Welcome
Getting Started on Haven
Haven is a new and different kind of MUD which operates under new and different rules than other muds. To begin to understand how things work and what things are expected, this document has been created. It is recommended that you read this document fully before exploring the world, or even leaving the Heavens.
Upon first logging into Haven, you should notice that you were greeted by several small news items. These are general announcements made to keep the players up to speed with new and exciting features as they are created. They are also a chief means used by the Admin to keep the player base informed. You should read these fully whenever you log in. If you wish to read the news and didn't catch it when you logged in, simply type <news> and you will be given all of the current announcements.
We have added two other news sets when you log on; one is for updates on magic (you can read it later with <news magic>) and the other is for updates on areas (you can read this later with <news areas>).
Once you have paged through the current news, you will be in a room. This room will look something like the following: A wispy cloud [north] The cloud here is a heavenly white cloud. Birds soar high above, sinking and rising with the air currents. To the north, a trail of wispy clouds continues, and to the east, the peak of Mount Olympus juts through the white canopy. These are all things one can <look at>. A sign is here. This is your current environment, it describes all of what you can see in your current location. You may <look at> any object described, along with being able to perform any normal commands you feel would be typical for a person to do in that location. For example, <read sign>.
Once you have examined the room and feel comfortable with your surroundings, it is then time to move on. You can do this by making use of the <go> and <enter> commands. <go> takes you in the direction that you specify, while <enter> allows you to go into buildings or other areas that could be reasonably entered into. Be aware that the directions given in brackets ([north, south]) are OBVIOUS exits. While they are not neccessarily the only exits from an area, they are the most practical ones. The exits listed there only work with the <go> command; <enter> type exits must be found by looking at the surroundings.
Eventually, you will be done wandering around the Heavens and wish to be born. When you are ready, find the vortex that connects the Heavens to Kailie (the world of Haven). Enter the vortex to be brought to your hometown and begin your adventures.
Surviving in a Pre-Modern World
Everyone needs a direction in life to make one successful (successful being defined as 'alive'). The only way to become successful on Haven is to join a class. Classes are professions; they detail how you wish to live out your life and what you wish to be able to do. Do you want to be a fighter, enchanter, rogue, cleric, cavalier, merchant, ranger, or any of the other classes which Haven allows? That is completely up to you, and no one class is better than any other, only different.
Joining a class requires interaction with other living creatures. There are several interactive commands, but the most vital few are <speak>, <say>, and <ask>.
<speak> allows you to talk in your normal language, which is the default for your race. <say> is identical, and exists to make playing on haven easier and less syntax-driven.
<ask> is a special verb. It must be targeted, but allows you to talk to the various NPCs (non-player-characters) in the game. The first thing you'll want to do is <ask> someone to become a <class>, where class is the class of your choice.
To join the class, you must first find a "class leader". These are special NPCs that tend to be clearly marked. For instance, "Foret, the Soleil Ranger" or "Nastarum, Captain of the Haven Guard". They usually have names and are somehow designated as being an important person in their class. The only class whose leaders are hidden is the rogue class. There is usually a hint that can be found by looking at the leader, or listening to what the leader says and observing what she or he does, or asking the leader to help.
To find these leaders, try and locate a building or area of town that such a class would be likely to frequent. Cleric leaders are usually in churches, and the leaders of the magic classes tend to be in libraries, while rogue leaders frequent taverns. If you are having problems, ask questions of any other players you find. The classes found in each town should be listed in their help files. <help towns> to find your town. Hints as to where the leaders are located may be found in the rphelp for your town. <rphelp towns> to find that document.
Once you have found the leader, <ask leader to join class>, where <leader> is the leader's name and <class> is the class you want to join. If you join a class that uses magic, <ask leader to teach> as soon as you join their class. The leader will list off any spells you can learn. The leader should also provide you with some of the basic equipment necessary for your class, usually in the form of a weapon so that you can train your skills.
Depending on your class, you may want to boost certain stats to give you an extra edge in surviving in Kailie. Read 'help customize' to figure out how to use your free customization points.
After that, it is a simple matter of exploring the world and staying alive.
Keep in mind that the OOC channel is out-of-character and is frequently used for chatting and greetings, but it exists solely so that people can ask questions. Also, if you have an idea or see a typo or a problem, type "bug -r" and follow the directions. We regularly sort through the reported bugs and try to fix them as quickly as possible, but if you don't report the bug, we probably will never know that it exists. Thank you!
Good Luck and Happy Adventuring!
PS -- Depending on which city you are born in, you'll want to explore for areas that have NPCs and treasure in them. Avoid areas that look forboding or otherwise dangerous. Keep roleplaying in mind when you start your fights--if you have a good religion, you aren't going to be killing sweet children and helpless old ladies. There should be an appropriate newbie area right near the outside of your town, designed with the general religion and alignment of that town in mind.
