diff --git a/evennia/__init__.py b/evennia/__init__.py
index 06bcfd8b31..b1442c4985 100644
--- a/evennia/__init__.py
+++ b/evennia/__init__.py
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ EvEditor = None
 
 # Handlers
 SESSION_HANDLER = None
+TASK_HANDLER = None
 TICKER_HANDLER = None
 MONITOR_HANDLER = None
 CHANNEL_HANDLER = None
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ def _init():
     global search_object, search_script, search_account, search_channel, search_help, search_tag
     global create_object, create_script, create_account, create_channel, create_message, create_help_entry
     global settings,lockfuncs, logger, utils, gametime, ansi, spawn, managers
-    global contrib, TICKER_HANDLER, MONITOR_HANDLER, SESSION_HANDLER, CHANNEL_HANDLER
+    global contrib, TICKER_HANDLER, MONITOR_HANDLER, SESSION_HANDLER, CHANNEL_HANDLER, TASK_HANDLER
 
     from .accounts.accounts import DefaultAccount
     from .accounts.accounts import DefaultGuest
@@ -178,6 +179,7 @@ def _init():
 
     # handlers
     from .scripts.tickerhandler import TICKER_HANDLER
+    from .scripts.taskhandler import TASK_HANDLER
     from .server.sessionhandler import SESSION_HANDLER
     from .comms.channelhandler import CHANNEL_HANDLER
     from .scripts.monitorhandler import MONITOR_HANDLER
diff --git a/evennia/commands/cmdsethandler.py b/evennia/commands/cmdsethandler.py
index 2327493524..84ac501729 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/cmdsethandler.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/cmdsethandler.py
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ __all__ = ("import_cmdset", "CmdSetHandler")
 _CACHED_CMDSETS = {}
 _CMDSET_PATHS = utils.make_iter(settings.CMDSET_PATHS)
 _IN_GAME_ERRORS = settings.IN_GAME_ERRORS
+_CMDSET_FALLBACKS = settings.CMDSET_FALLBACKS
+
 
 # Output strings
 
@@ -102,6 +104,16 @@ _ERROR_CMDSET_EXCEPTION = _(
 Compile/Run error when loading cmdset '{path}'.",
 (Traceback was logged {timestamp})""")
 
+_ERROR_CMDSET_FALLBACK = _(
+"""
+Error encountered for cmdset at path '{path}'.
+Replacing with fallback '{fallback_path}'.
+""")
+
+_ERROR_CMDSET_NO_FALLBACK = _(
+"""Fallback path '{fallback_path}' failed to generate a cmdset."""
+)
+
 
 class _ErrorCmdSet(CmdSet):
     """
@@ -351,6 +363,22 @@ class CmdSetHandler(object):
                     elif path:
                         cmdset = self._import_cmdset(path)
                         if cmdset:
+                            if cmdset.key == '_CMDSET_ERROR':
+                                # If a cmdset fails to load, check if we have a fallback path to use
+                                fallback_path = _CMDSET_FALLBACKS.get(path, None)
+                                if fallback_path:
+                                    err = _ERROR_CMDSET_FALLBACK.format(path=path, fallback_path=fallback_path)
+                                    logger.log_err(err)
+                                    if _IN_GAME_ERRORS:
+                                        self.obj.msg(err)
+                                    cmdset = self._import_cmdset(fallback_path)
+                                # If no cmdset is returned from the fallback, we can't go further
+                                if not cmdset:
+                                    err = _ERROR_CMDSET_NO_FALLBACK.format(fallback_path=fallback_path)
+                                    logger.log_err(err)
+                                    if _IN_GAME_ERRORS:
+                                        self.obj.msg(err)
+                                    continue
                             cmdset.permanent = cmdset.key != '_CMDSET_ERROR'
                             self.cmdset_stack.append(cmdset)
 
diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/building.py b/evennia/commands/default/building.py
index 493da73122..c16cb841d0 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/building.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/building.py
@@ -184,7 +184,8 @@ class CmdCopy(ObjManipCommand):
     copy an object and its properties
 
     Usage:
-      @copy[/reset] <original obj> [= new_name][;alias;alias..][:new_location] [,new_name2 ...]
+      @copy[/reset] <original obj> [= <new_name>][;alias;alias..]
+      [:<new_location>] [,<new_name2> ...]
 
     switch:
       reset - make a 'clean' copy off the object, thus
@@ -205,7 +206,8 @@ class CmdCopy(ObjManipCommand):
         caller = self.caller
         args = self.args
         if not args:
-            caller.msg("Usage: @copy <obj> [=new_name[;alias;alias..]][:new_location] [, new_name2...]")
+            caller.msg("Usage: @copy <obj> [=<new_name>[;alias;alias..]]"
+                       "[:<new_location>] [, <new_name2>...]")
             return
 
         if not self.rhs:
@@ -446,7 +448,7 @@ class CmdCreate(ObjManipCommand):
     create new objects
 
     Usage:
-      @create[/drop] objname[;alias;alias...][:typeclass], objname...
+      @create[/drop] <objname>[;alias;alias...][:typeclass], <objname>...
 
     switch:
        drop - automatically drop the new object into your current
@@ -481,7 +483,7 @@ class CmdCreate(ObjManipCommand):
         caller = self.caller
 
         if not self.args:
-            string = "Usage: @create[/drop] <newname>[;alias;alias...] [:typeclass_path]"
+            string = "Usage: @create[/drop] <newname>[;alias;alias...] [:typeclass.path]"
             caller.msg(string)
             return
 
@@ -684,9 +686,9 @@ class CmdDig(ObjManipCommand):
     build new rooms and connect them to the current location
 
     Usage:
-      @dig[/switches] roomname[;alias;alias...][:typeclass]
-            [= exit_to_there[;alias][:typeclass]]
-               [, exit_to_here[;alias][:typeclass]]
+      @dig[/switches] <roomname>[;alias;alias...][:typeclass]
+            [= <exit_to_there>[;alias][:typeclass]]
+               [, <exit_to_here>[;alias][:typeclass]]
 
     Switches:
        tel or teleport - move yourself to the new room
@@ -718,9 +720,10 @@ class CmdDig(ObjManipCommand):
         caller = self.caller
 
         if not self.lhs:
-            string = "Usage: @dig[/teleport] roomname[;alias;alias...][:parent] [= exit_there"
+            string = "Usage: @dig[/teleport] <roomname>[;alias;alias...]" \
+                     "[:parent] [= <exit_there>"
             string += "[;alias;alias..][:parent]] "
-            string += "[, exit_back_here[;alias;alias..][:parent]]"
+            string += "[, <exit_back_here>[;alias;alias..][:parent]]"
             caller.msg(string)
             return
 
@@ -823,7 +826,7 @@ class CmdTunnel(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     create new rooms in cardinal directions only
 
     Usage:
-      @tunnel[/switch] <direction> [= roomname[;alias;alias;...][:typeclass]]
+      @tunnel[/switch] <direction> [= <roomname>[;alias;alias;...][:typeclass]]
 
     Switches:
       oneway - do not create an exit back to the current location
@@ -868,7 +871,8 @@ class CmdTunnel(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         "Implements the tunnel command"
 
         if not self.args or not self.lhs:
-            string = "Usage: @tunnel[/switch] <direction> [= roomname[;alias;alias;...][:typeclass]]"
+            string = "Usage: @tunnel[/switch] <direction> [= <roomname>" \
+                     "[;alias;alias;...][:typeclass]]"
             self.caller.msg(string)
             return
         if self.lhs not in self.directions:
@@ -1025,7 +1029,7 @@ class CmdSetHome(CmdLink):
     set an object's home location
 
     Usage:
-      @home <obj> [= home_location]
+      @home <obj> [= <home_location>]
 
     The "home" location is a "safety" location for objects; they
     will be moved there if their current location ceases to exist. All
@@ -1042,7 +1046,7 @@ class CmdSetHome(CmdLink):
     def func(self):
         "implement the command"
         if not self.args:
-            string = "Usage: @home <obj> [= home_location]"
+            string = "Usage: @home <obj> [= <home_location>]"
             self.caller.msg(string)
             return
 
@@ -1076,7 +1080,7 @@ class CmdListCmdSets(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     list command sets defined on an object
 
     Usage:
-      @cmdsets [obj]
+      @cmdsets <obj>
 
     This displays all cmdsets assigned
     to a user. Defaults to yourself.
@@ -1105,7 +1109,7 @@ class CmdName(ObjManipCommand):
     change the name and/or aliases of an object
 
     Usage:
-      @name obj = name;alias1;alias2
+      @name <obj> = <newname>;alias1;alias2
 
     Rename an object to something new. Use *obj to
     rename an account.
@@ -1322,7 +1326,7 @@ def _convert_from_string(cmd, strobj):
      Python 2.6 and later:
     Supports all Python structures through literal_eval as long as they
     are valid Python syntax. If they are not (such as [test, test2], ie
-    withtout the quotes around the strings), the entire structure will
+    without the quotes around the strings), the entire structure will
     be converted to a string and a warning will be given.
 
