Myst Journey

Journals of Myst

Read transcripts of the journals found in Myst:

Atrus's Stoneship journal

Found in the library on Myst island.

--Emmit was the first to live on The Rocks. He named them The Rocks because that is what they were: a group of sharp rocks clustered together in the middle of a large sea. This was where Emmit lived; he enjoyed his life. Emmit would occasionally swim to nearby rocks, as it was never too far of a distance.

One day another person appeared on The Rocks, for no apparent reason to Emmit. Emmit named this new person, Branch. Emmit and Branch quickly became friends, swimming and hunting for fish together often. Emmit showed Branch the simple cave in which he lived on the largest rock. Soon, Branch discovered a place where he decided to live, also on the same large rock. The sun always shone brightly on their world, and the water was always dazzlingly clear, allowing them to see almost to the deep ocean floor which surrounded them. Though the sun always shone, it was never too hot for the boys. A light breeze always came from the north and cooled the area down.

One day while Branch was swimming and having fun in the water he noticed another boy swimming. Branch brought the new boy to Emmit to find out what to call the new boy. Emmit said the boy should be called Will. Will was soon a part of the group, and all three of the boys swam and enjoyed their perfect world.

At least, that is the story I was told when I arrived today on the island. Emmit, Branch, and Will were surprised to see me at first, but even before the night ended we were all becoming good friends.

--Today the second day on this newly created age a strange thing happened. It was not strange to me but the three boys did not understand what was happening. While I was relaxing under a large tree on one of the smaller rock islands, it began to rain. It was a nice rain that lasted for about an hour in the morning. I explained to the boys that the rain was not harmful, yet they obviously still feared it. Before going to sleep tonight I told the boys I would leave the following day. I told them that while I was gone, I would make a surprising change in their world. They didn't understand (not that I expected them to.)

--I still do not fully understand what happened today.

I was experimenting with The Art - testing the limits of the rules as dictated to me by Father. I attempted to create a boat by writing it into the world. I thought everything was planned correctly, yet somehow the boat had become gripped by the rock and broken in half. Although this test did not turn out as I had hoped, I now have answers to a few of the questions my father never answered.

As for the boat, I can see the boys enjoy it anyway and with that I am pleased. They have played on it all day.

Even though the boat cannot move I have enjoyed studying from it. It is a much sturdier platform than the jagged rocks.

In the course of my observations I have learned some very interesting things regarding the solar system of this age.

--The nights are absolutely beautiful here. I have made note of and named a number of constellations that pass above me. Also during the night, I catch glimmers of light from the horizon which I have not been able to discover if it is created by some natural phenomenon or by additional people on far off islands or rocks. I should very much like to discover which. (I rather suspect it is additional people, which would explain the appearance of Branch and Will.)

--The rain today was slightly heavier than usual. Just when the boys were getting used to the light rains, a small storm arrived. They were frightened of the heavier rain, not to mention the thunder and lightning. If rain has never fallen here until recently, as the boys tell me, I would like to discover why it is falling now. Regardless, I have decided to return home for a short while. I have also been thinking of some plans for a lighthouse that I hope to construct soon. I think that perhaps by shining a bright light toward the horizon, it might prove my suspicions regarding additional inhabitants. They would be curious about the light and travel to discover its source - if they have the means.

I returned with many tools that I will need for construction of the lighthouse. I have decided that once the lighthouse is completed I will leave for some time and let the world's own imagination have control.

--We have worked three weeks on the lighthouse now, and are making great progress. The rock that we are building on, seems to not be as secure as I would like. I have had to alter my plans slightly, but those alterations pose no real problem.

--The boys are quite strong and have been helping me immensely. I estimate construction will be done within two days.

--The lighthouse is finished and we are all proud of our creation. The boys are amazed at the structure wrought from rock with their own hands. That evening we powered up the generator - much to the boys' dread at first, and shined a great light to the horizon for many hours. I stayed the night in the top of the lighthouse and in the morning awoke to observe the sunrise without my being coated with the chilly blanket of ocean dew I had become accustomed to.

--It was Will who first saw the girl. She was swimming not far from the boat where Will was getting ready to hunt for fish. Then Will noticed a man not far away from the girl. Emmit was very pleased to meet the additional neighbors.

I feel pleased to leave this age - I have set in motion events that have nothing to do with writing or The Art, that will have a more profound impact on this world than I could have ever written. I think (two page spread of age map here) of it this age as a gift to myself that I will wrap up and open someday in the future, only to discover that it has changed so much that indeed it is a surprise. Besides I have yet another new age that awaits me. It seems I'm going to need some way to travel underwater in this new age, and so much planning is in order.

--It has been 10 years since I left this age, which I have since called The Stoneship Age. Upon returning I can not believe the changes that have taken place. The original 3 "boys" have grown unto adults, and there are many new faces that I do not recognize. Branch told me that it has not rained for seven years and the cool breezes are back again.

