MYST V End Of Ages Title: Myst V End Of Ages Producer: Ubi Soft For: PC MSWord: Courier New Created: By: Ghidrah EMaul: Ghidrah_@hotmail.com If anyone wishes to use this guide on their site, I would like to know. I don't have a problem with its use by others on Gaming forums, FAQ sites, or being copied for personal use. I'd like to know if it's to be used on a site though, just so I could drop by to ensure it hasn't been altered. So please send me your sites URL. _____________________________________________________________________________ As with all my guides, find some legit trick I missed, I'll give you credit for it in the guide and an insert amendment to the guide where it will be used. As long as the trick, shortcut, etc., etc., can be validated by me without the use of any kind of cheat codes if (codes) exist for this PC version of the game. _____________________________________________________________________________ 1. JUNK 2. OPTIONS 3. BRIEFING 4. WALKTHROUGH 5. SOLUTIONS 6. NOTES OF INTEREST ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. JUNK 6/20/10 to 6/24/10 1. Refined and added info to Solutions, NOLOBEN; Dome Puzzle. 2. Corrected error in Solutions, LAKI-AHN; Lift Puzzle. 3. Added more detail to guide. "End of ages" came out in 2005 and like "Revelation" from 2004 I didn't buy it. Pretty much because I didn't know about either game, I had the Myst 10th anniversary edition and URU ages beyond Myst. I always wondered, "How come they don't make another game?" So around the beginning of 2007 I tried to get my father into the series, he likes puzzles too and I thought this could be some good revenge, so I brought them over and left them there till August 08, I just finished building Frankie III, (latest computer) and wanted to get all my games back in the registry and on the new game HD. Well Dad had abused the DVDs like they were "Red headed step mules"! Probably as coasters for his Cape Codders and or Screw Drivers, (mixed drinks), they were so scratched I couldn't get most of them to load properly. I held off buying and or looking for replacements till the late summer 09 which is when I found out about URU Complete Chronicles, Revelation and End of ages. I talked wifey into buying Chronicles as a Xmas present and I immediately bought Myst 4 and 5. Don't get me wrong, End of Ages has great graphics, great looking ages, a decent end story and a couple cool puzzles, but it left me wanting. For the most part all the previous games gave some pretty decent clues as to where to go and pretty much what to do when you got there. You always had to pay strict attention and some of the clues were fairly vague, but most often there was enough of a thread to follow to solve the puzzles. When there weren't any clues to a puzzle it wasn't so overly obscure as to be completely baffling, with a little guesswork, trial and error and stumbling about they could all be solved. End of ages has a couple of, (I think) misleading clues and or non existent clues to a few puzzles that I don't think are fair examples. The Bahro symbol/pressure plate/lift/ puzzle below the Trading Post in Laki'ahn. In Noloben, atop Esher's sanctuary with the Bahro symbol/pressure plate/ puzzle and in Todelmer locating one of the pedestal symbols. The two pressure plate puzzles do have clues, which I figured related to the symbols in Yeesha's journals. With trial and error I was able to solve both. But it was just plain luck regarding the Todelmer pedestal symbol, do a few things different and I don't think anyone would ever find it without a paid for guide, Cyan's online help which I'd bet is/was pay for help or a player written game guide. I may be wrong, but I think I have the chronology correct regarding the Life of Yeesha. She appears in Exile as a newborn; later in Myst IV "Revelation" she appears as a 10 year old cutie. In the game URU, which was created before Revelation she appears to be anywhere from mid 20s to a mid 30 something woman. Lastly in "End of Ages" she appears as an older 50 something woman with graying at the temples. Catherine is deceased and Atrus speaks at the beginning of the game and then appears as a near feeble old man at the very end of the game. I'm going to have to play URU again; I thought I remembered Yeesha saying her parents were long gone somewhere in one of her monologs. If I remember correctly Exile takes place something like 15 to 20 years after MYST. So, the storyline stretches for maybe 60 to 70 years. Now for Esher and Yeesha, maybe I missed something in the monologs of both but Esher appears in all the ages of EOA even beside the KEEPs, Yeesha appears at the beginning and end of the story in both cases at the KEEP and then at Releeshahn. She swipes at the tablet and passes through it, is it because the tablet responded to MF? If the stone doesn't respond to her because MF touched it how come she and or Esher hasn't/can't/don't/won't enter the KEEPs replace the slates and take the main tablet on his/her own before I touched it? If the tablet doesn't give a 2nd chance, how come Yeesha is willing to accept it at the end of the game? ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. OPTIONS I left (Video and Audio) alone, they seem to render the games graphics and sound fine. As for Controls I use (Free Move Advanced) then I set Rotate left to (Q) and Rotate Right to (E). I've been comfortable with these keys for said movement for pretty much all the PC games I play. ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. BRIEFING This guide will be as close to -0- spoiler as my limited cleverness can make it. I'm writing the guide while playing the game for the 3rd time, but following the route I played on my 1st time through. This route may or may not be the route "INTENDED" by Cyan, I did take a somewhat different route on the 2nd run but I can't tell that it makes a difference which route or order you do things in as long as you pick up and read the Yeesha journals and refer back to comments from Esher. As for the journals, only one book is of ultimate importance. TAKING NOTES, The game supplies you with a small virtual note book however I prefer a real 8X11 notepad; it provides an immediate review of a larger volume of notes or symbols and I basically stink at typing so it takes too long. TACTICS, What better place to hide a tree than in a forest! Remember the game creator's job is to conceal info, to hide it in the colorful background, in the character's monologs, in journals and creating "Red herrings" to throw one off a scent trail to truth, (I know, it sounds like a Tick idiom), anyway the technique is used to make the game more interesting. So, if you're new to the Myst series or haven't played any of the games for some time, odds are you forget many and or all the ins and outs. So, like someone new to the game you must be hyper vigilant and meticulously explore everything, you never know what isn't important till the fat lady sings eh! The Avatar leads with and relies on the hand icon to let you know when and where you can go and what you can interact with. A visible hand icon with a sort of pointing finger or open hand, the hand icon can be faded, (general condition) or vivid which indicates something you can interact with. SAVES, If you haven't played EOA before at a minimum I suggest saving at the beginning of each age and at the beginning of each scary puzzle. You don't begin the game with the "SAVE CAMERA" but acquire it shortly after starting the game To save right click anywhere on screen, move the cursor up high right on the screen to bring down the books and camera, (blue ball) left click the camera and a save will appear in the brown book to the left of the camera. SPEECH JOURNAL, Upper right hand corner of your monitor, a blue book, 1st on left; this book holds all the speeches given by Esher and Yeesha during the game. You can refer to it whenever you need help remembering any helpful info imparted. Direbo, Will be visited many times as you move through it or around it, (depending on the route you take to complete the game). Direbo is a nexus for the ages that links back to the great shaft, (Re-gah-ro-ti-wah) which you will visit a couple three times in this guide. ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. WALKTHROUGH 1. PRISON, CALDERA AND TUNNEL 2. TAHGIRA 3. RE-GAH-RO-TI-WAH, (great shaft) 4. TODELMER 5. RE-GAH-RO-TI-WAH, (return) 6. NOLOBEN 7. RE-GAH-RO-TI-WAH, (return) 8. LAKI'AHN 9. PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 1. PRISON After you load the game onto your Pile, long for "POS", (a highly technical computer term) click on the game icon to get things rolling. The controls default to Myst classic until you change them but only after you arrive in game. Once you're in game go to options, (upper right hand corner screen) and set it up to what you're comfortable with, there aren't many options so it won't take long. You arrive in the same room you meet Atrus in when you begin MYST, the 1st game in the long series. There's a bunch of not so ape looking things in the room and they blink out as you enter. I think they're Bahro, which I saw for the 1st time at the end of "URU Ages beyond MYST". Now you're alone and the room is empty save for a makeshift desk and a locked MYST book sitting on it. You can't interact with the book, so get moving and explore the room. If you explore carefully you'll find the only exit in short time. Once you're out of the room the passage parallels the 1st room and leads down a couple three four sets of stairs to a narrow passage. On your way to the passage there is a spot between the 1st and 2nd flights of stairs that allows one a view into a very large high ceiling chamber it seems to be from the back of a balcony over looking a larger lower section of the chamber. A Bahro is perched on an arch within a window structure on the far wall and there are bat like animals flittering about everywhere. On the floor between the 3rd and 4th flight of stairs and just before the narrow passage there is the "Save Camera Ball ... Thing" and a journal to write in, pick them up as you enter the passage and pass through into the much larger room. OK, so there are at least 3 Bahro in the large chamber, they're shy creatures that link out when you approach them. Explore the room; take note of the big soap bubble thing in front of the huge arched window, it's ringed with tusks and at