To those who are unaware of the Howling Mountains' history, the area's appellation may seem curious. There's no obvious connection to the gentle landscape and calm environment. However, there was once a time when the region regularly served as a gathering place for lower demons. Sizable hordes of them would congregate, quite often in the Barrow, which was the site of an immense stone formation. There, on particular nights, they would perform strange sacrificial ceremonies. Some years ago now, the Council of Varanas and the Eye of Wisdom were able to drive the creatures away through wraith expulsions and sheer force or arms. Since then, the screams from their pagan rituals no longer tear through the darkness, reverberating terror across the land. Nonetheless, they will never be completely forgotten since they are immortalized in the name that is widely known. 

In Runes of Magic, this district is where new characters begin their virtual lives. Developed by Runewaker Entertainment for publisher Frogster Interactive Pictures, the massively multiplayer endeavor takes place in a fantasy-themed world known as Taborea, which is described as filled with wonders and ancient riddles for players to experience as they work to solve the mystery of a kingdom that perished long ago. One element that has been emphasized is the title's dual-class system. It offers six initial options, but you add a secondary choice at a relatively early level, which results in a total of 36 alternatives. What's more, it's said you can switch at any time so either is primary. Naturally, we've been keen to know more about this intriguing project ever since it first came to our attention. Recently, we questioned the latter company's Axel Schmidt.

Jonric: As an introduction to Runes of Magic Gold, when and how did the idea for it come up, and what is its underlying concept?

Axel Schmidt: John and Tony Tang created the idea for Runes of Magic four years ago. While studying in the US, the two Taiwanese founders of our developer, Runewaker Entertainment, became great fans of Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot, EverQuest and World of Warcraft. After John obtained a masters degree from Columbia University, he returned home Taiwan to work for a leading game company. Two years later, he found himself leading a group of veteran developers who all wanted more creative freedom. So, they started their own team, with the goal of pursuing the ideal experience... an MMORPG created by gamers for gamers.