     We need to convert like this since all data being sent over the
@@ -1379,6 +1383,7 @@ def _convert_from_string(cmd, strobj):
         # nested lists/dicts)
         return rec_convert(strobj.strip())
 
+
 class CmdSetAttribute(ObjManipCommand):
     """
     set attribute on an object or account
@@ -1398,7 +1403,7 @@ class CmdSetAttribute(ObjManipCommand):
     (if any).
 
     The most common data to save with this command are strings and
-    numbers. You can however also set Python primities such as lists,
+    numbers. You can however also set Python primitives such as lists,
     dictionaries and tuples on objects (this might be important for
     the functionality of certain custom objects).  This is indicated
     by you starting your value with one of |c'|n, |c"|n, |c(|n, |c[|n
@@ -1557,7 +1562,7 @@ class CmdTypeclass(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     set or change an object's typeclass
 
     Usage:
-      @typclass[/switch] <object> [= <typeclass.path>]
+      @typeclass[/switch] <object> [= typeclass.path]
       @type                     ''
       @parent                   ''
       @swap - this is a shorthand for using /force/reset flags.
@@ -1574,7 +1579,7 @@ class CmdTypeclass(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     Example:
       @type button = examples.red_button.RedButton
 
-    If the typeclass.path is not given, the current object's
+    If the typeclass_path is not given, the current object's
     typeclass is assumed.
 
     View or set an object's typeclass. If setting, the creation hooks
@@ -1603,7 +1608,7 @@ class CmdTypeclass(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         caller = self.caller
 
         if not self.args:
-            caller.msg("Usage: %s <object> [=<typeclass]" % self.cmdstring)
+            caller.msg("Usage: %s <object> [= typeclass]" % self.cmdstring)
             return
 
         # get object to swap on
@@ -1674,7 +1679,7 @@ class CmdWipe(ObjManipCommand):
     clear all attributes from an object
 
     Usage:
-      @wipe <object>[/attribute[/attribute...]]
+      @wipe <object>[/<attr>[/<attr>...]]
 
     Example:
       @wipe box
@@ -1695,7 +1700,7 @@ class CmdWipe(ObjManipCommand):
         caller = self.caller
 
         if not self.args:
-            caller.msg("Usage: @wipe <object>[/attribute/attribute...]")
+            caller.msg("Usage: @wipe <object>[/<attr>/<attr>...]")
             return
 
         # get the attributes set by our custom parser
@@ -1727,7 +1732,7 @@ class CmdLock(ObjManipCommand):
     Usage:
       @lock <object>[ = <lockstring>]
       or
-      @lock[/switch] object/<access_type>
+      @lock[/switch] <object>/<access_type>
 
     Switch:
       del - delete given access type
@@ -1747,7 +1752,7 @@ class CmdLock(ObjManipCommand):
     an object locked with this string will only be possible to
     pick up by Admins or by object with id=25.
 
-    You can add several access_types after oneanother by separating
+    You can add several access_types after one another by separating
     them by ';', i.e:
        'get:id(25);delete:perm(Builder)'
     """
@@ -1761,7 +1766,8 @@ class CmdLock(ObjManipCommand):
 
         caller = self.caller
         if not self.args:
-            string = "@lock <object>[ = <lockstring>] or @lock[/switch] object/<access_type>"
+            string = "@lock <object>[ = <lockstring>] or @lock[/switch] " \
+                     "<object>/<access_type>"
             caller.msg(string)
             return
 
@@ -2334,7 +2340,7 @@ class CmdScript(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     attach a script to an object
 
     Usage:
-      @script[/switch] <obj> [= <script.path or scriptkey>]
+      @script[/switch] <obj> [= script_path or <scriptkey>]
 
     Switches:
       start - start all non-running scripts on object, or a given script only
@@ -2360,7 +2366,7 @@ class CmdScript(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         caller = self.caller
 
         if not self.args:
-            string = "Usage: @script[/switch] <obj> [= <script.path or script key>]"
+            string = "Usage: @script[/switch] <obj> [= script_path or <script key>]"
             caller.msg(string)
             return
 
@@ -2561,7 +2567,7 @@ class CmdSpawn(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
 
     Usage:
       @spawn
-      @spawn[/switch] prototype_name
+      @spawn[/switch] <prototype_name>
       @spawn[/switch] {prototype dictionary}
 
     Switch:
diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/help.py b/evennia/commands/default/help.py
index a66d198f40..715f0ad17d 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/help.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/help.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from evennia.utils.eveditor import EvEditor
 from evennia.utils.utils import string_suggestions, class_from_module
 
 COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS = class_from_module(settings.COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS)
+HELP_MORE = settings.HELP_MORE
 
 # limit symbol import for API
 __all__ = ("CmdHelp", "CmdSetHelp")
@@ -45,9 +46,9 @@ class CmdHelp(Command):
     return_cmdset = True
 
     # Help messages are wrapped in an EvMore call (unless using the webclient
-    # with separate help popups) If you want to avoid this, simply set the
-    # 'help_more' flag to False.
-    help_more = True
+    # with separate help popups) If you want to avoid this, simply add
+    # 'HELP_MORE = False' in your settings/conf/settings.py
+    help_more = HELP_MORE
 
     # suggestion cutoff, between 0 and 1 (1 => perfect match)
     suggestion_cutoff = 0.6
@@ -197,7 +198,8 @@ class CmdHelp(Command):
         # retrieve all available commands and database topics
         all_cmds = [cmd for cmd in cmdset if self.check_show_help(cmd, caller)]
         all_topics = [topic for topic in HelpEntry.objects.all() if topic.access(caller, 'view', default=True)]
-        all_categories = list(set([cmd.help_category.lower() for cmd in all_cmds] + [topic.help_category.lower() for topic in all_topics]))
+        all_categories = list(set([cmd.help_category.lower() for cmd in all_cmds] + [topic.help_category.lower()
+                                                                                     for topic in all_topics]))
 
         if query in ("list", "all"):
             # we want to list all available help entries, grouped by category
@@ -221,7 +223,8 @@ class CmdHelp(Command):
         if suggestion_maxnum > 0:
             vocabulary = [cmd.key for cmd in all_cmds if cmd] + [topic.key for topic in all_topics] + all_categories
             [vocabulary.extend(cmd.aliases) for cmd in all_cmds]
-            suggestions = [sugg for sugg in string_suggestions(query, set(vocabulary), cutoff=suggestion_cutoff, maxnum=suggestion_maxnum)
+            suggestions = [sugg for sugg in string_suggestions(query, set(vocabulary), cutoff=suggestion_cutoff,
+                                                               maxnum=suggestion_maxnum)
                            if sugg != query]
             if not suggestions:
                 suggestions = [sugg for sugg in vocabulary if sugg != query and sugg.startswith(query)]
@@ -230,9 +233,9 @@ class CmdHelp(Command):
         match = [cmd for cmd in all_cmds if cmd == query]
         if len(match) == 1:
             formatted = self.format_help_entry(match[0].key,
-                     match[0].get_help(caller, cmdset),
-                     aliases=match[0].aliases,
-                     suggested=suggestions)
+                                               match[0].get_help(caller, cmdset),
+                                               aliases=match[0].aliases,
+                                               suggested=suggestions)
             self.msg_help(formatted)
             return
 
@@ -240,16 +243,17 @@ class CmdHelp(Command):
         match = list(HelpEntry.objects.find_topicmatch(query, exact=True))
         if len(match) == 1:
             formatted = self.format_help_entry(match[0].key,
-                     match[0].entrytext,
-                     aliases=match[0].aliases.all(),
-                     suggested=suggestions)
+                                               match[0].entrytext,
+                                               aliases=match[0].aliases.all(),
+                                               suggested=suggestions)
             self.msg_help(formatted)
             return
 
