Myst: Relinked Relinquished IC

[Rakmakallan]

Nada
Meanas, D'ni Gate/Workshop
open: 1-2, 2-3, 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, gas in 4
2020: 1-4 closes, 2-4 closes
1020: 1-4 opens, gas to 1
0020: no change
1020: 1-4 closes
4020: trigger

With the last positioning of the lever, a deafening gas flow starts from cylinder 1, increasing in intensity as it moves through the system and into the wall, reverberating throughout the mine and almost simultaneously with the telltale grinding of stone against stone, the stone gateway is pulled up to reveal -despite any hopes and expectations- a circular room, no more than 60 feet in diameter, with now empty bookshelves carved into the walls, what appears to be as abandoned rusty pieces of various contraptions on the ground, and on the far end of the room, a barely visible staircase helically winding around a perfectly polished granite column, before disappearing into some area above.
You notice a few rolled-up blueprints and a few crumbling torn pages lying on one of the shelves, as well as a few lanterns scattered around, but there is no way they would have sufficed to light this place properly; there might have been some other way.

[Sunfall]

Meanas, Behind the D'ni Gate

"Yes!", Nada cries and gives an excited little jump as the door finally slides open. "We've got it! Good work, kid!" She gives Trenarios a hearty slap on the back before grabbing her lamp and shining it into the growing crack.

Cautiously she steps into the circular room, holding her lantern high. A fleeting expression of disappointment falls over her features, but in a second her confident air of business and fascination is back. "Well, that's quite par for a thousands of years old D'ni enclosure, don't you think?" She takes a look at the bookshelves. Shame that there don't seem to be any books left…

She beckons to Trenarios as she crouches down. "Before we try the stairs, let's first check down here if anything is worth taking…", she offers and takes a close look at the broken contraptions, the blueprints and the book pages. Some of this stuff is bound to bring some money...

"I wonder how they read in here", she muses. "Those lanterns wouldn't have given off enough light. Hmmm… Mirrors maybe? I've heard of caves illuminated by intricate systems of mirrors that would reflect the sunlight… Or maybe something else, something to do with D'ni technology?"

[gunnar11]

Maenas, Behind D'ni Gate
"Shush, keep it down!" Tren urges Nada. He is as excited, if not more, about the discovery, but having a loud outburst could give them away. He follows her, the torch lighting the path to the ancient library.

"There has to be some kind of system. It's a library after all." He tries to get patterns, coding or some sort of index on where the books are now. Maybe they've been lend out? Maybe bought?
Meanwhile, he also looks for ways to light the library. More light makes easier searching.

He wonders about the books, about the wisdom they contain, and the knowledge to gain. But he hasn't got time, nor does Nada. They have to search fast, and precise. He looks around for a torch, to cover more ground with the two separated.

"Lets go"

[Rakmakallan]

Nada
Meanas, Workshop
Machinery: The contraptions on the floor appear to be intermediate parts of various pieces of machinery, probably 3 or 4; one with cylinders and tubes, possibly a first draft for the mechanism of the door, one with glass chambers that could house some kind of specimen or even volatile materials, one bearing dials around a complicated electric circuit that could be connected to something, and finally a multitude of other parts too small or sparse to be determined without some sort of instruction manual.

Blueprints: These contain the design drawings for two pieces of machinery. One is the system of tubes responsible for the opening and closing of the door. It includes 4 interconnected cylinders and a "stabilizer" attached to each to hold the flow of gas steady and a fifth lever somewhere inside the room to close the door A hastily scribbled note reads "The stabilizer plan was successful. If the gas were to divide every time, there would be nowhere near enough power to hold the slab."
The second design is entitled "Volatile material incubator" and seems to be used for mixing gases and liquids in precise quantities. A second scribbled note here reads: "HCmedenite and HC1 too unstable when mixed, any ratio above 3:1 is prone to explosion"

Torn pages: Many of the pages are too yellowed and crumbly to read, but seem to be technical plans and a short essay on the geology of the region. There is also a diary excerpt reading:
"Leebro 13, 9451.
This will be my last journal entry on Meanas. I have brought Sirrus along, since he has become quite accustomed to the functions of gases on this Age and I believe it to be an important part of his education. Although I feel my educational Ages might be of crucial help to introducing both him and Achenar to the Art, he demonstrates a remarkable talent, but without the appropriate strengths of character. One one hand he managed to discover on his own the different conductive properties of crystals growing naturally on Meanas and suggest what I've been thinking for a while about using them to amplify a signal from another Age, but on the other he was unruly and borderline savage whenever he visited the Everdunes. On these grounds I might have to postpone his education until his early adulthood at least. With my current equipment, I lack the ability to penetrate the avalanche rocks that accumulated over the years blocking off this linking site, used I've been led to believe as an office by the local overseer before the explosion caused by the One D'ni. There is no reason not to think the Age is inhabited, and precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of the site and its contents.

