Away in a remote corner of Mead, Washington, D’ni researchers continue to uncover fascinating texts and relics of an ancient hidden civilization. Many details have been revealed in three books and four popular computer games or as Rand Miller of Cyan prefers, “immersive environments”. As the stories weave, intertwine and diverge, it becomes increasingly difficult to reference the sequence of events and their relationship to distant D’ni history. This guide seeks to lay out for both the casual and serious student of this ancient culture, a summary of the books and immersive environments published so far. Names and places are identified and a glossary of D'ni terms introduced in the books and game scripts is included.
Keep in mind that the books reflect much of what we know of D'ni lore, but as pointed out by D'ni historian Richard A. Watson of Cyan, "there are varying levels of artistic license in both the novels and the games. The most accurate way to describe it is that the novels and games are 'based on' the stories of Atrus' life." Also there are occasional errors that were not caught in the editorial process. The games engage in perhaps a greater measure of artistic license since their primary purpose is to entertain and immerse the game player in worlds so different from their own everyday environment. Presto Studios carried on the Myst tradition in the third installment: Exile. This follows another thread of the D'ni story and while it is not considered canon, it is consistent with basic elements of the stories told thus far. It's included here as is realMyst, a recreated more immersive 3D version of Myst.
It's prohibitive to be as comprehensive as I would like to be with this site, but I'm fortunate to be able to rely on resources provided by many other fans of the D'ni story. For clarification of some concepts and terms, highlighted items could link through to another fan site, to Cyan, or to a more detailed explanation on this site. If you come across anything that needs further enlightenment, but none is provided, please notify me using the email link below. Many thanks to the multitude of friends I've made among Myst/Riven fans. Discussions on various points of the D'ni story have led to providing the fan community with a resource site that fans can access for book and game story information.
The way this site works...
The Links to the left lead to a page from which you can select a brief synopsis of the novels. Information for the story line in Myst, Riven and Exile has been posted so far. For the novels, more in-depth summaries can be reached through the Summary button or through underlined links in the document. Further information for places, biographies and D'ni terms can be accessed on the Summary page. The Commentary provides background information on D'ni culture and concepts. The Links, Commentary, and Glossary pages are common resources to the games and novels. The Summary page will provide very specific details about the novel or game story. Don't view any of these pages if you haven't read the books or played the games and intend to do so, unless you don't mind spoilers. I highly recommend getting the books and games for yourself and then using this site to refresh your memory on various details.
Advice and constructive comments are greatly appreciated. You can contact me at my email address.
January 9, 2003-No'Vah's D'ni Pocket Dictionary is now available for downloading. Simply follow the directions on the dictionary page of this web site. Thank you No'Vah. This is a terrific resource as we discover Uru.
May 7, 2007-It's hard to believe that I've been so inactive for so long, although truthfully, I've lurked for the past few years on the edges of the Myst community as my career progressed and took much of my time. Then in September of 2005 I learned that I had cancer. The next year I was immersed in treatment and found it extremely difficult and at times frustrating to apply my mind to Complete Chronicles, Revelation and End of Ages. I still have to work my way through End of Ages. I feel like I'm finally coming through the other side of a long dark tunnel, and while I anticipate progress will still be slow, I'm looking forward to updating this site. Thank you to those who've sent emails of appreciation for what is available here. If I've not responded, I apologize. It has been all I could do to keep the basics of life manageable. Please bear with me as I gradually update this site and finally add content on realMyst. Shorah b'shem 'tee!
