Legends of Belariath

Quick Start

Yes I know you're raring to get going out into the world to beat up that troll, rescue a fair damsel and grab the gold! But before you do, we really need to have a little chat. It could save both of us a lot of unnecessary suffering in the long run. I need to explain what Belariath is, and what it isn't. You need to decide if it's what you were seeking and whether you can fit into our community. It really is for the best, however boring that seems.

Legends of Belariath is a detailed online roleplay based on the IRC network. No whizzy graphics and sounds. Just text. Then again, unlike the flashier roleplays, we are free and we let you do things they don't. We are not a freeform roleplay though. You can't just walk in and be whatever you want. We have a list of races and a list of character types such as warrior, mage and healer. You will need to create such a character, provide a description and write a short background before you can start playing. It should be fairly obvious then, that if you are looking for a point and click environment, we are off to a bad start already. Belariath relies on text. Lots of text. Lots of typing text into your computer. But remember, text gives you the chance to exercise your imagination in ways impossible when the visuals are all provided by graphics and sprites. So maybe it isn't all bad!

The roleplay takes place in a detailed corner of a far larger world, much of which remains unexplored. Our corner though, is quite well defined. It represents the empire of Stormbringer and his nobles. Yes, it's a wild and fairly lawless place but it isn't anarchy. Your character will interact with others and the world will interact with your character. That is a very basic premise of the game. Your character doesn't just pop onto the stage, play out some random acts and then pop off again with no memory of what happened the next time they show up. The roleplay evolves and actions bring consequences. Storylines continue and there is a continuity of life in this world. So, if you want a roleplay where you can just play out isolated scenes that bear no relation to anything else, you are likely better going elsewhere. But if you want to create a character that actually lives within a continually evolving world alongside others who may love, hate, fear or despise your persona depending on how they act, then this could be the place for you.

OK, one final topic before you can get going - sex and slavery. Well, perhaps two topics but they tend to be interwoven. First off, you will never have to take part in either if you don't wish to. No one will force you and it is by no means a requisite of joining the roleplay that you will do so. However, others do, and they have the right to puruse those interests without interference or criticism. So you need to consider - does the thought of a muscular barbarian picking up a protesting nymph and taking her over the table upset you? How about a wolven and a pixie? What about if that barbarian captures an elf girl and puts his collar round her neck, taking away her freedom and making her his property? Those are the sorts of things which happen fairly regularly here. If you aren't sure that is something you can watch, there are plenty of safer roleplays out there.

Getting Started

Before you start, if you want to visit the roleplay and maybe chat to a few people, or ask questions, you are welcome to come along to the OOC (out of character) room. Details of getting connected can be found in the Help section but if you are familiar with IRC, you just need to join #Lonely_Inn_OOC on the Sorcery.net servers and ask an Op to be voiced so you can talk there.

Right, you're still here so I guess you are ready to go. First you will need to register a character in our database. You'll find that page in the Characters section. There is an option to be male or female, and to choose a race and class. Class represents your character's profession or demeanor, which can range from bard, to cleric, mage or fighter, along with many other options. Not all classes are available to all races though, so by selecting a race you will only be able to choose one of the classes that race can take. Another consideration is the future, when you may want your character to take an advanced class, such as paladin or priest. Again your early choices affect which advanced classes are available to your character. Taking a look at the Races and Classes sections will give you some good ideas and will also tell you how we define such things here in Belariath. While it's possible to make some changes later on, it does help you if you make the correct decisions right from the start.

With race and class set, you have a few quite easy choices about what equipment your character will start off with and any spells they can select. You also get a few free points to boost some of their stats.

And as I said before, we need a description and a short background. These don't have to be too detailed but take your time to think about what your character looks like and what they were doing before they arrived here. The main thing to remember is that your character does not arrive in the empire with a wardrobe full of clothes, a cabinet full of sex toys and the lost Romanov jewels. They arrive with the clothes they are wearing and any equipment issued by the game. Whatever else you want, you have to buy from one of the stores.

One final point. Your character will be checked so we don't want to hear anything about them 'looking younger than 18' to say nothing of being under 18. Just be sensible about it. Now you're ready to play.

Connect to the correct IRC server and join the OOC channel where you can introduce yourself. A good starting point for IC (in character) roleplay is the Lonely Inn (channel #The_Lonely_Inn) - the hostelry where people tend to hang out. You can rent a room there, have a drink and meet some of the locals. Then, when you are more comfortable, there are other locations to explore and lots of things to do. Everything your character does in roleplay gains them experience which will lead to promotions and more power so you don't need to tread quite so warily for fear of upsetting some bad tempered troll. The more you get involved, the faster you go up the levels.

I'm not going to go into much more detail here. You can read up on the empire, the land, the shops and other locations as you go along. Just a few quick points that will help you fit in without creating a bad impression:

• Remember that IC and OOC do not mix. The character who beats up your character is not the same as the player who chats to you OOC. They are playing a part and it's nothing personal
• Remember that your character is not the only live one in a computer generated world. Everyone has their own life to live in Belariath and they are not just there as extras in your movie
• Remember that this is an ongoing roleplay. What your character does will bring consequences from others. Kick an ogre in the ass and he will hammer you through the floor. Walk in naked and say 'come get it boys' and they will likely come and get it. By taking part you are agreeing to that so if you don't want it, don't invite it
• Remember to show respect for every other player OOC. They are all people like yourself and they not only deserve respect, we will make sure they get it
• Remember why you are here - to have fun. And so is everyone else