Entry 48 - Exodus

From left to right: Petfam, Aras, me, Eldyn

Last night group of use got together at Mobius' Bevin to discuss where the story has been and where things are likely to be going. Ironically, everyone there was from Tayma's. Either way, it was a very enjoyable time.

I should start by filling in on the more recent events. Kate Alexander, director of the DRC, has resigned seeing the likely of making profit from this venture as being pretty much nil. She appears gone for good and the two remaining members - Victor Laxman and Marie Sutherland - have left the cavern to pursue another financial backer.

In the meantime, the Bahro began appearing all over the city. Flying ones too. They could be seen almost always flying around Kerith's Arch in the distance. Then, out of the blue, Yeesha appears in K'veer. I'm going to post her words directly here.

(11/05 19:10:13) Yeesha: I will have words. .
(11/05 19:11:52) Yeesha: Destruction is almost upon us.
(11/05 19:12:00) Yeesha: They are here. Fighting in war.
(11/05 19:12:17) Yeesha: Freed from their prison, the Bahro choose their way now; good and evil stand before them.
(11/05 19:12:50) Yeesha: No longer are they slaves to the tablet, no longer is their destiny locked to the wishes of others.
(11/05 19:13:03) Yeesha: No longer is their freedom captive.
(11/05 19:13:15) Yeesha: They are powerful and with freedom, some are dangerous.
(11/05 19:13:25) Yeesha: Most of the Bahro are friends.
(11/05 19:13:47) Yeesha: They stand with us, protecting us from the evil that surrounds you almost constantly.
(11/05 19:13:55) Yeesha: They sacrifice for you.
(11/05 19:14:04) Yeesha: They battle an die for this cavern.
(11/05 19:14:1 Yeesha: They battle and die for the Ages, and your comfort.
(11/05 19:14:29) Yeesha: They fight for the D'ni as well. They watch over us all.
(11/05 19:14:54) Yeesha: But there are those who have not chosen to side with you, with the D'ni, or with good.
(11/05 19:15:02) Yeesha: They seek revenge for the evil done to them.
(11/05 19:15:42) Yeesha: Revenge is their excuse but freedom is their cause.
(11/05 19:16:27) Yeesha: They are able to make the choice and they bask in such opportunity to do as they please.
(11/05 19:16:53) Yeesha: With freedom comes choice and with choice comes evil, as well as good.
(11/05 19:17:06) Yeesha: Their leader can be seen clearly.
(11/05 19:17:2 Yeesha: He is missing a large patch of skin on his shoulder - taken from him in the tortuous lab of Esher.
(11/05 19:17:51) Yeesha: Because of that, I will draw them away. Away from the cavern. Away from you.
(11/05 19:18:24) Yeesha: I do not know how long they will seek what I carry. It could be only days, it could be months.
(11/05 19:18:29) Yeesha: Destruction is coming.
(11/05 19:18:35) Yeesha: It is almost here.
(11/05 19:18:50) Yeesha: I will delay it as long as I can but, in the meantime, you must find a way.
(11/05 19:18:56) Yeesha: You must make a home.
(11/05 19:19:00) Yeesha: Destruction will be here soon.
(11/05 19:19:10) Yeesha: I will try to return and help you in the future.
(11/05 19:19:1 Yeesha: If things go well, I will offer you my aid.
(11/05 19:19:31) Yeesha: If things do not, you must find a way on your own.
(11/05 19:19:3 Yeesha: Regardless, you must be ready.
(11/05 19:19:49) Yeesha: Destruction will come... soon or later.
(11/05 19:19:57) Yeesha: When it does, you must have a way.
(11/05 19:20:04) Yeesha: You must make a home.
(11/05 19:20:10) Yeesha: I will do all that I can in the meantime.
(11/05 19:20:50) Yeesha: I must leave now.
(11/05 19:21:01) Yeesha: Goodbye.

So, the DRC and the Bahro are gone, at least for now. Destruction is coming was repeated a few times by Yeesha, but it's hard to believe the cavern would simply be gone without there being something else, something better. There has been talk that the Guild of Writer's may actually gain the ability to create ages. In other words, players will be creating ages. I'm sure there will need to be some sort of approval process, but if this ends up being true, the variety and adventure that Uru needs may be there in abundance.

HC

Entry 47 - K'veer

Finishing of Ahnonay is definitely a two person job.

