Just a little further note to confused explorers. I originally intended to make this thread as part of my other story that I did. In this way, I wouldn't be too obtrusive to this forum. For some reason, the topic got split, when I replied to it, though. As a result, the introduction to this story got seperated from the main part. You can probably get an idea of what's going on, but you might understand it better, if you take a look at This post first.
Also note that I have done this in a "Mini-Chapter" format. Each post will have chapters to it. In this way, it's a little easier to read.


Note: may contain spoilers

Mountain in the clouds

This is my first day in "The Land of URU". I'm not sure what else to call it. I know a little bit of the background of these ages from what my friends have told me. Still, I feel completely lost. I seem to be on some sort of mountain. The mountain does level off here, but there are also some strange narrow peaks at one end of this place. There is heavy mist surrounding this place -- clouds, I guess. It makes this place seem like an island. The whole thing seems vaguely familiar, but I can't put my finger on it yet. There isn't much room here. As I wander to an edge, I realize that this mountain drops off very quickly. I don't think I can climb down safely. There is some dry grass around. Some of it seems like it is still growing. This could be important, if I have to stay here. I am well fed, and I've eaten recently. I am ready to stay here a while, if need be. There seems to be a hut here, but the door is closed. I'm sure it has some sort of elaborate lock, or it might require a key. I will take a look around first. There is a column here. It has a carving of a hand on it. As I hover my hand over it, my hand tingles. This lets me know that if I touch it, something will probably happen. I am used to this type of thing. I've explored Myst, and I've encountered strange devices like this. This reminds me of those crazy dock switches to a small extent. I guess, I will put my hand on the carving, and see what happens.

To my satisfaction, something did happen. There seemed to be a cover that slid down into the earth. This column actually seems to be some sort of pedestal for a book. At this point, I realize that I have some sort of a book strapped to my hip. I figure that this book might have some sort of information on what to do. Maybe it's a journal from Atrus? I open up the book, and I discover that it is what I have learned to be a 'linking book'. It's a book that when touched, transports a person to another land. Since the book is attached to my hip, I figure it is some sort of emergency measure. From what I've learned of these things, I know that I can only use this book once. Linking books do not accompany the traveller when they are used. I elect to try the book on the pedestal instead. I figure that if someone bothered to make a pedestal for this book, then they probably made another pedestal with a way to return. That is my hope at least. I place my hand on the book. Reality fades.

I get a dizzying sensation, and I am a little disoriented. I look around, and I find myself to be in an arid plain. It reminds me of Arizona or New Mexico. For some reason, I become aware of a structure behind me. It was if I was looking at my self from a few feet away. I turned around to see some sort of faded sign. I was apparently in New Mexico. From the vision I had earlier, I knew there was something behind the sign. I looked behind the sign to see some sort of cloth. It looked like dyed burlap. As I began to feel it, the cloth glowed. Wierd. I turned around, and I saw a mountain/plateu in the distance. I decided to follow the back side, where there seemed to be a little shade. Along the outside of this piece of land was a large barbed wire fence. There was also a similar fence that seemed to go around the mountain. Though the fence dipped low in spots, I wasn't inclined to cross it. In addition, I would occasionally cross a sign that warned of 'Danger'. Soon, I came to a large skeleton. I couldn't quite tell what it was, but it seemed to have tusks. On what seemed to be the jawbone was another one of those cloths. I touched the cloth, and again, the cloth glowed. I kept on moving, and I noticed a large brass object shaped like an ice cream cone. I walked toward it and I examined it. I began to have a flashback


Memories

I looked around the object, and It reminded me of something that I had seen before. I sat down on it. I propped one of my feet against a knob at the bottom. I straddled the object with my other leg. I then remembered where I had seen this thing before. It was in Riven. There was this macroscope that was used to view a field of stars within the planet. It was all very confusing to me. I looked at the knob that I was using as a footrest, and sure enough, it was the eyepiece that I remember using before to view Riven's strange interior. As this revelation hit me, I slipped, and that eyepiece almost caused me some great discomfort. I sat there at the bottom of the cone, with that eyepiece inches away... I began to remember Riven.

I remembered that Catherine, Atrus' wife had been held prisoner by Gehn, who was Atrus' father. It was a very confusing story, but it was also fascinating at the same time. I began wondering about the fate of Gehn, the Rivenese, and Atrus & his family. I remember Atrus saying that he would attempt to hold that world together until I signalled him. I became a little sad, when I thought about Riven in ruins. These artifacts could be all that was left. It then occurred to me that the skeleton that I had passed earlier coulf very well be one of those huge sea creatures that I had seen on Riven.