the center of the bubble it looks like it has a series of 4 interlocking stone pedestal things. They remind me of rearing animals with big flat heads or maybe a mane like that of a male lion. On top of each pedestal, (the mane) there is a symbol, one has a clipped oval another is a pentagon, another shaped like an arrow head and another like a 1/4 round or slice of bread. The pedestals and their bases have writing all over. When you step into the bubble you can hear seagulls and waves lapping at a shore. If you look out from inside you can see what appears to be 4 different ages, a space age, beach, cave and ice age. You may explore the room and bubble and eventually become frustrated if you don't pay attention to the hand icon, so pay attention and be thorough as you explore. Once you locate and contact the interaction point it will burst and sound like glass shattering, the story will continue from there. Yeesha will appear as you exit the bubble and go into her monolog, when she's done she'll link you to a new above ground location where you'll meet Esher. ______________________________________________________________________________ CALDERA Esher will launch into his Yeesha diatribe and then link out. Alone again, look about and get your bearing. It may not be too much of a stretch to consider that this is the caldera of the dormant volcano from URU? The volcano the Bahro run up to and drop down into at the end of URU. So explore a little, notice the boulder with the 2 people, (Atrus and Catherine)? The fracture and the prison cell used to restrain My Friend when you linked onto Riven? I think the 2nd boulder represents Atrus, Catherine and the 2 sons while they were young and on Myst. I think the symbols above and or below Atrus and Catherine represent each person's writing ideology. Atrus is structure and Catherine vision or compassion. Enjoy and speculate on the images till you find the hole, drop down and begin your new adventure. ______________________________________________________________________________ TUNNEL and CAVES From the bottom of the ladder you'll see a couple Bahro, some bats, a couple small caves and a tunnel. Once in the tunnel you'll find the 1st of 12 books, (Yeesha's journals). Read each one as you find them, they're not long and some of them contain relevant info regarding your journey. You'll have continued access to each and all books as you find them for future reference. I continue right toward the 2nd journal and pick it up as I head for the opening on the left at the end of the tunnel. Enter the room and discover it as a sort of sleeping quarters. A 3rd journal, an imager thing a linking book and a schematic of what appears to be the caldera a big honkin vertical shaft and maybe an elevator. Activate the imager and then stand clear of the spit flying from Yeesha's virtual mouth, she has great hate for the, (I guess D'ni) If I understand correctly it appears the D'ni used the Bahro as slaves and or worse to build the D'ni civilization/empire. ______________________________________________________________________________ DIREBO Access Linking book #1; it brings you to a swamp like place that Esher calls "Direbo" a place of rest. It's a nexus of soap bubbles with pedestals within and each bubble is linked to the next by small albeit gated bridges. All the gates are locked from the bubble side, so for the moment unlock the 2 gates and enter the bubble. There's a Pentagonal slate, (Home Plate) on the pedestal and the pedestal is supposed to take you to Tahgira. On the pedestal is a lit outline of the slate touch it and be transported to Tahgira. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 2. TAHGIRA If you didn't pick up the slate before linking to Tahgira notice that it follows you to the age. Esher is waiting for you and as you'll soon discover vis-à-vis another slew of invective regarding the Bahro. Tahgira is the ice age seen from the Atrus prison bubble and Tahgira was also treated as a prison age by the D'ni. Esher will also tell you that the Bahro placed the slate in Tahgira before winking out. Explore the cave; you'll make a discovery, (1st puzzle) its clue and solution should be obvious. Pay attention to the ambient sounds and what you see as you move about the cave, they'll add clues needed to solve the cave exit puzzle. (NOTE) Once outside in the pit you can see a bright white symbol on the ice wall above the pit, shortly you'll discover it's a "Power Symbol", (my term) one exists in each age and as Esher pointed out they're symbols that the Bahro will act upon when correctly drawn on a slate and then dropped to the ground. The main trick is to learn when and where to use a power symbol to your benefit. You'll soon discover you can't climb the ladder out of the pit with the slate, so you'll have to drop it. Climb out of the pit and head for the pedestal, there you'll find yet another symbol on the pedestal. A Bahro will snatch the slate you dropped and take it back to the bubble in the cave. (NOTE) Pedestal symbols are symbols that link the slate to that particular pedestal. There may be many pedestals with symbols in each age; they can be helpful when moving about the age. Experiment/play