Catherine
 | |
| Race | Rivenese |
|---|---|
| Name in D'ni | KåTrin |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | Atrus |
| Children | Achenar, Sirrus, Yeesha |
| Portrayed by |
|
Katran (often called Catherine by English speakers) was a native of Riven, an Age written by Gehn. She helped Atrus trap Gehn on Riven in an attempt to keep him from destroying any more civilizations the way he had destroyed those on Age 37 and, to some extent, Age 5 (Riven). She later married Atrus, and together they had three children: Sirrus, Achenar, and Yeesha.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Growing up on Riven[edit | edit source]
As a child, Catherine never felt like she fit in among her own people, apart from the friendships she developed with Eti and Eavan. Under Gehn's rule, she was a part of his efforts to re-create the D'ni guild system. He taught her how to write Ages and speak D'ni. She was even trusted enough to travel to K'veer without supervision. Despite this level of trust, however, Catherine still questioned Gehn's claims of god-hood and his authority to rule over her people. When Eavan was executed for espousing these views publicly, she felt personally responsible for his death.
Myst[edit | edit source]
During one of her visits to K'veer, she met Anna, Gehn's mother, who had been carefully watching Gehn's treatment of his son, Atrus, from the shadows. They quickly began to develop a plan for putting an end to Gehn's crusade to rebuild D'ni in his image. When Atrus later visited Riven, she worked with him toward this end as well, but although the two of them grew very close, she kept Anna's involvement a secret. Together, they worked from Myst – which Catherine claimed she wrote – to finalize their plans and establish a refuge from his oversight.
After Gehn was securely imprisoned on Riven, Catherine revealed Anna's involvement to Atrus, and the three of them moved permanently to Myst, severing all but a single tie back to D'ni. She soon married Atrus, and gave birth to their first two children, Achenar and Sirrus.
Always reticent about her ability to Write Ages, she was put off of the practice entirely when Anna died after visiting an Age that she had written. She blamed herself for Anna's death, and it seems after this that she became reluctant not only to write, but also to even travel to other Ages for a long time.
When Sirrus and Achenar turned on their parents, she was tricked into going to Riven, where she joined the Black Moiety, rebels against Gehn's rule. Despite her pleasure at being among her people again, she was troubled by the discovery that they worshiped her and Atrus as gods, and she was only close with Eti and Nelah. When the Moiety recovered one of Gehn's rejected books, Catherine was able to write a new Age as a sanctuary for them, which they named Tay. But when she returned to Riven she was captured by Gehn. Riven had now begun to collapse, and Atrus was unable to go rescue her. When the Stranger rescued Atrus from his prison in D'ni, he saw a way to get his beloved wife back, and ensure the permanent capture of Gehn at the same time. The Stranger freed Catherine, and she evacuated the Rivenese from their dying Age to Tay before reuniting with Atrus and returning to D'ni.
Rebuilding D'ni[edit | edit source]
Catherine played a major role in helping her husband's efforts to rebuild D'ni. She was part of the expedition to Terahnee, and developed an interest in the prophesies of the Ronay – the common ancestors of both the D'ni and Terahnee civilizations – which seemed to predict much of how both civilizations eventually fell, and which resonated with her own mystical, intuitive side. When Atrus chose to abandon the D'ni cavern after returning from Terahnee, the two moved to Tomahna, where Atrus began to write Releeshahn, a new home for the surviving D'ni people. During that time, Catherine also gave birth to their third child, Yeesha. According to her journals, she kept in regular contact with the Rivenese, and also introduced her daughter to them. She also took a keen interest in botany after moving to Tomahna, as two rooms of the house are filled to bursting with plants, pots, and incubators.
Final years[edit | edit source]
Eighteen years after the events of Myst, Catherine began to regret the decision she and Atrus had made to leave Sirrus and Achenar trapped in their Prison Ages. She devised a plan to write secure chambers into the two Prison Ages so that they could visit their sons and determine if they were fit to be set free. Unfortunately, this nearly ended in disaster due to Sirrus's continued lust for power. Sirrus and Achenar both died, and Yeesha barely escaped a similar fate with the help of the Stranger.
Years later, she and Atrus bade farewell to their daughter as she struck out to find her destiny in D'ni. Some time after that, she died in Tomahna; the date and circumstances are unknown.
Writings[edit | edit source]
Ages[edit | edit source]
Three of Catherine's Ages are known. The first has no formal name, but is often called the Torus Age. The second is Serenia. The third, which Catherine modified from one of Gehn's failed attempts, is Tay. Her writing was inspired by her dreams and broke many of the established rules of the Art.
Journals[edit | edit source]
Much of what we know of Atrus's family history has been gleaned from journals left behind in D'ni by Catherine. The DRC discovered them during their early restoration efforts, and they served as the basis for the Myst series of video games.
In addition to these historical documents, Catherine also wrote personal journals, of which two have been reproduced in the games:
