About Meridian 59:
Meridian 59 is an online roleplaying game. Unlike single-player
RPGs in which the goal is to kill the ultimate evil villain, Meridian has many diverse objectives. Meridian is a world where you will
live... and perhaps die. You must decide what kind of life you wish to lead-warrior, mage, merchant, leader, bandit. Almost anything is
possible; only you can shape your path in the world. as you explore, you will meet many interesting characters. Some of
these will be computer controlled, non-player characters (NPCs) who can give you valuable information. NPCs may ask you to assist
them with quests or political intrigue. Most characters you meet, however, will be controlled by other humans. Talk to all of them.
make friends. Many will be helpful to you but some will not. Be especially wary of anyone with an orange or red name. These
players are outlaws and murderers. They have injured or killed other citizens!
Eventually, you will find your own place in Meridian and you can decide on your destiny. You may
seek to solve the mystery of the lost Island, become a master of one of the schools of magic, or be the
champion of the famous Tos Arena. Great players have statues of their likenesses erected in the great
hall. It's your life, live it! Creating your Character First, you will choose a name and a description for
your character. You may also enter a personal web page that other Meridian citizens can view. Then,
you will define the physical appearance of your avatar, right down to the color of your hair!
Adjusting Character Statistics:
Might: Influences the amount of damage you inflict per stroke for physical attacks.
Intellect: Impacts learning of spells and skills. Players with high Intellect can learn and advance
more quickly.
Stamina: Players with high Stamina will be less affected by reduced Vigor than those with
lower Stamina and will regain Health Points faster.
Agility: Improves "Dodge" ability and capacity for learning new skills.
Mysticism: Crucial for mana replenishment, as well as spell learning. A high mysticism score
will allow you to learn spells faster.
Aim: Impacts your chances of hitting with almost any attack. Critical for fighter/mage
combination characters.
Karma: Karma is determined by your actions. If you take the life of beings with good
Karma. Centipedes for example, your Karma will turn negative. Killing another player will always give
you negative Karma. Killing evil beings, such as Baby Spiders, will raise your Karma rating.
Some spell schools are accessible only to those with good or evil Karma, so think before you
strike!
Spells and Skills
Finally, you may choose some skills or spells for your character. You are granted 45 spell/skill points to allocate as you see fit. Note that there are
many different spell schools in Meridian. Meridian lore suggests that it is best to focus on one spell or skill school in the beginning. As your
character progresses, you will have an opportunity to learn other spells and skills. While creating your character, you may move back and forth
between all of the creation screens to make adjustments. Your spells and skills are rated on a percentage basis. This rating will improve with
practice.
Your First Steps in Meridian!
You should now be standing in the Inn of the town of Raza (if you created an account) or Hazar (if
you are playing the demo). These are special areas designed to be friendly to new players. You can
learn the game without danger of being attacked by experienced players. Take your time here. Once
you walk through the glowing portal and enter the "real" world, you can't come back. Don't get too
attached to the money, weapons, and armor you build up in Raza; you will have to leave them behind
when you pass through the portal.
Right click on the signs for a quick tutorial on how to play. They will lead you through basic navigation
and interaction. When you begin playing, keep a close eye on the three bars in the upper right:
Health: Denoted by red cross symbol.
Mana: Denoted by holy symbol.
Vigor: Denoted by lightning bolt symbol.
These tell you the state of your character. When Health drops below zero, you die. Mana is used when you cast
spells. It regenerates slowly. You will want to use your spells judiciously in combat situations. Vigor measures your
physical stamina. It is decreased by exertion such as combat and especially by running (accomplished by holding
the SHIFT key down when you move). Vigor is regenerated by resting (use the REST command or click
on the sitting figure icon) and by eating. There is much delicious food in the Meridian 59 world, including healthy
apples and tasty meat pies. When you have enough money, buy food and take it with you on your travels. When your
vigor is low (it will turn red), stop to eat. When you believe you are ready for bigger challenges and
new places to explore, walk through the portal. You will still have a brief period of protection. Other players can not
attack you, nor can you attack them, until you have 30 health points (HP).
Growing Your Character
To explore the vast Meridian world, including the lost island of Ko'catan, you will need to build up your
character's HP, acquire combat skills, and probably master a magic school or two as well. Some basic
tips:
Select a magic school to pursue (Shali'lle, Qor, Kranaan, Faren, or Riija). You can learn more
about them in the game. Each god has a different personality and his or her magic has different
focus. It's best to focus on only one school until you have fully mastered it. Build up a fighting skill such as Slash or Scimitar Wielding by fighting monsters.
Build up your HP by fighting monsters of the appropriate level. Ask Rook for advice on which
creatures will offer the appropriate level of challenge.
Collect objects, sell them to shopkeepers, put money in the bank, and store spare armor and
weapons in the vault. You lose everything you are carrying when you die but you can always
go back to the bank and make a withdrawal. Talk to everyone, including non-player characters (NPCs). The key to enjoying Meridian and to
being successful is meeting friends and allies. NPCs may send you on quests, and they will
reward you if you complete them. When you exit the game, your character is stored and will appear exactly as you left it when
you return. To avoid a penalty, you should always log-off from an Inn. There is one in each
town. Whether at the hands of a monster or a former friend -- death in Meridian does have its nasty
consequences: All the items that were in your inventory will be left behind with your corpse,
where any passing friend or foe can recover them. (It's a good idea to keep most of your
money in a bank and to leave some spare weapons and armor in the storage vault.) Some guilds
also have storage chests for their members. Anything stored in a bank account, vault, or chest
will still be there when you return from the Underworld. If you are traveling with friends, they
may salvage some of your belongings. If they're very good friends indeed, they may even give
them back to you when you return... You may lose a point of health and find some of your
spell and skill percentages slightly reduced as a result of your traumatic experience. Mana and
vigor will also be depleted but can be recharged by resting and eating. The Return Portals, the transit gates between the Underworld and Meridian 59, rotate between
different towns. Right-click a portal to find out where it leads.
If another player killed you -- and you were neither outlaw nor murderer yourself when you died -- a
ghostly revenant may be spawned to avenge your death. This is a very powerful and relentless ghost
that will pursue your murderer until either the revenant or the murderer is dead. (Bet on the revenant).
The more powerful the murderer was, the more powerful the revenant will be. Revenants can't attack on holy ground such as temples or in safe zones such as inns and shops. But
they are very patient, and will remain nearby while you are in such safe areas, resuming their pursuit
the moment you leave.
Quests
From time to time, the townsfolk will have quests for you to do. You may be asked to slay a monster
or retrieve an important item. Some quests are given to the first person that enters their shop, while
others you will have to ask for. For example, say "Do you need a courier?" to any innkeeper and they
may pay you to deliver a letter. Don't take too long in completing their quest, or they may become
disappointed and offer it to someone else. In rare cases, they take revenge on those who fail them.
Suicide
The only permanent death is the one you inflict on yourself. If you decide it is time for your current
character to leave Meridian 59 permanently, type the command "suicide" in the text entry window.
WARNING: Your current character will be permanently deleted-- skills, spells, points, inventory,
name, everything. Be VERY sure you want to do this!