I continued my way around the mountain. I could see an area with a wooden fence around it. There seemed to be a fissure in the earth there. It looked like a small canyon. I was about to investigate the fence, when I saw what appeared to be an aluminum trailer. In fact, that is what it was. This was very confusing to me, since I was still trying to figure out what this had to do with Atrus and the D'ni people -- which I had learned about in Myst. The side of the trailer facing me had another one of those cloths. I touched it, and I decided to see what was on the other side of the trailer.


Zandi

I made my way around the trailer, and I was going to knock on the door. I was surprised to see that there was a man outside the trailer reading a book. The man told me his name was Zandi, and told me about some sort of message in the cleft. I asked him how to get to the cleft, and he told me that there was a ladder that led down. He offered me a pop from his cooler. I don't remember much about what he said. He talked a little about something called 'journeys'. I surmised that he was refering to the pieces of cloth that were scattered everywhere. He also mentioned something about the time being short. He talked about one who would make the final journey. He told me that I needed to find the journeys, then enter the tree. It didn't make sense to me, but I decided that it would be a nice challenge. I also figured that things would become clearer, once I got to the cleft.

Zandi told me to check back with him, if I needed any help. I noticed a chair a few feet away. I asked Zandi if he would mind if I sat down. He told me to go ahead. The chair wasn't in the shade, but it was nice to get off my feet for a while. I finished the rest of my drink. The bottle resembled a PepSi bottle, but it tasted more like RC. The air was warm, but the scenery was interesting. The sky was very blue with a few clouds. There were scattered dry weeds everywhere. From a distance, it looked like a sandy plain, but as I looked down, the ground was dry and parched. There was what appeared to be a fire-pit in front of me. I walked toward it, and there was a piece of paper lying inside. I instinctively bent down to examine it. As I touched it, the book that was attached to my side growled! I think I shouted, and I began to run. I was headed toward the trailer when Zandi called out to me, "Relax, stranger!" I calmed down. "That is your Relto book", Zandi explained, "It is used to return you to that island where you started." I looked down at it. "Don't worry, the book will remain with you when you link.", Zandi reassured me.

I thanked Zandi for the pop, then I headed back the way I came. I noticed that there was a windmill behind the trailer. It wasn't turning. It was apparently frozen solid. I did notice a little handle on the side, though. I tried pushing it, but it wouldn't budge. I walked along the fence and surveyed it. I noticed the ladder that Zandi was talking about. I had missed it on the way to the trailer, because it was facing the other way. I elected to climb down.

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives

Last edited by Doug Parker on Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:23 am; edited 2 times in total

Note: may contain spoilers



The Cleft

I climbed down the ladder, and there was a ledge there. I looked around. The first thing that came to my mind was the pueblo dwellings that I had seen once as a kid. There were, what seemed to be, a few rooms or dwellings that were built into a rock wall. There were two doors visible on a ledge opposite to the one where I was standing. The door on the left was open, and the door on the right was closed. The right-hand door had one of those cloths on it. Looking down, there appeared to be a small stream. There were some rope bridges that appeared to be in fairly good condition that spanned the gap over the stream. The rooms were probably about 15 feet above the ground. A fall would probably knock the wind out of you, but it probably wouldn't be fatal.

I crossed the bridge to the door on the right. I touched the cloth that was on it. The door had some carving on it, but there were no handles, keyholes, or anything that gave any indication of how to open it. There was another bridge that led to a very small room that had a drawn curtain. As I crossed that bridge, I could tell that another cloth was in the room. The room was a small bedroom with a tiny bed. there was a ledge, carved out of rock, that served as furniture. I touched the cloth that was on the wall. I turned around, and I exited the room. I decided to investigate the last room while I was here. I continued down the ledge, then the open door caught my eye again. I decided that I should try that door, and see if it might have a clue as to how to open the other door. I was about to head back, when something in the room beside me caught my attention.

I saw a note lying on a bed. I entered the room. The room appeared to be a bedroom with a slightly bigger bed. There seemed to be a rock vanity or dresser beside it. There was a pair of strange glasses on a table that I pocketed for some reason. Strangely enough, the note was in English. I could understand it. The paper it was on looked very old, though. I didn't want to touch it. I sat down beside the bed, so I could get a closer look at the note.





"Our dearest Yeesha,

Last night your mother had a dream...

