Avendar: the Crucible of Legends is an multi-user fantasy role-playing game. On these pages you`ll find everything you need to know about how to begin your adventures. Are you new to MUDs? If so, you`ll find the experience of playing Avendar is like reading a novel--except you help to write the story! The fantasy world and its inhabitants are represented through descriptive text, and players interact through chat-like interfaces. If you`re a MUD veteran, you`ll find Avendar to be an immersive MUD with a dedicated staff and community, and a decade of development and depth. In Avendar you can...

* Rise from a humble beginning to become a noble swordmaster, a shadowy assassin, a secretive druid, a powerful scholar-mage, a mad alchemist, a performing bard--imagination is the limit to the type and variety of roles!
Immerse yourself in the history and culture of a lush and all-original fantasy world.
* Create life-long friendships and rivalries in the five great Houses that vie to control the ten Stones of Power.
* Battle against your enemies in heart-pounding clashes, where skill and experience separate the winners from the dead.
* Forge your own epic storyline through subtlety, subterfuge, sheer charisma or outright force.

An epic adventure needs an epic setting! The world of Avendar provides such a setting--it is a land of danger, beauty, and mystery. From bustling cosmopolitan centers to remote corners of the world, there is always something new to explore and discover. To really appreciate the depth and complexity of Avendar, you have to explore the world and experience it for yourself. One of the best places to do this is within the great library of Earendam, where a huge collection of books, parchments, and scrolls are collected.

Avendar is home to many intelligent humanoid races. Each race has its own history, and most have distinct cultures and languages. The choice of race in Avendar influences some important things about your character--from physical or mental statistics that influence how well a character does various things, to special abilities such as flight or night vision, to the moral persuasion of your character and the professions available. In the table below, click the name of the race to receive more details about the physical description of the race, special abilities or advantages, and professions available.

The deities of Avendar are immortal beings of great power, each with their own interests, purposes, and plans. Most take an active interest in mortalkind, and are even known to appear in avatar form and grant special sigils to reward dedicated followers. Other deities are disinterested in mortal affairs.