
Land of Isengard
Version 2.0L 

Scenarios created by Alice, Bahamut, Boromir, Eldritch, Melkor, Styx and 
		     Tesseract.

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   NOTE: It is recommended that players read this file in its entirety. 
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INTRODUCTION
	Isengard is a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon).  It is a real time game
in which you can interact with other users.  The following is a brief
explanation of important commands and topics needed to succeed in this
game.  Some commands have multiple eqivalents and they will be listed
with commas separating them.  Variable arguments will be listed via
<argument>.

COMMAND LINE
	The game is command line driven, with a colon as its normal
prompt.  The command interpreter is an intelligent one.  Commands may
be given in upper and/or lowercase letters.  Abbreviations of commands
and its arguments may be used.  The partial/complete command given
will be searched through the available commands to find a unique
match.  If it is not a unique command, more information (letters) must
be given.

HELP
	Online help can be summoned by issuing the command 'help
<command>'.  If a command argument is given, specific information on
it will be listed, otherwise all the available commands will be
listed.

COMMUNICATION
	Since Isengard is a multi-user game, there needs to be some way
to talk to other players.  The following commands are used for
communication:
	"say <message>", ' <message>, " <message> : the message will
be sent to all the players in the same room.
	"yell <message>" : the message will be sent to all the players
in the same room and adjoining rooms.
	"tell <player> <message>", "send <player> <message>" : the
message will be sent to only the specific player identified.
	"broadcast <message>" : the message will be sent to all
players online Isengard.  A five broadcast per day quota is imposed on
each character.

MOVEMENT
	To move from one room to another, use the "go" command.
	"go <direction>" : direction is any valid exit to the current
room, which may be visible, hidden, or invisible.  Examples are "go
north", "go up", "go door".
	Instead of typing "go <direction>" all the time, certain
directions may be given as the command itself.  These command
directions include "north", "south", "east", "west", "northwest",
"northeast", "southwest", "southeast", "up", and "down".  The first
one or two letters of each of these command directions may be used as
a special abbreviation.  For example, use "n" instead of "north" (or
instead of "go north") and "ne" instead of "northeast".

INVENTORY/OBJECTS
	Each character is able to carry a limited amount of objects.
These objects include weapons, armor, scrolls, potions, gold, torches,
keys, and other items.  Each item (except gold) has a specific weight
value.  A character may not carry more than he/she can handle, which
depends on his/her class, strength, and level.
	"inventory" : lists all items currently in a character's
possession, but not worn, held, or wielded.
	"equipment" : lists all items currently worn, held, or
wielded.
	"get <item> [#] [from] [<item2>] [#]" : attempts to get an
item on the floor in the room and place it in the character's
inventory.  If <item2> is given, (i.e., a bag) then it will attempt to
get <item> from <item2> and place it in the character's inventory.
IMPORTANT: Refer to objects with only one name.  For example, if you
wish to get some cloth armor, type "get armor" or "get cloth".  Do not
type "get cloth armor" because the game will think the armor is a
container.
	"drop <item>" : removes the <item> from the character's
inventory and places it on the floor in the current room.
	Armor: an object which you wear on a specific part of a
character's body which contributes towards your Armor Class (AC)
value.  "wear <item>" will attempt to wear a specific item and will
succeed if it is an armor item, no other item is worn in its spot, and
it is not broken.  "wear all" is a shortcut which attempts to wear all
the items in your inventory (in the order that they appear).

*** HINTS FOR THE NEW PLAYER
	There are several recommendations that a new user should be 
aware of:

	1. Your first character should be made Lawful.
Isengard can be a violent place for the chaotic player, and it is best to 
become famililar with the game and its commands before attempting to 
challenge other players.
	2. Use the _set_ command to set your character's parameters. These
parameters, and their current settings, can be found by typing 'set' and
'help set' at the command prompt.  It is recommended that you 'set prompt'
first, as this will give you real-time information about your character's
status.  In addition, we recommend that you 'set long' until you have
become _very_ familiar with Isengard.  The information you gain from
reading the full room descriptions will save you much grief and time. 
	3. When encountering a new monster, be sure to _look_ at it 
before anything else (unless it is attacking you).  At the lower levels 
there are very few monsters that will attack you first, so it is usually 
safe to 'look' at them.  The information you gain from looking will tell 
you if the monster is an opponent that you can handle.  It will also let 
you know if it is a good idea to talk to them.  Many of the monsters can 
talk interactively and will provide vital information about the game.  
Some will attack you if you talk to them so you need to look first and 
then decide if it is safe to talk.
	
		*** HINTS TO GET TO LEVEL 2 ***
NOTE: You must get to level two within a month or so in order for the 
character to be saved permanently.

	Level 1 players should not attempt areas outside Celduin until at
least level 2 or by grouping with other players.  Attack easy monsters
such as students, scribes, monks, merchants, laborers, and vagrants.  This
can be accomplished by just hanging out at Celduin Square, the University
or a Pub where all of the non-agressive monsters arrive.  Make sure to
watch your hitpoints with "sc".  It's not recommended that you attack
without close to full hitpoints.  Remember that you must constantly attack
with "k <monster>" every 3 seconds or so.  Monsters will remember their
enemies, so if you attack one and flee (in which case you drop your
wielded weapon), it will attack you if you come back to that room.  After
you reach level 2, you can do some more exploring of the town, and the
areas outside Celduin.  The general rule is _look_ and _talk_ before
attacking, and above all: BE CAREFUL. 

If you have ANY questions or problems, first try asking a Caretaker. If
one is not available, ask one of the Dungeonmasters.  If you are unable 
to talk to them online, you can always leave them mail with your 
questions. 

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Welcome file still under development. 11MAR95
