“The calm before the storm refers to the eerie silence that happens before the storm hits. You know its coming but you don't know what its going to do..” - Darksheer

A storm does not hide the truth
it’s honest
straight-forward
and sometimes brutal
it can't be bought
nor reasoned with
And in the end
what you find within the coming storm
is truth..

Ianstorm Site Staff

Ianstorm Worlds Staff

What Is IanStorm?

It all started in the winter of 1997. I visited my local PC gaming store and noticed that a long awaited mmorpg was on the shelves. That game as you all can guess was Ultima Online. I hurriedly grabbed a copy and didn't realize it at the time but it would be my first step to learning what being online was really all about.

After loading up Ultima Online and experiencing the excitement of actually playing online with others, I was hooked. I grew up in playing Dungeons & Dragons as a kid in San Diego, California. To be able to open up that part of life again online sparked a desire to become more involved.

In December of 1997 I decided I wanted to start up a web site. I didn't know anything about building or even maintaining a website so there was much work ahead. I did some research and decided to call a website provider called Stonegate.net and spoke to a gentleman by the name of David Hernly. As I started to describe my intentions of my new website, David reveals to me that he is also a huge fan of Ultima. The conversation went on and to my surprise I find that David Hernly is the one and only Auric of Moongates. I could not believe what a small world it was. I mean think about it, I call a company to get some web space and whom do I talk to? Only one of the biggest Ultima fans around. Needless to say a friendship had begun with that first phone call becoming the foundation.

As the months went by and myself learning more about the web, Auric decides that I am not a pass in the wind and asks what the future holds for myself and the website? He then informs me that a few of his friends where interested in teaming up with me and build a gaming portal. I have met many talented people in my UO years and it seemed like a wonderful idea.

I began to ask a few of the people I had met through UO or Auric and started to get some quality people in place. Johnny Tips, Brimstone, Newton Dragon to just name a few decided that they would help and contribute to Ianstorm.com. I feel very lucky to have the friendship and the talent available to the site and myself. I sit back and think how lucky I was to have made that first phone call.

-Todd Pratt 

E3 2002 Ianstorm Crew Photo