We know that some futures are not cast by writer
or maker, but the dream tells that D'ni will grow
again someday. New seekers of D'ni will flow
in from the desert feeling called to something
they do not understand.

But the dream also tells of a desert bird with
the power to weave this new D'ni's future.
We fear such power - it changes people.

Yeesha, our desert bird, your search seems to
take you further from us. I hope that
what ou find will bring you closer.


-Your father, Atrus


I thought about what the note could mean. I got impressions in my mind of some sort of great underground empire. I imagined it being near a large body of water. When I stopped daydreaming, it seemed like it was much later in the day. It was comfortable in the cleft. That's what I decided to call it. The air was still warm, but there was shade. There was also somewhat of a breeze. I was very thirsty, so I decided to climb down to the stream I remembered seeing earlier. Beneath the bridge that I crossed, there was a ledge. By climbing down to this one, the ground wasn't so far off. I took a good look at the stream, and it was clear. It seemed to be flowing ever so gently. There was hardly anything obvious growing in it. I put some on the tip of my finger. I then put my finger in my mouth. I couldn't tase anything but my salty fingers. I decided to just go ahead and drink it. I cupped my hand, and scooped up some water. It didn't taste bad, so I drank to quench my thirst. I also splashed a little on my face to clean it off a little.




Daydreams

As I once again found myself daydreaming about people flooding in to an underground city, like a river, I noticed a tree with a door on it. The door had an embossed handprint, similar to the pillar outside the hut where I started. That seemed like ages ago. I put my hand on the handprint. Though it seemed to glow faintly, nothing seemed to happen. It was then I noticed another cloth on a nearby bucket. I touched the cloth. As the cloth glowed, I noticed that nearly all of the hand-design lit up. A small section was not lit. I figured that there must be one more 'journey' cloth to find. Though there didn't seem to be any ladders to the rope bridges, there were some steps on this end of the cleft. I could see that the room with the open door was very near.

I climbed the steps, and I walked up to the door. I passed a small window, through which I probably could have crawled through. There seemed to be some sort of a jar just inside the window. Fortunately, this door was open. No need to use the window. The room seemed to be a kitchen. Near the wall where I entered was an oven. There seemed to be cooking utensils of various sorts around. There was a grindstone on a shaft against one of the walls. Next to the shaft was a lever. I pulled it. There was some sort of clasp on the shaft that was released. The shaft moved a little, but it coasted to a stop. There was a set of steps that seemed to lead into the next room.

I proceeded into the next room. This was the room with the closed door. There were some strange devices scattered about the room. To the right of the door seemed to be a counter with a large sink built into it. There was some sort of glowing gem embeded into the rim of the sink. P touched it, but nothing happened. This was the other side of the closed door that I had seen before. There seemed to be a large, round, medallion beside the door. There was also some sort of a symbol on the wall. As I began to study it, a voice spoke behind me.

"Shorah, Jim Bob."




Yeesha

I was very started, and a bolt of adrenaline shot through me. The adrenaline quickly wore off, and my legs became weak. I ended up sitting on the floor facing a small woman. "My name is Yeesha", she said. I was a little embarrassed, but the strength returned to my legs, and I got back on my feet. I felt tired. I realized how long I had actually been on my feet. I had been exploring for most of the day. It was probably a combination of being startled and partial exhaustion that caused me legs to give out. Yeesha continued,

"I knew as soon as you entered Relto, that you were the one that was destined to take the great journey. I believe that you have already learned the lessons of the journey here."

She began to walk to the far, right end of the room, where I remembered seeing some shelves. I followed her.

"You have seen the ruins, and the remnants of Riven, where my mother once lived. You have seen the entrance to the great city from afar. You have also met an ally and a friend."

"Both of these will be required for the true restoration of D'ni. That is not your path, though.", She paused.


She continued, "In order to protect the future, the integrity of the past must also be maintained. I can not make the neccessary journey, but I believe you are the one that can. However, you must still learn the lessons of the four journeys."




The sign of the four

She waved her hand, and another cloth appeared on the wall. She waited for me to touch it. I did. She then held out a bracelet of some sort. "Please take this, and wear it at all times. It is a four."

"A what?", I asked.

"It's a class four communication device."


It seemed to have what looked like a Roman numeral on the back. It resembled a Roman number '2' with a small box in the lower right corner. I took it and put it on.

"No, not like that!", she said. "You're supposed to loop it ... Oh, that looks like it works better. Never mind, then."

It was some sort of device that resembled a wristwatch.

