Purgatory
Purgatory was the name of the place souls went when bodies decayed in GemStone III, including the situation of retiring a character or family name following permanent character loss. The messaging for departing or spirit death in GemStone IV is mostly the same, except is no longer represented as a room called Purgatory, and a few of the lines were removed. It was seemingly the other side of the Gates of Oblivion. Purgatory was part of the death mechanics from 1990 through 2003. Since 2018 "Purgatory" is instead the space between Liabo and Elanthia when disconnects happen in the Rings of Lumnis.
Purgatory was not part of the Shadow World source books, nor was the deeds mechanic for escaping death. These were unique features of GemStone III that have to be interpreted within the context of the game itself. Research:The Graveyard and Research:The Broken Lands construct a theory about the meaning of its messaging. "Life levels", now called "spirit", came from Rolemaster Companion II (1987).
Death Mechanics
The death mechanics have changed a few times over the history of GemStone III and GemStone IV. In the beginning there were five free deaths for level 1 characters, and five more that had to be paid for with deeds before reaching level 2, or else there would be a spirit death. In GemStone III there was a "Deaths this level" counter, rather than the "Recent deaths" counter which helps determine the severity of Death's Sting in GemStone IV. In the I.C.E. Age there was a harsher kind of death's sting where the risk of stat loss was calculated at each new level with increasing severity for each "deaths this level."
This counter increased for every decay, spirit death, or cleric resurrection while having zero deeds. Items were also dropped from the hands when killed, and all items were dropped in the event of a decay. Later in GemStone III these were removed, though hand droppage still exists in rare situations. There was instead experience point loss for decays and spirit deaths. Permanent death was removed around 2003 and Death's Sting added in late 2004.
Experience, Levels, Deeds, and Recent Deaths:
(1) GemStone III: I.C.E. Age (1995)
Level: 19 Experience: 495651
Next level at: 500000 exp. Exp. until next lvl: 4349
Family Fame: 13408756 Character Fame: 6780773
Deeds: 15 Deaths this level: 0
Power: 29/38 Max
Your mind is muddled.
(2) GemStone III: Post-I.C.E. Age (2000)
Level: 21 Experience: 549323
Next level at: 600000 exp. Exp. until next lvl: 50677
Family Fame: 9241740 Character Fame: 9241740
Deeds: 3 Deaths this level: 1
Mana: 63/63 Max
Your mind is as clear as a bell.
(3) GemStone IV: With Death's Sting (2014)
Level: 15 Deeds: 12
Experience: 285581 Death's Sting: None
Exp. until next: 16419 Recent Deaths: 2
Mental TPs: 0 Fame: 196136
Physical TPs: 3 Mana: 24/61 max
(32 Phy converted to Mnt)
Your mind is as clear as a bell.
(4) GemStone IV: With Ascension and Long-Term XP (2021)
Level: 100 Fame: 155,294,646
Experience: 14,127,022 Deeds: 2
Ascension Exp: 187,139 Recent Deaths: 0
Total Exp: 14,314,161 Death's Sting: None
Long-Term Exp: 30,875
Exp to next TP: 478 Exp to next ATP: 12,861
PTPs/MTPs: 16/0 ATPs: 0
Your mind is as clear as a bell.
Representation
This is intended to cover the spectrum of first-person decayed messaging possibilities. It is not including the announcements of deaths to the game, which since 2015 have indicated the region of death, except for spoof messages on Halloween and April Fool's. The first of these was the Rift death screams in 1998. The ordinary ones were "XXX just bit the dust!" and "XXX's soul has been lost to the demonic." There are now custom messages for this as well.
Owed Favor
There are a few variations of the messaging for when you have just been killed. These messages are the same in GemStone III and GemStone IV, even though deeds no longer have this function.
(1) With Deeds
It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You mentally give a sigh of relief as you remember that the Goddess Lorminstra owes you a favor. ...departing in 10 mins...
(2) Without Deeds
The "no outstanding favors" line begins at Level 2. Prior to Level 2, only the first line appears, if there are zero deeds.
It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You realize that you have no outstanding favors which Lorminstra owes you, and without having accomplished a deed for Her, your soul is in danger of vanishing from the land forever! ...departing in 13 mins...
(3) Dark Gods Temple
It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You get a sick feeling in the back of your mind as you realize that you have had the ill fortune to die in a shrine to one of the Dark Gods! You offer up a mental prayer to the Lady Lorminstra, in the hopes that she will rescue you from her eternal foe, but somehow feel that your plea will go unheard. ...departing in 10 mins...
(4) Spirit Death
Spirit death is a special case where you instantly decay because your spirit points went below zero. Very fast lifekeep can block the instant decay, such as Spirit Servant (218) through its automatic lifekeep property. This will only stop it once upon death, sign of hopelessness while dead will break the lifekeep. This clip is from GemStone III in 2003. The first line is the spirit death, the last is the spirit servant.
