Random events
| Random events was significantly altered after an update. This article is retained to provide information on past elements of RuneScape. | 
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- "RE" redirects here. For actions that can be repeated periodically, see Repeatable events.
Random Events in RuneScape were described by Jagex as being "the occasional strange event happening near you". Random Events were the successors to the fatigue feature from RuneScape Classic; a system designed to hinder players using macros.
| “ | Random Events will teleport you to unusual locations that may or may not be a part of RuneScape itself. You will not be able to leave until you either successfully complete the Random Event, or fail in the attempt. If you successfully complete the Random Event you will be returned to the spot you were taken from; if you fail, you will be teleported to a random location. Don't worry too much about failing an event, though: you will never be teleported to a dangerous location, though the distance from your original spot may be great. | ” |
— RuneScape Knowledge Base
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Random Events occurred with a certain degree of regularity, but if you consistently completed events successfully, you encountered them less frequently.
Random events were removed on 24 October 2012, with the Hallowe'en update.
Players gaining experience had a higher chance of getting a Random Event. In fact it was shown that Random Events were entirely predictable, and would occur after a certain amount of experience (the amount of XP depends on the total XP of players, as some suggested) was gained within a certain period of time. During the Bonus XP Weekend, some players gaining in excess of 10 million summoning experience an hour would encounter Random Events with a hugely increased commonality, every 1–2 minutes on average, showing again that the game engine gave Random Events based on experience gain. However, it is possible that there were other triggers that caused Random Events to occur (such as staying logged in for an extended period of time).
On the second official RuneScape Livestream on 15 September 2012, Mod Mark had claimed that Random Events would be removed from the game after the upcoming bot nuke, because they would not be necessary any more and he would not like to have random events cause new, legitimate players to quit RuneScape, because they don't know about the random event.
A Random Event gift would be given to a player when they successfully completed a Random Event. These gifts contained a selection of rewards to choose from. The reward options were randomised, but players with higher skill totals would generally be offered better rewards; especially if they had a record of passing Random Events.
Active Random Events until 24 October, 2012
Gift givers were NPC characters that could quickly appear at any time or anywhere in RuneScape to teleport you away to perform some task for them. If you were teleported away, you couldn't resume normal gameplay until you'd finished the task. Ever since Random Event Update, almost all Random Events would teleport players away.
If the player failed the given task, or just ignored the NPC, they might end up finding themselves atop the Wizard's Tower or Ice Mountain, without any rewards.
Certer
The player will find themselves in a disorganised office next to Giles, Miles or Niles who will show the player a noted item. If the player correctly identifies the item from three different choices, he or she will be allowed to leave through the exit portal, receiving a Random Event gift on their return to their original location. If not, the player will have their inventory noted and be teleported to a random location instead. Interestingly, the office bears a resemblance in shape and layout to the Grim Reaper's office that is visited upon a players first death.
Drill Demon
Drill Demon is an event in which you will go to various platforms to do random exercises (sit-ups, push-ups, star jumps, etc.).
If the player successfully completes Sergeant Damien's exercises, he or she will be teleported back to their original location with a Random Event gift.
Freaky Forester
The Freaky Forester may quickly appear and teleport the player off to his wooded realm. The player must kill the pheasant he asks for and talk to him with the pheasant held in inventory to be allowed to use the exit portal. On return, the player will get a Random Event gift. Failing to supply him with the correct pheasant results in being teleported to a random location instead.
Kiss the Frog
When the player gets teleported to the Land of the Frogs, they have to speak to the Frog Herald, who tells them how to solve this Random Event. The player then has to speak to the frog with the crown, and kiss him/her. If they talk to any other frog in that area he will tell them that is the wrong one and thus has to do over four more times. If the player fails them all he/she will be turned into a frog. The only way out is talking to the prince/princess and getting teleported to a random location.
Maze
The Mysterious Old Man may quickly appear and teleport the player into the maze, where the objective is to reach the centre and tag the spinning box. The faster this is done, the larger the eventual reward will be. If the player talks to the Mysterious Old Man he or she can be teleported a random place in RuneScape instead. This Random Event does not give a Random Event gift, instead giving items like coins, arrows, ore, runes and feathers. A member completing the maze with 80-90% reward left can end up with a reward of more than 100,000gp.
