Welcome Adventurer to Paragain.

The words hung in the air before me as a disembodied announcer voice seemed to read it behind my left shoulder. Even expecting something like this I jumped. Then I realised I could jump, I had an avatar already. I looked down at myself in the dim diffused glow and saw a translucent grey man with noodle arms and and mitten hands, an apparent blank slate.

Please Step Into The Light

I jumped again as a beam of light descended from somewhere above and left a little circle on what was clearly now a stone floor. I stepped into it.

What is your name, brave adventurer?

I always hated this part, though it was odd it coming first, it was usually one of the last parts in character creation after all the nuts and bolts stuff was out of the way. I decided to do what I usually did and give my real name. Nobody believed it was real anyway.

“Ragnar Haram” I said loudly.

We're sorry, but that is not a valid name on this seed.

That was weird, maybe I had played on this world before? I sorted through my memory looking for a good name and settled on the name of a hacker from the early days of VR, back before full dive and A.I. built world's.

“Hiro Protagonist,” I said with a smile.

We're sorry, the name Hiro Protagonist is already taken.

Curiouser and curiouser, it seems I haven't been here before, my real name is specifically banned. Why would that be? Maybe the company is trying to make our pasts disappear, even to us? With all the paperwork before they dropped me in here it did make some sense.

I still needed a name. I went through all the Lord of the Rings and Sci fi characters I could think of with no luck, some pop stars and celebrities without any passing muster. In the end, I didn't really care what I ended up with, I had used so many fake names over the last few years I could hardly keep track, a different one for every farmers market. What was it that old man called me? He said I had the look of a man searching for something that I wouldn't know what to do with once I found it. He said I it was like I was chasing fire like from some old indian fairytale. What was the characters name again.

“Jogan Oetseira,” I say.

Are you sure?

Y/N

Sure, if it will take it, “Yes.”

Welcome once again, Jogan Oetseira!

Please Choose a Race For Your Character

Another pillar of light came into being in front of me. Standing in it was, me. I had no hair and my eyes were blue rather than brown, but it was a good rendition of what I looked like. Text hovered in the air next to it:

HUMAN

Humans can be found all across Paragain, in their own lands and in most metropolitan areas of the other races. They are adaptable and clever, fitting into any open niche that can find. This very adaptability is something that brings them into conflict with the other civilized races, as they compete for resources in almost every environment.

Ok, so humans are the default, vanilla race, big surprise.

Human Racial Traits:

Common Race

Size: -1 to +1

+1 to Luck to start

+1 to Stat of Player's Choice to start

Jack of All Trades: a Human may learn any skill, regardless of class, but will only receive bonus XP for class skills.

Neutral Race: Humans are a neutral race with populations who are both good and evil. As such, a Human will not automatically be seen as an enemy of any civilized faction.

Learn by doing: Humans naturally gain stats through their action rather than genetics. Limited to 3/level after specialization. Humans do not gain bonus stats at level up.

AT LEVEL UP:

Humans gain 1 skill point(SkP) that can be assigned to any skill in which they have been trained.

Humans may reassign 1 Stat point to a different stat each level.

That seemed fairly straight forward. Humans adapt to whatever they do most, Probably to make it easier on new players. While I was looking from the figure of me to the information panel I saw a hint of another person off to the side. When I focused on them, human me stepped out of the light and in stepped a different version of me. This one was, for lack of a better term, prettier. He had a more refined, almost feminine face, with high cheekbones and pointed ears.

HIGH ELF

High Elves are one of the oldest races of Paragain. They have cities of culture and history in nations that were old before counting of time. Though slight of frame they are well endowed with magic, being among the most powerful Mages in the world. They have a reputation for looking down on some of the younger races, but weather it is deserved or not, many other races look down on them for it.