-Atrus"

The rest of the papers are charcoal drawings in the hand of a child, of a long-haired woman, a bearded man holding a toddler on his shoulders, and a kid at around the age of 10. They are all signed "Sirrus". In one, however, someone has added more recently two more figures, a girl in her early teens and an old woman with flowing hair.



Trenarios
Meanas, Workshop
There doesn't seem to be any patternt in the books, other perhaps that they might have been removed in great haste. As you walk to the back you notice a line of crystalline material on the wall, ending up from both side in a switch in the back of the room, right next to the granite column, and notice 2 lanterns on the ground in decent condition, if covered with a thick layer of dust. As you approach the column, at a quick glance you get the nagging suspicion that it is, at least in part, hollow.

Spoiler

Show

You both rolled a 10 in Awareness

[gunnar11]

Trenarios
Maenas, Workshop
Trenarios carefully inspects the crystal figures on the wall, and following them all the way to the levers. He decides to lighten the two lanterns, calling out to Nada: "Nada, over here! I've found some lanterns!" letting one stand on the ground for her to pick up. Not waiting for her to pick up the lantern, he moves towards the lever, to pull it down.
"Maybe this is some kind of light-system" he murmurs to himself.

If nothing necessary of immediate action happens, he goes to the column, to inspect its hollowness.

[Rakmakallan]

Trenarios
Meanas, Workshop
The lanterns light up in a dim, yet comforting light that reaches to the corners of the room. Then, as you flip the switch, a spark momentarily lights up in the circuits and the crystalline lining illuminates in a bluish-white glow, making the entire room perfectly visible and continuing to the room upstairs. When you inspect the column more closely, you realise there is indeed a hollow compartment somewhere, but no visible opening or way to open it.

[Sunfall]

Nada
Meanas, Workshop

Puzzling over her finds, Nada barely looks up when Trenarios lights the lanterns. She discards the tubes, as they're probably too big and too fragile to take along. She takes a moment for looking at the door prototype, playing with the little levers, watching, smiling, as the tiny valves open and close. The electronic circuit with the dials, however, she will take along if it fits into her bag.

Then she takes a look at the blueprints, stuffing them into her bag, too. Then she finds the page from the diary, reading it all with a little frown. "Sirrus...", she murmurs. "Wasn't that the name at the door?" She carefully folds the page and pockets it, looking in turn at the drawings. The one with the later addition intrigues her.

It's that moment Trenarios pulls the lever, lighting up the crystals across the room. Finally, Nada looks up, a look of fascination lighting up her face. "Wow..", she breathes. "So that's how they lit up this place. Impressive! And it's still all working!" Her gaze follows the light up the winding stairs, while she pockets the drawing she was holding. She looks over to Tren who is still inspecting the pillar.

"You got something interesting there? Holler if you need me, kid, alright? I think I'm gonna take a look upstairs..." She gets up, almost tripping over the lantern he put down earlier. "Oh, and thanks for the lantern!" She notices that her own lantern is still burning, too. Well, they won't need to waste the fuel for now. She extinguishes both lanterns, putting them away for later use.

With a few light steps, Nada is on the narrow staircase, squinting upstairs as she cautiously proceeds upwards.

[gunnar11]

Nada:

Spoiler

Show

I had actually one of the lanterns in my hand, so unless you want to pull it out of my hand, I suggest just putting out 1 lantern xD

Trenarios
Maenas, D'ni workshop
The place was bright, and the intriguing crystals were lighting up the place. Those crystals, however interesting they were, hadn't to be touched, else the power could go out, leaving everything in the dark. Trenarios decided his lantern was of no use, and blew it out. He stored it in his backpack for later use.

He then proceeded to look for more documents. The pillar had to wait. Nada raced by him, murmurring things like 'thanks' and 'upstairs', oh well, too much of an enthousiast sometimes. He himself took a run around the library, careful to find anything Nada had missed. Knowledge was power, and power was money, so missing anything could be missing money.

