Originally posted by Xalthar
Who said it was \"newbies only\"??
And I wouldn\'t call it \"hell\" either, since it would be a place ALL new players start, and a place to gain a bit of experience (if you want to) before you head out in the \"real world\"...
It would only be an \"offer\" to new players, you could just skip it, if you felt like it, and start out as \"the gods made you\" 
The \"hell\" comment was a joke

. Although, it certainly would be hell to some people. But why would any experienced character in their right mind want to goto the newb area? Unless, of course, they wanted to assist.
Anyway, if they designed a newb area, you\'d imagine the \"safe zones\" near the starting towns, where newbs usually train, would be more difficult. So, I\'d say that even if wasn\'t required, you would certainly be at a disadvantage not to take the offer.