This guide is an introduction to building a character on SouCon MUSH. It is a good idea if you've never played on a MUSH before, or played Pern before to read this document.

General Guidelines

Because Anne McCaffrey said so, the following are NOT permitted:

There is no magic on Pern.
There are no religions on Pern.
There are no genetic defects on Pern.

Also...

This MUSH is rated PG-13. Please act appropriately.

The MUSH staff is always happy to help, particularly if you have any questions on what is or is not appropriate to this world! Page any wizard (+rwho wiz) or player guide (+rwho gui) for details.

Throughout this guide, the <> brackets will be used to denote parts of a command where you choose the relevant information. The <> brackets are not a part of the command itself and should not be typed when entering the command.

For help communicating with other players, see Communication.

Choose a Name

In order to create a character on SouCon, the very first thing you will need to do is decide what your character is named. The name needs to be consistent with the MUSH's theme, and may NOT be any name which is used in one of Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. Nor can it be any name which has an apostrophe (') in it. (Names with apostrophes are reserved for male dragonriders only; it is not possible to start out by playing a dragonrider on SouCon.)

What kinds of names are consistent with the Mush's theme? Normal, real life types of names are fine. Fantasy-style names generally work too. Names like Wolf's Claw, Mr. Strength, or Supergirl are inappropriate for the MUSH. If you are unsure as to what kinds of names are appropriate, log in and ask around. The Mush's staff is always happy to give advice.

To create your character, log into Soucon and type:

create <Character Name> <Password>

You will connect into the 'The Southern Dawn - Embarkation Point', or the birthplace. From here, you can walk into either the 'First Mate's Briefing', which is for players who are new to MUSHing, or 'Captain's Briefing', which is for more experienced players. These rooms give you time to set up your character. You will not be permitted to leave these rooms until you have done the following things:

Set your gender: Male or Female.
Set your Desc: Described how your character looks.
Read the basic policy news files: NEWS CANON and NEWS BEHAVIOR.

When you exit the room you agree to abide by the terms as laid out in NEWS CANON and NEWS BEHAVIOR that details what constitutes appropriate behaviour, and what is consistent with the MUSH's theme.

Choose a Gender

Make sure you set it, because exits and other items are gender specific, if you have no gender it refers to you as an it. Bear in mind that only women can Impress gold dragons, and only men can Impress bronze dragons, so if you want to put a character up for Search, think about this. Try to keep it to Female or Male, the other variations are a bit unnecessary.

@sex me = <Male or Female >

Describe your Character

SouCon is a text-based mush. Therefore all visual information needs to be conveyed through descriptions. The most important description you will need to write is your very first one: what does your character look like?

Here are some questions your description might wish to answer:

Is your character male or female?

How old is your character?

How tall is your character?

What color is your character's skin?

What color are your character's eyes?

What color is your character's hair?

What style is your character's hair? (Long/Short, Straight/Wavy/Curls)

Does your character have any distinguishing visual characteristics? (Big feet, small ears, narrow shoulders, long arms etc., scars, obvious birthmarks, pockmarks from a disease, dimples, poorly-cared for fingernails, messy hair etc.)

How is your character dressed? (Keep in mind that this is a medieval/fantasy-type world in terms of clothing; also, the vast majority of people cannot afford expensive clothing; also, metal is very expensive and rare here, so anyone laden with jewelry is more likely to be wearing shell, pottery, or other organic materials than metal.)

Don't include notes on personality, we're not mindreaders, after all. So don't include things like "She is a very sweet girl who loves everyone she encounters" in your desc. Your character's personality may come through in the way they usually look. For example, a hopelessly cheerful person might usually smile, or a physical risk-taker might have a few bramble scars from their last trip into the jungle.

Try and stay away from being too unique, you'd be quite surprised how many red heads we have!

Not everyone on Pern is gorgeous, despite what a lot of descs would lead you to believe. It's one thing to write a character that is supposed to be beautiful, and play off that to create all sorts of conflicts and developments. It's another to write a desc where you're deliberately trying to make people say you're beautiful. Be unique. Be different. Above all, be normal.