She continued, "Tomorrow, a friend will contact you to guide you through the journeys. There is not time for you take the journeys un-aided, but you should still learn the lessons of the four ages. Return to the tree, then wait in Relto for the friend to contact you."

She walked back down to the kitchen. Suddenly the wind started to pick up. The sky got a little darker, and it was sprinkling a little bit. I could hear a little thunder in the distance. The sprinkling did not last long, and it never got heavy. The wind continued to blow hard for a while, though. I began to hear a metalic groaning noise. The noise became a low rumble, and seemed to speed up a bit. The medallion by the door started to glow a light blue. In the other room, I could hear a scraping noise. As I arrived in the kitchen, I could see that the door had been closed. Yeesha was no where to be found. I could hear the grindstone grinding beside me.

I opened the door, then made my way down to the tree. The door worked, when I put my hand on it. It slid aside, and I climbed down. It was a dark passage beneath the tree, but there seemed to be lit coming from somewhere. THe passage opened up, and there was some sort of light fixture hanging from the ceiling. In addition, there were some figures on the walls that glowed when I approached. One seemed to be a mountain, one seemed to be a huge, toothy maw of a giant creture. There was also a spiral, and some sort of a human figure. In the middle of the room, there was a pedestal. There was a piece of paper on the pedestal. I touched it lightly. The book on my hip rumbled, I heard a loud scream, and suddenly the world faded.

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives

Good work Doug - nice variation on the Cleft puzzel and the interaction with Zandi and Yeesha. I'm looking forward to seeing where you are taking this.

_________________
All things come to those who wait.

Note: may contain spoilers



Night in Relto

I actually managed to get some good rest. When I returned to the mountain, I was inside the hut. A thought occured to me. I tried the door, and it opened, sure enough. I felt like slapping myself. I noticed that a bedroll had been left for me. It resembled a sleeping bag, but the design seemed a little more ornate & somewhat more ancient. The fabric was very soft. In retrospect, it felt like silk. I was very tired, so I decided to sleep right there. I went right to sleep. I intended for it to just be a nap, because I wanted to eat a little later. I ended up sleeping well into the night. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night. It was about 3. It was dark, and I no longer felt hungry. I decided to go back to sleep.

After I went back to sleep, I had a weird dream. To tell you the truth, I don't remember that much about it, though it was very vivid at the time. Yeesha appeared to me and she invited me on a journey, as she strived to become something called "The Grower". She showed me different ages, and told me about someone named Kadish. I got the impression that Kadish was a brilliant man that she admired. I also got the impression that wealth was a weakness of his. The dream got a little abstract, as she led me down a shaft. It seemed like the entrance of this shaft was right inside that mountain behind the cleft. There were rooms at each level of the shaft. I don't remember how many of these rooms I explored. There was a man named "Escher" that would appear out of thin air, and urge me downward, occasionally.

In the end I ended up at Myst Island -- It looked a lot like the original Myst Island from the original game that I played. It seemed more ominous, though. Something bad happened, but I don't remember what it was. It was exactly like those times, when you dream that you are late to work, but you haven't gotten out of bed; or those dreams, where you are in school, and the teacher is about to pick up your final exam. You haven't studied, and none of the answers are filled out, yet you have seconds to complete your test. In other words, I felt like something bad had happened, circumstances suggested that I was somehow at fault, yet there was nothing that i could do about it. The dream started fading, I tossed a bit, then I went back to sleep.

I seemed to be in an earlier part of the dream. I was in a room along the outside of the shaft. There was some sort of projector there. When I turned it on, it seemed to have some sort of playback of Yeesha thinking out loud. I went down a level, there was another room with another projector. It too had some rantings that I didn't quite understand. I kept going down levels, and the rooms were all the same. I noticed that the rooms had pedestals with books on them. The dream faded once again. I thought that I may have returned to consciousness a bit, and I could feel a slight change in temperature. I rolled over on my side, and I went back to sleep for the final time.



Deep Sleep

I was back in one of the rooms, and I was standing in front of a book on a pedestal. I decided to see what would happen, if I touched the linking book. I ended up in a small, dark age that had a lot of growth in it. It seemed like a swamp of some sort, though the colors seemed a bit odd. I got the impression that I'd been here before, but being a dream, I couldn't tell if I actually had been there before. I was conscious of the earlier dreams, so I wasn't sure if I could trust my memory. There were strange little bubbles all over the place. There were also little bridges that connected these bubbles. Each bubble was connected by a bridge. There were pedestals inside each of these bubbles.

