A Toast for the New Year

To the bad and the good, to the old and the new, to the past and the future.
To the DRC, to Yeesha, and to the Bahro.
To Cyan and Game Tap.
To the Cavern and all her Explorers.
But most of all, to the New Tree! Uru again!
May the ending never be written.

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It's hard to believe how far we've come in just a year. May our next year be even better!

Welcome to 2007 .

About that "Bahro thing"...

First off, I wanted to mention that everyone is fine. Marie Sutherland got back to me and said the DRC were all linked out as well, but they're fine. There have been no reports of missing people, and we've all been able to get back into the Cavern, though the DRC has put up barricades again and some equipment is missing. I'm not pleased about this, but more on that later.

The most exciting thing to me, aside from seeing so many old friends back again, is how huge the crowds have been! There are people everywhere, packing the 'hoods and Ae'gura. My Neighbors list regularly falls off my KI screen, and if I go to Ae'gura, the Age Players list will do the same (pushing everything else off, of course). It was rare to see this back in the D'mala, and it's so beautiful!

Not to mention that the DRC members have been making appearances all over, checking in with the explorers and answering questions. Well, some questions, anyway. They're better about it, but they're still keeping their secrets.

Which brings me back to the barricades and missing equipment. The "Bahro thing" of last Tuesday resulted in several other changes -- all the old KIs went inactive, the Nexus system reset, there was some kind of spike on the Lattice, several items have vanished in the Cavern and Ages including Relto -- and so the DRC have blocked off areas until they're sure things are safe. This makes sense to me, as their concern is our safety, though I think they're over-reacting. But there's something else that bothers me, and it regards the missing telescopes from the Neighborhoods.

(12/20 12:06:12) ireenquench: Did you take the telescope away? Or was that one of the inexplicable "subtle changes" caused by the incident?
(12/20 12:06:41) Victor Laxman: After the odd occurances yesterday, we're trying to be careful.
(12/20 12:06:58) Linkin' Imp: But, why the scope
(12/20 12:07:08) Victor Laxman: You never know what kind of damage a telescope can cause.

(12/21 19:20:21) Dr. Kodama: We have removed certain items until we are certain they are working properly.
(12/21 19:20:37) Dr. Kodama: The telescope...well it was best to have it gone for a while.

This strongly implies to me that there's something they didn't want us to see through the telescopes. Something they think will cause problems if we see it. (Because really, how else could a telescope cause damage?) They know something we don't, and they're not telling. This bothers me -- they still don't trust us. Then again, with how some of the explorers have been treating the DRC members, I can kind of understand that. But that's another rant for another time.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with how things are going. The barricades should be coming down next week, and the Gallery doors should be open as well, for the first time ever! The place is packed, and while the DRC is definitely keeping something from us, I'm sure it will be revealed in time. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. But things are happening, and that is a welcome change.

Strange things afoot in the Cavern today

Well, I really don't know what to say. I missed the events of today, but of course have caught up thanks to many forum posts and logs/video from other explorers. In short, during the meeting, everyone across the Cavern and Ages heard an incredibly loud Bahro scream, and then everyone, including the DRC, was linked out to Relto. Right now, nobody can make it back to the Cavern, and nobody knows what's going on. It seems everyone made it out okay, though I hear there are rumblings about sending in a search party tomorrow to check on things, even if they have to climb down the Great Shaft to get there! They just need to take some supplies and their Relto books for evacuation, if needed.

I sent a message to Marie Sutherland, asking if the DRC made it out okay, but have yet to receive a response. I hope she's just busy with the other DRC members trying to figure out what happened, and they're not injured/dead/trapped somehow. Well, if they are in trouble, hopefully we can get help to them soon, and anyone else who might be in trouble down there. I'll continue to hope for the best, though!

Finally, this event has interesting timing. The Restoration is scheduled to restart tomorrow, and there's serious concern that this could throw things off a bit. After nearly three years of delays, we'd hate to see it go any longer without real work going on. It's really amazing how far things degraded in just the two years they were gone, and how much work it's taken to get things back to a working level! I must hope that things will go as planned, despite this admittedly disturbing event, and will pick back up tomorrow. Assuming we can get back into the Cavern tomorrow...

