Shikari Part 1: From Ignorant to Ephemeral

“Text-based? So there’s a lot of reading? I don’t know about that…”

Yeah, I was one of those people. I’ve played MMORPGs for years, from Ragnarok Online on private servers to Guild Wars – and yes, I did dabble in World of Warcraft. But before 2008, I’d never played a MUD before, and I was incredibly skeptical. Where’s the fun in doing so much reading?

Boy, was I wrong.

Lusternia is the first MUD I’ve ever played and still the MUD I love the most. I have distinct memories of being totally, utterly lost as a newbie, wandering Newton Caverns and never quite figuring out what to do in Lolliprin. Everything was a learning process, from crafting to questing to combat, and in many ways, I’m still learning.

I remember the moment when I was finally “sucked into” Lusternia: I was still a newbie in my guild, and the Guildmaster requested that everyone attend a ritual. I didn’t even know where my guildhall was, so I had to be escorted! The ritual, though, was so captivating and awe-inspiring that I instantly knew I wanted more.

Three years later, I’m a Lusternian Divine. Who’d have thought?

Becoming an ephemeral is both easier and harder than you think. Writing up an application is simple enough, but I worried that I wouldn’t have what it takes to become a volunteer admin. I didn’t think anyone would like me or that I wouldn’t make friends. I was finally convinced to go for it, and so, with great trepidation, I emailed my application to Estarra.

And then I waited. Oh man, did I wait.

And then Estarra called me into her office and I think I peed my pants from sheer terror.

In the end, though, it was a fairly easy interview. Sure, I was shaking the whole time, and I took great care to pick the right words, but I think Estarra was satisfied with what I had to say. When it was all over, she told me to take as much time as I needed to tie up loose ends, then message her when I was ready.

I was beyond ready.

But that’s all for today. Next time, I’ll regale you with fun stories about my time as an ephemeral, but until then, I leave you all with a fun little presentation I made. Use the right-facing arrow to navigate. Show your friends; it might convince them of the fun of reading.