Dearest mother,

The best and most peaceful of new years to you. (The humans have remembered, by the way — there are sparklers on and near the fountain in Bevin, and lanterns everywhere, and a banner with New Year greetings in English and D’ni.)

What a tangle of emotions is within me, to be here on this day! I have written to you before of the surface sect called the Jews, and how they recall their holy city each year: “Next year in Jerusalem.” This year… I am in D’ni.

And yet, it is not D’ni; it is a dead place, and I am among outsiders. Even the true D’ni have given up on this place, and fled to Releeshan, or elsewhere. It was once home to me… but no longer. It is the humans’, now.

Ah — perhaps Atrus was right; perhaps it is for the best — the thought of a struggle between D’ni and human for control of this place — a holy war, waged by fanatics like A’Gaeris — distresses me. I have, after all, been to Jerusalem — but no, it is not the same, not quite. I have no answers; I have only confusion.

Only confusion.

Your confused son,

Naron

Dearest mother,

I have wonderful news to relate: There is a large community of D’ni survivors! I do not yet know how to reach them but it may soon be possible for you to leave Kedross and be among other D’ni at last. They have settled in an Age called Releeshan — written, as it turns out, by Atrus.

By the way, your speculation was correct: Atrus is indeed the grandson of Aitrus and Ti’anna, of — I almost wrote, “of infamy,” but really, what did they do that was infamous? It was the madmen who poisoned all of D’ni to spite them who deserve infamy. (Humans are not immune to this sort of madness, alas.) In any event, Ti’anna and their son, Gehn, fled up the Great Shaft after the Fall (settling after they emerged in the Cleft now guarded by Zandi in his metal caravan). Gehn married (I do not know yet whether his wife was D’ni), but his wife died giving birth to Atrus, their only son, and in his grief he returned to D’ni, leaving Atrus in the care of his mother.

Gehn, too, proved a madman — an incompetent Writer who nonetheless fancied himself a god, ill-using the natives of his Ages. Here I become less certain of the story — what I relate to you here is a synopsis given to me by one of my new neighbors, a woman named Catherine (!) (you will learn the reason for the exclamation mark shortly) — I will tell you more of her in a bit. But it seems that at some point Gehn resumed the upbringing of his son, teaching him the Art — and grew jealous as Atrus began to surpass him in skill. In the meantime, Atrus fell in love with a native of an Age called Riven (another part uncertain in the telling — I gather that Atrus wrote the Age but his father made disastrous modifications to it — I may be mistaken in this understanding).

As he and this woman — named Katran or Catherine (you see now the reason for the exclamation point) — realized the extent of his father’s madness, they decided to trap him upon Riven — ah, I realize now that I forgot to tell you one of the odder features of the land near the Cleft. On the other side of the volcano from the Cleft is some quite curious wreckage: the bones of a large sea animal, and the broken pieces of some sort of optical instrument. These, it turns out, are from Riven! Ti’anna and Catherine modified the Riven description book to include what was described as a “star fissure” — a rip in the substance of the Age itself. Atrus held the last linking book over this fissure so that it would fall in after he linked…

Ah, I am telling too long a story again. I had only meant to tell you that Atrus and Catherine had a daughter, Yeesha — the madwoman-prophetess of the imager in the Cleft — and that Atrus gathered a number of survivors unto himself and, after concluding that they could not resettle D’ni, wrote a new Age for them, Releeshan, and there he, and they, remain.

As I said, the woman (human) who told me this is also named Catherine, and is one of my new neighbors on “Eder Gira Island.” She is here after encountering a D’ni chamber during an archaeological expedition on the surface some distance away from the Cavern, in a place called Mexico. She had not previously heard of D’ni, and is now investigating the D’ni who went to the surface to live among humans. As you may well imagine, this line of discussion caused some discomfort, but I believe I was able to hide it. (I had thought at first that she had simply found a chamber linking to a family Age, as with the Kedross room when I first linked to the surface, but there are curious aspects to her story. It is tempting to try to learn more — do not worry, I have resisted the temptation; I recognize the risk of revealing myself.)