The last of your life force is drained from you and you die! It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You mentally give a sigh of relief as you remember that the Goddess Lorminstra owes you a favor. Your dune spirit dematerializes into a fiercly hot tempest of wind and sand that whirls over towards your body. The spirit lifts your corpse into its vortex where your body hovers for several seconds. A hot wind caresses your face before the spirit sets you back down, leaving a sense of lingering warmth.
Life force in this context refers to the fact that spirit was originally called life levels. In Rolemaster Companion II (1987), page 20, the "life levels" were an optional mechanic, representing the life energy that the undead feed upon and drain. It was determined as Constitution stat divided by 10 and rounded up, both in the source book and the I.C.E. Age of GemStone III. It was later determined using the Aura statistic. The negative modifier for low life level used to be explicitly given in the character health statistics. This excerpt is from a log when manticores and threks were still in the Zeltoph (Lyftoth) foothills:
You are in good shape. You have no significant bleeding. Concussion pts: 88 remaining: 88 DBmod: 0 Life level points: 10 remaining: 5 mod: -25%
The weakness penalties to AS and DS, or OB and DB in I.C.E. terms, is more severe in Rolemaster than GemStone IV. However, the body entered a coma at zero life levels in Rolemaster, but died without instant decay in GemStone III. Body decay was unique to GemStone. Certain undead in the I.C.E. source material converted their victims into undead by draining their life levels into negative numbers. The death mechanics showed the soul had been ripped apart when spirit death happened. This now happens for all decays. Shadow World had a suggested "Essaence Soul" statistic for measuring corruption by the Unlife from casting spells that used "evil essence". This would initially be equal to the character's total powerpoints (mana), decreasing by 1 or 2 with each failed warding roll against level each cast.
Lifekeep
The messaging on having a white flask poured in your mouth or having preservation cast on you when dead still has the archaic "thy soul" wording in GemStone IV.
XXXXX forces your mouth open, and pours in a small amount from her white flask. You feel a tingle on your soul, as if a powerful hand is gently cradling it. (Thy soul is bound to thy body for an extra 10 minutes.) You feel the touch of the hand leave your soul. You force YYY's mouth open, and pour in a small amount from your white flask. A luminescent web briefly forms around YYY, then fades into the body. XXX gestures at YYY. A luminescent web briefly forms around YYY, then fades into the body. YYY seems slightly different. The stench of decay is growing more pervasive.
The GemStone III implementation of Lifekeep differs from Rolemaster "Spell Law" (1989). In Rolemaster "lifekeep" prevents the soul from departing, while "preservation" halts the deterioration of the body. Such deterioration and oxygen deprivation causes damages analogous to Death's sting. Lifekeep and preservation are merged together in GemStone. Likewise, this state of "dying" occurs over a fixed number of rounds modified by race, much like Dungeons & Dragons. In Rolemaster it is only necessary to heal the dying to revive them, while in GemStone a lifegiving spell (resurrection) must be cast. In Rolemaster the resurrection magic is instead for bringing departed souls back to the body, and in the Shadow World setting, only Eissa (Lorminstra) has the power to channel this ability to clerics. She only allowed this under special conditions. It is not possible for player characters to "resurrect" the dead in this fashion. GemStone instead has the body instantly decay upon soul departure and become reincarnated, which does not come from Rolemaster or Shadow World. This is a foundational misalignment in the lore on the meaning of the word "resurrection."
GemStone III
When it was still possible to have permanent character loss through decaying without deeds, characters under level 2 were protected from it by the gods themselves. There was a special messaging variant of an old man speaking, instead of Lorminstra speaking about thy deed. There was seemingly some other mechanism where the Great Spirit Vult (Modern: Voln) would intervene, preventing decay, on low level characters under some condition. (In the Shadow World books other deities could not do resurrections remotely.) The messaging for this is not included, it still has to be recovered from old logs.
Decaying With Deeds
This is the typical messaging you would see when your body turned into compost. In the I.C.E. Age it would have said "Goddess Eissa" rather than "Goddess Lorminstra".
Slowly the world begins to dissolve into a grainy montage of color... [Purgatory] You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light, and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two prophecies, each vying for your loyalty. Also in the room: All the spirits of those who could not choose. Obvious exits: light and darkness. Time seems to have no meaning as you wander aimlessly amidst the uncomfortable tugging for your attention. Hopelessness washes over dreams you once held like the creeping tide of doom. In time the Goddess Lorminstra finds you wandering the endlessness of Purgatory and says, "For thy deed, my promise to intercede shall be fulfilled." Taking you by the hand, the Goddess leads you back to mortality... Suddenly you feel an intense pain scorching your very soul! The world of your past suddenly comes rushing back into your memory. You are quite bewildered by what has transpired, but alive... [Hall of Rebirth] Sunlight streams through the ice, illuminating the room with clean, golden light. Faint rainbows dance on the walls, playing across the huge mural hanging on the southern wall. The air is still and cool, layered with peace and serenity. You cannot help but feel calm here, as if something loving was watching over you. Obvious exits: out.
