Greetings from the DRC. It seems I'm the first board member to post on the new message boards, so let me take this opportunity to welcome newcomers. I'll explain a bit about this message board, and myself.
In recent DRC meetings, we've reached the conclusion that it would be beneficial for us to discuss the D'ni restoration project in a more public forum. These message boards are our first attempt to do just that. Our discussions will be much more public, and you'll get a chance to see some of the challenges and issues that we all face in restoring D'ni.
My name is Victor. I've known about D'ni for almost seven years. Being an acquaintance of Dr Watson, I found out about D'ni from him and of course accepted his request to join in the restoration back in '97.
My areas of expertise are electrical and computer engineering. My primary responsibility has been in the area of D'ni technology, in particular, reverse engineering to: 1) make D'ni things work, 2) make D'ni things work better, 3) make D'ni things work with surface things.
Currently the KI consumes most of my time. It's truly an amazing system, with the actual KI acting as a simple terminal to a larger D'ni host. We got it working, we got it working in English, and now we're trying to see just how much it can do. Interesting work, but I often get distracted with things like simply supplying light to certain areas that are being restored.
I look forward to meeting many of you. And I'll try to make time to direct some of my posts on the board to answer pertinent questions.
vic
* * * *
Born on June 14th, 1958, Victor Laxman received multiple Engineering Degrees from the University of Cambridge before joining the Royal Navy from 1978 to 1990. Victor first learned of the restoration efforts from Dr. Watson in early 1995 before joining the DRC from 1997 to 2004. After Dr. Watson left the DRC in 2004 Victor Laxman became co-leader of the DRC until it disbanded due to a lack of funding. In December of 2005 he first approached the other DRC members about restarting the restoration efforts and joined the DRC once more in 2006.
Unlike the other DRC members, Victor doesn't oversee any particular phase but is instead in charge of all aspects of restoring D'ni technology. In particular, Victor is responsible for translating D'ni technology to English and making it work with human technology. He also led successfully a joint-effort with explorers to re-calibrate the Great Zero. He also oversees explorers' recent effort to re-establish the daily light cycle generated by the lake algae which was interrupted due to the Fall of D'ni. In early November he departed with his colleagues to the surface to look for other funding sources. (GoG bio)
History: Joined the expedition in 1994 through contact with Dr. Watson.
Education: Doctorate in Geology with a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering Technology
Job Duties: Ensuring structural integrity of structures (natural and man-made) as well as detailed studies of rock formations. Oversee Phase Two approval of all new areas and structures..
Dr. K
* * * *
Born on October 5th, 1957, Ikuro Kodama has a Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering Technology from New Mexico State University along with a Tech Doctorate in Geology from the University of Southern California. He was a friend of Dr. Richard Watson's from their time together in the teaching profession when he was invited to D'ni in 1994 before joining the DRC from 1997 to 2004. In 2004 he was also co-leader of the DRC after Dr. Watson left. Kodama returned to D'ni in 2006 when funding was secured and retook his position on the DRC as well as his old duty of overseeing Phases One and Two. His work was interrupted with the sudden resignation of Cate Alexander. He returned to the surface to look for funds to continue the Restoration. (GoG bio)
<font size=10 style=b><p align=center>Dr. Marie Sutherland<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>
15 April 2002
Hello. I guess it's time for me to join in the introductions. My name is Dr. Marie Sutherland.
As Director of Field Work here in D'ni, I try to oversee all the expedition work as well as recovery and restoration of major work areas. Dr. Watson and I work together in resource allocation and priority. Unfortunately, we don't get as much hands-on work as we would like because of our other responsibilities.
We on the DRC have spent several years working on laying the initial foundation for a renewed D'ni. We were confident that there would be many others who would choose to join us in this endeavor and are extremely happy to see this starting to take place.
So we are very excited that you all have joined us here in D'ni, and we look forward to this cavern becoming the living, breathing city that it once was.
In the meantime, please feel free to ask us questions in the appropriate forum. We will not be able to answer all of your questions, no doubt, especially as the number of explorers grows, but we will try to answer what we can.
Thank you.
Marie
* * * *
Born on March 12th, 1962, Marie Sutherland received a Doctorate in Anthropology from Southern Illinois University before entering the teaching profession. While in this profession she met Dr. Richard Watson and first joined an expedition to D'ni in 1993 before becoming a founding member of the DRC from 1997 to 2004. In 2006, when the DRC returned to D'ni, Marie retook her old position in the DRC. As part of her duties with the DRC Marie is responsible for Phases Three and Five. She is also known to at times differ with Cate, particularly her reluctance to allow advertisements in the Cavern. After Cate's resignation, she too departed for the surface to search for other Restoration funding sources. (GoG bio)
My apologies for being the last of the DRC members to make an initial public address. I'd hoped to submit an entry remotely, but recent tests of inter-Age communication have proved unsuccessful.
My name is Michael Engberg. I was initially asked by Dr. Wastson to consult with the expedition team in early 1998, and a year later he and his associates extended me a full-time position on the Council.
Building engineering is my primary area of expertise, but as with everyone involved in the Restoration, I've a myriad of other responsibilities. Based on Dr. Kodama's assessment of structural integrity throughout the Cavern, my team of Research Engineers and I recently completed a survey of the most promising sites. After recent discussions with Mr. Sharper, I'll potentially be leading another crew to expedite final restoration on Teledahn soon.
Though my schedule may permit but little time for interacting with this community, I do recognize its importance. A successful restoration of the physical structures within D'ni is meaningless if there are none who want to inhabit it. Your presence here is both encouraging as well as a reminder of how much work has yet to be done.
Michael
* * * *
Born on September 9th, 1966, Michael Engberg has a Masters of Building Science which he obtained from the University of Southern California before he came to D'ni. He initially came in 1998 before joining the DRC from 1999 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006 he had a teaching position before returning to D'ni once more with his daughter Willow. As part of his duties in the DRC, he was in charge of the Restoration Phase Four for all structures. The untimely death of Willow, his only remaining daughter in late May 2007 overwhelmed him and caused him to disappear from the Cavern. He remained MIA until his sudden return on September 10th, 2007, and has kept silent on his future plans, including whether or not he will return to the Council. (GoG bio)
<font size=10 style=b><p align=center>Dr. Richard A. Watson<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>
29 April 2002
Don't feel too badly, Michael. The title of "Last DRC Member to Introduce Themselves" belongs to me. Though I have posted a couple of answers in the other areas. Maybe that counts. Smile.
In case it doesn't, my name is Dr. Richard A. Watson. My first trip to the D'ni cavern was way back in 1990, back before there was a DRC, back before there was a DRF, back when the number of surface dwellers who had been to D'ni were in the low double digits. Two years later, I joined Cyan while they were working on Myst, consulting for them as their D'ni Historian for the Myst and Riven projects. For the last ten years, my time has been divided between Cyan and various D'ni expeditions.
Now that the Cyantists are contributing directly to the restoration process, it is much easier for me to hold both my position at Cyan and my position with the DRC, though lately the DRC has been my primary focus.
Anyway, thanks to the other DRC members for introducing yourselves. I know some of you (not to mention any names, Dr. K.) were reluctant to participate here.
Dr. Watson
* * * *
Born on June 8th, 1961, Richard Watson received a Doctorate in History from the University of Utah before being invited to D'ni by his good friend Elias Zandi. When Elias Zandi died in 1996 Dr. Watson became the sole chairman of the D'ni Restoration Foundation and decided to create the DRC one year later instead to help with the responsibility. While a member of the DRC, Dr. Watson wasn't responsible for any particular phase but instead helped out in a variety of areas. However, this came to a halt when he abruptly left the DRC following Phil Henderson's apparent death. Unable to cope with Phil's death, Dr. Watson went on Yeesha's Quest and was not heard from until Michael Engberg came to find him, and he returned, surprising all on September 11th, 2007. He confirmed that the "good" Bahro have created a "grand deception" that things are okay when in fact, destruction was headed their way. He stressed collaboration and unity in re-building the guilds as the D'ni did, and has refused to rejoin the DRC citing differences in philosophy. He is presently enlisting support from explorer groups for Restoration projects that engage his interest. (GoG bio)
<font size=12><p align=center>People Affiliated with the DRC
Douglas Sharper was one of the first people to come to D'ni who was not associated with the DRC. He had a major role in the restoration effort which included being given control of Teledahn as well as some city structures. However despite having official sanction to work on restoring D'ni, Sharper often went behind the DRC's back and hid books, secretly gained access to closed off areas and held protests against the DRC. He also went on Yeesha's journey with Phil Henderson before any other restoration engineer or DRC member had. Because he so often went against the DRC, he eventually lost access to the city structures he had been given.
When the DRC abandoned their restoration efforts he stayed behind in D'ni and remained largely silent since the resumption of restoration in 2006, until March 2007 when Cate summoned him to investigate the apparent decimation of animals in Negilahn. In late May he witnessed a battle between different Bahro factions, and has also vowed to avenge the untimely death of Willow Engberg on the Bahro. He admitted to killing a "good" Bahro while being attacked by an "evil" Bahro faction. He was the first to alert explorers to the false sense of security in the Cavern because they were unknowingly being protected by "good" Bahro against "evil" ones bent on destruction. On November 6, 2007 he also departed for the surface.
Phil Henderson was a restoration engineer who was once in charge of restoring Eder Kemo. However, he went missing in 2003 through the journey door located in the Age and wasn't seen for a full year. Upon returning, Phil Henderson spoke with people about the teachings of Yeesha despite growing tension between himself and the DRC. Claiming to be concerned for Phil's safety, the DRC eventually locked him up in their Bevin's "Egg Room" for a few days until they released him. Upon being released, Phil went to an area near the Guild Hall on Ae'gura despite the fact the area was closed off and deemed unsafe. As a result, the wall he was on collapsed and he was presumed dead. Yet he surprised explorers when he suddenly returned to the Cavern on August 3rd, 2007, and reported that the Bahro took him to many places, and expanded his understanding. He was the first to definitively confirm Sharper's concerns that the good Bahro were protecting the Cavern from the coming destruction. He continues to warn explorers of coming destruction and to listen to Watson and Yeesha.
Nick was once a Restoration Engineer who translated documents from D'ni and into English. He started translating documents from Teledahn immediately after learning D'ni in 1998. During 2000 he also translated some documents from Rebek before being pulled off it. When the DRC returned in 2006 Nick White also returned; however, he makes frequent trips to the surface. Around December, 2006, Nick White was working on two Ages with Dr. Kodama, one of which is still unnamed.
On May 3rd, 2007, Nick's employment with the DRC was terminated. The reasons given for this action included poor job performance, "fraternization" with explorers, and leaking confidential DRC information in violation of the terms of his probation for previous violations of DRC policy. Since his termination, Nick continues to appear in the Cavern, sharing rumors he hears from other Restoration Engineers, many of whom still remain his friends, and accompanying Douglas Sharper on his expeditions. Nick remains calm and undaunted by the prophetic warnings of pending destruction.
Cate Alexander began securing funding for the DRC sometime after 2004 when they had to cancel the restoration efforts. She played a role in getting Turner to fund the restoration and has also contributed to the DRC's funds, herself. Her role with the DRC became even more more prominent when she announced in late June 2007 that she was elected to the Council to replace Michael Engberg, and that she also had a tie-breaker vote. Unlike the other DRC members, she is eager for new areas to be opened up quickly and so she pressures the DRC to open them faster. Her recent proposal to allow advertisements in the Cavern to alleviate funding issues has attracted much attention and controversy. She further surprised the community with her sudden resignation and departure on November 1st, 2007, and with it her financial backing for the Restoration.
<font size=12 style=n><p align=center>Other Historic People
Elias Zandi was a wealthy and eccentric archaeologist who often paid large sums of money for particular artifacts that he claimed were connected to him somehow. John Loftin came to Zandi one time claiming to have discovered ancient machines beneath the surface of the Earth and on the 19th of March, 1988 they travelled to the tunnels that led to D'ni.
Elias immediately began buying the land around the area of the tunnels and after another expedition with just Fighting Branch, he contacted his colleague Dr. Watson to join him on an expedition. During a later expedition in 1992 Elias revealed his desire to restore the city and populate it with people who called themselves D'ni. Elias became consumed with the restoration efforts and ignored his health until he died due to a massive heart attack in 1996. He left his wealth to the D'ni Restoration Foundation but left the land to his estranged son, Jeff.
The son of Elias Zandi, Jeff became an ally of Yeesha in gaining explorers to her cause. Most of the time he can be found at the Cleft in front of his trailer.
John Loftin discovered the D'ni digging machines in 1987 while searching for artifacts to sell to Elias Zandi. He went on several expeditions to D'ni with Elias Zandi and Richard Watson in the following years until he died during one of them in 1991.
Born January 17, 1959, in Pennsylvania, USA, Rand and his brother Robyn Miller co-founded Cyan, now Cyan Worlds, Inc. Cyan became famous from the unexpected success of their computer game Myst, which remained the number one-selling game for the remainder of the 1990s. Rand also worked on the game's sequel, Riven, and later realMyst and Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.
Still CEO, he is now less involved with working out storyline, gameplay and programming, instead focusing on managing the projects his company works on. As a sideline, you will find him portraying Atrus in the Myst sequels, some of which were created by other companies, including: Myst III: Exile (by Presto Studios), Myst IV: Revelation and Myst V: End of Ages (both by Ubisoft Montreal). However, he claims that he dislikes this job, and feels he is the wrong person to do it.
Relteltee is an explorer who was interviewed by the DRC and afterwards appointed as their Guilds Advisor. Reteltee does not vote with the Council, but is one who does independent research on the D'ni guild system before reporting to the Council and the explorers. While he tries to disclose as much information as possible on official movements, his reluctance to separate facts from personal interpretations regarding the D'ni Guild system have not satisfied explorers who desire the DRC to be more open in their decision-making.
J.D. Barnes is an anthropologist who recently entered the Restoration effort as an independent researcher and has collaborated with the DRC on several occasions. He did his graduate work at Oregon State at Corvallis and earned a Master's Degree in Applied Anthropology. He is involved in several projects, including production of a documentary, and has recently asked explorers for help in authenticating old documents from a surface dweller who may have visited D'ni long before the Zandis did.
Willow Engberg, nicknamed Wheely, is the daughter of DRC member Michael Engberg who was homeschooled in 2007 in D'ni. She liked to climb and explore the various Ages and was seen occasionally talking with players. In late May 2007 she and her friend Rose were trapped underneath a structural failure at the Kahlo Pub. Rescuers tried to reach her, but in vain. The DRC later revealed that her death was due to an enemy Bahro and not the rock fall.
Rosette Taylor, nicknamed Rose, was a close friend of Willow Engberg. She was a brand new explorer, and loved to roam the different Ages together with her friend. In late May 2007 a few explorers briefly met Rose with her friend Willow, shortly before the two of them were trapped underneath a structural collapse at the Kahlo Pub, where Rose was believed to have died instantly.
Brian Fioca was described by Douglas Sharper as "an eventual leader" of the explorer community in one of his November 2003 journal entries. Sharper praised him as one of those who "see right through" the DRC during its early stages. He also is the administrator of The Great Tree forum, another fan community which existed during the Uru Live Prologue. He recently completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in Seattle, Washington.
Yeesha was born almost 200 years ago to Atrus and Catherine, the main characters in the Myst series. Currently, one of her journeys is accessible in Myst Online: Uru Live; however, she made two others that have been released in the earlier games with a fourth one that was played out in real life. She made her first live appearance along with many Bahro on November 5th, 2007. There she confirmed that "destruction is coming," identified the enemy Bahro leader, promised to draw the Bahro War away from the Cavern, and challenged all to "find a way... make a home."
The Bahro are a race of creatures who have the natural ability to link at will. They were servants to the D'ni for thousands of years, and presumably gave the D'ni the ability to link to other Ages. Since explorers freed the Bahro from the power of the Tablet, the Bahro have now become free to make their own choices. Unfortunately, some of them have chosen revenge for revenge's sake, and are therefore bent on destruction of even innocent life. Yet according to Yeesha, most Bahro are friendly and have protected explorers, the life in the other Ages, and even the D'ni from destruction, even to the point of sacrificing their lives.</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>The week was known as "Familiar Voices". There's a reason it's called that, and I'll show why in a bit, but let's just say that it started out around lunch time.
You might remember that in "A New Light" a dock lake meter was mentioned. That dock meter, also known as Bob the Dalek to some explorers, was malfunctioning all the way through its one-month span of use. On the first day of "Familiar Voices", Victor Laxman came to Ae'gura to remove the dock meter. It was a sad moment, but one many understood for technical reasons.
A short time after our Dock Dalek was removed, Nick White came down to Watcher's.
He had some news. He'd gotten a girlfriend on the surface (good for him, thought some explorers), and Sharper had returned from Noloben and had been acting strange ever since.
Sharper had killed a Bahro. Shot it dead.
Questions immediately flew. Would we be targeted by the Bahro in retaliation? Were they impartial? These questions would be answered in due time, and some would even be answered the next month.
Some time later, Cate Alexander visited the Guild of Greeters Neighborhood. She was looking for Sharper. And so were a lot of people.
Eventually, someone must have found him and relayed the message, as he showed up in Watcher's Sanctuary later in the day. He made a few offhand comments about how he'd studied the Bahro and verified that there were at least two sides.
One of those comments was along the lines of, "It's not like they have red and blue eyes." But regardless, Sharper insisted that he'd killed a bad Bahro. People panicked, "We're doomed! Oh no! They're going to kill us all!"
Before people went to bed that night, Laxman visited a Neighborhood somewhere. He announced that he had rigged the imagers to display people's pellet scores for a bit of friendly competition between Neighborhoods.
Despite the excitement of this, it wasn't enough to quench the worry from people's minds...
Lunch time rolled around on day two, and Sharper and Nick were in Watcher's Sanctuary again. Sharper talking about his Noloben trip when, suddenly...
"GET BACK!" Sharper yelled out.
Two Bahro linked in right on top of the imager. They had the corpse of the Bahro Sharper had killed with them.
There was panic, and lots of it. But some people were just curious.
"It has blue eyes!" One explorer commented, "You killed a good one!"
Now, due to Sharper's "red eye blue eye" comment, some people had gotten it stuck in their heads that the two sides were identified by red and blue eyes.
However, it was true. It was a good one.
While we didn't find it out immediately, this was the course of events: Sharper had lined up his sights on a bad Bahro and fired, but this Bahro, a good one, had jumped into the line of fire.
Sharper was shocked that the Bahro had brought this body to the explorers, so much so that he and Nick had to link away.
"Don't touch it," was one of his last orders.
But the Bahro stayed behind crying, almost. Crying for their lost brother.
Now, you've got to understand, despite this shock, this was one of the few times anyone would ever get that close to a Bahro. Sure, we've all seen them in pictures, and occasionally on the volcano in the Cleft, but these two Bahro were right on the imager.
They were right in front of those lucky explorers. Someone tried to touch one, and it let out a warning scream and looked directly at him. The Bahro left Watcher's Sanctuary, body and all, a few minutes later.
And then it started.
Bahro were everywhere. Neighborhoods, City locations, even Reltos. Nowhere was safe from them.
After all, would any place be safe from a creature that can link at will?
The DRC released a few KI-mails. One warned explorers not to touch or get near any Bahro. The other advertised Kirel.
Cate Alexander and Dr. Kodama were in Kirel when explorers first linked in, announcing that this was their first step in reviving the Guilds. Explorers could make their support known by choosing a Guild shirt.
Day three arrived. Bahro were everywhere. They were in Reltos, Er'cana City Silos, Private ages, Public locations, anywhere you could imagine.
In Kirel a mischievous little Bahro decided to play a game of tag. The little guy appeared somewhere, and disappeared again, only to reappear somewhere else. We were all searching wildly to find the guy, and in the course of the chaos, I got shoved into a corner.
Guess what kept me from breaking my nose against the rock? Yes, that little Bahro was right there. I backed off immediately, as soon as I realized that I was staring right into its eyes. But I was amazed. I'd run right into a Bahro. Sheer, impossible luck.
In any case, it resumed linking around causing chaos. It was fun, to say the least. Regardless, the Bahro had us running like rats in a maze. It was playing with us. Probably only a kid, just playing around with whomever it could find.
Once we all organized ourselves, managed to form a semicircle, and got everyone sitting, it must have gotten bored, because it left not long after that.
Fun as it was, there was still more going on.
Sharper had announced that he was returning to Noloben. Marie came by Kirel again. Even a new Relto page was found. But there was nothing, really, like the thrill of meeting a Bahro.
In any case, the day was topped off by the June sparkly vanishing from existence. It couldn't be found anywhere. The sparklies back then were monthly, unlike today where they're all on at once.
Day four was August 2. Jalak Dador was released.
And there in Jalak was the eighth sparkly.
Unlike the other ages, Jalak was devoid of any rewards other than the sparkly. People were confused. Where was the puzzle? Well, despite all that, we still managed to find some fun in Jalak.
In any case, Sharper showed up in Watcher's Sanctuary that day, wearing a Yeesha T-shirt and announcing that he was not going to Noloben again.
The day was topped off with Cate announcing Reteltee as the DRC's Guild advisor. It was all just boring Guild stuff.
