Order of Voln (Outdated Official)

Order of Voln (Outdated Official) is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

The information in this article is transcribed from an older, non-updated page on www.play.net concerning the Order of Voln. The information concerning the steps and powers of those in the Order are out of date and should not be relied upon. For accurate information, see Order of Voln.

Lord Voln

Thought to be the son of Lord Koar and a mortal woman, this lesser god of Liabo shares Lorminstra's hatred towards Luukos and his undead minions. For as Lorminstra helps and cares for the unfortunate souls that have been slain, Luukos uses them to either feed upon, or to animate another of his undead minions.

Some legends state that Lady Lorminstra, firstborn to Lord Koar and Lady Lumnis, and Keeper of the Ebon Gate, had pleaded to her father on many occasions for direct action against Luukos' vile creations. Many believe that Lord Voln is the personification of this wish.

Growing up in world consumed by these undead horrors, and having to watch his family and friends murdered by the vicious undead, shaped Lord Voln into the undying symbol of hatred towards the undead. Now fully cognizant of his own immortal nature, Voln has pledged himself to the release of every soul enslaved by Luukos.

With the help of the Lords and Ladies of Liabo, Voln's society has taught many adventurers great skills and powers in their battle against the undead. But these powers do not come easily.

The Voln Monastery

You must achieve three levels of training before you can join and you must be willing to dedicate your life to their cause.

Once you have dedicated your life to releasing the undead you will begin your quest on the Path to Enlightenment. Throughout your quest you will be required to gain "favor" through releasing the souls of the undead.

After you have built up enough favor you may return to the Monastery and one of the monks there will give you a task to perform in order to honor one of the Lords or Ladies of Liabo. When the task is completed you will be blessed with a Symbol which will help in Voln's quest to rid the world of Luukos' vile creations.

The 26 Steps to Mastery

There are 26 steps you must complete before becoming a Master of Voln society. For each step you must earn the required favor and honor the Lord or Lady of Liabo who governs that step with a task. Each consecutive step requires more and more favor in order to advance, however as you age you will find it easier to release the undead.

When you have obtained the required favor you are then ready for your task. These tasks can be difficult and time consuming. However if you are ever troubled or frustrated, the monks of the order know much of the history, as do many Masters. Talk with them and the answers you seek will be found.

• The Symbol of Recognition
• The Symbol of Blessing
• The Symbol of Thought
• The Symbol of Recovery
• The Symbol of Courage
• The Symbol of Protection
• The Symbol of Throw
• The Symbol of Punch
• The Symbol of Kick
• The Symbol of Calming
• The Symbol of Sleep
• The Symbol of Turning
• The Symbol of Mana
• The Symbol of Sight
• The Symbol of Holiness
• The Symbol of Submission
• The Symbol of Restoration
• The Symbol of Need
• The Symbol of Retribution
• The Symbol of Throw II
• The Symbol of Punch II
• The Symbol of Kick II
• The Symbol of Preservation
• The Symbol of Dreams
• The Symbol of Return
• The Symbol of Invitation