They are all very content and have been serving me with new foods and showing me new materials they have discovered. It even seems they have found gold somewhere; I see it in many forms around the island.

My lighthouse has been kept in perfect condition and it looks as if they have tried their very best to keep it so. Yet I have noted that the entire rock it was built on has sunk approximately 40 or 50 centimeters.

After a wonderful visit with my old friends, I wonder aloud with them what things will be like here in another 10 years.

Atrus's Mechanical journal

Found in the library on Myst island.

- - Before arriving in this age, I was determined that it would be a journey to a world very different from my previous adventures, and it was.

The sky here is dark and gray and incessantly displays flashes of lightning in the distance. I met a very old man with a long beard and hair that hangs to his waist. He is very feeble and has trouble even moving. This man has obviously been through very many things in this strange world, and I have learned many things from him.

He has told me an interesting story of this world's history. Years ago, he told me, there was a beautiful city that rose up out of the water. It housed many people inside its walls and the people had everything they wished for. The city was surrounded by three high hills which rose higher than the city.

On the east hill of the city rested a large lookout post. The people of the city had constructed the post expecting visitors to arrive from the east. The people had no means of traveling on the water, which forced them to merely wait for friend or foe.

As time passed, friendly visitors brought rumors of an enemy that existed beyond the horizon. The people grew fearful, yet nothing happened. One day the usually sunny sky became as dark as night, and black ships appeared on the horizon. The lookout post's attempts at peace were turned away, and the sentries there were easily overwhelmed. The ships continued to wreak havoc on the city, apparently destroying everyone and everything. After the foundations of the city were destroyed, the city sunk deep into the ocean and only the lookout post remained. The black ships sailed away.

The man continued to say that eight people had hidden and managed to survive through the attack. In the nine years since the attack, two of the survivors had died. He also said that it was rumored that ten years from the attack the enemy would return to finish the destruction they had started so long ago.

I have decided, since hearing the man's story, it would be admirable to save this civilization and stop this enemy's plan of destruction. I am excited about the adventure that awaits me and an idea has sparked in my mind to provide the needed defense for these people.

- - I met the remaining survivors today and I have begun work on a plan for protection.

- - After a short absence, I have returned to this age with my two sons. They have, as of yet, traveled rarely with me and they are understandably excited to be here. They have grown considerably since Everdunes and it is already obvious to me that they will be a great help this time, instead of the nuisance they have been in the past. All three of us, along with four of the healthier survivors, began construction today. We are building upon the old city's ruins, which will provide a perfect foundation for our fortress.

- - My sons have been spending much of their spare time on the south island, where most of my materials are stored. I am very pleased with their intelligence and their creativity is refreshing to see, as they work on some small projects of their own.

- - It has been over four months now and construction is going well. My sons love the world except for its grey sky. They detest the gray sky and tell me many times they wish the sky here were like the blue sky in Myst.

- - The old man I first talked to tells me that the enemy is due in four months. I feel we will be ready when the time comes. The man reminds me of Emmit in many ways and I often wonder how Emmit and his people are doing.

- - It has been six months of work, and we have finally finished the fortress. It rests between the three hills which are now only islands due to a rising water level that the people experienced after the attack. Inside the fortress I have designed a most intriguing device; it makes use of a technology called holography I began experimenting with on my visits to Aspermere. It will be working in a couple of days after I compensate for some small miscalculations. This holographic device will enable the survivors to learn to use the fortress.

- - The enemy is due to come soon, and I trust the fortress will provide sufficient protection for all of us.

- - The black ships have come. Their attack was substantial. Their weapons have been stopped and it appears they have turned away in defeat. I could not help but smile as I watched the boats leave.

- - Last night we had a small celebration and the old survivors danced their dances of old. My sons did not understand why the sky had not turned back to its original blue. The old man told them that the storms would never end until the enemy was destroyed. I assured my sons that a blue sky was not worth the risk of death and they seemed to hear me.

I have had a healthy adventure and have begun work on a new book. Once again, I must leave a familiar age in search of a new universe I have begun. But first I will have an extended time with Catherine whom I miss very much. I must also return to the people of the Tide. I believe in my travels I have found a substance that will ease the pain of their bone ailments that they have so long endured. I hope to return to Mechanical Age one day and find the population growing and my fortress still strong. Though the sky may always be black, I am confident the people here feel a heavier darkness has been lifted from their shoulders.

Atrus's Channelwood journal

Found in the library on Myst island.

- - I have called this age Channelwood and it is a very different world. Though it is exactly how I imagined it, it is still amazing to see it with my own eyes. Water covers this age as far as I can see except for a small rocky island. Elsewhere, there are only trees, which grow directly out of the water. A myriad of thin wooden passageways are built just above the water and disappear into the forest. I assume they were built some time ago for they appear aged. I am eager to discover more about this land and its people, but I have arrived here late and I must rest.