with them to learn how to use them best. Take note of the 1st linking pedestals linking symbol, (an anchor), link back to the bubble, copy the symbol to the slate drop it and back away. A Bahro will come, pick it up, link to and place it on the 1st linking pedestal. Once the symbol appears on the bubble pedestal touch the symbol and link to it. Once there remove the slate and continue deeper into the age. (NOTE) I suggest testing the power symbol now so that you'll have some idea what happens when it is activated. Look around, it sounds and feels like a wind storm, but the only visible action appears to be steam geysers, other than that there's no other event to link it to yet. I tried the power symbol after entering each new section of the age until I found out what it did. Eventually you'll begin to see some treelike things and structures with large pipes leading off into the distance. I suggest you explore the age thoroughly before making any decisions. There are few clues but they do point toward the solution. Eventually you'll find a 2nd pedestal, (arrowhead) place the slate and continue to explore. As you approach the structure ahead and to the left of the 2nd pedestal Esher will pop in and pass on more info. When he leaves the area continue to explore the structure. (NOTE) You'll soon discover like climbing the ladder that you'll be unable to perform certain tasks while holding the slate. Locate the image on the wall inside the structure; it looks like a tic-tac-toe grid with the top layer of squares missing. I suggest accurately drawing the grid on your notepad for future reference, when done continue to explore. Follow the pipes, as you follow the pipes you'll come to a manifold, (you'll discover each set of pipes has it's own manifold) the manifold has 3 levers and the color on the manifold will be red or blue depending on which set of pipes you followed. Are the colors familiar? The levers are recessed in the manifold and can't be accessed. Continue to a pond take note of the grid in the water and the rings that are placed in the same fashion as in the diagram found in the structure. Try crossing the pond to the other side, the game won't let you. So, it appears that we're at an impasse. What have we done? 1. tried the power symbol at 3 different places; so far, (excluding geysers and light) nothing happens. What do we want to do? 1. Get to the other side of the pond What do we know? 1. There are 6 structures in the age 3 to the left and 3 to the right with a lever and pipe leading to and or away from them. 2. The pipes from the 6 structures lead to 2 manifolds, the left manifold has 3 two toned red and white valves on it. The right side manifold has 3 blue and white two toned valves. 3. There're 27 possible lever combinations for each manifold 4. The grid image in the hollow structure and the pipe grid in the pond match down to the breaks in the pipe. 5. The grid image shows 3 red rings on the left and 3 blue rings on the right which co-insides with the valves on the 2 manifolds and the rings within the pond grid. 6. Each manifold lever has 3 positions, Left, Center and Right. 7. So far we can't access the manifold levers. What do we need to do? 1. Activate the levers on the 6 structures. As you flip the levers on the structures Esher will appear and give more info regarding the age. So far the age was used for D'ni prisoners who may have erected the structures, that the Bahro can be forced to tasks and that there is a pre-existing life form. What do we know? 1. When the Bahro respond to the power symbol geysers appear all over the age, HEAT! 2. If the Bahro create heat maybe the 6 structures supply the heat to the life forms in the pond? 3. The rings at the pond pipe intersections may be the valves controlled by the manifold levers. Once on the other side of the pond Esher will appear and give more instructions regarding the Bahro follow them to the KEEP, (the bubbles are known as "KEEPS"). Locate the linking pedestal and place the slate on it, if you let the Bahro take the slate during the lever puzzle then copy the 3rd pedestal's symbol and link to the Age KEEP. Draw the symbol back away and let the Bahro take it, once the symbol appears on the pedestal link to the 3rd pedestal. Take the slate and approach the multidimensional "TARDIS" KEEP to identify the symbol within, draw it and step away. Link to the Age KEEP and then to the Tablet KEEP. Esher appears gives more info, like the starting point of the game, (Atrus childhood prison) is known as K'veer and that the end level Tablet "KEEPS" and the one in K'veer are the same and exist in many places at once, so expect them to exist in the next 3 ages. (NOTE) So the Age slates and the tablet in the K'veer and Tahgira KEEP are one in the same and appear to exist in many ages at the same time which still doesn't explain why they can't and or won't touch them, so from now on the KEEP with all 4 age pedestals and tablet will be called the TARDIS. Enter the TARDIS; touch the stone, then the age plate, then the Direbo symbol exit the KEEP then touch the book and link back to the sleeping quarters cave. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 3. RE-GAH-RO-TI-WAH, (great shaft) Exit the room and head back to the opposite end of the tunnel. On the right side of the tunnel wall just past the cave access on the left there's some writing with the numbers 20 and 15 painted on the wall I can't figure out what the letters mean and may eventually go back to Revelation to try and decipher them at a later date. Just past the wall numbers the tunnel wall has been busted up creating a large hole providing access to a large circular room. As you explore the large room Esher appears admits to failing the very quest you are on, but says that his failure can be beneficial to you and before linking out directs you to the door. (NOTE) So Esher also had possession of and or attempted to acquire the tablet and messed up like Yeesha? You'll easily find the 4th book and then the only working lever in the room which opens the door leading to a new area. The new area turns out to be the big honkin shaft you saw in the drawing in the 1st cave. Explore the area, you have no access to the shaft spiral past the 2nd level, the only access to the shaft is the elevator to the right of the entry point. (NOTE) The images on the Yeesha ledgers are the same images etched or painted on the boulders found in the caldera. If you circle the shaft clockwise to the elevator, pull the lever and ride it down you'll miss out on another speech by Esher. Esher calls the great shaft Re-gah-ro-ti-wah and then blames Yeesha's great granny for the D'ni demise. Access the elevator, ride it down and locate the 2nd cave. Find and read the 5th book then link out to Direbo via the #2 linking book. ______________________________________________________________________________ Direbo, (revisited) Unlock 2 more bridge gates and then enter the KEEP. The slate in the KEEP is shaped like the arrowhead symbol on the 2nd linking pedestal in Tahgira. Link out by touching the lit Arrowhead symbol on the pedestal to the next age. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 4. TODELMER Ooh it so Spacey! So explore and look for Kevin, (not the giant bird). Follow the path and take note of all the cables running out to the big thingies on top of the monoliths towering up from the ground. Eventually you arrive at a level area that has a large red lit opening in the wall with machines inside. If you do a thorough look about you'll see a brightly lit symbol and 2 numbers high up on the wall, (6 and 1) which may be important. Enter the red room and meet up with Esher for some not so useful info on the age. Explore the room, head up the steps to the devices and discover they don't work. Eventually you'll end up at the rear of the room standing in front of a big round bluish thing with 2 levers. Grab a lever and move it, see that the blue screen thing gets brighter and darker depending on where the lever is. I had no idea what this was about and only lucked into it by chance because I decided to see how bright the orb could get. Once the ring began rotating as the 2nd lever apparently reached its brightest setting did it make sense, (I hate it when that happens). So, we now have power to the red room, return to the red room and the devices on the upper level. They are now activated and it's easy to see that the symbol from high up on the exterior wall matches to one of the devices. Move the horizontal and vertical levers on the device to match the D'ni numbers on the exterior wall, (6 and 1). Press the flashing green button and watch the star field in the round viewing window change position. I'm pretty sure the 4 big ray gun things are telescopes and the devices in the red room align them. There are also 3 small levers above and to the right of each telescope screen that provides 3 magnification values of the area of space within the screen. Inspect the other devices and discover that each one has a symbol like the one on the wall but oriented differently. One of the 4 appears to be broken, the thing is lit but there's static on the screen. Exit the red room and continue on your way up the stairs. Soon you end up at a pile of cable blocking your way to the top of the tower; this may relate to the broken device in the red room. The cables likely move and or change the orientation of the big ray gun looking telescope things on the monoliths. Head back to the red room and to the broken device. What do we know? 1. The cable is blocking the path and needs to be cleared away 2. As an example from the 1st device changing the position of the device levers may move the broken cable out of the way. 3. Each device has 25 settings per lever meaning; there are 625 possible combinations, (25X25=625). 