Departing
The messaging for departing seems to be essentially unchanged. When there is little time left before decay is about to happen anyway, the messaging changes to alert you to the fact, varying with how much time is remaining. There is now an "unlink" verb to break lifekeep. But there was a period where Sign of Hopelessness, after its self-immolation mechanic was removed, was the only way to decay in spite of preservation. Departing inflicts harsher penalties than time-out decaying. In GemStone IV the "wish to depart this plane" line is separated by a line break and uses the word "click" for the front end.
(0) Not Dead >depart But you are not quite dead yet! (1) Bound by Lifekeep DEAD>depart Your soul has been magically bound to your corpse. You cannot yet leave. (2) More Than Five Minutes Until Decay DEAD>depart Being dead is truly boring...but things could be worse. You could be bored AND in pain. If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please type DEPART CONFIRM. (3) Less Than Five Minutes Until Decay DEAD>depart Waves of coldness wash over you, leaving you with a growing numbness in your limbs. Your hands and feet might as well not even be there, and your arms and legs aren't really much more sensitive. If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM. (4) Less Than Four Minutes Until Decay DEAD>depart It's cold! So cold! You've long since lost any sense of feeling in your extremities, but now even your torso is going numb. You feel as if you're only going to be able to hang on for a few minutes at most. If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM. (5) Less Than Three Minutes Until Decay DEAD>depart You feel yourself growing lighter and lighter, rising off the ground, seemingly floating in the air. Looking down, you have the oddest experience...you can see your body lying there, and at the same time, you can still see everything from that perspective as well. How strange! If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM. (6) Less Than Two Minutes Until Decay DEAD>depart Everything around you is beginning to fade into a velvety darkness. Sounds seem distant and hard to make out. Your grasp on your body is rapidly slipping away. If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM. (7) Less Than One Minute Until Decay DEAD>depart You seem to be moving down a dark tunnel. Ahead of you is a bright light, maybe the end is near. In the distance you can hear many voices, some strangely familiar. You can't quite make out what they're saying yet. If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM. (8) Less Than Thirty Seconds Until Decay DEAD>depart All you can see is a blindingly bright light! The urge to go towards it is fast becoming overwhelming. Perhaps you can still resist for a few more seconds, but not much longer! If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM.
Without Deeds Under Level 2
This illustrates a variant where an old man is speaking to you in Purgatory. It is seemingly not Lorminstra in another form. It might represent the "aged priest" in the deed ceremony, who may be the old man on the dais, who is probably supposed to be the Lord High Cleric of the temple in the Landing. In the 1989 books for Shadow World the "Great Spirits", such as who we call Voln, were not defined yet. It was maybe a random variant, or maybe not specific to using the depart verb. In the oldest form of her lore she only allowed souls to return to life if she felt their missions in the world were not completed.
This is from a log where it resulted from departing. It is confirmed as having also happened in a log from 2002 where the character decayed at Level 1 without deeds. They were not mechanically able to have permanent character loss, due to the character being too low leveled. This messaging may have been unique to this condition, but it is unclear. The wording would be consistent with it.
Being dead is truly boring...but things could be worse. You could be bored AND in pain. If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please type DEPART CONFIRM. Slowly the world begins to dissolve into a grainy montage of color... [Purgatory] You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light, and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two prophecies, each vying for your loyalty. Also in the room: All the spirits of those who could not choose. Obvious exits: light and darkness. Time seems to have no meaning as you wander aimlessly amidst the uncomfortable tugging for your attention. Hopelessness washes over dreams you once held like the creeping tide of doom. You are not sure when it started, but you suddenly realize that an old man has entered into a conversation with you. He speaks of things left undone, of special children who were chosen to make a difference. You cannot quite grasp what he is talking about, but he seems to be referring to you. Although he seems to find it excruciatingly difficult, the man grants you back your mortal life. "Heed this!" he says, "Thy future relies upon thy deeds, for even I am powerless beyond a point!" Suddenly you feel an intense pain scorching your very soul! The world of your past suddenly comes rushing back into your memory. You are quite bewildered by what has transpired, but alive...
"Great Spirit Voln" interventions on those about to decay do not seem to happen in GemStone IV. It may have had some relationship to society affiliation and character level, but the messaging would need to be found in old logs. At the moment it is something only vaguely remembered. It may or may not have been related to the character being too low leveled to have permanent character loss.
Sign of Hopelessness
The Sign of Hopelessness used to immolate the character in black flames, instantly ripping out the soul and causing a spirit death. Later it allowed characters to depart in spite of lifekeep before there was an unlink verb. It was most likely playing off the "hopelessness" line in the Purgatory messaging. This caused a variant where she "gently reassembles the pieces of your tattered soul" when you had deeds. It is most likely the messaging in general for spirit deaths while having enough deeds to not be lost to the demonic, but this would need to be verified with an old log of a spirit death using a different method.
