No longínquo ano de 2005, fui contactado por um rapaz que queria fazer um jogo PHP em inglês baseado nas Crónicas. O jogo chamou-se Avatar e permitia escolher uma de quatro raças, humano, eahan, thuragar e antroleo, cada uma com as suas respectivas vantagens e desvantagens.
A ideia era matar bichos e ter mais pontos que outros jogadores, e o jogo ficou-se pela fase embrionária, embora tenha tido uma fase de testes e um fórum com um punhado de utilizadores, um dos quais bastante insistente em que eu me juntasse ao clã dele. Insistente ao ponto de me mandar umas quatro mensagens privadas, a última das quais a perguntar-me por que motivo eu me tinha inscrito no jogo, se não respondia (respondi-lhe que estava lá só a testar o jogo, e a conversa ficou por aí). O meu contributo ficou-se pela descrição das bichezas com que os jogadores se poderiam deparar, e encontrei hoje esse texto por acaso, enquanto remexia nas pastas de arquivo:
- Moorenglade rat: Corrupted by the foul influence of the Moorenglade swamp, this is definetly not your ordinary rat. Still, you won’t really get much credit for killing one.
- Wolf: There aren’t really that many wolves left in Allaryia, so you were probably itching for a fight if you do meet one.
- Vegear: This plantlike humanoid won’t really bother you, unless it hasn’t gotten much sun and water and is looking for nutrients. In that case, its wooden claws might spell trouble.
- Latvonian bandit: This dirty, ragged, tough-looking rogue is out to get your money, and maybe your life.
- Ulkekhlen: A small, hunched, subterranean humanoid, ever ready to waylay travelers from its burrowed hideout. They hate thuragar with a passion, and their powerful claws tear through soil and flesh with equal ease.
- Thuragar warrior: Armor, attitude, and a big hammer. If you want to pick a fight, he’s your thuragar.
- Udagai: Bitter humanoids exiled by the Anathema, also known as «flayers». This foe may very well be wearing the skin of your friend so he can strike you unawares.
- Eahanoir assassin: Clad in dark leather, his stilettos are out to get you.
- Drahreg brigand: The vile drahreg roam along the countryside, armed with cruel steel and a deeply mean-spirited attitude to boot.
- Shura: This eahan is a warrior of the wild, serving the Mother. His arrow has your name, so attack at your own risk.
- Shionna: A wily seductress with mauve skin and yellow eyes, she will feed off your emotions if you are not careful.
- Nycataal: Batlike humanoids, their screech can rob a hardened warrior of his balance, and their saliva-coated scythelike weapons might make one bleed to death.
- Boaroar: A powerful, boarlike humanoid. You’ll be hard pressed to sneak up on him, for even though he’s dirtier than you, he can smell you from quite a distance.
- Selenn: Silvery creatures of the dark, they prey upon unwary travelers, attracting them with the vision of their dreams or passions and draining them of their lifeforce with their swansong.
- Haghral: Sons of the wicked harahan, these emaciated, diseased humanoids can feel your rage, revel in it, and turn friends into enemies.
- Laonese paladin: This man knows how to use a sword, but is not likely to fight you, unless you insult the lord he serves. Are you sure you want to?
- Fated: Men and women who gave their souls to the Anathema, they are now moved by a strength beyond the grave, and very hard to kill.
- Namuriquan veteran: This old mercenary is tough as nails, and attacking him may very well be the final one in your coffin.
- Nekkr: This disease-ridden humanoid strikes when you least expect it from a feverish intermediate realm of perception, moaning incoherentely and raking with unclean nails.
- Rogue mage: Power corrupts, and this mage is a living, dangerous proof of that.
- Harahan: Deadly women capable of walking the shadows, harahan are very strong, agile, and capable of cutting their opposition to ribbons with their clawlike nails.
- Ogroblin: Huge monsters with inflatable snouts, jutting tusks and apelike arms, which wield weapons whose sheer size can unman their opponents.
- Moorul: Dead warriors given new life by the Anathema, capable of draining the essence of the living with their touch and of instilling a mortal fear with their gaze. The porous steel of their weapons can suck the blood of their fallen opponents, revitalizing them.
- Bladened: This human warrior wields the deadly Essence of the Blade, which makes him a veritable killing machine. Be afraid.
O criador do projecto estava na iminência de entrar para a faculdade, e sentia-se que era o tipo de iniciativa que acabaria por morrer, mas fiquei-lhe reconhecido na mesma por ter dedicado o seu tempo a algo baseado na minha obra. Por isso, JP, se estiveres a ler isto, tudo de bom.