Editing Great Shaft
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{{infobox location | {{infobox location | ||
| image = Great Shaft.jpg | | image = Great Shaft.jpg | ||
| link-ins = | | link-ins = [[Eder tomahn]] (central level) | ||
| location = [[Descent]] | | location = [[Descent]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Great Shaft''' is the culmination of over two years' worth of work, performed primarily by the [[Guild of Surveyors]], to dig a tunnel to connect the D'ni [[cavern]] to the surface of the Earth. Initially, such a construction was rejected because of the risk it posed to the security of D'ni, and so the Surveyors tunneled for over two years, at a maximum incline of 3825 ''torans'' (22.032 degrees). Eventually, however, the [[Guild Council]] grew impatient with the slow progress of the project, and so in [[9336 DE]] they approved the construction of the Great Shaft, which bores straight up over three miles, stopping just below the surface. | The '''Great Shaft''' (''regahro tiwah'', <dni>regaro tiwa</dni>) is the culmination of over two years' worth of work, performed primarily by the [[Guild of Surveyors]], to dig a tunnel to connect the D'ni [[cavern]] to the surface of the Earth. Initially, such a construction was rejected because of the risk it posed to the security of D'ni, and so the Surveyors tunneled for over two years, at a maximum incline of 3825 ''torans'' (22.032 degrees). Eventually, however, the [[Guild Council]] grew impatient with the slow progress of the project, and so in [[9336 DE]] they approved the construction of the Great Shaft, which bores straight up over three miles, stopping just below the surface. | ||
== Design == | == Design == | ||
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=== Sealing === | === Sealing === | ||
When the shaft was nearly complete, an earthquake struck the area, cracking the wall and causing multiple injuries and fatalities. The incident nearly claimed the life of [ | When the shaft was nearly complete, an earthquake struck the area, cracking the wall and causing multiple injuries and fatalities. The incident nearly claimed the life of [{Veovis}], a young D'ni Lord who had attended the dedication ceremony at the top of the shaft earlier that day. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Council ordered that the shaft be repaired, and the entrance from the surface sealed. The decision to close the shaft was not a result of the earthquake, but rather a final reluctance on the part of the Council to permit contact with anyone who might live on the surface. | ||
=== Human discovery === | === Human discovery === | ||
About 30 years after the Great Shaft was ordered sealed, a young woman named [[Anna]] and her father discovered the natural cave on the surface which led to the shaft's entrance. After the death of her father, Anna decided to explore the cave further. She found a small gap in the plug of stone which the D'ni had injected into the cave, and eventually navigated her way into D'ni itself. She was the only human to journey down the shaft before the [[fall of D'ni]]. | About 30 years after the Great Shaft was ordered sealed, a young woman named [[Anna]] and her father discovered the natural cave on the surface which led to the shaft's entrance. After the death of her father, Anna decided to explore the cave further. She found a small gap in the plug of stone which the D'ni had injected into the cave, and eventually navigated her way into D'ni itself. She was the only human to journey down the shaft before the [[fall of D'ni]]. | ||
Centuries later, in the late 1980s, a man named [[John Loftin|John "Fighting Branch" Loftin]] rediscovered the Great Shaft, and over the next two decades, he—and later, the [[D'ni Restoration Council]]—would use the Great Shaft and the tunnels connected to it to access the underground cavern of D'ni. In 2003, Dr. [[Richard A. Watson]] returned to the surface by way of the Shaft following the presumed death of a DRC Restoration Engineer, [[Phil Henderson]]. On his way to the Surface, he stopped to rest in one of the rest houses located along the ascent, leaving [[Reference:Richard Watson, personal journal|his journal]] behind with a final note that he was going to take the [[ | Centuries later, in the late 1980s, a man named [[John Loftin|John "Fighting Branch" Loftin]] rediscovered the Great Shaft, and over the next two decades, he—and later, the [[D'ni Restoration Council]]—would use the Great Shaft and the tunnels connected to it to access the underground cavern of D'ni. In 2003, Dr. [[Richard A. Watson]] returned to the surface by way of the Shaft following the presumed death of a DRC Restoration Engineer, [[Phil Henderson]]. On his way to the Surface, he stopped to rest in one of the rest houses located along the ascent, leaving [[Reference:Richard Watson, personal journal|his journal]] behind with a final note that he was going to take the [[Journey]] that [[Yeesha]] had been offering to explorers. | ||
The Great Shaft also played a significant role in [[Myst V: End of Ages]], which depicted the actions of Dr. Watson following his disappearance. Released by Cyan Worlds in 2005 and thought to have been created shortly after the events it depicts, the game shows a number of changes to the Great Shaft, including operating elevators, improved lighting, support struts to improve stability, and intermittent quakes. Dr. Watson's journal is gone, and the [[Nexus terminal]]s link to the rest [[Age]] of [[Direbo]], rather than to the [[Nexus]] itself. Cyan, and RAWA specifically, have indicated that these changes were artistic in nature. | The Great Shaft also played a significant role in [[Myst V: End of Ages]], which depicted the actions of Dr. Watson following his disappearance. Released by Cyan Worlds in 2005 and thought to have been created shortly after the events it depicts, the game shows a number of changes to the Great Shaft, including operating elevators, improved lighting, support struts to improve stability, and intermittent quakes. Dr. Watson's journal is gone, and the [[Nexus terminal]]s link to the rest [[Age]] of [[Direbo]], rather than to the [[Nexus]] itself. Cyan, and RAWA specifically, have indicated that these changes were artistic in nature. | ||