>sign of hopelessness As you make the sign, the forces of darkness rip your soul from your body! You realize you have called upon your powers without due caution and have made your affiliation plainly obvious to all nearby. It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You mentally give a sigh of relief as you remember that the Goddess Lorminstra owes you a favor. Slowly the world begins to dissolve into a grainy montage of color... [Purgatory] You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light, and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two prophecies, each vying for your loyalty. Also in the room: All the spirits of those who could not choose. Obvious exits: light and darkness. Time seems to have no meaning as you wander aimlessly amidst the uncomfortable tugging for your attention. Hopelessness washes over dreams you once held like the creeping tide of doom. In time the Goddess Lorminstra finds you wandering the endlessness of Purgatory and says, "For thy deeds, my promise to intercede shall be fulfilled." She gently reassembles the pieces of your tattered soul, and then, taking you by the hand, the Goddess leads you back to mortality... Suddenly you feel an intense pain scorching your very soul! The world of your past suddenly comes rushing back into your memory. You are quite bewildered by what has transpired, but alive...
Lost to the Demonic
This is the messaging that resulted from a spirit death with not enough deeds to prevent permanent death. The specific message "soul has been lost to the demonic" was not triggered for all zero deed decays, it was seemingly only the spirit deaths. This was not an indication of society affiliation. The first person messaging appears to be the same either way, unless it was something else for spirit death in the early 1990s. The messaging refers to the "Gates of Oblivion" and would have said Eissa originally. Gosaena was not associated with the other side of Lorminstra's "Ebon Gate" in the lore until the late 1990s. The "gates of oblivion" are still referenced in several places, but it is rare and archaic text. However, the Velathae document refers to it as Oblivion, and the half-krolvin describe it as nothingness.
The last of your life force is drained from you and you die! It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You realize that you have no outstanding favors which Lorminstra owes you, and without having accomplished a deed for Her, your soul is in danger of vanishing from the land forever! Slowly the world begins to dissolve into a grainy montage of color... [Purgatory] You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light, and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two prophecies, each vying for your loyalty. Also in the room: All the spirits of those who could not choose. Obvious exits: light and darkness. Time seems to have no meaning as you wander aimlessly amidst the uncomfortable tugging for your attention. Hopelessness washes over dreams you once held like the creeping tide of doom. In time your soul finds a home, be it in the light or the darkness, but not again in the mortal world. As the last memories of your existence fade, an image of the Goddess Lorminstra, who guards the Gates of Oblivion, tempts your hindsight. [Purgatory] It appears that your mortal life has ended once and for all, and that Lorminstra shall be embracing you shortly. This Purgatory is here to provide you with information about what to expect as you move on to the next stage of your existence. Before you is The Afterlife. You will need to enter it in order to create a new character for yourself. ---> You can LOOK AT THE AFTERLIFE to get information about what to expect now that your character has died permanently. When you are ready, simply RETIRE. Obvious exits: none. DEAD>look at the afterlife DEAD> Upon entering The Afterlife you will be given two options: 1. Retire XXXXX only (keeping the YYYYYY family) 2. Retire the YYYYYY family (loosing all family fame) Selecting the first option will result in asking you for a new first name for your new character, while the second option will result in asking you for a new first and last name. In either case you can reselect your old names, but your family fame will only transfer to your new character if you select the first option. DEAD> As for up to the point of making your choices, it is the same routine as if you just started a new character. If you RETIRE the family, you will lose your character entirely. If you choose to RETIRE the first name only, You will be able to keep the same family name as well as the same first name if you wish to keep it. If you choose the same first name and family name, you must remember, when you went demonic, you lost everything except the name. You will not have any items, character fame, stats, skills, age or trainings as you did when you died, including any coins you had in the bank or on your person. In keeping the family name, you WILL still have your FAMILY fame but not the character fame.
Locating
When the character was still in the character manager after permanent death, it was possible to locate them as their last memory being Purgatory.
You feel the memory of XXXXX blend with yours for a moment, and see their location as they last saw it: [Purgatory] You are in Purgatory. For more information, type HELP. Obvious exits: none
The Pale
In the second Griffin Sword War, around 2003, the realm of Gosaena where souls are permanently kept was called The Pale. It is unclear if this is truly a different place than Purgatory, as their wording is highly similar. It was reached by a dead PC through a ritual by the Luukosian high priest Morvule to steal the soul of Harith back from beyond the Ebon Gate. "Lost to the demonic" still existed for PCs.
[The Pale] Everything is awash in both light and darkness, the waves of each alternating hue creating ephemeral shades that float by in an endless abyss. Obvious exits: none
GemStone IV
It is no longer possible for player characters to be "lost to the demonic" and have permanent character loss from death. Whenever the lost to the demonic message is seen in GemStone IV, it is a GameMaster run non-player character being killed off forever. Deeds only reduce the severity of Death's Sting. The wording in the deed ceremony in the temple seems unchanged, even though deeds no longer have any role in whether Lorminstra brings back departed bodies, and the messaging when just killed about her owing you a favor or (when having zero deeds) the risk of being lost to the lands forever still exists.