Something exciting?

Wow, two updates in two days! It's unbelievable! Whatever could make me do this?

Well, see, there's a rumor going around. One from a source I find very reliable (RAWA at Cyan Worlds). There's already a Town Hall meeting planned for Tuesday, at 11AM Cavern Time (that's US Mountain Standard time), with someone (or more?) from the DRC. However, the rumor has it that something important will happen at the same time, and that anyone, anywhere in the Cavern will witness this something.

So, if you can get down to the Cavern, be sure to join in the D'mala that day. It's something you probably won't want to miss.

Days of the New

Forgive me for neglecting my blog -- it has been a very exciting time in the Cavern of late!

As of December 20, the DRC Restoration will be back in full swing. That's exactly one year since Victor Laxman's strange post appeared on the DRC forums. As JWPlatt put it, " Full restart from a cold engine in just one year. Awesome!" I have to agree!

It's hard to believe it's been only a year since the DRC returned. The D'mala has only been going since February, and here we are, ready to jump into the Restoration again! And thanks to the generous support of Turner Networks -- they've been spreading the word on their GameTap service, as well as funding the Restoration -- even more explorers will be joining us soon. (In fact, some of them have already made an appearance! Hello new explorers!)

How many of us never thought we'd see this day after the first shutdown? I know I did. The hope was always there, true, but realistically I figured it was over. D'ni would be left to the few who still ventured down, alone or in small groups. They might be able to maintain things, but the explorers simply did not have the resources to restore the Cavern and Ages. The Cavern wouldn't really breathe again, just remain on the respirator. And now... Now, she breathes, she grows, she stirs again. Next Wednesday, she will open her eyes, and be truly awake again for the first time in almost three years! She has slept lighter since the D'mala began, to be sure, but to be truly awake again! It is a dream come true, for myself, and for many, many others.

We don't know what's to come. We have hints, clues, but no real knowledge. Only that Yeesha will return as well as the DRC, and some mysterious 'he' and 'they' will show up too. Oh, and that destruction is coming, but what does that matter? We'll find a way and make a home together, as we always have.

I can't wait!

Spoken Word Night 25 - THE MOVIE!

So about two months ago, some friends and I (collectively known as "The Bad Boys and Girls of Uru") decided to put on a play. It was very loosely based on the history of the first Gathering, from when the DRC began restoring the Cavern again to the shutdown of the Restoration. We put the play on in the Cavern itself, live before other explorers! We recorded the performance, but I didn't get around to actually assembling the video properly until recently. But now, it is complete, and can be enjoyed by everyone!!

So, if you'd like to watch our play, Spoken Word Night 25 - Tales from the DRC, there are a few ways to do it. First, you can download it via BitTorrent using this torrent file. Also, you can download it from RapidShare, but it's in two parts (Part 1 and Part 2). Finally, thanks to GoogleVideo, you can watch it online here.

If you just like the soundtrack, you can also download that with BitTorrent or from RapidShare.

So yes, I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. And I hope it will be a good way for us to remember the past as we look toward the future. The grand re-opening of the Cavern will be next month, and it's something for which I'm thankful this Thanksgiving season.

Light a fire, and people get hopping

It seems that my last post (along with several others in blogs and forums) lit a bit of a fire under the DRC, and things have started moving forward again. We got a bit more information on the job (that we should be dealing with the DRC, not any funding groups like Cyan or GameTap), and the DRC is planning to meet with us on Wednesday. We have a few things planned to discuss with them, though mostly we're going to be strongly pushing them for a better idea of why they created the position in the first place. I think we're to the point that if they don't tell us, we'll just make it whatever we want it to be, and they may not like what we decide to do.

I'm actually happy to see this result, though I'm not pleased with how we got here. Though on the plus side (again), I'm hoping most of the frustration has been vented, and we can start working on making things better now.

I must apologize for this short post, but I must be off to bed. Hopefully I'll elaborate a bit more soon.