Mime
The Mysterious Old Man may quickly appear and teleport the player to the Mime, who will perform emotes. The player must copy these emotes to receive a Random Event Gift and be teleported back to their original location. Failing to accurately mimic him will result in being teleported to a random location with no reward.
The player will find themselves on a desert island with Captain Arnav. The Captain will ask the player to solve the combination lock puzzle on his treasure chest, matching the pictures to the words at the side, to receive a Random Event gift. Failing results in being teleported to a random location with no reward.
Quiz Master
The Mysterious Old Man may quickly appear and teleport the player to the Quiz Master, where they will be subjected to being contestants on a game show called Odd One Out. Solving his questions rewards the player with a Random Event gift.
Sandwich Lady
The Sandwich lady will appear, and teleport the player to her café. Here, she will ask the player to choose one of her breads. If the player chooses the bread that she originally offered to them, they are free to use the exit portal and return to their original location with a Random Event gift and the food item they picked. If the player fails, they get sent to a random location with no rewards. Her treats also heal 200 LP when eaten.
Evil Bob
Evil Bob may quickly appear and teleport the player onto his private island for servitude. The player must pick up a small net and catch Evil Bob the correct fish (the servant can tell the player what fish Evil Bob wants) then "uncook" it before giving it to Evil Bob. Eventually Evil Bob falls asleep and the player is free to step into the portal to return with a Random Event gift. The player's character will blow Bob a raspberry on the way out. If the player attempts to leave the island by the portal before Bob is asleep, Bob says, "You're going nowhere human! Bring me some fish! My other servant will tell you what to do."
Surprise Exam
The Mysterious Old Man may quickly appear and teleport the player into the classroom of Mr. Mordaut. If the player answers his three questions correctly they will receive a Random Event gift and be teleported back after exiting through the door the good professor indicates. Random Event gifts from this event are the only ones to give the Book of Knowledge.
Bee-keeper
The bee-keeper may appear and require help in assembling a beehive. If the player assembles it correctly, they will be returned to their original location with a Random Event gift. If they fail, the player will be teleported to a random location with no reward.
Evil Twin
Molly may quickly appear and teleport the player off to help her capture her evil twin. The player must use the control panel in the next room to capture her twin who is wandering beneath a grabber arm with several similar-looking innocent people. Doing this correctly results in the player being sent back with a Random Event gift. Grabbing innocent people on two attempts results in being teleported to a random location with no reward.
Pinball
The Mysterious Old Man may quickly appear and teleport the player into the gigantic pinball machine. If the player tags 10 poles in a row with glowing rings, they may exit to return to their original location with a Random Event gift. Trying to leave early or tagging a pole out of order results in the score being reset.
Gravedigger
Leo the Gravedigger may appear and quickly teleport the player into his graveyard. He needs each of the five coffins to be placed in the appropriate graves before he'll teleport the player back from whence they came with a Random Event gift. Failing to place any coffin in the right spot or doing nothing will result in being unable to leave (check with Leo to see what is what)! There is a very convenient Bank Deposit Box to deposit items into, which the player may use if inventory room is needed.
Pillory
A pillory guard may quickly appear and teleport the player into a pillory cage where they are forced to open the three locks to escape. Clicking on the key with the shape matching the shape on the spinning lock will remove one of the red locks from the top. Picking the wrong key will reset the locks, adding one (to a maximum of 5 locks) while a tramp and any passing players may mercilessly pelt them with rotten tomatoes. Solving all the locks results in the player being teleported back with a Random Event gift given as a reward.
Prison Pete
Evil Bob may quickly appear and teleport the player into the prison where Prison Pete awaits help in escaping. The player must pull the wall mounted lever to see what balloon animals to pop and give each key to Pete. When Prison Pete has been given the third correct key, the player is free to go through the portal and return to their original location with a Random Event gift. Failing to do this in the allowed time will allow the player to return to their previous location without a Random Event gift. (Note: you can only leave after talking with Prison Pete again)
If you log out at least twice within the prison, you do not have to solve the puzzle, but will appear in a random location, getting the message "If you had succeeded in solving the puzzle, you'd have been returned to your previous location."
