Dark and Shattered Lands is of the few well-populated roleplay-mandatory muds out there these days, though its population has dwindled over the past few months from about 150-200 average players at any point to about 125 on average.
It's extraordinarily well-maintained and well-implemented, especially when one considers the tendency of most mud implementors to go "over the top"--that is, to allow players to be a treant wizard vampire with laser eyes and a raygun protruding from their forehead, simply because it sounds like a cool idea. There's a high degree of realism maintained in DSL, at least as high as one can get from a fantasy MUD, and roleplay and politics are extremely important, partially as a result of the sheer number of players. It's entirely free, as is any good mud in my book.
DSL also has one of the most modified (and most intelligently modified) versions of the DikuMUD code out there. It's a multi-continent world with thousands and thousands of rooms, and lots of entirely new skill systems and commands. However, it's not as complicated to start out on as many muds seem to be. Newbies do not find themselves burdened with too much to learn at once.
Unlike many muds, its guild system is based upon five primary classes: Mage, Cleric, Warrior, Thief, and Bard, and over a dozen reclasses (some of which are dependent upon your class alone, others being dependent upon your clan or other factors). DSL is set in the fantasy world of Algoron. It is very loosely based upon the DragonLance series of novels.
Clan Specific Reclasses: Bladesinger, Eldritch (Shalonesti, elf-only), Battlerager, Runesmith (Wargar, dwarf-only), Paladin (Knighthood, good human only), Shadow Knight and Shadowmage (Shadow, evil human only), Necromancer, Transmuter, Invoker, Battlemage (Conclave, mage only);
Also: Monk -- This is reserved for characters with the special (and rare) gift of manatonicism.
The Races:[]
Human (sub-races: half elf, half ogre)
Goblins (sub-races: goblin, hobgoblin, bugbear)
Kender (a race of childlike people)
Elves (sub-races: Shalonesti or "High" elves, wild elves, sea elves)
Dwarves (sub-races: mountain dwarves, hill dwarves, dark dwarves)
Ogres and giant ogres
Gnomes (tinker gnomes and deep gnomes)
Minotaur (honor-bound humanoid cows)
Yinn (reclusive, prideful anthropomorphised dogs--furries need not apply! no tail-wagging is permitted)
REMORTS:[]
Remorts exist in DSL. They are extremely difficult to obtain, and one must be around for far longer than the helpfiles would imply. Don't expect to get one, ever--it's just better that way.
EVIL:
Black Dragon
Blue Dragon
Green Dragon
Red Dragon
White Dragon
Demon Lord
Lesser Demon
Fire Giant
Giants die once and are gone for good. So they try their best not to die at all. Dragons, demons, angels and balances have a finite number of lives as well.
CLAN OVERVIEW:[]
(Note: The clans have been simplified and condensed, after the "God wars"--there was a period of reorganization that was held up with the roleplay of many clans being demolished in a period of war which lasted a few weeks. The Slayers, Gypsy, Pirates, Malice, Armada, Valor and Eclipse were all destroyed and replaced with Bloodlust, Justice, and Talon. The Conclave was centralized during this period). The GOOD:
Knighthood - Good, traditionally lawful order of humans. The knights serve Nadrik, the god of honor, under Austinian.
Justice - Chaotic good. They harbor outcasts, thieves, and assassins who all believe that doing the work of good can get... dirty.
The BAD:
Shadow - Evil, traditionally lawful order of humans. The counterpart, of sorts, to Knighthood, though they actually spawned as an offshoot of the Eclipse (now defunct). They serve Necrucifer, the god of darkness.
Bloodlust - Generally chaotic evil with a sect of lawful evil elites. They are quick to go to war, and kill for sport.
The WISHY-WASHY:
Conclave - A three-clan conglomerate of the White, Red, and Black Robes, each of which is representative of its alignment's god of magic (Kantilles, Sebatis, and Drakkara, respectively). They are a place of magical study, and as such have their three clan-specific magical reclasses. These are now all one clan in that their foreign policy and leadership is more centralized, but they have three different towers on Althainia (White), Arkania (Black), and Icewall (Red). They share a common room of rest.
Shalonesti - The clan of elves. There is a Shalonesti kingdom as well, which is related, but not the same.
Wargar - The clan of dwarves. They and the elves are mostly concerned with fighting one another.
Talon - A "self-serving militant order of trained soldiers". They pattern themselves after the dragons of Algoron, and take host to one dragon patron. Considering how rarely some dragons play (due to fear of dying, perhaps, or something similarly stupid), there tends to be some rotation that occurs here.
KINGDOM OVERVIEW:[]
On the Althainian continent:
Althainia - The leading economic kingdom in the world. Traditionally powerful and neutral (though often leaning towards goodliness).
New Thalos - A Sultan and Sultana lead these people. Arabian Flavor. Traditionaly good.
Shalonesti - The elven kingdom of legend. Always a Shalonesti Elf as King or Queen. Traditionally good.
Thaxanos - The Dwarven kingdom from northern Althainia.
On the Arkanian continent:
Arkane - The mystical kingdom of western Arkania. Traditionaly neutral.
Verminasia - The famous evil Kingdom on Arkania.
Balifore - The Kender kingdom from the continent of Arkania.
Marauders - A group of conquerors out to defeat any kingdom they see fit. Traditionaly an neutral evil group.
On the continent of Icewall:
Ganth - The Minotaur Kingdom on the continent of Icewall. A strong roleplay kingdom, as it is imm-ruled.
Nordmaar - The celtic kingdom located on southern Icewall. Human only. Imm-ruled.
Gruntz - The Ogre Empire from eastern Icewall. (This kingdom is no longer a playable kingdom and is now entirely defunct).
No kingdoms presently exist on the island of Tropica or Shokono (the two other continents of Algoron).
The Gods and Goddesses of Algoron:[]
The Gods of Good:
- Austinian, the Father of Good
Kantilles, the God of Good Magic
Nadrik, the God of Honor
Siccara, the Goddess of Healing
Taliena, the Goddess of Love and Happiness
Kadiya, the Goddess of Peace
The Gods of Neutrality:
- Kwainin, the Maintainer of Balance
Cliath, the God of Creation
Sebatis, the God of Neutral Magic
Zandreya, the Goddess of Nature
Turpa, the Goddess of Weather
Raije, the God of War
(One must not necessarily be neutral to follow Zandreya, Turpa or Raije, though they are essentially neutral gods).
The Gods of Evil:
- Necrucifer, the Master of Darkness
Drakkara, the Goddess of Dark Magic
Fatale, the God of Murder
Dragoth, the God of Disease and Decay
Devion, the God of Mischief
Mencius, the God of Vengeance and Rage
Overall:[]
DSL is a roleplay-mandatory environment, but as one might guess since it has a clan system, player-killing is also encouraged within that system. Roleplay, however, is still encouraged (if not, in many cases, even more reinforced) within that system, and it is a major part of what makes the game fun.
This is all the general information I can think to supply concerning DSL. If anyone else would like to append to it, please feel free to do so.