4. OYE! With no idea where to start I moved the left lever all the way down to 25 then pressed the green button and then checked the path, nothing. I went back and pulled it all the way up to 25, pressed the button, checked and the cable had moved out of the way. (NOTE) After a little bit of testing I found that the left lever can be set as low as 17 and still clear the cable out of the path without ever moving the horizontal cable. I was hoping to find a cleverly hidden clue leading to the cable solve. Most often when there appears to be no puzzle clue it usually means the drudge work of trial and error and in this case I dreaded the thought of 625 possible combinations. So I felt considerably lucky to stumble onto a solution after 2 tries but wanting for a lack of clues to it. I even tried the slate image at the end of Yeesha's 3rd journal because of the Statement, (The least are my friends, I must use the least wisely) even though the slate didn't match the age. As you reach the mesa like top of the monolith you discover a mini telescope, a central dome with cables radiating out through 4 massive cantilevered pulleys to 3 of the 4 telescopes, a larger dome to the side and an enormous wheel sort of recessed in the outer edge of the mesa. You get an excellent look at the surrounding landscape from this elevation with little to obstruct your view. Explore thoroughly!!! 1st I hit the small telescope for a Boo, you'll soon locate some brightly lit and important info on another monolith, copy it down. Close to the info there appears to be a platform and cable car. Spend some time locating all possible objects of interest within the purview of the scope. When your satisfied with your scope inspection circle the plateau's perimeter for a panoramic view; locate all the telescopes and monolithic towers. Take note, there's an extra monolith of interest, it's further away and lit up at the top like the other towers but you didn't see it through the small telescope. Why? The Large dome is open and it has a map on the wall that shows the 4 telescopes, (red Pac man things), the other big monolith and I think the smaller/narrow one seen from the mesa (blue circles with X marks). The door has a light on it that when pressed closes to reveal a 2nd light that opens up a set of hidden stairs to a lower level of the tower. Follow it down to a platform; the platform has a panel on the right with 2 levers. Look up; this looks like the bottom side of the big honkin wheel on top of the mesa and there's a cable running out toward the other big monolith. For the moment I head back to the red room, locate the correct telescope and use the info found on the other monolith, set the co-ordinates and then return to the small telescope on the plateau. The distant narrow monolith is still obscured. It seems pretty clear now that the big recessed wheel is for the cable car and not a telescope. What do we want to do? 1. View and or gain access to the distant narrow monolith. 2. Gain access to the other large monolith. What do we know? 1. There are 3 monoliths within the small telescopes range; one can be viewed the other is even more distant and blocked from the telescope by a large wheel. 2. The other large monolith is connected by cable to the one you're on and the other narrow monolith may be accessible but currently it isn't and may have a pedestal. 3. Below the big wheel is a platform with levers that may affect the cable car and or wheel. With this info you can clear an LOS path from the small telescope to the distant narrow monolith for a visual. Once you confirm the symbol for the 1st linking pedestal of the age, copy it and return to the KEEP, copy the symbol to the slate and step away. Once the new symbol appears on the KEEP pedestal touch it and link away. When you arrive at the distant narrow monolith pedestal hop onto the telescope and look around. The monolith you began the age on is easy to find and right above the opening to the red room are the coordinates you found earlier for the 1st telescope. So, that was too easy and you didn't need this telescope for already known coordinates so why here? As you meticulously explore with the small telescope and attempt to view the other large monolith you soon discover most of it is blocked by one of the large telescopes. As you look for any spot on the monolith to scope in on you'll see the upper lit section. As you close in on the upper lit section you'll see the obvious bright blue dot through a convenient hole at the top of the inner (altitude?) ring. As you continue to scope in, the 2nd linking pedestal and its symbol appears. (NOTE) I think this is a totally cruel puzzle, if you're not entirely lucky to fall onto it, (setting the 2nd telescopes co-ordinates before accessing the monolith) or Adrian Monk you'll be forced to get help. Grab the slate, draw the symbol, drop the slate and back away. Once the Bahro links out link to the KEEP and then to the new location. As you begin to explore the mesa Esher appears, imparts new instructions implying a trip to somewhere else, forcing the Bahro to do something, (with true acid in his voice) and then links out. You see another large wheel and locked dome and not much else. Take the stairs down to a small telescope, if there's something to find from it I can't figure out what it is. Move over to the ledge and take a gander at the cable car below. You can't get to it. Apparently pulling the near lever on the tram platform to move the big wheel for a look at the 2nd pedestal symbol moved the tram out of position. Return to the KEEP and then to the cable car platform at the 1st monolith. The upper lever flips left to right, flip it left and pull the near lower lever down one time. When completed return to the 2nd large monolith above the tramcar. You