Decaying
The following is how Purgatory is represented in GemStone IV. It no longer has the Gates of Oblivion, Purgatory, or Lorminstra actually speaking, and now defaults to the "tattered soul" variant in general.
The world before you dissolves into a grainy montage of color... You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two powers, polar opposites vying for your loyalty. You are surrounded by the spirits of those who could not choose. The only way out seems to be through light or darkness. Time has no meaning as you wander aimlessly amidst the uncomfortable tugging for your attention. Hopelessness washes over dreams you once held like the creeping tide of doom. After what could be moments, or perhaps an eternity, the goddess Lorminstra finds you wandering in the endless space and speaks soothingly to you. She gently reassembles the pieces of your tattered soul and then, taking you by the hand, the goddess leads you back to mortality... [Temple, Altar] The altar is plain, and bears only onyx bowls of smouldering incense and smoking paraffin. Draped behind it is a cloth banner, appliqued with an ancient mystical pattern. A legend is embroidered along the bottom. On the far side of the room at the end of an aisle, you see two pillars. Obvious exits: out
The original wording was probably meaningful, if cryptic, in its original context. See Research:The Graveyard for speculation. The following details have changed with the messaging:
- There is no [Purgatory] room label. All the spirits who could not choose are not represented as the others in the room.
- Instead of the room exits being light or darkness, it is "the only way out seems to be". This obscures the darkness being a path.
- The phrase "two prophecies" was changed to "two powers", inserting the words "polar opposites." These are significantly different meanings.
- The line where Lorminstra finds you inserts "After what could be moments, or perhaps an eternity", and Goddess is made lower-case in the spots it appears.
- "endlessness of Purgatory" is replaced with "the endless space"
- "and speaks soothingly to you" replaces her actual words, which were the connection to the deed ceremony in the Landing. "For thy deed, my promise to intercede shall be fulfilled."
- It defaults to the spirit death variant where your soul has been destroyed and Lorminstra has to put it back together again. This removes the old man variant entirely.
- It completely removes the lines about the scorching pain on the soul, and the world of your memories rushing back to you: "Suddenly you feel an intense pain scorching your very soul! The world of your past suddenly comes rushing back into your memory. You are quite bewildered by what has transpired, but alive..."
- The permanent death messaging with Lorminstra, referencing the gates, tempting your hindsight is gone. This includes the non-commital line about whether you wind up in the light or darkness, and the line about the last of your memories fading away. The removal of the memory lines effectively remove the "oblivion" concept, which is only retained in the surreal line about the dreams you once held.
Rings of Lumnis
There is now also a dark space located somewhere between Liabo and the Needle of Pentas on the Isle of Ornath called Purgatory. It is reached by disconnecting while in a Rings of Lumnis quest area, which is located within magical domes on the surface of Liabo and reached by teleportation disks which send you through space between the celestial bodies. In the later Shadow World books this space is called the River of Life, where souls were swept along the flows of essence between the planet and the moon, brought to the Gates of Oblivion. The River of Life in the older Shadow World books exists instead only as a physical river leading up to the Gates of Oblivion, and likely was the significance of the Voln monastery spring. The Lords of Orhan (Liabo) would ride the flows down to the planet.
[Rings of Lumnis, Purgatory] Located somewhere between extremely dark grey and the blackest of black, the space here is filled with nothing but darkness. It is unclear which way is up or down, and the disorientation is overwhelming. You also see an atmospheric tear. Obvious paths: none >location You carefully survey your surroundings and guess that your current location is the Needle of Pentas or somewhere close to it. >look tear You see nothing unusual.
Conversion
Purgatory could still be accessed as a location in GemStone IV when logging in a character who was last in GemStone III. This is a log of a corrupted character from 2008.
************************************************** *************** Your GemStone III character has been converted over to GemStone IV stats and skills. Thank you for joining us in GemStone IV! 5000 additional experience points have been applied to your character as a gesture of our appreciation and you have been leveled up accordingly. ************************************************** *************** [Purgatory] You are in Purgatory. For more information, type HELP. Obvious exits: none Name: -NewGuy- Corrupt Race: Human Profession: Warrior (not shown) Gender: Male Age: 0 Expr: 5000 Level: 2
Naidem
The Ebon's Gate festival ground beginning in 2022 was Naidem, which is an in-between limbo, where souls of the dead manifest as other more monstrous kinds of things. Various races manifest as different kinds of Denizens of Naidem, which call themselves the Unliving. (Naidem is "median" spelled backwards, and its Sonreeva quest area is "Avernus" backwards.) Background on Naidem and its relation to everything is still being revealed. The living are not welcome in Naidem, unless they are witches or necromancers (which makes use of the Sorcerer profession titles mechanically but without "warlocks" counting as male witches), so most of the living have to be disguised as the dead.