Please avoid mentioning specific racial types in your desc. All colors of the skintone rainbow are possible, as are all other ethnic features, but please don't describe them as such. Instead of saying "She has Oriental eyes," you could say "She has almond-shaped eyes." The image is essentially the same.

Be creative with your wording! People won't remember a desc that says "She is a tall girl with brown hair and brown eyes." Instead, try something like "Tall for her age, has a willowy figure. Sable eyes glitter out of a face crowned by a mass of thick chestnut hair." Get detailed! All this helps other players clearly envision your character. Don't get too florid in your language, though, and try and keep the curvy hips and luscious lips to a minimum.

Don't powerpose, that is, don't tell the person reading your description how they feel. For example, "You feel stunned at her beauty'.

Don't use ansi. Yes, it's there to enhance the game, but we don't need to see a yellow highlight on blonde, or a blue highlight on sapphire.

Finally, proof your description for spelling errors and complete sentences.

To describe your character:

@desc me = <Your Character's Description>

If you wish your description to include tabs or character returns, use the following characters:

%t tab
%r character return

If you wish to include detailed descriptions about aspects of your character's looks, jewelry or clothing, use +details. These aren't visible at the first look, but still add to your description without adding to the spam.

To set these:

&detail_<Detail_Name> me = <Detailed Description of an aspect of yourself>

For example:

&detail_bead_necklace me=She's wearing a colorful necklace of beads.

To see a list of details set on a character (such as yourself):

+detail me
+detail <Character Name>

To view a particular detail:

+detail <Character Name>'s <Detail_Name>

A useful command available to players is +finger/room. This brings up basic attributes on characters in the room you're RPing in. You can set the following attributes:

PC's Rank

PC's Area

PC's Hair Color/Length

PC's Eye Color

PC's Height

To set these, look at the help under +lhelp finger4

Think of your Character's Background

Although it is not required in order to leave the birthplace, if you have a clear idea of who your character is, and where they come from, you can share that information by setting a character background on your character. Additionally, it is usually easy to roleplay a character when you know a little bit about who they are.

If you are new to Pern, you may wish to postpone figuring out who you are until you have had a chance to explore the MUSH, and get a feel for what kind of a place it is.

With very few exceptions, all characters on Pern live in, and come from, either a Hold, a Hall, or a Weyr. The vast majority of normal, everyday people live in holds, but by no means all.

Your character will start off as a normal to low-ranked individual, depending on your preferences, usually as a resident of a hold, hall, or weyr. If you wish to start out as a ranking of a craft, contact the craft in question in order to apply for the position. For most positions at holds, halls, and weyrs, it's a good idea to apply after your character has been created.

Here are some questions which your background may help answer about you:

Where were you born?

Who are your parents?

Do you have any siblings?

What is your family like?

Have you ever moved from the place you were born?

Are you a native of the Southern Continent? If so, where?

Have you had any notable experiences in life?

Has your character been handfasted? (i.e. married)

There are always some existing characters who are looking for family members and would love to have you play one of them! Read through the Wanted bboard for more information. Use page or +mail to contact the person who posted the request. (See Communication.)

+bbscan/wanted all
+bbread/wanted <Number of Posting>

To see what holds, crafts, and weyrs are available as places to come from on the southern continent:

NEWS CRAFTS
NEWS HOLDS
NEWS WEYRS

Note: Although it may seem like an exciting or daring character background, the following stories are quite common as backgrounds: runaways, forced handfastings (marriages). You may wish to consider alternative origins for yourself.

To set your character background:

&background me = <Your Character's Background>

Again, you may use %r and %t to add carriage returns and tab characters.

To view your character's background (or anyone else's):

+bg <Character Name>

A couple of other things to be aware of:

You character cannot have been born deaf or blind. Genetic defaults have been eliminated from humankind. They may, however, have experienced an accident along the way which caused them to become so. But characters with these sorts of physical flaws must be approved by the wizards first. See NEWS HEALTH.

