This is your last warning, do not read this if you have not yet played this
game, intend to play it, or are playing it (unless you read only to the
point where you are.)
Tomahna
My name is Kathryn, I know it sounds like Catherine, but it isn't. Her hair is a lot straighter and longer than mine. But that isn't what the story is about. It's about a recent experience of mine. There are two more stories I should tell, but I won't. To be very brief, once I rescued Atrus from a book, and later I captured his father Gehn, then freed Catherine before that word fell apart. I'm not bragging, though. I barely managed to do either of them.
Anyway, I was in my room, sorting through my vast collection of books, when I found a book that shouldn't have been there. It was a leather bound book with no title. I opened it and recognized the all too familiar linking panel. The image was of a dry, barren world. It spun towards a cliff, and then a small, greenhouse-like room nestled beside it. I then noticed a note sitting where I had removed the book from. I recognized Atrus's handwriting. How did he manage this? He had a remarkable ability to make me "stumble upon" his linking books. I read the note. It was basically a request to visit. Apparently he had been able to write a new age for the D'ni, and he wanted to introduce me to them. It also mentioned that he had a new daughter, Yeesha.
Well, if I was going to meet some of the D'ni, I didn't want to look like I did, somewhat untidy hair and rather messy clothing. I brushed my hair and changed. I also grabbed a large, five-sectioned notebook and a pencil just in case I had some time. His worlds almost always inspire small stories. Finally ready, I laid my hand on the panel. I felt the discomfort of linking, and then the disorientation I always get afterwards.
When I recovered, I saw a barren landscape. Red soil showed small tufts of grass, and a bird soared in the cloudless sky.
"Breathtaking, isn't it?" said a voice behind me. I turned to see that I was in the greenhouse room and that Catherine was standing by a mass of ivy with Yeesha in her arms. "We call it Tomahna. We moved here after Atrus finished writing Releeshahn. He wanted us to have a new home too." She paused to look fondly at her daughter. "I'm so glad too see you. I told Atrus our paths would cross again." I mentally snorted at this. "He was just going to grab something for your trip to Releeshahn, so he shouldn't be terribly long. Unless he decides to check over the whole house first, which means he could be hours resetting all his padlocks. But I know he was looking forward to introducing you to the D'ni, so he shouldn't be terribly long. Why don't you wait in his study?" She went to sit on a bench in front of one of the glassless windows and played with Yeesha.
I wasn't sure which door, so I went through the one directly in front of me. As I passed her, Catherine began to speak. "You know, this trip is exactly what Atrus needs right now. I haven't been able to get him out of the house for moths, ever since he found his journals out of place. But seeing how well the D'ni have settled in should help his finally relax." She then went back to playing with Yeesha and I proceeded to enter Atrus's study.
It was an oval room divided into two halves by two enormous circles on the floor, and curtains that were drawn back. One half had his desk, the other a rather elaborate case holding what I assumed was Releeshahn. Two cabinets of books were behind the desk and four lined the wall behind Releeshahn. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all journals. I swear this man has more journals than he has time to write them. I suddenly doubted this idea, he would have them locked away elsewhere, by the sound of it.
I examined his desk and the area around it first. On the desk I found a letter to someone named Tamon thanking him for the "Nara padlocks." I snorted when I saw a comment about someone reading all of his journals disturbing him. Not only is it impossible to read all of them, but I felt as though I had seen more of them than I can count. Next to the letter was a picture of Catherine and Yeesha. Behind that was an odd red stone. On the other side of the letter were pictures of Sirrus and Achenar, his greedy sons. They had long since been trapped in two special books, which were then destroyed. Beside the desk were shelves holding paper, what I assumed was ink, two boxes, and some strange rocks. Behind the desk was a stand holding the book of the now dead Riven.
I decided to examine the tapestries in the middle of one of the walls. They appeared to depict Atrus and the D'ni. I wonder where he got them? One section of the tapestry nearer to Releeshahn caught my interest. It showed him surrounded by books and reading one of them.
I moved to examine Releeshahn. The book itself seemed to be locked shut. I moved away a little and heard a voice behind me.
"Well my friend, I see you've found the Releeshahn book." I turned to see Atrus in the doorway. He came closer as he spoke. "Catherine tells me you've been here for some time. I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting, but since we'll be gone for a few days I wanted to secure some of my things. And I also wanted to bring you this." I noticed a book in his hands. Not another journal! "It's a journal I kept while I was writing Releeshahn." Drat. "I thought you might find it interesting to read about what I hoped to achieve compared to what the age truly is." He handed me the book and then turned to get something from his desk. "Well, just let me get the keys to unlock Releeshahn, and we'll be off. Oh, and I'm interested in hearing what you've been up to in recent months."
He was cut off when someone, a strange man in ragged clothing, linked in behind Releeshahn. He, to distract us, threw one of the fire marbles that were hanging by the book at the nearest curtain and it burst into flame. I heard glass break and when I turned I saw, to my horror, that the man had the book. He paused, and then linked away. As he did so, I heard Atrus call, through coughs, "Releeshahn!" The linking book fell to the ground, open. Without realizing what I was doing, I thrust my hand onto the linking panel.