Dying while in Naidem involves instantly decaying, and it has special messaging both for dying and departing, which is a throwback homage to the older Purgatory messaging:
It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... You realize that in this place between worlds, your soul is in danger of vanishing forever! Slowly, your awareness begins to dissolve into a grainy montage of color.... [The Abyss of Naidem] You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two realities, each vying for your soul. Also in the room: the spirits of those lost in the void Obvious paths: none ...departing in 10 mins... Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds. (Forcing stance down to guarded) DEAD>look [The Abyss of Naidem] You find yourself wandering amidst endless streaming light and vast nothingness. This place feels torn between two realities, each vying for your soul. Also in the room: the spirits of those lost in the void Obvious paths: none In time, your soul is claimed, pulled from the dregs of light and darkness by whose hand you do not know, and violently thrust back into the harshness of existence. You can see nothing, but hear and feel everything from the clacking of your bones reassembling themselves to the agonizing pain of your muscles reforming fiber by fiber to the regrowth of the skin that contains your life's essence. All this in a haze of crimson light that is neither warm nor comforting, and as you suck in the first breath of your new life, a voice that defies definition whispers in your ear, "I see you, mortal, and you are in a place in which you do not belong. Tread carefully." [The Wayward Soul Chapel] It is apparent upon first glance that it has been many a year since this chapel saw regular use. Dust adorns every flat surface, from the seats of the many pews to the floor itself and everything in between. Hymn books are tucked into wooden slots built into the backs of the pews, and while no one resides within the building, the sconces along the walls are lit, topped with fresh candles. A velvet-draped ebonwood altar sits atop the dais at the head of the aisle with a stained glass window in the background. You also see an arched ebonwood door. Obvious exits: out >look altar Unlike the rest of the chapel's accoutrements and furnishings, this altar is in pristine condition, as is its velvet covering. There are no signs of age or weathering on the wood or wear on the cloth, leaving only a matte-finished polish on the ebonwood and a slight shimmer to the violet cloth draping it. Its only curious feature is its enormity, which seems more than double of what would be expected in a chapel this size. >look chapel The chapel, though old, is sturdy, with two columns of pews that bookend a velvet-carpeted center aisle. Behind the chapel's dais and altar, the the back wall is occupied by a pair of stained glass windows. One portrays a cowled and robed figure gazing downward, hands splayed out with upward palms against a background of whorled blue and violet. The other depicts a cowled and robed figure gazing upward, hands fisted, and arms crossed over their chest on a background of mottled orange and red. >look window A robed and hooded figure stands tall at the center of the stained glass window, though its form is divided by a strip of grooved lead. On one side, the figure's face is that of a beautiful, pale-skinned woman adorned in grey robes with a single white-feathered wing raised and fanned out over her shoulder against a green background. Demonic, skeletal features define the other side of the face, while the body is shrouded in violet robes with an ebony bat-like wing splayed out against a mottled crimson background.
There is a time delay while in the "Abyss of Naidem" on the scale of a handful of seconds. Naidem has a special third-person death and decay message, and the body is reincarnated in its Wayward Soul chapel. This is directly analogous to the reincarnation altar in the temple in Wehnimer's Landing, which is one of the very oldest things in GemStone.
XXXXX drops to the ground dead, gaze vacant and lifeless, before her body wastes away to nothingness right before your very eyes beneath a haze of crimson light. (time delay) A heap of disassembled bones appears atop a velvet-draped ebonwood altar in a haze of crimson, and before your very eyes, they begin to reassemble themselves into a full and whole skeleton. The flames of the candles on the scones along the walls gutter loudly as a swirl of air whips through the chapel. Beginning to clatter and clack, the skeleton atop the ebonwood altar thrashes as sinew and muscle manifest from thin air to bind the bones into a body before skin knits itself back into place over the corpse. The wind dies, and the chapel falls silent... ...before XXXXX suddenly gulps in a desperate breath, eyes popping wide open as she shakes off the remains of death.
Other
In certain situations the decay will circumvent the purgatory analog messaging entirely. This will happen in pay quests such as Troubled Waters, for example, where the krolvin tie you to the mast of a ship. In the castle Reim there is an optional special death mechanics called the River of Life, where the body (well before decay) is pulled off the material plane of existence and ferried by a hooded figure. The Reim death mechanics are notable for keeping all of your wounds. Decaying ordinarily has Lorminstra only leaving scars. This is related to the wisps of energy eaten by the shadow dragon in the Graveyard.
(1) Reim
A collection of ethereal hands slowly grasp and explore your body. The world grows cold and dark as you feel yourself slipping from this plane of existence. Hollow faces of beings drift by your face, passing you as you sink into the earth.
[Darkness Below]
You find yourself floating in a river of energy and drifting out of your control. Ethereal beings lurk beneath the current all around you, the shapeless forms of light with shifting faces grasping at your lifeless flesh as you pass by.
Obvious paths: none
[You are currently set to use the REIM DEATH system. To change this use the REIM DEATH command.]
[You may also DEPART while within the ethereal river. This will remove you forcibly to where you entered Reim from still dead. You will be automatically transported to the river in 60 seconds.
NOTE: THIS WILL NOT MAKE YOU DECAY WHILE ON THE RIVER.]
A vessel rises up from the darkness around your body, carrying you further down the ethereal river.
