Age 233

Age 233

Name in D'ni	sev 98
Author	Gehn
Written	9438 DE, Leevotar 11
Link-in points	Gehn's office
Connections	Riven

Age 233 was the last complete Age written by Gehn. It was also the first successful Age he managed to write on Riven, far from the pre-made D'ni books and the phrases he usually relied upon.

Appearance

Age 233 was an age filled with unusually-shaped islands as far as the eye could see. Just about every island took the form of a mountain sitting atop a mountain. The age was desolate with no plant life visible, and a harsh sun which required Gehn to make modifications to his goggles.

The unusual rock formations were a result of the Age's instability. At one point in the Age's history, the water level was significantly higher, and acid in the ocean eroded away the rock directly underneath the shoreline. Some event caused the water level to drop, perhaps evaporation caused by the planet drifting closer to the sun, leaving behind the distinctive double-mountains.

History

An Age 233 linking book.

Gehn's living quarters.

Gehn wrote Age 233 hoping it would be a place that he and the Rivenese could relocate to after the Age of Riven collapsed completely. Trapped on Riven, far from the texts and materials of the D'ni, he had to construct Age 233 from scratch. It took him many failed attempts before he was able to successfully link to a new Age. Age 233 proved inhospitable to a permanent population, so Gehn continued work on a new age. In the meantime however he set up an office on Age 233 to serve as a retreat away from Riven.

Gehn's office.

His office was a round building constructed on one of the only islands that didn't have a second mountaintop. Fresh water on Age 233 was scarce, so Gehn's office featured a large bowl on its roof to collect rainwater. The main room in the office contained books that linked to each of Riven's five islands, and a writing desk where he focused on writing Age 234. An underground lower level served as his living quarters.

Gehn powered his faulty books with a furnace. It was much smaller than the Golden superdome on Riven, so it likely drew power from a source natural to Age 233.

Gehn was never able to determine whether the Age was fully stable before he was entrapped by the Stranger in the events depicted in Riven.

Fauna

A pair of flying creatures

Age 233 was home to a species of unnamed flying creatures. They had short triangular wings, a pair of ear-like protuberances on top of their head, as well as a pair of parallel tails. They also possessed a small tubular organ below their head, the exact purpose of which is unknown.

They moved through air with seemingly little effort, following a vertical sinuous movement. They mostly flied in pairs, sometimes at the same level, sometimes one following the other from behind. They did not appear to be aggressive towards members of other groups.

Their flesh was edible, as evidenced by one found roasted on Gehn's solar oven.

Gehn's Personal Artifacts

Gehn kept several things of personal significance to himself in his office on Age 233. In his living quarters he had an imager that held a recording of his wife Keta reminding him that she loved him. He also had photos framed of her and Aitrus, the only people who after all these years he still cared for and respected. On his wall hung a Maral-obe, a D'ni instrument which he liked to play. A Cannen on the upper level contained a recording of his playing, which he listened to sometimes while writing.