On the final day of Familiar Voices...
You remember the memorial imager in Kahlo Pub, right? Well, one name on it is important. Because he is not dead.
I mean, really, one can't get more alive than standing on top of a building rooftop surrounded by Bahro.
You see, in 2004, Phil "phend" Henderson was in a collapse and a wall fell on him. Everyone thought he was dead, which was why he was on the memorial imager.
But he was alive.
He had been saved by a Bahro when the wall collapsed, and had spent his time with them. Unfortunately, his mental state was a bit worse compared to before. Any questions directed at him were replied to with riddles.
When asked about the Bahro, he said, "Here too?" He told us they were everywhere, free to do whatever they wanted. And the skies in some Ages, even Releeshan, the new D'ni home Age, were blackened by their wings.
And then Sharper showed up. "Phil! It's true! You're alive!?"
It was now that Sharper let out his conscience, first apologizing for taking Phil's Relto book, and then asking about the Bahro, and why one had killed Wheely.
"This is only the beginning," Phil said. A war had been started when the Bahro had been freed, and it was escalating.
"I was afraid of that," Sharper said it best for all of us. He then mentioned the Bahro that had jumped in front of his gun.
Phil replied, "They protected us all from you making a mistake."
The side with which Sharper had almost ignited a war had chosen evil. And Sharper confessed that the reason he wasn't going to Noloben was that he was concerned that the Bahro were coming here. To D'ni.
Phil gave some warnings about preparing, and one very, very cryptic message: "He is coming. HE will return."
Who was "He"? Did we do this by moving the Journey pillars? And would the Bahro kill us all?
Those three questions were on all of our minds, but the first more so than anything.
Surely, you remember a dream of Yeesha. She mentions, "They come," and, "He comes."
This had us concerned.
The "they" was obviously the Bahro, but who was the "He"?
We wouldn't know until later.
This was a warning, a capstone of the weird and bizarre. A storm, titan in mass, was coming. Death and destruction were coming via the hands of the darkened, twisted side of the Bahro.
Who was "He"? The Great King who was sealed in his tomb? The very one that Phil had mentioned before his "death"? Or was it the strange D'ni man from Noloben that Cyan Worlds had based Esher off of for the Myst V game?
Or perhaps... Was it someone else entirely?
Strangely, though, due to that strange dream, many of us knew that Yeesha herself would come as well. It was a comfort to some, but until she and he and they arrived, we would never know.</translation>
Part II<PB><img src="activity007.hsm" align=center resize=no blend=alpha><PB>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>Shortly after 11PM, Dr. Kodama appeared near the DRC tent in the Tokotah plaza, having apparently stopped to pay his respects at the memorial by the Kahlo pub entrance. "Good evening. Ms. Sutherland promises that you won't bite," he said to JWPlatt, who had wandered back there some time earlier.
"Heh, I appreciate her assurance to you. Some people wonder...," he replied. "Did you just get in, or have you been here a while?"
"I've been here a few hours. I was catching up with Ms. Sutherland."
The Doctor continued: "I prefer to stick to the job at hand, usually. But considering I don't have a job down here at the moment, I guess I'm free to relax a bit."
"And what is the job at hand now, if you don't have one?" asked JWPlatt, as HenryMikel and Dr CrisGer made their way to join them at the plaza.
"Well, it was to investigate whatever tripped the sensors, but that seems to have been settled."
"Ah, so what do you think it was?"
"Explorers being explorers, I imagine."
JWPlatt was puzzled: "We've been looking for those sensors... haven't found any. We'll keep looking."
"They're around. Surprised they haven't been tripped earlier, actually. Maybe Laxman was ignoring those in areas explorers frequent. As long as I'm here, I'm going to stay the weekend. It's been too long since I've visited the Cavern."
JWPlatt remarked that there had been others around earlier, and that they might welcome the chance to chat if the Doctor was still around the following day.
"I hope they aren't actually counting on me to have the answers. We're all just explorers for now."
HenryMikel joined in: "We just want to be able to stay."
"I don't see a problem with that as long as the Cavern isn't harmed," the Doctor replied.
The conversation continued, with Kodama commenting that Victor Laxman was in semi-retirement now while the other DRC members had all been forced to find other jobs, and that working on the restoration had never really felt like a "job" to them.
"Enjoy the Cavern as it is, rather than worrying about repairing everything in sight. We didn't have time for much of that before. Stopping and smelling the roses, as it were, "said Kodama, grinning. "It might be a nice change of pace.
"Maybe I'll even get to spend time with a Bahro now that it's not my responsibility to make sure they aren't a threat to explorers," he continued.
"Do you expect the Bahro to be aggressive?" asked JanB, echoing the concerns of a number of those present, given the events prior to the Cavern's most recent closure.
"I do not know, JanB," answered Kodama. "I haven't seen one recently."
Dr CrisGer joined the group and immediately HenryMikel started to tease him, saying that Dr. Kodama was very angry about their presence.
Kodama joined in the fun: "I'll find Victor's ejection button."
"Oh dear," responded CrisGer before Kodama burst out laughing and repeated what he had told the others.
"That is a huge relief."
"I have no doubt that others will find their way here as you have. I'm just an explorer at the moment. But I will defend the Cavern if it comes to that. I trust that it will not," warned Kodama. "For that matter the Bahro are very quiet now, but I trust that they would defend it as well."
"If we encounter any Bahro what do you advise? Aside from total respect..." asked CrisGer.
Clearly in a jovial mood, Dr. Kodama replied "I hear that they like 'Reese's Pieces'," causing the whole group to laugh.
JanB wondered if stroopwafels would be an acceptable substitute.
Asked whether the Cavern was structurally sound enough to cope with a greater number of visitors, Kodama said that he thought it was, adding "I think we'll be finding out soon enough."
Gradually, the conversation returned to the sensors and Laxman's concerns about what was happening in the Cavern; the things that had brought these people together that day. Kodama repeated the earlier comment from Marie Sutherland, expressing relief that it was simply regular explorers moving around and not something more sinister.
"Some digs in South America have to have armed guards," said CrisGer. "So our presence does provide a measure of security."
"The Cavern has Bahro guards," said Dr. Kodama. "I wouldn't want to upset Yeesha, either, come to think of it."
"Really? That's quite a give for the DRC in general to give credence to Yeesha, isn't it, or am I going back too far now?" remarked JWPlatt.
"We know who she is and what she is capable of. We don't necessarily agree with her methods, but respect her abilities. And I imagine she has as strong a bond with the Cavern as we do. Maybe I am wrong."
During this time, the party had been joined by EthanEver and Dadguy who had both been resting when Kodama first appeared. Dadguy asked if Kodama and Sutherland were working together again.
"I spent about two hours catching up with her but no, we have been out of touch a while."
"Will you be returning to the Cavern?"
"I may return from time to time as an explorer, but there is no funding for resuming the restoration. I was telling the others that the Cavern is very different when you're not looking at everything as your responsibility to figure out how to fix."
"Do you think you will enjoy exploring better now, Dr. Kodama?" asked EthanEver.
"It will take some getting used to."
"There are many explorers that are determined to keep the Cavern alive," commented Dadguy.
"And to continue your work in opening new areas," added HenryMikel.
Kodama took out his pipe. "I am intrigued by the possibility."
The explorers complimented Kodama on the work done by the DRC during their restoration, since there was little apparent deterioration since the closure.
"I'm glad it appears that way. I see a long list of things that were on the list to restore, so it's sometimes hard to appreciate all that was accomplished."
The hour was now late and some of the group indicated that they needed to get some sleep.
"I should turn in as well. I'm staying in the Cavern for the weekend. I may see some of you tomorrow," said Kodama before heading into the Tokotah.
The group each went their own way, a few to try to get messages back to the surface about the day's events. Dadguy's message sent around 1:00 AM KI time on Sunday, February 7th, was very brief and simply said that Kodama was in the Cavern and would be spending the night there. It was a few hours before JanB sent a similarly brief message corroborating Dadguy. In separate messages Lynnutte and Mac each report that they are in the Cavern but both had seemingly missed seeing either Sutherland or Kodama; Mac however made a cryptic reference to Teledahn being 'full of people.' Early the following morning, first Tai'lahr then Mystdee were each able to report some of the detail from the conversation with Marie Sutherland.
In due course, more reports were to emerge: JWPlatt spoke of seeing both of the DRC members; the unexpected cordiality with which they had welcomed the uninvited guests they found in the Cavern; restating that there was no funding for the DRC and hoping that Greeters would be able to fill the void created by the absence of Restoration Engineers, while Dadguy was able to expand on his earlier information on the meeting with Dr. Kodama.
While many on the surface welcomed these sketchy reports, the lack of any official confirmation from the DRC troubled some observers who remained skeptical, doubting whether these meetings had actually taken place and suggesting that it was some elaborate hoax, playing on the earlier DRC forum posts.
Sunday morning started quietly and the explorers, now a little more relaxed after the reassurances from Sutherland and Kodama, went quietly about their own tasks. Late in the morning EthanEver, Veralun, Mystdee and Mac were standing by the top of the Great Stairs discussing the events of the previous day when Dr. Kodama emerged from the Tokotah building and cheerily greeted them: "Good morning, fellow explorers."
"Did you have a peaceful night?" asked EthanEver.
"My cot is not the most comfortable thing, but the air down here was nice.
"My Nexus links seem to have been lost. I think I'll go get them again," the Doctor continued, "I'm going to walk around a while. Enjoy yourselves", and set off to visit the Nexus terminals.
Soon Kodama returned to the group, which had now been joined by JanB, and suggested that they all walk to the Library for a change of scenery. This also seemed to be an opportunity for the Doctor to reminisce: After passing through the Hall of Kings he stopped on the small plaza behind the Palace and gestured at the stairway ahead of him: "Anyone remember the rock pile that used to be here?" he asked.
"Yes! I spent lots of time trying to get past it," answered Mystdee.
The group climbed the stairs and walked on towards the Library. Very little was said along the way, in reverence for their surroundings. Heading down the stairs from the pathway Kodama again stopped, by the railings on the small round plaza and gazed out over the Lake towards the Arch of Kerath.
Eleri caught up with the group and greeted Kodama: "Shorah, Dr. Kodama. Pleasure to see you again, it's been way too long."
"It is nice to see you, Eleri." Moving to the Library steps, the Doctor sat down with his pipe.
The explorers gathered in a semi-circle in front of the steps as if sitting round a camp fire and began to ask questions: "Have you ever been to the Arch, Doctor?" asked Veralun.
"Indeed, I have. It's hard to judge the size from this distance, but it is breath-taking how large it is when you are close to it."
Mystdee wondered how the D'ni built the Arch and EthanEver asked if it was made from a single piece of stone.
"Rocks were mined from the ceiling and lowered down, actually."
"And why does it have a little red light on top?" asked Eleri.
"For the planes?" the Doctor jokingly suggested.
"For the flying Bahro" countered EthanEver and JanB together, and the Doctor chuckled.
"A beacon for the ships to navigate by," proposed Mac.
"One of the random little hmms of the place," said Eleri. "I love the library. Tell us a story!"
"I'm afraid I'm not much of a storyteller," remarked Kodama.
Dadguy joined the group just as Veralun was asking about the lower levels of the Library, and why they were barricaded off.
"The library has many floors, but many of the lower floors were damaged," answered Kodama. "We didn't have time to repair them, but they were "on the list."
"What did you find downstairs? Were there any books?"
"No, we did not find Books. The lower floors are much the same as the upper floors."
"One would have thought that the underground levels may have been better protected," pondered Mac.
"It seems that was not the case."
"Earth quakes sometimes thrust up! I know, I lived in California for many years," added Mystdee.
"Will any of the others be here?" asked Eleri, referring to the other DRC members. "I know Marie was here yesterday."
"I only know of Marie, Eleri. Mr. Laxman has family obligations on the surface, and Dr. Watson did not respond that I know of. I don't expect Mr. Engberg to return to the Cavern."
The others nodded agreement, remembering what had happened to Wheely below the Kahlo pub a few years earlier.
"Carry our regards to him. He's still much in my thoughts," said Eleri.
"I will. He changed careers. Seems he learned a few things from Mr. Laxman and works at a large company in the Pacific Northwest."
"I hope he is happy," said Mystdee.
"He seemed to be happy when last I spoke with him."
"Good to hear."
"We saw the memorial was updated... did you do it Sir?" asked EthanEver.
"I believe Mr. Laxman is able to update it from the surface. I did not update it," replied Kodama.
"That was very nice I thought, thanks," said Mystdee appreciatively.
"It was a touching gesture to begin with, and very thoughtful of him to keep it maintained," added Mac.
"Anything heard from Dr. Watson, Doctor?" enquired Veralun.
"It has been a while since I've seen him, Veralun."
"Everyone scattered, it seems," remarked Eleri.
"Indeed," agreed Kodama.
"It would be so nice if you all can work here again," said Veralun wistfully.
"We all had to move on, I'm afraid. I believe all but Engberg would return if the opportunity presented itself."
"Tell 'em all to come down! No stress, no schedules, just hanging out," Eleri enthused.
"It is a very nice change of pace. Being an explorer isn't that bad," responded Kodama.
Eleri asked if the DRC were going to make any announcement about explorers being in the Cavern or about allowing others to join them.
Dr. Kodama replied that he and Marie would be reporting their findings to Laxman that night: "Whether others choose to join you is not up to me. I do not doubt that those who are Called will find their way down soon enough."
"It's been pretty safe down here. No masses of Bahro," Eleri commented, as a reassurance, "They're off doing their own thing now, I guess."
"I have only heard them not seen them," added Mystdee.
"I think they are still busy elsewhere," Kodama opined. "A few are likely still around, though."
"You explained yesterday that there are Bahro who are protecting the Cavern, right?" prompted EthanEver.
"It would appear so, Ethan."
Eleri was a little disappointed: "Mmm, seems like DRC is a concept more than a full on org now. Which kinda sucks."
"For now, yes, we who were formerly known as the DRC are explorers now, too."
"And the DRC will not be trying to obstruct anyone who comes?" asked Mac.
"We will do what we can to watch out for the Cavern, Mac. But as long as explorers are not intent on destruction, I don't have a problem with them returning."
HenryMikel approached the group while Eleri shuddered as she recounted an experience when a Bahro swooped by her near the bridge. At that moment, a Bahro screeched in the distance as to remind everyone that they were never far away and to underline Kodama's remark a few minutes earlier.
After a little more friendly discussion, Kodama announced that he should go and see what Marie Sutherland was doing, and waved goodbye to the group, which then broke up, each going about his or her own business. Mac and Mystdee got messages to the surface, both giving corroborating summaries of the meeting with Dr. Kodama.
The occupants of the Cavern now felt accepted in their surroundings and less like the "unauthorized explorers" that they were at the start of the weekend.</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>After the last remaining Restoration Engineers left the Cavern in April 2008, it became a largely empty and desolate place once again. A few explorers remained behind attempting to continue private studies of D'ni life. Some, perhaps brazenly, even posted accounts of their forays into D'ni and exploration of ages on the DRC forums, but most stayed away, fearing the dangers of an unmaintained Cavern. After all, disasters had occurred even when there was a watchful DRC presence. Yet others drifted off into new avenues of exploration, some far away from the great cave below the New Mexico desert.
Occasionally, explorers would meet and discuss the prospects of returning to the Cavern, and suggestions started to filter down from the DRC that might allow the explorers to resource a form of restoration themselves. The DRC leaders had become involved in other projects and progress on the proposals was slow and information scant. Meantime, "unauthorized explorers" continued to make infrequent and solitary visits, but for many people the Cavern became just a memory.
Suddenly, there was excitement--on Thursday, February 4th, 2010, Victor Laxman had posted on the DRC's forum, the first post from a DRC member in almost three years. The title was eye-catching: "Activity in the Cavern?" Laxman reported that some of his "security sensors" had been tripped, and as he was unaware of any planned DRC trips to the Cavern suggested that someone should take a look.
Speculation broke out with many of those who had been making unauthorized trips to the Cavern wondering where those sensors might be that they hadn't tripped them in the preceding two years. Others observed that there had been seismic activity on the US West coast around that time and concluded that was the cause. Some feared a catastrophe in the Cavern. Rose suggested that it could be someone, possibly a DRC member, in trouble and signaling for help. Tai'lahr felt that a search party might be needed and a few people started to make hurried plans for a trip back to the Cavern--there must be something to see or some help to be rendered.
Almost a full day had passed before anyone replied to Laxman's message, but eventually Ikuru Kodama replied that he could make a trip down over the weekend and would report back what he found. Shortly afterwards, Marie Sutherland posted that she would travel down too. Tweek, who had been one of the more frequent visitors since the closure, thought that the Cavern was in pretty good shape overall. By late Friday, Tai'lahr, Mac, Mystdee and JanB had made arrangements to meet and try to get back down to D'ni the following day. A few others would make their own way down over the weekend. Hopefully all would be well in the Cavern.
The first report to come back to the surface was encouraging; JWPlatt, who had earlier signaled his intent to return to the Cavern in the hope of restarting the collection of pellet data, had made it back to his old 'hood and found it much as he'd left it two years previously, if perhaps a little dustier, but there was no mention of anyone or anything that might have set off the sensors that Victor Laxman had referred to.
Elsewhere, Mac had met up with EthanEver who had been exploring Teledahn. EthanEver was excited: "Mac, I'm sure I can hear animal noises near the hut in Teledahn! Come and see if you can hear them too."
The pair went off to explore this unlikely sounding discovery. Splitting up, they explored the area around the hut trying to determine where the sounds were coming from.
"They're quite faint and you need to be in the right place, but it does seem like there's a variety of animals here, somewhere," Mac eventually agreed. Finding a spot on the walkway near the opening to the outside that seemed to give the clearest listening EthanEver and Mac tried to identify the sounds.
"That sounded like a sheep or maybe a goat," said EthanEver.
"And that was like a duck, a Mallard," added Mac.
"There's something like a chimp there too."
"I'd swear that was a cow I heard just now."
The two explorers spent 20 minutes listening and looking for places the noises might be coming from. There were no animals to be seen, but it also seemed unlikely that this was simply a trick of the breezes coming from outside. This would need further investigation.
Eventually, Marie Sutherland arrived in D'ni Ae'gura and soon found that indeed there were "unauthorized explorers" in the Cavern. Although naturally hesitant through fear of being accused of trespassing, a small group that had gathered by the tent in front of the Tokotah building ventured to greet Marie, Veralun being the first to hold out a hand of welcome.
Marie replied with a friendly "Shorah, Veralun," and asked if she was interrupting anything.
JWPlatt was quick to notice that Marie's presence was not registering on his KI.
"I wasn't sure what to expect, so I have taken certain precautions" she replied. Marie smiled and tensions eased a little and the group began to chat in a more relaxed manner, talking of how hard it been to leave the Cavern. For some that had happened more than once and each time they had felt compelled to return.
Asking if any of the explorers had seen Dr. Kodama, Marie commented "I thought he might have arrived ahead of me," but didn't seem unduly concerned when told that no-one had.
JWPlatt asked the question that was in everyone's mind: "Are we in trouble?"
"I wasn't sure whom to expect," Marie told the band of explorers, "I'm glad to find it is explorers like you who are here."
"Like us? In what way?" quizzed Tai'lahr.
"Oh, a certain 'shroom Baron' came to mind first. Then a former Noloben inhabitant crossed my mind... In any case, I'm happy it is you."
The explorers were keen to learn what had happened to the DRC members over the time since they left the Cavern, and Mystdee asked if anything had been heard from Sharper.
"I have heard nothing from him," said Marie, "Even the other DRC members have drifted apart, taking other jobs. It's sad, really."
"Is there any funding?" asked Mystdee and Dadguy, almost together.
"I'm afraid not."
Responding to a barrage of questions, Marie observed that the DRC were not expecting to find funding to resume restoration, so there were no clear answers on what the future held for the Cavern.
"I think the DRC did a good job of laying the groundwork for the explorers to continue restoration work here," Tai'lahr said, "Many explorers continue to uncover D'ni history and some are even learning to write ages."
"That is interesting, Tai'lahr. I hope they understand the gravity of that--with great power comes great responsibility," Marie replied. "The DRC members have a great deal physically and emotionally invested here. Even though we now have surface jobs and won't be here full time, we still care what happens here."
"I believe they do. They don't take the responsibility lightly."
"So access may be allowed?" ventured Dr CrisGer.
"We won't be kicking you out."
"There are so many out there, waiting to return... Can we talk to the others?" asked Dadguy.
"If word gets out that you have found a way down, I'm sure others are bound to follow. They just need to understand that there is no DRC restoration going on. No new Ages from us. No Restoration Engineers, etc."
The relieved and excited group thanked Marie, and assured her that they understood the situation they found themselves in.
Marie continued: "It will not be a place that some will care to be interested in. Those who are Called will come even knowing that. Who knows what the future holds? I certainly do not. I think there's a reason that 'You never know...' is a motto of our friends at Cyan Worlds '...until the last Bahro howls'."
Dr CrisGer wondered if access to ages would be limited in any way.
"Oh, access won't be limited by me, Dr CrisGer," replied Marie.