Lost and Found
The player may fall through into the Abyssal Plane. To return to their original location with a Random Event gift, the player must operate the one appendage protruding from the walls that is unlike the other three. Operating wrong appendages does not incur any penalty.
Discontinued Random Events
Some Random Events proved to be so complicated or irritating to many players (or were completely ineffective as a deterrent to macroing) that they were discontinued by Jagex. Other Random Events were refitted or "tweaked" over time in an effort by Jagex to both streamline them so that they weren't too much of a hassle to players and throw off cheaters that used programs to play the game for them. Ultimately, however, much of this tweaking proved to be an exercise in futility: the cheaters could usually reprogram and redistribute the code they used over the Internet so fast (often within 12–24 hours) that it negated what Jagex had done.
The following is a short list of the Random Events that were taken out of the game by Jagex.
Dr. Ford
Originally, Dr. Ford would appear after the player sustained a head injury while they were either mining or woodcutting when a wood or rock shard hit them in the head. Dr. Ford would swiftly appear and teleport you away from where you were for a short rest and some treatment under his watchful eye. To be released from his "care," you had to correctly input the number of fingers he was holding up. Unfortunately, while he would usually teleport a player back to where he collected him/her, he would also often teleport the player to a completely different area of RuneScape that was not the original location, even if the player correctly guessed how many fingers he was holding up. This tended to enrage legitimate players because it wasted their time by making them go all the way back to the location where they were before the Random Event took place. Also, many players complained of getting the middle finger when they had to guess how many fingers Dr. Ford was holding up.
Tangle Vine
The Tangle Vine was discontinued because many players did not understand how it worked. Walking or running while in the tangle vine would cause very rapid damage to the player and because of this, many players died very quickly. Some players also took advantage of it and encouraged others to run away so they could collect their items after they had died. Though the Tangle Vines were discontinued, they were referenced to in construction as a trap for the dungeons. The solution to the Tangle Vine was simply to NOT move until the event ran its course.
Candlelight
This Random Event was originally introduced on 20 February 2006. This event was removed quietly by Jagex at an unknown date. Pious Pete would teleport the player away to his church where they would have to help him keep his candles lit in a very drafty room... which mean that candles that you previously lit would often be blown out by the wind. This Random Event often seriously tested the patience of many players due to the fact that, while lighting the candles was fairly straight-forward, they were all too frequently blown out by the wind requiring the player to constantly relight them. It is still possible to see this event using the Orb of Oculus, though the candles and Pious Pete are not visible.
Axe Handle and Axe Head
This event only occurred when Mining or Woodcutting, and it was removed on 17 July 2007. This event was used to combat players that used bots to cut logs or mine ores for the gain of a "main" account or to sell for real world money. Unfortunately, many players that weren't cheating were negatively affected as they would frequently lose an expensive component of their hatchet such as a Rune axe head, costing them a considerable amount of money to purchase a replacement. Jagex eventually removed the event for this reason: it was also removed because it wasn't doing much of anything to actually stop bots anyway (see the official news archives for details), as some bots were programmed with script that allowed them to recognise the event, pick up the fallen axe head, reattach it to the handle and continue as before.
Exploding Rock
The Exploding Rock Random Event only occurred when mining. The rock being mined would emit a steam from it. If the player continued to mine the "steaming" rock, it would explode, breaking their pickaxe as well as damaging them. If a player was low on hit points, the explosion could kill them. The solution was to either step away quickly and move to another rock, or wait until the rock stopped steaming before resuming to mine it.
Poison Gas
The Poison Gas Random Event occurred only when players attempted to loot chests in Thieving. This was a Members-only Random Event, due to the nature of its activation. You would have to step away four or more squares from the chest that you were attempting to pilfer or you would be poisoned. The poisonous gas hit between two to three damage every few seconds.
Ent
Ents only appeared while Woodcutting. Every once in a while, when a player attempted to cut a tree, it would sprout a face and arms; hence becoming an Ent. If any player continued to cut the tree for too long after the tree Ent appeared, his/her hatchet would become damaged and thus be unusable until it was repaired or replaced. Simply stepping away from the tree, moving to another tree or waiting until the Ent disappeared were solutions to this Random Event. After an Ent appeared, any player still attempting to cut the tree could have their hatchet become damaged, not just the player that activated it. Interestingly, players that did not have a high enough level to cut the type of tree the ent was could still cut the ent, ultimately damaging their hatchets (hatchets were known as axes at the time).