A couple of days ago I got in cavern. There were a few people on line, but they had not completed Ahnonay yet and I didn't want to spoil them by helping me. I went over to Guild of Greeters and a person by the name of Kimmie gave me a hand. What a needed was some help turning my Ahnonay over to the fourth version. I linked to the back area where the door to finish the level is, while Kimmie was on the main island to use the book to turn the age - every time the book on the main island is used, the age turns.

Well it turned out to take a little longer than I hoped. First, my island was invested with crabs again, and they needed to be removed in order to turn the age. When we finally turned the age, the game crashed on me when Kimmie linked through the book. Kimmie was great. She was still there when I got back on-line and we gave it another go. This time it worked, and I was able to visit my version four.

Ahnonay - Version 4

In Justin's and Phoenix's Ahnonay's we were only in the back control area, so the first thing I did was get to the main island. The age was never finished by the D'ni who built it so it's full of scaffolding. There is also a huge statue of the person who commissioned the age in the center. The story goes that he was trying to convince everyone that he was the Grower, a prophesied savior. One of the powers of the Grower was the ability to link through time as well as space. The age consists of four small islands each in a huge sphere that rotates every time someone links out, giving the illusion that you are linking to different times of the same age.

Anyway, a quick explore didn't turn up anything other than a link back to the cathedral. I was disappointed in not finding a book to K'veer, but not surprised. I know what needs to be done, because it is the only reason to have the linking stone to a Bahro cave located below the Bahro cave linked to from Er'cana. While I was in the lower cave, I had to get someone else to go to my Er'cana and drop a pellet through the whole in the floor of the upper cave. When the pellet hits the pool in the lower cave, it will glow, likely revealing something I need to get to K'veer. I could see from my KI that Kimmie had gone back to Greeters. I didn't want to go back there and bug her, so I decided to try another day.

Yesterday I got on and after a bit of farting around, Luk (aka: Eldyn, aka: Jim) came on line. He asked if I could help him get the two Relto pages that were in Ahnonay (I had found them both - one takes some tricky version hoping to get). There was a natural deal here. Jim gave me a hand, then I helped in out. The pellet dropping worked exactly as expected and I found out what the X was all about. The hint that appeared is on the right, and the only machine that takes symbols like this is back at the Cleft.

But I wanted to give Jim a hand first. We linked to his Ahnonay. I stayed on the island to work the age turning book while he linked in and out of the back area where the Relto pages are hidden. It didn't work as I expected it would. In fact, the whole thing degenerated into a crazy experiment of what ifs. What if I did this and you did that, sort of thing. It was confusing as hell, but a lot of fun. Eventually, Jim found himself in the back area of version four, where the back door can be opened leading to the control area. Not what we were shooting for, but he decided to go exploring from there and leave the Relto pages for another time.

K'veer

So that left me to enter the code into the machine at the Cleft and see what happened. I was greeted to a very brief message from Yeesha and then a portal appeared. Not surprisingly, this took me to K'veer. What was exciting is that this isn't the K'veer from the solo Uru game, but rather the one from Myst 5 adapted to Uru. Very cool! There was a working Nexus machine there, adding the link to my Nexus (which also means there is a public instance of this place). After that, a quick hunt around soon turned up Atrus' where he was held prisoner by his sons in the very first Myst game.

Atrus' Room

They even had original Myst music playing while you were in here. Very neat. In the center of the room was a linking book which took you back to the library on Myst island. Unfortunately, the library was boarded up, so you couldn't leave (exactly like the solo Uru game). Unlike the solo game, though, the hidden entrance in the fireplace didn't work - strange. Instead they left a Relto page there for you as well as a red robe, just like Cathrine's from the Myst games.

This has turned into a long post. I was going to do an update on the story front, but I think I'll do that next time. All and all, a satisfying episode in the story, the I do have concerns for the future.

HC

Entry 46 - The Wow Factor

Man, was yesterday a blast!

In the afternoon, we got together at Tayma's to discuss whether or not to have a name change. Changing the name makes sense. The problem is that changing the name means creating a new Bevin and with with the 'hood having thirty plus members, some not on a lot, that would almost certainly result in some folks being lost in the move.

The suggestion came up from Mahn (a new member whom I met for the first time) to instead come up with an acronym for TAYMA, thus keeping the name but changing the meaning. Folks liked this idea and it looks like we will be having a naming contest over the next few weeks.

