First time playing Arena

Hoping this topic can be a place for others embarking on new characters in Arena.

I have no idea how to play this game.

I've been stuck in "Jehanna" for two real-time days. lol.

I was able to get to level 4 coming out of the the first dungeon/jail. After some trial and error I made sure to explore the entire jail area.

My character is a "Mage."

I've noticed that the worst thing you can do is "rest" in random places - The game tends to generate a really tough foe that wakes you up. The times I've died are when I "rested" in an unsafe place.