This difference between the male and female introductions illustrates a marked difference between Age of Conan and other fantasy themed RPGs. "We're really embracing our 'M' rating," Godager says to me as I explore the character creation system. Key to the aesthetic that the Funcom development team is using for Age of Conan is the idea that Conan's Hyborea is far removed from your standard-issue Tolkien-esque pseudo-medieval-Europe fantasy world. Hyborea is brutal, savage, dark, and lush world filled with decadent civilizations battling with brutish nations, monsters out of a Lovecraft nightmare, and the raw sexuality of oiled-up barbarians and chicks in chainmail. Some of that isn't terribly pretty, though. This is a world where slavery, murder, blood sports, human sacrifice, dark magic, and barbarism are utterly unquestioned facets of human existence.