I have the hardest time remembering this part of the dream. When I entered the bubble, I was somehow transported to a different age. They worked like the linking books. I'm not sure how many ages I visited, but I do remember that I began to have more reservations about the man called Escher. At the very end, I found myself holding some sort of a tablet. Escher was standing in front of me asking me to give him the tablet. Yeesha was also standing in front of me begging me not to give either of them the tablet. Both of them had their hands out expectantly. I was so confused, that I just dropped the tablet on the ground. Yeesha seemed relieved. Escher started to lunge toward the tablet, when a large creature appeared and grabbed the tablet. I was scared to death. Then I felt something grab me.

This is the most real and vivid part of my dream. When I was grabbed, I was startled awake, or so I thought. I awoke in a beautiful land with lush green grass, and mountains. Yeesha appeared. She told me that this place was Releeshan. She told me that she had not seen her father for a while, but she felt that he probably was here. She thanked me for making a wise choice, but she also said that mistakes had already been made. She told me that she had wished that I had been the one who had taken up the quest. It seemed important for her to inform me that the tablet had not responded to Escher. She seemed upset as she said something about betrayal. She regained her composure, and she thanked me. She told me that I had proven myself as a true friend. I began to feel happy and I could feel the warm sun on my face.




Returning

I opened my eyes, and the sun was shining through the window of the hut. I realized that this had also been a dream. I stretched a bit, then laid there for a while. I quickly got up, as I realized that I should attempt to write some of it down. I saw a journal in one of the shelves. I took it, and wrote down what I could remember. It's by no means complete, but trying to recall the dream has helped me remember it to a certain extent. It's only a dream, and I'm not sure if I got the details right, or whether they are really significant. I feel a sense of accomplishment that I can even recall what I am recalling now. I feel so at peace now. Relto is so warm in the morning. If only...

<Boonk!>

I awake suddenly, and it is extremely dark. I am thoroughly disoriented. My hand jerks, and there is a blinding light. I pull my hands tight over my eyes. I have fallen asleep at my computer. I give myself a few moments, then I dare to peek at my screen. URU is still running, but there is some sort of error. I dismiss the error, then URU closes. I turn on a light switch, then I turn my computer off. I decide that I should head to bed for some real sleep. I should probably limit how much time I spend online. I don't plan on falling asleep by my computer again. That was an interesting experience. I think I'll try that again. I wonder who's going to be contacting me tomorrow?


Post Post: Thanks, Kero. I hope to have this done before the cavern closing.

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives

Dreams within dreams within dreams.......

I like it.

_________________
All things come to those who wait.

Great story, well done.

Intermission

Just a little aside: I used to work as a midnight computer operator. One time, I dreamt that I had completely fallen out-cold asleep on the computer room floor. I was a little startled, and I wondered how long I had been out. After a while, I realized that I had merely fallen asleep at a computer terminal, as I began waking from the console. I did panic, because I hadn't even started the batch jobs that I was supposed too. It was shortly after this that I awoke completely relieved, in my own bed. It was a holiday, and I wouldn't have to come in to work for a few more days.

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives

Prologue to Part Two

Last night was a late night, so I probably shouldn't go online tonight. I can't help thinking about everything that went on yesterday, though. I did enjoy Myst, so I had mixed feelings about a Myst story without Atrus. I am enjoying things so far. It was interesting meeting the automated characters. Zandi was pretty cool. I must say that I did not know what to think, when I saw that trailer out in the middle of the desert. Yeesha was also interesting, though the interaction with her was odd at times. Was she supposed to be there? Was the conversation that I had with her, the message that Zandi told me about? She told me that someone would contact me. I feel bad about not playing today. I've been told that this game is supposed to be multiplayer. Will it be another player that contacts me, or will it be another character that will appear to me? Do other players have roles in this game? Hopefully, it's just another automated character that will allow me to continue the journey where I left off.

The dream that I had was a little strange. I know that I've spent too much time playing games, when I start to dream about them. As much as I'd like to play today, I know I shouldn't. I don't want a repeat of today. I was a little tired and out of it today. When I do play again, I can try to be more responsible about it. Tonight I will get adequate rest. I really enjoyed the history at the cleft. The ruins of Riven added a nice touch to things. They seem to be implying that Riven ended in New Mexico, when that world was sucked in to the... Star fissure. That's what it was called. Today, I shall take it easy. Maybe, I will get a few things done around the house. Tomorrow, I shall return as... "D'ni Dan!"

