Intro to Exploring
Often the first thing that new players want to do when they enter the game is explore the world. While this is entirely your decision, remember that if you wander outside the city gates you are likely to encounter dangerous creatures that can kill your character, permanently. We highly recommend spending some time in the city first, and the place where you first log in is usually (except in the case of the Labyrinth) a gathering area for players.
This guide assumes you've read the Walkthrough , it follow the same conventions as that guide.
Looking Around
First, you can always >look, or >l, or >look room to see where you are at:
>look
The Gladiator and the Gaj Tavern -- Public Dormitory [W, Quit]
   This spacious chamber provides a place for the public to sleep for
free. The floor is covered with tens of soiled, greasy blankets and
makeshift beds provided by their occupants. Crude insignia and drawings
have been scrawled on the agafari walls, etched with knifepoint or drawn
with charcoal. The stench of unwashed humanoid bodies mingles with the
tantalizing scent of cooked meat wafting in from the bar and restaurant
to the west. The carru-hide tarp hanging over the archway to the west
hardly muffles the dull roar of the crowd. Though the conditions in the
dormitory are quite dingy, it is certainly better than sleeping on the
dangerous streets of Allanak.
The title tells you where you are, and the information in square brackets tells you what directions you can go from here. In this case, W for west, and you can also quit in this room.
You can also type >exits to see where you can go.
>exits
Visible exits:
West - The Gladiator and the Gaj Tavern -- Main Room
Further, you can look in directions, such as >look west (which can be abbreviated to simply >l w).
>l w
A tarp to the west leads to the Gladiator and the Gaj Tavern -- Main Room.
The tarp is open.
[Near]
The angular, silver-eyed man is here, leaning casually against a wall.
The brutally-scarred orange dwarf sits here at a table, drinking heavily.
A dark-skinned human barkeep stands behind the bar.
The lean, sun-reddened woman laughs as she talks at a large table here.
The hairy, dark-skinned woman watches the room from beside the bar here.
The towering, golden-haired half-giant is here, crouched beside a table.
Here you find out more about that exit to the west. First, there is a tarp that is open. Like doors, curtains, or other things you will find in game, the tarp can be used to block or unblock the doorway from people being able to look or move in that direction, by typing >open tarp or >close tarp.
[Near] means that what follows describes what is in the room immediately adjacent. If there were more rooms in a straight line to the west, you might also see [Far] or [Very Far]. How far you can see depends on how much light there is, and (if you are outdoors) whether you are in a sandstorm or clear weather.
You also see any PCs (player characters) or NPCs (non-player characters) that are in the next room.
Moving around:
Direction
Movement Options:
When you saw the room description above, you probably noticed letters in the brackets after the name of the room [W, Quit]. These give you clues as to which directions in which you can move.
To move to another room, you can simply type the direction you want to go, in this case >west or just >w. You can also add some personality to this by adding an emote to the command, for example:
>w (sauntering along)
Sauntering along, the young, brown-haired human walks west.
(This is what the people in the room you just left see.)
The young, brown-haired human has arrived from the east, sauntering along.
(This is what the people in the room you're entering see.)
Now we're in:
The Gladiator and the Gaj Tavern -- Main Room [N, E, S]
Speed
In addition to the default walking speed, you can sneak and run. While sneaking, you are moving slower and trying not to be noticed, and if someone does see you doing it, that might be considered suspicious and react accordingly. Running allows you to move faster at a greater cost of stamina points.
Climbing
Sometimes going in a direction will require a climbing check in order to achieve it, and failure can bring pretty drastic consequences. Your best bet is to look in a direction before you move, especially if you are uncertain. There should be hints in the room or direction descriptions indicating a climb is necessary.
Quitting
When you're done playing for the day, you will want to >quit. But you can't just quit in any room, you will need to find a sleeping area (unless you have chosen a class that allows wilderness quitting, who can quit anywhere). You began the game in such a room, which is usually the 'dormitory' area of a tavern.
Tip: You can tell if a room is ok to quit in, if it has 'Quit' in the brackets after its name.
Other common quitting locations are in stables, just outside the gates of population centers, player apartments that you can rent, or in the barracks of clan compounds (once you have joined a clan).
Not ready to 'quit' yet? Communication will teach you how to emote and interact with other players in game.