Mariello of Lusternia

Sparkling water sits in a vast sea all around. Looking around I see the forms of many starsuckers in the distance. Mounted on my elegant dragon turtle, I slowly make my way towards one and approach it with much caution. Raising my staff I point it at the starsucker as a wave of ice and magic flows forth from my staff to strike the starsucker. In retaliation, the starsucker attacks back striking me in my leg. Pain erupts forth from the wound and I look down to notice my leg has been broken. Quickly, I apply a mending salve to it and continue releasing the energy of my staff into the starsucker. After dodging a few of the starsucker’s attack and landing a few more of my own, the starsucker lay, in the Great Starry Sea, dead. I pick up the corpse and upon further investigation discover a bit of essence it had dropped. I make my way back to the Pool of Stars, our city’s Nexus of Power, and lay the essence in the Pool. The corpse I offer to the Goddess Terentia as a sign of my faith and devotion.

Before discovering the wonders and richness of that which is Lusternia, I use to play a table-top role-playing game called Werewolf: The Apocalypse. I started playing because my friends asked me to but I soon came to realize, later on, that why I started playing was way different from why I continued playing. It was not because my friends played that I played, but because it offered me an escape from reality. It offered me a chance to be the superhero for once and not the innocent bystander. It offered me a chance to make an impact on the world even if it was fictional.

When my friends and I left for different colleges, I was without that opportunity to escape the world. I tried playing games like World of Warcraft and Everquest but it did not offer the role-playing experience that I desired and needed. I could do much in those worlds, but I could not impact the world in the long-term. I could not build empires or conquer foes without it all being without meaning when the servers were reset. I needed a role-playing experience that would last a long time. I needed something more than a standard RPG like Final Fantasy. Part of the reason I loved to play Werewolf: The Apocalypse was because I could interact with sentient people on a philosophical level you just don’t get with non-playable characters.

A couple of months after I left for college I was told by a friend about Lusternia. At first, I was a bit skeptical about an all text game. I could not imagine me reading so much text. Then I came to realize that this was hardly different then the table-top I use to play. There were no dice and no game master but that was all substituted by the in game engine. The world offered so many opportunities for different experiences. Additionally, I couldn’t believe a text based world could exceed my imagination of what one could be. I remember looking at the maps of Lusternia and wondering just how big the place was. I remember I tried climbing the highest mountain when I first started playing. I tried to explore as much as I can. I didn’t just read the descriptions in the different rooms I was in, I lived and felt them. I could feel the wind blowing on my face in the mountains. I could feel the lush grass on my back as I lay back and look up at the stars. I could hear the noises in the background and smell the flowers and other fauna that was around. I could see and look with interest upon the Mother Tree in the Serenwilde. I could live in another world. I could be another person. In Lusternia I could have an impact that would last a very long time. I could do so much that I hardly thought I would ever have time to do it all. In Lusternia, just when I think I have done and see all there is the Gods working behind the scenes release and vast new continent to explore like the Undervault.

I love to play Lusternia. There is always something for me to do there. There are always people to meet. There are always places to explore. There are always cities to rule. There are always foes to be slain. As far as I am concerned, there will always be me there to meet other people, to explore new areas, to slay foes, to rule cities, and to do all I can. I love Lusternia because it is more than just a game to me. It is an invaluable experience. It is a different life.