GETTING STARTED
FOR NEW PLAYERS
FOR NEW PLAYERS
Table of Contents:
- Important Links
- Introduction
- Getting Help
- Tutorial Island
- Lore Synopsis
- Roleplay Systems
- Profession Systems
- Currency System
- Useful Commands
- F.A.Q.
Important Links:
- Community Pillars: Who we are and what we stand for.
- Server Rules: Requirements and guidelines for behavior.
- Terms of Service: Relevant legal information.
Introduction:
Welcome to Realms of Echoes, a Minecraft and forum-based fantasy-medieval roleplaying community. We were founded in 2023 in a released Alpha stage of development. In late 2024, ownership of the community transferred and we entered the Beta stage of development with a fundamental rework of existing lore and plugins. Our goal was to create a basis that was totally unique from stereotypical settings with support from hand-curated plugins and mechanics. Since then, our community has continued to steadily grow and change for the better, as our driven staff team is committed to continuous improvement and cooperation with the player base.
As defined in our Community Pillars, one of our core values is collaboration. We believe that it forms the bedrock of quality roleplaying experiences, as all good stories are the product of a multitude of voices contributing to a rich and dynamic worldscape. As such, we actively encourage our playerbase to take the reins into their own hands. Create your own roleplay and the server will respond. Participate in hosted events and the server will respond. You are encouraged to try anything and everything; all sincere effort will be rewarded with the opportunity to succeed, and if what you want doesn’t exist, we will work with you to make it happen.
Getting Help:
Identifying a Staff Member:
In order to receive the help you need, it may be necessary to reach out to a Staff Member from a specific team. We have six Staff Teams on Realms of Echoes: Administration, Technical, Moderation, Story, Community, and Design. Each team is assigned certain responsibilities and authority over areas of the community necessary for the work they do. On the server and on the website, Staff Members have colored names that represent their teams. Admins are purple, Technicians are orange, Mods are blue, Story is green, Community is pink, and Design is yellow. Also, on the Discord, special symbols prefix Staff Member’s usernames.
Administration Team:
Helps the Owner run the server. Their duties and responsibilities are all encompassing. Each administrator leads one of the staff teams, however every admin is empowered to have a say and a hand in all areas of the community.
Technical Team:
Develops the website, plugins, bots, and more. These individuals are our coders, devs, modellers, and triage team. They keep our server alive, and full of unique and interesting mechanics.
Moderation Team:
Develops and enforces the rules, pillars, and ToS. Mods also help the admins manage mechanical systems, currency, adminshops, and other non-roleplay server systems.
Story Team:
Develops the lore and lore systems, and runs events. Story members also review cApps and other roleplay applications, including Nobility and Guild, and work with the admins to plot the overarching roleplay chronicle.
Community Team:
Reviews applications, manages new player guides and systems, and helps new players integrate into the community. Certain Community Team members also create art and advertisements, including other PR work.
Design Team:
Creates builds on the server, assists the Story Team with events, manages NPCs, progressively updates the city and worldscape, and manages holidays and celebrations.
General Questions:
If you have a basic question, are confused by something, would like to make a suggestion, or have a concern with something you can receive support by doing one of the following: (1.) DMing a Staff Member, (2.) making a question thread in our Discord in #help-and-questions, (3.), making a suggestion thread in our Discord in #suggestions, or (4.) asking openly in our Discord in #general and receiving a response from someone in the community.
Filing a Report:
If you would like to open an investigation against a Player or Staff Member for violating the rules, pillars, or ToS you can do one of the following: (1.) File a Player Report or Staff Report on the forums, (2.) privately DM a Moderator, or (3.) privately DM an Admin.
When you are reporting someone, please make sure you include all of the following information:
- Your Minecraft Username and Discord Username
- The Minecraft and Discord Usernames of any witnesses/bystanders
- The Minecraft and Discord Username of the person or people you are reporting
- A brief description of what occurred, when it occurred, and where it occurred
- A list of the rules you believe were violated
- Any relevant evidence (screenshots, video, audio)
-- When submitting video or audio evidence, please attempt to include at least 30 seconds prior to and after the violation occurred in order for Staff to understand the context of the incident
- Any additional details you would like to share
The Ticket System:
On our server we have a ticket system to help you receive support with moderation issues, permissions issues, events, housing, and other general inquiries. To use this plugin, please type /ticket create (type your question or request), then a GUI will open prompting you to select which area of the server your ticket applies to: Moderation, Community, Story, or Other. Select the applicable area and wait. As soon as possible, a Staff Member will claim your ticket and assist you.
Report Links:
- Player Reports: To use the forums to report a player.
- Staff Reports: To use the forums to report a staff member.
Tutorial Island:
When you first log on to our server, you will spawn on Tutorial Island. This special location has been set up to walk you through our systems and features. You are strongly encouraged to fully traverse Tutorial Island, speaking with all NPCs and reading all signage so that you completely understand how our server works. If you run into any errors or issues, please contact a Staff Member.
