Cleft
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 View of the cleft from the desert | |
| Location | Earth, near the Volcano |
|---|---|
The Cleft is a natural crack in the earth near the Volcano in the New Mexico desert, on the property of Jeff Zandi. According to the Book of Atrus, it is roughly eighty feet long, fifteen feet wide, and thirty feet deep, though its appearance in Uru seems to contradict those figures slightly.
History[edit | edit source]
At one time, the Cleft served as a way-point on the journey from the Lodge to the nearest city (Tadjinar, according to The Book of Ti'ana). Anna and her father would often stay there on their way to or from the city. After the Fall of D'ni, Anna and Gehn took up residence in the Cleft, but Gehn left in his late teens, feeling a serious disdain for both his mother and the conditions in which he was living.
After Gehn abandoned Atrus as a baby, Anna cared for him and raised him in the Cleft. Atrus's mother, Keta, is buried here as well.
The Cleft was largely abandoned after Atrus was taken back to D'ni by Gehn, and Anna followed them down. Apparently Atrus kept a number of his Ages there, along with a collection of tools, but there is little record of the Cleft being used for much else. In recent years, Jeff Zandi has been found camping outside of it, welcoming anyone who felt "called" to the location. Yeesha had apparently made use of the Cleft in times past as well, and her remaining message to visitors guides them on their Journey into D'ni.
According to RAWA, the Cleft is located a small number of miles away from Tomahna, the home which Atrus and Catherine established for themselves almost 200 years ago.[citation needed]
Areas[edit | edit source]
Garden[edit | edit source]
The garden lies at the bottom of the cleft. It has a small pool of water at the bottom, with patches of grass surrounding the pool. Within the patches of grass grow small blue star-shaped flowers typically referred to as ephemerals in absence of a more suitable name.
Storeroom[edit | edit source]
The storeroom was the room in which Atrus and Anna would store the important materials they obtained from wandering merchants, such as bags of salt.
Kitchen[edit | edit source]
The kitchen was the room that Atrus and Anna would use to prepare food. It contained various domestic utensils such as clay bowls and oil lamps.
Though unmentioned in The Book of Atrus, it appears to contain a small wind-powered mill, which during the events of Uru appears to have been adapted to act as a power source capable of powering sliding doors and the D'ni imager found in the adjoining work room.
Work Room[edit | edit source]
The work room is adjoined to the kitchen, and appears to be where Anna would practice various crafts such as painting and sewing, and where Atrus would carry out various science experiments after having carved his own work area.
During the events of Uru, a D'ni imager can be found on the large table against the back wall. When sufficiently powered, the imager can play one of two messages recorded by Yeesha. Playing the first message causes a journey cloth to appear through unknown means.
Atrus's Bedroom[edit | edit source]
Atrus's bedroom is the room in which Atrus slept. His bed was carved from stone.
During the events of Uru, a journey cloth can be found here.
