GemStone IV

After losing his wife, Nephthys, Thorgrim Wyvernslayer took their only child, his daughter Amberlynn, and left the environs of Wehnimer's Landing. He headed south, through the entirety of the Turamzzyrian Empire, until he finally settled in Elstreth in the Duchy of Aldora. It is here that he lived out the rest of his days.

Tonindian Silaetor remembers many a day sitting at the foot of his maternal grandfather, in Voln's temple, The House of the Paladin, listening to him as he told the tales of his youth to all who would listen. Tonindian reveled in the tales of adventure and combat, tales of how Thorgrim had dedicated himself whole-heartedly to Voln's cause, releasing the spirits trapped by the will of others. He loved listening to Thorgrim as he spoke of the Path of Enlightenment and the abilities granted by the Arkati as one earned their favor. Tonindian was held fast by the tales Thorgrim spoke of his first encounter with Nephthys - the grandmother whom Tonindian had never met - and of their adventures together.

As he grew, Tonindian began to receive instruction in weaponry as all able-bodied young males did growing up in the borderlands. While he took to the training, he felt that there was something missing. He began to listen more closely to the instruction of the priests in the temple, especially the ones that favored Kai, the Master of Combat. He began to realize what his training was missing. In the House of the Paladin, Tonindian began to supplement his martial training with the lessons of Kai and of Voln.

Upon the eighteenth anniversary of his birth and with much yet to learn, Tonindian, Tonin to his friends, took up his grandfather's sword and left his home. He traveled north towards Wehnimer's Landing, hoping to walk in the footsteps of his grandfather.

Having never previously ventured beyond the Duchy of Aldora, Tonin overshot his destination and found himself in Icemule Trace. Feeling that he was intended to be here, he made Icemule Trace his home and continued to improve his skills and to do Voln's work. However, as the months passed, he realized that was not content to stay. He felt that he needed to complete his journey to Wehnimer's Landing. Fortuitously, while praying in Voln's garden, he met a fellow that was heading off to the Landing and quickly accepted the invitation to accompany him on the journey.

The fellow first brought Tonin to Voln's monastery that lies to the southeast of Wehnimer's Landing - the very place that he had heard so much about in Thorgrim's stories. In awe and reverence, Tonin dropped to his knees and prayed in the shadow of Voln's statue - that of a kneeling young man bedecked in battle-worn black chain armor - and the ancient felwood tree. He had arrived! Tonin bade farewell to his travel guide and began the next leg of his life's journey...

GemStone III

Almost thirteen years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a game called GemStone III. Played on the internet, it was what was commonly referred to as a MUD, or Multi-User Dungeon. As a long time fan of role-playing games (RPG) such as Dungeons & Dragons, I was immediately hooked! I created the character of Thorgrim Wyvernslayer. The paladin character class had not yet been introduced to the game, so I created him as a warrior. This was great! My friend and I would meet online in the world of Elanthia and adventure together. Add to that the fact that there were other players online at any given time, it was not too hard to find someone else to play with.

Sadly, GemStone III was not web-based. It was accessible only through AOL and other similar services. When I cancelled my AOL account, my journeys into Elanthia ended.

GemStone IV

In March of 2007, I thought to search for GemStone, wondering if the game was still around. I found their home page at Play.Net, and that they had a 30-day trial! I quickly set to work creating a new character. I was thrilled to find that they had added the paladin character class, though a little upset that my character name of Thorgrim (and my alternate spelling, Thorgrym) was unavailable. As a result, I created Tonindian Silaetor, Paladin of Kai.

Gemstone IV is now over 18 years old, and is the longest running game of its kind. While the number of players has dwindled with the popularity of EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and other Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) you can still find as many as 700 players online during peak times.

Gemstone IV offers several character professions to choose from: Bard, Cleric, Empath, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warrior, and Wizard. As well your character's profession, you can choose from a multitude of races: Aelotoi, Burghal Gnome, Dark Elf, Dwarf, Elf, Erithian, Forest Gnome, Giantman, Half-Elf, Halfling, Human, and Sylvankind. The character generator also allows you to tweak your character's statistics - Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Agility, Discipline, Aura, Logic, Intuition, Wisdom, and Influence - and description. Tonin, for instance, is average height and appears to be very young. He has brooding hazel eyes and ruddy skin; raggedly cut, shaggy dark brown hair; and a square-jawed face with a small goatee.

The world of Elanthia is dynamic. When Thorgrim walked the lands, Wehnimer's Landing was not the center of the universe, it was the universe. Thorgrim could not travel to Icemule Trace, Cysaegir, or Ta'Illistim as they had not yet been 'discovered.' Characters have a lot more options open to them as well. You could choose to become a Master Fletcher, Blacksmith, or Cobbler. Mining/Smelting is currently in the works. Alchemy has been introduced.

One of the better improvements, in my opinion, was the addition of the Adventurer's Guild. This is a reward system, and is completely optional. Characters can go and get a bounty from the guild. These bounties include gathering a particular type of gem, rescuing a lost child, escorting a diginitary to another city, or suppressing the activity of a particular creature. The difficulty is scaled to the character's current ability level, though can be adjusted to be easier or more difficult at the player's option. Successfully completing a task will result in three awards; experience points, silver, and bounty points. Bounty points can be exchanged for various prizes.

Want To Play a Game?

GemStone IV is a subscription based game. There is no software to purchase. Simply visit their website, sign up for the free 30-day trial, and you are off and role-playing! There are three subscriptions options to choose from after the trial ends should you decide that you wish to continue.

#1. The Basic subscription offers one character slot for $14.95 per month. Additional character slots can be purchased for an extra $2.50 per month.
#2. The Premium subscription offers a number of benefits over the basic subscription, one of them being that you get 15 characters instead of one. The Premium subsciption is $39.95 a month.
#3. The Platinum subscription offers all of the benefits of the Premium subscription. Platinum players do not roam the same world as the Basic and Premium players, however. The Platinum experience is intended for the "serious role-player." It has a much smaller player base and new additions to the game tend to be tested out in Platinum before seeing a full release. Personally, I feel that there are pros and cons to Platinum. A Platinum subscription is $49.95 a month.

At any time during the trial, you can cancel your subscription. As well, if you decide that you want to stick around, you can upgrade at any time.

Why not give it a shot? And if you find yourself in Wehnimer's Landing, be sure to track down Tonindian...he will be happy to show you around!