Anyway. After searching for some papers, stashing away the ones he needed, Trenarios decides to go follow Nada. With her recklessness she could already have fallen into a trap, or missed the reason why the pillar was hollow, or something. Trenn goes up the stairs, still ticking against the pillar to see if there's more to the hollow post.

[Rakmakallan]

Nada
Meanas, Laboratory
At the top of the stairs, lies a spacious rooms, almost twice the size of the workshop downstairs, which appears to have been some sort of laboratory, judging the jumble of stained glassware in various sizes and shapes on one side. On the other, the decor appears frugal at best in comparison; a simple wooden desk with a drawer and a shelf bearing a dozen books or so with titles such as "Meanas journal: Underground biota", "Gas chemistry", "On the external character of minerals", "On the external character of minerals: A treatise of materials across Ages", "Histoire Naturelle", "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica". Some of them would seem terribly heavy to haul along for large distances.
To the back of the room, through a stone arch door, another room can be seen, containing a bed or two. From that angle, not much more can be discerned however.

The most striking feature of the chamber lies on top of the cylinder around which the stairwell coils; a glass enclosure opening to the rest of the room and housing a control panel, dusty with age.


Trenarios
Meanas, Workshop
During your second scouring of the room, you notice another eye-catching contraption beneath the circuit Nada had uncovered. This one seems to have been designed with the intention of being connected to something larger, but now it consists of a spinning miniature pedestal bearing cases, and a small bluish crystal in one of them. The space above it is lined with some unknown whitish material and the one below it could probably house a light source.

On your way upstairs, it would seem that there may be more hollow spaces inside the pillar, but the one that you felt before, about 20 inches in all dimensions is the largest and closest to the wall.

[At the top, same description as Nada]

[Sunfall]

Nada
Meanas, Laboratory

"Look at that baby", Nada breathes, stopping for a moment and admiring the control center. Then she turns away, scanning the rest of the room. The glassware she discards immediately, steering instead towards the desk.

"Shame", she mutters, looking at all those nice books, knowing that they'll never be able to take them all. She tries the drawer. Is it locked?

[gunnar11]

Trenarios
Maenas, Laboratory
Trenn watches Nada, and decides he's better off looking inside the bedroom than this lab. He mentions to her: "There's a hollow space in the pillar next to the staircase, gonna check it out later"
And disappears into the bedroom. He searches it.

[Rakmakallan]

Nada
Meanas, Laboratory
It takes some tugging but finally the rusty sliders give in and the drawer opens in a heavy puff of dust. Inside lies a notebook with moss green covers and as if it were a bookmark, under the cover a photo of a bearded man wearing spectacles and a cardigan, with his left arm around the waist of a beautiful raven-haired woman and a child, barely a toddler at their side sporting a rather botched attempt at a bowl cut. They are standing at a balcony against what appears to be a gigantic cog or gear sunken in the ground and behind them an endless expanse of water (could that be the so-called "sea"?). It is strange, but you have the fleeting impression that you have seen that place before, maybe in a dream. Behind the photo, in blotched ink is written "Good luck. Remember us and come home soon. C. & S."
The ink has run at places as if drops had fallen on it. A quick skim through the notebook reveals it to be a combination of diary and technical guide, covering subjects such as "history of Meanas", "gasworks and explosives", "precautions". The entries stop abruptly at a point detailing how "Sirrus" has become awfully careless with "HCmedenite" and is prone to trigger a cave-in if left unchecked on this "Age". The nameless author states having left a "linking book" behind with the aim of returning some day to conduct additional experiments on a "crystal viewer", but apparently he never did.


Trenarios
Meanas, Bedroom
Here must have been the smallest room in the entire complex, circular some 6 feet in radius and featuring two bunk beds across each other. Though the beds are made and covered in luxurious cloths, they are covered with a thick layer of dust and dirt. Though a careless eye would miss them, there are two quite interesting items here. One is a note on crumbling paper on the bottom of one of the bunks. It reads:
"March 8, 2013 (what's with the date? The year looks as if it was 8000 years ago, but the rest implies it's a different calendar)
Dear Dr. Watson,
I left this note on the linking point to Meanas, since I could not be here myself. I had to urgently link back to Releeshan, having been informed that my father is in poor health. I have discovered much of the research he conducted here and I would conclude that it would be much too dangerous, if discovered by your kind. Thus, I must ask of you that, in spite of any problems the DRC is facing from outsiders or limited funds, you must cease the plan to restore this Age. I intend to meet with you next week in K'veer as we have planned. May the Maker watch you over.