[The River of Life]
Your body is surrounded by a blackened vessel drifting down with the flow of energy. It dawns on you that you are not alone, as opposite from your body is a hooded figure. Ethereal flames burn from where there would be eyes; his arms hold a slender pole pushing the vessel onward.
Obvious paths: none
Small ethereal coins appear in a dizzying haze of light in front of your face. Within moments they sink down over your eyes, temporarily blinding you.
The hooded figure aboard your vessel propels you further with a mighty shove of his pole.
[The Cavern of Life]
Illuminating the chamber overhead are a countless number of ethereal bolts of energy, swimming effortlessly across the sky. On either side of the ethereal river are humanoid shapes, their eyes burning with hatred towards you. Helpless on your quest along the river, a strange tingling sensation fills your body from within your core.
Obvious paths: none
Pulses of energy crackle across the surface of your body as the figure aboard your vessel begins to chant.
A thunderous voice reverberates through your mind as your extremities twitch in response.
The hooded figure aboard your vessel pulls forth a small glowing flask. Glancing over your body it leans forward and pours a bit of its flask on your neck.
The figure smirks before slamming its hand into your chest. You feel your body twitch involuntarily as you feel drained.
The hooded figure aboard your vessel pulls forth a small glowing flask. Glancing over your body it leans forward and pours a bit of its flask on your right arm.
The figure speaks in a harsh tone, "You will know suffering!" You watch in horror as the figure drives an ethereal fist down into your chest fishing around a moment before pulling out something glowing.
The hooded figure aboard your vessel pulls forth a small glowing flask. Glancing over your body it leans forward and pours a bit of its flask on your chest.
The figure speaks in a harsh tone, "You will know suffering!" You watch in horror as the figure drives an ethereal fist down into your chest fishing around a moment before pulling out something glowing.
The hooded figure aboard your vessel propels you further with a mighty shove of his pole.
[Energy Falls]
The thunder of a waterfall of energy booms throughout the chamber as it narrows. The figure once in the vessel with you stands to the side, the sleeves of its baggy robe folded across its chest. Your vision swimming in a sea of light, you submit to your end.
Obvious paths: none
You find yourself blinded by an intense light as you tumble down the energy falls.
A soft voice whispers into your ear, "It is not yet your time, XXXXX; however, you must pay the price to live again."
The figure reaches into your pockets and takes your silvers, which he tosses into the energy river.
The figure places its hand on your chest. You watch as some of your gathered energy evaporates from your body.
[A Cavernous Approach]
The path ends on a small platform, where hanging just out of reach over the crater are some massive chains, swaying back and forth. The ceiling of the cavern is carved out in a circular shape surrounding the chains as they continue skyward. Dense banks of clouds cling to the opening in the ceiling, blotting out any light from above. You also see a large camp and a decrepit old man.
Obvious exits: out
Your ears are pummeled by the sound of howling wind. You blink rapidly as you become aware of your surroundings. Staring up upward you see a thin trail of ethereal energy rise up from your body, dissipating into the sky above.
Your vision turns white as a strangely familiar voice enters your thoughts, "You may only travel the river once a day." The voice echoes slightly before continuing, "Be more careful wanderer."
SK>health
You have minor bruises about the head, snapped bones and serious bleeding from the neck, a fractured and bleeding right arm, some minor cuts and bruises on your left arm, deep gashes and serious bleeding from your chest, and minor cuts and bruises on your abdominal area.
Maximum Health Points: 115
Remaining Health Points: 71
You are feeling light headed.
Maximum Spirit Points: 6
Remaining Spirit Points: 1
Maximum Stamina Points: 60
Remaining Stamina Points: 60
(2) Troubled Waters
In Troubled Waters if you try to depart, or decay, it will be blocked. The krolvin slaver will drag you off to the main mast and tie you up, where you find yourself resurrected and healed with your head still filled with its field experience. The slaver says "You will die in pain!" and "You cannot fight, slave!" in Krolgeh. Rarely, this will happen to the living as a combat maneuver, with your head slammed a few times.
A towering krolvin slaver reaches down, her arm encircling your limp body, and drags you off to the deck. [Krolvin Warship, Main Mast] Heavily wrapped trusses secure the lower yardarm to the tall, rough wooden mast. Frayed hemp brails dangle from the unfurled mainsail and shift across the deck in the light, easterly breeze. High above, nearly lost in the shadows of the topsails, is a dilapidated crow's nest. Also here: XXXXX who is lashed to the main mast, YYYYY who is lashed to the main mast Obvious paths: north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest The slaver props your lifeless body up against the mast and lashes you to it. She then grabs your chin and forces it upward. Opening your mouth, the slaver shoves something inside. Slowly, feeling returns to your extremeties. Leaning her face close to your own, the slaver whispers something in Krolvin, a demented sneer on her face. A towering krolvin slaver shouts, "Q'ap tik'burzmorad av gzadmor!" > A towering krolvin slaver tightens the bindings that lash you to the main mast. The slaver sneers, "Q'ap tuzte ungbok, p'tuu!"