JWPlatt began to pursue his own mission with Ms. Sutherland: "Um, if you have any contact with Mr. Laxman or Dr. Watson, I have specific questions for them. Not a big deal, or anything that could have consequence for the moment but just a 'pellet' of an idea, what with what looks like more activity here," he quipped, winking at Marie.
"When I see Victor, I'll let him know. It is nice to be here again, though I tend to get nostalgic of lost plans. Such is life," she mused. "Well, now that I know who's down here, I suppose I should go see if Ikuro has his KI in stealth mode, too."
Marie Sutherland left the delighted explorers. Moments later, a Bahro howl resounded through the city.
Back on the surface, nothing more was being reported from the DRC and speculation continued over the nature of the activity. Then during Saturday evening, Tweek reported on the DRC forums that during a brief excursion from Sul to Ae'gura he'd seen a group of people talking with Marie Sutherland, however he had been keeping to the shadows and was too far away to catch any of the conversation.
A couple of hours later, Dadguy was able to send a brief first-hand account summarizing the meeting with Marie and the conversations that took place.
Back in Ae'gura, the group of explorers chattered about the prospect of more explorers being welcomed back into the city and the possibility of new visitors: Could the Guild of Greeters be reactivated to help newcomers? What would it mean to have an active, populated Cavern with no DRC watching over everyone? And was there something significant about the KI "stealth" setting that Marie had used?
Eventually Dadguy and Veralun, tired from their journey and the day's excitement, each announced that they were going to get some rest and left the group, some of whom were now setting off to check on the state of Kadish Tolesa before getting some sleep. A short while later, HenryMikel completed his journey from the surface and was able to contact the others via their KIs and was soon brought up to speed on the encounter with Marie Sutherland. The discussion about Marie's KI not registering obviously hit a resonance because HenryMikel was soon calling to the others that he thought he'd seen a figure in the Library that had no KI, although it turned out to be JWPlatt who was simply looking for a place to hide away for while!</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>To briefly recap, Sharper had killed a Bahro in retaliation for Wheely's death, but by accident had shot a good Bahro. Phil Henderson, who was NOT dead after all, returned to the cavern to explain that the Bahro Sharper shot had willingly sacrificed itself to protect us from its hostile brethren. And for the first time, Bahro had interacted personally with explorers at close range.
A month had now passed since Phil's return, and we had seen neither him nor any more Bahro. We were all a bit nervous about the Bahro Civil War, and the events of this week did nothing to assuage our fear.
The week began with what I think of as the March of Colors, but which was really just Phil Henderson acting really, really weird.
He showed up in one of the Neighborhoods, at the walkway above the garden, talking about colors and how important they were. Talking about how pretty colors are and how useful. And mostly worrying about whether or not "He" would like the colors. Phil was still talking about this mysterious "Him", who he claimed was coming to the cavern very soon.
Unfortunately Phil was unwilling to tell us who "He" was--but he hoped "He" liked the colors!
The March of Colors ended in Kirel, and many of us later surmised that Phil was actually trying to tell us how important the Guilds are, since the Guilds are set apart by different colors.
Either that or he had just smoked too many Teledahn 'shrooms.
Cate Alexander made an appearance that day as well, but all she really said was that she hoped the Guild Pubs would be released soon.
You see, the DRC had promised to release a private pub for each Guild, and Cate had hoped today would be the release day, but we didn't actually get to see them until the next day.
This time, when Cate came to announce the opening of the pubs, many explorers wanted to know about Phil and his mental state. However, Cate refused to answer questions about Phil. Or about the Bahro. She even went so far as to say she would not believe in any "Bahro War" until she saw it with her own eyes.
A fairly stupid statement, if you ask me. But then, Cate was never known for tact or vision.
And of course, we saw more of Phil that day, talking about colors and "Him" once more. I think many of us had come to the conclusion that "He" was just a delusion of Phil's, but then Sharper set us straight.
Sharper came to the Watcher's Sanctuary to talk about the Bahro War. He said that the war would probably come to the cavern, and that the hostile side might very well destroy D'ni. He told us the good Bahro were losing the war. And finally, he said he knew who Phil meant by "Him."
Sharper had met "Him", he said, and he knew exactly who Phil referred to, but Sharper refused to tell us the mysterious person's identity. He just said that he hoped we would listen to "Him" when "He" showed up.
And then he told us that he was going to reopen an old area that might prove useful if the Bahro War came to the cavern.
There was an old spy room that Sharper had used during the First Restoration to spy on the DRC. In it, he'd left Phil's stolen Relto Book.
Sharper promised that he would reopen the area soon, so that we could go there again. And the next day, that's exactly what he did.
Phil's Relto wasn't the only news that day. Remember Michael Engberg, the DRC member who'd lost his daughter to the hostile Bahro? While mourning Wheely, Engberg seemed to have gone crazy at the end of Scars Week, wandering around, then suddenly muttering Watson's name and running away.
Watson was the former DRC leader, and he had been missing in action since the First Restoration.
Well, Phil wasn't the only person to make a dramatic return. On the same day that Phil's Relto was made available, Engberg came back.
He appeared in Ae'gura, and explorers were overwhelmed with joy to see him. So was Marie Sutherland, the DRC member who came to meet him once she heard he was back.
They didn't talk long, and Engberg refused to speak about his experiences or where he'd gone. But that didn't stop the rumors that Engberg was the mysterious "He" that Phil kept talking about.
Those rumors were wrong.
I don't know if anyone has heard from Engberg since that day. He keeps to himself mostly and doesn't involve himself in the cavern.
But very, very late that night, someone else returned to the cavern--someone we had long awaited.
Dr. Watson.
Watson showed up in the Concert Hall Foyer, and was soon mobbed by ecstatic explorers. He told us he was pretty sure who Phil meant by "Him"--Phil meant Watson.
Apparently the two had spent a lot of time together while they were away from the cavern--time with the Bahro. Watson said he was not as good at communicating with the Bahro as Phil was, but he confirmed the reports of a Bahro Civil War. A war which he said the good Bahro were losing.
Finally, he gave us the best news many had heard yet--Yeesha was still around, and still involved. She was on Releeshahn, with the D'ni survivors.
Watson told us he was unsure how to proceed now that he was back, and excused himself from explorers' presence. But the next day, he was back.
After a brief visit from Sharper in the Watcher's Sanctuary, Watson showed up there as well. He told us what we had already guessed--that the Bahro were free. The events of Myst V were more or less true.
And he knew this, because it was he who had returned the Tablet to the Bahro and released them from their slavery. He said that he no longer believed in a physical restoration of D'ni.
But he also told us to "find a way, make a home."
Meanwhile, some explorers were on Phil's Relto. With Phil.
There was a huge crowd of us there that day. And Phil linked in to speak to us.
Most of his words were rambling and incoherent, but there were a few things he said that seemed eerily insightful, if cryptic.
He told us, "The answers are there, man. You just have to listen."
When we asked what we had to listen to, he said, "Her."
I can only assume he meant Yeesha, but what answers he thought we could find in her words, I don't know.
Phil backed up slowly. And then he jumped off the edge.
He had a new Relto Book on his belt. I can only assume he used it while falling.
I haven't seen him since.
I hope he's okay. I'll always remember his words, "The answers are there, man. You just have to listen."
The day after Phil and Watson made their simultaneous appearances, Watson came to one of the Neighborhoods and gave a speech. I won't repeat the entire speech as it would take too long, but I strongly recommend you read the record of it that can be found, among other places, on the Uru Obsession Forums [Editor's note: Uru Obsession is no longer online, but the speech chatlog can be viewed at the Myst Online forums].
Among other things, Watson spoke out in support of the Guilds. Many explorers had expressed concern over the Guilds' role in the fall of D'ni. But Watson said it was not the Guilds at fault, but pride.
He encouraged explorers to join the Guilds. He also told us to beware of pride and disunity. We had begun to fracture again, and Watson counseled against this. He told us there were many of us who needed to learn to unite, and not to fight amongst ourselves.
He said that while he no longer believed the cavern should be inhabited, he still felt that there was much we could learn from it. But those lessons, he said, should be applied elsewhere in life.
He warned us again about the Bahro, and told us that the hostile ones showed no rhyme or reason in their destruction. It was destruction for destruction's sake.
I'll quote what I consider to be the most important parts of Watson's speech:
"The 'good' bahro protecting us have created a grand Deception for our peace of mind--an illusion that all is well here in the Cavern and the Ages..."
"We have been told that 'destruction is coming'."
"I believe specifically that the destruction is coming to the Cavern, but I could be wrong about that too."
"It is entirely possible that the destruction is a great deal larger than that."
He went on to tell us that Yeesha had been fighting for us. She had already been to hundreds of Ages, searching for some way to end the Bahro conflict, or at least to protect us when the good Bahro became too weak to do so.
But, said Watson, it was looking more likely that she would not find what she sought in the Ages currently available. That was why the Guilds were so important--we needed new Ages to explore, new Ages to search for a solution to the Bahro problem.
Because the war was coming, the good side was losing, and if we didn't find some way to protect ourselves, we might be their next target.</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>First, a little background:
When we came to the cavern in 2006, we were not the first. There had been one attempt at a Restoration of D'ni before. The D'ni Restoration Council, or DRC, had originally consisted of five scholars: Richard Watson, Ikuro Kodama, Michael Engberg, Victor Laxman, and Marie Sutherland. Their first attempt at restoring the cavern had ended in failure, due mainly to a lack of funds, but also to unforeseen events.
The most important of these events was the arrival of Yeesha, the daughter of Atrus. Her mystical abilities to affect and alter the Ages wreaked havoc amongst the order-loving DRC, with whom she disagreed on many fundamental ideas.
The Journey she sent explorers on to free the enslaved Bahro resulted in explorer being pitted against explorer, and even many of the DRC's employees--important people like Douglas Sharper and Phil Henderson--were converted to Yeesha's cause.
The result of all this disunity was that the First Restoration failed and the DRC returned to the surface in defeat--all except their leader, Dr. Watson, who remained behind and, disillusioned and disappointed, embarked on his own spiritual journey. The last evidence of his activity was a journal he left in the shaft leading to D'ni from the surface. You can still read it in the place now called Descent.
Our story truly begins during a time when there was no "official" activity in the cavern. I say, "official," because many continued to hear Yeesha's Call and arrived surreptitiously to take her Journey on their own, each to free one of the Bahro from slavery.
Eventually, those who were still coming to the cavern found each other, and the four remaining members of the DRC returned as well. They had no money, so for a while there was no Restoration. Explorers contented themselves with visiting areas already opened, and with speculating on unresolved mysteries. The most popular questions revolved around the whereabouts of Yeesha and Dr. Watson, who both seemed to have vanished.
We come now to the important day: December 19, 2006.
It was the day of the Great Scream.
You see, our story begins with a scream. A scream so loud and so powerful that it was heard in every Age, heard all over the cavern, heard everywhere there were ears to hear it.
It was, of course, the scream of a Bahro.
When that happened, every explorer with a Relto Book was immediately linked to their home Relto. The Scream also linked to the cavern several others without Reltos from the surface.
We found to our dismay that all of our Books had disappeared off our shelves. And when we sought the Books out again, the Ages were as if they had never been touched by us. The Journey, in effect, had been "reset" and even our Yeesha Shirts were gone.
Also, the Scream caused severe structural impact to D'ni. Worried that the cavern might have become unstable, the DRC quickly quarantined off the dangerous areas, restricting us to only a small part of Ae'gura and the Neighborhoods.
To this day, no one knows what caused the Scream, or what its purpose was.
Shortly after the Scream, the DRC announced that they had obtained new sources of funding and would work to restore the damage done. They also intended to expand. It was a new Restoration. New explorers who had never seen D'ni began to flock to our banner. For a while, it was a time of nervous anticipation.
Over time, explorers began to grow impatient with the slow rate that the cavern was being restored. Some blamed Cate Alexander, the woman in charge of the DRC's new funding. Because she controlled the money, she had a position of power over the DRC that many explorers and even some DRC employees resented. Others blamed the DRC themselves--especially Michael Engberg, who was advocating a cautious approach. But for the most part, explorers fell to bickering amongst themselves out of boredom.
The chief topic of our arguments during those days was the Bahro. You see, the computer game company Cyan Worlds had just released the final Myst game, and in it, the Bahro were depicted as being freed from their slavery. Many of us believed that the Journey was now symbolic only, that the Bahro were free. But if so, we were at a loss to explain why we never saw any.
And there were some who took the Journey Pillars back, in protest to Yeesha, who seemed to have abandoned us.
You must understand, we knew so little of what was really going on. Try to picture the cavern as we saw it then. No Jalak, no Minkata. No Garden Ages, no Pods. No Custom Marker Missions, even.
Just Ae'gura, the Neighborhoods, and the Journey Ages.
I'm afraid that our boredom led to petty disputes.
If you want an example of how divided we'd become, just look at old Internet posts about what would later be known as the "Liaison Fiasco". The DRC asked explorers to appoint five special delegates to act as go-betweens. The resulting jealousy, indecisiveness, and cries of elitism led to the first-ever Liaison group resigning in dismay, never to be replaced.
We were too divided and selfish to even appoint go-betweens.
Yeesha, or perhaps the Bahro, must have known of our disunity, because of what happened next.
The DRC hoped to allay explorer discontent by releasing something totally new. They gave us the Age of Eder Delin, which had never been available to the general public. But something happened that the DRC did not anticipate.
You might know about the Cloths and the Door in Delin. And in knowing about their existence, you know more than the DRC did when they released Delin--because until the day the Books were placed in the Neighborhoods, the Cloths and the Door were not there.
The DRC had no explanation for their existence, but it's no secret that the Cloths look very similar to Yeesha's Journey Cloths.
I suppose she, or perhaps some benevolent Bahro, was watching us with disapproval.
You see, this puzzle, unlike any that came before, required teamwork and unity to be solved. To get that Door open, explorers had to set aside their differences and work together. Undoubtedly it was a lesson for us about the importance of unity. We would need to stand together and stop fighting if we were to survive the coming threat.
And there certainly was a threat. Nick White was the one who first told us about it.
Nick was an employee of the DRC, but unlike his bosses, he was extremely open and forthcoming with the explorers. As a result, he was very popular among all of us. Nick used to pop in and visit us in our Neighborhoods, and on one of these visits he told us about the DRC's plans for future Age releases. By that time, we had Eder Tsogal as well, and the same mysterious Cloths had appeared there, too.
Nick told us that all was not right in the next Age that the DRC would release. That Age, called Negilahn, had once been home to a vast and varied kingdom of wildlife. The D'ni had constructed observation pods there to study these creatures, and it was one of these pods that would be released to the public.
But something had happened in Negilahn. To the animals, specifically.
Nick told us that their population had suddenly and dramatically decreased. No one in the DRC knew why. Was it a predator? A disease? A person?
Something had been killing them off.
But the DRC did not heed this threat. They released Negilahn anyway, and as Nick had told us, there was very little to see in the way of animals.
Oh, there's an occasional Urwin, and sometimes a tiny, two-tailed monkey makes an appearance. But by and large, it's all plants.
And as before, explorers argued. Argued over what was killing the animals. It was a predator. No, it was a disease. No, it was a Bahro. And on and on.
Sometimes it takes a while for a lesson to sink in.
In spite of explorer fears and words of caution from Engberg and others, Cate Alexander was pushing for the fast release of new Ages and areas. So it was only two weeks before the next Age was released--another Pod, this one called Dereno.
The creatures of Dereno were far more populous than those of Negilahn. And they still are.
Michael Engberg's daughter visited the cavern back then. Her name was Willow, but we all called her Wheely. She was just a teenager. The day after Dereno came out, Wheely showed up in the cavern. We'd seen her plenty of times before--she was very popular among the explorers, who took her in as a kind of pseudo family member.
That day she wanted to see the Pods, which she'd never visited. So we took her to Negilahn, and then to Dereno. She liked Negilahn best...
Talking about Wheely is... difficult.
The decline of the Negilahn animal population had become a serious concern for the DRC, and it was decided that a small expedition would venture outside the Pod to try to solve this mystery.
The expedition consisted of only three people. One was the popular and charismatic Nick White. The second was Douglas Sharper, who had recently returned to D'ni from the surface.
Sharper had worked for the DRC before, during the First Restoration, but his cannonball personality and affinity for Yeesha had gotten him into trouble with the DRC, and he had not been restored to his former position as head of the Teledahn division. But he was a skilled hunter and wilderness explorer, so the DRC asked him to head the expedition.
The third member of the party was one of our own, an explorer who went by the name of Rils. He had become well-known by founding a small society for the study of the Pod animals.
I don't need to tell you how jealous we all were of Rils, accompanying the others outside the Negilahn Pod. As it turned out, we needn't have been.
They hadn't been gone long when they came across a violently massacred carcass. The sight and stench were so foul that all three hurriedly linked back. Both Nick and Rils were deeply affected. Nick was quite sick afterwards and Rils was traumatized.
Sharper, who had more experience with this sort of thing, told us he was absolutely positive that what was killing the creatures was a predator, and that it was a new predator, introduced very recently into the environment. Moreover, he stated he was positive that the creature was extremely dangerous, and that it had wantonly slaughtered even the huge, frightening predators native to Negilahn.
Worst of all, it didn't even eat what it killed. It was killing, apparently, for the joy of it.
Needless to say, the news of a demented killer running around the Age frightened many of us. And the DRC had some angry words with Sharper over his willingness to share his information with the public.
In spite of the danger, the DRC went ahead with the planned release of two more Pods. I say, "in spite of the danger," because we soon learned that the Pods were not separate Ages as we'd believed, but were all part of the same Age, which explorers have named Reziksehv, or "The Pod Age" in D'ni. That meant that when we visited a Pod--any Pod--we were in danger of being noticed by the predator.
And so the first six months of the Second Restoration ended ominously and with great anxiety.
Despite the lessons of Eder Delin and Eder Tsogal, explorers were still divided and bickered constantly over the Bahro and other things.
Added to the tension was the knowledge that some sort of dangerous beast was prowling around the newest Age, and that the DRC seemed heedless of the danger.
Worst of all, where were those we would have looked to for guidance?
Where was Dr. Watson, whose advice and wisdom had guided the last Restoration?
Where was Yeesha, whose teachings had established the great Journey?
Why had they left us all alone?
Something had to happen to break the tension in the cavern and unite us.</translation>
<font style=n size=10><p align=left>Each journey to D'ni begins with Jeff Zandi's favorite song... Listen to it well and then find your path to the City below.
Straight as an arrow
Carry your intentions through the wind
Doubts all around you
But you're gonna get the message to your friend
At every rendezvous you keep on looking around
Nighttime in the city and the rain keeps falling down
Let me tell you how it all works out
I never thought we had so much time to lose
Just learning how to twist and shout
Doesn't matter much which damn beat you use
Let me tell you how it all works out
I never thought we had so much time to lose
Just learning how to twist and shout
Doesn't matter much which damn beat you use
Pilgrim knows the road to go
How many times we've told you so
(Burn you up, they're gonna burn you down) x2
No rhyme or reason
No way to make it easy 'til it's done
(Burn you up, they're gonna burn you down) x2
So you're crossing to the other side of the street
(Burn you up, they're gonna burn you down) x2
Should know better but you keep turning up the heat
Let me tell you how it all works out
I never thought we had so much time to lose
Just learning how to twist and shout
Doesn't matter much which damn beat you use
Let me tell you how it all works out
I never thought we had so much time to lose
Just learning how to twist and shout
Doesn't matter much which damn beat you use
Oh-oh-ai-ai
(hey hey hey hey)
Make me feel this
(hey hey hey hey)
Hey Hey Hey Hey
(hey hey hey hey)
Make me feel it
(hey hey hey hey)
When they lose you, it can use you
(Burn you up, they're gonna burn you down) x2
Break me open, I need someone to see me
(Burn you up, they're gonna burn you down) x2
Make me feel it, make me feel
Excerpted from "Burn You Up, Burn You Down"
Songwriters: Peter Gabriel, Neil Sparkes, Karl Wallinger<PB>
<font style=n size=10><p align=left>This work was written by Carl Palmner, DimensionTravelerCalum, and Malfhok. It represents a narrative of the Second Restoration as experienced by two of the eyewitnesses to those events, and while the authors have worked hard to maintain 100 percent accuracy in their account, it should be noted that this is not the work of the DRC, Cyan, or any other official organization.
If you've found this book, then you've felt The Call. You've discovered the Cavern and are in the process of discovering the ancient race who created this place where you now stand, and the world above you've always known as your home.
You are in good company, for there are many others who have felt this Call. Many have come before you and many will come after. It is one of the great mysteries of this place and those ancient peoples we now know as the D'ni.
You will find in this book an account of the events from the earliest times of the Cavern's rediscovery. Many of those who were present for those life-changing events are no longer here. Some have moved on to other things; some have left this world forever. Those of us who still remember, who were there when it all unfolded; we created this book as a legacy for all Explorers. It is a commemoration of the efforts of Explorers past; and it is a both a guide and a warning for Explorers present and future.
Read on and know that these events are true. They happened. And they are continuing to happen even now.
<font style=n size=10><p align=left>I found a quote in my history book and I'd like to share it. It's by George Santayana.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
This quote rings true. These Heritage Documents exist for a simple purpose: To bring the history and the knowledge of what came before to those who were unfortunate enough to miss it.
