Ludere online

Harsh, rough spun fabric bit into his face and a groan slid from between his lips. The smell of old sweat and sickness wafted up from the fibers making him grimace. His head pounded out an echo of the rhythm his heart stuttered out and he just lay there taking stock of every ache and that screamed for his attention until it was like the most hellish orchestra he had ever had the misfortune of experiencing. The sharp copper taste of blood coated the inside of his mouth seasoned with the occasional grain of what he hoped was dirt and not fragments of his own teeth. Pag cracked an eye open and yelped at the silhouetted figure that hovered over him, with one hand placed on his chest while the other hovered over his face.

“Thank Oelia you’re alive. Your constitution must be pretty low to have taken an unarmed hit and been knocked out. It took me a solid ten minutes of healing to bring you back to consciousness.” The voice was soft and warm.

“Actually I think it was the fight with the thieves knocking my health really low and racking up debuffs that lead to that more than anything.” Pag grumbled, placing a hand to his temple before asking. “Where am I?”

“The penile quarters. Located within Thalins forest. Basically a prison colony in a magic forest. While you were out they held your trial I’m afraid.”

Pag groaned fighting back a wave of anger. “I’m assuming the verdict was guilty.”

“Well, thanks to some eyewitness testimony it isn’t all bad. Not guilty on all but one count, destruction of property. Apparently trash is property nowadays. You’re to serve out your time here to repay the debt then you’re free to go with no mark on your record. It would have been worse if even one of the other charges ended up with a guilty charge.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad I suppose. How long, and how many charges were there that I was found not guilty for?”

“A total of six charges, five of which were dropped. You will have to spend two full days time here. I say it that way because since you are a traveler you can leave this realm at any time however until you have spent a cumulative amount of 48 hours here you cannot go anywhere else here within this realm without further consequences.”

Pag furrowed his brow then gave a nod noting that his aches and pains had ebbed to the point they were barely noticeable. “That’s reasonable. What do I have to do while I’m here?”

“Here at this location, much like others in this kingdom, prisoners must work while they serve their time. While others may have you breaking stones or cutting down trees for building you are to collect spirit fruits. These fruits can be used in medicine, alchemy, rituals and an array of other magical things.”

“The catch being?” He asked rolling his wrist in a ‘go on’ motion.

“The catch being that as this is known as Thalin’s forest. things are not always as they appear to be here. Thalin is the God of dreams so I’m sure you can guess how tricky it is. Just in case I’ll spell it out for you. You may not be aware of this yet as you seem to be fairly new here but at night magic tends to go wild and nightmares become reality unless you are within a building or city with specialized runescripting to prevent this. Here it might as well be night time all the time with none of the protective runescripting anywhere outside of the main camp. In addition not all of the spirit fruits are of the same quality, some are completely worthless while others are immensely potent. Without the proper equipment or even specific skills you won't be able to tell which is which from a glance.”

“That makes a little more sense.” Pag said, glancing up at his HUD to check the time, both inside and outside of the game.

“Of course, if you manage to bring back something of high enough worth then you may even be able to have your sentence reduced. Though oftentimes those higher quality fruits are guarded. As such, since we never know when they will be stumbled upon, we send out all prisoners in groups of four or more.”

Pag blinked, turning his head to look at her.

She continued speaking before he could respond, offering him a soft smile. “Now, normally while individuals are here they suffer an experience penalty that cuts all of their gained experience to a quarter of what it normally would be, however for you that would seem to have been waived. Along with all the reputation penalties too apparently. Now I do apologize however I have duties I must attend to so I must be on my way.”

Pag blinked as sat up as she turned to leave. “Wait, what's your name?”

She turned back to him, brows arched, her grin growing slightly. “You can call me Pandora.”

“Thank you for the information Pandora, and the healing too, I really appreciate it. Ever since I first got here things seem to go wrong left and right then I come across others who offer insight or items to help and it makes it bearable.” he said in a rush, standing.

“Anytime. If you ever need anything just call for me and I’ll see what I can do.” She said pushing out the door and slipping into the dusky light with a small laugh and a final curious glance over him.

“I suggest learning more about the game lore and systems functions when you get a chance.” she called over her shoulder as the door swung shut behind her.

