Terminology

[Gaia]

A list of common terminology that may pertain to the RP:

Elder Tale
Using a sword and magic world as its theme, it is the largest online game in the world. With its proud 20 years of history, it is an MMORPG loved by its hardcore players. Produced by Ataruva Inc.

Unfounded Kingdom
The name of Elder Tale's United Kingdom server in this RP, released during the Novasphere Pioneers expansion. It is important to note that prior to this expansion, the UK was part of the Scandinavian server. The release of the Unfounded Kingdom server provided the nation with a fresh start, advertised with a brand new storyline. As such, all players began their adventure from scratch, in an unknown land that seems to resemble the country. It is currently unknown as to how the People of the Land organize themselves, for despite the setting of their server, there seems to be no ruling leader in sight...




Adventurer
A term describing all Elder Tale players, the player's own identity. You can set your height, class, and race at the beginning of the game. It is mainly used by the NPC when addressing the players.

Aggro
Also referred to as Hate. This game term refers to the concept of attracting monster attention, so that they focus their attacks on you. Thus, if you should 'draw aggro,' that means the monster has shifted attention away from other targets and is now beginning to attack you. Understandably, tank classes which naturally spec in high HP and defense are the ones who strive to maintain aggro in order to keep their teammates safe. Outside of skills that generate aggro, it is passively gained through damage dealt, as well as the effects of healing; skills that bring back HP, but also state that aggro is generated, may even sometimes exceed aggro generated by a tank's skills, if not properly managed.

Ancient times
The setting by the developers of the online game Elder Tale, a term for the fallen civilization in the past. It is based on the real world civilization and technology. The abandoned metros and buildings are the legacy of ancient times. Supposedly the world the players are stuck in is not Elder Tale itself, but another world?

Anima
The force of energy that gives a living being life, harnessed directly in healing spells. Comprises HP. Detailed more here.

AP
In the context of this world, AP works as the experience point value for the Unfounded Kingdom. It may be a remnant of the game's original nature of ranking individual skills and thus some refer to it as Ability Points. However, Adventurers have found that AP seems to be randomly generated throughout their daily lives, not only through combat but also through crafting and exploration, so the name of "Activity Points" has been popularly suggested. These may be the two most common suggestions. No one seems to know the truth, however. In the RP, 1 AP = 250 words in a post.

Catastrophe
The incident where Elder Tale players are trapped in the game world. The day the 12th expansion pack 'The Novasphere Pioneer' went live, all 30,000 Japanese players who were online was trapped. It is currently unknown how many people were logged into the new United Kingdom server at the time, since it was a new server where data was not yet accurately recorded. Interchangeable with "Apocalypse" and many other dramatic-sounding synonyms.

Class
It decides the player's battle ability in Elder Tale. When a player starts the game, they can choose from 12 unique classes, categorized into warrior class, weapon-based class, healer class and mage class. The Unfounded Kingdom features two more classes that have been discovered thus far. Along with this choice of "main class," subclasses are also available. 

DPS
Damage per second, a value often calculated by players when analyzing the system mechanics and determine the best course of action for playstyle. DPS Classes are thus considered to be classes which contribute to most of the damage dealt to an enemy. They have a stereotypical tendency to be somewhat fragile in exchange for their damage rating.

Elemental
The combat system within Elder Tale uses an elemental system as one factor determining damage. It is a standard system that classifies attacks into non-elemental and elemental categories, with the elementals themselves split up into three additional categories. The first category is described as the Classical Trinity, which consists of the elements Fire, Ice, and Lightning. It is most commonly harnessed by Sorcerers. The second category is the Nature Trinity, composed of the elements Water, Wind, and Earth, all of which are usually under the Druid class's specialty. Finally, the remaining two elements of Light and Darkness form the Spiritual Duality. Attacks of light elemental are commonly found in certain class skillsets such as the Cleric, while attacks of the darkness attribute are fairly rare and are most commonly used by powerful monsters.

Fairy Ring
A transport device located in the plains just outside of the cities. The transport location used to be affected by the lunar cycle back when Elder Tale was still a game. If you use it at the wrong time, there is no way of knowing where you would go. The gate has been essentially nonoperational ever since the beginning of the Apocalypse. With surfing the internet for guides out of the question after the Catastrophe, almost no one was able to use them. However, it has recently been activated by a mysterious power that is speculated to be caused by Stonehenge's awakening and defeat. In order to access a Fairy Ring, one must first physically venture to the area and attune to its mana trails.

Guild
A group formed by multiple players, members can contact each other easily to go on adventures together, it is easy to trade items too. Many players join guilds to take advantage of its convenience.

Half Gaia project
The project Elder Tale implemented with the goal to recreate the world with half its scale. Its shape and geography is similar to real earth, but distances have been shortened to half, and the area is only a quarter.

Magitech
Originally developed by the Alvian civilization, technology that has been increasingly developed through Adventurer ingenuity and concepts of modern engineering. In actuality, magitech consists of anything that uses the major element of mana as a fuel source in order to function. Magitech weapons are devices that are designed to either replicate the complicated rituals of magic spells or to concentrate the normally ethereal mana into densities that allow for damage to occur. This is done by the mana overloading the body's natural balance and eliciting feelings of pain and fatigue enough to cause incapacitation.

Miasma
The antithesis of anima and psyche, a corrupting force of energy and negative emotions formed from malicious rituals. Detailed more here.

People of the Land
The way NPC call themselves. Their number has grown a lot after the Catastrophe, they need to eat and sleep. If you do not use your status menu to confirm, it is hard to differentiate them from other players.

Psyche
The force of energy that governs mental intelligence and consciousness. Comprises MP and known in its larger unit as mana. Detailed more here.

Subclass
Have no direct relation to battling, but a convenient skill to have while playing the game. Compared to the 12 classes, there are over 50 subclasses, from convenient jobs to joke subclasses, it has a wide variety mixed in. Within the Unfounded Kingdom, players have the opportunity to take both a crafting and a roleplay subclass. Crafting subclasses enable the Adventurer to create special items through integrating preset recipes with their own ingenuity, while roleplay subclasses typically serve to augment the Adventurer's playstyle.

Tank
Character builds that prioritize on taking the largest amount of aggro in order to protect their teammates from being targeted by attacks. They are stereotypically known for being bulky in terms of HP and defense in order to sustain extended periods of damage. Guardians and Samurai follow this playstyle. While Monks possess the HP, they lack defense stats but serve as a tank through dodging and distracting enemies.

Zone
A term to describe an unit of area. It might cover a plain, a dungeon, a city, even a hotel, or some small areas, can be purchased at the displayed price.

Since this RP is based upon a setting with heavy MMORPG themes, here is a link to additional terminology commonly used in MMOs and gaming.