Isle of the Four Winds

The official GemStone IV encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Four Winds Isle)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
An isometric map of the Isle of the Four Winds, with views of the Krolvin outpost, the Iyo village, Mist Harbor, and Charl's Teeth. Map by Alosaka.

The Isle of the Four Winds is the area accessible only by premium subscribers.

Mist Harbor is located on the Isle of the Four Winds.

How do I get to Four Winds Isle?

After picking up a teleport item from one of the premium Four Winds Halls, all you need to do is hold or wear the item and turn it and you will be taken to FWI. If you want to leave FWI simply hold or wear your transport item again and turn it and you will be returned to the original spot from which you left. There is a currently no limit on how often you may transport on and off the isle. Previously, one could LOOK at their transport item to see if it was dull or scintillating. If it was scintillating, you could use it to transport; if it was dull, you could not. You can also LOOK at your transport item to see if it is flashing. A flashing teleport item indicates there is a merchant working on FWI for premium subscribers.

History of Frostacres

The guide says, "As far as the history of Four Winds Isle, well, that's always been a mystery. Some people say it was created by Jaston himself. Others say it was just used by Jaston as a sanctuary. Still others say it has nothing to do with Jaston at all! Like I said, it's a real mystery.

The history of the Isle of Four Winds begins with the history of Frostacres, a small commune of farmers and traders that grew up around the cottage of the kindly sylph Wixie. Wixie lived next to a lake that fed a waterfall, deep in a forest. She was famous for her hospitality and her freshly baked apple pie.

The merchant Boggles was doing alterations one night, and stopped short of an old woman who had waited patiently for her turn. A powerful witch, she cast a powerful spell on Boggles and began to take over the minds of the townsfolk.

The people of Frostacres began to succumb to hunger and disease. The founder of Frostacres, Wixie, was immune to the witch's spell, and she rallied some visiting adventurers to battle the witch and her evil magics. During the battle with the witch, Wixie cast a spell that lifted the outpost above the land and protected it from evil powers.

When Frostacres became too small, it exploded and Mist Harbor, a settlement on the Isle of the Four Winds, took its place. Frostacres is still honored through the Mist Harbor banknotes, the name Frostacres is still taken by the justice system, and the LOCATION (verb) names Frostacres when used on the Isle of the Four Winds.

History of the Isle of the Four Winds

As far as anyone knows, the Isle of the Four Winds has existed for all of time. For a long period the isle remained uninhabited, save for the local critters who were nearly as old as the isle itself. It is rumored that from a strain of mutations to some of these local fauna a hybrid group of highly-intelligent creatures was formed and have flourished within the resource-rich isle. As no one has ever seen any of these creatures it is believed that their existence is merely superstition.

The modern history of Four Winds Isle begins with the clash between two houses of elves, the Faendryl and Ashrim. Unknown to the Faendryl, on the day their ships arrived at the Ashrim shores and obliterated the entire house there was a single Ashrim lookout ship at sea watching the destruction of their people unfold. Unable to defend their house against the attacking Faendryl and fearing for their own safety, the Ashrim ship set out to the expansive ocean with a small crew and little provisions for such a trip.

After days at sea with little to eat or drink and nowhere to go, the men of the ship's crew became exhausted and delirious. During the fateful night of their fifth day at sea the ship came across a massive sea squall. The storm set the ship on high swells and a blinding rain lasted throughout the evening. In the morning the ship's crew awoke with surprise to find themselves alive and shipwrecked on the shore of a peaceful mist-covered island. Nearby a flock of white birds watched them intensely. At the first sign of their awakening the flock lifted into the air in one motion, circled the group, and disappeared into the horizon.

The group could not believe their good fortune at surviving the perilous waves and overwhelming rain and after seeing the flock of birds immediately attributed their survival and landing on the island to the powerful winds and protection of Jaston. At that moment they decided that they owed their lives to the wind arkati and vowed to honor and worship him.

After some time the group of Ashrim became well accustomed to life on the isle. Food and water were plentiful and they busied themselves with the building of a large temple in dedication to Jaston. Life on the isle went on as normal for quite some time for the group of men. They lived, worked, and worshipped within the temple and did not have to stray far to find the food and water they needed.

The time came to once again celebrate the anniversary of the group's landing on the shore of the island. As they did every year the entire village, save for a the few temple priests who never left the grounds of the temple, gathered at the shore where they had first landed and celebrated with food, drink, music, and merriment. What the group did not know was that at that very moment a giant wave was headed for the island.

Not one of the group survived that night. The wave came crashing upon them with no notice and retreated back into the ocean just as quickly as it had come, taking with it every last reveler. The only survivors were the temple priests who had stayed behind. Over time they grew old and soon died as well. The death of the last priest marked the end of the Ashrim.

Over time the temple fell into ruins and became overgrown by the surrounding jungle. The evidence of the elves washed away and their time on the isle became buried in the layers of sand and soil. The native creatures reclaimed the land and shore that once held the Ashrim village and silence and tranquility again descended upon the misty island. Then the krolvin arrived.

The krolvin arrived much in the same way the Ashrim did, but without the sentiment or beliefs in Jaston having a hand in their survival. Those who survived the storm were rough, brash, and bad-tempered, the remnants of a wrecked krolvin slaver ship. With no ship to salvage they quickly formed a make-shift outpost among the coastal cliffs of the southern tip of the island.

It wasn't long after the krolvin arrived that the Chronomages became aware of the island. Scrying the expanse of Elanthia they noticed the mist-covered isle and took interest in its obscure and disguised location and wealth of resources. Never ones to miss an opportunity, the Chronomages quickly claimed the isle for their own and offered it for sale with the understanding that they would provide unique teleportation transport devices to the otherwise uncharted island.

It didn't take long before the Chronomages found a private buyer in a group who wished to use the island as a destination for those who wished to live and work in a more comfortable environment. The group quickly developed a town, economy, and community all its own. And so the community lives on, yet to discover what waits for them beyond the edge of town and lurks within the dense jungle.

See Also