Before you dive into this page, you really should know, that a lot of this is going to be shameless advertising for Aargh mud. It is my personal favorite mud, and I can't help but encourage others to try it. With that said, read on.

If you don't know what a MUD or MUSH is, click here to find out.

Alright, this is just an overview of some things that I think Aargh mud excels in. This will give you a good idea of what Aargh is like. To see Aargh for yourself, point your MUD client to aargh.world-net.net port 1234. You can also have a look at their webpage, at this URL.

Areas
Aargh! is currently working on replacing all their Diku and Envy areas with original ones. I believe they're still taking applications for builders, so have a look at their builder page if you're interested. They have a few builders right now, who do an excellent job, and they're making some very interesting and unique areas that you won't find on any other mud.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere on Aargh MUD is of that unlike any other. When you log on to Aargh, you will immediately notice that everyone welcomes you to the mud, and it's an extremely friendly environment. There are many other players always eager to help someone in need, and that's not something you can put into the coding of a mud. Aargh is a Wiccan based mud, meaning, it works a lot around the principles and ideals of Wicca. You can learn more about Wicca by scrolling further down the page. One thing that you'll also notice about Aargh, as soon as you connect, is the wonderful assortment of colored text, making it much easier to read, and makes the mud just a bit more fun to play.

Covens
One great thing about Aargh, is the Covens. They have a wide variety of Covens, which are similar to Clans on other muds, that are run by players themselves. While on the mud, you can get a quick listing of all available Covens by typing "help covenlist". After that, you can type "help (covenname)" to get the help file on a specific Coven. And I encourage you to read the Ahroun Coven help file, which is run by Rainpuddle and myself(Lamurun).

Cults
Similar to religions on other muds, Elemental Cults are a new and well-liked addition to Aargh. To join a cult, you must complete a quest. Upon the completion of the quest, special powers are bestowed upon you by the Gods, the manner of which differ depending on which cult you wanted to join - Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, or Self.

Handfasting
Part of the Wiccan way of Aargh, is that characters handfast rather than engaging in marriage. This bonds the two characters, and enables them to bear offspring, which brings about the multi-class players on the mud. But, I do encourage all to handfast for more reasons than bearing children.

Immortals
Aargh has a wonderful set of Immortals working for them. I've found the Immortals of Aargh to be some of the friendliest Immortals out there, and are often interacting with the mortals, and lending a helping hand. So far as I know, there are currently only 3 Immortals, if you don't include the Builders. But, with a small mud, and the Legion(see below) helping to enforce the laws, a large Immortal staff isn't necessary.

Legion
These are a privelaged sect of mortals, hand-picked by the Gods as the protectors of Aargh. Members of the Legion enforce the rules of Aargh, and have been given a few powers by the Gods to help them in this task, but they themselves are not above the law. They are a fair and just group, and they're always working to better the mud.

Quest Credits
This is one thing I've not seen on any MUD aside from Aargh. The ability to tally up and spend your "Quest Credits". When you complete a quest, you receive Quest Credits, the amount of which depends on the difficulty of the quest. You can save up your Quest Credits, and later use them to purchase gifts from the Gods. In case you don't know what a quest is, on a mud, a quest is usually a task or question assigned by one of the Gods, and you can choose whether or not to complete the task or answer the question - it's a voluntary thing. But if you do complete the quest, you are rewarded handsomely.

Races/Classes
Aargh has a whole slew of races and classes available for use. I believe they have around 30 races, 7 regular classes, and many more multi-class options. For an up-to-date(maybe) list of available races, click here. The seven classes they offer as of right now are warrior, mage, cleric, psionicist, thief, punk, and ninja, with two more original classes on the way.

Wicca
Just in case you didn't read the above section about the Atmosphere of Aargh, it's a Wiccan MUD. Meaning, that a lot of the ideals and systems of running the MUD are somewhat Wiccan. To learn more about Wicca, read below. It it not necessary to believe in or practice Wicca to play on Aargh, but it's something that would benefit you to take a few minutes to learn about.

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Now a bit about Wicca. This is an excerpt from a very informational faq I picked up about Wicca in the channel #Wicca on the DAL.net IRC server. I myself find Wicca incredibly interesting, and tend to agree with a lot of ideals behind the religion. This is a great informational text for someone who doesn't really know what Wicca is. For the full text file on Wicca, click here.

"Witch" comes from the Anglo-Saxon wicce (meaning witch), which in turn derives from an Indo-European root word meaning to bend or change or do magic/religion (making it related to "wicker," "wiggle," and even "vicar"). It is possibly also related to the Old Norse vitki (meaning wizard), derived from root words meaning "wise one" or "seer." "Warlock" (rarely used, for male Witches) is from the Old Norse varðlokkur, "spirit song" (not "oath-breaker"). Related words are "Pagan," meaning a country dweller, and "Heathen," a dweller on the heath, both of which peoples were the European equivalent of the Native Americans and other indigenous, nature-worshipping people.

Today, a Witch is a woman or man who practices a life-affirming, Earth- and nature-oriented religion, honoring Divinity in female as well as (or instead of) male aspects, and practicing Magic (which some Witches spell "magick," to distinguish it from stage illusions). There are many different traditions of Witches, encompassing many beliefs in addition to these. Some traditions are practiced by women only, and recognize only the Divine Feminine, the Goddess. Others include men and recognize a male god in addition to the Goddess. Some traditions may date back to before the Spanish Inquisition, others have been in existence for only a few years. The strength of the Witches' religion (also called "the Craft" or "Wicca") lies in its diversity; it is a living, growing religious tradition.

Witchcraft today may be seen as the sum total of all a Witch's practices, including but not limited to: spellcasting, divination ("fortune telling"), meditation, herbalism, ritual and ritual drama, singing and dancing to raise energy, healing, clairvoyance and other psychism, creative mythology, and more.

As a religion, the Craft is a revival and/or reconstruction of the pre-Christian religions of Europe, especially Northern Europe (giving us Celtic or Norse traditions), sometimes elsewhere (giving us Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, or Levantine traditions). Many of us have turned for inspiration to the still-living indigenous traditions of other lands, such as Australia, Asia, India, and the Americas. Some of us , recognizing that we are American Witches, work with deities and land-spirits of local Amerindian tribes, though we do not claim to be members of any Amerindian tradition. As Margot Adler, a Witchcraft authority, has written, "The real tradition of the Craft is creativity."
For the full text file on Wicca, click here.

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