Editing Book
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A '''Book''', in the [[D'ni]] sense of the word, is a specially-crafted object which is capable of transporting its user to other dimensions, which the D'ni called [[Age]]s. | |||
== | == Manufacture == | ||
Books were made from specially-formulated paper, using a recipe that was closely guarded by the [[Guild of Books]]. This paper was then bound into a hardcover leather volume using another special process, creating a blank Book, or ''kor'nea'' (<d'ni>[[Dictionary:Kor'neeah|Kor'nEa]]</d'ni>). These Books were then given to the [[Guild of Writers]], who used them in ''[[regestoy]]''—the Art of writing Ages. | |||
The ink used to write Books was also special, and its formula was held by the [[Guild of Ink-Makers]]. The complete ingredient list is unknown, but there is evidence to suggest that one of them was crushed [[scarab beetle]]s. | |||
The precise processes for manufacturing Books is currently unknown to humanity, despite years of research by the [[D'ni Restoration Council]]. However, the practice does still survive on [[Releeshahn]], amongst those D'ni who survived the [[fall of D'ni|destruction of their civilization]]. | |||
=== Linking panel === | === Linking panel === | ||
The linking panel is a rectangular "window" which shows a visual depiction of the Age to which the Book links. | The linking panel is a rectangular "window" which shows a visual depiction of the Age to which the Book links. These panels can be located anywhere in the Book, but are typically found at the beginning for ease of access. Some Books, like those used in the [[Nexus]], have a panel in the middle of the Book, possibly to facilitate more even wear on the Book's spine over many openings and closings. | ||
The image in the panel is often moving in some way, though this is not universal. The behavior of the moving image itself is also not universal. Some panels' viewpoints orbit around the link-in location, others perform a "fly-by" of the surrounding area before settling into an orbit, and still others show a single "fly-by", after which the viewpoint comes to rest at the link-in location. | |||
Contrary to evidence in the ''Myst'' games, sound cannot travel through a linking panel, nor can someone on the other side see "out" of the panel as though it were a floating window. | Contrary to evidence in the ''Myst'' games, sound cannot travel through a linking panel, nor can someone on the other side see "out" of the panel as though it were a floating window. | ||
== Types of Books == | == Types of Books == | ||
=== Descriptive Book === | === Descriptive Book === | ||
A '''Descriptive Book''' is where a Writer fully describes the Age to which they wish to link. These volumes are typically very large, with a considerable number of pages in them, suitable for the extensive descriptions needed to craft a stable link. There can only ever be one Descriptive Book for an Age. Because ''regestoy'' is capable of accessing the infinite possibilities of the [[w:Many-worlds interpretation|quantum mechanical multiverse]], it is highly improbably (though not strictly ''impossible'') for two Descriptive Books to ever link to the same Age, even if their descriptions match exactly.<ref>Email, RAWA. "[[Reference:RAWA/1997 Lyst posts#Re: More linking issues|Re: More linking issues]]". 1997.</ref><ref name="RAWA 1998" /> There are always too many variables left undefined to guarantee that a link is forged to the same place twice. | |||
A '''Descriptive Book''' is where a Writer fully describes the Age to which they wish to link. These volumes are typically very large, with a considerable number of pages, suitable for the extensive descriptions needed to craft a stable link. There can only ever be one Descriptive Book for an Age. Because ''regestoy'' is capable of accessing the infinite possibilities of the [[w:Many-worlds interpretation|quantum mechanical multiverse]], it is highly improbably (though not strictly ''impossible'') for two Descriptive Books to ever link to the same Age, even if their descriptions match exactly.<ref>Email, RAWA. "[[Reference:RAWA/1997 Lyst posts#Re: More linking issues|Re: More linking issues]]". 1997.</ref><ref name="RAWA 1998" /> There are always too many variables left undefined to guarantee that a link is forged to the same place twice. | |||
Because Descriptive Books contain the only full copy of an Age's description, they | Because Descriptive Books contain the only full copy of an Age's description, they tended to be very heavily protected by the D'ni. Damaging or altering a Descriptive Book could cause the Age to become unstable, shift the link to a similar but distinct Age, or even cause the link to stop functioning altogether. For this reason, the Books typically found in public libraries were Linking Books (see below), while the Descriptive Books were kept in a more secure area. | ||