Meeting at Tayma's Bevin

With that out of the way, the evening was spent actually exploring. Explorer's have been reporting flying Relto's around Kerith's Arch, so I had the check that out. The city itself was packed (turns out there's Bahro all over in there), so I resigned myself to our 'hood instance. They were certainly there, and what a racket they were making.

Flying Bahro - You can just make them out around the Arch

I spent some time trying to get into the public city (Petfam and Eldyn were already there giving me details), but an ugly game crash had me give that up. I then linked up with Justin and Zero (two newer Bevin members) and we worked through the later stages of Ahnonay together. It took us a few tries to get to the final version of the age, but when we finally did, it was exciting. The control area of this place is amazing, especially where you can see the sphere's that contain the four versions and the mechanism that works them.

PhoenixFlight at Ahnonay

While we were working our way through this, PhoenixFlight came on-line, so I told her once I was done with Justin and Zero, I'll come help her through the back door of her Ahnonay (the back door definitely takes two to open). I went through the portal at the end of Justin's age to collect my well piece, and then met up with Phoenix.

We had a bit of trouble linking to her Relto (an essential step), but otherwise, we did it on the first go with no hicups. This time, I liked through a Bahro stone in the room at the end. This took me to a Bahro cave which is located under another cave linked to from Er'cana. There is an X in a circle scratched on the wall (25?). Not sure what this is about, but I know there is more to do.

Symbol in Bahro Cave

Two things I have to try still. One, drop a pellet from the Bahro cave linked to from Er'cana and see what happens below. There must be something involved with the glowing that happens when these pellets hit the water. This sounds like a good job for two people again. Two, explore the main island in the fourth version of Ahnonay, which is something I haven't had a chance to do yet. There's a link to K'veer somewhere, and on to Myst island too. Before I do this, though, I actually have to get my own Ahnonay into the fourth version. Although I've done this twice now, it was always in someone else's age. I need a hand to get mine done.

Still lots to do ... and I haven't even got into the shake-ups with the DRC over the past few days

posts pending ...

HC

Entry 45 - Ahnonay

Ahnonay - Version 2

Ahnonay came on line Friday, but unfortunately I couldn't get in Cavern until yesterday afternoon. Not surprisingly, there were a number of people on line and I had the opportunity to reconnect with some people after it being quiet for so long. It turns out, there's a move afoot to change the name of our Bevin. Tayma is gone and not likely to return after the "incident" over a month ago and there still are many hurt feelings, most notably Petfam (whom I also got to talk with), who left the hood with Mobius and Anibus. Petfam has returned and there's now going to be a meeting at 2:00 or 2:30 pm EST to vote on what to do with the name Tayma's Bevin. To be honest, I couldn't care less about the name. I'm saddened that Tayma's gone. Petfam clearly feels betrayed by her but is reluctant to give details (and I certainly don't want to ask).

There are two things I know, though. One, people aren't always what they seem, especially on-line, but one can't alter one's life because you happened to get involved with someone like that. Two, good people still make mistakes. It seems to me that Tayma is either number one or number two. If she's number one, good riddance. If she's number two, it seems she has made the decision to be somewhere else and I wish her the best. In either case, she's gone and it is time to move on.

Anyway, I did get into Ahnonay. The age is a funny place. It is actually has four versions but, unlike Minkata or Kadish's Vault, the different versions are not different times but rather a trick concocted by a deceitful D'ni trying to convince everyone he is a prophet called the Grower. The four versions of the age rotate mechanically when one links through the anti-chamber for the age, giving the impression of being in the same place but at radically different times. The key to solving the age is getting yourself to the fourth version, which is unfinished and not accessed easily. After playing around for a while using my failing memory of the place from the solo game, I am now convinced that the age has been changed so it now takes two Explorers to get to version four, so I'm going to have to get help.

I did get on line Thursday too and discovered that a new calendar lantern was available. This surprised me because Ahnonay had yet to be released and the pattern of late had been to put the monthly lantern in a place connected to the most recent age released. I explored around a bit, trying to think of places weren't it hasn't been before and it occurred to me that the Great Zero, would be a good place to check ... bingo!

Around the Campfire

All that's missing is December. It's too bad I missed the first two months, though. I do wonder what is going to happen when the year is complete because the little island on Relto is clearly going to run out of room.

HC