EDIT: I never came back and talked more about this, and felt I should at least clarify one thing. After further discussion, it was decided that we should work with the funding groups (Cyan and GameTap), as well as all explorer groups, to help in spreading information around. Our job is simply to spread information, however we can, from whoever needs it to the explorers at large. Obviously we'll be working mostly with the DRC, Cyan, and GameTap, but we hope to help the explorer groups as well, as their needs and our schedule allow. I think I'll leave more on this until after the Restoration starts again, and we have a clearer idea of how things will go in the future.

Don't like the system? Don't just complain, tell me how to fix it.

So, I've been neglecting my poor blog, even ignoring the beauty of SWN 25 and the recent DRC Liaison elections. But I was going to post something on the DRC forums, and thought perhaps it would be more appropriate here.

A bit of backstory first: We recently held the second round of DRCL elections. It was rushed, admittedly, and there was very little discussion of changes to the system (which, at the time, told me that there was little interest in making changes). The word was spread to every known active community forum, trying to let all the explorers know about it, and Vid even held a couple of meetings in the Cavern to talk about it! Not to mention it was brought up fairly regularly when I had the chance to get underground. The vote was delayed when the webmaster for our original site vanished, and when asked, we first-term DRCLs suggested someone who could help, then jumped out of the whole thing again. (We purposely took a hands-off approach to the election, only asking Zardoz and Trickster if they would be interested in running the show again, and suggesting Amon-Re for the new site when asked. Some may see this as a vast conspiracy, but there was none. At the point we asked Trickster and Zardoz, none of us were sure we'd even run again.)

Anyway, the second election went forth. Voter turnout was low, despite the posts on dozens of explorer forums, and while disappointing, nobody can say the effort wasn't made to make everyone aware of both in the pre-election process and of the voting itself. The five incumbent Liaisons (myself included) were re-elected, a surprise to all five us of currently in the job. Now the process has actively started to make changes for the next election, ask what exactly the people want from us, and see how to get voter involvement up. And, of course, the complaints have started again.

During the first term, we've been given a LOT of crap over our jobs. And no, I'm not talking constructive criticism, which is actually helpful, but just stuff like "You suck! We don't like you! Get the hell out! You're only after power/fame/privilege/Dr. Sutherland's body!" And really, that kind of stuff does get old. Admittedly, people don't know what all we do, and that's something we will try to remedy with a blog (thanks for that suggestion from lots of people), but really there IS very little power or privilege. (Running the question queue and setting up THs really isn't much power.) There may be some fame, but I'd say it's balanced out by the infamy.

Yes, all five of us very seriously considered staying out of this election, for those very reasons. In the end, we all ran again, for whatever reasons. For me, it was mostly a desire to help shape the job as we move into Live, and get things pinned down from the DRC as to what exactly we're supposed to do. (Despite our repetitive prodding, they've remained largely silent on what exactly this job is about, even though it's their idea in the first place! That's something we plan to remedy.) We're also going to push hard for more official webspace for our site, preferably something on the DRC's server, so there are fewer cries of bias for where we may have our site and forum set up. These things are largely designed to help out the future Liaisons as well as ourselves -- when things are more concrete, it will be easier for others (and ourselves) to do the job, and for people to figure out whether they even want to do it. Not to mention the ambiguity is contributing to may of the complaints as it is; hopefully a better description will end some of that as well.

But here's my biggest problem (and a solution!): The complaints that offer no suggestions on how to fix things. People are bitching and moaning, and I can understand that entirely. (I do it myself quite frequently to my friends here on the Surface.) But when we're actively asking for ideas on how to FIX those complaints, very few people are offering them! It's just arguing back and forth over this garbage, with people getting all offended at each other because they can't seem to keep things civil. Even when I personally come in and ask for suggestion on how to resolve those complaints, saying they're free to PM me or e-mail me if they don't want to share on the board for whatever reason (fear of getting attacked/belittled/debated/whatever), they don't tell me a damned thing. I WANT THIS INPUT. I want to make things better, and do what I can to make people happy with this system! BUT I CAN'T DO THAT IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. If you're just complaining, then I only know you're not happy. If you tell me how to fix your complaint, then I have a good idea of where to look to fix your unhappiness. It will at least give me ideas on what to ask, to help me understand better what you want.

