Reference:Catherine, personal journal (Riven (2024))
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| Location | Tay, player satchel |
|---|---|
| Author | Catherine |
I write quickly from my prison... Along with this journal, I've instructed Nelah to return the book that the Moiety intercepted upon your arrival. After questioning her, I've concluded that it was written by Atrus for a very specific purpose: Gehn will wish to use it—though he will undoubtedly be suspicious.
Once he is out of the way, you'll still need the combination to release me; I'm told he keeps it somewhere in his outpost on 233.
Then I assume we're to signal Atrus... I think I know how it might be done, but don't attempt it before I'm released!― Catherine
It's been one week since I linked to Riven, and I'm still reeling from the changes I've witnessed. Even before my eyes could adjust, the smell of my homeland embraced me. The sweet salt air was instantly familiar—but the scene that soon resolved was not. As I stood there, struggling to make sense of what I was seeing, a violent clang sounded and bars appeared before me. It was then that I must have been darted, for my memory after is cloudy...
A Rivenese man, shabbily dressed in militaristic attire, was shouting something at me. He seemed to be attempting to speak D'ni, but his grasp of the language was so poor that I could not make out his words. And then the world went black.
Many voices passed... until at last I awoke, to a familiar face—Eti! After all this time, she's still as warm and kind as ever. And yet the years have already wounded her—as they've wounded everyone whose world became a prison when Gehn was trapped here. Everything is tinged with pain and loss—even Eti's bright smile, though she does hes best to hide it. A desperate urgency, squelched by unuttered fears, seethes beneath her cordial veneer.
When Atrus & I left Gehn here, all those years ago, I was haunted by visions of what had become of my people, and how they might have come to suffer under his rule. But the injustices I imagined were nothing compared to the atrocities that have actually come to pass.
The following is a chronicle of what I have learned—a record of all that has happened... should I no longer be here to tell it.
- The Moiety ―
It seems the confrontation that led to Gehn's entrapment on Riven was witnessed by some of the Rivenese. But their interpretation of the event was skewed—no doubt due to Gehn's over-inflated view of himself. Atrus and I had hoped that stripping him of his ability to link to other worlds might lead people to conclude that his claims of godhood were false. But it appear the opposite has come to pass.
If Gehn was a god, and we had vanquished him—then we must be greater gods. It was thus assumed that my absence was only temporary, and that I would surely return one day to set the world right again.
Thus, the "Moiety" (the name they adopted after Gehn's disparaging use of the term) were born: sworn enemies of Gehn, and devotees of... me.
I had no inkling of this misconception about myself until two days ago—though in hindsight it makes perfect sense, given the way I've been treated.
For their part, they naturally assumed an omniscient deity might be well aware of their own divine status, so there was no need to inform me. I only finally pieced it together during a recent underground gathering, where they reenacted their version of the story of my life; a riveting tale that culminated with the confrontation between Atrus, myself and Gehn at the edge of the fissure. The events had been exaggerated to such grandiose proportions that I found it hard, at times, to suppress my laughter; and yet, this myth has also given them the courage to stand against Gehn—and the hope that they might someday be delivered from the relentless inhumanities of his authoritarian rule.
Even so, the fact that I am the one who has been cast as their god savior—an omnipotent being, who would one day return to Riven, overthrow Gehn, and lead them to a new paradise—is deeply unsettling. I would do anything to free my people from this hellish existence, but I am not who they think I am. I'm only How, though, can I dissuade them from this notion without also crushing their hopes?
As Gehn's power grew, so did the Moiety. And in order to evade his persecution—for he would wipe them all out in an instant, if he could—they had to become more and more adept at concealing themselves. They make use of a network of caves, that so far he has failed to discover. But I fear its [sic] only a matter of time before they're found out.
[Illustration: Secret entrance to the Moiety linking room]
Further jeopardizing their existence, is the fact the Moiety absolutely refuse to sever their ties with those who have sided with Gehn. The two factions thus live together in surprising harmony, their overarching sense of cultural unity appearing to outweigh the schism—at least for now.