We started back in Carl Palmner's Bevin, back when they were still all called Bevins on the Nexus. And we pretty much just dived right into the middle of a grand and ever growing story. At the time we didn't have all that much on the beginning, or the Prologue, as it were.
Now it is 2012. We began writing the Heritage Documents in late 2010. Two years have passed, and they have been rough and wild years indeed. Still, our little community here in the Cavern of D'ni thrives and grows. Once again, it is time to tell old tales, tales that sometimes wish to be forgotten, but tales that are necessary nonetheless.
I say that they wish to be forgotten with a reason. You see, it took me forever to find the history. However, during last year's CAVCON Awareness Party, Marten, maker of the Prologue video series, helped me find the story of Prologue.
I'm sure many of you know the past, but for those who do not, here is a summary.
Earth was an Age, written by a master writer of Garternay, the original home world of the D'ni. Their world was dying, so they left.
The group that settled on Earth, here in this cavern, named it D'ni. The word loosely means "New".
D'ni grew and thrived, but so did a danger. A danger like in any culture or civilization: Pride. It is a cancer that grows deep within any world.
And for D'ni, this cancer manifested itself in a man named Veovis who nearly singlehandedly destroyed D'ni. He turned D'ni's own ventilation system against it, pumping a deadly gas into the Cavern with the giant fans.
Many died, but a few survived. A man named Atrus descended from one of these survivors. He had a daughter, Yeesha, who I'm sure you all know very well.
Oh, Yeesha, look at us now. Here we are reflecting on the past when, back then, all we could think about was a future just out of our reach.
Around the turn of the century, there was a group called the D'ni Restoration Foundation, DRF for short. They rediscovered the abandoned D'ni cavern, feeling a "call" of some sort.
This call is a part of a cycle. Returning and taking and giving, breathing and living and dying.
One man, Elias Zandi, had his cycle end much too soon.
He owned the land around the volcano, the Caldera. This is the hidden entrance to D'ni. While Elias left his vast fortune to his close friend, Dr. Richard Watson, he left the land to his son, Jeff.
Jeff is better known to most by his last name. That crazy man in the sun, reading a book and flipping steaks.
Zandi.
What a man, that one. He greets each and every one of us as we come. Even if you don't see him, he sees you. He lives on the land, after all.
When you see Zandi, you see a man who has been here since the beginning. It's a strange thing, but knowing somehow that there's one man who has not changed... That is reassuring.
Jeff Zandi has not changed one bit in all the years I've known him. Every time I see him, I give a wave, and he asks me if his steak's done yet.
Quite a man that one. Quite a man.
In 1997, the DRF changed its name to the DRC, the D'ni Restoration Council. They were headed by five.
Dr. Richard Watson was the head, Victor Laxman was the Tech Specialist, Marie Sutherland was the people person, Ikuro Kodama was a man of very few words, and Michael Engberg was the restoration specialist and also a family man.
Engberg had a daughter, though none of us knew it at the time of the first restoration. Willow "Wheely" Engberg. True explorer that girl.
Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.
In January of 2002, the DRC began a "Closed Open Registration". They opened their doors to those who registered and only a select few got in. But it was a first step. An important step.
Dr. Watson said it best.
"Fellow Citizens of D'ni,
"I realize that that salutation may sound a bit presumptuous, but this epic moment allows for some extravagance and anticipation on my part. For we find ourselves at one of those rare junctures in human history. We stand on the edge of a precipice of discovery and enlightenment, and now we take the first step off the edge.
"Welcome to D'ni.
"For the first time I can say those words. Up until now, visitors have been limited to those who are academically adept enough to contribute, or those who are connected enough to be invited. But soon that will change. Soon anyone who hears the call will be welcomed. Of course, at first their access will be limited, and their numbers will be controlled; but the door is opening. D'ni is beginning to wake from its long hibernation.
"What I'm trying to say is that your work here has been more than simply an archeological exercise.
"We firmly believe that this place was meant to be inhabited; it was meant to be growing; it was meant to be alive. We are here because we've all felt that same feeling, that same calling. Even now many more are beginning to feel that calling as well. They will come, and D'ni will live once more."
And so I end this prologue of Prologue with a raise of my glass as I finish up Dr. Watson's quote:
"To D'ni!"
I think it sums up everything nicely, does it not?
Now, with such an opening, you'd think that the following tale would be exciting, full of mystery and intrigue, but, of course, as all stories go, the beginning is ever so dull.
The DRC continued to welcome explorers from the surface, giving them limited access to a Neighborhood or two and the rare Age. At first, though, things were slow, as I said.
We're all familiar with the KI and how it always seems to be breaking down on us. Well, back then, it was a lot worse. They were barely functional, many were glitchy, many had broken cameras. They barely worked! But how they were cherished. Even when the DRC came out with a new model, explorers kept their old ones, grinning quietly at the memories.
Back then, things were weird. Imagers displayed D'ni, KIs often had English overlaying the main text, even the Ayoheek table was much worse off than it is now, and that is saying something.
The good old days were often anything but good.
Still, things were happy back then. Nobody was displeased with how the DRC ran things.
It would take the better part of a year, but progress would continue.
On the fifteenth of February, of a year I forgot to write down, I'm guessing 2002, Douglas Sharper came into the public eye with his request to restore Teledahn. Although he was not a DRC Member by a long shot, they accepted his request and allowed him to restore the Age.
December 6th, 2002, was when we would get our first taste of adventure. Some would say that this is where our story truly began.
Phil Henderson was a Restoration Engineer. I'm sure some of you have seen a man in a funny blue hat wandering the city on some days. Same job. ResEng. Phil just didn't wear the hat.
Phil Henderson, or "phend" as his KI labeled him, was surveying the garden age of Eder Kemo on a Friday when he vanished. Everyone assumed he just went home early for the weekend. Come Monday, however, Marie Sutherland was looking for him, saying that he hadn't shown up for work.
Twenty-four hour searches were called for, but nothing could be found. Just when the DRC was about to call off the hunt, Victor Laxman found a signal emanating from Eder Kemo.
It was Phil's KI, but when someone went to look for him, the signal stopped.
Search teams once more began hunting the age of Eder Kemo. After that weekend, however, the searches were called off.
And then Phil's KI appeared twice. The first time briefly, the second time for roughly half an hour.
While at first people assumed no one had gotten to Eder Kemo in time, it turned out that an explorer had, and that he had talked to Phil.
Phil said he was OK, but he wasn't coming back... The liar.
From there, restorations continued on as scheduled. Things returned to their quiet state.
Sometime in 2003, however, things changed. A game corporation called UbiSoft began funding the restoration for reasons I don't think anyone could understand. But this was a push, and with UbiSoft's funding, the DRC was able to move forward with the Restoration and make it safe to allow more explorers in.
D'ni was officially open to the public.
This, in the eyes of many today, is the "official" start of what we now call the "Prologue Era". Nobody had to sign any NDAs, information of the goings on in the cavern was free to pass along, and explorers explored.
Even though Ae'gura was on the Nexus, and access was given through it, the DRC had yet to officially open Ae'gura. Some explorers sneaked in and went to the Kahlo Pub.
Memorable site, that bar. Memorable site.
The DRC found out, but they were only concerned for the explorers' safety. Nothing of note happened from that incident and the city was soon opened.
Good old Sharper, on the other hand, didn't like the way things were playing.
"Yeah that's them. Concerned and official." he said.
"Anyone would think they owned this place!" an explorer remarked.
"Well." Sharper replied. "They think they do."
He was openly suggesting ignoring the DRC's rules. But, despite his dislike, he said they'd given him a pub to restore. Not the Kahlo Pub, no, but one somewhere in J'Taeri.
It was called the Great Tree Pub, but nowadays, it's called Watcher's Sanctuary or Watcher's Pub. You may know of it, may have even visited it. That tree was a wonder. It still is.
But can one even say that the pub is Sharper's any more? Of course not. For reasons I'll explain later, Sharper would lose the pub.
A few of us did manage to see it in the intervening years. Its walls were yellow, the banners were different, and the imager even worked. Sharper even had a few vases lying around.
You won't see any of that now. Now the Great Tree Pub has blue walls and a locked door.
Maybe they changed it because of painful memories.
Still, the Great Tree Pub is a place of history and memories always will be there, even if buried.
The same day Sharper expressed his dislike of the DRC, an explorer named Zardoz was in Eder Kemo. Phil Henderson was back and somehow he had gotten trapped behind the Journey Door.
Zardoz opened the door, and Phil, probably for the first time in a year, saw daylight. To this day I can safely say that we have no clue what is up with Phil. Some say he ate the mushrooms in Teledahn, some say he hit his head while dancing with the Bahro.
Me? I think he's just crazy. In a strange, sane kind of way.
Despite Phil's return, he soon left again by going back into the door. Days later, he returned yet again. And again an explorer released him. And again he left through the door, leaving a message for the DRC this time.
Days later, he finally came out. An explorer by the name of MrM3FaN coordinated efforts with Victor Laxman and managed to get Phil to the City.
Phil and Laxman talked and the conversation was... Jumpy to say the least. Eventually, Phil ran off again, this time loose in the City.
All five DRC members soon were searching for the man. And throughout Phil's daily pop-ups, Sharper continued to protest against the DRC.
As you might be able to see, things were not going well.</translation>
The Age of Chiso Preniv, aka "another library" in D'ni . . . or so we think. The name seems a bit blunt and basic and not the usual elegance of D'ni names. The translation team seems to think it may be more of a slang name. So far, we haven't found the proper Age name, so until we do, we'll just have to go with what we've got.
When first Linking in, you can tell it's a D'ni Age. Rows and rows of shelves for what could hold thousands of Books. Only one problem...the library is completely empty. Any Books, Ages or otherwise, appear to have been removed entirely from the complex. It's definitely a contrast to the library on Teshafee, where we found Chiso and some notes pertaining to it.
The mosaics when you first Link in seem quite familiar. They, along with the tree mural and Guild of Writers symbol on the floor, seem quite symbolic. The tree itself leads to nine pedestals at the other end of the building, which themselves have "branches" surrounding the metal pedestals themselves. Perfect to display Age Books for easy Linking.
Strangely, most of the inner structure is not made of nara as usual, but of a rather durable redwood. The bookshelves and book stands set into the walls are also made of this wood...and the design of the latter seems oddly familiar.
While we weren't able to find an exit to the outdoors, they were clearly visible through the large ornate windows at the opposite end of the library. The blue skies and rolling green fields, while beautiful, humorously reminded many of us of a certain default wallpaper for a certain computer operating system. Even so, we're anxious to get out and explore the land!
The building itself seems structurally sound. Just the minor wear and tear: some cracks here or there. The only concerning damage is a a significant hole in the roof off to the side. The debris was cleared away by someone, but the hole itself was never patched, allowing the foliage from outside to creep in slightly and the sounds of the outdoors to drift into the chamber. THe elements don't seem to have worn away the surrounding structure, so despite the "gaping wound", it shouldn't be a problem structurally.
What could have cause it though?
All in all, we'll need to do some more searching around here. More later.<pb>4-10-17
After some preliminary searching, we've been unable to find an exit from the building yet...aside from that hole. We've now made plans to use the opening in the ceiling to venture outside and explore, but other Ages and the work therein means it'll have to wait awhile.
On the plus side, we've begun to move some of the archived Book and texts here from Teshafee to free up more room in the latter's library while we catalog everything. Our desks there were beginning to pile up with the proverbial "in" and "out" piles!<pb>6-21-17
An incredible expedition!
While it was a pain and a half getting out of that opening (the hole is not as wide as it looked!), we were finally able to use the equipment we brought to climb up and out. Reminded me of those awful rope-climbing events in gym glass back in the day!
Outside, we found that the building was situated on top of a large hill overlooking the vast fields we had seen from the windows inside. The land stretched up steeply behind and also slightly around the sides of the structure, offering protection on most sides, but still allowing the windows on the ceiling to receive the natural light from the sun.
Exploring outward, we even found evidence of a primitive civilization, long gone from these lands! It appears to be a temporary camp set up near the library for some as-yet unknown reason. We've taken some writing samples that I hope our translators will be able to decipher and figure out who they were.
Most interesting was their tools...or rather, their weapons. Crude in fashion, surprisingly, they contained chunks of NARA! They appear to be D'ni-made, which further adds to the confusion. Did the D'ni give them these materials for some reason, and if so, why?
Also, why use it for weapons? To what end?
Need to think more on this. Like many other Ages we've stumbled upon, something fishy is going on here.<pb>8-02-17
Our translation team truly is remarkable! They've been able to piece together most of what happened through the basic writings of the indigenous people of the Age and more documents we were able to uncover in Teshafee.
It seems, in 7349 DE, the Caltauc, a tribe of people native to this area of the Age, had approached the D'ni while they were building the library...and were none too happy that the latter were destroying and spoiling this patch of land for their own ends. The Age's Writer and head of the expedition to build the library, Relsahn, did not want to start a war with these people, so he worked with them to strike a bargain: they would trade the tribe a small batch of nara, the strongest stone work they had, for their people to use however they see fit. This would be along with a few other supplies, such as food and medicines that were found to improve the health of the Caltauc.
For a time, there was peace, until an accident occured during the final days of construction. A boy from the tribe, curious about what was going on, had wandered into the unfinished structure to explore. Tragically, he caused the collapse of one of the heavy wooden pillars and was crushed. He died instantly.
The Caltauc were furious. They blamed the D'ni for their carelessness in not securing the site better. War was imminent, so Relsahn and the D'ni had no choice but to Link in their forces and forcefully drive the Caltauc away to finish their work. The building was finally completed in 7352 DE.
For a time, things were booming in Chiso Preniv. Books were being Written and stored there, many great texts of D'ni storytellers were being archived as well. Numerous works of art graced the great chamber. The Guild of Writers had yet "another library", which actually was where the joking Age name came from after awhile.
The Caltauc, to their credit, were far more industrious than the D'ni gave them credit for, as they took the supply of nara and were able to backwards-engineer it to the point they could create their own, crude version of it. It was then that an assault on the library was planned to drive the D'ni out once and for all.
In 7358, a mere six years after the library opened, the Caltauc attacked with their nara-esqe weapons, breaking their way through the ceiling and engaging the D'ni. The latter were able to repell the former with effort, but it was clear that the library was compromised and the Books were no longer safe.
The Guild of Writers ordered the immediate removal of all their work to another site. Within a day after driving off the Caltauc, the D'ni, and all their belongings aside from the building itself, were gone. There was much celebration within the Caltauc, who felt they had defeated their foe and had avenged the boy who had died. Still, they guarded the site from their makeshift camp nearby and were ready to drive the D'ni out again should they return.
Flash forward to today: the Caltauc, satisfied that the D'ni were truly gone and not coming back, had moved on centurious ago to elsewhere in the Age. After exploring further, we found that, not only was their makeshift camp long abandoned, but so was their regular settlement. In fact, there appeared to be no signs of any indigenous people anywhere nearby for a very long time.
It's my hope that, if they ever do come back, it would be in peace. Even so, we'll take precautions.<pb>4-26-18
Almost a year and a half and we've slowly made Chiso our own. Books are trickling into the library from Teshafee as we catalog them, and we have yet to be disturbed by anyone native to the Age.
I'm starting to think this would be a perfect place to accumulate not only our own work, but other groups' work as well if they so choose.<pb>8-07-18
Success! We've finally found an exit to the library...and quite by accident!
Who knew this library was someone like a haunted mansion...as in actual secret passages. I guess it makes sense given the tense relations with the Caltauc at the time. One of our volunteers was doing a bit of dusting (something that is constantly needed, it seems) and stumbled upon the mechanism that opens up one of the bookcases to reveal a passageway leading downward further into the hill's rocky interior.
This "basement" is about the same size above, but contains many private study rooms an only a few shelves. This looks to be where the D'ni did quite a bit of Writing. We discovered more blank Books and the precious ink that goes with them. I guess, in their haste to evacuate, the D'ni had forgotten them. Good to know we're not the only ones that forget something important during a big move!
As such, we took all we found and have stockpiled them in the usual place, as well as donated some to the other groups working in the cavern. Hopefully, they'll be of some use someday.<pb>9-19-19
Wow, that's a whole lotta nines in that date...and quite a bit of time since I last wrote in this!
I've come to the decision that this library should be open to all of our friends in the cavern. It's selfish to just limit it to our group and those working in Teshafee.
I'll consult with our usual people to make sure this place is ready for the public.<pb>2-10-20
So busy with other projects, but the work here is important too. It's been discussed, and we'd like to turn this library into a hub for a new restoration of sorts, led by the Called...the explorers who have come to D'ni to seek adventure, enlightenment, knowledge, belonging...and fun, of course!
I should probably get in touch with members of the DRC again to consult them on this and get their advice. If anyone knows what should go into a restoration of this magnitude, it's them.
It's a shame Atrus isn't available (at least as far as I know!).<pb>5-03-20
With all that's going on on the surface, it's good to get away to what is literally another world for awhile. We've completed most of the safety checks for the library, and I've begun asking some friends if they'd like to add Linking Books to their Ages here. I've asked Rustee, Lontahv and Keith Lord if they're up for providing Links to Vothol Gallery, Tre'bivdil and Fehnir's House respectively. We'll see what they say.
For now, I'll be adding Books to our own works, namely the Guild of Messengers Pub in Ae'gura and Veelay Tsahvahn. They're both perfect showcases of the fantastic work many have done over the years and should both be ready for the foot traffic releasing them to the general public will entail.<pb>8-20-20
It's come down to this. Tomorrow...finally...Chiso Preniv will be open to the public! I've also "come out of the shadows", so to speak, and done a bit of public relations by chatting up explorers in the Watcher's Pub, where we've opened up a new Book room to house the Linking Book here. Their enthusiasm is so infectious...but also makes me even more nervous for tomorrow!
Time to get back to my speech! Wish me luck, inanimate journal notebook! Ha!<pb>8-23-20
Only a couple of days out since the big event and I'm still over the moon. The response was, to put it mildly, overwhelming, but so very encouraging. It never ceases to amaze me how enthusiastic explorers can be for the new. So many faces packed the Watcher's Pub, I was surprised some weren't hanging from the rafters, so to speak!
For posterity, I'll write my speech here in full:
"Shorah!
"We stand here today to take part in what many of us regard as a truly momentous occasion.
After ten thousand years of history, a catastrophic event that nearly destroyed it, and three halted restoration efforts, D'ni has lain mostly dormant for many years now. We, as explorers, have held onto the belief that we could, in our own ways, continue to breathe life into the cavern.
"In that endeavor, I believe we have been very successful over the years. You've made this place your home away from home and have gone forth on the adventure of understanding the D'ni people, how they lived, and, of course, the worlds they visited via the Art. We have also forged bonds with one another that have remained strong throughout the often joyous and occasionally troubled times.
"Good or bad, we have faced it together, and because of our strength of character, persistence...and most importantly, those aforementioned bonds...
"...after almost two *decades*...
"...we are still here!
"The D'ni Restoration Council admirably led the modern efforts to bring D'ni back to its former glory, and for that and the assistance they have offered over even these last few years, they have our gratitude. They will always have a seat at the table should they ever choose to return.
"But now...finally...it's our turn.
"Today, we officially begin a new restoration...*our* restoration...to continue what our predecessors started and to expand our knowledge of the D'ni through their home in the cavern and the incredible Ages contained here. It is with that in mind that we are here today...to open the door to a new era in D'ni.
"A new path...a new chronicle...a new journey.
"Chiso Preniv, the Age you're about to visit, will be the first gateway to a new gathering of Ages and points of interest here in the cavern that have been restored...or in some cases, Written...by us, the explorers of D'ni. The Books you find there now are just the beginning. I'm hoping, as the months and years pass, fellow explorers will present more of their work to the library, and their contributions will be most welcome there.
"This is, and will continue to be, the culmination of years of work by our fellow explorers, all contributing their time, efforts, and talents to making things ready for you all to see. This is the fruit of their tireless labor. For that, from the bottom of my heart, I thank them. *All* of them.
"There are too many names to mention...but each and every one has been an important part of launching this new era. If they would like to make themselves known...I leave that decision to them, as I would respect any choices of anonymity...but if they do speak up, be sure to give them thanks! They are often the unsung heroes here in the cavern. They put in untold weeks, months, and even years of labor on an entirely volunteer basis to bring us all the amazing things we will see and experience.
"Put simply, we would *not* be here today without them.
"There is one more group I'd like to turn our thoughts to today: our friends that are no longer with us. They too are an important part of why we're all still here today. They are with us now in spirit...and as we go into the future, they will always be with us.
This is as much for them as it is for us.
"We've all come a long way and experienced much. Yet there is still *so* much more out there for us to explore!
Now, more than ever, these words ring true:
"'The ending has not yet been written.'
"With all that said...I give you Chiso Preniv...the first step towards a new future in D?ni!"
Wow...rereading that, I can't believe it was me who wrote that! Ha!
I've given some well-earned time off to my team. They could use the break, as could I. Off to vacation!<pb>12-10-20
Almost four months since the opening and things have gone very well. I've gotten a few interested parties that will be readying the appropriate Linking Books to bring to the library, hopefully sometime early next year.
