D'ni caverns
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Note: Fictional details from the Myst franchise follow, and will be treated as facts.
The D'ni caverns are but a small part of the Age of D'ni, written by Ri'neref. This article concerns those parts of the Age which are part of D'ni proper — that is, the caverns themselves. It is known that the caves were inhabited by mysterious native creatures before the arrival of the D'ni, called by them Bahro.
The main Cavern which houses the D'ni city holds an underground lake which contains an unidentified species of luminescent algae live. These algae gave off enough light to light up the entire Cavern, in a 25-hour cycle which formed the natural day and night for the D'ni. Through unknown means of poisoning the algae nearly all died off, and still have not fully recovered. The result is that level of light these algae give off was diminished to the current eternal gloom. It has however been revealed that with the proper food (a form of highly processed grain) the level of light these algae give off can be dramatically increased to its former levels.
The lake holds multiple islands, of which the largest is Ae'gura. Other large islands were held by the richest families, such as the island of K'Veer. On the lake "shores", hugging the cavern walls, the City Proper was built.
This main Cavern is connected to other, smaller caverns through tunnels. Some of these tunnels are natural, others are dug by the D'ni themselves. One particular series of tunnels and caverns eventually leads to the Great Shaft, which allows access to the surface. These tunnels are coated in nara, a form of highly processed material which is nearly indestructable, and gives off light. The other caverns are now mostly dark, but most of them were lit through unknown means in the past.
The D'ni cavern system is likely related to the Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico, and may in fact be connected to it.
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The City
The City formed the core of the D'ni empire, and most of the D'ni structures and population was centred here.
Ae'gura
Ae'gura_Age.jpg
Ae'gura is the largest island in the D'ni main cavern, somewhat resembling a jagged tooth rising up from the lake. It is sometimes referred to as the City, as Ae'gura is the oldest part of the D'ni capital. The rest of the city is then referred to as the City Proper.
The "city" links in Uru all link to locations on Ae'gura.
Kadish Gallery
Kadishgallery.jpg
The Kadish Gallery was bought by Guildmaster Kadish after his dismissal from the Guild of Writers. It is filled with many beautiful stained glass pieces, some of which contain clues to the puzzles in Kadish Tolesa. Some of the pieces in the gallery are by outsider (that is, non-D'ni) artists.
The Kadish Gallery was designated City Interior 0080 by the DRC when they started the restoration. It had completed Phase 5 of its restoration when the cavern was closed.
Tokotah Rooftop/Office
The Tokotah Rooftop, and the office below were used by the D'ni Restoration Council in their effort to restore the D'ni city.
It is sometimes called Dakotah.
Spy Office
A small room which was somehow shielded from the Great Zero, but could spy through a telescope on the Tokotah office. Douglas Sharper often looked in on high-level DRC meetings without the Council's knowledge.
Baron's Office
A room owned by Douglas Sharper, who also maintained the Age of Teledahn.
The Watcher's Sanctuary (Rolep)
Also called the Great Tree Pub. This location, while also based in the Cavern, was unreachable without Linking Books. The most notable feature about it is the Great Tree, an immense tree built out of stone, which represents a concept from D'ni religion. The Pub and Tree were built shortly after the arrival of the D'ni on Earth, and it changed hands many times. One of its owners was the Watcher, a Nostradamus-like D'ni prophet. Shortly before the downfall it became the property of Guildmaster Kadish, who also owned the Kadish Art Gallery and the Age of Kadish Tolesa.
Rolep is an older name for the place which it held during beta testing, and which is still used in the game files. It does not occur in Uru otherwise.
K'veer
K'veer_Age.jpg
K'veer is the island in the D'ni cavern which was inhabited by Veovis' family. It is also where the dramatic events of the end of the Book of Ti'ana take place.
Gehn later made the island his base of operations in D'ni, and imprisoned Atrus here during the events of the Book of Atrus. Years later, Atrus' sons trapped him there once more, but soon after, the Stranger first met Atrus there at the end of the Myst game and freed him (and again during the opening scene of Riven).
In the beginning of the Book of D'ni Atrus manages with the help of the Averonese to open the crumbled exit of the room and gain access to the rest of the city.
In the game Myst, this place is referred to as simply as D'ni.
Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods of the D'ni city are the city areas which hug the edges of the main cavern. They are based on a few basic forms, with only small differences between them. The neighbourhoods are inaccessible except through the Nexus, which perhaps explains why they are mostly undamaged.
In the game Uru: Ages Beyond Myst and its expansion packs a number of neighbourhoods appear, notably Bevin, a neighbourhood which can be Linked to from Relto, and Kirel, the DRC neighbourhood.
The Great Zero
The Great Zero is a device placed in an otherwise inaccessible area of Ae'gura, where the neutrino dispenser which provides the locational markers in D'ni resides. Once calibrated, a KI can report the location of the wearer based on the neutrino rays emanating from the Great Zero.
The DRC referred to the Great Zero as "Rezeero," which is badly-formed D'ni for "The Zero." The true D'ni phrase for "The Great Zero" is "Reroon Gahro."
Grain Silo
The city held several silos to store the food brought in from the various Ages. One of them, a grain silo, can be reached through the granary age of Er'cana. It is unknown where the silo precisely is located, but the locational markers on the Ki suggest it is inside the main Cavern, but far away from the main city, in one of the industrial districts which cannot be visited. This particular silo served to store food for the luminescent algae in the main Cavern, not to feed the people of D'ni.
During the time of the D'ni civilization, this Silo was known as Uran, and later Ashem'em.
Great Shaft
The Great Shaft was a joint project of the Guilds of Surveyors, Miners, Stonemasons, and Cartographers, which attempted to build a tunnel and shaft to the Surface. Although the project was abandoned just before completion, it still allowed for a way from D'ni to the surface. The "end" of the Shaft is located near the Cleft.
Bahro Caves
Not part of the D'ni empire, the Bahro Caves are the homes of the original inhabitants of the underground D'ni caverns, the Bahro (beast-people). The Bahro Caves play an important role in the game Uru.