I heard today that Father and Enant were inducted into Gehn's labor force. I so long to see them—but a dimness shrouded Eti's face so abruptly when I asked of them that it left me hesitant to press the matter further. I must know the truth eventually, but I fear the news will not be good.
From the moment of their inception, the Moiety have sought to disrupt Gehn's plans at every turn: sabotaging his constructions, stealing from his precious stockpiles, and keeping an ever-watchful eye on his every move. They shroud themselves with dark covering, and delight in the fact that their enemies are often frightened by their wraith-like appearance, and their almost preternatural ability to wreak havoc without detection or consequence.
It was in the course of one of these forays, that I was fortuitously rescued when I first linked to Riven: I shudder to think what might've become of me had that scout not been there to intervene.
Gehn will certainly be hunting for me now—no doubt furious at his guard's failure to detain me. He must be even angrier, though, at the loss of the linking book he surely assumes I brought with me. That I was deceived into linking into Riven without a way back, is a bitter yet fortunate fact—for it may well have meant the death of us all had a path back to D'ni fallen into his destructive hands. When he finally discovers that I came here empty-handed, he'll be angrier still...
That is some consolation, at least.
I have glimpsed the final breath of a dying age.
- A tiny blade cuts the void
The white whole divided
Again and again...
Dipped in black,
The nib drips red—
The Art of genocide.
- A tiny blade cuts the void
Today I ventured above ground to see for myself what has become of the island. I hoped it wouldn't be as bad as the Moiety had reported—it was worse. Having lived with it for so long, the Rivenese have become inured to the steady decay around them. But I was devastated.
As we wound our way through the underbrush, I found myself once again breathing in my youth, the ocean air transporting me back in a matter of seconds. But as my eyes again took hold, the warmth of those memories vanished, and I was left with nothing but numbness. We had reached a bluff—a bluff that had not been there the last time I visited my home.
Riven, which was once one island, has split into five distinct pieces that have since drifted apart at an astonishing rate. Four of these have been claimed by Gehn as his exclusive domain. Only those who have sworn their loyalty to him are ever allowed access to them. From my vantage point at the edge of the trees, I could see three of them, now blighted with Gehn's monomaniacal constructions. These islands are closely guarded, and pose great personal risk to the Moiety. Though that hasn't kept them from doing whatever they can to thwart Gehn's endeavors there.
[Illustration: Four Riven islands and connections between them]
The fourth island I could not see, as it has crept away to some distance and now lies concealed by fog. The Moiety said that Gehn originally governed from this small island, living and working in a protected space he built for himself atop the stump that remains where the Great Tree used to stand.
The only surviving forest is located here, on the largest island—where the village also remains. This island was ostensibly intended to be the province of the people—but it, too, has been irrevocably marred by Gehn's oppressive intrusions. Gehn can rot in
- Words fall...
Brittle brown leaves—
Masquerading as green—
Should never have held
Lives both bloomed
And as yet un-seeded.
- Words fall...
I am an outcast among outcasts—the diaspora of a dying world. Despite my repeated protestations, the Moiety continue to treat me differently, their desperate need precluding any dissuasion from the belief that I am some sort of messiah, come to save them. They misconstrue my every move as a validation of their faith; whispering of how I walked the island, bold and unafraid—mistaking my outrage at the island's devastation for bravery.
But I am afraid, for I know something that the Moiety do not—the underlying reason for the island's accelerated decay:
Gehn wrote this world, and so it will fail—as all of Gehn's ages ultimately fail.
I must make the Moiety understand this. But I cannot talk to Eti. There were brief moments, soon after my arrival, when my divine status was forgotten and I was simply Katran again—but they are almost nonexistant now.
There is one person, however, who seems immune to these fallacious notions—Nelah. Her gaze has never faltered whenever I've dared hint at the uncomfortable truth. I feel I could trust her to bear the full brunt of it.
[Illustration: Sketches of Moiety and Gehn's symbols]
Atrus and I knew he would likely attempt it, as he has adopted the paranoid practice of writing all of the necessary materials into his ages. He's been exploiting the natural resources and the people of Riven as fodder for his mad pursuit to further his colonialist ideals.