I've also been looking into featuring the Age of Serene as a tribute to the late Andy Legate's fine restoration work from the old days. I'll need to coordinate things very carefully for that one.
I'm also hoping to open up The Vale and Kotsahvosahn at that time as well. The former is a rather peculiar Age that blends the elements of D'ni culture with another called the Visula. I'll need to put down more details in that journal as soon as we figure out more.
The latter is a cavern location located at the southeast shore, opposite the City Proper.It's notable as it connects into the series of tunnels spidering out into the rock, which could potentially include the path to the surface.
We'll do what we can. In the meantime, time for us all to head up for the holidays. Here's to 2021 being even more exciting in D'ni than 2020!<pb>2-3-21
Things have been quite busy around here. We've been readying the latest batch of Ages, which I have dubbed the "legacy collection", for release.
This round will be Tre'bivdil, Vothol Gallery, and Serene, three excellent bits of D'ni history. The last one has a more somber feel as it was restored by the late Andy Legate. Due to snowstorms, it's a bit inaccessible at the moment, but including it officially in the new collection of Ages would be a wonderful tribute to Andy.
The other two also need some cleanup for various reasons, but I have confidence in my team.<pb>2-24-21
While I'm very reluctant to do so, I have decided to let Nev'yn go from our restoration efforts. His well-being is in the balance, and I feel it is in his best interests to take an undetermined amount of time off. He truly needs help and I hope he gets it.
Needless to say, if he's seen in the cavern, best to give him some distance.<pb>3-10-21
We've been able to translate more of the Caltauc language, thanks to the astounding efforts of our translators. A new face, one Kelsei A.T., has truly been the driving force in our further understanding of the Caltauc, and I can't wait to unleash her on even more languages we've found.
Something tells me she's equally keen to dive in. It's exciting seeing such enthusiasm from her and others on our team.
Not to mention our fellow explorers. They truly make the work so very worth it.
On that note, the two Ages and one cavern location we've been focusing on lately are almost back up to snuff. Vothol is our heaviest focus due to the structural implications of even that minor cave in. More structural checks will be needed.
Thankfully, the swells in Tre'bivdil have subsided. Now we just need to dry things out and make sure there's no toxic mold or anything. People would be surprised how much scrubbing with disinfectant is involved. LOTS of scrubbing, in fact.
Serene seems the most...well, serene...after the storms subsided. We'll probably be able to release that Age first. As a born and raised Minnesotan, I was NOT keen on shoveling that walkway...but it had to be done!
Now to head to the Ae'gura Messengers Pub to let my arms fall off. Ha!<pb>3-17-21
I'm very glad to see that people enjoyed our festive atmosphere in the Pub. I was sadly unable to attend (duty always gets in the way of fun), but I was there in spirit.
I think the next major holiday coming up is the D'ni New Year. Going to have to get some more decorations to properly celebrate!<pb>4-12-21
The work continues, and the next Books and their respective areas are coming along nicely. Serene is pretty much ready to go after a few checks. I imagine there will be some last-minute shoveling of snow as there's still and errant flurry here or there.
I noticed an interesting cubby near the gazebo and it turns out a journal was put in there, presumably by our friend Andy. After reading it, I'm not entirely sure if it's all true. Some details sound about right, but others seem a bit outlandish from what we know of "the rules" so far.
I'll most likely leave it there and chalk it up to a work of partial fiction. While I'm sure it will confuse people, it was left there for a reason by Andy . . . and I'd hate to disturb his intentions. It'll be up to explorers to decipher what's in it, and I'm sure they will!<pb>5-5-21
Happy Cinco de Mayo! And what a day it was. We released Serene to an eager crowd gathered here in Chiso and I'd bet everyone had a bit of fun in the snow. We rarely see the cold climate Ages . . . the pod Age's Dereno notwithstanding . . . so it was a treat to see people bundled up for the occasion.
Or at least some were. Others were probably wishing they'd stopped by their Relto first and put on something warmer!
I hope Andy is seeing this . . . how his hard work is being enjoyed by so many. He was very much missed today.<pb>5-25-21
I feel a bit bad that I've been away from the cavern for awhile. Having to move on the surface is still not as easy as it sounds, even with Linking Books at our disposal. Plus, it feels like a cheat. Not only that, but it's an in-town move, so probably best to use the "traditional" methods.
Luckily, Kelsei and the crew have been keeping busy in my relative absence. She's been dutifully translating everything I've thrown at her so far without even flinching. She and the rest of the crew show an eagerness that always keeps me going.
I think we're on track for another successful release for Tre'bivdil! All safety precautions have been taken, so it should be a perfect summer release. People will be able to go and soak up the sunshine there.
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>Later that afternoon, Marie Sutherland once again emerged from the Tokotah building to chat with assembled explorers. Word of the DRC's acceptance of their presence in the Cavern had obviously spread as one or two new faces had joined the group.
Greetings and pleasantries exchanged, the conversation continued: "All recovered from your trip out and down this weekend, Marie?" enquired JWPlatt.
"I think so, Mr. Platt," Marie responded, smiling.
"Just in time to... what, go back to the surface again?"
"Yes, I'm going to be leaving soon. Dr. Kodama may stay a while longer, he said."
"Dr. Kodama said you hadn't found anything other than us that might have set off the sensors," commented Mystdee. "I hope we didn't cause you to make an unneeded trip... But it's so good to see you again."
"It's good to see you all again, too. Glad to confirm it wasn't anything serious."
"So we don't have to skulk around anymore?" Katva asked.
"Only if you choose to," replied Marie, the response eliciting a cheer from Katva.
Mystdee asked how much longer Marie expected to stay in the Cavern.
"It's getting near time for me to leave."
"I guess surface work calls," remarked Mac, sadly.
"Yes, it does. "
"Will Dr. Kodama head back with you?" asked Mystdee.
"I think he plans to stay a while longer, probably only today. I think he wants to look a few more things over before he leaves."
"Did you know there was a Superbowl today, Marie? I guess you must be as, um, big a fan of that as I am to spend your weekend here," joked JWPlatt.
"I actually had not realized that," replied Marie, laughing. "I guess we could have ruled Sharper out, then."
Returning to more serious vein, JWPlatt remarked "You know, also coincident with whatever sensors we might have triggered, there was also a Western earthquake of some sort, though I doubt that would have an effect here."
"Actually it was a few hours apart. Laxman's original conversion to Cavern Time was incorrect," Marie replied.
"Have you noticed anything changed or different here since your last visit?" enquired EthanEver.
"Nothing I've noticed. Should I have?"
"Everything I have seen looks stable," added Katva.
"A few less circling Bahro overhead," Marie noted.
"Just wondering," said EthanEver. "To me it seems the lake is brighter now."
"Yes, we have continued to "feed" it. I think maybe it is lighter" Mystdee agreed.
"Well, Ethan seems to have sheep and ducks in his Teledahn," laughed Mac.
Katva and Marie laughed. "Really?"
"It's true" insisted EthanEver.
"I went to check," confirmed Mac. "It sounds like a farmyard in there!"
"That's bizarre. Maybe Sharper imported them before he left?" Marie wondered.
"Sounds like just a baaaad joke," laughed JWPlatt.
"Do you want to come to my Teledahn?"
"Sure. I'm up for a quick visit." Marie agreed.
EthanEver opened his Relto book and invited everyone to link through and then use his Teledahn book. Mac, who had a Nexus link from his earlier visit with EthanEver was able to use that and was first to arrive in Teledahn, although the others soon followed with Marie was last to arrive.
Mac had already moved to the best listening point and beckoned the others to join him. EthanEver told everyone that they needed to listen very carefully, and that it was best to face the hut.
"Heard them!" Katva laughed. "Really does say quack quack!"
"There is something else I hear too, not a sheep but another animal type sound," Mystdee admitted.
"Yes, woof, woof," offered Mac.
"Hmm... Maybe flappers make that noise?" Katva suggested.
"Maybe I am imagining things... almost a honking like geese," added Mystdee.
"Ooh, baaaaaa," said Katva, now finding it easier to make out the sounds. "And... a gorilla? You really have a menagerie here."
"But... you all agree we never noticed these sounds before?" asked EthanEver.
"I'm going to have to check my own Teledahn now," replied Mac.
"I have heard some sounds but did not realize they were animal sounds," noted Mystdee.
"What was that one?" asked Katva, "Wahrk? Ethan--you captured a wahrk!"
Dadguy arrived and was invited to join in listening for creatures.
After a few more minutes of listening to the sounds around them, Marie announced her departure: "Well, I'll leave you all to sort out this mystery. I really should be going. Thank you all for the visit."
The group was joined by Ken just as they were thanking Ms. Sutherland for the visit and wishing her a safe journey back to the surface.
"Be careful in your explorations. Take care of yourselves and the Cavern in our absence," Marie cautioned.
The explorers nodded their acknowledgement, and with that Marie Sutherland waved goodbye and linked out.
"Aaand now paaaartyyy!!!" declared EthanEver, starting to dance.
"Ok, how many of you have been on the hut roof here?" asked JWPlatt.
Ken and Mystdee answered that they had, but Dadguy and Mac hadn't, so JWPlatt explained how to get onto the roof. Soon everyone was trying to clamber over the mushrooms and onto the roof.
"Do you think this is, well, safe?" asked JWPlatt, wondering if this had been such a good idea with so many people.
"Oops, probably not, JW" said Mystdee.
"Demolition parrtyyyy!" said EthanEver, exuberantly.
"Now, Ethan, Kodama said we've to look after things!" Mac cajoled.
JanB arrived and soon the hut roof was covered with explorers. Dadguy tried to use the elevator and complained that there was no power.
"No... Shroomie doesn't want to be disturbed," answered EthanEver.
"Maybe that is why he has the animals!" remarked Mystdee.
JWPlatt, who had somehow been able to monitor the DRC's forums alerted Dadguy to an outrageous post that had just been made by Dr. Lei Benjamin: "Dadguy, you've been accused of assault on the DRC forums!"
In the post Dr. Benjamin claimed to be lying bleeding at the harbor after being stabbed by Dadguy. It was a curious claim, as no-one seemed to have even heard of Dr. Benjamin before now and no-one had seen any unknown faces around Ae'gura over the past few days. The friends quietly dismissed the claims and decided that the day was at an end, many of them expressing their tiredness. Mystdee set out for the harbor to check just in case there was someone there, but found no-one and no sign of any struggle. Meanwhile, JWPlatt and Mac each posted on the DRC forums in defense of Dadguy, Mystdee later adding to those. In turn, Dr. Benjamin accused all three of being "in on it" with Dadguy.
Late on Sunday evening, Dr. Kodama emerged from the Tokotah building for a final time, although only Mystdee and HenryMikel were around to hear him say that he was just about to head back to the surface. The Doctor commented that he hoped to be able to visit as an explorer and just enjoy the peace of the Cavern.
"Have you heard anything from Cate Alexander?" enquired Mystdee.
"No and I don't expect to. I imagine she, like the others in the DRC has moved on to more profitable business." With that, Dr. Kodama wished the explorers good bye and set off down the stairs, presumably to pay final respects at the memorial before his departure.
The incident with Dr. Lei Benjamin became a source of amusement among the group of explorers in the Cavern:
"Look who's awake now," called out HenryMikel on seeing Dadguy approaching, "The murderer."
"Get all those bloodstains out yet?" joked Tai'lahr, who had also just met up with Mystdee and HenryMikel again.
"I have cleaned the evidence," Dadguy replied, smiling.
The four began to discuss what would happen next. Soon the DRC would be back on the surface and making their report, which would presumably give an official sanction for other explorers to return to the Cavern. The Called would soon be returning.
Suddenly, there was a linking sound followed by a loud, Bahro-like call, but not like those distant screams they had become accustomed to hearing over the past few days. Much closer.
"Oh oh," said HenryMikel, cautious of what it might mean.
"Did you see anything?" asked Tai'lahr, nervously scanning the rooftops. Eventually she pointed: "On the Tokotah roof."
"Oh yeah, I see him," said Dadguy. "He is watchful..."
Tai'lahr knelt down. "If I remember correctly, kneeling demonstrates to them that you mean no harm. Maybe if we all kneel, it will respond."
Mystdee also knelt, while Dadguy kept an eye on the rooftop.
"He's on the move," said Dadguy.
Mystdee looked up. "He's gone!"
"No, to the left."
"Oh, there he is."
"That's the building Kodama stayed in last night," remarked Dadguy. "He jumped down, now I don't see him."
"Did you see him jump down?" asked Mystdee.
"Yes, I did, too," Tai'lahr announced.
"I got it on video!" Mystdee exclaimed.
"It was cool, but where did he go?"
"Turn around" urged HenryMikel.
Tai'lahr, Mystdee and Dadguy all turned round slowly and saw the Bahro standing before them. Tai'lahr and Mystdee knelt respectfully, while Dadguy tried to make contact:
"Hello little fella," he said and waved a greeting. The Bahro immediately sprang away and headed towards the Ferry Terminal.
"You scared him," said HenryMikel.
"Or, maybe he wants us to follow," suggested Tai'lahr. "Maybe he wants to show us something."
After the excitement of the Bahro visitation, the Cavern returned to relative calm as the explorers prepared for another night in Ae'gura. As they were settling down for
the night, Marie Sutherland was posting the first official confirmation of recent events on the DRC forums:
"Victor,
Quite a trip. Sorry you couldn't make it. Your sensors are fine. There are a handful of explorers in the Cavern, but they didn't trip the ones you sent us to check. In fact, the areawas still secure, which means that it was one of us. I have my suspicions that we need to talk to our former fearless leader about that. Funny guy. Glad I didn't cancel any big plans to head down for his wild goose chase.
A few of the explorers say that they never left, but I suspect you have known that all along. Others said that they've only recently found their way back. In either case,they couldn't have been there for any length of time without setting off your sensors in the main areas they spend their time.
They were expecting us to be angry and try to kick them out. They were pleasantly surprised when I told them that we're all just explorers, at least for now. They seemed relieved and not too disappointed that we haven't secured any funding. They were also interested to hear how our lives have changed on the surface.
I told them they could stay as long as they respected the Cavern and were careful. There won't be any ResEngs to help them out if they get stuck. Kodama found it ironic that they'll have to rely more on their Yeesha Books now.
It's actually a nice change of pace to get to visit the Cavern as an explorer, without the pressure of trying to fix everything in sight faster than is humanly possible. You should try it sometime.
See you soon.
Marie"
A little later, Dr. Watson posted a reply confessing that he had deliberately tripped Laxman's sensors in order to get some of the other DRC members down into the Cavern to see the explorers that he had been secretly observing for a few days.
The message was now clear and any doubts held by some of the skeptics on the surface were dispelled: It was official--explorers would be free to return to the Cavern, although there would be no DRC to lead restorations and no Restoration Engineers to help explorers out of trouble.
Even though the weekend was now passing into the start of the working week, many former explorers who had previously been reluctant to re-enter the Cavern against the DRC's wishes now started to make plans to return to D'ni.</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>Feelings had become tense in the cavern by the time the week known as "Scars Week" occurred. The DRC had opened all of Ae'gura and the Neighborhoods, and released Eder Delin, Eder Tsogal, and the four pods of Reziksehv to explorers. We had recently been warned that a dangerous and violent predator was stalking the wildlife near Negilahn, but we didn't know what kind of creature it was, or even what it looked like.
In spite of Yeesha's lessons in Delin and Tsogal, we were not united. We argued constantly, especially over the Bahro.
And we missed the leadership of Watson and Yeesha, both of whom seemed to have vanished.
We did not know at the time how important "Scars Week" would be. I suppose no one ever knows how important an event will be before it occurs.
That week is known as "Scars Week" because of the physical and emotional scars that characterized it.
The first scar was a physical one.
The first scar... was a crack.
The week began normally. Victor Laxman, one of the four remaining DRC members, was making the rounds from Neighborhood to Neighborhood. He was talking with explorers about the next Age the DRC planned to release, which he said was almost ready.
Suddenly, while talking with explorers, he received a message on his KI. After reading it, he excused himself, saying that there had been some seismic activity in Ae'gura and that he needed to check it out.
We didn't think it could be anything important. After all, the Great Scream had destabilized everything months before.
We forgot about Laxman and spent our time gossiping about Nick White, who'd just been fired from the DRC. I won't go into too many details about why he'd been fired, other than to say that... well, that Nick was something of a ladies' man. And I mean ladies in the plural.
At any rate, he was still here, but as one of us, not as a DRC employee. And we were all very concerned for him when he told us that he and Sharper were planning another expedition to Negilahn.
Sharper, Nick said, planned to hunt the predator.
Later that day, a KI-mail was sent out to all of us informing us that the "seismic activity" Laxman had referred to had resulted in a large crack appearing in the Kahlo Pub of Ae'gura. As you can imagine, this immediately attracted explorers to that area of the cavern. Explorers reported that the Bahro were screaming more loudly and more frequently than before in Ae'gura, but that didn't stop people from checking it out.
The next day, explorers were still crowded around the crack when Wheely Engberg showed up in Ae'gura, with a friend. Rosette, Wheely's friend, was visiting D'ni for the first time and Wheely wanted to show her around. They had already visited some of the Neighborhoods, collecting Markers.
The second scar was a false scar, a scar imagined to distract others from the real threat.
Wheely noticed the crack and wanted to explore that area, but explorers prevented her. Her father had been by recently to ask people to stay out of the area, and while the explorers were heedless of this advice for themselves, no one wanted Engberg's daughter endangered.
Unfortunately, Wheely was too curious for her own good. She and Rosette announced over the KI that they had found a second crack at the library. When explorers rushed to that location, not only was there no such crack, but Wheely and Rosette had disappeared. Even their KIs were offline.
And while some saw this as merely a teenage prank, there were others who worried about the sudden disappearances.
As it turned out, Wheely probably saved several of our lives that day.
When Laxman visited us again in a Neighborhood, explorers were less interested in the activation of the KI-light machine that he was announcing than they were in the whereabouts of Wheely and Rosette.
A good friend of mine and I were the first to speak up, asking Laxman if he knew what had happened to Wheely. Laxman shrugged it off and said he was sure she was fine--although we knew her, and didn't think this was typical of her nature. As it turned out, we were right.
I urged Laxman to at least mention the matter to Engberg, and shortly afterwards, both were seen linking into Ae'gura. They immediately went across the city, calling Wheely's name. Explorers realized something was wrong, and joined in the search.
That was one of the most frantic days of my life. We all became a bit hysterical.
I remember screaming at Laxman to open up the barricaded part of the library, thinking that perhaps Wheely could have gone down there before disappearing. As I look back I can see I was being irrational, but then, we all were.
You see, we weren't the only ones in the city that day.
As we searched, we saw several Bahro--saw them, not just heard them--standing on rooftops, screaming, linking in and out. It was rather terrifying.
At last, we were ordered out of Ae'gura, and some of us had to be physically forced to go.
It was announced some time later that Laxman had been able to locate Wheely's KI signal and turn her KI on remotely. It was coming from beneath the Kahlo Pub crack.
We all knew Wheely was somewhere below the Pub, but the DRC erected barriers to keep us out.
On the third day, Wheely finally managed to contact the DRC from her KI. As it turned out, she and Rosette had invented the library crack to get explorers to leave the Pub, so that they could come see the crack.
She and Rosette had gone to the Pub while explorers were distracted. At precisely that moment, as fate or Yahvo would have it, there had been a cave-in. Wheely and Rosette fell down into the chambers beneath the Pub.
Wheely told us, via the KI, that Rosette was dead and she herself was injured. Worse yet, her Relto Book seemed to have stopped functioning. She was trapped, alone with a corpse, tired, injured, and afraid.
Fortunately, the DRC had already pinpointed her location and was working to dig through the rubble to get her out.
I shall never forget, as long as I live, the tender encouragements of a father to his daughter.
Wheely lapsed in and out of consciousness throughout that day. At first she tried to tell us a little about the room she was in--there were strange symbols that looked similar to the Bahroglyphs. But more importantly, Wheely announced to us that she had suddenly become aware that she was not alone. A Bahro was in the chamber with her, watching her.
It was the closest any of us had ever been to a Bahro, but most of us believed that at the very least, the creature would not have any reason to harm her. Even Wheely's father said he was certain the Bahro only wanted to help.
And at first, it seemed to.
Wheely grew terribly thirsty, but awoke with her thirst abated as if by magic, and during that time, her KI registered her as being in various other Ages. We all assumed the Bahro was helping her--but if so, why did it return her to the chamber?
By this time, Nick White had returned from his trip with Sharper. They had not caught the predator, but Nick had heard the news of Wheely and had returned to help.
Sharper, he said, was still hiding in a hunter's blind in Negilahn, waiting for the predator to go after the bait he had set. And then it did, and Sharper was in pursuit. From then on, it was radio silence for him.
Meanwhile, the DRC had managed to dig through the ground to the floor of a building, but they still had one more floor to go. There was something odd about that building--something that's never been explained.
According to Nick White, he and Sharper had seen an odd symbol outside the Pod in Negilahn--the symbol of a crooked line, with circles on either side. That same symbol, according to Nick, was in the building the DRC had reached.