Don't be a twin, triplet, etc. It's overdone! Not only that, Pern is a primitive world and twins would be sickly. See NEWS HEALTH.

You weren't born to a single mother traveling by herself by foot from, for instance, Great Bay Hold to Monaco Bay Hold. (see MAP and NEWS TRADER). You haven't wandered around, you aren't holdless (unless you came from the Northern continent, and then you need a reason how you sailed/rode here). The Southern Continent is dangerous: jungles, felines, thread, volcanoes, tsunamis, fires, mudpits, rivers, snakes, big rocks, etc.

You do not need permission to have ranked NPC relatives, unless they fill the roles of Weyrleader, Weyrwoman, Craftmaster, Craftsecond, or Lord or Lady Holder (NEWS NPC). Additionally, you would need permission if your relative is currently an NPC crafter posted to one of the games current roleplay areas (NEWS NPC).

Remember your manners: if you want to play a holder who's grown up in PC area, then please mail/page and ask the area leaders if it's acceptable.

Come up with a Personality

Try and come up with a basic personality. This doesn't have to be detailed, but it should have more than one dimension. Is she snide? Is he curious? Is she afraid of dragons? Why? Does he want nothing more than to become a Miner? Why? The big question here is always "Why?" It's easier to play a realistic character if you know WHY he or she acts the way they do, has the dreams they do, thinks the way they do. It will help you develop your character in the future.

Read the News!

News files contain a multitude of information on the theme of the game, the basic structures of Holds, Crafts, and Weyrs (including who's in charge of the various areas), how to get into an area, the basic requirements for Search, whether or not the game has a character approval system. In short, everything you need to know to function on that particular game. Read these. They're important. You will need to read, and therefore accept, the terms outlined in NEWS CANON and NEWS BEHAVIOR.

Leaving the Birthplace

Type "out" to leave the birthplace. Once you have successfully set all of the commands on yourself which the birthplace requires, it will let you go, to go start your roleplayed life on SouCon! Go have some fun!

Choose a Destination

Where you choose to take your character depends on what you would like to do with your character's life. No matter where you would like to end up, you can always change your mind later.

Keep in mind, traveling by foot or runner (horse) is VERY slow on this continent. It may take you months to arrive at your destination of choice in an In Character (IC) fashion. To go faster, find a dragonrider willing to give you a ride, or take a boat.

If you are uncertain where you wish to go, a hold is always a safe option. If you would like to be a rider, starting your character somewhere else may give you a chance to develop some background before being searched. The same applies to becoming a crafter.

SouCon currently has the following open holds, halls, and weyrs:

Crafthalls

Unified Crafthall:

Home of all the Crafts on the SouCon. Located near Southern Weyr.

Holds

Seminole Hold:

A tropical Major Hold located along the western coastline. Located near Piemur's Volcano and Ierne Weyr.

Weyrs

Ierne Weyr:	More of a traditional style of Weyr, temperate climate Weyr on Ierne Island.
Southern Weyr:	Tropical, coastal Weyr, on the western coastline. Located near Unified Crafthall.

This list is subject to change without notice. Please see the following news items for updates...

NEWS CRAFTS
NEWS HOLDS
NEWS WEYRS

How do you find any of these places? There are two major ways. Firstly, exit the OOC Lounge by typing "out". You will find yourself on a Plateau with a Travel Wagon. To enter the wagon, type "TW". It will tell you how to go to any of these destinations.

Alternatively, use the @tel command. Although you cannot /really/ teleport, the @tel command allows you to go places quickly and easily, if in an Out of Character (OOC) type of way. To find the @tel number for your destination...

news <Place>

To go there...

@tel #<Place Number>

Choose a Role in Life

As described earlier in this Guide, the three types of place to live in are holds, halls, and weyrs. Holds and Weyrs are always willing to accept new residents. Halls are frequently willing to as well. A Resident has no particular responsibilities, but is an integral member of the local community. A Resident is a good first position to choose.

