Myst V: End of Ages

"[opening cinematic] My journey has come to an end. I have lost my home, my Books, my sons... I've lost my father, my grandmother... my dear wife, Catherine. And now I fear my only daughter's gone as well. And for what? For the slimmest hope that things could be put right? What began as my tedious life in the Cleft, holding out hope for more, has returned to the same. I've gone to great lengths to watch the end be written. Now... now I find myself alone in a sandstorm in Tomahna, waiting for a single grain of sand to fall. D'ni's future is like an hourglass; as the final grain slips through, I wait and I tremble, losing hope that the hourglass will be turned over once again. The Age may simply end, expended and lifeless. I have passed my cursed burden onto my cherished daughter, Yeesha. She has either understood and embraced it, or the weight of it has crushed her. I fear it has been far too long, and my hope has waned. If Yeesha has failed, is anyone left who can understand? Oh, I am old, and so tired... and once again, I am useless. Today, I will put an end to my useless waiting, and go on to a better place."

"[first meeting, in K'veer] So, friend, the Tablet has responded to you. Of course. If you're seeking my father, his time has passed. He won't be requiring your assistance. The Book to his cursed island lays locked and gathering dust in his prison. That Book... along with his pain and his burden, have been passed to me. And now you will know it, too. You will listen carefully. This is not to be taken lightly. The Tablet has responded to you. It will be your burden. Choose wisely in the end, for there will be no second chance. Many have taken this Tablet, and they tried not to let go. It is the power of the Writing; it seduces all who try to hold it. I have held it, tasted its sweetness... but I can hold it no longer. They have served too long. Always serving. Ever watching... and now, perhaps, you will see how to release them. First, collect what's been scattered, and then the Tablet will be released. And then you will hold it. You will find, in each Age along the journey, that there will be help... and there will be hinderance. You will start this journey where I started, where my father Atrus started, where my great-grandmother Ti'ana started. You will end this journey here, when the Tablet is released. When you return, the Tablet will be yours. When the Tablet is yours... do not give it to me. What you still don't understand, you have failed to hear or don't need to know. Begin..."

"[imager in the eder tomahn (rest station) going down into the Great Shaft] How could this be?! On their backs, this fallen empire was built! What hypocrisy... such abuse of power! I think they even deluded themselves into believing their own lies! It pains me to the point of ill... it makes me pleased that they are dead! [pause] What I hate is in me..."

"[imager in the eder tomahn in the upper part of the Great Shaft] What will I become? I will make something more of me. I will rebuild what I am. Is there anyone who is master over me? Have I not become the Grower? The Grower... yet all I grow is anger. Watching them call, watching them fail. Waiting, watching! I am the Grower! How can I wait much longer on such fools?"

"[imager in the eder tomahn in the lower part of the Great Shaft] What am I left with? Why did he leave this weight on me? Did I ask for this? Did I ask to lose my brothers? Did I ask to cause the death of Calam? Did I ask to watch my mother die? Did I ask to be my father's tool? Did I ask for so much power? Did I ask to be so alone?! [pause] Father, I wish you could hold me..."

"[first meeting, at the Great Shaft near the Cleft, leading to D'ni] You have seen Yeesha. She was, I'm sure, not very hospitable. You're confused, no doubt. My name is Esher. It is my pleasure to meet you. She has given you the quest... yes, the quest. The quest to carry the Four, the quest to release the Tablet, the quest that is proving to be more difficult than she anticipated. Many have taken the quest, and the Tablet still has no master. I will tell you what she will not. I will help you, when she will not. But she and I agree on this point: do not give her the Tablet. She has lied to you already, uttered words that bite her heart as they leave her lips...for she wants that Tablet more than anything! She desires what she can no longer feel, but once tasted. You must not, whatever happens, give it to her. Ah... she is the desert bird that longs to fly. She has dreams of taking flight in her ambiguous world, filled with vague clouds and shadowed air. Careful... she is a clever one. I'm sorry, I'm overwhelming you. [chuckles] Look for the hole in the ground. That's where your journey begins. I will find you."

"[meeting in the passageways to the Great Shaft] I apologize for the goggles earlier, but my eyes are not accustomed to the sun in this Age. I've taken the same journey, the same quest... and failed. I'm not proud of my failure, yet I think that what I learned will be useful in your quest. Your journey continues through that door."

"[meeting in the Great Shaft] Rehgahro Tiwah. The Great Shaft. Amazing, is it not? Built by those from beneath - my people. I am D'ni. It was this shaft that permitted the great-grandmother of Yeesha to find our deep city. Rather than bore you with tedious details, you need only know this: She killed us all, and the great D'ni city lies lifeless and ruined. There is a room at the end of this first elevator, a small room with a D'ni rest Age Book, for the D'ni who would have travelled this path. The Book will link you to Direbo. I will come to you there."

