and fix the situation.
Eventually, Drezel was freed from the Zamorakians and took up residence in the mausoleum. The Salve had been tainted, weakening its power, but by placing rune essence in the well beneath the Temple, the unholy energy was removed. While the upper Temple remained in Zamorakian control, Drezel began to operate from the mausoleum, researching the area and planning to reclaim the Paterdomus.
A conspiracy unfolds
Some time after falling into Zamorakian hands, a lone Saradominist monk was spotted wandering near the temple. Somehow avoiding capture by the Zamorakian monks inside, the lone wanderer managed to evade capture for some time.
Eventually, the monk revealed his purpose; claiming to be from Entrana, he requested the help of an adventurer, asking them to create a "bow-sword". The monk then asked them to deliver an orb to the Church of Entrana, where he claimed the local priests were planning a festival which he wished to secretly deliver a gift for.
By travelling through the Abyss, the adventurer was able to circumvent the closely-monitored ferries normally used to reach Entrana and arrive on the holy island without being detected. However, when the adventurer delivered the Orb, it was revealed to be none other than a teleportation beacon, allowing an Assassin wielding a bow-sword to infiltrate the church. Slaying several monks and stealing an important artefact, the assassin escaped. A body was soon discovered near Paterdomus, although whether or not it was the stranger that initiated the attack remains unknown. The Temple Knights, apparently monitoring Paterdomus already, are currently investigating.
The involvement of the Myreque
The adventurer responsible for aiding Drezel, while on their travels, had become involved with The Myreque, a group of guerrilla rebel soldiers intent on overthrowing Lord Drakan. Operating from their new base in the Morytanian town of Burgh De Rott, they required the adventurer's assistance.
When Burgh De Rott was discovered by Drakan, the Myreque decided that the people of the town needed to be taken to Misthalin before the vampyres began enforcing blood tithes. To get them out of Morytania, they would need to be brought to Paterdomus, from which they could safely travel to Varrock.
With the assistance of Drezel, the Myreque were able to save one of their soldiers; Ivan Strom, a young priest. Ivan remained at the Paterdomus as Drezel's aide.
Help from Misthalin
Within the heart of Morytania, in the vampyre-controlled Sanguinesti region, exists Meiyerditch. This ghetto, operated by the vampyres, is filled with starved citizens, who are farmed for blood like cattle. The Myreque, looking to liberate the ghetto's citizens, called upon the adventurer to assist in their operations.
The adventurer discovered that Paterdomus was being targeted by werewolves, who were using it as a site to gain prey to appease the blood tithe. As travellers were traversing Silvarea, the werewolves were assaulting and kidnapping them, somehow bypassing the River Salve and entering Misthalin.
Looking for military support from Misthalin, the adventurer spoke to King Roald. However, as his advisor Aeonisig Raispher pointed out, this was not possible. The Edicts of Guthix, which state that no large-scale wars can occur between the different religious factions, outlawed this. As a means of compromise, Roald authorised a Mercenary protocol.
Even as citizens were brought out of Morytania, mercenary soldiers were coming in. Paterdomus became a hive of activity, with hundreds passing through it daily. The mercenaries even today wait to be escorted to Burgh De Rott outside the Paterdomus.
A plot discovered and the finding of the Columbarium
A conspiracy unfolds during the Legacy of Seergaze quest.
Whilst waiting for an escort, one of the mercenaries reported seeing a number of Saradomin and Zamorakian soldiers entering the Paterdomus. The adventurer investigated and uncovered a plot against the Guthixian Edicts.
Having entered the Paterdomus, the splinter group was discussing their plans within, apparently using it as a key point in their operation. However, before more information could be gathered, they teleported from the temple.
Meanwhile, Drezel had discovered an ancient columbarium in the depths of the Paterdomus. Here he found that many priests and settlers had been laid to rest, bound by an ancient religious ceremony.
The coming storm
Too long the wait, following the deaths of Ranis Drakan and Vanstrom Klause, Lord Drakan himself returned as the Myreque attempted an assassination he knew of to prevent. The attempt was not executed properly, yet in the end, Lord Drakan was killed, though not without the loss of many. With what seemed to be a success for peace, Vanescula bit Safalaan, told her plan of an invasion, and the remaining of the Myreque was disbanded.
The adventurer had then brought Ivan back to Paterdomus, informing Drezel of the news, outcome, and what's yet to come. The adventurer left to inform the king of Vanescula's plot, while the two priests tried to plan out a way to strengthen the Salve.