People are even now still saying "We just don't want Liaisons at all." I understand that as well. But here's my reasoning on the matter: The DRC wants Liaisons. The DRC will have them, whether we pick them or not. (It was suggested during the first round that should we choose to refuse picking five explorers, the DRC would simply take the first five to volunteer.) Therefore, it is better for us that we choose the five. It gives us a chance to put people in the job whom we believe to be trustworthy, impartial, and good to work with. Think of it this way: The explorers are a huge board, in charge of hiring for the position of DRC Liaison, and you look at all the applicants and pick the best for the job. Our best move, then, is to make the system of picking applicants as fair and easy as possible for all the board members (the explorers) and all the applicants (the candidates).

I'm quite honestly sick of the bitching, the infighting, the personal attacks, and all this crap on the forums. I'm not even talking about those directed at the Liaisons, but at the explorers! We say so often how this is a better group than your random grouping of humanity, and while that's true for the most part, we're clearly still flawed humans when it comes to debate. We need more cool-headed, reasonable discussion, and less flamewarring and personal attacks.

PS: If you think we need term limits, I doubt we will. I doubt I'll stick around past this term, unless things improve vastly.

The sound of rain and thunder

There are very few things from the Surface that I miss in the Cavern. Thunderstorms are on that list.

I'm here in my house today, listening to rain pour from my roof, and the rumbles of thunder. I spend a lot of time on the Surface, unfortunately, as I have to make money. Luckilly, it's not hard to get to the Cavern, thanks to my Relto book.

Summer in Arkansas is always hot and dry, but this year has been unusually so around here. It's been a long time since I've heard a storm, and I've missed it. It always relaxes me. Strange though -- when I was a child, I was terrified of storms. I would call my mother at work if a storm woke me up at night, just so she could calm me down. And yet, by they time I was an adult, I loved storms. I studied meteorology for two and a half years in college, I love them so much. I fondly and vividly remember chasing storms across the vast plains of Oklahoma and Texas with my friends, always looking for the elusive supercell storm. We even caught it a few times!

There is rain and thunder in Eder Kemo, true. However, it doesn't feel the same. The storms are short, and mild. The power, the raw strength of a massive thunderstorm are missing. You don't hear the water pouring onto your roof, and off of it, blowing against the windows on all sides as the wind shifts around. You don't see the brilliant flashes through the curtains of rain that block all else. The thunder is nearly constant here, and it rattles windows and shakes your bones. Eder Kemo is relaxing as well, like a warm summer rain, but it lacks the power.

I know, I'm rambling. I guess it's just nice to feel this strength again, after so long without it. And it's a reminder that as much as I love the Cavern, there are times it's good to be on the Surface.

Always look on the bright side of life

First, of course, many are hurt because we were decieved. Starfyre was not who we thought she was. In a very real way we have lost an explorer. She's as dead now as if she had been hit by a car. However, we also get to add in the feelings of betrayal by a family member. For you see, the explorers really are like a big family. We bicker and argue at times over the small stuff (and not so small stuff), but in the end we get past it together.

However, we must keep in mind the positive things. The community came together for one of our own in need, as I think we would do anytime. Someone took advantage of the situation, but that makes the original actions of the explorers no less significant. Like a family, we take care of each other however we can, be it in the Cavern or on the Surface. We help; it's what we do!

It's part of what makes this group so wonderful. We will get past this deception, and life in the Cavern will continue as it has. We'll keep helping each other, and while we may be a bit more wary for a time, I'm sure we'll move just as quickly should (Yahvo forbid) another explorer require our help, and our sympathy, and our love. For that is simply who we are.

Starfyre will be missed for who we thought she was. The imposter who pretended to be her will be reviled, though even he may achieve forgiveness one day, should he truly come to regret his actions. Only time will tell. Until then, we have the Cavern, and each other. And that will be enough.

Sad news from the Cavern

Today, a dark cloud seems to hang over the Cavern and all the Ages. Early this morning, we lost one of our own. Starfyre was the founder of the AgeBuilders, a group learning how to Write their own Ages. She had gone to the Surface to pick up some supplies and spend time with her sister, but during that time she was the victim of a hit-and-run driver, and was in a coma upon arrival to the hospital. Her sister died soon after, and Starfyre died very early this morning.

