I've always thought there'd be a hidden gem or several under the rock we've stared at hundreds of times before! Thanks to one of the many Linking Books we've been cataloguing, we were able to discover a new structure right smack in the middle of Ae'gura...near the Guild Hall, no less.
From the look of things, it's some sort of Pub used by the D'ni Guild of Messengers. Certainly seems appropriate given what led us here in the first place.
The whole structure is quite intriguing, but the most amazing sight greeted us as we entered the main chamber: dozens of multicolored firemarbles were brightly lit and embedded into the rock ceiling! It was very reminiscent of a party atmosphere and lent itself to the theory that this was a place used for festivities.
Another eye-catching feature was the large statue above the bar adorned with the GoMe book and wings logo. With the backlight, it was very distinct. Not exactly very subtle, but then again, the D'ni were never known for that trait...in their architecture or elsewhere.
As we continued through the rooms, it became clear that this particular pub, unlike the version the DRC restored and opened years ago, had a dual use. A large conference room on the second floor indicated that Guild business was also done here. Essentially, this place was used for work AND play.
After the grueling restoration work we've been doing elsewhere, this should provide a new and welcome challenge.<PB>
<PB>11/12/13
From what we've seen, the Pub seems structurally intact. There's the usual cracks and minor damage left over from The Fall and over two hundred years of neglect, but I think we can get this place up and running again! We simply need to clear out the debris and give what we can the usual wash and polish.
Nev'yn has already been kind enough to bring down various coffee blends and other drinks to stock the room and keep the rest of us motivated...and caffeinated!
You never really know how important that is until you've spent a few hours lifting chunks of rock to Link them out!
<PB>11/25/13
Today, we successfully reactivated the imagers in the main chamber and conference room, as well as a projector upstairs. While we were happy to see that, we were disappointed to learn that the KI interface on each is not working. Lyrositor thinks he may be able to hook into them directly with a laptop to post things in the meantime. With a little luck, he may also be able to reactivate the interface. If anyone can do it, it's him.
In the meantime, Nev'yn has been coordinating the restoration efforts with the rest of the Guild as well as the Guild of Writers, who have been kind to lend a hand, either in manpower or just general input. Hoikas, Branan, Deledrius and the rest of the crew have been extremely helpful and supportive of our little endeavor here in the D'ni capital city and they have my eternal gratitude.
Our Guild has shown great enthusiasm for things as well. It seems they've all turned up to offer what they can: Ahlisendar, AgeExplorer, Marten, Leonardo, Luna, Koro'vev, Gay Hood, Samoth, Toki, Max...it's definitely been a team effort with this Pub!<PB>
<PB>12/7/13
Time to head up to the surface for the holidays! While the work we've been doing has been very satisfying (although also very tiring), it's good to go back up to get some fresh air, so to speak.
The official opening of the Pub to the general public is still a ways away, but it's starting to come back to life. We invited members of the DRC down to have a look at what we've done, but so far, our KI mail has gone unanswered. Wish I could say I was surprised, but they've been quite out of the loop as of late. Ah well.
By our best estimates...and after we've had some final checks of the strutural masonry for safety reasons...we should be ready to try having a private party here. While I'd like it to be a holiday party, the place isn't quite ready for that yet. Luckily, a couple of other groups have taken up the cause, and there will be three parties down here in the cavern and in various Ages in the next few weeks!
Luckily, I think I'll be able to be there for two of them...and maybe host the one just before Christmas if I can get my schedule properly rearranged. We shall see.
<PB>1/4/14
Long day planning and hosting the All Guilds Meeting. I very much wanted to break the news about the Pub to everyone, but since it's not ready quite yet, I had to hold back. Maybe in a couple of months when we're closer to opening.
The good news is Ly was able to get one of the imagers to accept data from his laptop. We now have a few handy informational cards on one of the main floor imagers, and much to Nev's delight, only we can change it right now, so nothing can be overwritten. We might just leave it like that and make the other two postable by anyone.