Mysterious Old Man and Strange Box
The Mysterious Old Man would randomly appear and stuff a Strange Box into the inventory of the player while they were doing just about anything during the course of the game. The player had to stop what he/she was doing and solve the simple puzzle to get rid of it before it started self-replicating. The rewards were uncut gems and/or coins. Failing to open the box by answering incorrectly or in a timely manner would result in the box replicating itself endlessly until the player's inventory was full. The box would then begin stacking in the players inventory. There were two solutions for many boxes: either solve all the boxes, or die with them in your inventory. You could not drop or bank a strange box. It was changed because some of the puzzles were colour puzzles, which annoyed colourblind players, and later removed completely.
Big fish
While fishing, a large fish would occasionally appear in the fishing spot. It would grab the player's fishing equipment in its mouth and spit the gear somewhere nearby, usually three to ten squares away up on the shore. When this happened, the player simply had to find the equipment and pick it up. After 30 seconds, any player could pick it up. When the player had found the equipment, they could go back to fishing. When this event happened, the fishing spot would often move to a new location as well.
Watchman
The Watchman was a Random Event that occurred while a player was training Thieving. His level was the same as all other random events and differed depending on the player's combat level. The Watchman attacked through melee. He was removed due to players complaining about him killing them too quickly while they were pickpocketing at a low Hitpoints level and wearing no armour.
Zombie
Zombies could only appear when a player buried any kind of bone or attacked a monster. The player could either fight it or run away. Once dead, it dropped a variety of bones. The Zombie attacked through melee. As with other aggressive random events, the Zombie's combat level was based on the players combat level. Upon the Zombie's appearance, and during the fight (if you chose to fight him) he would say "Braaiinnzzzzzzzzzz," which is a reference to zombies in story-telling history having a desire to eat brains.
Whirlpool
A whirlpool could appear randomly any time a player attempted to start fishing. The whirlpool would suck up any fishing tools being used by players fishing at the spot it occurred in. This could be avoided by quickly moving away from the spot the whirlpool was affecting. The whirlpool would either swallow the tool up or spit it up onto the shoreline.
Discontinued Random Events (Still Found In Game)
Evil Chicken
The Evil Chicken was one of the few random events that could happen regardless of what the player was doing. The player could either fight it or run away. The Evil Chicken attacked through magic. The evil chicken can now still be found in Evil Chicken's Lair, as part of Recipe for Disaster. It can be found as a boss in the Dominion Tower too. It was often considered the most common of all random events, due to the fact that it could occur while the player was engaged in any activity. It can also be found as one of the two fighting sides in 2012 Easter event.
Shade
Shades could appear when a player buried any kind of bones. The player could either fight it or run away. The Shade attacked through melee. The shades have been placed in on the fourth level of the Stronghold of Security so that players can now slay them for the now untradeable Shade Robes that shades sometimes drop upon death.
Rock Golem
This NPC sometimes appeared when a player attempted to mine an ore, similar to other guardian events such as the Watchman. They could run away or fight it to the death. The Golem mainly attacked with melee, however it could also range the player by tossing small rocks from a distance so it was important to have the Protect from Range prayer engaged if you ran away and were low on life points. They still do attack, though, when a player mines a rock in the Enchanted Valley.
River Troll
This NPC randomly appeared when a player attempted to fish. The player could choose to either fight back or run away from the troll as there was no option to engage in conversation with it. The River Troll attacked through melee and when killed would drop bones and fishing related items such as low level raw fish. Protect from Melee nullified all damage from this NPC. They still appear and attack when a player attempts to fish in the Enchanted Valley, although their combat level is no longer dependent on the player's. They also feature in a court case.
Tree spirit
This NPC appeared when the player attempted to cut logs from a tree. The player could either fight it or run away. The Tree Spirit attacked through melee. They still attack when a player attempts to chop down a tree in the Enchanted Valley, although their combat level is no longer dependent on the player's.
Drunken Dwarf
The player had to speak to the Drunken dwarf after he would hail them for their attention and he'd give them a beer and kebab. Ignore him and he'd attack the player with a ranged attack though Protect from Range prayer would nullify all damage. You could feel free to run away from him, though he would pursue you until you got a healthy distance away. The drunken dwarf still randomly appears around RuneScape and gives the same items, but he will not attack you anymore. He also features in a court case.
