Background

When the power of Sauron began to grow again in the Third Age, five great Wizards arrived to combat the evil. Only three were ever known, Saruman the White - the most powerful, and head of the Istari; Gandalf the Grey, the wisest; and Radagast the Brown, the most at home with Nature. Of the other two, Alatar and Pallando, very little has ever been spoken.

MUME Istari

Within MUME, there are theoretically an unlimited number of Istari, as the Istar Quest is the route a player must take to reach immortality - as such, the istar is considered a "proto-Ainur". The Istari levels are 23 to 25, with a good aligned level 25 Istar being the Head of the Istari Council, the Tan Istar. It is the purpose of the Istari in the game to help low level players.

Istari should be there not only to help gain experience, but to advise new players of simple rules, and to teach them the basics of gameplay.

The Istar Quest

Any player at level 20 or higher, and with a sufficiently high alignment, may opt to take the Istar Quest by sailing west to Valinor, and visiting the Istari Sanctuary, where they may listen to the Ainulindalë. If they are successful, they will be reset to level 21. Their primary role from this point forward is to assist new players. At level 26 or higher, a player may ascend to immortality by again sailing west to Valinor and listening to the Ainulindalë once again.

Once a player undertakes the quest, he has no more than 90 real-life days in which to complete it. A player on the Istar Quest has certain advantages over normal characters - for example, they need no longer consume food or water, their spells become less expensive, and they gain citizenship in all Free Folk towns. They are also magically versed in all languages. As such, and since he is in effect an apprentice immortal, during the quest, the player is bound by far stricter rules than normal characters.

Rules

A player on the istar quest is expected to abide by the strictest standards as regards defence of all that is good.

Istari are expected not to cheat, and to promptly report bugs which could be abused. People on the Istari Quest must not commit evil acts: the slaying of a hobbit child will affect a Metamorph, Elda or Istar far more than it would affect a normal mortal. Nor should an Istar deal in evil items of power, such as mottled cloaks or morgul blades: an Istar should destroy similar items, not use them or encourage their use.

Same-side player killing is strictly forbidden, unless the victim is listed on Saurons List.

Since their main task is to help and protect newbies, Istari, Eldar and metamorphs may not engage actively in the race war, except to defend the strongholds of the west if they are under invasion. Defending Fornost or Bree from an onslaught of Orcs is fine, also encouraged, since it defends the young people of the West. Traveling east with legends to hunt them down in their lairs is not. The job of the Istar is not to seek his/her own personal fame or profit, but to be a source of help and knowledge for the inexperienced. Unless a young character wants your protection on a journey to Rivendell, there should be little reason to be found in the eastern regions.

Murdering an Istar or the Istar's pupils will cause the murderer to be put on Sauron's List. On the other hand, Istari who follow Saruman's path to evil will probably share his fate.

In the past the Valar have let some transgressions of our fledging ainur, known as istar, go without reprimand or serious penalty. This will not be the case any longer. Be aware that failure to adequately complete all conditions of the quest will have serious ramifications. The gift of Eru will be lost. This applies at all levels of the quest, metamorph and istar.

Steps to initiate the Quest

1. Ask Cirdan to 'sail west'
2. When Ciryariel talks to you, mention 'istari'
3. In Valinor, find the room 'Calacirian' and type 'listen ainulindale'

During the Quest

• An Istar only gains experience when leading a group of players in non-Minion lands.
• The more they lead, the more experience they receive.
• They gain more experience from leading novices and champions than heroes. Leading legends provides very little experience.
• You can monitor your remaining time using the time command.
• You can only gain XP in good or neutral zones.

Completing the Quest

• Once you reach level 26, sail to Valinor and visit the Calacirian again.

Miscellaneous Information

Spoiler

• When you initiate the quest you are receiving an Istari wand which is an improved version of a focused staff.
• If you lose the wand (for example because it is looted in pk), you cannot receive a new one. You also cannot create a different focus, so if you want to still have a staff, it must be an unfocused one.
• Clerics are an excellent choice for the Istar quest, because heal/bob/blind can be very useful.

See also: Ainur, Hero, Legend, Metamorph