Lore Synopsis:
The world of Cealdun is in turmoil. A terrible cataclysm is laying siege to the planet. The few mortals and creatures still alive scramble to survive, seeking refuge in few and far between safe havens. One such a sanctuary is Vaelyn, capital of the Exaltunate, where the people’s holy leader has created an aegis against the storms and violence. This is the axis of your world as a player, where all roleplay is centralised in and around the capital city.
At the beginning, six racial choices are available to you. Although some of these races, referred to as the Six Primal Kin, are inspired by classical fantasy, a sincere effort has been made to make them unique from Tolkienesque patterns. This effort in coordination with our emphasis on player agency allows for an enormity of creativity with the design of your character. You are free to customize their appearance and behavior quirks within the broad range of options provided by each race.
The city of Vaelyn is the capital of the Exaltunate of Eldria, a divine-imperial sovereignty supposedly ruled by a living deity. A faith called the Ohr is built around worship and reverence of the ruler and a culture called Valgan reflects the ruler’s mannerisms from the old world, before the founding of Vaelyn. However, a diversity of faiths and cultures exists in Vaelyn, as the city is a melting pot. The city government is managed by the Voicari Council and the Undercrown, and other administrative cogs.
Note: At this stage in our Beta development (updated: January 1, 2025) the lore is still undergoing a full and fundamental rewrite. Every piece of lore and every system that requires a lore basis is being altered. This section of this document will be edited in accordance with the progress of the rewrite. If something hasn’t been rewritten yet, please default to using the old system. If you cannot find the old system, ask a Staff Member for help.
Further Reading:
- Materia & Immateria: The basis of reality; how it all works.
- Age of Exaltation: Recent history before the present situation.
- The Maelstrom: History relevant to the current world state.
- Racial Overview: A synopsis of the races, full race lore is available here.
- The Exaltunate of Eldria: The city government, culture, religion, and other information
Roleplay Systems:
Similarly to the creative freeform provided for the races, Realms of Echoes does not restrict characters to linear classes or constraining mechanics. Instead, characters are assigned a basic set of Attributes, primary and secondary, to allow them to interact fully with the world and in combat scenarios. In combat, characters are able to use special abilities and moves called Techniques that can be changed out on a daily basis. Techniques can be improved through roleplay and events.
A hand-crafted chat, stats, and rolling plugin called RPSuite is live on the server to provide a better mechanical basis for our systems. RPSuite provides local and global chat settings both for roleplay and out-of-character, including chats for environmental emotes and events. Quiet conversation in roleplay has a chance to be muffled and a language system exists for characters to interact in different tongues. RPSuite also manages character profiles and cards, Attributes, and rolling.
Magic is currently undergoing a rewrite, however it exists and is used on the server by certain players and in events, and it is imbued into acquirable objects and weapons. At this stage, you are encouraged to learn about magic in roleplay, and by interacting with players that have it and with events. Unique creature-types, referred to as Grims, also exist, however this system is also undergoing a rewrite. If you have questions about Magic or Grims, please reach out to a Story Team member.
Mundane items can be renamed and lored to provide flavor to your roleplay. You do not need an approved cApp in order to create a renamed and lored roleplay item. You are able to use Minecraft formatting prefixes in order to bold, italicise, and recolor the item name and lore. Issue the command /ie to see the full list of subcommands to alter an item. You cannot attach special powers or abilities to an item without an approved cApp.
Further Reading:
- RPSuite: Our chat, stats, and rolling plugin and all of its commands.
- Statistics & Combat: Our Tier, Attribute, and Techniques systems and combat system.
- Character Creation: How to set up your roleplay character (important, this is not optional).
Professions Systems:
A system of mechanical professions exists to supplement roleplay, allowing you to acquire interesting items and materials out in the world. We have mechanical professions for fishing, mining, woodcutting, farming, archaeology, and foraging.
Fishing:
Right click with a fishing pole in any body of water to interact with the minigame.
Mining:
Right-click sparkling nodes in mining profession areas with an iron pickaxe to interact with the node.
Woodcutting:
Right-click sparkling nodes in woodcutting profession areas with an iron axe to interact with the node.
Farming:
Right-click crops in farm areas with an open hand to harvest crops. Not all crops in these areas will be harvestable.
Archaeology:
Right click “suspicious sand and gravel” in archaeology profession sites with an archaeology trowel to interact with the minigame. You might find some treasure!
Foraging:
Right click foraging nodes in random areas across the wilderness with foraging gloves to harvest goods.
Brewing:
You can create alcoholic drinks by discovering unique recipes composed of special and default items you can acquire around the city and wilds. To create a drink, combine ingredients in a cauldron over a lit fire or magma block. To age/ferment a drink, create a barrel (4x4 stair configuration with a sign with the text 'Barrel' on line four). To store a drink, interact with a cauldron or barrel with an empty glass bottle. Due to the roleplay orientation of our community, certain mechanical features of this plugin have been disabled.
PvE:
You can fight mechanically against bandits, monsters, and other enemies in the wilds. You are encouraged to prepare with durable weapons, armor, and food before attempting to clear a camp. Even better if you bring some friends! If you are successful, you may find some useful loot. These PvE camps are placed sporadically around the wilderness, but be careful, the further out you venture the more deadly your environment becomes.
