Alex became aware of the vast emptiness surrounding him. Confused he had thought he was supposed to be going to a new world. As those thoughts came to mind however a voice broke through his reverie.

“Welcome Alex. Before you are released to start in your new life you need to decide how you will start.” A soft feminine voice filled his head. As she spoke a light filled the darkness and a figure stood illuminated by the glow. The body was his, everything he recognized from how he woke up that morning except it was clad in odd rough cloth underwear. What was even stranger was that next to the avatar of his body was what could only be described as a stat screen.

Name: Unknown

Level: 1, 0%

Age: 32

Race: Unknown

Alignment: Neutral

Languages: Basic…

Reputation: 0 – Nobody knows nobody cares

Stats

Health: 100/100

Stamina: 100/100

Mana: 100/100

Attributes

Strength: 8

Agility: 8

Dexterity: 8

Constitution: 8

Endurance: 8

Charisma: 8

Intelligence: 8

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 8

Resistances

Skills

Marks

None

None

None

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Abilities

Unbound Possibilities – While the inhabitants of Arath are constrained by rules limiting how they can grow and what they can learn you have been blessed by Danu to be unbound. These limits guide you but do not constrain you.

Linguist – You have the capacity to know, understand, and speak any mortal language

Studying the screen brought up multiple questions. How was his name unknown? He was Alex wasn’t he? And his race was unknown? Well yes, he had never done one of those genetic things to find out where he came from, but shouldn’t it just be human if it's like a game or book?

“Um, hello? Who are you? And you said I needed to decide how I start. What do you mean by that.” He tried to look around but found, much to his disturbance, he didn’t have a body or form more just a perception and that was focused on what was before him.

Once more the pleasant voice filled his head. “You may call me system. I am the guiding overview for the world and assistant to the gods. You need to decide what race you will start as and what the inhabitants of the world will know you as. It is recommended, since you are coming from another world that you keep your true name, that which you know yourself as, secret as it could provide others with power over you.”

Alex would have collapsed into a seat if he could. This was seriously overwhelming even if it matched so many of his stories, he had never really figured it would happen to him. That was all just fantasy, wasn’t it? “Ok I suppose I should start with race, what choices do I have for races?”

“The races of Arath are many and varied. Basic races include Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome and Halfling. Many of which have sub-elements to them. Advanced races are not normally allowed for starting selection due to qualifying conditions but include variations of half celestial, demonic, draconic, and elemental” System responded to his inquiry. “Though you are unbound you do not meet any of the pre-requisites to qualify for advanced races.”

He pondered her response for a while weighing the options given the limited facts he had. “Can you tell me more about the races, so I have an idea of what each consists of?” He finally asked.

System responded as though reading from a guidebook, her tone was bright but straight forward. “Humans – The youngest of the races to Arath. They are one of the shortest lived but have the most opportunities as they don’t have racial constraints placed upon them. They can progress in any skill or profession that they have an affinity with. Commonly found within cities and towns, they are a social people for the most part”

She paused for a moment and Alex could have sworn that if this wasn’t non-corporeal, he would have heard her turning a page. “Elves – One of the oldest races, along with the dwarves, of Arath. Elves tend toward magical skills and professions. They have very structured societies and roles. Young often know their place from birth and do not seek outside of their station. Societal structures range from forest villages to grand cities.”

Again, she had the slight pause before continuing. “Dwarves – Along with the elves are one of the oldest races. Hardy folk often found in the depths of the lands. They excel in crafting and mining. The subsets found above ground lean towards commerce however and while have hints of their deeper kin’s skills and knowledge are not as proficient as them. The deep dwarves carve vast kingdoms in their mines and caves while the surface dwarves create towns and villages to promote their trade”

“The last common race is the Halfling. Though not as young as the Humans, Halflings are newer to Arath and their origin is disputed. These folk are nomadic by nature and have no known settlements.” She had a strange inflection on the word known, “Found in small groups they are traders and explorers by nature. Their skillsets often align with those traits lacking knowledge in anything that requires long term stability to achieve.”

Alex waited for a while before asking after she had finished speaking. “Is that all? There is nothing more detailed to help me decide what to choose?” When he was met with continued silence he mentally sighed and spoke. “Given that information, I suppose I will stick with what I know best and remain human.” And with those utterances his stat sheet updated, and the form of the avatar became slightly more… real as if it was taking on form not just concept. He thought again for a while, the idea of naming his character wasn’t strange to him but the fact that this was going to be HIS name took a minute to consider. He was going to be stuck with whatever moniker he chose. Finally, a mental smile formed, and he spoke again. “Arath shall know me as Xavier!” He spoke the name with the form he was more familiar with, and it came out sounding like ZAY-vee-ur. The fact that it was not too dissimilar from one of his nicknames from his youth would also help him to respond to it when others spoke to him while he transitioned to the new world. Once more his stat sheet updated, and a small fanfare sounded in his head.

A much more grandiose voice spoke as soon as the changes finished “Welcome Xavier to Arath. The path is now set before you. Will you crush your enemies, topple kingdoms and empires, and leave a path of destruction and pain? Or will you unite the peoples, overthrow despots, and raise up a glorious new standard for good? Know this, though you may be one your choices can shape the world if you live long enough to do so.” With that, everything went black, and Xavier lost consciousness once more.