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Back in 2011, it seemed almost certain that Jagex were going to continue the story presented in While Guthix Sleeps and Ritual of the Mahjarrat via a quest which delved into the threat of the Dragonkin (now referred to as the Necrosyrtes faction of Dragonkin).
The rise of the Dragonkin as the follow up to the Lucien story was foreshadowed through various quests, postbags from the hedge, Dragonkin architecture at Daemonheim and references to them in the Dungeoneering lore, the lore surrounding Ancient Effigies, etc. The earliest of which was A Tail of Two Cats, released in 2005.
The most telling evidence that the story was going to shift to the Dragonkin was the story told throughout the Rise of Lucien saga. At the end of While Guthix Sleeps, there was a cutscene where the Dragonkin (in their castle) plotted their freedom and the 'terror and pain' they would bring to the small races. It's not specified whether the Dragonkin were physically trapped within their castle, or whether they were referring to a metaphorical freedom. While Guthix Sleeps also had lore books which hinted at a Dragonkin presence in Morytania, which was further supported by a Postbag from the Hedge. Is that where the Dragonkin Castle is? Could be.
In Ritual of the Mahjarrat, the Dragonkin made a comeback. We saw them burn down Mos Le'Harmless and defeat Lucien. This quest is what really set the scene for what I believe was supposed to be a Dragonkin quest or storyline. Here's why:
On Kethsi, we find a Note to Robert and Robert's Necklace; these are to be given to him when he somehow returns from cat form. This is yet to happen. The letter states 'The stonetoucher must also know what to do. The Temple Knights will be at the start of the stonetoucher's trial.'. In 2014, Mod Raven stated that the note would be used in future content, and 'at some point all will be revealed'.
At the end of Ritual of the Mahjarrat, the player entered a "vision of what is to come" (Strisath), in which Draynor is destroyed by the Dragonkin and Sir Tiffy is killed. At the end of this 'vision' the Dragonkin say 'It will begin in Edgeville', and then Edgeville is destroyed post-quest. However, nothing really ever 'began'.
After Ritual of the Mahjarrat, Kuradal wants vengeance against the Dragonkin for killing Lucien - she believes she should have been the one to kill him. Perhaps in a follow up quest we would have teamed up with Kuradal in order to defeat the Dragonkin.
After Ritual of the Mahjarrat, The Raptor comments on the player defeating the Balance Elemental and helping to sort out Lucien. He then comments about the player not going after the Dragonkin. This is important, because the Raptor then plays a key role in Song from the Depths. As the Queen Black Dragon is a Dragonkin creation, would the Raptor also have helped us take down the Kin?
Unfortunately, none of this ever came to be. We did get One of a Kind, which was a great quest - but from that point onward the story shifted to focus on the Dactyl (Scientific Dragonkin, such as Kerapac). There was also various lore fails, in which Dragonkin laboratories throughout Gielinor had the same architecture as the floors beneath Daemonheim. This made no sense, as it was in fact Bilrach who built these structures, and the effects of being close to 'The Rift' which gave the dungeoneering floors their warped appearances.
It would seem that in 2013, Jagex decided that as a marketing tactic they would create the Sixth Age and The World Wakes in order to create a lot of hype. I don't believe this was as successful as they had hoped, similarly to the Signature Heroes idea, but The World Wakes was definitely one of the best quests in the game. Unfortunately, though, after that, the story focussed on the Dactyl, Sliske, Gods and Elder Gods - meaning the Necrosyrtes Dragonkin never got the conclusion they truly deserved or were meant to have. This is even more unlikely now, given that the Stone of Jas was destroyed in Sliske's Endgame.
There may be some hope for the Dragonkin, due to Desperate Times (which was a great quest, and actually changed my opinion of Kerapac). Next year, Jagex plan on releasing a quest every two months, and so far we know of: Desperate Measures -> Quest 2 -> City of Senntisten -> Azzanadra Quest -> Quest 5 -> Quest 6. It's also possible that the Araxxor quest will be one of these quests, as Mod Jack said he has found a way for it to fit into the narrative - but if any quest has to be cut it will be the Azzanadra Quest. I personally think we will be seeing Rite of Passage next year, due to the secrecy around the unannounced quests, and the wealth of assets which have been created for the Armadyl Archeology site.
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