6.2 MENTORS
The mentoring system in Aetolia is a system that is designed to ensure a
friendly reception into Aetolia by newbies. When an older player (who
must have at least 300 hours of playing time, and be at least level 50)
offers to become your mentor, you may AGREE if you wish to become his
protege, or do nothing to politely refuse. Mentors are usually someone
you find within your guild or house, or someone of similar beliefs who
has helped you out.
If you wish to get rid of a mentor, simply type REJECT MENTOR <reason
for doing so> and it shall be done. Remember however that if you have
played more than 50 hours, bought credits, or gained level 21, you will
need to wait one year until you can take on a new mentor.
In return for taking on the responsibilities of a mentor, the mentor has
a chance to profit, if you become a more serious player. These
responsibilites are essentially those of answering any questions you
might have, and helping you to help yourself. For instance, while a
mentor might give you a bit of gold and some basic equipment, generally
they would rather help you to learn how to get the gold yourself, so
that you can equip yourself.
A mentor should, unless urgently busy (for instance, involved in a fight
with another player), take the time to patiently answer your questions
about Aetolia, and should be willing to take you to areas of the game
that you need to get to, and generally be a source of advice for you.
Remember: a mentor is supposed to generally put himself second, and you,
the protege, first.
We take the position of mentor seriously, and if your mentor is not
performing his duties, then you should report him or her to a God.
Once you have reached level 50 and have played for at least 300 hours,
you may take on proteges. The file HELP FORMENTORS will tell you more.
Before you take on proteges, consider the following.
A protege is someone who you are charged to help on a regular basis.
Simply helping a newbie now and then is not sufficient. If you just wish
to help a newbie occassionally, by all means, do so! But, given that
proteges can take up a lot of time, it's probably best not to overextend
yourself. Remember, the honor and joy that comes in aiding the young and
knowing that you played a crucial and perhaps even pivotal role in the
life of a young adventurer that may perhaps, one day change the course
of Aetolian history! If you wish to mentor - do it. You are informed
when new mortals arrive in Aetolia for the first time and graduate (if
you have NEWBIEON) - seek them out and help them if this is what you
truly wish - otherwise, you may need to re-examine your motives for the
truth is this -- There are far too many mentors in Aetolia who are not
taking seriously the great honor that has been bestowed upon them. Their
motives lay in the gifts that Varian so generously offered those who
would sacrifice of themselves so. The reward for mentorship lies not in
such vague and amorphous things as "lessons" and "credits" but in a
relationship built and a young mind molded to be the best it can be.
Ask yourself these specific questions before applying to become a
mentor:
1) Are you dedicated to sharing your knowledge of this realm with the
young and inexperienced for the sake of their enlightenment with no
thought of ulterior motive?
2) Do you have the heart of a servant and will you loyally commit
yourself to the honor and responsibility that comes in taking on a
protege?
3) Have you already sought out the young and done your best to serve
them so that the desire spoken of by your lips is already reflected
in your life and actions?
4) Do you have a strong working knowledge of those quests and
opportunities for advancement that the young are provided within
these lands? Particularly, do you know Sehal inside and out?
5) Are you aware of how to recognize and approach those who have freshly
and naively arrived in Aetolia?
If you can answer all these questions with, "Yes," then congratulations,
you have our blessing. Go and be that which you desire.
See also: FORMENTORS, MENTORBENEFITS