Pag sat back, nearly falling as what he now registered to be a cot draped in burlap tilted dangerously sending his heart into his throat. Once his frantic heart had settled he grinned. It looked like he had finally landed a potentially good quest, and in a place where people couldn’t decline to be in a party with him. While not ideal circumstances it was no doubt an opportunity and he was going to make the most of it. He blinked and frantically pulled up his current quest log, breathing a sigh of relief as he noted that the quest to speak to the recruiter didn’t have a time limit, though no doubt getting it out of the way sooner rather than later would be best. Quests like that typically went off of each player's contribution and with this being a continent spanning war there would no doubt be plenty of experience and loot to be gained.

Nodding his head Pag gestured to dismiss the quest log window, resolving to go there as soon as he was released. He huffed slightly in annoyance that he had been sent to prison in the first place, especially as he had had no opportunity to defend himself against the charges but who knew maybe this would offer a good opportunity. He took a moment to remind himself of what Pandora had said, he could have been charged with more and ended up with a longer sentence. Shrugging he pulled up his character sheet and clicked on the help tool. Most of the stats seemed to function like they did in any other RPG so he ignored the common stats of strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, luck, karma and charisma instead focusing on the Focus, Piety and Hygieian meter stats. While he had an idea of what they were based on gameplay so far, skimming the company provided booklet, and some of the online forums he had never even come across in any other game and the last two were currently set at a big fat zero at his starting but had since changed to the negative.

Pag stared at the character sheet, a cold dread spreading through him like a creeping frost. The Hygieian and Piety meters, both stuck at zero, mocked him with their stark emptiness. It wasn't just the numbers; it was the feeling they evoked—a sense of hollowness, of being incomplete, as if some vital part of him was missing.

He thought back to his initial motivation for joining Ludere Online, to find Mark, to escape the mundane reality of his life. It had seemed so simple then, a quest, a goal to strive for in a world of endless possibilities. But now, faced with these strange, unfamiliar stats, he felt a growing sense of disillusionment, a creeping suspicion that the game was not what he had imagined it to be.

He’d always been drawn to RPGs, to the idea of creating a character, of shaping a destiny, of escaping into a world where anything was possible. But Ludere Online was different. It felt too real, too intrusive, as if it were probing his thoughts, his emotions, twisting them into something unfamiliar, something unsettling.

The Hygieian Meter, monitoring his actions, his perceptions, felt like an invasion of privacy, a constant judgment on his every move. And Piety, a stat he'd never encountered in any other game, hinted at a deeper, more sinister element at play, a connection to the divine, to forces beyond his comprehension. What was this game trying to do to him? Was it just a game? Or was it something more, something that could change him, alter him in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine?

The thought sent a shiver down his spine, a premonition of danger that overshadowed the thrill of adventure, the allure of the unknown that had drawn him to Ludere Online in the first place. He had a feeling that his journey to find Mark was only the beginning, a stepping stone on a path that led to something far greater, something far more terrifying, than he could have ever anticipated.

Pag frowned, still somewhat confused by these stats and not particularly comfortable with the fact the latter two were now less than they had been. He had a feeling that would come back to bite him in the rear . He would need to learn more and raise them immediately. He rubbed his neck with a hand and dismissed the information then pulled up the lore tab, scowling at all the blank fields. The only available information looked to be what he already knew from interacting with characters meaning he would need to continue to do so or spend untold amount of time reading books. With a disgusted scoff, not sure what else he had expected, he dismissed the window and looked around the small room of what was likely a prison bunkhouse.

It was surprisingly clean and spartan, the only thing of note being the nine other cots sat pushed up along the walls, each with their own threadbare worn burlap covers and the only light filtered in through the milky glass of a narrow window. The pale ash colored wood planks of the building seemed both old and brand new at the same time in some indescribable way.

The door swung open pulling Pag from his inspection and he arched a brow at the towering figure that stepped through the doorway and trudged up to him.

