NewbieGuide
Ways of Connecting to Lusternia
The Lusternia Nexus client is often the first way that a new character is introduced to the world of Lusternia. It does require Java which can be downloaded at the Java homepage. Some people, however, prefer to use an alternative client such as Mudlet, MUSHclient, zMUD, or CMUD. Please note other clients may be available to use, but you will need the telnet address ( lusternia.com ), the port ( 23 ), and possibly the IP ( 209.212.145.235 )
Creating Your First Character
The journey through the Portal of Fate usually takes about half an hour, but for those not accustomed to MUDs it can be rather confusing. You have the option of skipping through the journey using the command END JOURNEY, but for newcomers it is not reccomended. During this journey you will choose your adventurer's gender, age, race, and optionally a home city or commune and guild. Information can be found on each of the guilds, cities and communes can be found in-game in the help files, or here: Playerorgs
The journey itself is automated, but it is key to note that upon completion you will receive a few items to help you get started:
- A steel claymore (and a lute if you are a bard).
- Vials (one each of Health, Mana, Bromides, Mending, Lucidity Slush, and Restorative Ice). Healing Yourself
- A small amount of gold.
- A backpack.
- A set of clothes.
- Two of every curative herb in your Rift. Using Your Rift
More information can be found in the New Player Guide
Welcome to Lusternia proper
Fresh out of the Portal of Fate, the world of Lusternia can be very confusing for those new to MUDs. Thankfully, a number of people can help you through your initial introduction to the Basin.
Fate Guides Mister Bobbins, Mistress Skein, and Mister Spindle can help you in-game. The NEWBIE channel is designated as an out of character channel, and even if none of the Fate Guides are online, you can always try asking there as a number of mentors may be able to ask your questions.
Likely when you first created your character, someone welcomed you via the Collegium Channel (CGT). A number of "scrolls" (as they're referred to in-game) can be found in each college that will help you complete your tasks. These, as all help files, can be accessed with the command HELP <topic>. (Offline versions of the HELP files are available as well, see Lusternia's Help File Index)
To search through general help files, you can always try HELP <keyword> which will bring up any help file in which the key word is. There are also sets of help files for your City or Commune (CHELP), your Guild (GHELP), the College (CGHELP), and, if your guild has a clan, there may also be CLHELP, but see HELP CLAN COMMANDS.
Finally, if you have any questions at all there are many players perfectly willing to help you, and would love to share their knowledge and experience. GUILD AIDES will some of those people, but never be afraid to ask for help - we all remember what it was like to be a novice!
Roleplaying
Roleplaying is one of the focal points of Lusternia, and because of this keeping things in-character is crucial. If you are out of character, likely people will tell you to stop speaking 'insanely' - once you step into the shoes of your character, the computer, the 21st Century, none of that exists. However, there are OOC or Out of Character channels for asking questions as needed, especially technical aid, but immersing yourself in the world of Lusternia can be a rewarding experience.
To start out, some players find it easiest to come up with a character profile including a description of what their character looks like and basic details like their general personality and rough outline of their history or background.
Having a basis for why your character is where they are, how they came to be, and what they look like are good foundations. But remember, this is a dynamic and living world, you want a good foundation without having to rewrite your own history as your character grows. You might find your family, mothers, fathers, siblings, or realize your race was not what you wished.
Ultimately, your paths are only limited by your imagination, examples of potential outcomes:
- A reknowned and undefeated combatant
- A masterful chess player
- A famous writer, playwright, or director
- A well-respected guild or city/commune official
- A master tradesman or woman
- A historical expert
- A faithful devotee of a Divine forming a unique bond
- A demigod or demigoddess!
- ...and much more!
When first starting out you will receive unlimited PORTALS, which will return you to a central hub for novices only. This central hub has exits to all the major cities and communes of the world. This is a convenient way of travelling and a safe area you can sit to read and learn more about the world without accidentally walking into trouble. HELP PORTALS
LANDMARKS on your MAP are especially handy because you can PATH WALK <location> until you learn the geography better. These landmarks are meant to aid you and only work when you are within a certain number of paces of the destination. As you travel you can look at LANDMARKS again as they will change as you navigate from one area to another. HELP MAPS AND PATHS
Another beneficial early skill you can utilise is Teleport in Planar. It is the second skill after Survey and allows you to easily teleport to your city's/commune's nexus, the Aetherplex, Newton Caverns (great place to hunt and influence, more on that later!), and your Collegium. See more on this next!
Collegiums
Your first experience in Lusternia will be the Collegium of your city or commune. Each city and commune has their own Collegium where novices and those newly inducted may be introduced to the history, lore, and geography of the city or commune. All Guild Administrators and their aides are able to assist and speak to college students, so you are not required to only seek your own group at this time.
Each college consists of five tasks unique to each city or commune, but designed to give you an overview into the following subjects: History, Hunting, Planes and Planar Travel, Power, and Influencing. Checking your GUILD STATUS in the game will allow you to see what tasks you have left. If you complete all five tasks successfully you will graduate with honours (even after you graduate, if you complete the tasks left, you will be designated as graduating with honours!)
Once you have graduated, you are under the domain of your guild to progress and advance further. As a college student your guild rank will be noted as COL, after graduating you are NOV for novice. At this point many guilds will require further tests to rise from NOV to Guild Rank 1 (GR1), and so on. You are still always free to use CGT <message> to ask questions any time, as well!
See: HELP COLLEGE
Hunting
As a novice, Newton Caverns is the main hunting, influencing and questing ground. Finks, gnomes, shroomies and more are free to slay within the Caverns, and some will even give gold rewards if turned in!
These denizens are "free" as they are not protected. Slaying loyal creatures later on will make you an enemy to certain cities, communes, guilds, orders or villages. You can easily see if something is loyal by probing it and see if the denizen "is loyal" to any organisation or person.
Notes on available hunting grounds by level, and where to go as you grow stronger, can be found here: Hunting Guide
Influencing
A different way of fighting - with words! One of the first influencing skills you gain is Begging. This is useful for generating gold and experience. The stronger the denizen's ego and personality, the harder it will be to influence them to your will.
In the Newton Caverns you can beg from gnomes and finks easily and if you successfully shatter their ego, winning the influence "battle", they will give you gold or perhaps, a quest item! Just like a physical attack when you regain equilibrium and/or balance you kick the target again, with influence you do the same. Attempt to influence, wait for equilibrium, influence again, continuously until you either win or lose this battle of egos!
Notes on available areas to influence by level, and where to go as you grow stronger, can be found here: Influencing Guide
Questing
Quests are like puzzles to solve. You should greet all named denizens to see if you can offer to help. Aiding on these minor errands are often mini-quests unto themselves and come with rewards ranging from experience to gold to unique items, or a combination of the above! Complexity ranges as well, from slaying creatures and giving them to someone who requests them, to harder ones involving many hours, steps and puzzles within puzzles to solve.
The key to successfully completing any quest is to talk with denizens to uncover information and manipulate objects to see what is inside them or what falls from them. Touching, pushing, pulling, these are all common ways to reveal a new clue as you quest.
For more general information on how to quest, what may be required of you while completing a quest, and tips on how to proceed see the following: QUESTING
Save the gnomes, be a hero of the finks. Newton Caverns offers two quests specifically for novices that give a good introduction to the world of questing in Lusternia. See: Newton Cavern's Honours Quest