She will be missed, and we will all be thinking of her family. Her loss will be felt throughout the Cavern. But, perhaps, the ending has not yet been written...

EDIT: Update.

I'm going to take some thinking time before I decide what to say/do about this entry.

Returning...

This time, before the official re-opening of the Cavern, but after the DRC reappeared, has been called D'mala by many. It is a time of returning, both for the DRC and for the explorers. Many who had moved on with their lives on the Surface came back to the Cavern as soon as they heard the news, and had gathered together a few supplies. Of course, many of us had been in the Cavern since it returned to sleep, usually alone, but sometimes in groups. But while there was life in the Cavern, D'ni still slept. The hope, while not gone, was very low that she would ever wake.

But since the DRC returned, the hope has flown high! Life has returned to D'ni, and the explorers again find ways to amuse themselves. For while there is still little new to explore (that will come after the official re-opening), we must keep things going ourselves. We party a lot (hey, we're a group that loves a good party), both in organized events, and in random groupings. We share stories with each other. We have sewing circles, and scholarly discussions. We just hang around and talk about whatever comes to mind. Yesterday, I participated in a race through the five Ages we have available to us. I did quite well, finishing in two hours and 14 minutes! (The best time was set by Mark Dev and his team, at one hour and 20 minutes. That'll be a tough one to beat!) In short, we find things to keep ourselves busy in the D'mala, until the Restoration truly begins again.

Some time back, the DRC asked for five Liaisons, people who could help with gathering and spreading information. After all, the DRC are few, and the explorers are many. They wanted some people who could help to spread information around, who would be around when the DRC wasn't and could answer questions. They left it up to us as to how we should pick the five, and that in itself was a task. But after much discussion, debate, and a couple of scandals (for what's an election without scandal?), the five Liaisons were chosen. I was lucky enough to be one of the five. (Lucky?? That may be debatable, but I think in the end I was lucky.) We've been doing our part to keep D'mala alive, scheduling meetings with DRC members to keep the explorers up-to-date on where things stand. As usual, the DRC hasn't answered all the questions, but they've done quite a bit better than in the past.

In the end, we do what we can. Our time has truly been short, but it has been good. We'll make the most of it, gathering together to enjoy our company. We will relax and enjoy what we have, before the work begins again. And it will start again, sooner than we think.

Remembering...

The anticipation is growing. Soon, the Cavern will wake, filled with Explorers. There will be new Ages to explore, new events in which to participate, and new people to meet. D'ni is already waking, its long slumber ending, as a few explorers have found their way down to the Cavern. But soon, after trying to wake her once, she will truly come alive. She's been hitting the snooze alarm enough.

For those of you who don't know, let me fill you in on a bit of the history. About 10,000 years ago, an ancient race called the Ronay left their world, Garternay ("Root of the Tree"). Their sun was going nova, and their world would be destroyed. However, the Ronay had discovered the Art, a way to write books that would literally take you to another world! These worlds, or Ages as they were called, were written by masters of the Art, and used for any purpose of which you could concieve. Once the Ronay realized they would have to leave their world, they commissioned their greatest master Writers to create new Ages for the Ronay. Many went to the same Ages, but there were smaller splinter groups. One such group was led by a man named Ri'neref, who wrote the Age of D'ni, a great cavern beneath the surface of our very planet. They came to the Cavern to avoid the pride of the Ronay society, and become humble under Yahvo, the Maker.

Now, over the last 10,000 years, there has been a lot of history. The D'ni civilization, and the Cavern, grew. At its height, there were about 6 million D'ni, living in the Cavern and the myriad of D'ni Ages. If you want more detail, search for "D'ni history" and you will find all you want to know. But about 250 years ago, the D'ni civilization fell. Most of the D'ni died in Veovis's Revolt; even those who escaped to other Ages were not safe. The Cavern was left damaged, with many places reduced to ruins, and empty of nearly all life. One of the survivors was Gehn, father of Atrus, writer of Riven. The history of Veovis's Revolt and Atrus's family prior to Myst is told in The Book of Ti'ana and The Book of Atrus. The Book of D'ni follows the events of Riven, and Myst III: Exile, Myst IV: Revelation, and Myst V: End of Ages complete that history.