As the day progressed, the DRC kept digging and the explorers kept encouraging. All across Ae'gura and the Neighborhoods, explorers were sending messages of hope, and after the abatement of Wheely's thirst, we were all so grateful that she at least had a Bahro for company.
When the DRC was mere minutes away, Wheely reported that the Bahro that was with her became agitated. She said that it had begun scrambling about the ceiling and floors, making angry sounds.
Wheely said that she was frightened, and that the Bahro kept repeating the word "Noloben". Noloben--which, if we are to believe Cyan, was the Age where many Bahro were tortured by a depraved D'ni man.
Then Wheely screamed and was silent.
The DRC reached her--what was left of her. The Bahro was gone. The symbols were gone.
Wheely's body was still there.
According to reports from Sutherland and Sharper, it was mangled, defiled, torn to pieces. And unfortunately, one of the first to see it was Michael Engberg himself.
You must understand that we had been very foolish in how we'd viewed the Bahro. Nearly everyone was divided into two camps--one that believed that the Bahro had killed her, and one that believed it was innocent and had tried to help.
I don't think it occurred to anyone until after the fact that there could have been more than one Bahro in that room with her, at different times.
The third scar was an emotional one--the scar we all felt for Wheely, and for Michael, after her death.
The next day, all across the cavern, explorers wore black in mourning. And though it was a sea of sorrow, it was also a sea of unity.
There was still a great deal of debate. The question on most people's minds was: had the Bahro killed Wheely? And the second was: if so, then why?
We got our answer when Sharper returned.
Our sorrow for Wheely had mostly driven our concern for Sharper from our minds, but we were relieved to see him home safe and sound. He brought ill tidings, however.
Sharper had followed the Negilahn predator, only to discover that it was laying a trap for him. That predator, he told us--that brutal, violent, evil creature--was a Bahro. And not just one Bahro, but many.
Sharper spoke of a legion of the creatures, gazing at him with evil eyes and preparing to destroy him. But before they could, he was rescued--by another Bahro.
And then he learned what very few of us had suspected--the Bahro were at war. Civil war. It seemed that after their freedom from enslavement, they had divided into at least two factions, and one of these was malevolent.
Undoubtedly the Bahro that slew Wheely was one of these. Was it the same Bahro that had quenched her thirst and helped her?
Most people think that the Bahro was toying with Wheely, keeping her alive to observe her, as Esher did with the Bahro on Noloben.
But I myself hold to the belief that there were two Bahro in that chamber--the one that helped her, and the one that came later and killed her. I suppose it's all academic now.
Michael Engberg sat in the Kahlo Pub for most of that day. The DRC reopened it and asked that we respect his grieving process, which as it turned out, involved sitting and staring, stone-faced, at the place where Wheely was buried.
But later that evening, he finally moved. He began wandering from Neighborhood to Neighborhood, muttering to himself and ignoring explorers.
Then Engberg suddenly cried out, "Dr. Watson!" and immediately linked to the Nexus.
Shortly thereafter, his KI was noted in the Descent--the last known location of Dr. Watson. Then it went dark.
Sutherland and Kodama, both DRC, came looking for him later, and we soon learned that he had vanished, perhaps for good. And we couldn't really blame him.
Not knowing what else to do, the DRC went ahead with the scheduled release of their next Age, Minkata, which means "Heavily Scarred".
And this was the fourth scar, the physical pockmarks of an Age whose name means "Scarred" in D'ni.
We linked to Minkata with heavy hearts, and discovered something that roused our curiosity.
Upon the stone in the center of the Minkata desert is a symbol--a symbol we'd heard about, but never seen. The symbol from near Negilahn and from Wheely's death chamber--the symbol of a crooked line, with circles at either side.
And in the end, that was what united the explorers. Not the Team Ages, but the death of a teenage girl.</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>The events of the previous three days had not gone unnoticed at Cyan Worlds, the computer games company that had based a series of games on the D'ni and had visited the Cavern previously as guests of the DRC: On hearing the news from the DRC, Rand Miller, co-founder and CEO of the company, and his wife Robin had obviously shelved any other plans and hurried to get down to the Cavern to see what was happening. By late Monday morning, they were among the explorers on the Tokotah Plaza and were being warmly greeted.
Dadguy mentioned having met Rand at a barbeque some time previously.
"We need a big BBQ grill in here somewhere!" remarked Rand, looking around the growing group that was now gathering in anticipation of the arrival of more explorers.
Excitement was building as the Cavern occupants wondered which of their old friends would be the first to complete the journey from the surface. They started to dance while Tai'lahr sang "Happy Days Are Here Again" --it seemed appropriate for the occasion. A Bahro called out close by but unlike the night before it stayed out of sight. EthanEver declared it to be a "good omen" while Dadguy recounted the story of the earlier Bahro visit for Rand and Robin.
"Yes, the Bahro are watching over us," added Mystdee.
By various means, word was beginning to get through to the explorers waiting in the Cavern that people were indeed on their way.
"I wonder how long it will take," mused Rand.
"Shall we have a pool on who will be the first new explorer to make it to the City?" proposed Dadguy.
"I'll bet on Erik," Tai'lahr replied.
"Rand, take a quick look around because this may be the smallest crowd you'll ever personally witness," JWPlatt commented.
Rand laughed. "I'll go and sneak into quiet hoods from now on. Just to get my name on the imager."
"OK... You'll be coming back later?" asked Dadguy.
"I'll stay here for a while--see some newbies."
"The 'newbies' are oldies, I'll bet," Mystdee remarked.
"Yeah," agreed Rand.
As they continued to wait, EthanEver asked to have his photo taken with Rand Miller, Tai'lahr obliging but commenting that the glow from EthanEver's KI was "ruining the exposure." They made small talk as they waited, discussing the difficulties of getting laundry done while in the Cavern, or how late they had each stayed up the night before. However, it was becoming apparent that people weren't finding their way to the Cavern as easily as those who were already there had done. Some trying to follow old routes to the Cavern found they were no longer passable, and even those who were following directions that had been passed to them by those already there were either getting lost or finding the route difficult to get through. Indeed it appeared that the vibrations caused by the sudden arrival of a large number of explorers had resulted in a partial collapse in long dormant passageways, and new paths had to be found.
On the surface, the Guild of Messengers was managing to pull together bits of information that were filtering back from those trying to find their way to the Cavern and posting notices to help new arrivals avoid the dead ends. Meanwhile, the group below ground had expected to see the arrival of returning explorers, and was mystified that none had so far appeared. However the sense of expectation remained:
"The anticipation is killing me. It's like having Christmas presents for everyone and just waiting for them to open them," remarked Tai'lahr, while Mac was finding that the long wait and absence of washroom facilities in the accessible parts of Ae'gura was proving to be uncomfortable. Chat drifted on to talking about explorers they hoped to see returning, some from earliest days of Cavern exploration, some more recent students of the D'ni. Robin went off in search of Great Zero markers, while Dr CrisGer distributed coffee and doughnuts. It now around 1:30PM in the Cavern and a little light lunch was welcome. The smell must have wafted through the Cavern as Veralun, who had been absent most of that day suddenly joined the group, greeting them with a "Shorah all!" as he accepted the gift of coffee and a doughnut from Dr CrisGer.
After a further hour of waiting for the first new arrivals from the surface, Mac decided to check the Nexus to see if any new neighborhoods had been created, since that might be an indication of explorers managing to get new KIs activated. He returned a few minutes later to report that there didn't appear to be any new 'hoods registering. Presently, they became aware of a Bahro watching them intently, presumably the same one that had been seen the previous evening. EthanEver and Ken each returned from trips to Er'cana to tend their pellet ovens telling similar stories; that linking between ages had become a very uncomfortable process. This was going to make it even more difficult for any returning explorers to obtain a KI and find their way to Ae'gura. The wait was going to continue for some time yet.
The explorers went their separate ways, to get some much needed rest or to tend to other things although a few continued to make requent checks for signs of new arrivals.
More than six hours would pass before any new explorers would be able to find their way into the Cavern. As bits and pieces of information trickled in indicating that some might be close, EthanEver contacted Tai'lahr to chat about it. They both linked to the Nexus looking for evidence of new arrivals and discovered that two new neighborhoods had been created--a clear sign that the returning had finally begun.
EthanEver checked the new neighborhoods while Tai'lahr went on to the city and made her way to the Ferry Terminal. She knew that this would be the first place many of the returning explorers would come to reconnect with the community. As she waited, ghaelen contacted her from Gahreesen to let her know that she had arrived safely and mentioned that Zrax was also there collecting his KI. A few minutes later, EthanEver reported that he'd run into someone named Vaht in one of the neighborhoods.
Another few minutes passed before JWPlatt joined the KI conversation to ask if it was safe to link again. Tai'lahr replied that it was and reported that someone had just linked in at the Ferry Terminal. She could barely contain her enthusiasm as she greeted the first of the "authorized" explorers to return to the Cavern with a hearty "Shorah James!" James Kaufman replied in kind and Tai'lahr welcomed him back to the Cavern and did a little dance in celebration.
Soon, Zrax linked in and greeted them both with a "Howdy."
Whitch followed shortly, commenting that it was good to be back and "So great to see this place living again."
JWPlatt and EthanEver arrived about that time to join Tai'lahr in welcoming the returning explorers back to the Cavern. Among those to arrive in the following minutes was probably the most exhilarated explorer of all: Vid had led a long campaign on the surface for the restoration of access to the Cavern and his arrival was announced with the gleeful declaration "People of Earth! It is Uru!"
Some explorers had of course never actually left the Cavern; people like Chloe Rhodes, Whilyam and Tweek had become used to staying out of sight and working on their research and explorations in private. The realization that the new arrivals meant that the Cavern was truly open for exploration once more gradually brought them out from their recluses to join the others in the greeting party.
As more of the returning explorers arrived--Gordon Nadezda, Nadnerb, ghaelen, Zib, Tesseract, Kerryth, Qulthos, Tofer--the Cavern air filled with greetings, questions, light-hearted banter, and teasing as only old friends can do with one another. Plans were made to re- open old neighborhoods such as the Guild of Greeters and Uru Obsession.
"We're HOME!" exclaimed Kerryth.
From a darkened window overlooking the Tokotah Plaza, Dr. Watson watched as explorers emerged at the top of the Great Stair as they hurried to restore Nexus links and revisit the once familiar buildings of Ae'gura. He smiled inwardly, knowing that the chain of events he had set in motion only a few days ago had ensured that the Cavern would remain alive with activity for long time to come.
* Proof-reading and verification by Tai'lahr, JWPlatt, HenryMikel, RAWA
* Chatlogs supplied by JWPlatt, Tai'lahr and Mac_Fife.
* Timeline verification by Tai'lahr.
* Photographs supplied by Mac_Fife, Tai'lahr, HenryMikel, EthanEver, JanB.
* Book cover texture adapted from Leather Book Texture by Tsabo6 (Deviant ART).
* The "MOULagain Hooligans" (the Unauthorized Explorers).
* The first "official" arrivals: James Kaufman, Zrax, ghaelen, Whitch, vid, Chloe Rhodes, Nadnerb, Gordon Nadezda, Zib, Tesseract, Kerryth, Whilyam, Qalthos, Tofer, Tweek, CyanJason, Oliver Knowles, Alahmnat, Marten, Gondar, CoinCollector, Keiya, Azador, Beavis, and all those who journeyed down in the following days.
* Illustrated PDF version: http://www.allthingsuru.com/AllThingsUru/pdf/Activity in the Cavern.pdf</translation>
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>The final week is called Exodus, which was named after the book in the Bible for reasons that will be explained later.
November 1, 2007. Day One. 11:00 A.M., Ae'gura.
Cate Alexander linked to the city and made an announcement, "I am leaving the DRC."
Surely, as you can surmise, this was a major shock, as Cate was the source of funding for the DRC. Her abrupt departure meant the loss of the funding. Nobody knew what to do.
The DRC tried to keep up appearances by announcing the release of Ahnonay later in the week, but even they were at a loss.
Cate's reasons for leaving? "I'm not getting a return on my investment," or something like that.
Ironic, actually.
Cate had mentioned the week before that she would believe a Bahro war when she saw it. And now here she was leaving, no Bahro war in sight.
On Day Two, Ahnonay was released. That blasted age of Guild Master Kadish that tests our sanity every time we enter it.
Like all the other ages, there had been some changes caused by the Great Scream, and those had pushed back its official release. Structural issues and what not.
Marie was the only DRC member we saw that day, and she was just as worried, confused, and annoyed as the rest of us at Cate's sudden departure.
It was the final days of the Previous Restoration all over again, only this time it was slower. Not as quick and sudden as it had been before. No quick plug pull. Just a slow, steady drain.
A lot of us had memorized the puzzles in Ahnonay from the time before the second restoration started, before the Great Scream changed everything. Those of us who remembered breezed through the puzzles relatively easily.
And then, just after midnight on November 3, we found the key. A circle with an X in it in the lower half of the Pellet Cave.
We knew exactly what this was. We used this key, and we found a new location.
K'veer, island home and prison of Atrus, son of Gehn.
K'veer, as represented in Myst V, was the home of the Keep, the Tablet's prison.
This Tablet was the key to the Bahro's freedom. Dr. Watson was probably the first of all of us to find his way there. The Keep stood right where the link in spot is, at least according to Myst V.
Many of us assumed that the Bahro would avoid K'veer, should a conflict arise. And boy howdy, did conflict arise.
There were Bahro swarming Kerath's Arch. When reports of Bahro in Ae'gura appeared, flooding in from the city, we were shocked and confused.
On November 3, the Bahro War arrived.
Destruction was here. They were here. The dream prophecy was being fulfilled.
It was a nightmare. I still shudder at the thought of the sight and the sounds.
The Bahro were everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Not just the main City. They were in our private neighborhoods as well.
Scary thought, isn't it? Bahro, creatures that could link at will, being everywhere at once?
That wasn't the full impact of it, either. The Bahro weren't all on one side. They were from both sides, duking it out, fighting, killing, and screaming.
It was chaos.
And, though this wasn't widely confirmed, a few of us saw a form standing on top of the Arch, right below the light. Make of it what you will, but there was something up there, moving.
I wasn't sure what to make of it, at the time, but considering all the mayhem and chaos around it, I think it's safe to guess what that form was.
The very source of this conflict.
You've heard the rumors, the tales, and the horrors that Esher in Myst V supposedly performed. Even that he had a Bahro skin over his shoulder, a cloth that allowed him to link.
Myst V was not false in those respects.
Esher, the demented, evil man of Noloben, truly existed. And the Bahro that he had cut that piece of skin from was mad, twisted beyond all hope of returning to any sane thinking.
He had gathered the others that thought like him, and he had formed this other side, this Twisted Faction.
We didn't need what happened next to drive this fact home.
Phil Henderson appeared in A Beginner's Bevin (long since disestablished) and he was claiming, "They are coming." No, "They are here."
So, this was Yeesha's dream, was it not? The one that called us all here?
The DRC were at as much of a loss as we were, and Kodama used this as an excuse to leave. He went up to the surface, and secretly off to find more funding for the cavern.
Day Four of Exodus. The Bahro were still swarming, still fighting.
To maintain a sense of normalcy, the DRC announced the winners of the Great Zero Stained Glass contest. Those three distinct designs now appear above the Great Zero book in the Neighborhoods.
Normalcy, however, was a delusion.
Ae'gura was a massive mad house. Bahro were dive bombing the city, prowling the streets. They'd escalated from swarming to random encounters.
Never before or since have I seen so many explorers wearing their Journey shirts. We all had those burlap cloth pieces on us, itchy as they were. We were showing our support for the Bahro, for Yeesha, and for good.
We wore our shirts for Yeesha, for what she stood for and represented, all in the hopes that she would see and do something.
And do something she did.
Day Five, November 5.
A Bahro appeared outside the window in K'veer. Right on the ledge, though there's nothing out there for it to stand on, not that we can see, at least. But there it was, just peering in.
We were being watched.
The Bahro began teleporting. It was next spotted inside Atrus' prison chamber, and then it summoned the book stand in the middle of the room and placed the Myst Linking Book firmly upon it.
Two more Bahro appeared, and then, along with them, a woman with red hair and blue eyes. The tattoo over her eye made it clear who she was, and the very clothes she wore were the same as the hologram we've all seen in the Cleft.
It was Yeesha.
I'll quote what I think is relevant from what she said and paraphrase the rest.
"Destruction is almost upon us."
"They are here."
"Fighting in war."
The Bahro had been freed by the tablet, and most of them had sided with good, with us, with Yeesha, and with the D'ni. And they were fighting for us. Sacrificing everything they had for us. For our "peace" and for our "comfort."
There was a side which had not sided with us, with the D'ni, or with "good." They had chosen evil, and they basked in the opportunity that came with their freedom.
"Revenge is their only excuse," Yeesha pointed to her left shoulder, and explained, "Their leader can be seen clearly. He is missing a large patch of skin" taken in the "torturous lab of Esher."
"Because of that," she said, "I will draw them away. Away from the cavern. Away from you."
She had something they wanted. Some assumed the piece of skin that Esher had carved off of the leader of this evil side of the Bahro. Others, due to the sayings in the Watcher's Words, assumed that Yeesha was pregnant.
"I do not know how long they will seek what I carry. It could only be days, it could be months."
"Destruction is coming. It is almost here. I will delay it as long as I can, but, in the meantime, you must find a way. You must find a home."
She promised to return in the future, and if things went well, she would offer her aid. But if things didn't go well... You get the picture.
Regardless, she said we had to be ready for her return. Destruction was coming no matter what, and when it arrived we must have found our way. We MUST have found our home.
With that, she left. And almost instantly, so did the Bahro around Kerath's arch, all of them following her for various reasons. Some for her protection, others seeking what she carried.
That night we received a KI Mail from the DRC. Marie Sutherland and Victor Laxman had gone to the surface. They were joining Kodama in his search for new funding.
The next day, Sharper announced that he was heading to the surface too. Suddenly, we found ourselves alone.
In the months that followed what I've come to call the "Day of Yeesha", the DRC did not return.
We learned through other sources that Cate was not the only investor to cease funding. GameTap, the other major investor, was pulling the plug as well. (Why a computer game company was funding the restoration at all, I'll never know...)
We tend not to blame them. Cate, however...
At any rate, we all remained in the cavern for a little while. But one by one we made our Exodus back to the surface, back to our jobs and schools and families. Back to our lives.
But we never forgot the cavern.
In February of 2010, for seemingly no reason at all, numbers in the cavern began to climb again. Now there are many who once again call this place home.
It is strange that so many should hear the Call, with the Bahro now freed and Yeesha gone, and yet, here we are.
This is not a Restoration, but it is a Great Uru. The Third Great Uru.
We've told you this story because we want you to understand the situation.
Yeesha is gone, but not for good. The Bahro are gone, but not for good. Destruction has not been stopped, but delayed.
I have said before that any Bahro you may encounter here are probably friendly, and now you know why.
Someday, the hostile Bahro will return. Dr. Watson told us what to do when that happens. Do you remember? Find a way. Make a home.
He told us that we would need to find some method of stopping the hostile Bahro. He told us that we would need to find something to end their war.
That's why it's so important that we continue to Write and explore new Ages. And that's why we need to work in the Guilds to prepare for the return of the Bahro.
Your coming here is not without purpose. No Great Uru just happens. There is always a reason. We are those who must prepare. So find a way. Make a home.
<font style=b size=12><p align=center>Prologue, Part 2
<font style=n size=10><p align=left>As you may or may not remember, the tales of the Prologue era are tales that often do not wish to be told. Tonight, we will see why this is.
I have told of the time when things were simple, when the DRC restored on a timely basis and released new areas as they deemed safe. However, once the gaming corporation UbiSoft got its funds thrown into the mix, things began to become unstable.
Explorers who weren't authorized began drifting down, feeling called to something they didn't understand. But things were changing here in the cavern.
During the month of December, 2003, one member of the DRC's elite restoration staff, Phil "phend" Henderson, had gone "rogue" as it were. Many these days would simply call him a hippie or claim that he had eaten one too many 'shrooms from Teledahn. But looking back, he seemed to be onto something. Something we still don't quite understand.
Discussion in the cavern varied during this time from mysterious Bahro stones leading to abandoned docks with Relto pages on them to the "temporary" bridge that had been put up over the break in the City.
Look at it now. A simple little rope bridge. And the DRC called it "temporary" back in 2003. Nine years later, here it still stands.
To jump into our story, Phil Henderson was back. He appeared in a hood. Sharper was there, suggesting that Phil had been looking for him.
It was asked where Phil had been.
"I've been Exploring" he said. "So many..."
"So many what?" someone asked.
"Areas of the city." Phil replied. "So many people... So many minds... So many journeys."
Many asked Phil about Yeesha.
"Have you seen her?" Phil asked the explorers there.
"Yes." they said.
Soon enough, though, Sharper asked Phil if he had talked to the DRC about Yeesha. Phil's reply?
"I love you all."
Then he went on about finding more "Places." It was assumed he was talking about neighborhoods, so the answer was, "There are over fifty."
Phil asked where to go next, and suggestions were made.
Now, let me just say this. As I write, I have a hard time deciphering Phil's ramblings. I mean, even Sharper was annoyed, "Can you cut the riddles?"
But riddles were all we would get.