The towering figure sighed and pulled out a purple leather bound book then held it out. “Name is Neal. Don't ask what I’m here for, I won't ask you. No, that's not my full screen name so no I wont show up on your friends list and no I won't give you the full screen name. Since you’re new to both this place and the game in general his book will give you all relevant lore so you don’t need to bother asking. If you ask about something that was covered in this book we won't bother answering. Don't let the guards or priests see that, you will get in trouble. You’ll be on the day shift with me and the boys, it seems you’re lucky our shift just ended. We get an hour after each shift to unwind before we’re given chores to do around the camp then its dinner followed by lights out. We get up in the morning, meet with the clerics who put a minor blessing on us, the buff will keep some of the things in the forest away, then we get breakfast and our rations for lunch before heading to the forest. Each inmate here has a set amount of time they have to serve but they also have to gather a minimum amount of fruits each day. While you can eat these fruits and there is no specific rule against it, I highly advise that you don’t do it. They hold raw unprocessed mana in them and you never know if they are the same type or in some cases types as what is in your body or how potent they may be. I’ve seen what happens to normal fighter type classes who ate them, I can only imagine what happens when a magic class eats them. Best case scenario? You get higher than a kite while spewing magic all over the place. Worst case?” Here he stopped talking and mimicked the sound of an explosion while motioning with his hands.

Having apparently finished he turned, trudging over to a cot and flipping into it. Pag stood there for a moment before looking down at the book and frowning.

<*Note this edition of the book is the unsanctioned edition and differs greatly from the edition that the priests of Tynoril have issued. Read it to learn forbidden or lost lore. Caution! Carrying this item can lead to Major legal consequences if caught. Alternatively you may opt to turn the book in to the warden and inform them of who gave you the item for a reward and reputation gain however you will lose reputation with all prisoners or corrupt prison overseers if you do.>

Pag blinked, quietly thanking Neal and carefully sat on his cot to read.

First Era :

* Translators note, His name and any relevant imagery has been obscured in every document we have located thus for

???*, stared into the nothingness that surrounded him and ached with loneliness. Despite having a brother he felt unheard, unloved, and undesired. As time passed ??? began to grow in wisdom, patience and power and it is with these things that he became the father of mortals, creatures, Gods, and Goddesses. ??? wove the cosmos from the bitter tears that he had wept in his loneliness giving them a measure of his power so that they shone. As he looked upon the glittering this he smiled and showed his brother. ???’s brother scoffed and mocked him for wasting his gifts this way. Wishing for someone to share his creation with, he created mortals of all shapes and sizes, happily watching as they lived their lives in the day, then fell asleep telling incredible stories to explain the lights in the skies each night. ??? Delighted in the stories so much that he began to realign them, even forming some of the heroes and creatures with them from the stories the mortals told. While none were close to accurate the stories were creative and brought a measure of happiness to ??? each time they were told or a new one invented. As time passed ??? began to become uneasy, noticing how his brother edged ever closer to the mortals radiating greed and hate in equal measure. Finally ??? pushed his brother aside and far away from the mortals, creating beings entirely unlike those who dwelled on the planet far below. Weary and fearful ??? told his newly born divine children to go unto the mortals, his first born, and guide them as he needed to rest lest he fail to fend off his Brother Textos who had long envied his creations despite mocking them. His brother preferred to horde his power rather than apply it, create with it or share it with others. Like all good children they happily jumped to do as he asked, assuring him they would not fail. However while he slept, recovering from the effort to create the cosmos and all that dwelt within, his brother slipped past him and found a mortal who was much like himself, envying his brothers many gifts and bounties. Textos began to whisper in the man's ear, promising him that if only he did his bidding he would grant him all that his brother had. For years the man fought the temptation but Textos was patient and persistent. Finally the man gave in and swore to do as Textos wished, with this Textos left the mortal world telling the man he would return when it was time. Textos began to fill the land with wild creatures that hunted the mortals down or warped them in horrifying ways. He spread disease, misinformation, created droughts and famine, whipped up devastating storms, pulled the spark of power ??? had gifted them from their souls so they could no longer weave spells, and began to call out to the divine children ??? had left to watch over the mortals begging them to play.

When ??? awoke he looked upon the world and began to fret, the mortals were being influenced in uneven and unpredictable ways by his children while his brother horded his gifts leading to many of the mortals being unaware of his existence.

Bothys had launched the humans into a terrible war, turning them from their intended philosophical debates and pursuits to all out atrocities, wrath and rage. The war became so bad that those who still held some of the philosophical intentions left the continent in search of a new place to live.