Another of my neighbors, Issis, was most welcoming; she supplied me with information on where to find good, inexpensive furnishings for my bungalow. The owner was present at one of the shops on her list, another lovely, welcoming woman named DeeAn who learned where I had rented and asked if I were an exile like herself! It turned out that she meant the humans forced out of the Cavern after the restoration council’s departure; I told her I was new to D’ni, which is true enough in its way, and she asked whether I had completed the Journey yet (Yeesha’s “request”).

I am hesitant to do so, and I am not entirely certain why. Yeesha scares me, I think; I fear falling under her spell and becoming a fanatic. I have seen well enough what fanaticism does, both in D’ni and on the surface (I see it even now, and fear it). But I think I will have to, eventually, if I am to understand these humans and what they are doing here — and, perhaps, if I am to understand D’ni… and myself.

Eventually. But not yet.

Your devoted son.

Naron

Dearest Mother,

I may have found an inexpensive place to live while I study ruined D’ni (and those humans who fancy themselves its restorers). Some humans have found an Age book that links to a pair of islands, part of which they have reshaped into a likeness of a portion of Eder Gira (the other island is a likeness of the fictional Age purportedly written by the D’ni survivor in the machine-game I wrote of earlier); outside the Eder Gira replica are some bungalows available for rental. I have made inquiries and should hear tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I have seen, here and within the Cavern, a group of humans who call themselves “Skydivers” — this is a human activity involving dropping from a great height that under normal circumstances requires a large cloth sheet called a parachute to arrest the skydiver’s fall and prevent his death. Here, such is not required — for there is the Relto book hanging from your belt, its panel only the flip of a cover away from your hand. This lends itself to an astounding amount of risk-taking, as you may well imagine.

The humans are quite varied in their reasons for being here. I had feared — especially after seeing the message from Yeesha — that most would worship her, or all but. There are a few cultists, it seems, but they are in the minority. Others felt drawn here (as Zandi put it), but are less orthodox in their beliefs. Some are here for study — of history, of culture (at least one that I have heard of is here to study the culture not of the D’ni, but of the humans who have gathered here).

Having made that point parenthetically, I feel I should elaborate on it. The history of the “restoration” is somewhat checkered — the periods where it was abandoned for lack of funds are as lengthy as those where it was active. But even in the inactive periods, it seems, the Cavern was never wholly vacant — there were the true believers and the stubborn, those who continued to study and to explore even without the support of the restoration council, and those who stayed because of the friendships they had formed — and others who did not stay, but kept in close contact with those who remained. They had formed their own community, their own family — they set up Guilds in imitation of those from D’ni, in anticipation of providing greater support when the cavern was reopened, of taking more of the burden of restoration on themselves. And that community has endured.

This is not to say that they are preternaturally united — there are factions, and rivalry, as with any group, human or D’ni. There is a heated argument even now that I do not pretend to completely understand, that touches on the direction of the restoration and also on control of a sort of clearing-house for letters transmitted by machine. (I sometimes think the contention reflects the higher level of contention that generally exists on the surface now, and which I have once before seen escalate into cataclysm. It is not there yet, but that does not always stop my fear.) And yet — when the cavern is open again, they return.

But I know you are more interested in what became of D’ni, and of its people. I continue to seek answers (the historical documents I have seen so far date from before the Fall, and are thus familiar to you). You will of course be told at once what I learn of this. Until then, I remain,

Your devoted son,

Naron

Dearest mother,

What joy, and what heartache, both at once! I have been to Ae’gura, and to Bevin — the main part of the City remains closed. The damage wrought by the madmen — the sunken ships, the faded lake — is there still, but far more is the damage wrought by simple, implacable time. Entropy is the English word for it — how all falls to disorder if not tended, and D’ni has not been tended for more than 250 hahrtee. Just for one example, the Cavern has been subject to earthquakes — cracks are everywhere; a roof support at the Library has fallen; the end of the Tokotah alley lies in ruin, blocked off by barricades that the humans have erected. And animal noises are audible, in the far distance (no animal that I recognized — a strange, chittering sound). All is crumbling; all is but a shadow of its former glory. I had been prepared for things to seem… smaller… than when I was last here, as a child, but not for this.