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives

Day two in "The Land of URU"

It is my second day in this strange land. I am once again on this mountaintop which I now know is called "Relto", after transporting down from the surface. I find myself inside my little hut. It seems to have a few shelves built into the walls. There is a little brown book in the lower right hand shelf. I guess, I'll take a look at it.





The first page has something that looks like a tikki head,
and there is a roman numeral three beneath it.





The second page has some sort of description, and
some sort of reference at the bottom
And, I guess those aren't roman numerals.




The next page has another tikki head, and
there is what looks like a "KI" at the bottom of the page.




The symbol at the bottom of the page is similar to the one
at the bottom of my watch-thingie. I guess this makes sense.
Yeesha told me that this was a "class four" communication device.
This appears to be the fourth page of this book.



The rest of the book seems similar.
There seems to be four sections in total.
Each one has some sort of picture on one page,
with a description on another page.



This one is titled "Kadish Tolesa". This is a little strange,
since I had a dream where someone named 'Kadish' was mentioned.
I have no idea when I went to sleep, so it's possible
that I had seen that name before.




As I take a closer look at the picture, and that funny little hand
that the guy has for a face, I decide that maybe this is somehow
supposed to represent a pedestal similar to the one outside my Relto




The book is a little large, so I resist the urge to carry it around.


The other shelf seems to be some sort of slotted bookshelf. There are built in slots that are presumably used to hold books. There actually seems to be a book in there now. It is a blue book with some sort of ornate design. I remove it off the shelf to take a look at it. It seems to have some sort of retainer, so that I can look at it without removing it from the shelf. It's a little awkward to use. It's a linking book! Ok, I know what to do with these. I guess I'll try it. As I use the blue book, it retracts back into the case. I can hear it retract as everything around me fades.

I re-materialize in what seems like a town square on my first impression. Sesame Street pops into my mind, then later Villa Alegre -- for some weird reason. There seems to be an upper level that is accessible by stairs. To the left, I see a sign that says, "Welcome to DRC (9998) Bevin Go to classroom for details." I wonder if this is some sort of campus? I see some sort of strange object in the distance, so I decide to investigate it. There is a small group of steps, then there is a path that leads across a small bridge. To the left, there seems to be a garden of some sort on a lower level. Ahead of me is a large globe of some sort. It is a colorful object whatever it is. There seems to be a magnifyer on it, and a band of numbers around its center. Perhaps it's a scientific measuring instrument of some sort. To the right, there is an open door. I head that way.

The room has two doorways, and a book pedestal in the center. It looks like there are some pedestals along the back wall as well. To my right there is some sort of artifact. It looks like a stone tablet with a canvas covering. There is an image visible on the canvas. I decide to sit down, and rest for a while. I start to get this strange sensation. Words start to form in my mind. They aren't exactly spoken words, but they seem to be written or typed. They are just in my mind, but they seem tangible. It's hard to describe. The words start solidifying, and I start to understand them. It is someone trying to contact me, and I am aware of who it is. It is someone named Maroon. By concentrating, I can form my own words. With a slight nod of my head, I can send my thoughts. I am aware of my thoughts before I send them.


Maroon: Hello, D'ni Dan. How are you doing?

D'ni Dan: I am fine, thank you.

Maroon: My name is Maroon. A mutual friend of ours instructed me to contact you.

D'ni Dan: Yeesha?

Maroon: Yes. Yeesha.

Maroon: You were supposed to be here yesterday.

D'ni Dan: Sry.

Maroon: No worries. Yeesha foresaw this.

D'ni Dan: Um. What do I do now?

Maroon: Meet us here.

Maroon: Do you know how to get here?

D'ni Dan: I have no clue.

Maroon: Do you have your Ki yet?

D'ni Dan: My what?

Maroon: You will need your Ki to get here.

Maroon: Doh! I'm sorry! I wouldn't be talking to you, if you didn't have one.

D'ni Dan: I wl

Maroon: Are you in the linking room?

D'ni Dan: Um. I think so, actually.

Maroon: Use the book in the middle of the room, then contact me.

D'ni Dan: ok.

D'ni Dan: Hold on.

Maroon: k

I still sense the words floating in my head, as I head to the pedestal. My ankle is very sore, because I had been sitting on it. I reach out my hand, and I touch the book. The world fades. I arrive in this very odd room, where there is the sound of machinery everywhere. The room seems to be cylinderical, and I can see some sort of gear moving around the perimeter of the room. It seems to be a large hollow gear with teeth on the inside, and it completely surrounds the room. The teeth of this gear engage the teeth of a gear that is part of some sort of pedestal. I assume that it probably holds a book. I get the strange feeling again, and the words of my conversation coalesce in my mind again. Maroon has contacted me again.