Swarm
Although not very dangerous, the swarm could not be hit by any attack from any player (except for Summoning Familiars) and eventually, if no action was taken, it would kill the player despite having a maximum hit of 1. High level players could choose to ignore it while they completed their tasks (the swarm weren't very likely to do damage to a high level player) or anyone could simply run away from it. Ever since the swarm was removed, it has appeared on Musa Point as a non-interactive monster.
Alternatively, while playing Trouble Brewing activity, you can randomly encounter a Swarm of sweetflies when attempting to collect sweetgrub. They look exactly the same as the Swarm of the random event.
Strange Plant
(Members only) Players would occasionally find a plant sprout up and growing near them. Picking the Strange Fruit after it was fully grown on the plant would prevent the plant from attacking the player and it would wither away until it disappeared. Ignoring the plant or failing to pick the fruit in a timely manner would cause the strange plant to pull its roots up and attack the player. The plant would Poison the player if it hit for damage and could kill them. It was very difficult to kill. A player could also simply run away from the plant, as it was very slow and quickly gave up pursuit. Protect from Melee prayer nullified all damage. Now, they sometimes grow on Karamja and passing-by players may pick the fruit and gain the same benefits, though the plant no longer attacks. It's also referenced with the Summoning familiar, the Stranger Plant.
Rick Turpentine
Players would speak to Rick Turpentine after being jailed by him and receive some items or coins. Ignoring him would make Rick Turpentine attack the player with his crossbow. Running away resulted in Rick Turpentine pursuing the player until they were a good distance away. The Protect from Range prayer nullified all damage from his crossbow. He can now be found in the Port Sarim maximum security prison, sharing a cell with a mugger whom he says he enjoys watching him die, even though the mugger just comes back to life.
Security Guard
Players spoke to him for a reminder to set their recovery questions and then received some coins or items. However, if ignored, he would attack the player. Running away resulted in the Security Guard pursuing the player until they were a good distance away. The Protect from Melee prayer nullified all damage by him. A Security Guard could be killed, but didn't drop anything. You had to right click to talk to this NPC. He now wanders Runescape, handing out security booklets. His main location is the first floor of the Port Sarim Jail and teleports to a random location every few minutes to hand out booklets. Afterwards, he teleports back to the jail to wander around and repeats this process.
Genie
Speaking to the Genie would cause him to give you a lamp that you could rub for free experience points in a skill that you chose. Ignoring him would result in him teleporting you to a distant land or scattering your inventory over the ground near you. The experience given by the genie was ten times the level of the skill you chose to advance (if you picked a level 20 skill, you would be awarded 200 experience points). After the update he still appears if the lamp is chosen as the reward from a random event gift box, though now he immediately puts the lamp in your inventory and vanishes. His not-so-nice twin brother can be found in a crack in the ground to the west of Nardah.
Lost Pirate
When doing almost anything, a lost pirate named Cap'n Hand would appear and try to get the player's attention. Upon speaking to him, he would give the player some items or coins. If ignored, however, the pirate would attack the player with his crossbow. Running away resulted in Cap'n Hand pursuing the player until they were a good distance away. The Protect from Range prayer nullified all damage from his crossbow. He can now be found sharing a cell with a pirate in the Port Sarim maximum security prison
Jekyll and Hyde
The famous scientist would usually appear when travelling through built up town and city areas, although he could appear whilst a player was anywhere or doing anything. He would briefly explain an experiment he was working and would request from the player the highest level herb (back when they had to be 'identified' and not 'cleaned' - Main article: Herbal Remedies Update) the player had on them or a Guam Leaf, if the player had no herbs in their inventory, to finish his potion. In return, he would give the player a random potion (see the full article for the list). If the player refused he would disappear, stating he would have to find someone else to help him, and the player would receive a Strength Potion (2). If ignored, he would transform into Mr Hyde (level 14-159, depending on the player's combat level), and use melee to attack the player until the player killed him or teleported or ran a certain distance away from him, when he would then vanish. When killed, he would drop a Pestle and Mortar, a random potion (possibly a Super Restore potion (4)), or an Empty Vial, as well as Bones (100%). He was removed in the Random Event Update along with most of the other combat-related Random Events, however he can sometimes be spotted by players today running to the Apothecary in Varrock.