Tomahna
My name is Kathryn, I know it sounds like Catherine, but it isn't. Her hair is a lot straighter and longer than mine. But that isn't what the story is about. It's about a recent experience of mine. There are two more stories I should tell, but I won't. To be very brief, once I rescued Atrus from a book, and later I captured his father Gehn, then freed Catherine before that word fell apart. I'm not bragging, though. I barely managed to do either of them.
Anyway, I was in my room, sorting through my vast collection of books, when I found a book that shouldn't have been there. It was a leather bound book with no title. I opened it and recognized the all too familiar linking panel. The image was of a dry, barren world. It spun towards a cliff, and then a small, greenhouse-like room nestled beside it. I then noticed a note sitting where I had removed the book from. I recognized Atrus's handwriting. How did he manage this? He had a remarkable ability to make me "stumble upon" his linking books. I read the note. It was basically a request to visit. Apparently he had been able to write a new age for the D'ni, and he wanted to introduce me to them. It also mentioned that he had a new daughter, Yeesha.
Well, if I was going to meet some of the D'ni, I didn't want to look like I did, somewhat untidy hair and rather messy clothing. I brushed my hair and changed. I also grabbed a large, five-sectioned notebook and a pencil just in case I had some time. His worlds almost always inspire small stories. Finally ready, I laid my hand on the panel. I felt the discomfort of linking, and then the disorientation I always get afterwards.
When I recovered, I saw a barren landscape. Red soil showed small tufts of grass, and a bird soared in the cloudless sky.
"Breathtaking, isn't it?" said a voice behind me. I turned to see that I was in the greenhouse room and that Catherine was standing by a mass of ivy with Yeesha in her arms. "We call it Tomahna. We moved here after Atrus finished writing Releeshahn. He wanted us to have a new home too." She paused to look fondly at her daughter. "I'm so glad too see you. I told Atrus our paths would cross again." I mentally snorted at this. "He was just going to grab something for your trip to Releeshahn, so he shouldn't be terribly long. Unless he decides to check over the whole house first, which means he could be hours resetting all his padlocks. But I know he was looking forward to introducing you to the D'ni, so he shouldn't be terribly long. Why don't you wait in his study?" She went to sit on a bench in front of one of the glassless windows and played with Yeesha.
I wasn't sure which door, so I went through the one directly in front of me. As I passed her, Catherine began to speak. "You know, this trip is exactly what Atrus needs right now. I haven't been able to get him out of the house for moths, ever since he found his journals out of place. But seeing how well the D'ni have settled in should help his finally relax." She then went back to playing with Yeesha and I proceeded to enter Atrus's study.
It was an oval room divided into two halves by two enormous circles on the floor, and curtains that were drawn back. One half had his desk, the other a rather elaborate case holding what I assumed was Releeshahn. Two cabinets of books were behind the desk and four lined the wall behind Releeshahn. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all journals. I swear this man has more journals than he has time to write them. I suddenly doubted this idea, he would have them locked away elsewhere, by the sound of it.
I examined his desk and the area around it first. On the desk I found a letter to someone named Tamon thanking him for the "Nara padlocks." I snorted when I saw a comment about someone reading all of his journals disturbing him. Not only is it impossible to read all of them, but I felt as though I had seen more of them than I can count. Next to the letter was a picture of Catherine and Yeesha. Behind that was an odd red stone. On the other side of the letter were pictures of Sirrus and Achenar, his greedy sons. They had long since been trapped in two special books, which were then destroyed. Beside the desk were shelves holding paper, what I assumed was ink, two boxes, and some strange rocks. Behind the desk was a stand holding the book of the now dead Riven.
I decided to examine the tapestries in the middle of one of the walls. They appeared to depict Atrus and the D'ni. I wonder where he got them? One section of the tapestry nearer to Releeshahn caught my interest. It showed him surrounded by books and reading one of them.
I moved to examine Releeshahn. The book itself seemed to be locked shut. I moved away a little and heard a voice behind me.
"Well my friend, I see you've found the Releeshahn book." I turned to see Atrus in the doorway. He came closer as he spoke. "Catherine tells me you've been here for some time. I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting, but since we'll be gone for a few days I wanted to secure some of my things. And I also wanted to bring you this." I noticed a book in his hands. Not another journal! "It's a journal I kept while I was writing Releeshahn." Drat. "I thought you might find it interesting to read about what I hoped to achieve compared to what the age truly is." He handed me the book and then turned to get something from his desk. "Well, just let me get the keys to unlock Releeshahn, and we'll be off. Oh, and I'm interested in hearing what you've been up to in recent months."
He was cut off when someone, a strange man in ragged clothing, linked in behind Releeshahn. He, to distract us, threw one of the fire marbles that were hanging by the book at the nearest curtain and it burst into flame. I heard glass break and when I turned I saw, to my horror, that the man had the book. He paused, and then linked away. As he did so, I heard Atrus call, through coughs, "Releeshahn!" The linking book fell to the ground, open. Without realizing what I was doing, I thrust my hand onto the linking panel.