- - I was awakened this morning by strange noises coming from a pathway adjacent to the one on which I had slept. I saw a group of monkey-like people heading in my direction. They had not seen me yet. I did not feel threatened by their presence. Their response to me was one that I would have never expected. After staring at me for a short time, they fell to their knees and began what appeared to be some sort of ceremonial worship. I tried to speak to them, but they did not understand my language. Instead, they indicated through enthusiastic hand motions that I was to follow them.

As we walked, I began to notice that the waters below us were changing colors. Slowly, subtly, they would change from deep blue to muddy orange. Then from muddy orange to beautifully clear. I was so intrigued by the water I hardly noticed that we had arrived at a ladder.

Climbing the ladder led us to their village which is about ten meters above the water and can only be reached by rope ladders that stretch from the lower paths to the village level approximately half way up the grand trees. It is very interesting watching these people carry out their daily tasks. Even after watching them for hours, I did not understand exactly what they were doing.

At sunset they motioned for me to follow them. I followed the creatures to the doorway of an enormous hut. Strangely, once inside, I found that the hut appeared even larger than it had from the outside. The walls were garnished with bright metals and in the center of the hut sat the leader of these people.

At least he appeared to be their leader for he sat a meter off the floor in a thick throne. Guards surrounded the strong creature who was dressed in many exotic, colorful fabrics.

Next to the leader sat a very old human, at least to some extent he appears human. His hair, which was only on his face and head, was completely gray, almost white, and hung very long around his frail body. His thin head hung limply by an almost grotesque neck that could not hold its head up to look at me. But what a surprise, this creature could speak my language. Shortly thereafter I was given a bed with some hand motions that looked to be telling me to go to sleep. I look forward to learning more.

- - As I suspected, the ancient creature is a human. But he is old beyond his own reckoning, and seems almost insane. However, the tree-dwellers almost revere him as a god. They are treating me now in the same fashion, which makes me feel very uncomfortable.

It is almost impossible to understand this old man. His voice is feeble but wild. He has adopted much of the language of the tree-dwellers. He himself told me he had not spoken our own tongue in ages.

He attempted to explain to me the history of this place. The following is my best "translation" of what he has told me:

- - Many years ago the humans and tree-dwellers lived together in this place, which was then a vast island. They interacted very little: the humans dwelt on the ground and the tree-dwellers lived high above the humans.

Occasionally the island was disturbed by mysterious rumblings which happened randomly (some sort of tectonic or volcanic action, I suspect.) The sometimes slight, sometimes heavy, tremors would only last a short time. Then they would stop, allowing everything to return to normal.

One day things changed. The rumbling began and grew quickly to unprecedented levels. Soon it became apparent that the entire island was sinking slowly into the ocean around them. Many of the humans died that day, but not before sacrificing themselves in order to stop the sinking of the island. The humans who lived through this catastrophe moved into the trees where they gradually died out, maybe because they were unequipped for such an environment, but I am not sure.

This is the story the old man communicated to me, although many details are very unclear in my mind. I am especially confused as to how the humans saved the island from completely sinking. In fact I doubt the accuracy of that part of the story: the island must have stopped on its own. Yet, the old man believes in the truth of the story as if he had been there. And the tree-dwellers worship him, and apparently all humans, as if he they were heroes or gods.

The old man ended our conversation today with an event which I will never forget. He began gripping my hands tightly, murmuring something about "rest" and "asleep". He then said, "We had expected you to come sooner." These actions filled me with a sort of immediate dread. With much effort, he stood to his feet. I tried to help but he pushed me away with more force than I imagined his frail body contained. The tree-dwellers quietly surrounded him with very solemn faces. They then kneeled before him. He walked to each and placed his hand on their heads. All the while, he murmured words which I did not understand. Finally, he turned to me and smiled. Then he closed his eyes, and walked out the door and off the narrow path high in the trees. The tree-dwellers were silent. They began a procession down the nearest rope ladder. As I was descending I saw several of them pick up the body (he had fallen onto a lower level of walkway) and carry it away. He was lain down at the dead-end of a short pier-like structure. With the use of some potion one of the tree creatures lit the pier on fire and I watched as the flames engulfed him.

As this strange "funeral" proceeded, the waters around the pier changed to dull green.

- - This morning I awoke, finding it hard to even believe the previous evening's events. The water is a dull green for as far as I can see now. For some reason, the water no longer shifts color.

As I wander throughout the pathways, the creatures watch me, curious to see what I will do next. They are constantly offering me strange objects of affection. I even found food outside the doorway to the room in which I had slept. This is a unique race of beings. I hope to learn their language soon so that I may learn more from them.