"[lower in the Great Shaft] Stand in awe. The surface is three miles above us. Three miles! Our construction was triumphant... and tragic. You will not be able to continue downward without providing fresh air to the tunnels. Raise this floor, and power the fans. I trust you can discover how?"

"[meeting in Direbo, the Age found in the Great Shaft] Ahh, Direbo... an Age for resting. Such a peaceful place, and the way to get to the first Age. There, that... profane thing, and the other pedestals like it, are not of D'ni. They are a regrettable part of this journey. The pedestal will allow you to link in a manner similar to the Book that brought you here, but know this: They are perverted tools of the creatures. The creatures... you've seen them. Always watching. Calling to one another in the darkness. Loathsome... wraiths. They are not as we are. Remember that."

"[arriving in the first age, regardless of which] Much to learn. First, the stone Slate. Pick it up from the pedestal and take it with you But know this about the Slates: They too are abominations, made by the Bahro creatures' abuse of the Art of Writing. Still... they carry great power. You will find that you can write on the Slates, anything you wish. There are some elementary symbols the creatures understand. At least in this way, you can use the Bahro hindrance for your good. They will take it, if you drop it. They will obey it, if you order them. They will return it, in time. As you learn, you will have more control."

"[first arriving in Tahgira] I don't know why the creatures chose this place for the Slates. Tahgira... cold, barren. "Desolate", it has been described. However, also purposeful. No doubt Yeesha sees only evil here. This was... a prison Age, for those who committed monstrous crimes. They were sent to this place to live out their lives. Justice, not evil. Use the Slate to free yourself. The burden you carry is heavy, but for that, you will be thankful. [chuckles]"

"[first arriving in Todelmer] Todelmer. Built to study the heavens, and glorious heavens you will find here. I'm only sad we were never allowed to finish. I've told you some of the story. Yeesha's great-grandmother, Ti'ana, came to us desperate for control, convincing our people to betray rules we had held for generations. And... we died. Yeesha claims such death, as painful as it was, had to be done. A plan of the Maker. And that she will rebuild... [derisively] She will rebuild. I will tell you, such delusive "wisdom" comes from vague feelings and daydreams, and that the Tablet you will have is far too powerful for such "wisdom". Todelmer... enjoy the beauty of the heavens, while you consider the power that can control them."

"[first arriving in Noloben] Welcome to my Age - Noloben. When D'ni died, I fled here. [chuckles] From death to death. You will see the fingerprints of the creatures everywhere. This was their home, and they did not welcome me. To survive, I was forced to learn. You will learn here as well. It is not like the other Ages."

"[first arriving in Laki'ahn] I wish you could see Laki'ahn as I remember it. Anticipation. The calls of the beasts bellowing out of the warm airs. Then conversations, as we waited for the fires to burn, the battle to begin! This was a place of great strength and triumph. I wonder if you possess such courage? The door to the trade house is locked, but the jeweler door on the other side, that can be unlocked."

"["bad" ending: attempting and failing to give the Tablet to Yeesha, then linking to Myst; Esher emerges from the library] After everything... did you not trust me? After all the help I provided? All the aid and assistance?! [sarcastically] Well done... now it has slipped through her hands... wasted! Fool! [paces in agitation] Now your journey has been a waste, and this precious island that once represented escape is now your prison. We have all failed! You have accomplished nothing! And there is no way from here. No one will come for you. Myst Island is your end... forever. [turns away, gives one last, disdainful look, then links out of Myst]"

"["worse" ending: taking the Tablet to Myst and placing it to the recepticle in the library; Esher links in, and paces anxiously around the room] So, you have listened to my wise counsel, and have brought the Tablet. Well done. There was... no way for your feeble mind to comprehend the... power of this Bahro Tablet. It was meant for a worthier master. You couldn't fully grasp that the master of the Tablet was the master of the Bahro... master of their full power. It was really only yours briefly, and only then... to give to a true master. Did you think you would gain a piece of its power? Is that why you brought it? [laughs] Or perhaps my words... perhaps I don't give myself enough credit. Regardless, now... it is mine! [laughs madly as he begins drawing inscriptions on the Tablet] Yes, my powerful servants, your new master is here! Let's see what remarkable feats you can perform for me, the new master of the Art! [looks up at the player] Oh, yes... thank you... idiot! You performed... well enough. So, I give you... this wonderful island. Consider it a "Myst" opportunity. [approaches the tablet once more] Ironic, isn't it? This island that was always the place of escape has now become your prison. Now, let's see where this power will take me. Unlimited Ages, and an army of Bahro to do my bidding. What fun I will have! [continues to draw inscriptions on the Tablet, laughing insanely, before finally linking out]"