Currency System:
Currency is referred to as Quint. You can view the Quint you are carrying on your person by typing the command /quint. We have a banking plugin that allows you to safely store your Quint, protecting it in the event that you die mechanically. Type the command /bank to view your bank balance.
To store Quint in a bank, interact with a Banker NPC at a bank location in the city of Vaelyn. Doing so will open a GUI window with prompts to deposit, withdrawal, and check your balance. If you wish to interact with the bank in roleplay, make a /ticket for Story.
Useful Commands:
Basic Commands:
/spawn Warps you to the server spawn point on the bridge into Vaelyn.
/ticket create (description) Opens a GUI to select the relevant Staff Team, then opens an in-game support ticket.
/vote Provides the vote links. Each successful vote awards you 2 Quint!
Essential Chat Commands:
/ooc Allows you to speak globally in out-of-character.
/looc Allows you to speak locally in out-of-character.
/rp Allows you to speak locally in-character.
Essential Model Commands:
/gsit Sets your Minecraft model to sit.
/gcrawl Sets your Minecraft model to crawl, allowing prone movement.
/glay Sets your Minecraft model to lie down.
Essential Item Lore Commands:
/ie rename (new item name)
/ie lore add (lore)
/ie lore insert (line number) (lore)
/ie lore remove (line number)
Essential Shop Commands:
/chestshop create (username) Shift + Right Click to edit your created shop.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Mechanics FAQs:
Q: How do I create a link sign?
A: Place a sign and type on the first line: {{X}}
Replace the ‘X’ with the forum post code. You can acquire the code by checking your search bar at the top of your browser while you have the forum post page open. You’ll find that there is a three or four digit number at the end of the URL. This is the number you want to replace ‘X’ with. Then, you can type as you would like below the first line to provide context to the link.
Q: How do I set up my character card in-game?
A: Type /newchar and then type /newchar confirm. Then, follow the prompts in the GUI that pops up on your screen. For a full guide on character creation, please read this guide.
Q: Is money (Quint) per character or account?
A: Currently, it is per account. Our development team will rectify this in the near future.
Q: How do I earn money (Quint)?
A: You can earn Quint through roleplay, interaction with professions systems, opening a shop or selling to an Admin Shop, and voting.
Q: Can I PvP?
A: Only in extremely rare circumstances. PvP will never be generally permitted on the server, however stated events may allow PvP as one component of the experience.
Systems FAQs:
Q: How do I level up a Technique?
A: Train in a variety of ways in roleplay, take screenshots, and post a cApp. Upgraded Techniques require that an additional Technique Slot be dedicated to it. For example, a Tier 2 Technique would require two Technique Slots to be active.
Q: Can I claim land outside of the city?
A: No, not at this time.
Q: How do I receive support for an event?
A: The Story Team may provide support for a player-run event. Usually, this is given to Nobles and official Guilds.
Q: How do I start a guild?
A: You can do so immediately and if you’d like you can make an organization post on the forums. To be officially recognised as a guild and receive Staff support in events, you are required to have an approved Guild Application.
Q: How do I become a Noble?
A: You are required to have an approved Noble Application.
Q: How do I acquire a house/home?
A: Make a /ticket for Moderation and a Staff Member will add you to the region. Housing is free. However, you are required to have your character sheet posted on the forums first and your character card set up in game.
Q: How do I open a business/stall?
A: Make a /ticket for Moderation and a Staff Member will add you to the region. Stalls are free. However, you are required to have your character sheet posted on the forums first and your character card set up in game.
Q: How do I acquire Magic?
A: Pending completion of the rewrite, Magic is limited. You are required to find a Teacher in roleplay to begin the learning process.
Roleplay FAQs:
Q: I want to do something creative/original, but I’m not sure if it’s allowed in the lore. What should I do?
A: It never hurts to ask. You can do one of the following: (1.) Make a /ticket for Story or DM a Story member with your idea, or (2.) Make a rApp on the forums to receive lore-related special permissions.
Q: How do I acquire a permit (Brandishing, Magic, Science)?
A: Speak to one of the following characters or NPCs:
- Vaelguard Officer, Consul (Brandishing)
- Sixfold Primogen (Magic)
- Scholar’s Guild Member, Hospital Director, Consul (Science)
You may also make a /ticket for Story to coordinate a time to roleplay with an NPC.
Q: Where are the slums?
A: We do not have slums. Vaelyn is a post-utopia city that does not currently have a need for slums. However, small areas of the city currently resemble encampments serving three purposes: (1.) Temporary shelter for newly arrived refugees, (2.) Free hostel accommodations for travellers and civilians who opt not to acquire a house, and (3.) Temporary bedding for labourers working long shifts or doubles.
Q: Can I leave the city to explore the wilderness?
A: Yes, to a certain point. There is a strict world border set up to reflect the border of The Firmament, which protects Vaelyn from The Cataclysm. To explore further or interact with a wilderness event, please contact a Story Team member.
Q: Is 'X' against the law in Vaelyn?
A: Read this document to understand Vaelyn's laws and regulations.