- - I have lived on this world for three months off and on, and the tree-dwellers have shown great hospitality. I am even beginning to learn bits of their language. I have decided to return home for an extended stay with my loving wife and my sons, and, hopefully return with them. However, I am sure Catherine will once again refuse. I think this age would be a wonderful experience for them all, and I at least look forward to how Sirrus and Achenar will react to its curious inhabitants.

- - Catherine is staying behind, as expected. My sons have returned with me and they enjoy this age very much. They get along very well with the tree-dwellers and are picking up their language surprisingly fast. I have no doubt that it will not be too long until they can speak with the tree-dwellers much better than myself.

- - I am leaving tomorrow to check on Osmoian Age. Sirrus has suggested that I allow him and his brother to stay. Though the idea unsettles me, I know the boys are growing up rapidly. The hospitality of these creatures is such that I could think of no better place to leave them for a short while, so I will consent to their request.

I warned the boys not to take advantage of the respect the tree-dwellers have for their ideas. They seemed to understand my warning, and I have faith they will follow it.

- - Much to my dismay, upon arriving in Everdunes I learned that Pran and her people are continuing to be menaced by the Chochtic. I fear for their survival and plan on returning to her shortly after checking on Sirrus and Achenar here. (See Everdunes journal for more information) After watching Sirrus and Achenar, I see they are handling things very well, and I think I can put to rest any fears about leaving them in Channelwood again, and for a little longer time.

- - The tree-dwellers seem slightly distressed that I am leaving but are happy that Sirrus and Achenar are staying behind again.

- - I have been gone for over 3 days and have been to many different places. I had to tell Sirrus and Achenar about Pran's death today, and they were visibly shaken, although they only remembered her from their childhood. Catherine has suggested that it would be wise for Sirrus and Achenar to leave Channelwood for a while, and I have to agree. They will be returning with me when I leave again.

- - I have told my sons that they will be returning with me in two days. They spent the entire night telling me of an adventure they experienced in my absence and it was rather remarkable. It seems they constructed a boat with the creatures and traveled some ways out into the surrounding waters. I enjoy hearing them talk excitedly of their adventures and am reminded of my own adventures as a child.

- - I finally understand why the tree-dwellers have been giving me their many inks and insisting I write with them. Looking through some of my past entries I see now that the inks have changed from the black, I thought they were, to various different colors. I have shown some of the creatures my journal and they laughed and howled. I did not know they had such a sense of humor. Even now as I look through this very "colorful" journal, I cannot help but laugh myself.

- - We will be returning tomorrow, so my sons are with the creatures for the last night here. They have told me they would like to come to Channelwood again, and also asked if they can visit some other ages alone. Though I will have to think over their request, I believe that they have proven to me that they are are trustworthy and responsible. Catherine will also have to help me decide whether they are ready for travel alone. For now I must give my farewells to the creatures, for I do now know how long it will be until I visit this age again.

Atrus's Selenitic journal

Found in the library on Myst island. There are many gaps of blank spaces in this journal where the text has mysteriously vanished.

--It has been a while since I have heard only silence and I enjoy it greatly, I think. For some reason, I do not feel altogether welcome in this new world in which I have arrived. But how could I be unwelcome in an age with no inhabitants? It is, of course, only in my head.

This world is very beautiful. (But I think I have yet to ever write in a journal that an age I have linked to is horrid or disgusting.) From the grassy hill where I am standing, I can see green fields below along with a few scattered forests. A rather large lake looms some distance from where I am standing, yet the water's blue can be seen plainly from here. The air is fresh and the sky is sparkled with white clouds. It is absolutely breathtaking, and yet, that strange feeling again. Perhaps it is the hot breeze that continues to blow from the north. Hotter than I would have imagined, it almost singes my skin, and I feel quite uncomfortable when it comes. I will try to ignore it. Night has almost arrived and the sunset is spectacular. Oranges and reds have settled above the western horizon.

Though night has come, the horizon still glows red long past the sunset. Dark reds flow from the horizon and blend into the black sky. Again the feeling, and I am beginning to believe it is not all in my mind. I must sleep now, I will need my strength to explore more tomorrow.

--I have had to return home due to an unpredictable natural occurrence more frightening than I have ever experienced. I was awakened by terrible shakings in the ground and explosions on all sides of me. Gigantic balls of fire were falling from the sky and I immediately left in fear of my life. I must remember to bring a Myst linking book with me when I return, in case the one left there has been destroyed or damaged.

--I have returned to a different world than the one I left only three months ago. It has been transformed into a barren, desert land, with only gigantic craters scattered across the land to provide variety. Strangely enough, the small grassy hill where I spent my first night remains exactly the way I found it. Apparently the falling meteors did not hit this area, leaving an oasis in the midst of this horrible desolation. The hot wind I remember has turned into a rather pleasant breeze, which is at least one improvement. I fear it is the only improvement.

The magnificent lake I saw on my first visit is now completely dried up. However, another lake now exists and appears to be quite a bit larger. I assume one of the falling meteors created this lake due to its circular shape and the jutting rock that grows out of the center of the lake. The rest of this world seems like desert, although I will verify that statement with closer inspection.

