Gswiki:Featured Article

With the advent of the Free to Play subscription, the GemStone community anticipates an influx of new and returning players, and we have prepared for it! We have come together and developed new guides for each starter town and almost every profession. These guides lead new players through the character manager, basic training tips, and how to navigate through the first few levels, as well as respective local customs. Click on Read more... below to access the New Player Category, which features articles specifically chosen to introduce people to the world of GemStone.

See Also

• New Players' Guide
• A beginner's guide to Wehnimer's Landing
• A beginner's guide to Icemule Trace
• A beginner's guide to Ta'Vaalor
• A beginner's guide to playing a warrior
• A beginner's guide to playing a rogue
• A beginner's guide to playing a paladin
• A beginner's guide to playing a sorcerer
• A beginner's guide to playing a ranger
• A beginner's guide to playing a bard
• A beginner's guide to playing a wizard
• A beginner's guide to playing an empath
• A beginner's guide to playing a cleric

Read more... | Other featured articles...

Previous Articles

Old featured articles, and their snippet, for sake of history.

Unarmed combat system

The Unarmed Combat System encompasses a unique combat style which features four types of attacks: Jab, Punch, Kick and Grapple. This system replaces Voln fu (Kick, Punch and Throw) as the primary unarmed attack method used against Undead creatures. Unarmed combat attacks are not, however, limited to the undead. They can be used against all creatures and characters.

Effectiveness with unarmed combat depends significantly upon a character's brawling skill. Although similar to AS/DS in its functionality, unarmed combat replaces melee and ranged weapons with the hands and feet, and AS/DS mechanics with Unarmed Attack Factor (UAF) / Unarmed Defense Factor (UDF).

See Also

• Jab critical table (UCS)
• Punch critical table (UCS)
• Grapple critical table (UCS)
• Kick critical table (UCS)
• Minor Mental
• Monk

---

Adventurer's Guild

The Adventurer's Guild is the in-genre name of the Bounty System. This organization is comprised by the assignment of certain heroic or adventerous tasks that characters within Elanthia can participate in. There are no level, race, or profession requirements to participate in this guild. Adventurers successfully completing tasks will be rewarded with experience, silver, and bounty points with which they can earn rewards.

Receiving a bounty task is as simple as going to the local town's bounty office and asking the Taskmaster there for an assignment. Based on the type of task assigned, you may also need to go to the local jeweler, furrier, herbalist, or town's guard to receive the details of your task. Once assigned a task, you cannot be assigned another for 15 minutes (real time not game time).

• ASK TASKMASTER ABOUT BOUNTY : to receive a bounty task or turn in a completed one
• ASK TASKMASTER ABOUT REMOVAL : to turn in an incomplete task
• ASK TASKMASTER ABOUT EASIER : adjusts the level range of tasks you can be assigned (only available after level 15)
• ASK TASKMASTER ABOUT HARDER : adjusts the level range of tasks you can be assigned (only available after level 15)
• ASK TASKMASTER ABOUT ADD <person>: to add another character 10 levels below to 5 levels above your level to your current task

River's Rest

River's Rest is a small town near the mouth of the Tempest River on Maelstrom Bay. It is a part of the Turamzzyrian Empire and the County of Torre. Though, due to the town's size and relative isolation, it is generally ignored by both county and imperial authorities. Due to this, River's Rest is considered a safe haven for those wishing to avoid the law. Its isolation also results in a small but tightly-knit player community.

History of River's Rest

River's Rest, while a small town today, is heir to a long rich tradition of history. The founding date of the town is unknown, but the town is believed to have received its name from a corruption of the trollish name for the island, "rhee v'reskha" which means turtle's egg. The island town was one of several towns that came to compose the Kingdom of Elanith which later was absorbed by the Kannalan Empire. Within the empire, River's Rest flourished due to its location at the mouth of the Tempest River, which at the time facilitated trade deep into the interior of the continent. In time, River's Rest became the cultural center of the empire, reknown for its architecture, most notably, four great bridges which extended to the shores of the river. As well as the epic center for poets, artisans, and intellectuals. The collapse of the Kannalan Empire in 3961 dramatically altered River's Rest fate...

Wizard

Wizards are one of four pure professions in GemStone, and are considered to be masters of the sphere of elemental magic. Wizardly offensive spells are primarily represented by bolt spells of a particular elemental energy, and are complemented by a wide array of defensive magics and utility spells. A common mutant Wizard sub-type is the War Mage, which relies on hasted physical attacks in combination with various utility spells.

Wizards can enchant weapons and armor by means of the Enchant Item (925) spell to give bonuses to attack or defense, respectively. Wizards can also imbed their spells into certain imbedable items by means of the Create Magic Item (420) spell, and recharge some of these items by means of the Charge Item (517) spell to keep their magic strong.

Finally, Wizards are able to summon a magical familiar by means of the Call Familiar (920) spell, which they can use for various non-combat purposes.

Patriarch

The Patriarch is the highest position of authority in Faendryl society. The word of the Patriarch is considered absolute law. The duty of the Patriarch is to guide the Faendryl to overall betterment as a culture, but can serve the community in any way he or she sees fit. Traditionally, the place of Patriarch is chosen by lineage, most often the closest relative of the previous Patriarch, but there have been political coups as well. While both males and females could technically hold the position, it is generally expected that it will be a male, which is why only three "Matriarchs" have ever been in power. Plotting against the Patriarch is considered the worst treason, as the Patriarch is viewed as the appex of Faendryl society, and as such, hurting the Patriarch is a betrayal of the entire house.

History of the Patriarch

The first Patriarch was Korthyr Faendryl, who also founded what was to become Ta'Faendryl, as well as leading the Faendryl House out of the forests towards their future as one of the seven Houses of the Elven Nations. After Korthyr's death, his great nephew Khalar Andiris Faendryl took his place, setting the precedent for the Patriarchy being held through lineage. After Khalar, the role of Patriarch lost its respect, with a chain of ten Patriarchs being killed in succession, until the first Matriarch, Geniselle Anaya Faendryl, put her son Yshryth Silvius Faendryl into power as the fourteenth Patriarch. On his coronation, he unified the nation through a legendary speech, and made plotting the overthrow of a Patriarch the worst form of treason, helping to reestablish the power of the position.

Vornavis

The Barony of Vornavis consists of two cities: Vornavis itself and Solhaven, which is located right outside of the walls of Vornavis. Access to the City of Vornavis is strictly controlled, guards controlling who may and who may not enter the gates. Usually, only citizens are allowed into the city. Vornavis is known for its tolerance toward the non-human races, which has caused some issues with the much less tolerable Barony of Jantalar.

History

Dwarves settled in the area first in the year 3725, having found opal-laden cliffs along the eastern end of what is now Solhaven Bay. Fifty years later (3775), the community established within the caverns near these cliffs was completely wiped out, the only thing remaining of the population being dwarven limbs and blood. This event is why the nearby falls are called the Cascade of Tears.

Roughly 200 years later, in 3961, an elven family, called Wildwood, settles on an island in the middle of the Cairnfang River, close to where modern Solhaven is. Due to increasing attacks by humanoids, the family, among with many others that were attracted by the island's relative safety, begin constructing a castle and battlements.