We've all taken to working between here and the waystation while I myself have been jumping around there and a few other places on which we've been working. It's a wonder I can keep my netbook charged at all!
Nev has asked if he can store some of his rarer and more exotic coffee blends locked in the storeroom, to which I have agreed. With that, I've given him the only key we've found so far. I'll just ask him when I need it.
Yeah...don't think that would raise the curiousity of explorers. Not a chance!
<PB>1/23/14
We've started putting out posters in hopes of hearing from someone who has seen our friend Leonardo. He's dropped off the face of the earth. Not that I know why, mind you. I'd look quite suspicious if I had any sort of idea where my immediate predecessor for both the Guild Master position and AGM moderator has gone.
Gotta go for now! Posters to put up and whatnot!
<PB>3/13/14
Not too much longer now! We had a private party last night with many of our Messengers and some guests from the Guild of Writers and others who have helped us along the way, such as Mystler and Christopher. It was fantastic!
A couple of our friends from the D'ni Musicological Research hood were kind enough to provide some music as well. Things went on until nearly 2:00 KI time in the morning!
Nev'yn has suggested taking down the damaged projectors on the first floor in the hopes of fixing them and then using the "screens" to post bulletins the old fashioned way until we can get the imagers working. Can't argue with that logic! I told him he could start collecting anything explorers wanted to put up, plus we would add our own.
I think the Pub is almost ready. I expect things to be all set for the general public in a month or two.
<PB>5/29/14
Thanks to the ingenuity of my fellow explorers, the other imager on the main floor AND the one in the conference room are now able to accept data from anyone's KI! Should be handy for presentations or for anyone who wants to leave a note or neat picture.
Sadly, the ground level projectors seem to be beyond repair. I suppose it's not a total loss, as the bulletin boards are really starting to fill up with various familiar groups. I'll continue to take more in and post them up when I can.
I think things are all set for the grand opening, which should be near the beginning of next month. Not only that, but we and the Guild of Writers will be hosting a party to truly "break in" the Pub in true explorer style!
It's been a long time in the works, but soon, everyone will be able to see this little slice of D'ni we've all worked so hard to restore.
I hope they enjoy.
<PB>6/15/14
We had the first official party open to everyone yesterday, and it was a wonderful time! Everyone seemed to like the Pub and had quite a few compliments for our restoration work. Trekluver was also kind enough to bring some equipment down to do a bit of DJing. Since he did such a great job at the Christmas Party Hop, it was a no brainer to ask him back and I'm glad he agreed.
With more eyes on the place, we now have a few more minor repairs to do. And of course, we'll need to open up those two side rooms one day. I'd LOVE to tell them what's back there, but I want it to be a surprise.
Sheesh, I'm worse than the DRC!
Note to self: Need to make a run back to Teledahn and up to the surface to restock supplies...particularly for Minkata Sunrises and Teledahn Juice.<PB><img src="JournalPic02.hsm" align=center resize=no blend=alpha><PB>
<PB>7/13/14
More repairs on the Pub. We finally got the lights in the bar area working so we can actually see what we're doing. Those making drinks for patrons should be quite pleased with that, particularly Nev and myself.
I also noticed people have somehow made it into the storeroom. When Annabelle mentioned to me how she had found a way in there, I wasn't too surprised. That's her specialty after all! Guess I'll have to get a better lock.
The rooms upstairs continue to come back to life, but they're far from complete at this point. It's a shame too as I'm sure everyone would love to play a few games with friends when they visit, but we'll get them up and running soon enough.
It's been hectic since my time these days has been divided between here and elsewhere in the cavern for other restoration projects on which the Guild has been working. That and time spent on the surface...there's never a dull moment!
Just the way I like it!<PB>
<PB>10/03/14
Best way to celebrate a birthday...amongst friends in the cavern!
5/15/15
After planning and then making a grueling surface to surface move, I'm ready to get back to work here in the cavern.
