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Manners In Elanthia by Lord Kilinan Hail to all adventurers, and I thank ye most kindly for accepting this scroll into yer possession. By way of introduction, I am Lord Kilinan E'Thrias, a warrior of slight note in the realm, but I believe my wisdom could be valuable, thus I decided to take quill to vellum. Tis my hope that this missive will help make life in Elanthia less taxing for all of ye who have chosen to read it, as well as for those who know its customs well already. The following pages contain passages on a subject of little emphasis: Manners and etiquette. Though I know many of ye have been to see the mighty warrior Thrak at his Inn when they first entered the lands, I daresay a fair amount either did not listen, or chose to ignore his words. Such is not an accusation, nor was it intended as an insult...I am merely stating facts as I have seen them evidenced. I will say one thing before I continue, however; these words are but my own opinion, gathered from many years of wandering in Elanthia, and they are not intended as a carved-in-stone manual of behavior. Ye are more than free to disagree with me on anything I say here, as is yer right. I only wish to offer the knowledge...how ye use it is up to you. With that, I bid ye to sit, draw yerself a tankard, and pay heed. Advice, Silver, and Shouting... As I said before, I am sure many of ye took the walk, either on yer own or upon a helpful soul's arm, to the Trophy Room of the Raging Thrak Inn. Stepping behind the curtain, ye beheld the mighty warrior Thrak himself, and I say in my own memory of that event, that I cannae believe any would not gaze in awe at the scars of battle upon that man. In the spirit of the wisdom he gave to me, I would like to add a few notes of my own. First and foremost, Thrak gives an excellent piece of advice I simply must reiterate here; the frowned-upon act of "shouting". Too often, I have seen young adventurers use all capital letters to gain help. Examples include: "SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!" or "CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME SILVER?????????" Alas...not only will this not gain ye the help ye need, but it is very annoying to others around ye. Truth be told, I have seen many a shouter either ignored completely, thumped, spelled, even dragged from town by an irritated Lord or Lady and left to die in the wilds. We must all understand that life in the realm is not easy and it can be frustrating at times. My best advice? Be patient in all things and ye will be rewarded for it most of the time. Shouting will only bring ye misery...of that I am certain. (As a side note; repeating the same phrase in rapid succession is also considered a version of shouting. Repeat yerself if it is needed, but not 10 times in a space of as many seconds.) If ye are in dire need of silver, then I suggest ye meander to Moot Hall and speak to the clerk about a job, or perhaps strengthen yer sword arm or spellbook in the catacombs for rat pelts and the like. Each and every soul ye see in the realm has been through exactly what ye are going through. We all know what it's like to claw our way through the world with only a few pieces of silver to our names. Remember this, and dinnae expect others to willingly dump their coffers at yer feet. Twill not happen. If ye must ask, then as I said, do so politely, with respect, and ye may find a kind soul who will give ye the coin ye seek. (But dinnae be insulted if they do not.) As for other help and advice, the same rule of respect and politeness applies. Take note of the person ye are speaking to (I have made it habit to LOOK at them first), and speak accordingly. Be they a Lord or Lady? Then use the title they have earned with swordarm and spell, blood and scar. The same goes when others ask ye for help...and that will happen too in time, believe me. Simple commands and actions may be old-hat for many of ye, as is surely the case with me, but some have been in the realm too little to have the benefit of experience. Tis here that I personally use a special combination of actions to speak, which I am more than happy to offer should ye care to use it yerself. When a player asks me for help with syntax and the like, I first use WHISPER's almost constantly. I find this helps in several ways; One, it reduces the "noise" in the room by keeping the text confined to the two people speaking; and two, it avoids undue embarrassment for the person asking. Many a scarred veteran may snicker or roll their eyes at such simple confusions as "Where is Moot Hall?" or "What are massies?", but when ye are young, such questions must be asked. As ye have already seen twice, I put commands in all capital letters, just to make the proper syntax easier for others to understand. (I have not yet been glanced at for shouting either...this practice seems to be accepted) Example: If someone asks me how to perform a certain action, like how to whisper for example (and I have been asked those types of questions quite often), I simply whisper to them "Type WHISPER (or just WHI) ", smile, and leave the rest in their hands. Most catch on quickly with that little boost. (Many times, I also follow this with a suggestion that they DL maps of the cats & town, as well as the verb list from the software libraries...quickest way to avoid more questions such as that.) Miscellaneous Items, Hunting, and Scavenging... Another area where I have seen trouble is the picking up of random items in rooms. As Thrak says to all; items placed on, under, or behind the stone benches in Town Square Central (in Wehnimer's Landing) are considered fair game for the taking, but items laying about on the ground should be asked about before they are taken. Many times, such items do belong to people in the room, they simply cannot pick them up, or must drop them for someone else to retrieve. (I have seen this happen with empaths or warriors who have taken a great amount of wounds and are too severely injured to GIVE things away) As a general rule of thumb, I suggest this; If ye have any doubt at all about an item ye are interested in, ask about it at least twice before ye take it, even going so far as to TAP it so others know which item ye mean. As another side note, this also applies to critter items when ye are out hunting. I know scavenging armor, swords, and other mundane items left in rooms is a popular practice among younger adventurers, and such is a great help in many ways (cleaning up the rooms of