The Steps

Step	Description
Step 1 - Recognition	The first step is governed by Lord Tonis, the messenger of the gods. He teaches the Symbol of Recognition. By using this Symbol, Tonis alerts other Voln members present in the area, as well as identifying which creatures nearby are undead.
Step 2 - Blessing	The second step is governed by Lord Eonak, Master of the Forge. As smith of the gods, Lord Eonak creates many powerful weapons, yet they lack the ability to damage the undead. Therefore Lord Eonak teaches how to bless normal weapons using the Symbol of Blessing.
Step 3 - Thought	The Goddess of Love, Lady Oleani governs the third step and gives a very useful Symbol. Voln members draw strength from being a whole instead of individuals. Lady Oleani gives the Symbol of Thought, which grants the power to spread thoughts to all other Voln members in the area.
Step 4 - Recovery	Lord Cholen, God of festivals and performing arts governs this step. Known as the Jester, Lord Cholen has healed many sullen hearts and broken spirits with his unparalleled song and dance. Perhaps with the same power his music holds, Lord Cholen teaches how to heal oneself with the Symbol of Recovery. This Symbol will restore a small bit of health for a small bit of favor.
Step 5 - Courage	Lord Jastev is a sullen god, cursed with the gift of foresight which has shown him more than any mortal or even god would ever wish to see. Yet Lord Jastev continues forth with a courage unbeknownst to anyone, save perhaps Gosaena. Lord Jastev teaches the Symbol of Courage, which for a short while will increase attacking ability, making it easier to release the undead.
Step 6 - Protection	Lady Imaera, like her consort Lord Eonak, has been granted the gift of creation. However, unlike Lord Eonak, her creations are not made from iron or steel, instead they are made from flesh and bone and leaf. Lady Imaera has created most of the different species that roam our lands to this day and was the one who rebuilt the races after the Ur-Daemon War. Not only does she care about creating new life, she also cares about protecting her creations, and therefore teaches the Symbol of Protection which increases defenses for a short while.
Step 7 - Throw	Lord Charl, god of the sea, is known for his violent temper. With this step, he shares his ability to create storms. Using the Symbol, Charl's Throw, members can throw an opponent just as Lord Charl throws even the largest of ships that cross his seas.
Step 8 - Punch	Lord Kai, the Master of Combat, governs this step. Lord Kai's fighting ability is unparalleled by any mortal and most of the gods. Legend says that Lord Kai defeated more enemies in the Ur-Daemon War than any Drake had. He is also the only Arkati to have fought in the Ur-Daemon War and survived. Except for being defeated once in a match against Lord Koar, and fighting to a stalemate against V'Tull, Lord Kai remains undefeated in all forms of combat, armed and unarmed. Lord Kai teaches a secret of unarmed combat, the Symbol Kai's Punch, which has been known to drop opponents rather quickly.
Step 9 - Kick	Lord Phoen governs this step and teaches the secret power hidden within the sun with the Symbol Phoen's Kick. Many a brawl has been brought to an abrupt end using this Symbol.
Step 10 - Calming	The great goddess, Lady Lorminstra, governs this step. Lady Lorminstra abhors Luukos and his undead abominations and is thought to be indirectly responsible for Voln's creation. Although she is the goddess of Death and Rebirth, Lady Lorminstra would much rather see the lesser races journey through life safely until the time has come for their soul to pass through the Ebon Gate. Therefore Lady Lorminstra teaches a way to calm our opponents in time of danger. The Symbol of Calming will steal a creature's will to fight for a time, leaving it completely subdued and unable to fight.
Step 11 - Sleep	Lord Ronan, God of Night and Dreams, is one of the most active foes of the Dark Gods. Twin brother to Lord Phoen, God of Light, it is said they can never be together at once, like day and night. Lord Ronan shares his sister Lorminstra's hatred toward Luukos and the undead. In order to remain under the cover of darkness, Lord Ronan teaches the secrets of the dream realm with the Symbol of Sleep. This will cause creatures to fall prone into a deep sleep, lowering their defenses greatly.
Step 12 - Turning	Lady Lumnis, greater Goddess of wisdom and learning, and wife to Lord Koar, governs this step. Lady Lumnis is able to do things that leave even her husband, Lord Koar, amazed. The Symbol of Turning acts like as a powerful repellant against the undead, dealing damage as it drives them away. It has been known to vanquish entire hordes of undead in the blink of an eye.
Step 13 - Mana	Lord Koar, King of the Gods, governs this step. Legend holds that Lord Koar is actually the last of the Great Drakes rather than an Arkati, however no living person can provide substance to this rumor. Lord Koar holds direct leadership over the Lords and Ladies of Liabo and many believe he still holds this power over the Lords and Ladies of Lornon, as he once did before they were sent to their respective moons before the Ur-Daemon War. For after the Ur-Daemon War it was Lord Koar within his mountain home that brought together those who once stood as brothers and sisters. No one knows what was spoken at that meeting, but the Arkati of Liabo and Lornon have never come into open war to this day, and it is said that they never will so long as Lord Koar reigns from his mountain throne. Lord Koar bears the title Master of Mana and teaches the Symbol of Mana. This Symbol will replenish mana, yet at the cost of some favor and at least one deed.