Following Bothys' actions Idona and her husband Thurtris became overwhelmed attempting to collect mortal souls and guide them to their new lives, or if the soul was too damaged to its final resting place. Many souls sought refuge in objects and other people because Idona could not collect them while many children were stillborn because Thurtris could not place them all fast enough.

Zedite had began attempting to expand his influence and thereby the ocean, swallowing two entire swathes of land leaving many islands so ??? threw him into the deepest depths of the ocean, placing a massive shelf of rock over him to hold him but sought to rectify other issues before pushing the ocean back.

Havrasil and Zudea had destroyed one of the two moons, knocking chunks into the blackness of the void and into the ocean while they wrestled after an argument. The debris that had not fallen to the mortal plane below now hung throughout the vast void, the power that had once held it in one coherent piece now bleeding out as light.

His twins Mahena and Runha had been living amongst the reptilian-like island people who had settled on the broken remnants of the moon that had once sat on a massive salt plane only to be surrounded by encroaching ocean tides. Here the two sat in on their courts to offer judgment of laws and criminals no matter how small the alleged crime. Mahena, the elder, urged absolute punishment regardless of circumstances seeing law as a black and white subject. If they were guilty, they were guilty. Runha urged for compassion, rehabilitation and forgiveness, stating that oftentimes circumstances were what lead to the issue. That man didn’t intentionally kill his father, he had simply acted in self defense when his father had drunkenly attacked him in the night. That child only stole because their parents had died in the storm while their siblings had fallen ill and all their coins went to purchasing medicine for them with nothing left for food. The two often fell upon each other in these sessions, unable to see the opposing perspectives and angry that the other seemingly refused to see theirs. Those who agreed fighting alongside them, often cases were decided by the victor of the fight rather than evidence. For the strife that his children had wrought he sealed the two to two of the universal laws of space and time so that they may never meet again despite being right next to each other yet allowing them the opportunity to see things from the others perspective.

It is in this time that Textos returned to the man who had grown bitter and cold hearted in his old age, blaming much of his own failings and shortcomings on his brother. He handed him a spear of pure darkness and ordered the man to slay ??? brother when he came down the next day. The man watched as ??? stood among the local mortals attempting to calm them and the man boiled with anger reminded of his brother. He approached ??? and with a great thrust plunged the spear into his back so hard it exited his chest, the spear head biting deep into the ground. Blood flew out in such force that even the tiniest of droplets landed far across the world. The power contained within the blood quickly blossoming into powerful fruits, merging with metal ores deep within the ground or merging with once frail beasts. These are now often referred to as spirit fruits, spirit ores and spirit beasts and each contain a measure of ??? vast power. The man did not strike a fatal blow, however, merely pinning ??? to the ground. Textos railed at the man, angry at the mortals failure and unwilling to risk his existence by coming down to finish the job. Quickly Textos wove intricate layers of runes around his brother then turned to the mortal and said that though the man would receive what he wished most he and all those descended of him would now have to ensure that ??? never got free from where he was now or they would be punished. The man spewed lies to those that would listen about how ??? had intended them as slaves and enlisted all those around him to build up a mountain of a prison around ??? weaving spells with the very magic ??? had gifted them to hold him tight. Once this was complete those who had helped him congratulated him and thanked him for working to lock the evil away despite how old he had grown during their efforts. One by one they stepped forwards with gifts and vows of loyalty. It was with this that he became the first official King of Mankind. His kingdom took his name, Draggor, and began to spread out claiming much of the surrounding land to better hide the location of the prison that held ???. Textos has since worked to suppress all knowledge of ??? to prevent him from gaining followers and thereby power to break free. Be aware reader in your travels for the fickle divine children of ??? take many forms but are unable to lie about their names. If you come across any of them or their favored exercise extreme caution for it is unknown if any still harbor any allegiance to Textos and many still war with one another. As names have power and can often tell you much about a person it is important that you insist on getting the true name of all those you deal with rather than allowing them to push it off even if you do not truly believe there is a possibility that they may be one of ??? children or their favored. It is important to note that often they will offer an answer such as “You may call me Joane” in an attempt to obscure their identity and giving any power over them away.

Nakruer: God of Shadows. Favored by rogues, assassins, thieves, or any who who must use some form of stealth.

Senos: God of the Harvest, Fall and bounty.

Zedite: God of the oceans

Onthir : God of the Skies

Lidos: God of the mountains.

