That's a well-known issue. When you get that message, it means that the server controlling the NPCs is currently down. It usually only takes a couple of minutes to restart...
Please try to do a search on the forums before you post next time, as this questions crops up again and again. Also, please read the documentation, as this issue is clearly mentioned in the
FAQ on the main site.
Cheerio and give my regards to the rats
![Tongue :P](https://www.hydlaaplaza.com/PlaneShift/smf/Smileys/custom1/tongue.gif)