Thankfully, it sounds as if he has not yet succeeded.
As painful as it's been, the fact that I've returned to Riven at this crucial juncture is fortuitous; the age is crumbling, my people are suffering, and if Gehn succeeds in securing his freedom, other worlds will suffer the same. The Moiety are looking to me. I may only be mortal, but I have to do something.
[Illustration: Fissure telescope]
It's been a ~~ long time since my last entry. There is much to tell...
It was hard to recognize, but I found the star fissure; it is located on what Gehn refers to as his "Temple Island". Though the Moiety prefer to use the Rivenese word "Allapo", which means "water pool". They've thus taken to referring to the void itself as "Allatwan"—"pool of stars". It is the very fissure that allowed Atrus and me to escape this age without leaving a linking book behind us—though it has since been sealed with a skin of heavy iron. Several derelict devices from that time remain mounted to its surface, including a hatch with a mechanical lift that was used to install it—the combination to which was acquired by the Moiety, long ago:
- [Illustration: Combination in Rivenese numbers]
In the early days, the Moiety briefly considered reopening the fissure. Thankfully, they decided against it. Had they attempted it back then, the results might well have been catastrophic. Were they to do so today, it would certainly mean the end of Riven.
I am told that in the days immediately following Gehn's confinement on Riven, he attempted to determine the feasibility of navigating the stars beneath the fissure—for he had seen the Myst Book fall from Atrus' hands into that very same space. To this end, he sacrificed several poor souls (alleged "transgressors" of the law) by throwing them into the hatch so he could observe their fate. It is said that they did not die—but what becomes [sic] of them remains a mystery.
And that original fissure is no longer alone. New ruptures have appeared in recent years, at various locations around the islands. In some instances, the Moiety were able to glimpse the breaches before Gehn and his minions moved in to contain them. Their descriptions support my suspicion that the forces that are tearing Riven apart are more than merely geological.
More troubling, however, is that Gehn is not simply containing these rifts, but is somehow using them to travel between the islands—and that he has also reportedly devised a way to harvest the energies from the expanse for some as yet unknown purpose.
How like him to wantonly exploit for his own selfish gain that which he does not understand. The star field beneath the fissure is not as it seems; it is a gentle space, as hospitable to life as a flowing river. That is how Atrus described his brief time within the expanse before he linked out, leaving his Myst book adrift within it. He was never able to conclude upon its nature, but I cannot help but feel that there must be some greater pneuma behind it.
Something I should've mentioned earlier—
One of the collossal [sic] blades that appeared in the course of our escape from Riven—the great dagger that stands at one end of the fissure—has been adopted by the Moiety as the emblem of their struggle.
They have their own explanation as how it came to be, of course. But their choice is more apt than they know; as that dagger—along with the other blades—was a manifestation of my rage at the desecration that Gehn had already wrought upon my world. I haven't told the Moiety that I wrote it into this age, as I fear that would only fuel their overestimation of me, but I can't deny it pleases me to have inadvertently provided them with such a fitting symbol for their cause.
My limited encounters with Gehn's followers have been discouraging. Whenever I've attempted to engage them, they've fled from me.
I heard an interesting tale from the Moiety last night, which may help to explain this...
Soon after we trapped Gehn on Riven, he claimed that it was he who had been responsible for the great blades, summoning them as a preemptively punitive reminder of the obeisance he expected. In the village circles, it is told that this act marked the beginning of a period of restitution; at the end of which—provided they had proven their devotion to him—they would be delivered unto a new and better existance [sic] . If I can
I will continue my attempts to intervene on their behalf.
My sources have confirmed that Gehn has managed to create a functional linking book. In fact, he had done so before my arrival, but kept this accomplishment so well hidden that only his closest acolytes were aware of it. In keeping with his callous regard for the worlds he "creates", he has simply named this age "233".
It is not yet known whether he has written others.
I have also just learned that years ago a Moiety scout managed to steal a book that was an early failure that Gehn had intended to destroy. It was largely complete, but did not work. I wasn't told about it until now because they thought it was useless.