Ilmas: God of pleasure and spring

Oelia : Goddess of Miracles, Music, and Triumph

Mahena : Goddess of Law and time

Runha : God of Law and space

Bothys : Goddess of Destruction, war, the lost

Thurtris : God of the Dead

Idona : Goddess of Death

Zudea : God of chaos and trickery

Havrasil : God of Summer, Alcohol, Light and Cheese

Textos : God of Fall, knowledge and the Void.

Thalin : God of Dreams

Second Era:

In the early years of the second era the island on which Mahena and Runha had came down was contested by both the Kingdom of Draggor and the infantile yet rapidly growing Kingdom of Soohan. In a desperate attempt to put an end to the dispute the Elven people attempted to summon a god into mortal flesh to give them the edge they needed against both the humans and rapidly growing population of the reptilian people however the spell backfired. The magical feedback hitting a full third of their population and forcing them to take on a new draconic aspect, the other two thirds saw their mana channels forcefully torn open by the feedback. With their mana channels now decimated, their mana suffused every cell in their body rather than simply their core center allowing them a larger mana pool and far greater control but making them entirely dependent area with dense ambient mana.

The mana feed back from this spell also had devastating consequences for other races as well. The Quang who were at ground zero of the blast, attempting to aide the soldiers of Draggor in overwhelming the elves of soohan while they were in the middle of their ritual were struck and fundamentally altered as well. Those that had access elemental based magic lost their original forms, they were torn away by the element that they had the highest affinity for, while their mana crystallized into a gem that embedded itself in their soul. They were now elemental creatures who could, if they chose, take on a humanoid form that was only given away by the crystallized mana gem now embedded in their soul usually appearing over their heart or in their forehead. These individuals were renamed the Patala and deemed lesser than the Quang who still held their original forms. Since this event the Patala have taken on a near slave like existence to the unchanged Quang, being indebted to their oppressors from the moment of their birth despite. Despite their superior magical capabilities they are often physically weak and oftentimes the Quang will place seals that limit their accessing mana.

Perhaps the most notable change to the world after ??? was sealed away was the effect that Zedite wrought upon the ocean, making it rage and spawning countless horrors in its depths. This actions has rendered it impassable thus locking the Kingdoms of Draggor, Soohan and the Lunar Empire to the region and cutting off all trade with the other continents such as-.

“Guard incoming” a weaselly voice hissed pulling Pag from the book.

“Is it chore time already? Or we getting inspections?” another sighed

“Too early for chores and that don’t look like one of the guards. I think it may be the warden.” replied another.

Pag hurriedly stored the book in his inventory, furrowing his brow in confusion when he noticed everything in his inventory was gone though he was thankful they had allowed him to keep his clothes. Dismissing the inventory window he noted that many of the other occupants in the bunkhouse still had their own mismatched sets too. In fact the only exception was one lone and very well muscled figure who lounged idly on their cot with only a worn loin cloth on as if posing for the front of a magazine. Studying the man he saw they had an odd combination of elven and human features. His eyes jumped from the pointed ears, to high cheek bones and thick flowing locks of an elf then to the deep set hooded eyes the color of chocolate, to strong cleft chin and wide shoulders of a Draggor man who had spent many years doing hard work. Pag grimaced, quickly looking away when the muscled man looked at him and winked with a knowing smile. Shaking his head Pag frowned, he hadn't been aware that you could pick a hybrid race, then again with as many choices as there were in classes he probably shouldn’t be surprised. It probably was an option that he hadn’t been offered due to his early ejection from the tutorial, or maybe it was something you had to unlock once with in the game. He added it to the list of things he would have to look into, if it was something you had to pick at the beginning then it was unlikely something that he would bother with after all the stuff he had already went through with this character.

The door swung slowly on silent hinges and the occupants of the bunkhouse around him all took a sharp collective inhale, pulling Pag from his thoughts. A thin wiry figure in plain linen clothes stepped in and looked around with cold dark eyes.

“Evening warden. What can we do for you?” Neal said lazily stretching as he stood up.

