Pastimes and systems

Here on Avendar, we have an innovative way of handling commands. Along with the regular commands, which you can use anywhere (you can see a list of these by typing COMMANDS), we also feature a system where you can use additional verbs on certain rooms or objects.

The long and short of this is that you can do things like:

PULL cord
TURN knob
CUT rope
KNOCK on door
PUSH boulder
etc.

If you cannot use a verb in a particular place, but it is used somewhere, you will be told "You can't do that here" if you attempt it.

Watch for clues in the descriptions of rooms, monsters, and items for when a given verb will be appropriate.

Welcome to the World of Tasks

Syntax: tasks
tasks complete
tasks cooldown
begin
complete
See also: quest2

Many NPCs offer jobs, tasks, and quests to enterprising players; this is broadly covered by Avendar's tasks system. NPCs offering a task that is currently available will be noted by the universal symbol of open quests, (!) prepended to their description in a room.

To accept a task, type begin in the presence of such an NPC. They will then provide you with details about the task.

Once you have accepted your task, you will be able to review the pertinent details by typing tasks. Many tasks have a time limit; it will be listed by this command. Should you exceed the available time for a task, it will be automatically failed. You will be able to begin it again after sufficient time has passed. You may review this time with the tasks cooldown command. 'Tasks cd' will also suffice.

Once you have completed the request, you will receive a message informing you that you have satisfied the requirements. For some tasks, you will receive your reward immediately. More often, you will then need to return to the NPC who gave you the task and type complete. This will finish the task and provide you with your reward.

Typing tasks complete will show you tasks you have completed in the area you're currently in. 'Tasks completed' will work as well.

Some tasks can be repeated. This will be visible in your tasks log. Most tasks will only persist until you quit out of the game, and be automatically failed should you do so. Some will be persistent across sessions; these tasks can never be repeated.

There is no consequence for failing a task. Should you wish to end a task prematurely (perhaps you do not wish to do it after all), simply type 'complete' without fulfilling the conditions of the task.

Factions

Syntax: finquiry <name>
factions
See also: finquiry

Avendar is home to a number of groups, orders, and factions. Your reputation with each of these groups is handled by a standing system, which is often affected by the completion of quests and who or what you kill. When you kill NPCs of who are aligned with a faction, your standing with them, their allies, and their enemies will change.

Much of the time, your standing with a faction will be neutral, which incurs no bonus or penalty. When you are a friend of a faction, NPCs will respond differently, and at times offer different reactions or services. When you are a faction's enemy, at best they will ignore you; at worst, they will attack you on sight. Most classes will automatically be considered a friend of the guild of which they are a member.

To find out your standing with a given faction, use the finquiry command on an NPC aligned with it. To see all allied and enemy factions, use the factions command.

Faction Inquiry

Syntax: finquiry <mobile>
finquiry <mobile> <player>

This command will allow you to inquire with a mob as to your current standing with the faction the target mob is a member of. If you are in good standing with that faction, you can also inquire as to their opinions of other players who are currently in the realm.

Chess

Syntax: chess <command>

The ancient game of chess is available in Avendar, if you find a chess board.

The 'chess' command is used for setting chess options, and inputting chess moves.

The following are available:

Chess showboard: Show the current game board.

Chess move <co-ordinate 1> <co-ordinate 2>:
Move the piece on co-ordinate 1 to co-ordinate 2.

Chess play: Begin playing chess

Chess leave: Stop playing chess

Chess reset: Return chessboard to the initial conditions.

Chess autoshow: Show the layout of the board in response to your opponent's move.

Chess colour: Turn colour off for the chessboard. For players with color, black pieces appear as dark grey. For players without colour, black pieces appear in lower case.

Chess takeback: You can take back your opponent's last move, returning the game to his turn.

For more information about playing chess, consult
help CHESSRULES

Chess Pieces

We refer to chess pieces by the symbols used by the game. (Read help CHESS RULES for a picture of a chess board).

P: Pawns Pawns are the most basic unit in chess. Pawns move forward, one square at a time, toward the opposing player. On their first move, pawns may optionally move forward by two squares. Rather than moving, a pawn may opt to capture an opposing pieces which are diagonally forward and adjacent to the pawn.

Thus, if we had:

K * B
* P *

The pawn in question could either move forward, or opt to capture the opponent's Knight or Bishop.

Pawn's also have two additional special properties:

(1) Pawns which reach the eighth row of the chess board (i.e., the opponent's back row) become queens.

(2) En passante:

The following special case allows one pawn to capture another by moving diagonally onto the square behind another pawn.

Suppose:

(i) A pawn moves two squares forward. (ii) An opposing pawn is located horizontally adjacent to the final location of the pawn that moved two squares.

then, and only then, can the opposing pawn take the other 'en passante'.

To illustrate:

Suppose we have:

Then, the owner of pawn P takes his turn:

Then, the owner of pawn p may take P 'en passante':

Notice, p moves diagonally behind P, and captures P.

R: Rooks

Rooks begin the game in the upper or lower corners of the board. Rooks move horizontally or vertically (but not both at once), and may move as many squares forward or to the side they wish until they encounter an obstacle. Rooks capture opposing pieces by moving horizontally or vertically onto the square of the opposing piece.

N: Knights

Knights begin the game in the squares horizontally adjacent to the rooks. Knights move in an 'L' shape fashion, moving either one square horizontally and two vertically, or two horizontally and one vertically. Any opposing piece on the square the knight lands on is captured.

So, if we have a knight:

* * * *
* * * *
* N * * , the following are all possible knight moves:
N * * * * * * N * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * N * * * * * * * * N
* * * * , * * * * *, * * * * *, * * * * *

B: Bishops

Bishops begin the game horizontally adjacent to the knights. Bishops may move diagonally as far as they wish (but not in both directions at once), until they encounter an obsctable. Bishops capture opposing pieces by moving diagonally onto the square located onto the opposing space.

Q: Queens

Queens begin the game horizontal adjacent to the bishop and king. Queens can move horizontal and vertically like a rook, or diagonally like a bishop (but not both at once). Queens capture in the same fashion as rooks or bishops.

K: King

The king is the most important chess piece, as its safety determines whether the game is won or lost.

Kings move just like queens, subject to the caveat that they only move one square at a time.

Kings, unlike other pieces, cannot move into a position of danger. A 'position of danger' is a location on the board where the opponent could take the king on their next turn. In chess parlance, kings cannot 'move into check'.

The game is won when the opponent's king is in 'check' (in a position of danger), and no move the opponent makes can take the king out of check (checkmate).

Kings cannot be captured: only placed in check, or checkmate.

Kings have a special move available to them, known as 'castling', which involves the rooks. For a king to castle, the following must be true:

(1) Neither the king or the rook may have moved this game. (2) All pieces horizontally between the king and rook must have moved, leaving the squares blank.

Kings can castle on their side, or the queen's side.

King's side castling occurs as follows:

The king moves two squares toward the rook.
The rook then moves one square past the king, on the side opposite

Thus:

* * * K * * R (before castling)
* * * * R K * (after castling)

Queen's side castling occurs as follows:

The king moves two squares toward the rook. The rook then moves one square past the king, on the side opposite the rook's previous location.

Thus:

R * * * K * * * (before castling)
* * K R * * * * (after castling)

Castling is carried out within the game's chess engine by instructing the king to move two spaces to the left or right.