the tree that occur to me are Avalon, clok and frandom.

Avalon is probably the exactly closest to what you want, lots of rp, (they don't even have an ooc channel), many organizations that are player run, certainly not a combat fest, and a dedicated and very decent player base with lots of crafting, and probably some of the best descriptions of the world I've ever read.

Actually, Avalon is a game I ought to get into myself, I just foun things a bit impenitrable after the initial mud school with trying to get into character creation and activities since everything is so player lead and rather different to how most muds work. it's a game I do mean to put time into.

To address the one common comment everyone! makes about Avalon, no it is not a pay to play game. You can! pay to play, and there are subscriptions that give bennifits, but actually you can play the gamee for free no problem.
the only stipulation is that your city or guild or church have to sponsor you a subscription, however people are quite happy to do that, indeed especially if your looking like being a lively player (writing this makes me want to get into the game myself).

For more info and links see the db page for avalon

Clok.
again this is one you've likely heard of or played before. I love the wilderness survival in this game, and the rp separation is good, actually again this ranks as a game with a great dedicated community. Organizations seemed logical when I went there and the crafting is some of the best I've seen.
See the clok db page

then there is Frandom.
this is a game I'm a major fan of. Basically the game works almost more like an old if game than a mud, with progress through quests and discovery, but there are also guilds and organizsations, also now, some rather unique crafting.
Less of the rp, but more of the stuff to do.
See Frandom page here

Ht

If you are of age, at least 17 in the U.S., you could try Haven. It's modern fantasy/horror.

Please note there is definitely adult levels of violence and sexual content, however it is strictly enforced roleplay, and while ther eis some amount of monster bashing, there are a number of paths to success. You can be a combative character, a socialite, a professional such as an engineer, or a college student. There are quite a few player lead and driven organizations, and the OOC channel has to be unlocked with credit rewards, gained through doing things like reporting serious bugs or donating money, so no concerns there.

Where ever you end up, best of luck!

I've tried all of these games. Avalon, in fact, turned me off with the ooc chat over org channels. I love the iron realms games, but I'm not working, and I don't see how to earn credits without grinding. Though lusternia and imperian have a happybirthday command where you get 25 bound credits on your birthday, and they'll even send you a happy birthday email. You might get credits during special celebrations, they'll post on the announce board and give out a command to receive a few bound credits, but that's a pittance compared to what paying members can attain. I'm also trying to find the iron realms game that fits me most. Lusternia got a brand new introduction last year, and I don't really like it compared to the old one, and imperian's intro is just a killfest, I've been putting off finishing that one. How do I compete as a non-paying player in a game that pretends to be free, that's the question.

@LadyJuliette: it sounds like we have something in common here.

While I have a far different set of requirements for my mudding paradise, I've browsed through literally hundreds of muds trying to find one that fits what I want without much success so far. I have found some unique ones like New Moon, Project Bob (which is gone), 3Scapes and others. However, the majority of muds just don't seem to hold my interest due to some flaw that I consider fatal in it's gameplay. 3Scapes is the only exception so far, and I think I may even be getting bored of that one, or maybe I just need a break. I honestly don't think I would even be a mudder if I could see to play the kinds of games I want to play.

The problem is that if you're looking for pure roleplay, you'll probably be better off finding a MUSH, MOO or MUX that has a good playerbase. However, it looks like you might want mechanics as well, which MUSHes and the like don't usually have. Furthermore, if there are mechanics, almost inevitably you'll run into the same problem I have, which is that eventually you're just grinding in order to unlock new things somewhere down the road. I have tried a few roleplay muds even though it's not my thing, and they seem to fall into this same trap as well, like Shadows of Issildur, Harshlands, Miriani etc.

I sadly can't really help you any more than to say I think I feel your pain. I hope you eventually find what you're looking for. I'm hoping I have found my mudding home in 3Scapes but unfortunately, it's completely non-roleplay.

I will mention another one, I was debating to do this in the first post because well, you do have to fight in it. I mean, its not like you're forced to, you're just gonna have a hard time if you don't, but, if you get with another group of people, and start or join a camp, your role could be noncombative. I will tell you this, if you are noncombative, i.e. you have not trained your skills in combat, or learned the style system, you will have to be a lot more careful travelling, there are some wildlife that will rip you apart in no time.

The game is called Lament. It's full name is Lament: the Age of Wind and Wolves, you can find it at lament.ghostglass.net 3600. There is also a site at lament.ghostglass.net Let's go over the positives first...

Very rich world with extremely high detail in cities as well as when looking at wildlife or townsfolk. (Top of descriptions I've ever seen in a MUD)
Rich crafting system with hundreds of things that can be made, some of which can be sold, thus providing one way of making money
A vastly realistic and somewhat complex combat system involving players to couple choice of weapon with fighting style. You set your style sliders to reflect the way you will fight
A Screen reader and staff willing to improve accessibility
Friendly staff
Huge world, most of which is wilderness in which you must survive. Terrain includes plains, forest, rivers, lakes, oceans, deserts, wasteland, swamps and marshes rolling hills and mountains

OK now we'll talk about the down sides

Crafting takes a long time, some crafts can take RL hours, even longer I have been told for things like greatswords.
Player base is limited, you will sometimes see 1 or 2 people on, however it has its peek times. I've seen it as high as 14, but that's rare. It will usually get up to about 4 or 5, sometimes a little higher each day.
Sloe pace of development, yes I cannot say more clear than that, development goes at a snail's pace. There have been many things done, and they continue to work on it, adding new items and things, but yes, slow compared to other MUDs.
Limited Staff Appearances Yes you will not always see staff on every day, more like every 2 to 3 days. They are attentive when on however, I do want to stress that. Also, I cannot account if there are staffers on who have chosen to hide their status, which I have seen happen on other MUDs. Most of the time, you won't really need them, but if you encounter a problem, especially one that impedes you from playing until resolved, you may have a wait a couple days.
No long term goals, When I say this, I don't mean that the staff have no goals for the future of the game, but there are no activities at present that your character can engage in and which can make you money over time and which you have to manage. example of such might be farming. This also goes back to development pace. I would like to stress that Lament is a rich and complex game, and it will take you many dozens of hours to get your skills decently, and raise up in crafting, and / or fighting if you choose.

Phew, OK I actually don't like talking about the negatives because I do love Lament, but its only fair to so people know what they're in for.