-Yeesha"
It is impossible to tell whether that "Dr. Watson" ever discovered the note.
You find the second item accidentally after noticing a glint on the floor with the corner of your eye. It is a small satchel tied up and the edge of a silvery clip protruding from it. Upon closer inspection it bears a masterful engraving of a tree with countless branches and an inscription in the same type of characters seen on the stone slab outside. Untying the satchel reveals some sort of cracked bluish precious stone fashioned in a perfect sphere. You receive a sense of seeing through someone's mind when you touch it.

Spoiler

Show

Another perfect 10 awareness roll for Tren

[Sunfall]

Nada
Meanas, Laboratory

"OK", she answers as Trenn tells her about the column, shooting a curious glance into the feature's direction. Then she proceeds to immerse herself into the journal. "Ages", she mutters, looking to the book entitled "On the external character of minerals: A treatise of materials across Ages". She had assumed that Ages meant time periods, but now she isn't so sure anymore. Linking book. Crystal viewer. What is this, time travel?

She pockets the journal for later inspection, taking the photo out. It resonates with a strange sort of familiarity. "Hey, kid", she says, holding the picture aloft and stepping into the bedroom. "Look at this! Isn't it strange? All this water... Hey, what have you got there?"

[gunnar11]

Trenn
Maenas, Sleeping Chambers

"I really don't know." he mentions to Nada, as she enters the room. The bluish crystal, breathing with life, is one of the stranges artifacts he had ever discovered. Trenarios wondered if it was to be placed into the weird system of crystals downstairs, or something in the laboratory itself.

"Say Nada- he mentioned -do you know what this is, or what to do with it?" and he throws the Dr. Watson book to her. He waits until she starts to read it, and then (without her noticing) tries to touch her with the blue crystal while still holding it in his hand. Maybe he could see inside her mind?

[Rakmakallan]

Trenarios
Meanas, Sleeping Chambers
[Assuming Nada reads the note]
You are sure she did not notice the stone touching her hand, but you feel nothing from her. Then, a few moments after it leaves her skin, a sequence of images plays behind your eyes as you blink:
A young girl with shoulder-length braid prancing along a courtyard of hewn stone under clear blue skies, then the same girl as a teenager on a sandy outcropping on the verge of a body of water looking at the bearded man from the photo, then as a middle-aged woman dressed in rags into the selfsame room where you are standing, so close that she could be facing you at this moment; she looks weary and worried and the leather satchel slips from her belt.
Still it is all fuzzy, as if looked upon through a dim and stained lens. Could these be someone's (the girl's?) memories?

[Sunfall]

Nada
Meanas, Sleeping Chambers

Frowning, Nada reads the note the young man has tossed her. She doesn't notice the crystal in his hand. Finally, she looks up, worried. "What does that mean, 'restore this Age'? What's wrong with it? The diary speaks of cave-ins and explosives..." She shows Trenarios the little book she found in the drawer. "I don't like this at all, kid..."

She stares at the off date of the note. 8000 years? A different calendar? This doesn't sound like time travel any more, she thinks. It sounds like Ages were worlds. Lots of worlds with a different name for every one. And strange names they are. Releeshan. K'veer. But what's wrong with this one, then? What's wrong with Meanas?

[gunnar11]

Trenarios
Meanas, Sleeping Chambers

That was weird. What happened? These memories... Who could they be from?

Here, catch! Tren mentions to Nada while throwing the crystal to her. He wants to know what she sees, what she notices.
Do you see the same girl as I do, or something else? he asks.
This crystal surely is magic.

[Rakmakallan]

Nada
Meanas, Sleeping Chambers
[assuming she catches the cracked bluish stone]

Spoiler

Show

Using Prodigy for a roll of Use Technology (Serenia) with two marks. Roll of 9. Total of 14.

You catch a glint in the blue stone as you catch it and it rolls in your palm, then a vague sequence of images plays in your head: A middle-aged woman in rags standing on the edge of a cliff above a desert, arguing with two gentlemen dressed in bizarre formal attire, certainly not like any you've ever seen in Meanas. They talk for a few moments and then she turns away and leaves weeping. Then, the same woman in the laboratory chamber reading perusing the books with a look of distress and hastily scribbling a note which she leaves in the bedroom. She produces a book from somewhere within a deep pocket, opens it, touches one of the pages and promptly disappears along with it.

That was certainly nothing you'd have expected. Actually, the pebble sports a crack beneath its surface. Maybe this could affect its function, whatever that is, even though you haven't encountered that sort of technology (or sorcery?) before.