To apply for a job, contact the relevant area's leaders. These are the people listed as contacts in the area's news. To read these...

news <Area Name>

To contact an area leader, page them or write them a +mail. In brief, here is how to write a +mail message. For more information, see

+help mail

For more information on paging, see the section in this guide on Communication.

+mail <Character Name> = <Subject of Mail>
- <Content of Message>
- <Continued content of Message, if necessary>
--

WORKING AT A HOLD

What kinds of jobs can you request to occupy at a hold? There are a large variety. What is currently available depends on the hold, its terrain, and what kinds of plants it is able to grow, among other things. The following is a brief sampling of some of the positions most holds will want to fill.

Drudge:	A low ranked server, cleaner, maid, odd-jobs person, generally someone who isn't particularly bright.
Stablehand:	Helps care for the hold's runners. (Horses).
Cook:	Everyone needs to eat!
Headwoman:	A high ranked hold member who runs all internal affairs.
Assistant Headwoman	Assists the headwoman.
Steward	A high ranked hold member who runs all external affairs.
Assistant Steward	Assists the steward.

WORKING AT A HALL

Not all halls hire staff. If they do, they will hire the types of positions already listed under Holds.

Most of the people who work at a Hall are crafters. To become a crafter, you will need to apply for the position (usually to be an apprentice) at the appropriate Crafthall or via the Craft Wizard.

Bakers:	Cooks, Nutritionists.
Farmers:	Farmers, Gardeners, Soil Science.
Fishers:	Sailors, Fishers, Sea-journeyers.
Harpers:	Singers, Instrumentalists, Instrument builders, Archivists.
Healers:	Medical treatment, Midwives, Surgery, Herbalism.
Herders:	Beast Care, Animal Raisers, Breeders.
Miners:	Gems, Digging, Mining, Masonry.
Smiths:	Metalsmiths, Jewelery, Architects, Glasscrafters.
StarSmiths:	Astronomers.
Tanners:	Leathergoods.
Traders:	Merchants.
Vintners:	Beer, Wine, Alcohol, Grape growing.
Weavers :	Tailoring, tapestries.
WoodSmiths:	Wood carvers, Foresters, Joiners, Paper-making.

WORKING AT A WEYR

Like Holds and Hall, Weyrs too require basic infrastructure staff, including Steward and Headwoman.

Many of the people who work at a weyr are dragonriders. You cannot simply apply to be a dragonrider on SouCon. Each weyr regularly holds an activity known as "search" wherein they accept Out of Character (OOC) applications from people interested in making their character into a dragonrider. This is usually followed by an OOC interview. If the application is approved, then your character will be searched. This consists of a dragon noticing that your character seems like dragonrider material, and the dragon's rider
- after asking permission from your area leader - bringing your character to live at a weyr. This process only occurs when there are dragon eggs laid in the weyr. When the eggs are about to hatch, all of the candidates for impression are gathered around the eggs. Only a fraction of them will actually impress a dragon since dragonrider characters are rationed on SouCon. This may or may not include your character. If it does not and you would still like to play a dragonrider, keep trying! There will be many more search opportunities.

FANTASY WORLD CHARACTER EQUIVALENTS

For players new to Pern, but experienced in a D&D style background, the following rough equivalencies are provided as a guide to what kind of job you might wish to undertake on SouCon.

Keep in mind that there is no magic on Pern!

Bards:	Harpers.
Clerics:	There is no religion on Pern, but their healing skills are represented by the Healers.
Druids:	There is no magic on Pern. See also Rangers.
Fighters:	Riders, Hunters, Hold Guards.
Mages:	There is no magic on Pern.
Paladins:	No real correlation on Pern, since there is no religion.
Rangers:	Woodsmiths, Beastcrafters, Farmcrafters, Hunters.
Rogues:	Holdless and Renegades (neither recommended as a character type).
Wizards:	There is no magic on Pern.
Knight/Cavalier:	High ranking riders (wingleader and above).