Maroon: Dan, did you make it ok?

D'ni Dan: Yes, I did.

D'ni Dan: thanks.

Maroon: go to the machine, put your hand in the slot, then look at the screen you will se.

Maroon: You're welcome.

Maroon: Did you get what I said?

D'ni Dan: I think so. Put my hand in the pedestal slot, and look at the screen?

Maroon: Yes. Good.

Maroon: Touch the section that says, "Public Links"

Maroon: Then touch the one on the list that says Maroon's Bevin.

Maroon: Have you got all that?

D'ni Dan: I think so.

Maroon: Good We'll see you here.
After a while, the conversation in my mind fades. I walk to the pedestal, and I put my hand in the slot. Some sort of projected screen pops up, and is displayed. Follwing the instructions I had been given, I select Maroon's Bevin. Astoundingly, some sort of turntable starts spinning, and a book is thrown out of a slot. There seems to be a frame around the book which unfolds. The book opens as the frame unfolds. The linking panel is plainly visible. The room is cramped and small. There is nothing further of interest here. I touch the panel, and I link out.

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives

Part Two (continued)



Maroon's Bevin


I was a little surprised, when I materialized. The place looked exactly like the place that I left. I initially wondered if I had arrived back where I started. It did have some differences, though. There were two women there. They both looked like they were in their mid 20's. They both had the same shade of reddish, brown hair, which they wore long. One woman had on a long-sleeve shirt, and the other woman had on a short-sleeved shirt. If it hadn't been for the differences in their clothing, I would have had a hard time telling them apart. One was tending to a quilt that she was hanging on the wall, while the other one was walking toward me. I think that she could see the confusion on my face.

"Hi, Dan", she welcomed me, "I'm Maroon."
"This is our Bevin. This is a neighborhood in a larger city.
You may have noticed that these neighborhoods all look alike."

I noted to myself that she sounded a little older than she looked. I responded, "I wasn't quite sure If I had reached the right place"

Maroon continued, "During the day, I and my sister, Maureen, hang around here. We have a small collection of various arts and crafts made by other explorers. We also occasionally help out new explorers in their journeys. We go back to the surface at the end of the day."

I looked around a bit. I saw a few quilts, some stained glass, some jars, vases, and some paintings scattered around the place.
I asked Maroon, "Have others met this girl, Yeesha at the cleft, then? What sort of journeys do you two take people on?"

Maroon responded, "Almost everyone that you will meet down here has encountered Yeesha at the cleft, however most people only see recorded messages of her. It is extremely rare that she ever appears personally. We were a little shocked, when she came to us for help."


"It seems like Yeesha said something about time being short", I mentioned.

Maroon's expression got a little more serious. It even seemed somewhat sad. Maroon explained, "Since you just arrived here, You probably don't know about everything that is going on. There is an organization that has been the main organization responsible for opening this city up. They are called the DRC. They are also responsible for restoring the buildings and making sure that is safe for everyone here. A while back, they ran out of funding, so we won't allowed to officially remain here anymore. Yeesha was very interested in restoring this city as a place, where people could dwell. She may be concerned about the DRC pulling out their support. Before the cavern is closed, the DRC plans on going through the cavern to make sure that no one is left behind. So, anyone that does remain will be strictly unofficial and here at her own risk. For a while, Yeehsa has been leading explorers on a sort of 'guided tour' of four particular ages that are designed to teach new explorers about the history of the people that lived here. These tours usually take the form of a recorded message in a cave at the end of each age."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Maroon thought a moment, then she answered, "These ages often have a few puzzles in them, and there are usually some riddles that need to be solved before you can complete the age. There are checkpoints around the age that you have to register."

I think she noticed my confused look.

"There are these pieces of cloth on the wall, that you have to touch. They have a handprint on them. After you touch all of them, a door opens allowing you access to the final cave.", Maroon added

"Ok, I understand now. I went through all that in the cleft in the desert.", I said.

"That's exactly it.", She told me.

Maureen added, "Yeesha is a little mysterious, and what little we know about her is mostly from second-hand accounts. Zandi, and a ResEng named Phil have apparently met her, but very few else have. We ourselves know little about her, but we trust her for now. Not everyone does."

Maureen had finished her work, and came over to join us.

"Maybe that's why she contacted us,", Maroon suggested.