Phil soon wandered down to the light garden, to the island where the Islands Relto page often resides.
"Wait." Phil said. "Will you wait?"
So they waited.
"See the rock?" Phil asked.
"It's a rock." Explorer Brian Fioca replied.
"It's more." Phil said.
An explorer named Snatcher then commented that the island looked a bit like Myst Or Relto.
"Please," Sharper scoffed. "It's a rock."
"I've been where you've been." Phil said. "If you've seen her."
He said that he had completed the circle, and asked if those there had as well. The answer was yes, so Phil turned to Sharper.
"Have you, Douglas?"
"Have I what?" Sharper asked. "Completed the magic journey?"
"Yes."
"No."
"You need to." Phil said. "To complete the circle. Do you understand?"
Sharper relented, agreeing to if Phil would show him how.
So they kept waiting. Sharper got one last jab in though: "Is the magic journey more fun than what we're doing right now?"
Phil said it was, he said it would give you something, that it would allow you to feel things. Things like the island where the Relto page first appeared.
"Watch the stone." he said. "And wait."
A few moments later the page, which had been removed by the DRC, spontaneously reappeared.
From there, this group of explorers went from Hood to Hood and visited Reltos.
A few days later, Phil continued his escapades. He claimed that we were all on a journey, and where we ended up was a part of that journey. Above all, though it seemed at this point that people's journeys were causing fractures, divisions, and sides.
Sharper himself was growing increasingly anti-DRC. Michael Engberg was more hopeful about it all, although it worried him to see these sides being made and taken.
An explorer, Tweek, said this on the matter: "The sides choosing thing is annoying me... people are being sneaky trying to get others in trouble... and being rude and impatient."
Engberg replied, "Like I have said before, we are all family down here, and even in family you will have people who disagree."
"Don't think many people realize that to make this restoration work we must get along." Tweek said.
"Exactly, I think if we agree that we can disagree, life will go a lot easier." Engberg said. "I know people are not always going to agree with the DRC, but if you get to know us, and understand us better, I think you will see that we are all not bad."
Of course, things wouldn't go that way. Perhaps, had Phil not done what he would soon do... Perhaps, had Phil not been as elusive and mysterious... Perhaps, just maybe, if the DRC wouldn't have reacted as they did... Things might have gone differently.
Phil and Sharper soon left on the journey, and any qualms the DRC had with them would have to wait until they got back.
Days later, Marie Sutherland made this very amusing comment: "We don't believe in OSHA down here. We just use cones! :D "
You'd think that this would be an issue, but look at it this way: The DRC was restoring D'ni. What do you think would happen if the world's governments got ahold of this place? We certainly wouldn't be able to visit it. In fact, anyone caught down here would most likely be arrested for treason. Or something like that. Without the OSHA down here, we are more free than we are on the surface.
Marie touched briefly on the funding as conversation flowed and mentioned that she was working on the Great Zero and Gahreesen, but the main point that seemed to get lost was this: "It's been a fairly expensive operation."
Phil and Sharper returned, and Sharper, believe it or not, seemed to be the very definition of a changed man. He had a Relto book and he had Yeesha's Journey shirt.
"There is so much more to linking than I ever thought." Sharper said. "She has power."
"You mean the linking stones?" an explorer, Dusante, asked.
"All of it." Sharper replied. "The book. The age. The Stones. The Cloths." He summarized with this: "The DRC's Linking books are child's play." Sharper began encouraging people to wear Yeesha's shirt after this.
Days passed. Things escalated. Finally, something tipped the scales.
Phil had climbed up into the Guild Hall, right over the Great King's tomb. People advised him to climb down from there. He didn't listen to us.
Maybe... If he had just stayed there...?
When Dr. Watson arrived, he and Phil chatted over the City. Watson near the bridge, Phil on the Hall.
Soon enough, Sharper arrived. He had a bad feeling about Watson's presence. Things grew wild. Victor Laxman showed up, too.
Eventually, it ended up with Sharper Reltoing off of the bridge and Laxman stealing Phil's Relto book, forcing Phil through it, and then he and Watson going in after him.
Phil had been kidnapped.
Of course, Watson maintained that they just wanted to talk with Phil and that he was fine, but that didn't lower the tension any.
Soon enough, Sharper was on a rampage. He and several other explorers tore down the barriers in front of the Kahlo Pub. Shortly thereafter, Sharper invited explorers to his own Neighborhood, where he had cracked open the Egg Room door, proving once and for all that the chamber was safe. It could reliably be used to block KI chatter and was essentially the only place KI chatter could be used without fear of spying.
You have to understand that at the time, the Egg Rooms were sealed shut. Nobody was supposed to get inside.
Of course, the timing of this was perfect.
When the DRC relented and allowed an explorer by the name of Tink to visit Phil in Kirel, which at the time was their private neighborhood, they were holding Phil inside the Egg Room there.
Tink was able to hold a non-monitored conversation with Phil, and brought the log out to prove that Phil was still fine.
All in all, though, things began to ease up for the explorers, but not for Sharper. After a few days of touring the Egg Room, Sharper appeared in the Uru Obsession Hood to tell explorers that the DRC had taken away the Great Tree Pub and his neighborhood, even saying that his KI had been "damaged" and could no longer even make a new Hood.
Sharper was trying to build up support for getting his pub back, but alas, things would soon be going dark.
On December 26th, 2003, Phil, having been released by the DRC, was back on the Guild Hall again. The DRC however, was all over it. They were in the City, pleading for him to come down.
He didn't listen. This was where his journey led him.
Explorers didn't get it. The DRC knew, even Phil knew that the building he was on was not safe. Very unstable.
But you could see him climbing up the side of the building... Everyone kept saying that they should just go up there, saying, "Let us help!"
The DRC couldn't do anything. The place was that unstable. Not even the Nexus Link worked.
"There is no safe way to get up there." Laxman said on multiple occasions.
"It's a part of something." Phil said. "Part of my journey--part of knowing more."
It pains me to even read my own notes.
There was a rumble. And a noise. And smoke.
Phil's KI went offline.
The last thing anyone could see on the Age Players list was a single string of two characters: "????????........."
The DRC rushed into action, but Phil was gone. The only thing the DRC ever found was his KI, smashed in the rubble. Everyone assumed he was dead, and rightly so. After all, the whole structure had collapsed.
Months passed in silence. Nobody heard anything from the DRC. Dr. Watson had vanished and the funding had dried up.
Finally, on February 4th, 2004, months after the collapse, an announcement came from Dr. Kodama.
The Restoration was canceled. UbiSoft had pulled their funding. We were lost, scattered, fragmented.
Some of us stayed behind; Sharper was one of them. Some of us didn't even know that the restoration had been canceled.
More months passed. The Great Zero was restarted many times, but it was not enough. Some of us found our way to the Great Tree Pub, so vastly different now and labeled "Watcher's".
Puzzles were solved. Journeys were taken. One in particular, when retold to Cyan, inspired their last game: "Myst V: End of Ages".
We waited and we gathered. And one day... We had a spark.</translation>
<font size=12 style=b><p align=center>Appendix B
<font size=12 style=n><p align=center>Chatlog List
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>Editor's Note: Most of the information compiled below is taken directly from the D'ni Restoration Archives web site [and can be viewed in the Guild of Archivists wiki].
First Restoration Attempt
(2002-01-31) Opening of the first D'ni neighbourhood
(2003-11-18) Engberg discovers explorers that sneaked into the City
(2003-11-19) Douglas Sharper dislikes the DRC
(2003-11-19) Zardoz finds Phil Henderson
(2003-11-24) Douglas Sharper plays a game of heek
(2003-11-24) Phil reappears
(2003-11-25) Sharper and Engberg in Ae'gura
(2003-11-26) Sharper is concerned
(2003-11-28) MrM3FaN brings Phil back
(2003-12-01) Michael Engberg in Ae'gura
(2003-12-02) Michael Engberg, Rand Miller and Dr. Kodama in Ae'gura
(2003-12-02) Phil teaches and learns in the neighbourhoods
(2003-12-03) Michael Engberg visits Ae'gura again
(2003-12-04) Phil visits more neighbourhoods
(2003-12-04) Engberg relaxes
(2003-12-05) Sharper found a new spot
(2003-12-05) Brian Fioca confronts Michael Engberg
(2003-12-05) Phil takes Douglas on the journey
(2003-12-05) Engberg plays a game of heek
(2003-12-08) Marie Sutherland in Ae'gura
(2003-12-08) Phil and Douglas return from the Journey
(2003-12-10) Sharper encourages people to wear Yeesha's shirt
(2003-12-10) Phil talks about the Journey
(2003-12-11) Victor Laxman talks about the Great Zero
(2003-12-11) Sharper and the DRC are looking for support
(2003-12-15) Phil is kidnapped by the DRC
(2003-12-16) Sharper is angry
(2003-12-16) Sharper is still angry
(2003-12-17) Sharper strikes back
(2003-12-18) Rand Miller and Dr. Watson visit a neighbourhood
(2003-12-18) Douglas Sharper visits the UruObsession Neighbourhood
(2003-12-19) Douglas Sharper opens the Egg Rooms
(2003-12-19) The DRC allows Tink to meet Phil
(2003-12-19) Douglas Sharper invites more people to see the Egg Rooms
(2003-12-21) Michael Engberg answers questions in the German Neighbourhood
(2003-12-22) Douglas Sharper visits the UruObsession Neighbourhood again
(2003-12-26) Phil Henderson's accident
(2003-12-29) Sharper visits a neighbourhood
D'mala
In late 2005 some DRC members began returning to the Cavern. In 2006 more and more explorers returned to the Cavern and the DRC began to meet with the explorers once more. The DRC had hope that they might be able to continue the Restoration efforts. The DRC asked the community to elect 5 liaisons, to make communication between the DRC and the community easier. The elected liaisons (CAGrayWolf, Eleri, Gadren, Tweek and Vortmax) organised various Town Hall meetings with the DRC, Cyan and the explorers.
(2006-04-07) Marie Sutherland about the elections
(2006-04-15) DRC / Liaison Meeting
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Marie Sutherland (Morning session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Michael Engberg (Morning session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Dr. Kodama (Morning session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Victor Laxman (Morning session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Marie Sutherland (Afternoon session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Michael Engberg (Afternoon session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Dr. Kodama (Afternoon session)
(2006-04-26) Meet the DRC: Victor Laxman (Afternoon session)
(2006-05-02) DRC / Liaison Meeting
(2006-06-13) DRC / Liaison Meeting
(2006-06-14) The KI and the Great Zero
(2006-06-20) Ae'gura & The City (Morning session)
(2006-06-20) Ae'gura & The City (Evening session)
(2006-07-06) New Ages (Morning session)
(2006-07-06) New Ages (Evening session)
(2006-11-08) DRC / Liaison Meeting
(2006-12-19) Re-Opening of the Cavern
The Restoration Continues
(2006-12-20) Dr. Kodama inspects Ae'gura
(2006-12-20) Dr. Kodama inspects Zia's neighbourhood
(2006-12-20) Marie Sutherland inspects the Uru Obsession neighbourhood
(2006-12-20) Victor Laxman inspects the Uru Obsession neighbourhood
(2006-12-20) Victor Laxman inspects the Guild of Greeters neighbourhood
(2006-12-20) Marie Sutherland inspects a neighbourhood
(2006-12-20) Dr. Kodama inspects the Uru Obsession neighbourhood
(2006-12-21) Dr. Kodama inspects Ae'gura again
(2006-12-21) Michael Engberg has returned from the surface
(2006-12-21) Rand Miller visits the explorers
(2006-12-21) Michael Engberg about his daughter
(2006-12-21) Victor Laxman inspects another neighbourhood
(2006-12-21) Victor Laxman inspects Uru Obsession
(2006-12-22) Victor Laxman about instances
(2006-12-22) Marie Sutherland talks about the opening of the gallery doors
(2006-12-23) Wheely is back
(2006-12-24) "Gas Station Stan" returns
(2006-12-25) Marie Sutherland visits Ae'gura
(2006-12-26) Marie Sutherland sets up the liaison's 'hood
(2006-12-27) Nick White in Ae'gura
(2006-12-27) Nick White in the Uru Obsession neighbourhood
(2006-12-28) Marie Sutherland chats with the explorers
(2006-12-29) Dr. Kodama talks about the community rooms
(2007-01-02) Nick White announces Cate's coming
(2007-01-03) Cate Alexander introduces herself
(2007-01-03) The liaisons meet Cate
(2007-01-04) Michael Engberg couldn't sleep
(2007-01-09) Cate is pushing Laxman
(2007-01-10) Delays are announced by the liaisons
(2007-01-11) Nick White chats near the opened concert hall foyer
The Eders
(2007-01-16) Victor Laxman has just fixed the Great Zero
(2007-01-17) The liaisons have resigned
(2007-01-18) Cate visits the Uru Obsession neighbourhood
(2007-01-19) Nick talks about the restoration
(2007-01-25) Nick talks about Sharper and the restoration
(2007-01-30) Engberg wants to slow down
(2007-02-02) Cate talks about the restoration
(2007-02-05) Cate removes the official DRC forums
(2007-02-06) Engberg inspects the Library area
(2007-02-08) Cate Alexander at the sit-in for the DRC forums
(2007-02-08) Michael Engberg defends the explorers and brings the forums back
(2007-02-16) Blake Lewin visits the cavern
(2007-02-16) Wheely Engberg in the cavern
(2007-02-16) Victor Laxman about the weather in Eder Delin
(2007-02-16) Nick in Eder Delin
(2007-02-20) Nick in snowy Eder Delin
(2007-02-20) Nick makes fun of the explorers
(2007-02-21) Dr. Kodama investigates a neighbourhood after Yeesha's appearance
(2007-02-22) Stained glass windows to restore
(2007-02-26) Nick White about the museum
(2007-02-26) Dr. Kodama reinvestigates
The Hunter and the Pods
(2007-03-02) Nick White talks about Negilahn's animal population
(2007-03-02) The Great Tree awaits Douglas Sharper
(2007-03-03) Nick White announces Sharper's return
(2007-03-03) Nick White comments on the stolen Dereno Linking Book
(2007-03-07) Nick White talks about new Ages and the missing creature chart
(2007-03-07) Cate Alexander is glad with Sharper's return
(2007-03-08) Nick comes to chat
(2007-03-09) Nick visits The Great Tree
(2007-03-09) Douglas Sharper meets exlorers
(2007-03-11) Nick is looking for Rils
(2007-03-11) Nick is having fun in The Great Tree's
(2007-03-12) Douglas Sharper returns to The Great Tree
(2007-03-13) Nick talks about Dereno and the Great Zero
(2007-03-14) Douglas Sharper visits NULPS's neighbourhood
(2007-03-14) Rand, Nick and Sharper in a 'hood
(2007-03-14) Vormaen argues with Sharper
(2007-03-14) Dr. Kodama visits Ae'gura
(2007-03-14) Nick White talks about Dereno and translations
(2007-03-15) Cate oversees the release of Dereno
(2007-03-15) Explorers visit the pods with Wheely Engberg
(2007-03-21) Nick chats about the upcoming Negilahn expedition
(2007-03-21) Rils reports on the expedition to Negilahn
(2007-03-22) Nick talks about the expedition and Minkata
(2007-03-27) Nick White in ThinkSpiral's neighbourhood
(2007-03-27) Nick White visits more explorers
(2007-03-28) More stained glass windows to restore
(2007-03-28) Nick White and Kal discuss Guilds
(2007-03-29) Cate releases a map of the Pod Age
The Great Zero
Scars
A New Light
Familiar Voices
Deception
Exodus<PB>
<font size=12 style=b><p align=center>Appendix C
<font size=12 style=n><p align=center>DRC Forum Posts List
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>Editor's Note: Most of the information compiled below is taken directly from the D'ni Restoration Archive web site. All original posts may be viewed at the DRC site forums [and the Guild of Archivists wiki].
<font size=10 style=n><p align=left>We had learned, during "Scars Week" the month before, that the Reziksehv predator was, in fact, a large group of Bahro. One of them appeared to have been responsible for the death of Wheely Engberg, which had resulted in her father leaving the DRC and disappearing.
Sharper had discovered that the Bahro were in the middle of a civil war. We had heard nothing from Sharper, Nick, or the DRC in a month.
Explorers were nervous, but fortunately there had been no more incidents of Bahro attacks--that we know of, anyway.
On the first day of the week, the DRC happily made two announcements.
The first announcement was that Laxman had managed to restore certain functionality to the KI. In addition to collecting Markers for the Great Zero, which we had already been able to do, explorers would now be able to create their own Marker Missions, if they had progressed far enough in the Great Zero missions.
I imagine most of us were so distracted putting Markers everywhere that day that we weren't even thinking about the Bahro.
The second announcement was that the next day, Laxman would fully activate the Great Zero. This would mean it would be fully calibrated and functional as it had been in the time of the D'ni.
Later that day, the DRC released the first new area of the week: The Watcher's Pub.
This area was originally known as the Watcher's Sanctuary, and had been a part of Yeesha's Path of the Shell, before the Great Scream altered everything. So for some of us, this area was not new--although some changes had been made. Among other things, the door on the top level was locked, and still is. Also, the translations of the Watcher's Prophecies were placed here. These had played a significant role in the old Path of the Shell as well. They contain prophecies of the future, dealing with the coming of the Grower--a person whom we now believe to be Yeesha.
During the next few days, the DRC would often visit us here, in the Watcher's Pub, and it would play a significant role in later events as well.
Over the next few days we had several visits from the DRC, both here and elsewhere in the city.
Kodama spoke briefly with explorers and confirmed that the DRC believed the Bahro to be responsible for Wheely's death, and presented his own opinion that even the fateful cave-in had been caused by them--which would make them, in essence, Rosette's killers as well.
Laxman told us, among other things, that the DRC had visited Noloben, the Age referred to by the murderous Bahro. The DRC, at one point, had discovered a D'ni survivor on Noloben, whose description fit with Myst V's villain, Esher. According to the DRC, though, he was no longer there at the time of these events.
Probably the most important visit that week was Cate Alexander's. She came to the Watcher's Sanctuary and announced that Engberg was still missing, and had not been seen since his disappearance. As a result, the DRC was going to act under the assumption that he would not be returning soon, and was replacing Engberg with Cate herself.
Needless to say, many saw this as a conflict of interest, since Cate was the main financer for the Restoration. Personally, I don't see that it made much difference--by that time she was pretty much running the show anyway.
Marie Sutherland felt rather strongly about it, though, and on the third day the two aired their dirty laundry in front of a large group of explorers. It was rather unprofessional, actually, them arguing over Cate's position, and over the possibility of advertising in the cavern. Thankfully, they eventually moved their discussion to a more private place.
Of only slightly less importance was Sharper's visit. He came on the third day to visit the Uru Obsession Neighborhood.
Sharper told the explorers there that he had made up his mind. The Bahro had killed Wheely, and so he was going to kill a Bahro.
Needless to say, this caused a near-riot among explorers. A few were in favor of Sharper's plan, but most believed it was unwise.
At any rate, Sharper insisted that the Bahro needed to learn that they could not slaughter humans without consequence. But as I said, most people feared this would incite a deeper conflict between us and the Bahro.
An eye for an eye makes the world blind, it's been said.
The fourth day, we were given something else to think about. The Book stands in Watcher's Sanctuary were empty when the DRC released the area. But on the fourth day, Cate placed the Er'cana Book on the pedestal.
Many of us had actually been there before, as Yeesha had once included it in her Path of the Shell. We found, however, that some changes had been made.
There used to be a carving of a star fissure, for example. The ovens had now been better calibrated to cook pellets for lighting the D'ni lake. And there were far more Shell Cloths than before--such that completing Er'cana now felt much like it feels to complete the original Yeesha Journey.
We were told that the DRC intended to "light" the lake--by which I mean, restore it to its former glow.
They encouraged us to find healthy recipes for pellets and drop as many into the lake as we could.
Later that day, Marie Sutherland came to the city and gave us one last item: the Memorial.
Sutherland had ensured that not only would Wheely's name be on it, but so would the names of other explorers who had been part of our community and who had died. And there's one name in particular I want to point out, because it will become important later.
On that memorial is the name Phil "phend" Henderson. Phil had been one of the DRC's employees during the First Restoration. He had taken Yeesha's Journey and seemed to have somehow become somewhat unhinged mentally.
At one point, Sharper had stolen Phil's Relto Book in order to spy on the DRC. The unfortunate result of this was that when a wall collapsed on top of Phil, he had no way to escape.
No body was found, though, just the smashed KI. But though Phil's body was never retrieved, it was obvious that no one could have survived the collapse.
And so, years later, when Marie erected this Memorial to Wheely and others who had died, Phil's name was there as well.
Later that day, one more important event happened.
An explorer had registered his KI under the name Reteltee, which means "The Guilds" in the D'ni language.
Reteltee was interested in restoring the D'ni Guilds, and as it happened, the DRC was interested in the same thing.
Marie and Cate located Reteltee and invited him to meet with them privately to discuss how the D'ni Guild structure could be implemented among explorers.
Many of you are familiar with the modern-day Guilds of Writers, Greeters, Messengers, Maintainers and Cartographers. It was in a large part due to the DRC putting their heads together with Reteltee--who was later appointed their official Guild representative--that those Guilds exist today.