High Elf Racial Traits:

Common Race

Size: -1 to 0

-1 to Strength to start

+2 to Intelligence to start

+1 to Spirit to start

Pinnacle of Culture: High Elves may train in any academic skill, any of the fine arts, such as singing, or any fine craft, such as craft jewelry, regardless of their class.

Lightling Race: High elves are firmly in the bounds of the “Good” races. Factions of the “Evil” races will be hostile to you by default unless you do something to change their minds, likewise other lightlings will welcome you in unless you prove false.

Magic in the Blood: A High Elf’s Mana regenerates twice as fast as normal and if they run out of Mana, they may use Health Points instead at a 1 to 1 ratio.

AT LEVEL UP:

High Elves gain 1 Skill Point(SkP) per level that can be assigned to any academic or arcane skill.

+1 to Intelligence per level

+1 to Intelligence per level before specialization

+1 to Spirit per level

+1 to Wisdom after specialization

I wished I knew what all this meant. I had played my share of full dive games, but usually just to meet people, I never had to make choices that mattered before in a game so i never learned more than the basics. I resolved to take as much time as I needed to make the right decision. I mean, it’s not like they can throw me in jail for wasting time. Just as was starting to focus on the next race in line I saw a blur in the air above the panel. When it came into focus I saw that it was a set of drop down menus to filter the selection. This was just what I needed, it took a moment to figure out the selection process but I soon had it set up to go more systematically. I started from:

Common Lightling Humanoid

Which showed me everything from Dwarves to Wood Elves, and proceeded all the way through:

Rare Darktouched Serpentine

Which offered up a Naga and an Ixactuletquatl. I had bookmarked a few in my head that i wanted to go back to and compare. I cleared my filters and was about to start getting into the weeds of figuring out the stats when I heard a chime followed by:

We Are Sorry Adventurer, But You Have Run Out Of Time To Make Your Selection.

Your Character Will Be The Race You Currently Have Selected.

Please Feel Free To Adjust His Appearance At This Time (Focus On A Feature To Adjust It).

I had just cleared the filters and had no idea what race I had selected. I looked back down and saw that first facsimile of my face staring back at me. All that work and I had ended up Human after all. At least I wasn’t a Naga.

I realized the trap I had thrown myself into. I had allowed myself to think of it like a game, as if I would actually get a chance to play. I should have been thinking of it as what it was, a prison. I should have gone through and just found the biggest, most intimidating race I could in the hopes of being left alone in the yard. I resolver to keep that in mind going forward, not “what will help me in the game?” but “what will help me in prison?” The man had said that my choices here would determine where they placed me, right?

I looked at my avatar and focused on various features, thinking on what to change. First things first, I gave myself hair cycling through various styles until I found a simple one a little longer than an army buzz cut, but still too short to give at opponent something to grab in a fight. I changed the color from the default brown to my own black, and while I was at it I lightened the skin from the default medium brown to to my own light bronze. I left the eyes blue and for vanities sake i changed my lips which I had always thought looked weak.

I then looked at the overall picture. I looked at the height and decided bigger is better and slid it up to its racial maximum of 6’10”, a far stap from my own 5’8”. I grew taller, but immediately looked thin and ungainly. I found a way to make my shoulders a little broader but couldn’t find a way to directly increase my muscle mass. Sure, I’d tower over everyone, but I looked like good wind would break me in half. I lowered the height a half an inch at a time and settled on 6’4”, I was still tall and thin, but I didn’t have that stretched look anymore. I made my hands and feet more proportionate, and tweaked a few more things for symmetry and vanity, then called it done by focusing on the vague green box in my peripheral vision. It moved into view as a clear [DONE] button and I pressed it.

I was immediately suffused with a strange tingling sensation and then I was moving rapidly towards my new avatar. Not just towards it but into it. I experienced a dizzying moment of disorientation when the world tried to spin around me, and then I was looking out of it's, my, new blue eyes.

Please Select A Class For Your Character

The beginning classes are weak, but choose wisely, for they each offer different options to specialize once you reach level 10.