"That sounds reasonable.", Maureen agreed.
"Sis, I think we should get things started. Yeesha told us that this was very important. She also told us not to be concerned about, 'spoiling' him, so I think we had better move right along."

"So, what do I need to do next?", I asked.

Maureen and Maroon both put on small backpacks.

"You need to send us both to your Relto, Danny.", said Maroon.

I opened the book, and I held it out for them. Maroon went first. She touched the book, then disappeared. Maureen did likewise. I was left alone in this strange neighborhood. I took a look around. I contemplated where Maroon and Maureen had gone. I didn't think too long, though.I figured that they were both waiting for me on that island. Linking still took a bit for me to get used to. It was really strange to see others do it. I reattached the book to my hip, then followed my friends into the book.




Back on Relto


I materialized in the hut. The hut was empty. I shouldn't have been surprised. I could hear Maroon and Maureen talking outside. I turned around, and I found to my surprise, that I now had four pillars, where the one pillar had been. I headed outside. As I stood in the doorway, Maureen called out, "Welcome, Dan. To um... you're Relto! Come on over. Let's get started." They were standing in the middle of the four pillars. I walked up, until I was just at the boundary of the first two pillars.

"Ok, Dan. It doesn't really matter where we start. Pick a pillar.", Maureen said.

The pillar on the right was closest to me, so I went up to that one first. It had an engraved palm on it, like the other pillar had.

I asked them, "How did you make these four pillars appear?"

Maroon answered, "The Relto page in the cleft made them appear"

"Excuse me?", I asked.

She explained to me that those scraps of paper that I kept on seeing were called "Relto pages". They made features appear on the island/mountain called Relto. She also told me that some people called them Yeesha pages. It works for me.

I placed my palm on the pillar, and it slid open like the other one did. There was a picture of some sort of spinning cottage, and there was snow falling outside it. There was a large doorway on one end of the hut. I asked them if we needed to go in any particular order. Maureen told me that I could go first, if I wanted to. I didn't particularly feel like leading the way, but I overcame the overwhelming urge inside me to be polite. I looked at them, they both nodded, and I placed my hand on the book. The place where I ended up was indeed interesting. It was a small building that looked like a hut. It was weird. There was a huge five-sided metal grate on the floor of the hut. It had a handle on it, and some sort of lock. The hut looked primitive, and it looked like it was made out of wood, but there was a metal grate, and a metal walkway outside that suggested something more modern. It was taking a while for my guides to arrive. I was getting worried.

I got a weird sensation, like I had gotten before. It was Maureen contacting me on my communication device.
"Maroon Crashed.", she told me. I got very apprehensive about the strange message, and I was about to panic. Maureen assured me that things would be fine. She told me how to use the buttons on my 'watch', and she walked me through sending an 'invitation'. I still wasn't sure what she meant by "crashed", but I was glad to hear that they were both apparently ok. Maureen told me that they would both be there fairly shortly. She told me to have a look around, but not to get lost. After she signed off, I decided to look outside. I went outside the hut. There was a walkway that went around the entire building. It was snowing outside. Actually, it just looked that way. The flakes seemed to be something other than snow upon closer inspection. I walked around the back of the hut, and there was one of those hand-cloths. I touched it. It glowed & groaned, like the other cloths had.There were some very large mushroom stalks growing up through the edge of the walkway. I was able to use these to get on top of the roof. I looked around the huge cavern. There were a few mushrooms growing out of the walls in various places. Some of them even seemed to glow slightly. With the gentle "snow" falling, it gave me a sense of wonder. I could almost sense some sort of stirring music in my head -- almost like the introduction to "Star Trek". I began to think about the idea of "exploring new worlds".

I walked to the front of the hut, and I looked around a bit. This cavern was pretty huge. The somewhat circular walkway that went around the hut, met another somewhat circular walkway that made its way around the walls of the circular-seeming cavern. There was an elevator shaft in front of the building. It was just beyond the outer walkway. I made my way to the edge of the roof, I crouched a bit, then I jumped down onto the metal walkway. I was startled a bit, as my two lady guests also jumped back inside the hut. I guess, I didn't hear them link in. "Sorry about that", I appologized. They both looked a little irritated. Then Maroon started to laugh. Maureen followed suit after a while. I nervously allowed myself to chuckle a bit. Maroon spoke up, "D'ni Dan, welcome to Teledahn."

_________________

Proud member of "Bahro for the Ethical Treatment of Adventurers" (Beta)
Maybe, there's
Gathered Restorers Awaiting To Explore For URU Lives