Lornon
There is a special case of the death messaging where you go to the moon Lornon, have your soul feasted upon by Luukos, and then your body is tossed back to the world. It is a very old script on Teras Isle, which was released in early 1996. In spite of technically being released after the De-ICE, it represents him as Klysus appears in the Shadow World source books. It is still possible to sacrifice your soul in this way to Luukos, and each of these variants can be accessed in GemStone IV. It is unclear if there was a special message for permanent death. It might have just gone to Purgatory after this regardless.
There have historically been bugs with this mechanism where archaic death mechanics still happen. Once a character was able to be lost to the demonic after that had been removed from the game, for example, or items dropping from the hands when killed. His Solhaven temple ended up not touching these depart mechanics, and even its special messaging for sacrifices has broken sometimes.
Improper Sacrifice
This is a message that happens when you displease Luukos by being in the wrong location when you were sacrificed.
Slowly the world begins to dissolve in a vortex of utter blackness... [Lornon] You find yourself in a barren cavern of black ice, totally alien to your sensibilities. There are no exits in the seamless dark walls, and you wonder what forces have brought you here... The Dark God Luukos appears before you in a sudden flash of stinking brimstone. Your eyes follow his tall, muscular form up to his lizardlike head, and meeting his cold, slitted eyes you begin to fear for your very soul. Luukos looks at you with displeasure. "You seek to honor me with a sacrifice?", he hisses angrily. "Perhaps you should be nearer my sacred altar if you wish to please me." Luukos reaches into your soul and tears it out by the roots, flinging you away from himself when he is finished consuming it. To your surprise, you find yourself with a tenuous grasp on the universe, and your sole thought as you fall seemingly forever is that of amazement that you still live . . . Your fall is broken by the hard earth beneath you as you awaken, dazed and bewildered, but alive nonetheless...
Insufficient Sacrifice
This is a version of the messaging where Luukos is unsatisfied with the spirit he can eat because you are too weakened by recent deaths. This might be based on your recent death counter.
Slowly the world begins to dissolve in a vortex of utter blackness... [Lornon] You find yourself in a barren cavern of black ice, totally alien to your sensibilities. There are no exits in the seamless dark walls, and you wonder what forces have brought you here... The Dark God Luukos appears before you in a sudden flash of stinking brimstone. Your eyes follow his tall, muscular form up to his lizardlike head, and meeting his cold, slitted eyes you begin to fear for your very soul. Luukos looks at you with displeasure. "You seek to honor me with a sacrifice?", he hisses angrily. "Perhaps if you were not so weakened from such a recent death, you would present a more appetizing picture." Luukos reaches into your soul and tears it out by the roots, flinging you away from himself when he is finished consuming it. To your surprise, you find yourself with a tenuous grasp on the universe, and your sole thought as you fall seemingly forever is that of amazement that you still live . . . Your fall is broken by the hard earth beneath you as you awaken, dazed and bewildered, but alive nonetheless...
Satisfactory Sacrifice
When the sacrifice is done the right way Luukos is pleased with the offering. In all of these variants the body is dropped in Ghorsa Tower, but a purgatory trip lands in the Lorminstra shrine. When the body lands in Ghorsa Tower presently it is actually alive in spite of the messaging: "XXX falls from nowhere to the ground in front of you, landing with a hard *THUD* and lying still, seemingly dead."
Slowly the world begins to dissolve in a vortex of utter blackness... [Lornon] You find yourself in a barren cavern of black ice, totally alien to your sensibilities. There are no exits in the seamless dark walls, and you wonder what forces have brought you here... The Dark God Luukos appears before you in a sudden flash of stinking brimstone. Your eyes follow his tall, muscular form up to his lizardlike head, and meeting his cold, slitted eyes you begin to fear for your very soul. Luukos looks at you with a glint of pleasure in his reptilian eyes. "A fitting offering!", he exclaims, lisping softly as he does so. You see his long, forked tongue slip out of his mouth and shudder uncontrollably. "You shall be well rewarded, my servant!" Luukos reaches into your soul and tears it out by the roots, flinging you away from himself when he is finished consuming it. To your surprise, you find yourself with a tenuous grasp on the universe, and your sole thought as you fall seemingly forever is that of amazement that you still live . . . Your fall is broken by the hard earth beneath you as you awaken, dazed and bewildered, but alive nonetheless...
See Also
- Kelfour Edition volume I number IV - September 1990, page 6 (mentions Eissa holding a soul in purgatory)
- Kelfour Edition volume I number V - October 1990, page 18 ("life levels" going to zero means "spirit death")
- Kelfour Edition volume I number VII - December 1990, page 25 (another soul destroyed by zero life levels reference)
- Elanthian Journal 27 - November 2004 (Kor'thriss the shadow dragon and Death's Sting introduced)
- Tyriyn Bythronian
- Deed
- Gates of Oblivion
- Ebon Gate (gate)
- Research:The Graveyard
- Research:The Broken Lands