         # try to see if a category name was entered
         if query in all_categories:
-            self.msg_help(self.format_help_list({query:[cmd.key for cmd in all_cmds if cmd.help_category==query]},
-                                                {query:[topic.key for topic in all_topics if topic.help_category==query]}))
+            self.msg_help(self.format_help_list({query: [cmd.key for cmd in all_cmds if cmd.help_category == query]},
+                                                {query: [topic.key for topic in all_topics
+                                                         if topic.help_category == query]}))
             return
 
         # no exact matches found. Just give suggestions.
@@ -263,6 +267,7 @@ def _loadhelp(caller):
     else:
         return ""
 
+
 def _savehelp(caller, buffer):
     entry = caller.db._editing_help
     caller.msg("Saved help entry.")
@@ -274,6 +279,7 @@ def _quithelp(caller):
     caller.msg("Closing the editor.")
     del caller.db._editing_help
 
+
 class CmdSetHelp(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     """
     Edit the help database.
@@ -305,7 +311,7 @@ class CmdSetHelp(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
     help_category = "Building"
 
     def func(self):
-        "Implement the function"
+        """Implement the function"""
 
         switches = self.switches
         lhslist = self.lhslist
@@ -327,7 +333,7 @@ class CmdSetHelp(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         # check if we have an old entry with the same name
         try:
             for querystr in topicstrlist:
-                old_entry = HelpEntry.objects.find_topicmatch(querystr) # also search by alias
+                old_entry = HelpEntry.objects.find_topicmatch(querystr)  # also search by alias
                 if old_entry:
                     old_entry = list(old_entry)[0]
                     break
@@ -350,12 +356,12 @@ class CmdSetHelp(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
             else:
                 helpentry = create.create_help_entry(topicstr,
                                                      self.rhs, category=category,
-                                                     locks=lockstring,aliases=aliases)
+                                                     locks=lockstring, aliases=aliases)
             self.caller.db._editing_help = helpentry
 
             EvEditor(self.caller, loadfunc=_loadhelp, savefunc=_savehelp,
-                    quitfunc=_quithelp, key="topic {}".format(topicstr),
-                    persistent=True)
+                     quitfunc=_quithelp, key="topic {}".format(topicstr),
+                     persistent=True)
             return
 
         if 'append' in switches or "merge" in switches or "extend" in switches:
@@ -399,21 +405,21 @@ class CmdSetHelp(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
                 self.msg("Overwrote the old topic '%s'%s." % (topicstr, aliastxt))
             else:
                 self.msg("Topic '%s'%s already exists. Use /replace to overwrite "
-                        "or /append or /merge to add text to it." % (topicstr, aliastxt))
+                         "or /append or /merge to add text to it." % (topicstr, aliastxt))
         else:
             # no old entry. Create a new one.
             new_entry = create.create_help_entry(topicstr,
                                                  self.rhs, category=category,
-                                                 locks=lockstring,aliases=aliases)
+                                                 locks=lockstring, aliases=aliases)
             if new_entry:
                 self.msg("Topic '%s'%s was successfully created." % (topicstr, aliastxt))
                 if 'edit' in switches:
                     # open the line editor to edit the helptext
                     self.caller.db._editing_help = new_entry
                     EvEditor(self.caller, loadfunc=_loadhelp,
-                            savefunc=_savehelp, quitfunc=_quithelp,
-                            key="topic {}".format(new_entry.key),
-                            persistent=True)
+                             savefunc=_savehelp, quitfunc=_quithelp,
+                             key="topic {}".format(new_entry.key),
+                             persistent=True)
                     return
             else:
                 self.msg("Error when creating topic '%s'%s! Contact an admin." % (topicstr, aliastxt))
diff --git a/evennia/comms/models.py b/evennia/comms/models.py
index c0168150f1..fc2afb82d5 100644
--- a/evennia/comms/models.py
+++ b/evennia/comms/models.py
@@ -483,8 +483,10 @@ class SubscriptionHandler(object):
         self._cache = None
 
     def _recache(self):
-        self._cache = {account : True for account in self.obj.db_account_subscriptions.all()}
-        self._cache.update({obj : True for obj in self.obj.db_object_subscriptions.all()})
+        self._cache = {account: True for account in self.obj.db_account_subscriptions.all()
+                       if hasattr(account, 'pk') and account.pk}
+        self._cache.update({obj: True for obj in self.obj.db_object_subscriptions.all()
+                            if hasattr(obj, 'pk') and obj.pk})
 
     def has(self, entity):
         """
@@ -576,14 +578,23 @@ class SubscriptionHandler(object):
                 are puppeted by an online account.
         """
         subs = []
+        recache_needed = False
         for obj in self.all():
-            if hasattr(obj, 'account'):
-                if not obj.account:
+            from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
+            try:
+                if hasattr(obj, 'account'):
+                    if not obj.account:
+                        continue
+                    obj = obj.account
+                if not obj.is_connected:
                     continue
-                obj = obj.account
-            if not obj.is_connected:
+            except ObjectDoesNotExist:
+                # a subscribed object has already been deleted. Mark that we need a recache and ignore it
+                recache_needed = True
                 continue
             subs.append(obj)
+        if recache_needed:
+            self._recache()
         return subs
 
     def clear(self):
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/README.md b/evennia/contrib/README.md
index 0208b86920..ed3c048c32 100644
--- a/evennia/contrib/README.md
+++ b/evennia/contrib/README.md
@@ -31,8 +31,6 @@ things you want from here into your game folder and change them there.
   multiple descriptions for time and season as well as details.
 * GenderSub (Griatch 2015) - Simple example (only) of storing gender
   on a character and access it in an emote with a custom marker.
-* In-game Python (Vincent Le Geoff 2017) - Allow trusted builders to script
-  objects and events using Python from in-game.
 * Mail (grungies1138 2016) - An in-game mail system for communication.
 * Menu login (Griatch 2011) - A login system using menus asking
   for name/password rather than giving them as one command
@@ -41,6 +39,8 @@ things you want from here into your game folder and change them there.
 * Menu Login (Vincent-lg 2016) - Alternate login system using EvMenu.
 * Multidescer (Griatch 2016) - Advanced descriptions combined from
   many separate description components, inspired by MUSH.
+* Random String Generator (Vincent Le Goff 2017) - Simple pseudo-random
+  generator of strings with rules, avoiding repetitions.
 * RPLanguage (Griatch 2015) - Dynamic obfuscation of emotes when
   speaking unfamiliar languages. Also obfuscates whispers.
 * RPSystem (Griatch 2015) - Full director-style emoting system
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ things you want from here into your game folder and change them there.
 
 * EGI_Client (gtaylor 2016) - Client for reporting game status
   to the Evennia game index (games.evennia.com)
+* In-game Python (Vincent Le Goff 2017) - Allow trusted builders to script
+  objects and events using Python from in-game.
 * Tutorial examples (Griatch 2011, 2015) - A folder of basic
   example objects, commands and scripts.
 * Tutorial world (Griatch 2011, 2015) - A folder containing the
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/extended_room.py b/evennia/contrib/extended_room.py
index e4391ee531..244f2b5e48 100644
--- a/evennia/contrib/extended_room.py
+++ b/evennia/contrib/extended_room.py
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ class CmdExtendedDesc(default_cmds.CmdDesc):
             if self.switches and self.switches[0] in ("spring", "summer", "autumn", "winter"):
                 # a seasonal switch was given
                 if self.rhs:
-                    caller.msg("Seasonal descs only works with rooms, not objects.")
+                    caller.msg("Seasonal descs only work with rooms, not objects.")
                     return
                 switch = self.switches[0]
                 if not location:
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/ingame_python/scripts.py b/evennia/contrib/ingame_python/scripts.py
index 1a1800c6ae..c0885c6008 100644
--- a/evennia/contrib/ingame_python/scripts.py
+++ b/evennia/contrib/ingame_python/scripts.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import traceback
 
 from django.conf import settings
 from evennia import DefaultObject, DefaultScript, ChannelDB, ScriptDB
-from evennia import logger
+from evennia import logger, ObjectDB
 from evennia.utils.ansi import raw
 from evennia.utils.create import create_channel
 from evennia.utils.dbserialize import dbserialize
@@ -101,21 +101,29 @@ class EventHandler(DefaultScript):
         Return a dictionary of events on this object.
 
         Args:
-            obj (Object): the connected object.
+            obj (Object or typeclass): the connected object or a general typeclass.
 