On to more recent events. In the late 1980s, John Loftin (an avid cave explorer) discovered the Cavern, lying beneath a dormant volcano in New Mexico. He and his friend Elias Zandi made several trips together into the D'ni caverns, joined by Dr. Richard A. Watson in 1990. Rand and Robyn Miller were brought into the group in the early 90s to work on translating D'ni journals, and Dr. Watson brought in some former colleagues to help with the work in the Cavern.

Zandi set up the D'ni Restoration Foundation, and the group began work to both learn the history of D'ni, and return the Cavern and Ages to their former glory. It was a project that would take decades. In 1996, Elias Zandi died of a heart attack. He left his funds to the DRF, and the land around the volcano to his son, Jeff Zandi. Dr. Watson took over as head of the DRF, later to become the DRC (D'ni Restoration Council), a non-profit scientific and research organization. Some of the journals of Atrus's family had been found, and became the basis of the Myst books and games we know and love. Again, this is a simplified history; you should search the web for more details, if you want them.

In 2002, the first Authorized Explorers were allowed into the Cavern. These were people who felt the call to D'ni, and were allowed in by the DRC to explore the City and some of the Ages. They helped to find problems in the restored D'ni technology, and assisted the DRC in other ways as needed. However, Jeff Zandi had been at odds with the DRC's way of handling matters since the time his father was in charge. In 2003, he helped others who felt the call to D'ni gain access. Yeesha, daughter of Atrus, had prepared a Journey for us to follow. Zandi allowed these new explorers access to the Cleft, and to Yeesha's Age of Relto. From Relto, the explorers had access to D'ni and to five other Ages, where they learned the secret history of the D'ni. The DRC was not terribly happy about thousands of new, unapproved people appearing in the Cavern, but they tolerated it.

Sadly, in 2004, the DRC's funding ran dry, and the Restoration ended. For the first time since 1993, the Cavern was again empty. Some explorers were able to explore along or in small groups, and Yeesha allowed access to two more Ages where her Journey continued, but the DRC was gone, and there would be no further restoration of D'ni. It was a very sad time for all involved, as D'ni slept once again. But the explorers never lost hope, for as Atrus said, "Perhaps the ending has not yet been written."

Late last year, the DRC site's forums started to show activity. Someone was interested in funding the DRC, and restarting the Restoration. Nothing was definite, "cautious optimism" was the rule, but it was a beginning. D'ni fluttered her eyes, and began to wake from her dream.

In February, almost exactly two years after the DRC left, the Cavern was again opened to the Explorers. Nearly 2000 flooded back in the first month it was open, and the City again rang with the sounds of people. The Neighborhoods again grew, and the Ages opened. Old explorers returned to a home closed to them for two years. New explorers, who had missed the previous chance, began the Journey. The DRC returned, and began to repair problems that had developed over the last two years. They also began to restore new Ages. Things remained uncertain, but the hope of the Explorers and the DRC was soaring. D'ni quickened her breathing, the dream fading from her memory.

In May, it was revealed that Blake Lewin, of Turner Entertainment (Time Warner), had convinced his superiors that the DRC's efforts were worthy, and the Restoration was funded! Celebrations broke out throughout the Cavern and the Ages, and "cautious optimism" was replaced with "flagrant optimism". Even though the DRC assured us time and again that nothing was certain, and that things still might not work out, the Explorers could not contain their glee. The Ending had NOT been written! D'ni stirred, and her eyes opened. Her dream was quickly becoming reality.

Which brings us to now. The work goes forward, as the DRC members expend great effort trying to do so much with so few. The Explorers gather, growing in number daily. The Journey is completed, and a new Journey is set to begin. We wait, and watch, and hope. The stone is hard; the stonecutter is patient. Soon, the new Journey will begin. Destruction is coming. Find a way. Make a home.

I am Vortmax. I am an Explorer, Called to D'ni. I follow the Journey. I walk the Path of the Great Tree. I am a Liaison to the DRC. I move through Ages at the touch of a Book. I am Gathered with friends and family, for all the Called are a family.

D'ni wakes. D'ni breathes. D'ni calls. Will you heed her call?

Join the Gathered. Heed the Call.