clutter, etc), but again, I consider it common courtesy to ask before ye begin loading yer disks and backpacks with stuff. Dinnae forget, the people who made the mess in the first place may very well want to do the same when they are done hunting and ready to head back to town...they have first rights anything that may be there. Truth be told, 85% - 90% of the hunters will not, but a simple "Does anyone mind if I do a little housekeeping?" or "Mind if I take these two-handers?" will often earn ye the respect of yer peers. On the subject of hunting, I have a few things to say here as well. The first is relatively minor to me personally, but I have spoken to several respected residents of Elanthia who find it extremely annoying. Thrak advises hunters to ask the permission of any people who happen to be in the room before attacking creatures, and I agree with him, but the popular phrasing which has arisen is where the problem lies. If ye wish to ask permission, I urge ye to refrain from using the phrase "May I?" from this point on. I know this seems like an odd request, but several Lords and Ladies (among others) I have the pleasure of being friends with have told me on numerous occasions that they get an almost irresistible urge to rend the asking person limb from limb when they hear that. Not wishing to meet such a grizzly end, I myself have taken to asking "Need a hand?" or something similar, and that is only after I have watched the fight for a swing or two to see if my help would be needed or appreciated, often saying nothing unless the hunter is hit themselves or they miss frequently. I have found such phrasing is beneficial to both sides. It offers the hunter a chance to politely refuse without seeming rude, and it gives the asker the opportunity to back out gracefully, without being labeled a "newbie." There are creatures galore in the wilds of our fair world for the killing, and if someone is working diligently to slay one they have taken the time to find, at least be polite before ye jump into the fray and take the victory of the kill away from them. (And if ye happen to do so by accident, which does happen quite often, be honorable enough to apologize for it...offering them at least the SKIN and SEARCH.) I wish to offer two seemingly little-known tidbits on that subject too. Ambling vs. Limping, and the AT command... In order to avoid accidentally "stolen" kills, there are two ways of hunting which work well. The first involves the critter itself, the other is a matter of syntax. When creatures enter a room, they do so in several ways that I have seen, and I'm sure ye have too. Studied carefully for a short time, ye can quickly get an idea whether a creature is being chased by a hunter or not right when it comes in. (The most simplistic way to tell is to LOOK at the critter...if it is wounded in any way, it's probably being chased, and the hunter will be along soon. This, however, can take time, and with critters that move frequently, such as kobolds or thyrils, it's more frustrating than anything else.) If a creature ambles into the room, they are most likely fresh for the taking. (I dinnae believe ye would be ambling if ye had a large, sword-wielding Giantman hot on yer heels, would ye?) If they simply arrive, then a moment of caution is warranted ...the critter may or may not have just been in another room with a hunter where melee wasn't able to begin before it left. Once or twice, I have seen critters dash or run into a room...and here is where I always wait for at least a 5-second count before I attack. Such action means they are being chased 90% of the time, unless they just happen to be very hyper that particular day; leapers spring to mind (no pun intended)...they seem to lope everywhere, no matter what condition they're in! Last, but certainly not least, the perfect indication that a critter is being chased is to have it limp into the room in any way. Common sense dictates that something had to happen to break the limbs of the critter; 100% of the time the injury was caused by another hunter. Again, leave them be for a slow 5-count, and if no one else comes in, it's yers to drop. Moving on to the second point, this aid has to do with syntax. When there are multiple critters in a room, the command for attacking them is as follows: ATTACK (or simply AT) SECOND (or THIRD or FOURTH, etc) . Once ye have done this, however, ye have only to type AT again, alone and by itself, in order to attack the same creature again. As long as that critter remains in the room, ye will swing at it every time until it dies. This method is very helpful when, for example, there are 3 or 4 lesser orcs in a room, ye attack the third one, then two leave, another walks in (and out again), and then 2 greater orcs decide they want to join the fray. Ye could spend all day attacking various fresh orcs, depending on their placement in the room order, never killing a single one, then they all run out and ye have no idea which one to chase. (Very frustrating...believe me!) If yer chosen target leaves the room, ye merely have to follow it and type AT again when ye get the chance...no matter how many of the same critter happen to be in the room ye chase yers into, ye will attack the same one ye had before. This little- known piece of information will also help avoid the "kill-stealing" that happens all too often in areas where multiples of the same creature are in rooms. If someone is attacking the first creature in a room, ye attack the second one, then one of them leaves, ye won't necessarily attack the remaining one as ye would if ye were typing AT alone. If yer creature was the one that left, ye will see "A is no longer around here." and ye will instantly know that ye must go a'chasing. My Thanks, Drink Up, and Stay Safe... Well, even with the fine ale at hand, my throat is parched! I do hope, however, that ye have learned something ye might not have known before, and that this knowledge aids ye in yer questings. A special thanks to all those who aided me in putting this treatise together, whether they know it or not! Ifin ye happened to notice anything that might be incorrect, or ye just wish to offer your own two silvers to the subject, please feel more than free to e-scroll me at Kilinanaol.com ...I'll be more than happy to accommodate ya if I can. Same goes ifin ye see me in the realm. I have taken many a youngin under my wing & dinnae mind answering a question or two...or ifin ye just want to buy me a tankard at Helga's! Hunt well, and may Lorminstra smile upon ye always.