D'ni Ages
Note: Fictional details from the Myst franchise follow, and will be treated as facts.
Age (D'ni sehv) is the D'ni definition for a Universe, or a "Reality". According to the D'ni cosmology, the Creator Yahvo created the Terokh Jeruth, the Great Tree of Possibilities which has infinite leaves, and each leaf is one Age. In this conception any Age therefore is just one leaf. The theory can be described as a multiverse. Some Ages might resemble others (see parallel universe) but are actually different.
Definition of an "Age"
The forefathers of the D'ni, the Ronay of Garternay, developed what they called the Art (Gestoy). The Art allowed them to write Linking Books, that could create a Link between Ages, allowing people to travel to the Ages described in the Books. This is the core of the Myst backstory. There has been some limitations however: several basic rules must be obeyed, or else the book will be linked to an unstable or near-death world. One can't link from one Age to another location inside the same Age either. This rule is not limited only to places or planets, but refers to the entire universe: for example, if a Linking Book on Earth is written for us to travel to Mars, this will not work, because both Earth and Mars exist in the same Age. The Linking Book will Link to a planet similar to our Mars, even belonging to a system similar to ours in another reality, but not actually the same planet.
The choice of the word Age might seem strange. Initially many believed that the Ages visited in the Myst game were different time stages of Myst Island, but later knowledge revealed this was a mistaken view. Instead of referring to any given time period, the D'ni word "Age" might refer to the infinite expanse of Time of an Age, from uttermost past to ultimate future, defining and encompassing therefore all of its existence.
List
Following is a list of Ages mentioned in the Myst franchise. This page uses a loose definition of "Age" in that it also mentions parts of Ages, such as K'veer or Tomahna, which belong to the D'ni Age (in other terms, the planet Earth). Using the proper definition would make the structuring even more complex, unfortunately.
All locations physically located on the Earth surface are in Age of D'ni. All underground locations are listed in D'ni caverns.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Bear in mind that the amount of spoilers on the linked Age description articles is heavy. Puzzles leading you to different ages may be revealed in a matter-of-fact way. For enjoying the games and novels as intended, you may not want to read on.
By Debut
This listing is sorted by where the ages were introduced, shown or described, i.e. the game, novel or other places (for example, the D'ni Restoration Council (DRC) web site). Multiple listings of the same age are thus possible. The listing tries to be hierarchical: if one Age is to be accessed via another, or is only mentioned in the context of another, it is mentioned therein.
Games
See Ages of Myst for descriptions.
- Myst Island
- Selenitic
- Stoneship
- Mechanical
- Aspermere (only mentioned in journal)
- Channelwood
- Everdunes (only mentioned in journal)
- Osmoian (only mentioned in journal)
- Rime (only in realMyst)
- K'veer (Part of D'ni/Earth)
See Ages of Riven for descriptions.
- K'veer (Part of D'ni/Earth)
See Ages of Myst III: Exile for descriptions.
- Tomahna (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- J'nanin
- Edanna
- Amateria
- Voltaic
- Narayan
- Releeshahn (only seen as Linking Book)
See Ages of Myst IV: Revelation for descriptions.
- Tomahna (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Haven
- Serenia
- Spire
See Ages of Uru for descriptions.
Uru Prime
- the Cleft (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Relto
- Teledahn
- Gahreesen (also called "Garrison")
- Kadish Tolesa
- Kadish Gallery (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Eder Gira
- Eder Kemo
- Tokotah Rooftop (D'ni) (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Bahro Caves (Part of D'ni/Earth)
Uru Live, Uru: To D'ni, Untìl Uru
- Bevin neighborhood (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Spy Room (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Phil's Relto
- Kirel neighborhood (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- the Nexus
- Ae'gura (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Great Zero or "Rezeero" (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Great Shaft (Part of D'ni/Earth)
Myst Uru: The Path of the Shell
- The Watcher's Sanctuary (Rolep) (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Ahnonay
- Er'cana
- Myst Island
- K'veer (Part of D'ni/Earth)
Novels
- The Cleft (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Gehn's Age 37
- This is the first populated Age Atrus was taken to by his father. Here he began to realize that Gehn saw himself as a God, and had no compassion for the natives of "his" Ages.
- Inception
- Atrus' first Age. It was a recreation of The Cleft, but was later destroyed by Gehn's "improvements".
- Torus
- Catherine's first Age. The Age is a gravity torus, with a waterfall falling into space "below", but the water then being used to form clouds "above" from which rain fell. This "impossible Age" clearly showed how Catherine's writing defied laws the D'ni had seen as unbreakable.
- K'veer (Part of D'ni/Earth)
- Age of Earth
- Ader Jamet
- This was an Age written by Veovis. It took 16 years to write, and was accepted in the canon of the Guild of Writers at Veovis' Korfah V'ja.
- Ederat
- Ederat was written by Veovis for A'Gaeris. It was apparently populated, and would have allowed A'Gaeris and Veovis to live as Gods (a violation of one of the most basic Laws of the Art). Aitrus rewrote the Linking Book to Link to an inferno, and he died there together with A'Gaeris.
- Er'duna
- Er'duna, like Er'cana and Er'jera, was a food producing age of the D'ni.
- Er'jera
- Er'jera, like Er'cana and Er'duna, was a food producing age of the D'ni.
- Gadar
- Gadar is the Guild of Legislator's Age. Legal records going back six millennia were kept here.
- Gemedet
- Named after a popular D'ni game, Gemedet was written by Aitrus and Ti'ana together.
- Ko'ah
- Ko'ah was a family Age of Aitrus' family, written by his father Kahlis.
- Nidur Gemat
- This was one of six Veovis' family's Ages.
- Te'Negamiris
- The burial Age of the D'ni, deceased D'ni were Linked here to be buried.
- Yakul
- One of the oldest Ages, this was the oldest Age of the Guild of Writers, written by their first great Writer, Ar'tenen. The Korfah V'ja ceremony was traditionally held here.
- Aridanu
- A beautiful jungle Age, Aridanu is where (among others) Guildmaster Tergahn and Guildsman Gadren had survived the downfall.
- Averone
- Written by Atrus, Averone is a fertile island populated by the Averonese. Atrus here recruited helpers to restore D'ni.
- Aurack
- A wild jungle Age, this is where Meer, one of the Averonese explorers, was killed by an animal. The Age had apparently been the private hunting grounds of some D'ni.
- Bilaris
- Bilaris is the family Age of the father of Oma and Esel. During the downfall their family and many neighbours, as well as passers-by, fled into the Age, where they were later found by Atrus.
- Chroma'Agana
- Sedona
- Another Age that was found by Atrus and the Averonese, but no survivors were found here.
- Terahnee (Devokan)
Web sites
Cyan's D'ni web site
See http://www.myst.com/dni_weeklyupdates.html for info.
- Ancam
- Everdunes
- Gravitation
- Herelding
- Mechnical
- Oasis
- Osmoian
- Serenol
- Shimar
- Venalem
- Whiterock
See http://www.drcsite.org/ages/ages.shtml for info.
Related sites