Gehn struggled for decades, but he could never get a conventional linking book to work. Then, one day, he began construction on a cumbersome mechanical solution: a complex array of devices, designed to harness the energies of the starry expanse and use them to suppress his books' inherent flaws. The design phase was chaotic—and often dangerous: the Moiety tell of tremendous explosions, as Gehn sought to contain and wield forces that he knew little to nothing about.
But he is nothing if not determined, and eventually he was able to use this enormous crutch to link to another age.
I can't deny his brilliance, but it is an abominable solution, brutish and overwrought.
And—all but entirely unnecessary. I have studied the partially burned book that the Moiety took from him. Although he sought retribution for the affront, he appears to have been otherwise untroubled by the theft, no doubt assuming the book would be useless in the Moiety's hands. But I can see what they could not—the book may yet be salvageable.
The age the book describes is wholly unsuitable as a home for the Moiety, but I think it can be modified.
I will dream...
[Illustration: drawings of Tay]
I have nearly finished writing the Moiety's age. The world, as described, is harsher and more desolate than they are used to, but they should be able to sustain themselves there.
But we'll need a second book. Gehn has been spending most of his time on 233 lately, so the danger is less, but getting into his lab will still be difficult.
The coming collapse weights the air,
Blurring my vision both day and night.
- We must act soon.
Success! We have secured a second book. Though I worry now that Gehn will miss it and deduce our plans before we're ready. The descriptive book I've prepared as a refuge for the rebels is useless unless I can find a way to correct its inherent flaws.
Gehn's massive machine mainly functions to manipulate the energies within the expanse. It serves its purpose, but its excess seems unwarrented [sic] . The Rivenese have long used crystalline substrates as an elegant means to manipulate light—if I could just find the right material...
Last night's dreams have delivered me a perilous plan—I will write this substance into the new Moiety age.
[Illustration: Drawings of the linking book, crystalline material structure and light alteration by the crystals]
If we could temporarily access Gehn's apparatus, we could use our book to link to this new age and search for the crystal. Someone would then have to carry the book back to safety once the link was made—if it fell into Gehn's hands, all would be lost. When Gehn links to 233, one of his acolytes always remains to shut down the device. We'll have to get to him before he can do so. Which means we'll only have one chance before they're alerted to our presence.
Everything is ready. I have written the material into the new age. And I have prepared the second linking book as a return path to Riven. Of course, it too suffers the same deficiencies as all of Gehn's books, so it won't work unless it's augmented.
Once I'm in the new age, I'll have to locate the crystal and adapt it to heal the gateway image, which should render the book functional. I can then use the second linking book to return to Riven with more of this material. It's risky, but if it all goes well the Moiety—and any others we can convince to join them—will finally have an escape.
I can't help but laugh at the absurdity of this plan—I sound like Atrus.
Should I fail to return, it will likely mean the end of my life. But my only fear is for my people. Everyone assures me they have complete faith that I will accomplish my task and lead them to a better world (that's the fulfillment of the prophecy, after all), but underneath they are just as tense and fearful as I am.
What will become of them if I do not return? Will they perish here on Riven? Or attempt to follow me through this new book to an unknown fate? I don't know what to tell them.
Against all odds, it is done!!
We have already evacuated most of our members to this new age—which the Moiety have named "Tay".
The world is more beautiful than I'd anticipated, so I am pleased—the Rivenese have been liberated, at last. They stand beneath the open sky, unafraid, dazzled by their freedom. They are happy.
But there's still much to be done. The age is still vulnerable. The only way to completely protect it from Gehn is to destroy the books once everyone is safely in Tay. I'm hesitant to bring this up with the Moiety until they've had a chance to acclimate themselves to the new world, as it would mean they would be forever exiled from the only home they've ever known. Nor am I eager to sever my own connection—and my only path back to my life and family on Myst. But for the greater good, it must be done.
For the moment we're safe—but our activities could arouse Gehn's suspicions at any moment. We cannot delay.
I will return to Riven tomorrow, to resume my attempts to persuade the remaining holdouts to join the others in Tay.
For now, though... I must rest.