         Returns:
             A dictionary of the object's events.
 
-        Note:
+        Notes:
             Events would define what the object can have as
             callbacks.  Note, however, that chained callbacks will not
             appear in events and are handled separately.
 
+            You can also request the events of a typeclass, not a
+            connected object.  This is useful to get the global list
+            of events for a typeclass that has no object yet.
+
         """
         events = {}
         all_events = self.ndb.events
         classes = Queue()
-        classes.put(type(obj))
+        if isinstance(obj, type):
+            classes.put(obj)
+        else:
+            classes.put(type(obj))
+
         invalid = []
         while not classes.empty():
             typeclass = classes.get()
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/random_string_generator.py b/evennia/contrib/random_string_generator.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cdf38d6831
--- /dev/null
+++ b/evennia/contrib/random_string_generator.py
@@ -0,0 +1,345 @@
+"""
+Pseudo-random generator and registry
+
+Evennia contribution - Vincent Le Goff 2017
+
+This contrib can be used to generate pseudo-random strings of information
+with specific criteria.  You could, for instance, use it to generate
+phone numbers, license plate numbers, validation codes, non-sensivite
+passwords and so on.  The strings generated by the generator will be
+stored and won't be available again in order to avoid repetition.
+Here's a very simple example:
+
+```python
+from evennia.contrib.random_string_generator import RandomStringGenerator
+# Create a generator for phone numbers
+phone_generator = RandomStringGenerator("phone number", r"555-[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{4}")
+# Generate a phone number (555-XXX-XXXX with X as numbers)
+number = phone_generator.get()
+# `number` will contain something like: "555-981-2207"
+# If you call `phone_generator.get`, it won't give the same anymore.phone_generator.all()
+# Will return a list of all currently-used phone numbers
+phone_generator.remove("555-981-2207")
+# The number can be generated again
+```
+
+To use it, you will need to:
+
+1. Import the `RandomStringGenerator` class from the contrib.
+2. Create an instance of this class taking two arguments:
+   - The name of the gemerator (like "phone number", "license plate"...).
+   - The regular expression representing the expected results.
+3. Use the generator's `all`, `get` and `remove` methods as shown above.
+
+To understand how to read and create regular expressions, you can refer to
+[the documentation on the re module](https://docs.python.org/2/library/re.html).
+Some examples of regular expressions you could use:
+
+- `r"555-\d{3}-\d{4}"`: 555, a dash, 3 digits, another dash, 4 digits.
+- `r"[0-9]{3}[A-Z][0-9]{3}"`: 3 digits, a capital letter, 3 digits.
+- `r"[A-Za-z0-9]{8,15}"`: between 8 and 15 letters and digits.
+- ...
+
+Behind the scenes, a script is created to store the generated information
+for a single generator.  The `RandomStringGenerator` object will also
+read the regular expression you give to it to see what information is
+required (letters, digits, a more restricted class, simple characters...)...
+More complex regular expressions (with branches for instance) might not be
+available.
+
+"""
+
+from random import choice, randint, seed
+import re
+import string
+import time
+
+from evennia import DefaultScript, ScriptDB
+from evennia.utils.create import create_script
+
+class RejectedRegex(RuntimeError):
+
+    """The provided regular expression has been rejected.
+
+    More details regarding why this error occurred will be provided in
+    the message.  The usual reason is the provided regular expression is
+    not specific enough and could lead to inconsistent generating.
+
+    """
+
+    pass
+
+
+class ExhaustedGenerator(RuntimeError):
+
+    """The generator hasn't any available strings to generate anymore."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class RandomStringGeneratorScript(DefaultScript):
+
+    """
+    The global script to hold all generators.
+
+    It will be automatically created the first time `generate` is called
+    on a RandomStringGenerator object.
+
+    """
+
+    def at_script_creation(self):
+        """Hook called when the script is created."""
+        self.key = "generator_script"
+        self.desc = "Global generator script"
+        self.persistent = True
+
+        # Permanent data to be stored
+        self.db.generated = {}
+
+
+class RandomStringGenerator(object):
+
+    """
+    A generator class to generate pseudo-random strings with a rule.
+
+    The "rule" defining what the generator should provide in terms of
+    string is given as a regular expression when creating instances of
+    this class.  You can use the `all` method to get all generated strings,
+    the `get` method to generate a new string, the `remove` method
+    to remove a generated string, or the `clear` method to remove all
+    generated strings.
+
+    Bear in mind, however, that while the generated strings will be
+    stored to avoid repetition, the generator will not concern itself
+    with how the string is stored on the object you use.  You probably
+    want to create a tag to mark this object.  This is outside of the scope
+    of this class.
+
+    """
+
+    # We keep the script as a class variable to optimize querying
+    # with multiple instandces
+    script = None
+
+    def __init__(self, name, regex):
+        """
+        Create a new generator.
+
+        Args:
+            name (str): name of the generator to create.
+            regex (str): regular expression describing the generator.
+
+        Notes:
+            `name` should be an explicit name.  If you use more than one
+            generator in your game, be sure to give them different names.
+            This name will be used to store the generated information
+            in the global script, and in case of errors.
+
+            The regular expression should describe the generator, what
+            it should generate: a phone number, a license plate, a password
+            or something else.  Regular expressions allow you to use
+            pretty advanced criteria, but be aware that some regular
+            expressions will be rejected if not specific enough.
+
+        Raises:
+            RejectedRegex: the provided regular expression couldn't be
+            accepted as a valid generator description.
+
+        """
+        self.name = name
+        self.elements = []
+        self.total = 1
+
+        # Analyze the regex if any
+        if regex:
+            self._find_elements(regex)
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return "<evennia.contrib.random_string_generator.RandomStringGenerator for {}>".format(self.name)
+
+    def _get_script(self):
+        """Get or create the script."""
+        if type(self).script:
+            return type(self).script
+
+        try:
+            script = ScriptDB.objects.get(db_key="generator_script")
+        except ScriptDB.DoesNotExist:
+            script = create_script("contrib.random_string_generator.RandomStringGeneratorScript")
+
+        type(self).script = script
+        return script
+
+    def _find_elements(self, regex):
+        """
+        Find the elements described in the regular expression.  This will
+        analyze the provided regular expression and try to find elements.
+
+        Args:
+            regex (str): the regular expression.
+
+        """
+        self.total = 1
+        self.elements = []
+        tree = re.sre_parse.parse(regex).data
+        # `tree` contains a list of elements in the regular expression
+        for element in tree:
+            # `eleemnt` is also a list, the first element is a string
+            name = element[0]
+            desc = {"min": 1, "max": 1}
+
+            # If `.`, break here
+            if name == "any":
+                raise RejectedRegex("the . definition is too broad, specify what you need more precisely")
+            elif name == "at":
+                # Either the beginning or end, we ignore it
+                continue
+            elif name == "min_repeat":
+                raise RejectedRegex("you have to provide a maximum number of this character class")
+            elif name == "max_repeat":
+                desc["min"] = element[1][0]
+                desc["max"] = element[1][1]
+                desc["chars"] = self._find_literal(element[1][2][0])
+            elif name == "in":
+                desc["chars"] = self._find_literal(element)
+            elif name == "literal":
+                desc["chars"] = self._find_literal(element)
+            else:
+                raise RejectedRegex("unhandled regex syntax:: {}".format(repr(name)))
+
+            self.elements.append(desc)
+            self.total *= len(desc["chars"]) ** desc["max"]
+
+    def _find_literal(self, element):
+        """Find the literal corresponding to a piece of regular expression."""
+        chars = []
+        if element[0] == "literal":
+            chars.append(chr(element[1]))
+        elif element[0] == "in":
+            negate = False
+            if element[1][0][0] == "negate":
+                negate = True
+                chars = list(string.ascii_letters + string.digits)
+
+            for part in element[1]:
+                if part[0] == "negate":
+                    continue
+
+                sublist = self._find_literal(part)
+                for char in sublist:
+                    if negate:
+                        if char in chars:
+                            chars.remove(char)
+                    else:
+                        chars.append(char)
+        elif element[0] == "range":
+            chars = [chr(i) for i in range(element[1][0], element[1][1] + 1)]
+        elif element[0] == "category":
+            category = element[1]
+            if category == "category_digit":
+                chars = list(string.digits)
+            elif category == "category_word":
+                chars = list(string.letters)
+            else:
+                raise RejectedRegex("unknown category: {}".format(category))
+        else:
+            raise RejectedRegex("cannot find the literal: {}".format(element[0]))
+
+        return chars
+
+    def all(self):
+        """
+        Return all generated strings for this generator.
+
+        Returns:
+            strings (list of strr): the list of strings that are already
+            used.  The strings that were generated first come first in the list.
+
+        """
+        script = self._get_script()
+        generated = list(script.db.generated.get(self.name, []))
+        return generated
+
+    def get(self, store=True, unique=True):
+        """
+        Generate a pseudo-random string according to the regular expression.
+
+        Args:
+            store (bool, optional): store the generated string in the script.
+            unique (bool, optional): keep on trying if the string is already used.
+
+        Returns:
+            The newly-generated string.
+
+        Raises:
+            ExhaustedGenerator: if there's no available string in this generator.
+
+        Note:
+            Unless asked explicitly, the returned string can't repeat itself.
+
+        """
+        script = self._get_script()
+        generated = script.db.generated.get(self.name)
+        if generated is None:
+            script.db.generated[self.name] = []
+            generated = script.db.generated[self.name]
+
+        if len(generated) >= self.total:
+            raise ExhaustedGenerator
+
+        # Generate a pseudo-random string that might be used already
+        result = ""
+        for element in self.elements:
+            number = randint(element["min"], element["max"])
+            chars = element["chars"]
+            for index in range(number):
+                char = choice(chars)
+                result += char
+
+        # If the string has already been generated, try again
+        if result in generated and unique:
+            # Change the random seed, incrementing it slowly
+            epoch = time.time()
+            while result in generated:
+                epoch += 1
+                seed(epoch)
+                result = self.get(store=False, unique=False)
+
+        if store:
+            generated.append(result)
+
+        return result
+
+    def remove(self, element):
+        """
+        Remove a generated string from the list of stored strings.
+
+        Args:
+            element (str): the string to remove from the list of generated strings.
+
+        Raises:
+            ValueError: the specified value hasn't been generated and is not present.
+
+        Note:
+            The specified string has to be present in the script (so
+            has to have been generated).  It will remove this entry
+            from the script, so this string could be generated again by
+            calling the `get` method.
+
+        """
+        script = self._get_script()
+        generated = script.db.generated.get(self.name, [])
+        if element not in generated:
+            raise ValueError("the string {} isn't stored as generated by the generator {}".format(
+                    element, self.name))
+
+        generated.remove(element)
+
+    def clear(self):
+        """
+        Clear the generator of all generated strings.
+
+        """
+        script = self._get_script()
+        generated = script.db.generated.get(self.name, [])
+        generated[:] = []
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/tests.py b/evennia/contrib/tests.py
index eed5193b04..c15a1f2954 100644
--- a/evennia/contrib/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/contrib/tests.py
@@ -1046,3 +1046,23 @@ class TestColorMarkup(EvenniaTest):
         bright_map = color_markups.MUX_COLOR_ANSI_XTERM256_BRIGHT_BG_EXTRA_MAP
         self.assertEqual(bright_map[0][1], '%c[500')
         self.assertEqual(bright_map[-1][1], '%c[222')
+
+from evennia.contrib import random_string_generator
+
+SIMPLE_GENERATOR = random_string_generator.RandomStringGenerator("simple", "[01]{2}")
+
+class TestRandomStringGenerator(EvenniaTest):
+
+    def test_generate(self):
+        """Generate and fail when exhausted."""
+        generated = []
+        for i in range(4):
+            generated.append(SIMPLE_GENERATOR.get())
+
+        generated.sort()
+        self.assertEqual(generated, ["00", "01", "10", "11"])
+
+        # At this point, we have generated 4 strings.
+        # We can't generate one more
+        with self.assertRaises(random_string_generator.ExhaustedGenerator):
+            SIMPLE_GENERATOR.get()
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/wilderness.py b/evennia/contrib/wilderness.py
index 07b2041d58..f36dba492d 100644
--- a/evennia/contrib/wilderness.py
+++ b/evennia/contrib/wilderness.py
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ Customisation example:
         def at_prepare_room(self, coordinates, caller, room):
             "Any other changes done to the room before showing it"
             x, y = coordinates
-            desc = "This is a room in the pyramid.
+            desc = "This is a room in the pyramid."
             if y == 3 :
                 desc = "You can see far and wide from the top of the pyramid."
             room.db.desc = desc
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ def enter_wilderness(obj, coordinates=(0, 0), name="default"):
             default one
 
