Worlds of Incredible Wonder Await Those Looking for Adventure, Provided They Can Turn on the Power.
By Atrus

D'NI - I knew the moment the book fell into the starry fissure that it would not be destroyed as I had planned. Instead, it would land somewhere, in some time, and lay in wait. Perhaps an unwary traveller would stumble upon it and, not knowing what lay within the book, open it. Should he do so, he would be brought to worlds of unimaginable beauty and intrigue, that he could explore and enjoy freely, provided he could figure out how to turn on the power.

My father taught me a rare talent. A talent all but forgotten, except by a few who still practice the art. With much care and creativity, we can write books to describe entirely new worlds. These books can then be used to "link" to these worlds. We don't create the worlds; we merely provide a method for travelling to these unexplored places; places beyond both time and imagination.

With the linking book lost to the void, I suspected that some person previously unfamiliar with the idea of linking between Ages, as they are called, may be brought to our home. Their, his senses would be dazzled, his mind amazed by the sights and sounds that greeted him. The things there may not be thought of by any mortal mind. An elevator into the trees, powered by the water from a windmill; a ship merged with a rocky spire, whose lights are powered by a generator in a lighthouse. The eager traveller could spend days, months, years, exploring the fascinations these worlds have to offer. That is, assuming he is clever enough to restore power to the worlds.

Through the art of writing, we can link to ages that exist beyond time and space. The powers of Father Time may seem to have no effect on the features of the ages. A metal panel can last a hundred years with no signs of rust. Rain can fall on a cliff face for millenia with no errosion. But for some reason, which neither my father nor I could ever deduce after years of research, is why the power would go out if left unattended for any serious length of time. And heaven help he who has to restore the power. A keen mind is just the beginning to figuring out what is needed.

For instance, once of the more magnificent Ages that I have ever linked to, Riven it was called, had some of the most amazing wonders. Hanging carts that speed through the air enabling quick transit from one island to the next. Microscopic bacteria that would repel water, and could thus be used to create tunnels underwater. The curious could spend a lifetime and not uncover all the secrets Riven had to offer. This is assuming that said curious could figure out how to restart the power generator. First, he would have to travel to each island and locate a small dome. But getting to each island is among one of the many challenges he will face. Assuming he is capable of not only getting to each island but also finding the dome, he would then have to note the particular color referred to on the dome. But even then, the color isn't shown. Instead, a symbol is shown that indicates a color. But these symbols aren't used anywhere other than on Riven, so the traveller would have to be fortunate enough to find a piece of paper that translates what each symbol means. But he still isn't done. On one particular island of the Age, he would have to find a special room with a holographic projector that tells him where, on a grid, each dome is located on each island. He better be writing this down, too, because there's no way he could remember this. Once he's found this out, he'd have to get to the power control room, which isn't easy to get to, and place the correctly colored marbles on the correct squares of a board consisting of hundreds of spaces. Even then, he will still have to guess about the color of the last marble. Only then could our traveller-friend restore power to Riven.

I sit here in D'ni, unable to leave. My sons have trapped me here. My father, turned evil, has imprisoned my wife. My only hope is for a traveller to discover the lost linking book and come to my aid. The traveller would have to be incredibly clever just to find me, though.

I'm not holding my breath.