Great Lady Wholenote

You see Great Lady Wholenote Ztom the Physician. She appears to be a Dwarf.
She appears to be full grown. She has dark eyes and nut brown skin. She comes
equipped with a pair of polished steel spectacles. She has long, deep red hair worn in
elaborate braids. She has a long nose and rosy cheeks. She is in good shape, and fine
health. She is holding a flagon of blackdew grog in her right hand and a fresh
peach muffin in her left hand.

She is wearing a slate grey vultite helm, an ornate gold ring, and a crystal amulet,
And a rune-etched amethyst neckchain, She is clothed in a light green bodice, icy blue
leather pants, some pale ivory leathers, and some padded black brocade boots; and a
frosty white robe. Around her neck she wears a blackened glaes aventail. She has a dark
green woolen herb satchel slung over her shoulder, and a wears a heavy polished steel
stein attached to a thick mithril-clasped belt.

Attached to her cloak you see:
a small four-pointed azure star insignia inset with a golden drake, a crystal sword-shaped
pin, an invar ruby-inset toadstool, a tiny black swan pin, and a green toadstool pin.
A black diamond edged vultite falchion is sheathed in a large ivory-bound scabbard
and she has a pearly white shield slung over her other shoulder.

--thus is the description of my avatar. She live in a world called Elanthia, which is
populated by dwarves, elfs, halfings, half-krolvin, half-elfs, giantkin, burghal and forest
gnomes, and a few humans. Unfortunately, Elanthia, Wholenote and her friends only
exist as words, denizens of Gemstone IV, an online text based adventure I have been
playing of and on for about ten years.

Although Wholenote, is a work of fiction, playing Gemstone has introduced me to
some real-life characters. I have friends in England, Australia, and Canada; as well as all
over the US. The some of the other players know me, the player behind Wholenote.
They know I have a nephew in Iraq, and that I am currently unemployed, and that I
struggle with mental illness. When I was unable to pay the fee to play Gemstone two
months this fall, three people e-mailed me to see if I was okay. What a great feeling.
It is not cheap to play Gemstone at the level I am involved, it costs $30/month.
Some mental health providers in the past have suggested I am ‘Addicted’ to this game....
that it is not a good thing I should be doing. My current therapist, when I told her
about the game, looked at me and said, ‘I see that as a good outlet for you creativity!’ and
‘if someone says you’re addicted to Gemstone, you tell them you could do a lot worse,
(addiction wise).Where has she been all my life?

Several times a year local Gemstone players get together to socialize. Once every
year or two, there is a National Gemstone/Simutronics convention in St. Louis. Some
year I hope to attend.