Restoration continues on Veelay Tsahvahn, aka the memorial Age. It's certainly one of the more surreal Ages I've encountered, but I'll elaborate more in that journal.
As for the Pub, while we've been able to power things in the game room, getting them to actually function properly after decades of dormancy is proving challenging.
On the other side of the main chamber, the other room suffered from severe structural damage. We've been able to repair about half of it, but it has a long way to go.
We're running low on supplies in the storeroom again. I have a feeling people have gotten in there and have been partaking of some of the coffee supply.
At this rate, Nev and I will need to start making regular trips to the surface and into the nearest town. Thank goodness for Stan's or we'd have no place to stop before the long drive down the interstate!
<PB>7/7/15
After studying some of the D'ni equipment, Ly and I think we can use some of the machinery to leave messages for the rest of the team. The Post Its always seem to get lost!
It's going to take some doing, but I think we'll be able to bring in and use the orb imager devices, which we've dubbed recorders since we haven't been able to use the video function. The hard part will be salvaging and hauling them into the Pub itself.
We'll probably have time to do the move later this month.
<PB>7/23/15
And with that, we have two new ways to leave messages. Nev had a great idea to have one in the entryway that, when activated, will speak welcome messages in many various languages. He's rounding up some volunteers to record their voices as I write this.
Which, given all the heavy lifting I just did, is nothing short of a minor miracle! In the meantime, time to test the other device's recording abilities.
<PB>8/3/15
Cataloging of the books in the Teshen library continues. Even after all this time since its discovery, I think we've only gotten through about 20 percent of the material stored on its shelves.
Definitely need to see if I can get a Linking Book directly in there at some point. Save myself some walking.
<PB>9/13/15
I stopped by Deirdre Karris' memorial service in Eder Delin today. While I didn't know her personally, it is always heartbreaking to lose a fellow explorer. Names like Moonlit and sil-oh-wet bring me sadness along fond memories, so I can sympathize with Deirdre's friends. Had to pay my respects.
Hopefully the work we're doing in Veelay will be a fitting tribute to her and the others we've lost over the years.
<PB>10/25/15
Two years since we discovered the Pub! It's been a heck of a ride...and it doesn't look like it'll slow down anytime soon!
11/23/15
Well, I suppose there's no stopping it. The storeroom seems to be a favorite place for folks to sneak in, even when locked. For that reason, I've decided to just keep it unlocked for now.
Hopefully people will be kind and keep our supplies and equipment intact. I'm very sure Nev is tired of dragging things down here. Even with Linking, it's still a chore.
Plus, who knows...maybe I'll leave some fun things in there for them to find from time to time...for the laughs!
If the Bahro can do it, so can I. Ha!<PB>
<PB>1/3/16
A new year brings changes to the Guild. Lyrositor has retired as Guild Master and, after no objections, we've named Korov'ev as his replacement. Ly felt it was time to pass it along to someone new so he could focus on other things.
I wish him well of course, and he'll always be welcome back whenever he wants to visit.
Thank goodness I know someone who does plaques for cheap. We had a replacement made and hung behind the stairs today to acknowledge the change.
Time to head to the surface. Once I Link back home, I've got some driving to do!<PB>
<PB>12/25/18
A fun Christmas spent down here in the Pub. We were tempted to have some of the festivities at The Vale, but Nev, as our resident historian, put a stop to that. There's so much about that Age that needs to be catalogued and studied that opening it up to the general public at the moment would be a bad idea.
Maybe once we've concluded our preliminary findings, we'll open it up and our more astute explorers can piece together what we've found out so far.
<PB>1/3/19
Even though it's his birthday, Nev is back in the library. I suppose it makes sense as many of us are eager to find out what exactly is contained in this treasure trove we stumbled upon. We're still in desperate need of translators!
Hopefully I can drag Nev away for a drink here at the Pub at least. We've all been working so hard lately, I think we deserve all the down time we can get.
<PB>12/31/19
It's been a long year. We've lost some good people . . . including Tai. Moving to a new state again. The New Year will certainly be more somber, but with renewed purpose.