Though this world has little visual excitement to offer, it offers much to the ears. Sounds constantly flow through my ears and I have found where a few of them originate. It seems (as Catherine says) I do find beauty in everything.

--Last night I was awakened by a horrible hissing. I was sweating, and the heat was so intense that I immediately dipped my head in a nearby stream to cool it down. The hot breezes had returned, along with a low roar from the ground. I walked a short distance to observe some red flames shooting up from the earth. Suddenly the ground began to crack and a huge chasm opened. The chasm continued to grow until it was far too wide to cross. Then the tumult subsided leaving only a dull roar. I have decided, however, I can use the chasm to my advantage. Perhaps the heat from the chasm can be harnessed.

--Even as the chasm has ripped into the surface of this world it has opened up a whole new world to explore. Although uncomfortably hot, I found it possible to reach a cave in the chasm that had been created. And have now explored deep into the crust of this planet. I have found a vast underground cave system that will take many years to map and explore. I will also look for a safer way to reach the underground than through the chasm wall.

This age seems to change on its own, so I feel I should leave again and see if things are different when I return. It is also important that I check on Sirrus and Achenar and make sure everything is going along well. When I return, I also hope to bring back some tools I will need for my plans to explore the underground.

--The abundance of raw materials here is beginning to amaze me. I have returned with some of the complex tools I knew I would be needing. I assumed I would have to return for more basic materials, however, it seems as though I will be able to find everything I need here. Of course iron is abundant, but I have also found titanium occurring naturally. I am all the more excited to begin work. Everything is set and I look forward to tomorrow. My raw materials are all here; I think I will be able to have most of my additions to this age completed within one year. I so love working with my hands - whether writing or building.

--I began today on the bridge and although the t...

the magnetic idea will work well and I have decided

Three meters is not enough support for the beams although

is amazingly strong.

has to be one of my most prized inventions. I am extremely

could never have imagined it to come together

-I doubt

could possibly work with fourteen instead of eight

completely fatigued. I am so happy to have completed

tomorrow.

--I am leaving today in order to bring back Sirrus and Achenar. I have left them alone in Channelwood. I believe they will enjoy all there is to see here. The age seems to have stabilized. I believe the meteors set off a period of volcanic activity by piercing into the shallow crust. But the tremors have become few.

--I have just noticed that a large amount of this journal has curiously vanished from the very pages on which I wrote over the last eighteen months. Fortunately, I have copied many of my construction notes in another journal. I do not understand the many mysteries of this world but I trust I will discover logical answers to my questions. I have a feeling that many of my questions can be answered in another age to which I hope to travel soon. But for now I must simply accept this world's mysteries and take pride in my accomplishments.

Atrus's Rime journal

Found in the library on Myst island in realMyst. There is no Rime age in the original Myst.

-- Rime, I have named it. A desolate age with a beauty that is quite different than I had expected or imagined. The intricate feathers of ice that fall from the sky are awe-inspiring. I feel as though I could sit and watch them for hours. And though it is cold here, like I have never experienced before, I find myself enjoying the change of temperature, for it is unlike any other place that I have ever seen.

Perhaps the oddest thing is the silence. Although the wind blows on occasion - when it ceases, there is a suffocating silence that falls on this place, broken only by the distant cries of unseen creatures.

-- I have visited three times and am sure now that this age will provide the environment I need. I believe the cold temperature is necessary for obtaining the correct resonance. Examining the structure of the Books is ever more perplexing, but I am driven onward by my need to understand. The great tree of possibilities can never be fully grasped, but I must at least try to find one particular branch.

On the subject of enlightenment, I would also like to find the cause of the mysterious lights that shine in the darkness here.

--Though I never assumed that I would be able to build especially fast here, the speed at which I am progressing is somewhat disappointing. I do think I will bring Sirrus and Achenar as well as some of the machinery from Selenitic.

--Achenar chose to stay with Catherine, but Sirrus was rather excited to come. He has spent the last few days here with me, helping me with the beginning phases of construction. He too seems to enjoy the ice and cold weather. He is intrigued with the crystals that we have brought with us. He has been a big help (as have others) and I hope to be able to begin my experiments here soon.

-- Tonight Sirrus and I found a wondrous spot to view the lights although it seems they decided to hide from us. After sitting in the cold winds for over two hours, we saw nothing. It was rather disappointing. Sirrus will return to Myst tomorrow. He has been a tremendous aid to me and I'm thankful for his willingness to help. The hard part of the construction is over, although I have decided after tonight, that I would like to add some kind of observation post. I won't be finished as soon as I had hoped, although I am fairly certain it will be worth the delay in the long run.