But this was only the preliminary stage. We did not know yet which Guilds would be restored or in what manner.
Finally, the fifth and final day rolled around.
Laxman came to the city docks, where he set up a strange device that acted as a kind of lake light meter. Don't bother looking for this device today--it was later removed due to malfunctions.
And finally, Sharper made one final visit to the Neighborhood, and to the Watcher's Sanctuary.
This time, explorers were more urgent and aggressive in their protests against his plans. Nevertheless, Sharper was insistent that he would go to Noloben. He would study the Bahro, get to know their ways, and when he could be certain which faction was responsible for Wheely's death, he would return. With a Bahro head.
And that was the last time we saw him--until the following month, when we finally began to experience what was really going on with the Bahro.
The truth is, that week was more about new areas and activities than it was about anything exciting happening or any mysteries being solved.</translation>
</element>
<element name="PainterBook">
<translation language="English"><cover src="ChisoPrenivPainterJournal*1#0.hsm"><font size=20 face=URU color=000000><margin left=62 right=62 top=48><PB>There has to be an easier way to collect these blasted things, I thought. One that doesn’t involve my immediate death. That would be nice.
I sighed, withdrawing my arm to wipe the perspiration from my brow. The refreshing breeze wafting along the Tokotah Alley was doing little to stifle the nervous anticipation I felt, perched on the edge of a crumbling pathway the sight of which would give most health and safety inspectors good cause to lie down in a darkened room for several hours. I idly wondered what had happened to the cones that once denoted this walkway as unsafe. Not that I felt that much explanation was required in matters of the dangers presented by a two thousand foot drop.
And yet, here I was, kneeling on the edge of abrupt oblivion, my arm stretched out and gesticulating wildly, all considerations to my own welfare cast aside. To anyone watching, I must have looked like I was attempting a piece of abstract performance art. Or undergoing some manner of theological epiphany. Some action not typically undertaken by the objectively sane, in any case.
I needn’t have worried. Anyone down here knew exactly what I was doing. And I was but the latest in a long line of many visitors to the underground caverns of D’ni to do so.
One last effort. I strained my arm as far as it would reach, ignoring the angry protestations my tendons offered up. My efforts were rewarded by a sudden blinking from my wrist as my KI finally registered the presence of the hologramatic marker projected in front of me, suspended over the drop. Success. Accompanied by a sudden flush of equal parts triumph and numbness, I delicately reached my other arm forward and tapped the flashing button on the device, taking care not to lose the remains of my already unsteady balance. The marker instantly blinked out of existence. Its’ co-ordinates were now stored within the KI’s memory, ready to be uploaded into the Great Zero along with the rest of the marker data I had spent all day meticulously collecting.
Satisfied, I withdrew my arm back and instantly edged away from the precipice, nursing the sudden feeling of exhaustion that I’d pushed to the back of my mind but had now finally elbowed its way forward, presenting as it did an angry bill for its services. The entire day had seen me stretching, dangling, crawling, leaping, generally forcing my body to do things it really wasn’t cut out to do, all so I could do my bit as part of the Great Zero’s seemingly endless calibration procedures. And while it was certainly a change of pace from exploring the newest batch of restored ages uncovered by the DRC, it was by no means my idea of unwinding.
As I stood, I brushed a generous build-up of dust and rubble particles from my red shearling coat, sending a fine cloud wafting away through the air around me. Further administrations cleared my beard and gloves of any stray discolourings, and I retrieved my glasses from my coat pocket and returned them to my face. After a final check of my extremities to ensure all were present, accounted for and firing on all cylinders, I began taking a casual stroll along the side street and back into the main plaza.
Solid ground, I thought to myself. No substitute for it. The D’ni had the right idea there, no question.
It was definitely quieter in Ae’gura right now, save for the ceaseless sounds of restoration works going on all around us. Many explorers seemed to be taking solace in the newly-unveiled Watcher’s Pub and Er’cana, making the most of what a drastically understaffed DRC could offer for them in terms of new findings that could be safely released to the community. But I knew it was more than that. For some time now, it felt as though a deep sense of bleakness had infiltrated our community’s former optimism, something that was causing most of them to consciously avoid the city.
The source was obvious. As I looked down the Grand Staircase, I could see the wreath that had been left outside the entrance to the Kahlo pub in memory of Wheely Engberg and her friend Rose. The sight of it bought back bad memories. Instinctively I rubbed my fingers over the still-raw injuries to my right hand, self-inflicted upon a nearby wall in the Great Tree hood in a moment of furious rage after seeing the catatonic toll Wheely’s death had taken on her father Michael.
And with the mourning had come the fear, as it always does when that which is unknown leads to such fatal consequences. Already rumours had begun to spread, new fears taking hold in ourselves. Fears of the Bahro, those creatures whose suffering we had once taken so close to our hearts, whose freedom we triumphed in, they who now seemingly demanded blood in exchange for their centuries of captivity. Blood of myself and my fellow explorers.
The explorers once had such high hopes for the opportunities this new restoration would bring. Some had even spoke of making D’ni their new home. Such optimism seemed so far away now, undone by the recent tragedy. There was simply no possibility of life in the city returning to any kind of normal.
Which is why it so surprised me when I turned around and saw the painter for the first time.
She sat overlooking the balcony area, gazing out over the canyon at the distant bridge. She wore a comfortable turquoise jumper with dark jeans, both of which were dotted with stray drops of her brush’s colourful essence. As she turned her head to the side, I could see her eyes were unfocused, almost wild - as though she had surrendered her mind entirely to the object gripped lightly between her fingers and it was she, not the brush, who was allowing her strokes to be dictated.
I crept closer in silence, masking my footsteps with the greatest of care. I could see that the landscape of the painting was complete and the painter was ready to commence adding the people. She tilted her head down to stir the small cup of water at her side, and I couldn’t help but notice with slight mirth a smudge of orangish-green paint on her nose. Stopping at the outer edge of the balcony circumference, I took no further steps. Partly because I knew the frustration of having one’s immersion broken, partly out of the social anxiety of introducing myself to others that I’ve never quite managed to shake off. I contented myself with standing in silence, transfixed by the arrangement of colours on the canvas and the application of the brush to them.
The stillness of our surroundings was broken abruptly by the sight of an explorer on the distant bridge hurling themselves towards the waters below. I shuddered. Not several hours ago I had found myself making this same leap in order to retrieve yet another marker for my calibration task, and when I closed my eyes I could still picture the unforgiving rocks and my reflection in the lake water below growing in size as I tumbled downwards towards it. I have never counted myself a daredevil, and the experience was not one I had any intention of repeating soon.
I couldn’t help but notice the painter flinch at the sight and suppress what felt like an urge to cry out. As I watched, she dabbed a small trace of darker paint beneath the bridge and wiped what might have been a stray tear off of her cheek, leaving yet another smudge.
A sudden beeping from my KI interrupted my revelries. Hastily, I bought my arm up to silence the shrill noise of the ancient device, silently cursing my lack of foresight. The screen indicated a notification from my colleague Edward, no doubt updating me on the results of our most recent experiment. The sound had lasted only for a second but I knew it was enough to break the painter’s illusion of privacy. She shook her head as though she were clearing cobwebs from her mind and looked around, registering for the first time that she was not alone on the balcony.
I suddenly felt an acute sense of embarrassment, realising that I had been watching the artist unannounced for at least five minutes. The notion of me striking up a conversation with her had not even crossed my mind. Now that politeness required it of me I had no idea what to say. Speak, man. You know how. For goodness sake, you won’t shut up when it’s the right subject.
“A fascinating interpretation,” I settled on, nodding towards the easel. Instantly, I cringed internally. The urge to throw myself into the lake was felt again, this time for entirely different reasons than before.
The painter smiled slightly, clearly unaware of what to make of my sudden appearance and struggling to bring herself back from whatever mental plane she had been previously occupying. She didn’t seem to be bothered by my sudden intrusion, so for the moment I felt safe to press on.
‘Oh no, please,” I added hurriedly, “don’t let me stop you”. I was attempting to break any lingering tension my arrival may have caused. “I’ve always been fascinated by artists. Well, enviable, I should really say.”
When she spoke, her voice was gentle, almost serene. It put me immediately at ease.
“Do you paint?”
“Oh good lord no,” I said, relieved for a chance of self-depreciation. “How does that old saying go? Art is a series of accidents-“
“- artists know which ones to keep,” said the painter, finishing the quotation almost instinctively.
I grinned, the beginnings of common ground established. “That’s the one! No, no, I leave all that to the people with talent. And basic hand-eye co-ordination. And who actually know what to do with things like beige. Is it actually a colour? I’ve always thought was just a brown that never really had its’ heart in it.”
I realised I was blithering. Trying to stall to make less awkward of a departure. But to my surprise, the painter broke into a laugh. It was a gentle laugh, one without scorn or malice.
“I suppose I’ll keep this one,” said the painter, beckoning to her easel, “although I don’t think I’m much of an artist. It’s just…. a reminder.”
There was something about the tone of that last word that piqued my interest. “It’s the bridge, isn’t it?’ I asked. I instantly regretted the redundancy of the observation. Of course it’s the bridge. Damn foolish thing to say.
“Yes. It’s what the bridge was.”
“You mean, when it was still in one piece?’ I asked.
This innocent question provoked an unexpected response from the artist. She seemed to stare straight ahead at her collection of painted strokes, as though she were looking beyond the canvas and into the very depths of the picture. “No”, she said, and this time her voice was as soft as a leaf falling to rest upon grass.
There was a moment’s silence, and I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. Had I said something wrong? Was there something obvious I had missed? Or was this the painter’s way of wishing to be left alone? That was most likely it. I idly brushed my hands to the Relto book at my waist and prepared to make a quiet exit.
“Does D’ni seem empty to you?”
The question was sudden, almost hurried, as though the painter had been keeping it within her for some time and could hold it no longer. My hand moved away from my Relto just as she turned once again to face me.
“Empty? I suppose you could say that. Apart from us nosy lot, of course. Not that there’s many of us about at the moment…”
It was true. Aside from the group of half a dozen or so explorers sitting on the top steps of the Great Stairs, and the tiny clustering of the more braver of the marker hunters congregating on one side of the bridge in the distance, the city was quiet. The Deep City was breathing more steadily than it had been in recent months, but it still remained a far cry from what it had once been barely two centuries ago.
As if my thoughts were being read, she continued. “People don’t see what it used to be, how it ended. I thought maybe if I painted it... it would be easier to see. For me, at least.”
At that moment the distant chattering from the direction of the bridge ceased. As we both watched, another explorer (this one clad in goggles and a pith helmet several sizes too big for him) took a flying leap from the edge of the bridge and plummeted downwards. But before his body could be dashed by the rocks below, he had vanished into the welcoming pages of his Relto, joining the ranks of the hundreds of other explorers who had succeeded in this more daring element of the calibration procedure.
I shook my head in disbelief, amazed at the lengths some of my fellow explorers would go to just to make Laxman sleep a little easier at night. But I was surprised by the response of the painter. She seemed to visibly sigh, and suddenly found the urge to add a dab of dark paint underneath the bridge.
“And has it?” I asked. “Made it easier to see, I mean.”
“It makes it easier for me to look at somewhat,” she replied cryptically. She turned away from the bridge and brought her gaze to mine. “Tell me, Mr…?”
“Lavisham. Professor Julian Lavisham,” I smiled, glad to be on more familiar ground.
“A Professor? How interesting.” There was no trace of insincerity in her tone, at least none that I could detect. “Pleased to meet you, Professor Lavisham.”
“And likewise, Ms…?”
“Echo,” the painter said with a smile. “Echo McKenzie. Tell me, Julian…”
She gestured with her brush over the canyon.
“When you look out there, what do you see?”
I adjusted my glasses and looked out over the balcony. Not for the first time, I put myself in the shoes of Atrus, answering the familiar question his grandmother Ti’ana often posed him.
“I see a bridge,” I finally settled on. “Connecting the Hall of Kings with the pathway leading around to the Concert Hall. Broken in the middle, either due to decay or more likelier as a result of the tremors that occurred during the Fall. Structural stability is questionable, although the lash-up the DRC have going on seems to have held out so far. And I see people around on top,” I added, eager to not miss any of the more obvious details. “Psyching up the next adrenaline junkie who fancies himself a lemming, more likely.”
Echo leaned against the railing, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they had taken on an unfocused, almost dreamlike quality.
“The bridge, it's a grand construction, the only path to the Great Library. Thousands of people crossing it every day. They think nothing of it. It, like D'ni, is set in stone. When the earthquakes start, it is only natural that people flee for the Library, to the safety of the ages.”
“But the gas… the gas is there too. It is crawling across the lake, a malevolent, seeking death. People are crowded on the bridge, pushing, shoving, the panic in the mob increasing… they can hear the cries of the dying as the poison cloud reaches the ferry terminal. The press of bodies on the bridge as people race for the Library grows.”
She paused, closing her eyes. An expression of pain crossed her face, and I could tell she was struggling to speak.
“Another tremor comes. The bridge shakes, twists... it's not made to handle weight and torque. It begins to crumble. So, so many fall... and the poison cloud reaches up seeking tendrils to meet them... they die before they even hit the water. Some try to cling to the ruin, the gas reaches up and takes them, too. Others try to flee back, to the Hall of Kings, but it is too crowded…”
Tears began running quietly down her face, despite the tightness of her clenched eyelids. And yet, she continued her story.
“There is a woman... she is just at the edge when the bridge cracks... she starts to fall, and in desperation, throws her little daughter upwards to the crowd. She is caught, held close; people are running for the library holding her... she is reaching back screaming for her mother.”
Her voice was close to breaking, each word almost a sob that seemed to rise up from the very depths of a soul.
“They don't know... they can't know... that even the Ages won't save them. There's too many... just too many...”
She sunk to her knees, head resting against the railing, face in her hands. She seemed exhausted, as though she had been through the most horrific physical ordeal that could be subjected upon a person. In between her laboured breaths she softly whispered the words:
“Yahvo, rehzuh kehnehn fahsh.”
Throughout her story, I had found myself enraptured by the words that this mysterious young woman had conjured up. But now the powerful imagery of her words was gone, and I felt I should say or do something, anything to ease her obvious distress. Not for the first time, I wished I was the sort of person who knew the right thing to say at moments like these.
“This is more than a feeling, isn’t it? You’re actually seeing all of this play out in front of your eyes?”
Wordlessly, her eyes remaining shut, she nodded.
“… I wish I could see the things you do,” I said finally.
Echo opened her eyes and looked up at me. “No. No you don’t, Julian.” She was still clearly distressed, but her breathing had become more even, slowed to a less frantic pace.
“But I do!” he insisted. “So many historians look around at this ancient stone and see just that. Buildings, masonry, walkways, everything that time hasn’t managed to tear down. It’s certainly all I was able to see just by looking at that bridge. But you… you can see it all. People, events happening in real time, the ability to see history playing out, right before your eyes. Echo, if what you’re telling me is true, you can see how the D’ni lived!”
“All I see right now is how they died. It’s like watching a murder, over and over again,” she sighed, forcing herself to stand before her painting again. She brushed her fingers against the now dried canvas. “And when people go jumping after that marker under the bridge… I see new bodies with the old.”
The full emotional implications of what she was describing came rushing in. I had a hundred questions on my lips, but right then I knew all that mattered was being present in this moment with her.
“I can only begin to imagine what that must be like. To see the death of a society play out before your eyes. We know so much about how D’ni fell, the years of their kings, all of the big events. But there’s more to it than that, more to here than that. History isn’t just dates, or buildings, when eras began or ended. It’s people, it’s their lives, it’s their drives and struggles, their pain, their passions. It’s their dreams. And their stories.”
“Take those people you saw. Any one of them. The mother, the daughter, the people in the crowd who caught her… each and every one of them has their own story to tell. It could be something trivial, something grand, something that changes the life of everyone or just something that changed them. But it’s those stories that truly reveal how a person lived. The bad… but also, the good.”
Echo stared ahead thoughtfully, absent mindedly rubbing at a speck of dry paint on her face.
“It’s not empty here, you know,” she said finally. “Everything the D’ni ever was is here with us. I have to remember that. I shouldn’t focus on the death, any more than people focusing on the empty. I just have to learn to see past this.”
She swiped her brush beneath the painting as if to likewise underline her words. Leaning back, she considered it for several seconds, then finally nodded.
“Done.”
“And nicely so.”
“That’s all it needs to be now. A reminder.” She turned and looked at me fully, as if seeing me for the first time.
“Thank you.”
I immediately took on an expression of bewilderment. It was one which came naturally to me and found myself using a lot in recent years. “I… did something?”
Echo nodded. “You listened. You didn’t laugh.”
“I’m an academic. You lose the knack after a while,” I said with an ironic smirk. But one that was not shared by Echo.
“I’m not sure what’s happened to me,” was all she could say.
“Is this the first time something like... this… has happened?”
She nodded, and looked down at the ground. “I've never had anything like this, until I came here.”
“Does it frighten you?”
The painter trembled, and softly mouthed one word. “Yes.”
I walked towards the wall and leant against it, facing her.
“Don’t let it.”
Her trembling stopped, but there was still a hint of reservation in her next question: “Have I gone mad?”
I blew out my cheeks in mock exasperation. “Ms McKenzie, we are currently conversing many untold miles beneath the surface of the known world. We regularly use magic books as a means of getting around. This morning, I cooked up some mad science in a silo on an entirely different plane of existence to our own which, if all goes to plan, will somehow light up this entire cavern. At this point, your guess as to what passes for sane is as good as anyone’s.”
“True. But this… this all feels different. And if it keeps happening, I don’t know what it’s going to do to me.”
And here I paused. Moments like these rarely fell into place for me, so this one I was determined to savour, regardless of the outcome.
“I guess it’s just going to take a… leap of faith.”
Her brow furrowed as what I considered the dramatic weight of my words failed to land in spectacular fashion. “Professor Lavisham, that was either insightfully profound, totally pretentious, or the biggest load of cheese this side of a Hallmark card.”
I put on a look of mock pride. “I’ll have you know I take pride in walking that very fine line every day of my life.”
At this point Echo held her hand to her mouth, suppressing a quiet giggle.
“All right, come on now, that was a chuckle,” I teased.
Echo made a show of looking innocent. “Yes. Yes it was,” she smiled. She blinked, and then seemed to cross her eyes. “I have paint on my nose, don’t I?”
I was stone-faced. “I… didn’t want to say anything.” I couldn’t help it. The side of my mouth twitched upward.
She rolled her eyes and began rubbing the smear with her finger. “Some first impression. “Hi, I’m Echo, and I paint with my nose and hallucinate dead people!”’ At this point I was beyond keeping a straight face, and proceeded to double up in fits of hilarity.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing”, I struggled to blurt out with gasping breaths. Echo was trying to look stern, but failed as equally and ended up laughing alongside me. I caught the eye of several explorers who were passing by and gave them a jaunty thumbs up by way of explanation. They nodded in the universal acknowledgement of you do you, you splendid human disasters and continued on their way.
Finally the two of us had calmed down enough to form complete sentences once. “Ms McKenzie”, I said, “you are by far the most interesting person I’ve met down here in a long while.”
“Why thank you. I think!” she snorted, wrinkling her nose at me. She sighed happily, and as she did so the faintest traces of a shadow returned to her face. “I... should go rest. I always feel a bit off after it happens.”
“No, quite right, I need to be doing the same actually”, I nodded as Echo knelt down to gather up her paints. “I’ve a little project of mine running back in my Relto with a colleague of mine. We’ve scavenged some of the boilers from the desert Eder in an attempt to distil our own wine. We’ve got the principle of the thing sorted, but there’s one or two kinks need looking at.”
“Ah. Not tasting quite right yet?”
“Oh the taste is fine, lovely even. It’s the explosions we’re trying to iron out.”
Echo blinked. “I don’t claim to be a wine critic”, she said, “but I don’t think it’s supposed to do that.”
“It’s certainly doing a number on our cheese boards, I can tell you.”
“I think I’ll wait for the finished product then” she smiled, packing away the last of her paints and collecting her canvas and easel. Finally she stood, and held out her hand. “Until then, Professor Lavisham.”
“Ms McKenzie,” I said with as much charm as I could muster as I took her hand in my own. “Perhaps we could-“
But my question was already cut off by the sound of her linking book. The painter had already gone, leaving me alone in the plaza once more.
“… see each other again?”
The moment missed, at least for now, I turned to walk away. As I did my shoe came into contact with something on the ground causing it to slide away with a clatter. Bending down to retrieve the item, I held it in my gloved hand. It was the mysterious artist’s paintbrush, abandoned where she had left it upon completing her work. I stared at it, then past it, peering into the distance at the bridge where another reckless explorer prepared to leap into the abyss below.
And this time, I tried to look beyond what was merely there in the physical and observe with eyes anew. The daily rhythm of a thousand breathing souls, each one of them living out their own personal stories. Some tragic, some darkly comic, those that barely registered and those that changed the flow and rhythm of everything in their path. All containing the potential to set a spark aflame in the hearts of those who were blessed to know of them.
Perhaps – just maybe - there was a bigger picture here in D’ni that I had yet to truly see.</translation>