Well that was one question answered, I would have to specialise later. In front of me was a scrolling menu hanging in the air in front of my left hand, “Rogue” highlighted with other options rolling off above and below. To the right it read:

ROGUE

Rogues of all types make up the backbone of society's underbelly. This class and its specialties focus on stealth, cunning, and feats of legerdemain. Even the strongest knight may be struck down by an unseen hand, and no mage is a threat once their components have been “misplaced”.

+1 Dex per level

+1 Agility per level

+1 Luck per level

+4 SkP per level

Class Abilities:

Hide in Shadows- a Rogue uses this ability to hide from sight, it gives a 10% bonus to his stealth score.

Light touch- a Rogue uses this ability to aid in everything from picking locks to picking pockets. It increases the Dex bonus to all class skills. At higher levels it does even more.

Backstab- Rogues get an additional bonus when attacking opponents who are unaware of them from stealth.

Class Skills: pick pockets, pick locks, ballance, stealth, craft(jewelry), alchemy, short blades, short bashing, bows, carousing, appraise, barter, bluff

Starting spells: none

Specialization: Rogues normally specialize to be Assassins, Spies, or Thieves. If they meet the requirements they may also choose Ninja, Acrobat, Bard, Swashbuckler, Duelist, Monk….

The list went on, becoming less and less roguelike as it went. I stopped reading and thought, what did I want to do. More to the point, what would they let me do. It hardly seemed likely they would let me sneak around stabbing people, despite how much of that happens in a normal prison. They were going to give me a job based on what I picked here. What were the coziest jobs in a normal prison, and how could I set myself up with one of those.

The combat classes were right out, I didn't want to be some kind of rentable meat shield. Likewise the rogue, bard, and druid type classes seemed a poor choice. Maybe some type of mage, but I couldn't figure out what they would have them doing. Finally I found something that looked promising.

NOVICE

Novices are those newly come to religious life. They have received basic instruction in the duties of the faith, but are untried and uncommitted. Largely dedicated to the well being of others, these are the vital but often overlooked anchor of any party.

+1 Wisdom per level

+1 Spirit per level

+1 Wisdom every even level

+1 Spirit every odd level

+2 SkP per level

Class Abilities:

Divine spell casting- Novices have been inducted into the rituals used to channel the power of the Pantheon. They may be weak now, but will grow stronger as he grows in his faith.

A Gentle Hand- A Novice gets a large bonus to his healing skill. The bonus varies based on what is being treated but gets larger the more you grow in skill.

Holy Touch- A Novice can harm.unnatural beings through touch. At first he will be able to help drive out fell spirits with aid of holy objects, but in time he will be able to channel through a weapon to lay waste to the undead and demons.

Class Skills: healing, politics, prayer, alchemy, singing, oration, appraise, short bashing, staffs, discernment.

Starting spells: bless water, purify water.

Specialization: Novices normally specialize as Clerics, Priests, or Exorcist. If they meet the requirements they may also choose Paladin, Monk….

This seemed like it would be perfect, working in the infirmary was one of the best jobs you could have in a prison. It ranked up there with library duty for light work load, and all the gossip passed through the medical staff. If I was going to be stuck anywhere, this was my best bet, and it also gave me a slightly better chance of getting out some day if I could find a sympathetic doctor.

I made my selection and made some of my last decisions. I put my two meager skill points into healing, the one stat point I got as a human went into Wisdom. I took one final look at my sheet before entering my new life.

Jogan Oetseira

Level 1 Human Novice

(no faction)

Strength 5

Endurance 5

Dexterity 5

Agility 5

Perception 5

Intelligence 5

Wisdom 7

Charisma 5

Spirit 7

Luck 6

Abilities: Divine Spell Casting, A Gentle Hand, Holy Touch

Spells: Bless Water, Purify Water

Skills:

Healing 2

It wasn't much to hang my hopes on, but it was better than nothing.