6.13 MENTORS

(See also: HELP FOR MENTORS)

The mentoring system in Achaea is a system that is designed to ensure a
friendly reception into Achaea by newbies. When an older adventurer (who must
have at least 300 full Achaean days of playing time, and be at least level 50)
offers to become your mentor, you may AGREE if you wish to become their
protege, or do nothing to politely refuse.

AGREE with care. If you belong to a House or plan to join one, be sure to check
with the House first as they may wish to assign an appropriate mentor for you.
Don't let anyone coerce you into becoming your mentor! It is a decision you should undertake with care.


Requirements to gain a mentor/become someone's protege:
------------------------------------------------
   - You must have less than 50 hours of time in Achaea for mentorship to 
     confer full benefits.
 
   - You may switch mentors at any time, but if you switch after 50 hours of
     play, the full benefits (see below) will not apply.

   - You may not already have a Mentor.

Advantages for having a mentor
------------------------------
   - Proteges can learn in batches of 20 lessons from their mentors instead 
     of the normal 15 from any other teacher.

   - Both Mentor and protege gain a boost to experience gained when they are 
     hunting together. (Note that if you chose your mentor after 50 hours of
     play or switched after 50 hours, this bonus does not apply.)

   - Proteges can use WALK TO MENTOR to make their way to their mentor's
     location. The same distance rules apply to this as all other landmarks. 
     See HELP LANDMARKS for more on those limitations.

If you wish to get rid of your current mentor, simply type RENOUNCE MENTOR
<reason for doing so> and it shall be done.

In return for taking on the responsibilities of a mentor, the mentor has a
chance to profit, if you become a more serious adventurer. These
responsibilities 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 get the gold yourself, so that you can equip yourself.

A mentor should, unless urgently busy (for instance, involved in a fight with
another adventurer), take the time to patiently answer your questions about
Achaea, 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 themself second, and you, the protege, first.

We take the position of mentor seriously, and if your mentor is not performing
their duties, then you should report them to a God.

Once you have reached level 50 and have played for at least three hundred full
Achaean days, you may take on proteges. The scroll HELP FOR MENTORS 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 occasionally, 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
honour 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 Achaean history!  If you wish to
mentor - do it. You are informed when new mortals arrive in Achaea for the
first time and graduate - 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 Achaea who are not taking seriously the
great honour that has been bestowed upon them. Their motives lay in the gifts
that the Great Mother 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
moulded to be the best it can be.

Ask yourself these questions before becoming 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 honour 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 with in these lands?
   Particularly, do you know Minia and Lodi inside and out?

5) Are you aware of how to recognise and approach those who have freshly and
   naively arrived in Achaea?

If you can answer all these questions with, "Yes," then congratulations, you
have my blessing. Go and be that which you desire.


(See also: HELP FOR MENTORS)