     Returns:
-        bool: True if obj succesfully moved into the wilderness.
+        bool: True if obj successfully moved into the wilderness.
     """
     if not WildernessScript.objects.filter(db_key=name).exists():
         return False
@@ -253,6 +253,11 @@ class WildernessScript(DefaultScript):
             room.ndb.wildernessscript = self
             room.ndb.active_coordinates = coordinates
         for item in self.db.itemcoordinates.keys():
+            # Items deleted from the wilderness leave None type 'ghosts'
+            # that must be cleaned out
+            if item is None:
+                del self.db.itemcoordinates[item]
+                continue
             item.ndb.wilderness = self
 
     def is_valid_coordinates(self, coordinates):
@@ -298,6 +303,11 @@ class WildernessScript(DefaultScript):
         """
         result = []
         for item, item_coordinates in self.itemcoordinates.items():
+            # Items deleted from the wilderness leave None type 'ghosts'
+            # that must be cleaned out
+            if item is None:
+                del self.db.itemcoordinates[item]
+                continue
             if coordinates == item_coordinates:
                 result.append(item)
         return result
@@ -503,7 +513,7 @@ class WildernessRoom(DefaultRoom):
             moved_obj (Object): The object moved into this one.
             source_location (Object): Where `moved_obj` came from.
         """
-        if moved_obj.destination and moved_obj.destination == moved_obj.location:
+        if isinstance(moved_obj, WildernessExit):
             # Ignore exits looping back to themselves: those are the regular
             # n, ne, ... exits.
             return
diff --git a/evennia/scripts/taskhandler.py b/evennia/scripts/taskhandler.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..aadc3d9746
--- /dev/null
+++ b/evennia/scripts/taskhandler.py
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+"""
+Module containing the task handler for Evennia deferred tasks, persistent or not.
+"""
+
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+
+from twisted.internet import reactor, task
+from evennia.server.models import ServerConfig
+from evennia.utils.logger import log_trace, log_err
+from evennia.utils.dbserialize import dbserialize, dbunserialize
+
+TASK_HANDLER = None
+
+class TaskHandler(object):
+
+    """
+    A light singleton wrapper allowing to access permanent tasks.
+
+    When `utils.delay` is called, the task handler is used to create
+    the task.  If `utils.delay`  is called with `persistent=True`, the
+    task handler stores the new task and saves.
+
+    It's easier to access these tasks (should it be necessary) using
+    `evennia.scripts.taskhandler.TASK_HANDLER`, which contains one
+    instance of this class, and use its `add` and `remove` methods.
+
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.tasks = {}
+        self.to_save = {}
+
+    def load(self):
+        """Load from the ServerConfig.
+
+        Note:
+            This should be automatically called when Evennia starts.
+            It populates `self.tasks` according to the ServerConfig.
+
+        """
+        value = ServerConfig.objects.conf("delayed_tasks", default={})
+        if isinstance(value, basestring):
+            tasks = dbunserialize(value)
+        else:
+            tasks = value
+
+        # At this point, `tasks` contains a dictionary of still-serialized tasks
+        for task_id, value in tasks.items():
+            date, callback, args, kwargs = dbunserialize(value)
+            if isinstance(callback, tuple):
+                # `callback` can be an object and name for instance methods
+                obj, method = callback
+                callback = getattr(obj, method)
+            self.tasks[task_id] = (date, callback, args, kwargs)
+
+    def save(self):
+        """Save the tasks in ServerConfig."""
+        for task_id, (date, callback, args, kwargs) in self.tasks.items():
+            if task_id in self.to_save:
+                continue
+
+            if getattr(callback, "__self__", None):
+                # `callback` is an instance method
+                obj = callback.__self__
+                name = callback.__name__
+                callback = (obj, name)
+
+            # Check if callback can be pickled. args and kwargs have been checked
+            safe_callback = None
+
+            try:
+                dbserialize(callback)
+            except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+                raise ValueError("the specified callback {} cannot be pickled. " \
+                        "It must be a top-level function in a module or an " \
+                        "instance method.".format(callback))
+            else:
+                safe_callback = callback
+
+            self.to_save[task_id] = dbserialize((date, safe_callback, args, kwargs))
+        ServerConfig.objects.conf("delayed_tasks", self.to_save)
+
+    def add(self, timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs):
+        """Add a new persistent task in the configuration.
+
+        Args:
+            timedelay (int or float): time in sedconds before calling the callback.
+            callback (function or instance method): the callback itself
+            any (any): any additional positional arguments to send to the callback
+
+        Kwargs:
+            persistent (bool, optional): persist the task (store it).
+            any (any): additional keyword arguments to send to the callback
+
+        """
+        persistent = kwargs.get("persistent", False)
+        if persistent:
+            del kwargs["persistent"]
+            now = datetime.now()
+            delta = timedelta(seconds=timedelay)
+
+            # Choose a free task_id
+            safe_args = []
+            safe_kwargs = {}
+            used_ids = self.tasks.keys()
+            task_id = 1
+            while task_id in used_ids:
+                task_id += 1
+
+            # Check that args and kwargs contain picklable information
+            for arg in args:
+                try:
+                    dbserialize(arg)
+                except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+                    logger.log_err("The positional argument {} cannot be " \
+                            "pickled and will not be present in the arguments " \
+                            "fed to the callback {}".format(arg, callback))
+                else:
+                    safe_args.append(arg)
+
+            for key, value in kwargs.items():
+                try:
+                    dbserialize(value)
+                except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+                    logger.log_err("The {} keyword argument {} cannot be " \
+                            "pickled and will not be present in the arguments " \
+                            "fed to the callback {}".format(key, value, callback))
+                else:
+                    safe_kwargs[key] = value
+
+            self.tasks[task_id] = (now + delta, callback, safe_args, safe_kwargs)
+            self.save()
+            callback = self.do_task
+            args = [task_id]
+            kwargs = {}
+
+        return task.deferLater(reactor, timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs)
+
+    def remove(self, task_id):
+        """Remove a persistent task without executing it.
+
+        Args:
+            task_id (int): an existing task ID.
+
+        Note:
+            A non-persistent task doesn't have a task_id, it is not stored
+            in the TaskHandler.
+
+        """
+        del self.tasks[task_id]
+        if task_id in self.to_save:
+            del self.to_save[task_id]
+
+        self.save()
+
+    def do_task(self, task_id):
+        """Execute the task (call its callback).
+
+        Args:
+            task_id (int): a valid task ID.
+
+        Note:
+            This will also remove it from the list of current tasks.
+
+        """
+        date, callback, args, kwargs = self.tasks.pop(task_id)
+        if task_id in self.to_save:
+            del self.to_save[task_id]
+
+        self.save()
+        callback(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def create_delays(self):
+        """Create the delayed tasks for the persistent tasks.
+
+        Note:
+            This method should be automatically called when Evennia starts.
+
+        """
+        now = datetime.now()
+        for task_id, (date, callbac, args, kwargs) in self.tasks.items():
+            seconds = max(0, (date - now).total_seconds())
+            task.deferLater(reactor, seconds, self.do_task, task_id)
+
+
+# Create the soft singleton
+TASK_HANDLER = TaskHandler()
+
diff --git a/evennia/server/evennia_launcher.py b/evennia/server/evennia_launcher.py
index a2828d7a22..11165265a7 100644
--- a/evennia/server/evennia_launcher.py
+++ b/evennia/server/evennia_launcher.py
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ ERROR_SETTINGS = \
         1) You are not running this command from your game directory.
            Change directory to your game directory and try again (or
            create a new game directory using evennia --init <dirname>)
-        2) The ettings file contains a syntax error. If you see a
+        2) The settings file contains a syntax error. If you see a
            traceback above, review it, resolve the problem and try again.
         3) Django is not correctly installed. This usually shows as
            errors mentioning 'DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'. If you run a
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ ERROR_LOGDIR_MISSING = \
     will be created automatically).
 
     (Explanation: Evennia creates the log directory automatically when
-    initializating a new game directory. This error usually happens if
+    initializing a new game directory. This error usually happens if
     you used git to clone a pre-created game directory - since log
     files are in .gitignore they will not be cloned, which leads to
     the log directory also not being created.)
@@ -1329,7 +1329,7 @@ def main():
                         arg, value = [p.strip() for p in arg.split("=", 1)]
                     else:
                         value = True
-                    kwargs[arg.lstrip("--")] = [value]
+                    kwargs[arg.lstrip("--")] = value
                 else:
                     args.append(arg)
         try:
diff --git a/evennia/server/evennia_runner.py b/evennia/server/evennia_runner.py
index d963f8dd21..7fcb271a32 100644
--- a/evennia/server/evennia_runner.py
+++ b/evennia/server/evennia_runner.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 This runner is controlled by the evennia launcher and should normally
 not be launched directly.  It manages the two main Evennia processes
-(Server and Portal) and most importanly runs a passive, threaded loop
+(Server and Portal) and most importantly runs a passive, threaded loop
 that makes sure to restart Server whenever it shuts down.
 
 Since twistd does not allow for returning an optional exit code we
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ def cycle_logfile(logfile):
 
 def start_services(server_argv, portal_argv, doexit=False):
     """
-    This calls a threaded loop that launces the Portal and Server
+    This calls a threaded loop that launches the Portal and Server
     and then restarts them when they finish.
     """
     global SERVER, PORTAL
diff --git a/evennia/server/portal/irc.py b/evennia/server/portal/irc.py
index e9a53c4068..cd7f5e53dd 100644
--- a/evennia/server/portal/irc.py
+++ b/evennia/server/portal/irc.py
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ IRC_COLOR_MAP = dict([
     (r'|_', " "),         # space
     (r'|*', ""),          # invert
     (r'|^', ""),          # blinking text
+    (r'|h', IRC_BOLD),    # highlight, use bold instead
 
     (r'|r', IRC_COLOR + IRC_RED),
     (r'|g', IRC_COLOR + IRC_GREEN),
diff --git a/evennia/server/server.py b/evennia/server/server.py
index 4f43539c18..a9db795412 100644
--- a/evennia/server/server.py
+++ b/evennia/server/server.py
@@ -455,6 +455,11 @@ class Evennia(object):
         # (this also starts any that didn't yet start)
         ScriptDB.objects.validate(init_mode=mode)
 
+        # start the task handler
+        from evennia.scripts.taskhandler import TASK_HANDLER
+        TASK_HANDLER.load()
+        TASK_HANDLER.create_delays()
+
         # delete the temporary setting
         ServerConfig.objects.conf("server_restart_mode", delete=True)
 