=== Linking Book === | === Linking Book === | ||
The term '''Linking Book''' has become something of a catch-all for any kind of Book. This can lead to some confusion when trying to interpret historical accounts, as it is sometimes unclear whether the object being described is a Linking Book or a Descriptive Book. Formally, "Linking Book" specifically refers to a smaller volume which can be used in lieu of a Descriptive Book. However, if a Descriptive Book is destroyed, any Linking Books connected to that Age will cease to function.<ref>Email, RAWA. [[Reference:RAWA/1998 Lyst posts#Thursday, July 23, 1998|Archived message to the Riven Lyst]]. July 23, 1998.</ref> | |||
Unlike Descriptive Books, there can be an unlimited number of Linking Books associated with a given Age. Additionally, while a Descriptive Book transports its user to the place it describes, a Linking Book transports its user to the place where it was ''written''. Even though a Linking Book has some connection to an Age through its Descriptive Book, a Writer doesn't need to know anything about the Age's Descriptive Book in order to write a working Linking Book that brings them back to that location.<ref name="RAWA 1998" /> It is not presently known what exactly needs to be written into a Linking Book to make it function. | |||
== Apocrypha == | == Apocrypha == | ||
=== Origins === | === Origins === | ||
A tale describing how Books were first invented appears in the canceled Myst comic books—specifically, [[ | A tale describing how Books were first invented appears in the canceled Myst comic books—specifically, [[Myst: The Book of the Black Ships issue 0]]. In it, a D'ni Guild Master named [[Varsil]] developed them to solve a famine that had ravaged the D'ni people for two generations. This story has been declared apocryphal by RAWA,<ref>Email, RAWA. [[Reference:RAWA/1998 Lyst posts#Friday, July 24, 1998|Archived message to the Riven Lyst]]. July 24, 1998.</ref> as it conflicts in many ways with established D'ni history. | ||
=== Trap Books === | === Trap Books === | ||
The games ''[[Myst (game)|Myst]]'' and ''[[Riven (game)|Riven]]'' depict a special type of Book called a '''Trap Book'''. [[Atrus]] describes these Books as ones where the link is partially severed, causing the user to become trapped in limbo between Ages. If another person uses the Book, the original user is displaced back into the originating Age, and the new user becomes trapped. The Red and Blue Books ([[Spire]] and [[Haven]]) in ''Myst'' and the Book used to capture [[Gehn]] in ''Riven'' are all Trap Books. However, this kind of Book does not actually exist. | The games ''[[Myst (game)|Myst]]'' and ''[[Riven (game)|Riven]]'' depict a special type of Book called a '''Trap Book'''. [[Atrus]] describes these Books as ones where the link is partially severed, causing the user to become trapped in limbo between Ages. If another person uses the Book, the original user is displaced back into the originating Age, and the new user becomes trapped. The Red and Blue Books ([[Spire]] and [[Haven]]) in ''Myst'' and the Book used to capture [[Gehn]] in ''Riven'' are all Trap Books. However, this kind of Book does not actually exist. | ||
In a 2000 email to the [[Riven Lyst]] community email listgroup, [[Reference:RAWA/2000 Lyst posts#Assorted ramblings... Very Long...|RAWA explains]] that Trap Books were an invention that [[Cyan]] developed in order to simplify the gameplay of the first two games in the series. Historically, these would all have been [[prison Age]]s—Ages with no Linking Books in them—and the [[Stranger]] would have needed to rely on other kinds of information to successfully complete the tasks of freeing Atrus from his prison on [[K'veer]] in ''Myst'', and trapping Gehn in a similar prison in ''Riven''. Indeed, ''[[Myst IV: Revelation]]'' abandons the Trap Book notion entirely, and fully fleshes out the appearance of the Ages in which [[Sirrus]] and [[Achenar]] were imprisoned for almost 20 years. | In a 2000 email to the [[Riven Lyst]] community email listgroup, [[Reference:RAWA/2000 Lyst posts#Assorted ramblings... Very Long...|RAWA explains]] that Trap Books were an invention that [[Cyan]] developed in order to simplify the gameplay of the first two games in the series. Historically, these would all have been [[prison Age]]s—Ages with no Linking Books in them—and the [[Stranger]] would have needed to rely on other kinds of information to successfully complete the tasks of freeing Atrus from his prison on [[K'veer]] in ''Myst'', and trapping Gehn in a similar prison in ''Riven''. Indeed, ''[[Myst IV: Revelation]]'' abandons the Trap Book notion entirely, and fully fleshes out the appearance of the Ages in which [[Sirrus]] and [[Achenar]] were imprisoned for almost 20 years. |