--I have decided to take a break from the construction now that the tunnel is almost complete and I have been able to set up a temporary space where the crystals will not be stimulated. I am quite convinced that with the right diffractive resonance, certain properties of the ink can be simulated. Catherine still finds it absurd and thinks I am crazy to assume I will be able to view ages with stones, but her unusual pessimism has not convinced me to stop trying. I came too close to success on Everdunes.

-- I am fairly certain now that temperature indeed does have an effect on the crystals, but I have realized that temperature alone is not enough. The cold dampens some of the sympathetic harmonics but a more active suppressor is necessary. I have acquired some geodes with a pure protected crystalline interior. Thin slices of the geodes below each crystal provided a stabilizing effect and even amplified the clean frequency slightly. After quite a bit of experimentation with the shapes and colors, I was able to capture a blurry image within a Book. Though the link would never work, there was clearly an Age on the other side. I can hardly wait to return and tell Catherine. I feel like I should finish the shaft to my observation post while I have the machinery here. Perhaps tomorrow morning...

-- The lights were beautiful again last night. They had not shown themselves for so long that I had almost forgotten their beauty... I still must find the cause.

-- I am feeling rather overwhelmed with what remains to be done. The crystals have not been perfected, the shaft is not finished nor is the observation post or even the lab. I have not seen Catherine for some time, and I long to spend more time with Achenar and Sirrus. Besides all of that, there are, far away, in the back of my mind, the thoughts of my people and our lost city.

I dreamt again of them last night.

I have seen the city in its worst condition and still, its beauty overwhelmed me. Even now, as I visualize how majestic it must have been before the destruction caused by Veovis and A'Gaeris, it amazes, and saddens me. I am fairly certain that D'ni is not dead as my father believed. I am convinced that there must be some who managed to escape the destruction and even now continue to survive in separate Ages. Within me is an urging to take the chance and return to D'ni to find these survivors and properly rebuild our city. However, I can do nothing until I am certain of the fate of my father. If my plan failed, if I missed a single Book when attempting to trap him on Riven, then he has been free all along. If that is true then all that stands between him and the Ages I have now written is the link from D'ni to Myst. As much as I wish to return to D'ni, without knowing the state of my father, I can not risk reestablishing that link.

-- I must observe my father without reestablishing that link. It has taken several years, and there have been many dead ends, but I have partially succeeded. Now that I have managed to view another Age using the crystals, it is only a matter of time until I view Riven. At least I hope.

Catherine will have her ideas about all of these things and I miss her greatly. I will return to Rime later, when my mind has cleared.

Atrus's journal in Rime

This is the Rime journal you find in Atrus's study on Rime. There is no Rime age in the original Myst.

-- Before spending any more time with my experiments I have decided that I must finish construction. I have brought both Sirrus and Achenar this time. The shaft is almost finished, as is the observation post. Both boys prefer it inside where it is warm, protected from the cold. Achenar sits in the observation post for hours while Sirrus is consumed with the crystals and the glimpses of Ages that we are able to see. Neither of them shows any real desire to leave. I can not remember the last time my sons spent so much time with me in an Age.

After more experimenting with the shapes of the crystals, we were able to get a nearly perfect view of an Age inside of the book.

Sirrus wanted to link immediately, not understanding the link was only visual. Without the Ink, the crystals do not bind onto a particular Age. Because of this, the crystals have an interesting side effect: it is possible to change the crystals and watch the Age change. While in reality we are seeing a vast number of distinct - though similar - Ages, displaying the current Age defined by the crystals; it appears as though we are changing the original Age.

Next are the lights. My sons seem much more interested in the lights of the night sky right now. Their only interest in the crystals seems to be whether or not we can view Channelwood or Stoneship; two Ages I have not seen in a long while. It is possible to view the Ages, although the time it would take to find the correct combination would be prohibitive.

I do not consider my task with the crystals complete but I would rather keep Sirrus and Achenar excited and here, so we will move on to the lights. I think it is better to keep Riven from them and so it is just as well that we move on to something else. I will view that place later.

-- The lights are curious. Although I originally thought the effect to be an organic one, I now believe it to be electromagnetic in origin. I think the effect could be triggered somehow. It's something that we'll have to try, and if Sirrus and Achenar have their way, it will be soon. I have never seen either of them so interested in my experiments and I do not want to dampen their enthusiasm. It seems they have forgotten about the crystals now.

-- I am not sure either of my sons was expecting the amount of work it would take. It has turned out to be a challenge working above the cold waters where the wind cuts through clothing and skin like a sharp knife. Still, even amidst the dark cold, they are driven to complete the task. It is a side of them that I have not seen before.

-- Another hard day, but we have erected the first of three towers. I am too tired to write tonight.

-- It has been a week. The second and third towers are up. We only need to connect the power. I'm exhausted, as are Sirrus and Achenar. However, they have no intention of quitting, and that drives me.