diff --git a/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py b/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py
index cf9c21d031..b9eeb1918c 100644
--- a/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py
+++ b/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py
@@ -201,7 +201,12 @@ class SessionHandler(dict):
                 if _INLINEFUNC_ENABLED and not raw and isinstance(self, ServerSessionHandler):
                     # only parse inlinefuncs on the outgoing path (sessionhandler->)
                     data = parse_inlinefunc(data, strip=strip_inlinefunc, session=session)
-                return data
+                # At this point the object is certainly the right encoding, but may still be a unicode object--
+                # to_str does not actually force objects to become bytestrings.
+                # If the unicode object is a subclass of unicode, such as ANSIString, this can cause a problem,
+                # as special behavior for that class will still be in play. Since we're now transferring raw data,
+                # we must now force this to be a proper bytestring.
+                return str(data)
             elif hasattr(data, "id") and hasattr(data, "db_date_created") \
                     and hasattr(data, '__dbclass__'):
                 # convert database-object to their string representation.
diff --git a/evennia/settings_default.py b/evennia/settings_default.py
index 724038caa5..27e379a202 100644
--- a/evennia/settings_default.py
+++ b/evennia/settings_default.py
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ AMP_INTERFACE = '127.0.0.1'
 EVENNIA_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 # Path to the game directory (containing the server/conf/settings.py file)
 # This is dynamically created- there is generally no need to change this!
-if sys.argv[1] == 'test' if len(sys.argv)>1 else False:
+if sys.argv[1] == 'test' if len(sys.argv) > 1 else False:
     # unittesting mode
     GAME_DIR = os.getcwd()
 else:
@@ -208,14 +208,14 @@ MAX_CONNECTION_RATE = 2
 # from the client! To turn the limiter off, set to <= 0.
 MAX_COMMAND_RATE = 80
 # The warning to echo back to users if they send commands too fast
-COMMAND_RATE_WARNING ="You entered commands too fast. Wait a moment and try again."
+COMMAND_RATE_WARNING = "You entered commands too fast. Wait a moment and try again."
 # Determine how large of a string can be sent to the server in number
 # of characters. If they attempt to enter a string over this character
 # limit, we stop them and send a message. To make unlimited, set to
 # 0 or less.
 MAX_CHAR_LIMIT = 6000
 # The warning to echo back to users if they enter a very large string
-MAX_CHAR_LIMIT_WARNING="You entered a string that was too long. Please break it up into multiple parts."
+MAX_CHAR_LIMIT_WARNING = "You entered a string that was too long. Please break it up into multiple parts."
 # If this is true, errors and tracebacks from the engine will be
 # echoed as text in-game as well as to the log. This can speed up
 # debugging. OBS: Showing full tracebacks to regular users could be a
@@ -381,6 +381,12 @@ CMDSET_CHARACTER = "commands.default_cmdsets.CharacterCmdSet"
 CMDSET_ACCOUNT = "commands.default_cmdsets.AccountCmdSet"
 # Location to search for cmdsets if full path not given
 CMDSET_PATHS = ["commands", "evennia", "contribs"]
+# Fallbacks for cmdset paths that fail to load. Note that if you change the path for your default cmdsets,
+# you will also need to copy CMDSET_FALLBACKS after your change in your settings file for it to detect the change.
+CMDSET_FALLBACKS = {CMDSET_CHARACTER: 'evennia.commands.default.cmdset_character.CharacterCmdSet',
+                    CMDSET_ACCOUNT: 'evennia.commands.default.cmdset_account.AccountCmdSet',
+                    CMDSET_SESSION: 'evennia.commands.default.cmdset_session.SessionCmdSet',
+                    CMDSET_UNLOGGEDIN: 'evennia.commands.default.cmdset_unloggedin.UnloggedinCmdSet'}
 # Parent class for all default commands. Changing this class will
 # modify all default commands, so do so carefully.
 COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS = "evennia.commands.default.muxcommand.MuxCommand"
@@ -527,8 +533,12 @@ PERMISSION_ACCOUNT_DEFAULT = "Player"
 # Default sizes for client window (in number of characters), if client
 # is not supplying this on its own
 CLIENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH = 78
-CLIENT_DEFAULT_HEIGHT = 45 # telnet standard is 24 but does anyone use such
-                           # low-res displays anymore?
+# telnet standard height is 24; does anyone use such low-res displays anymore?
+CLIENT_DEFAULT_HEIGHT = 45
+# Help output from CmdHelp are wrapped in an EvMore call
+# (excluding webclient with separate help popups). If continuous scroll
+# is preferred, change 'HELP_MORE' to False. EvMORE uses CLIENT_DEFAULT_HEIGHT
+HELP_MORE = True
 
 ######################################################################
 # Guest accounts
@@ -602,8 +612,8 @@ IRC_ENABLED = False
 # active. OBS: RSS support requires the python-feedparser package to
 # be installed (through package manager or from the website
 # http://code.google.com/p/feedparser/)
-RSS_ENABLED=False
-RSS_UPDATE_INTERVAL = 60*10 # 10 minutes
+RSS_ENABLED = False
+RSS_UPDATE_INTERVAL = 60*10  # 10 minutes
 
 ######################################################################
 # Django web features
@@ -619,7 +629,7 @@ DEBUG = False
 TEMPLATE_DEBUG = DEBUG
 # Emails are sent to these people if the above DEBUG value is False. If you'd
 # rather prefer nobody receives emails, leave this commented out or empty.
-ADMINS = () #'Your Name', 'your_email@domain.com'),)
+ADMINS = ()  # 'Your Name', 'your_email@domain.com'),)
 # These guys get broken link notifications when SEND_BROKEN_LINK_EMAILS is True.
 MANAGERS = ADMINS
 # Absolute path to the directory that holds file uploads from web apps.
@@ -680,13 +690,13 @@ WEBSITE_TEMPLATE = 'website'
 WEBCLIENT_TEMPLATE = 'webclient'
 # The default options used by the webclient
 WEBCLIENT_OPTIONS = {
-        "gagprompt": True, # Gags prompt from the output window and keep them
-                           # together with the input bar
-        "helppopup": True, # Shows help files in a new popup window
-        "notification_popup": False, # Shows notifications of new messages as
-                                     # popup windows
-        "notification_sound": False # Plays a sound for notifications of new
-                                    # messages
+        "gagprompt": True,  # Gags prompt from the output window and keep them
+                            # together with the input bar
+        "helppopup": True,  # Shows help files in a new popup window
+        "notification_popup": False,  # Shows notifications of new messages as
+                                      # popup windows
+        "notification_sound": False   # Plays a sound for notifications of new
+                                      # messages
     }
 
 # We setup the location of the website template as well as the admin site.
diff --git a/evennia/utils/ansi.py b/evennia/utils/ansi.py
index 947b99c5ad..c9ea5c622f 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/ansi.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/ansi.py
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ class ANSIParser(object):
     We also allow to escape colour codes
     by prepending with a \ for xterm256,
     an extra | for Merc-style codes
+
     """
 
     # Mapping using {r {n etc
@@ -508,6 +509,7 @@ def strip_raw_ansi(string, parser=ANSI_PARSER):
 
     Returns:
         string (str): the stripped string.
+
     """
     return parser.strip_raw_codes(string)
 
@@ -524,13 +526,6 @@ def raw(string):
     return string.replace('{', '{{').replace('|', '||')
 
 
-def group(lst, n):
-    for i in range(0, len(lst), n):
-        val = lst[i:i+n]
-        if len(val) == n:
-            yield tuple(val)
-
-
 def _spacing_preflight(func):
     """
     This wrapper function is used to do some preflight checks on
@@ -544,10 +539,10 @@ def _spacing_preflight(func):
             raise TypeError("must be char, not %s" % type(fillchar))
         if not isinstance(width, int):
             raise TypeError("integer argument expected, got %s" % type(width))
-        difference = width - len(self)
-        if difference <= 0:
+        _difference = width - len(self)
+        if _difference <= 0:
             return self
-        return func(self, width, fillchar, difference)
+        return func(self, width, fillchar, _difference)
     return wrapped
 
 
@@ -634,20 +629,30 @@ class ANSIMeta(type):
 
 class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
     """
-    String-like object that is aware of ANSI codes.
+    Unicode-like object that is aware of ANSI codes.
 
-    This isn't especially efficient, as it doesn't really have an
+    This class can be used nearly identically to unicode, in that it will
+    report string length, handle slices, etc, much like a unicode or
+    string object would. The methods should be used identically as unicode
+    methods are.
+
+    There is at least one exception to this (and there may be more, though
+    they have not come up yet). When using ''.join() or u''.join() on an
+    ANSIString, color information will get lost. You must use
+    ANSIString('').join() to preserve color information.
+
+    This implementation isn't perfectly clean, as it doesn't really have an
     understanding of what the codes mean in order to eliminate
-    redundant characters. This could be made as an enhancement to ANSI_PARSER.
+    redundant characters-- though cleaning up the strings might end up being
+    inefficient and slow without some C code when dealing with larger values.
+    Such enhancements could be made as an enhancement to ANSI_PARSER
+    if needed, however.
 
     If one is going to use ANSIString, one should generally avoid converting
     away from it until one is about to send information on the wire. This is
     because escape sequences in the string may otherwise already be decoded,
     and taken literally the second time around.
 
-    Please refer to the Metaclass, ANSIMeta, which is used to apply wrappers
-    for several of the methods that need not be defined directly here.
-
     """
 
     def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -895,6 +900,9 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
         """
         Return a unicode object without the ANSI escapes.
 
+        Returns:
+            clean_string (unicode): A unicode object with no ANSI escapes.
+
         """
         return self._clean_string
 
@@ -902,20 +910,31 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
         """
         Return a unicode object with the ANSI escapes.
 
+        Returns:
+            raw (unicode): A unicode object with the raw ANSI escape sequences.
+
         """
         return self._raw_string
 
     def partition(self, sep, reverse=False):
         """
-        Similar to split, but always creates a tuple with three items:
-
-        1. The part before the separator
-        2. The separator itself.
-        3. The part after.
+        Splits once into three sections (with the separator being the middle section)
 
         We use the same techniques we used in split() to make sure each are
         colored.
 