There is so much to see and do here in the cavern. It is alive with those of us who carry on the legacy, the tradition . . . we keep things alive.
We will carry on.
8/25/20
It's been a time of celebration as we officially introduced the Pub, Chiso and Veelay to the masses a few days ago. Enthusiasm for the project has reinvigorated the teams efforts, and, after a much needed break, we'll be ready to begin again.
I'm still not sure what to call our merry group of restoration workers. It never really occured to em to put a label on it as we come from so many backgrounds. Our purpose is singular though: continue the restoration efforts started by Atrus centuries ago and by the DRC these past few decades.
I hope everyone is ready for what we have in store. I can't wait to see what happens next!
12/10/20
Hmm...while genuine candles for the menorah would be preferable, I think, since we're a bit more "indoors" and closed off, it'd probably be safest to use LED candles. Don't want to start a fire in here!
Hopefully, with all that's gone on this year, 2021 will have a lot more hope and promise than this one did. So to 2020, I say goodbye...and GOOD RIDDANCE!
<PB><p align=center>SPECIAL THANKS
The Guild of Messengers
The Guild of Writers
The Open Cave
OpenUru.org, especially rarified.
Particular thanks go to Hoikas and Deledrius for their help in getting the Pub MOULa ready!
Also, a very special thanks to Nev'yn, who has brought wonderful ideas to this project, beta tested it, and has kept me motivated throughout the entire process.
And to those reading this, a special thanks to you for stopping in!<PB>Concrete sink original design by Jedrush. Modified under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
blendswap.com/blends/view/82431
Generator original design by vvaris. Used under CC-BY.
blendswap.com/blends/view/69771
Menorah model and certain textures courtesy of Cyan, Inc. Used under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
<p align=left>Born Francis Douglas Arthur Keston, John Keston was a British-born American stage actor and singer who was best known as a world record-breaking runner. He is notable to the D'ni explorer community for portraying the historical figure Gehn, father of Atrus and Writer of the Age of Riven (referred to as "The Fifth Age" by its Writer), in Cyan, Inc's video game Riven: The Sequel to Myst.
In 1967 he appeared on London's West End in the musical "Sweet Charity" in the role of Vittorio Vidal; this was the first West End production of Neil Simon's Broadway hit. In 1974 he appeared on Broadway in The Royal Shakespeare Theatre's revival of "Sherlock Holmes" from 1974 to 1976, in the role of Sir Edward Leighton, at the Broadhurst Theatre.
He wrote, produced and performed a one-man show, "Expressions of Aging". This two-act play with music reflects his love of history, acting, music, and the English language, on the theme of growing old. He performed selections until late in his life.
Eventually Keston moved to Bemidji, Minnesota, where he had been recruited by Dr. Fulton Gallagher to teach voice in the music department of Bemidji State University.
He began running at age 55 to combat mild hypertension. On 30 September 2001, at age 76, he set a world age record when he ran a 3:22:59 marathon in the Portland Marathon. At ages 80 and 85, he set world age records for 12-kilometers in the Bloomsday Run in Spokane, Washington.
Keston died at the age of 97 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA from complications of COVID-19.]]></translation>
<p align=left>Sheila was an American film, stage, television and voice actress, best known in the D'ni explorer community for portraying historical figure Catherine (whose journals were the basis for the Myst game series) in the Cyan, Inc. game Riven: The Sequel to Myst, although the character was dubbed by fellow actress Rengin Altay. She was the first of two actresses to play the part on screen.
She was also a copywriter, consultant and administrator to various businesses. Her other works include numerous stage, film, and advertising credits in Seattle's local arts community and in L.A., voicing Cassandra and Roxy in Shank, and minor roles in A Bit of Bad Luck and The Architect.
Passionate about animals, especially dogs, she owned some of her own while also contributing to businesses dedicated to the care and nurturing of them.
Sheila passed away very unexpectedly at age 53 in Seattle, Washington, USA.]]></translation>