Places where random events can't occur
Random events can't appear in certain locations. This makes these locations popular places to bot because there is no chance of being interrupted by a random event.
- TzHaar Fight Cave
- Pest Control (during the activity and waiting in the boats)
- Soul Wars
- God Wars Dungeon
- Kuradal's Dungeon
- Pyramid Plunder
- Runecrafting Altars during the Great Orb Project (though they can still appear in the guild itself after finishing the game) Note: They DO happen when runecrafting normally to get runes.
- Fist of Guthix (while playing)
- Under Daemonheim during Dungeoneering.
- While Guthix Sleeps cavern (tormented demons)
- Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza
- Clan Wars (though they can still happen after a war)
- Ape Atoll (with greegree equipped, without the greegree on, you can still get randoms)
- Waterbirth Island Dungeon
- Clan Citadels
- Ancient Cavern
- Glacor Cave (The area available after completion of the quest, Ritual of the Mahjarrat), which contains Glacors.(non-aggressive)
Updates
Some Random Events have been removed from the game. Poison-gas chests, smoking rocks, broken pickaxes and ents became things of the past. Players are still able to obtain shade robes, strange fruit and security books, as no existing rewards were discontinued.
All broken axes (the names were changed to "hatchet" later on) and broken pickaxes were replaced with a fixed pickaxe and hatchet, unless the players only had the handle, in which case the handle was deleted.
Players can still visit old Random Event characters. Some of the guardians, which include the tree spirit, river troll and rock golem, now spend their days in the Enchanted Valley (which players can reach using the fairy rings, with the code BKQ). The more unsavoury types, like Cap'n Hand and Rick Turpentine, reside in Port Sarim Jail. Players may still see Dr Jekyll from time to time, dashing to the apothecary in a desperate bid to keep Mr Hyde in check; and players south-west of Brimhaven on Karamja may come across the strange plant, which still produces rather excellent fruit.
The Drunken Dwarf will also be seen on occasion, staggering about in an erratic fashion. He takes a liking to players who talk to him, and he may treat them to a kebab and some beer. The Security Guard can also be seen wandering across RuneScape, giving out a free security book to players who talk to him. The shade, which would appear when burying bones, is now placed into the lowest level of the Stronghold of Security. It is now the only possibility for obtaining shade robes. The shade is now level 83 and unaggressive.
Removal
On the 24th of October 2012, along with the 2012 Halloween event, Jagex announced that they had removed random events from the game, and would make the emotes and costumes available a different way sometime in the future.
This is due to the belief that Botany Bay takes care of the bots, which is originally why random events were introduced.
Gallery
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Random Events disrupting woodcutters in Draynor.
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It was possible for a player to get more than one Random Event at a time.
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Two Strange Plants appear in Lletya.
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Two ent Random Events happening at the same time.
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Another example of two Random Events happening at once.
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A Random Events congregation in the Rogue's Den.
Trivia
- In the feast cut scene of the Recipe for Disaster quest, the Duke of Lumbridge gets the Strange Box Random Event and Evil Bob teleports Osman away.
- In Swan Song, there is a cut scene in which the Wise Old Man is encountered by the Drunken Dwarf. The old man replies "I AM NOT YOUR MATE!" and kills the unfortunate dwarf.
- When My Arm is farming his hardy goutweed in the quest My Arm's Big Adventure, he gets a Drunken Dwarf Random Event. My Arm will smack the Drunken Dwarf with his arm, knocking the dwarf away from him and off the nearby cliff. After the quest there is a stain where the beer glass landed and a small troll child called Drunken Dwarf's Leg by the entrance, hinting that the troll child attempted to eat the Drunken Dwarf's leg. A troll obtains its name from what it first attempts to consume; hence "Drunken Dwarf's leg."
- In the patch notes on 25 May, 2011, Mod Srowley referred to one of the Random events as a "Macro event."
- As of the Christmas Event 2011, all spinning items in Random events (for example, the bones in Gravedigger or the answers in the Quiz show) have a constantly changing random coloured tinge, this was probably done to offset lingering bots.
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