+        Args:
+            sep (str): The separator to split the string on.
+            reverse (boolean): Whether to split the string on the last
+                occurrence of the separator rather than the first.
+        Returns:
+            result (tuple):
+               prefix (ANSIString): The part of the string before the
+                   separator
+               sep (ANSIString): The separator itself
+               postfix (ANSIString): The part of the string after the
+                   separator.
+
         """
         if hasattr(sep, '_clean_string'):
             sep = sep.clean()
@@ -1005,12 +1024,26 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
 
     def split(self, by=None, maxsplit=-1):
         """
+        Splits a string based on a separator.
+
         Stolen from PyPy's pure Python string implementation, tweaked for
         ANSIString.
 
         PyPy is distributed under the MIT licence.
         http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
 
+        Args:
+            by (str): A string to search for which will be used to split
+                the string. For instance, ',' for 'Hello,world' would
+                result in ['Hello', 'world']
+            maxsplit (int): The maximum number of times to split the string.
+                For example, a maxsplit of 2 with a by of ',' on the string
+                'Hello,world,test,string' would result in
+                ['Hello', 'world', 'test,string']
+        Returns:
+            result (list of ANSIStrings): A list of ANSIStrings derived from
+                this string.
+
         """
         drop_spaces = by is None
         if drop_spaces:
@@ -1038,12 +1071,27 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
 
     def rsplit(self, by=None, maxsplit=-1):
         """
+        Like split, but starts from the end of the string rather than the
+        beginning.
+
         Stolen from PyPy's pure Python string implementation, tweaked for
         ANSIString.
 
         PyPy is distributed under the MIT licence.
         http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
 
+        Args:
+            by (str): A string to search for which will be used to split
+                the string. For instance, ',' for 'Hello,world' would
+                result in ['Hello', 'world']
+            maxsplit (int): The maximum number of times to split the string.
+                For example, a maxsplit of 2 with a by of ',' on the string
+                'Hello,world,test,string' would result in
+                ['Hello,world', 'test', 'string']
+        Returns:
+            result (list of ANSIStrings): A list of ANSIStrings derived from
+                this string.
+
         """
         res = []
         end = len(self)
@@ -1072,6 +1120,15 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
     def strip(self, chars=None):
         """
         Strip from both ends, taking ANSI markers into account.
+
+        Args:
+            chars (str, optional): A string containing individual characters
+                to strip off of both ends of the string. By default, any blank
+                spaces are trimmed.
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A new ANSIString with the ends trimmed of the
+                relevant characters.
+
         """
         clean = self._clean_string
         raw = self._raw_string
@@ -1109,6 +1166,15 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
     def lstrip(self, chars=None):
         """
         Strip from the left, taking ANSI markers into account.
+
+        Args:
+            chars (str, optional): A string containing individual characters
+                to strip off of the left end of the string. By default, any
+                blank spaces are trimmed.
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A new ANSIString with the left end trimmed of
+                the relevant characters.
+
         """
         clean = self._clean_string
         raw = self._raw_string
@@ -1133,6 +1199,15 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
     def rstrip(self, chars=None):
         """
         Strip from the right, taking ANSI markers into account.
+
+        Args:
+            chars (str, optional): A string containing individual characters
+                to strip off of the right end of the string. By default, any
+                blank spaces are trimmed.
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A new ANSIString with the right end trimmed of
+                the relevant characters.
+
         """
         clean = self._clean_string
         raw = self._raw_string
@@ -1153,7 +1228,22 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
 
     def join(self, iterable):
         """
-        Joins together strings in an iterable.
+        Joins together strings in an iterable, using this string between each
+        one.
+
+        NOTE: This should always be used for joining strings when ANSIStrings
+            are involved. Otherwise color information will be discarded by
+            python, due to details in the C implementation of unicode strings.
+
+        Args:
+            iterable (list of strings): A list of strings to join together
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A single string with all of the iterable's
+                contents concatenated, with this string between each. For
+                example:
+                    ANSIString(', ').join(['up', 'right', 'left', 'down'])
+                ...Would return:
+                    ANSIString('up, right, left, down')
 
         """
         result = ANSIString('')
@@ -1195,30 +1285,53 @@ class ANSIString(with_metaclass(ANSIMeta, unicode)):
             raw_string, clean_string=line, char_indexes=char_indexes,
             code_indexes=code_indexes)
 
+    # The following methods should not be called with the '_difference' argument explicitly. This is
+    # data provided by the wrapper _spacing_preflight.
     @_spacing_preflight
-    def center(self, width, fillchar, difference):
+    def center(self, width, fillchar, _difference):
         """
         Center some text with some spaces padding both sides.
 
+        Args:
+            width (int): The target width of the output string.
+            fillchar (str): A single character string to pad the output string
+                with.
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A string padded on both ends with fillchar.
+
         """
-        remainder = difference % 2
-        difference /= 2
-        spacing = self._filler(fillchar, difference)
+        remainder = _difference % 2
+        _difference /= 2
+        spacing = self._filler(fillchar, _difference)
         result = spacing + self + spacing + self._filler(fillchar, remainder)
         return result
 
     @_spacing_preflight
-    def ljust(self, width, fillchar, difference):
+    def ljust(self, width, fillchar, _difference):
         """
         Left justify some text.
 
+        Args:
+            width (int): The target width of the output string.
+            fillchar (str): A single character string to pad the output string
+                with.
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A string padded on the right with fillchar.
+
         """
-        return self + self._filler(fillchar, difference)
+        return self + self._filler(fillchar, _difference)
 
     @_spacing_preflight
-    def rjust(self, width, fillchar, difference):
+    def rjust(self, width, fillchar, _difference):
         """
         Right justify some text.
 
+        Args:
+            width (int): The target width of the output string.
+            fillchar (str): A single character string to pad the output string
+                with.
+        Returns:
+            result (ANSIString): A string padded on the left with fillchar.
+
         """
-        return self._filler(fillchar, difference) + self
+        return self._filler(fillchar, _difference) + self
diff --git a/evennia/utils/evmenu.py b/evennia/utils/evmenu.py
index d78126b2d1..37d0a4f769 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/evmenu.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/evmenu.py
@@ -706,6 +706,8 @@ class EvMenu(object):
             self.helptext = _HELP_NO_OPTIONS if self.auto_quit else _HELP_NO_OPTIONS_NO_QUIT
 
         self.display_nodetext()
+        if not options:
+            self.close_menu()
 
     def close_menu(self):
         """
diff --git a/evennia/utils/utils.py b/evennia/utils/utils.py
index 79cc1b9293..458bee38cc 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/utils.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/utils.py
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ _DA = object.__delattr__
 
 _DEFAULT_WIDTH = settings.CLIENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH
 
-
 def is_iter(iterable):
     """
     Checks if an object behaves iterably.
@@ -920,6 +919,8 @@ def uses_database(name="sqlite3"):
     return engine == "django.db.backends.%s" % name
 
 
+_TASK_HANDLER = None
+
 def delay(timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs):
     """
     Delay the return of a value.
@@ -930,7 +931,9 @@ def delay(timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs):
         arguments after `timedelay` seconds.
       args (any, optional): Will be used as arguments to callback
     Kwargs:
-        any (any): Will be used to call the callback.
+       persistent (bool, optional): should make the delay persistent
+           over a reboot or reload
+       any (any): Will be used to call the callback.
 
     Returns:
         deferred (deferred): Will fire fire with callback after
@@ -939,8 +942,21 @@ def delay(timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs):
             defined directly in the command body and don't need to be
             specified here.
 
+    Note:
+        The task handler (`evennia.scripts.taskhandler.TASK_HANDLEr`) will
+        be called for persistent or non-persistent tasks.
+        If persistent is set to True, the callback, its arguments
+        and other keyword arguments will be saved in the database,
+        assuming they can be.  The callback will be executed even after
+        a server restart/reload, taking into account the specified delay
+        (and server down time).
+
     """
-    return task.deferLater(reactor, timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs)
+    global _TASK_HANDLER
+    # Do some imports here to avoid circular import and speed things up
+    if _TASK_HANDLER is None:
+        from evennia.scripts.taskhandler import TASK_HANDLER as _TASK_HANDLER
+    return _TASK_HANDLER.add(timedelay, callback, *args, **kwargs)
 
 
 _TYPECLASSMODELS = None