-- The towers are finished, as is the power to each of them. Power will be conducted directly through the saline sea alleviating the need for stringing wires and enabling us to locate the towers a comfortable distance away. Most of the remaining work can be accomplished inside for which I am grateful. I am tired of the cold. I look forward to the warm beaches of Myst Island. Perhaps we all deserve a break.

--We only spent a day with Catherine before returning. We were here only a minute before we again began to experiment with the towers and the electromagnetic discharges. We were able to create an arc for the first time between two towers. It's refection in the cold waters was magnificent. We are close now. Tomorrow, after adjusting the voltage, we will know just how close.

-- The beauty is awe-inspiring. At our command, multi-colored waves of light dance across the dark sky. Brilliant flashes of white lightning, that make the display even more amazing, precede them. The boys are convinced they will be able to bring their mother here, and though she usually refuses to use the Books, I am becoming convinced that she will come, or at least I hope.

As for me, I must return to Myst or some other warm place. There is more to accomplish here, but I long for the sun and will spend some time under it's glow before returning.

-- Catherine had to come after I told her of my intentions to use the crystals to view Riven. She is now consumed with the set-up of the geodes and the crystals and encourages me daily as I try to uncover the combination that will allow me a view of that Age. Sirrus and Achenar did not come this time.

-- I must return to Everdunes. I believe that a few of the crystals I left in Everdunes may help me here. Catherine has returned home for now, but she will meet me on Myst Island in three days. I think I will be ready by then.

Atrus's Myst calendar journals

Found in the 1996 Myst calendar.

January 1996, Atrus's Ancam Age journal:

After only one visit to this age I am already astounded by its variety. Though I intellectually understood what this age would contain, I couldn't have imagined the delightful dance that is reenacted every day as almost all of the organic and inorganic objects on this island respond to the light of the sun, or the change in temperature. The trees alone have held me spellbound. At night they bend their soft, thin trunks, lying across the landscape and hills, looking like so many serpents sleeping under the light of the moon.

And when morning arrives they begin to move... to twist, to lift, to pull themselves toward the light of the rising sun. The forest literally rises up out of the dim landscape, lifting thousands of branches and broad, thick leaves high above the ground. And then, as the trees warm, their color begins to change. At first they change from a pale blue, as green begins to spread throughout the length of their graceful trunks. As noon approaches, the green becomes a yellow-orange.

I can hardly suppress my excitement! What treasures are waiting for me here!

February 1996, Atrus's Everdunes Age journal:

The nature of this world thrives in spite of the harsh conditions I imposed on it in my writing. High temperature and a lack of surface water are not enough to disallow vegetation or even animal life. During my first visit I had assumed the arid land would support nothing, or at least only plants and animals similar to the arid lands at home. Upon my arrival my assumption was confirmed: barren dunes of sand - or at least I thought so at first. Closer inspection revealed a subterranean plant structure just beneath the sandy surface. I discovered it by simply walking - I sank in at one point to my knees. The growth of the plants opened up small areas of oxygen beneath the surface where tiny animals and insects can be found. I am ever amazed at the diversity found in the undefined elements, those elements between the lines of my script, the very writings of the Maker that continue to dwarf my creativity at every stroke.

March 1996, Atrus's Gravitation Age journal:

A light show in the cosmos. I have only to sit back and enjoy as the events unfold from my vantage. This is why I write. This is my reward. Months of calculations and computations, orbits within orbits within orbits. Now I have moons, large and small, not with simple circular orbits, but that rise quickly, slow to a halt, and dance off at right angles, or rest at the horizon. Meteors that skim the surface of the atmosphere, brightening the night Suns, not one or even two, but six, all varying in intensity and color, attracting each other with silent waves. Until now, I have only seen this complexity on paper, in diagrams, and in formulas, only imagining what it would look like. Now it is real! Fleeting but real. I write in haste, waiting for the last show before I leave, for the diversity and complexity is this age's undoing. No, undoing is not the right word; for though I will never be able to return here, the show will continue with even greater beauty and drama! When the unstable orbits decay, the suns will collide, and the real show will begin! And that is a show that I can still only imagine.

April 1996, Atrus's Oasis Age journal:

Its velvet skin brushes my face as I lie engulfed in the field of tall, cool clover. I sit upright and my eyes open to colors and objects so subtle my mind cannot comprehend nor recall. I gaze at the field as the air's gentle breath whispers across my face taking with it the weeping leaves of the eucalyptus. Why? Why had I not noticed before? Surely I should know them. I created them. My own pen held so often in my hand. But still my mind reels, grasping for the familiar. The known. The comfortable. But is this not why I came? My desire to experience the subtleties and pleasures of my own skill so often quenched by my stronger pull to simply create. A view to behold. I sit mesmerized for hours letting the silence speak its own language that I somehow understand. The cool clover receives my body once again. I close my eyes and dream.