And yet… there are people here, dozens of humans, some of whom adopt what they believe are D’ni ways (I am reminded of an event among the humans called a Renaissance Fair, that presents a sort of stylized version of history for entertainment) and some of whom bring human customs down from the surface. There is a voice in the back of my mind that says I should be offended by this — you may well be. Perhaps I have lived among them too long for that. In any event, it is… strange… to view D’ni through this distorted lens. And yet, having been but a child when I was in D’ni (and having, to be frank, paid too little attention to my history lessons) I am not sure how accurate a correction I could offer.

And there are things that even Nartahl would acknowledge wondrous. Hanging from my belt is a small linking book, unlike any I have encountered. When you use it, it travels with you! It links to a place called Relto — true to its name, an island in the clouds. Each of the humans here has such a book, and for each it links to a similar but distinct place, only accessible through its particular book. Like a cliff house in which you can pull the ladder up after you — a completely secure Age! (I believe you can rest assured now about the Kedross book; it sits even now on a shelf in the hut on my Relto.) The humans are also extensively using the communications network and devices that were just beginning to be set up when the Fall hit (they call the device a “Ki,” for reasons I have not yet learned).

The manner in which I acquired the book was curious.

I arrived in Carlsbad and was directed out into the desert to meet a human named Zandi. His father, as I understand, was among the first humans to rediscover the Cavern 25 hahrtee ago; the father having died, he now owns the land. His home is quite modest, a metal caravan at the foot of a volcano (this turns out to be the outlet of the Great Shaft, though that is not how I entered D’ni). Between the caravan and the volcano is a fissure called the Cleft, into the sides of which rooms were carved many hahrtee ago — this was the childhood home of a D’ni survivor named Atrus, the subject of the fictionalized stories I referred to in the last letter. It was into this that Zandi directed me, saying that “she” had “left a message for me.”

“She” was Atrus’ daughter, Yeesha — the message an imager projection. She is a madwoman — a visionary — equal parts compelling and frightening.

She is also, it turns out, the Writer of the Relto book.

She speaks of water flowing again in the desert, of the Tree growing, of new life in D’ni. She offers a quest — “no, a request” (in English, which she speaks in the message (after a brief start in D’ni), there is something of a pun in this phrase) — a journey through Ages for unspecified purpose, probably mystic. The first part of this quest — or request — leads to a hidden cave, seemingly empty and yet filled with the sounds of winged creatures, drawings glowing blue on the walls. And a book: the Relto book.

On Relto, a hut with bookshelves and a wardrobe inside; on the shelves, a linking book to Bevin, and a book of quotations from the Regeltavok of Oorpah (translated into English) in what I suspect is Yeesha’s writing. In Bevin, a link to Gahreesen and the Ki dispenser, and with the Ki, access to the Nexus…

… and thus to Ae’gura.

More Yeesha magic: Certain links elsewhere (such as the one to the Nexus) cause the appropriate books to appear upon your shelf in Relto. Also in Relto, four pillars containing linking books for the Ages of Yeesha’s quest. I believe I will forgo that for now.

I must leave it at that; there are things I must tend to now, details of the settling-in. These letters will reach you soon, and I will shortly follow (the Relto book having obviated, or at least deferred, the need to create my own linking book). Until then, I remain,

Your devoted son,

Naron

Dearest Mother:

I can barely put into words what I am feeling now. I can barely bring myself to sit down and write, rather than pace the room.

I’ve found the cavern again. I’ve found D’ni.

That, of course, makes it sound much more daunting a feat of exploration than it actually was. The truth is — I fear this will cause decidedly mixed feelings on your part — the humans found their way (back) into the cavern some hahrtee ago; the wonder is that I have only heard of it now. The “restoration,” as they call it, has only very recently become active again, and remains disorganized; the foundation that had been organizing the work lost its funding a few hahrtee back and was forced to abandon the cavern — the work is strictly volunteer now.

I might have known this sooner had I paid more attention to the machine entertainments they have here; apparently a fictionalized account of a D’ni survivor made a quite popular series of games. I understand there are also associated works of history, or historical fiction — I will endeavor to find these. They are in English, of course, or I would at once promise to send you copies. In any event, I will let you know at once what I have learned.

I am on my way now to a surface city called Carlsbad — the nearest, as I understand it, to the cavern — and it will thus be some time before I can link again to Kedross, when I have settled in and established a new link (and yes, I will continue to keep the Kedross book secure). Until then, give my love to Nartahl and Fairah. With deep love, I am, as always,

Your son,

Naron