Step 14 - Sight	This step is governed by Lord Tonis. He teaches the Symbol of Recognition as the first step. He shares an even more powerful Symbol, the Symbol of Sight, which lets one look in on a fellow Voln member for a short period of time. Tonis teaches how to fly the winds with him, opening minds to see those who are not visible within the weak reaches of normal sight.
Step 15 - Holiness	The second step, governed by Lord Eonak, gives the ability to bless normal weapons. However, there is a much wider range of weapons, including weapons forged from magical metals such as mithril, ora, imflass, mein, vultite and more. The Symbol of Blessing is not strong enough to bless weapons made of these metals, therefore Lord Eonak teaches the Symbol of Holiness, which is able to bless weapons made from these magical metals.
Step 16 - Submission	The beautiful Lady Oleani blesses members with the Symbol of Submission. Perhaps by using her great beauty, the Symbol of Submission can make even the most vicious of creatures bow, and even sometimes kneel in submission, lowering their defenses.
Step 17 - Restoration	Lord Cholen gave us the Symbol of Recovery, and now gives us the Symbol of Restoration. The Symbol of Restoration can restore much more health than the Symbol of Recovery.
Step 18 - Need	Lord Jastev is the twin brother of Lord Cholen. Their personalities are as different as night and day, or even as Ronan and Phoen, for Lord Jastev's gift of foresight has stolen all joy from his heart. It is told that Lord Jastev has foreseen the end of the world, and all that he loves destroyed. However, perhaps because of this Lord Jastev has learned to live life in the present, and savor the beauty of every moment. So instead of looking towards the future, Lord Jastev would rather help those in the present, make every moment as beautiful as he can, and have every mortal live their life to the fullest and not pass through the Ebon Gates prematurely. Lord Jastev teaches the Symbol of Need, which will alert all Voln members of your position when you are in trouble.
Step 19 - Retribution	Although Lady Imaera thrives on creation, she finds Luukos' creations to be utter abominations. To her they are not even creations, merely twisted, deformed, and evil versions of her own beautiful creatures. For this she cannot forgive Luukos and the Dark Gods. The Symbol of Retribution attacks each undead creature in the room by releasing a glass shattering force which hits multiple times, dealing devastating damage with each hit.
Step 20 - Throw II	As the seas become wilder and Lord Charl's anger grows, so does the strength of his throw. More powerful than the first Throw, this attack more closely parallels Charl's awesome strength.
Step 21 - Punch II	Lord Kai, the God of physical combat, again shares his fighting ability and teaches another punch. It is more powerful than the first Punch, and still it costs no favors when used against the undead.
Step 22 - Kick II	Lord Phoen teaches a stronger version of the first Kick. Phoen's Kick is one of the most powerful attacks Voln has to offer.
Step 23 - Preservation	The Goddess of Death and Rebirth, Lady Lorminstra again teaches us another useful Symbol. When in danger, if the first Symbol she taught us, Symbol of Calming, could not save your life, she now teaches us a way to preserve ourselves and others using the Symbol of Preservation. This is perhaps one of the most useful Symbols because it enables members to preserve themselves even when dead, thus binding the soul to the body until help arrives. The usefulness of this Symbol is almost unparalleled by any other Symbol in Voln society.
Step 24 - Dreams	Lord Ronan teaches how to put others to sleep in Step 11. With this step he teaches us the secret of dreams, and how to take full advantage of their power. Symbol of Dreams acts like cleric meditation, in that it restores health, mana, and spirit at an increased rate.
Step 25 - Returning	Lady Lumnis teaches how to make our opponent flee with the Symbol of Turning. She also teaches how to return to the Voln Monastery, should the need to hurry arise. The Symbol of Returning takes members' parties back to the safety of the Voln Monastery.
Step 26 - Invitation	The final step on the path to enlightenment, the Symbol of Invitation, is governed by Lord Koar. It gives the power to invite others to Voln society. By simply inviting them, they now have the ability to pass through the gate and talk to the Grandmaster.

Player Wisdom

"In order to become a part of our society, you must first dedicate your life to our cause. As you will learn if you choose, or have already chosen to become a member of our society, you must pay careful attention to what is taught to you." - Lord Muteki Ikijo, Master of the Order of Voln