May 1996, Atrus's Shimar Age journal:

I finally inhale the thick air with its damp aroma of warm sulfur. The ground beneath my feet moves with gentle subtleties as I peer into the white-hot crater's vastness. I stand motionless, viewing this living... event. I am astonished at its life refected in my eyes. I never dreamed the simple strokes of my pen could have such crushing consequence, yet retain an inner beauty such as this. No life in the traditional form is visible. My leaves from earlier works have no home here. Heavy clouds filled with moisture are not welcome. Somehow, though, this all still ebbs and flows as a living being; moving me atop its back with little care or thought. My presumed significance is now in perspective.

June 1996, Atrus's Herelding Age journal

The starflys swarmed around me as I walked through the forest. They were attracted by the light of my lamp. Soon their numbers increased to such an extent that my light seemed insignificant compared to the light that they expelled. At this point I decided to turn my lamp off and walk away to see if they would disperse. Quite the contrary! Instead, their number continued to grow. Standing a few yards away from the swarm, I watched them in amazement... and orb of light slowly growing and forming great shapes, acting almost as a single organism. First they group closely together, looking like a miniature sun! Now they spread apart, forming a great, spherical helix! Now, they form a spherical, undulating web! How these unintelligent creatures communicate, I know not. Who conducts this beautiful dance?

July 1996, Atrus's unnamed journal:

Though their fevers persist, I feel I am helpless to assist them. It comforts me to know, however, that at least this horrid desease is not fatal.

It begins with the tremendous fevers, violent shaking, and great chest pains. The fevers are followed by a stage of dreamy delirium, during which time the diseased person sleeps persistently, only infrequently half-waking to mutter confused utterances. After this relative calm, comes the most painful third stage when the diseased awakes in a state of frenzied madness. They stare wildly, with glazed eyes, screaming and clawing at their own bodies. As this stage progresses, they become dangerous, even violent in some cases...

...As I am constantly here to act as physician (though I have only been able to mildly decrease the sharp internal pains that they complain of), I am in constant distress of catching the disease myself. I have no idea what causes it, or if it is communicable. Hopefully I am immune.

August 1996, Atrus's Whiterock Age journal:

About the time the ting takes on a brownish color, it emerges from the water for the first time and slowly and clumsily crawls onto the rocky shore. Most of the beautiful animals are eaten by birds, the ting having no natural defenses except for their coloration, which now matches the color of the stones. Some of the ting, however, safely find their way to small pocks and holes in the rocks. There, they curl into balls, and almost immediately begin to entomb themselves beneath a rocklike crust that they create around themselves. After two months pass, the ting shell becomes rubbery and soft, finally riping open to expose hundred of little creatures called solastings. They are, at first, small and lizardlike, scrambling madly in all directions. In their adult stage they are quick-moving and live high in the trees. It seems I am only able to examine them carefully after they have been cooked by the Shirnao and are placed before me as a meal.

September 1996, Atrus's Serenol Age journal:

I have been here for hours, long before the yellow hands of the sun could reach my shivering body, waiting. Simply waiting. The stars above that had enchanged me just nights before were beckoning me to glance up at them in delight. A cursory acknowledgment was all I could muster. The graceful trees with their course bark, leaves of silk, and sweet fruit stood silent - already having been rejected by my focused concentration this solitary and dark early morning. My only companion, a small starfly, rested upon my thin shirt - which contributed little to my trembling hands (an oversight I will remember on my next visit). But even he could not endure my silence. And now as I study the soil at my kneeling body, I wait. The opaque arms of the tuliema at last thrust through the black earth into the frigid night air, pulling, reaching, fighting, searching for light - the timing had to be exact. Only moments after each of the tuliema's three lifeless leaves fully left the earth's grave, the sun's arrows pierced the plant, injecting life, creating an explosion of color, a hue of yellow the sun itself coveted. I looked up with pleasure across the awakening field, flooded now in a sea of yellow.

October 1996, Atrus's Mechanical Age journal:

Even as I build, as the physical substance of my body strains to construct the objects that I require in this age, I feel the outer fringes of my consciousness tapping the mental substance of my being - the edges of my mind planting the seeds of imagination that will become the next age. So I have begun to have glimpses of Arimarl, a sea without water, only a single lush oasis, replete in an ocean of sand. The momentum of my creativity pendulates once again, as I tire of the damp dead mechanisms prevalent in my current age to the dry island of life in my next.

December 1996, Atrus's personal journal:

I am not able to understand, only to understand more. The picture that I wish to examine is not static, it is growing and living. Even as I understand how the hinges of a door allow me to open it, I find it leads to a room even larger than the first. But I think perhaps that is part of wisdom. Knowing that I cannot know all, understanding that I cannot understand all. If the Maker's creation was understandable would I not find the Maker something less than great, would I not consider myself equal with the Maker? It is a tribute then to his greatness when I find myself more confused even at the very instant I have gained insight.

Reference

Transcripts from The D'ni Desk Reference