Cold eyes swept over each of them in turn for long lingering moments before leaning against the door frame with a sigh. “What can you do for me? Honestly, nothing. However we have an issue. One of the night crews stumbled into what we had assumed to be hog weed last night. Returned covered in the sap and bristles with burns already forming even in the weak dawn light. Turns out it wasn't hog weed. Burns are far worse than what they should be and it seems that its not actually the sun light that makes the sap burn more but the moonlight. Physicians think it may have been Lunar Lace, looks and acts a lot like it but reacts to moonlight and magic. We need a crew to take their place and if possible get clippings so we can confirm what it is. If it is contained then we mark it as a no go area, if it is spreading then we need to exterminate it. I thought I’d offer it to you and your crew before the others since most of you have the longest sentences. Taking this shift would count as double time towards time needed to complete your sentence and you’ll get extra rations.”

“I assume we’ll still have to work our normal shift tomorrow as well?”

“Yes, but you will be given extra time between shifts to rest up.”

“How much extra time?”

“Instead of the usual two hours between shifts going out we will give you four, it's the most we can manage without an uproar, or risking an incursion. After tomorrow it will be your rest day, I can arrange for some of the normal chores your crew does to be shifted elsewhere.”

“How long will the other crew be out?” the weaselly voice interjected from one of the cots.

“We’re hoping they will be up and running again tomorrow night but if they aren’t then you will have the first option again as well, same deal. Double time counted towards time served, extra rations, less chores. Though if they’re still out after that I wont be allowed to offer it again, it'll have to be another team that does it. Have to avoid riots and the pencil pushers will only let me clear so much of each prisoners sentences like that before they try to start pushing to send the really bad prisoners here again.”

“Yeah we don’t want another shade to break out, or worse. I can't speak for the others but I’m in, I'll do both nights if need be.”

The warden sighed and nodded, thanking each of the others in the room by name as they accepted the offer then blinking and turning to Pag with an arched brow.

“So you’re telling me that if I go out tonight then again on the normal shift tomorrow followed by tomorrow night I’m done?” Pag asked.

The wardens narrowed thoughtfully as he looked at Pag then nodded. “That’d be correct. Though since you are new, and a magic user at that, I’ll tell you why you are getting double time. It’s not that you’re pulling an extra shift. It’s that it is more dangerous in true night than the faux twilight that we spend much of the day in. Your thoughts, your fears, your nightmares can take on a life of their own outside the runescript boundary formations that protect the camp. Just like night anywhere else you have a very high chance that any spell you cast will go wild, backfiring or just outright not working. While that may not sound much different than anywhere else on the continent at night, here those things seem to be amplified especially if you do not have a high level of piety and focus. If you have low levels in these I suggest you avoid casting spells. As you are here on one of the lowest level charges you will need to return with at least three spirit fruits on each of your outings or you will be penalized. Any penalty goes on your record, and each added to your record means more time served and less rations. If you garner too many penalties they may send you somewhere worse.”

“Also you would technically be doing excess time if you ended up going out both nights, if that happens we’ll see about getting you something like some reputation, or a few extra coins. I can’t offer anything solid as to what or how much, I’d need to get it approved first but I’ll make sure you get something.”

The warden's proposition hung in the air, the implications of the time dilation suddenly hitting Pag with the force of a rogue spell. His gaze flickers to his HUD, his mind racing as he compares the local time in Ludere Online with the real-world time displayed in a smaller window. A strange mix of apprehension and exhilaration stirs within him. He's been logged in for a little over an hour, but in the game world, it's already approaching nightfall.

Barely a full day had passed in here, though with everything that had happened it seemed like so much longer. He thought, his mind struggling to grasp the concept and weigh the situation before him. The warden's offer took on a whole new dimension. By accepting the night shift, he could potentially serve his entire sentence within a single real-world night. He could be free to explore the world, to search for Mark, and still have plenty of time before his shift ended or before he had to worry about being automatically logged out.

The idea is both tempting and unsettling. It felt like he had discovered a cheat code, a way to bend time to his will. But there's a nagging unease that whispers warnings he can't ignore. What are the long-term consequences of this distorted time flow? Clearly there was the possibility of some if the patch notes were any indication. He would also definitely need to keep it in mind if he was offered a timed quest.

Pag looked back at the warden, his initial hesitation dissolving into a firm resolve. "I'll do it," he says, his voice steady despite the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in his mind. He'd accept the challenge, the risks, and the incredible potential that this extra shift and the time-bending game had to offer him.