now have access to the tram and the lower level of the 2nd monolith. The lower level of this monolith is set up different from the 1st one. The power station, (blue ball with 2 levers) is in this area and this tower doesn't have a red room. (NOTE) This power station is a smidge trickier than the 1st one, best suggestion is to set up centered and as far from the device as possible and still be able to work it. The reason being if you're too close you may not be able to accurately detect the correct screen brightness with both levers. Once you have the power running continue to explore the tower. Once you have access to the dome you'll find the age's power symbol, copy it onto your notepad and open the door to the plateau. Explore, discover nothing new and head back to the pedestal for the slate and then make your way back to the cable car. Pull the lever inside the tram and glide away to the small middle pylon where you'll discover another telescope coordinate and what appears to be an image of the ringed planet above. Pull the tram lever again to complete the trip back to the 1st monolith. Go to the red room and set the final coordinates on the 3rd telescope. (NOTE) If and when you placed the slate on the floor of the tram you quickly discovered that it didn't want to go with you on your ride. Startling, but no big deal, the Bahro pick it up and drag it back to the pedestal once you reach the 1st monolith return to the KEEP, link back to the other big monolith for the slate and then return to the KEEP. One thing that really irks me is that the small telescope on the distant narrow monolith gets a clear close up view of the middle cable pylon yet the coordinates can't be seen. After setting the coordinates play with the 3 small viewing levers above the screen. So, what's left to do? What do we know? 1. All 3 available telescopes have been aligned to the coordinates found. 2. The 3rd and last telescope altered has a portion of the ringed planet in view. 3. We have a power symbol we haven't used yet. 4. Esher says align the stars and planets, use the Bahro to do it and that our destination is above, (the ringed planet)? So, head out of the red room to see the planet, take note that the rings of the image from the mid pylon and that of the planet are positioned differently. Copy the power symbol to the slate, drop it and step away to see what happens. The Bahro appears by the slate; wiggles, jiggles and giggles and then links out. Grab the slate before the Bahro comes back for it and see what transpires. Observe the planet's ring system; it's moving, rotating clockwise so that the ring/disk is moving toward the 12 o'clock position and getting closer to the image of it on the pylon. Lastly check out the giant killer cyclone charging across the distant planet. When the event ends the rings aren't quite in position regarding the image from the pylon, so use the slate again and, "Make it so number one". Remember to retrieve the slate before returning to the red room. The rectangular clock thing up high at the back of the room is rotating very fast. Remember the image of the planet appearing on the telescope? Return to it and wait for the event to end. Once the event ends the planet should take up a good 1/3 of the round screen. There's a very small bright flickering clue, bring it into view. Once you locate the last linking symbol copy it, "EXACTLY" to the slate, drop it and move away. The Bahro get kinda pissy on replicating this one so hold off till it takes it away. Head back to the KEEP, link to wherever it is in the planetary ring system and then take in the killer view out the ports once Esher is done flapping his gums. When you've had your fill enter the TARDIS, touch the slate and then link out to Todelmer. Once you appear in the KEEP, link to Direbo, exit the KEEP and link back to Re-gah-ro-ti-wah the Shaft. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 5. RE-GAH-RO-TI-WAH Exit the room and continue to explore. You'll find book #6 to the left of the 2nd elevator and discover that you can't make a complete loop around the spiral to the 1st elevator due to a collapse of the walkway. Pull the lever, wait for the elevator and ride it down. A very colorful place; as you explore Esher pops in for some info and tells you how to succeed. Explore the upper area, you find a set of stairs down and a Bahro who wants to play "Don't Get Me!" give chase. Eventually you'll find another set of stairs heading down and toward the center of the shaft. At the bottom is a big upside- down bucket with a blue button on its bottom, the 7th Yeesha book and 2 openings leading out to the bottom floor of the shaft. Continue exploring, at the center of the room is, (a hassock?) Continue across the floor to a 2nd set of steps that lead to another room with another big upside-down bucket, this one has a yellow button on the bottom. If you follow the stairs up you end up at back at the top of the stairs where you saw the Bahro after getting off the elevator. So, Esher said to get the fans running and there are 3 items to deal with, 2 buckets and a hassock. I'm guessing since the buckets are/would be found first as one descends the stairs they would be the gadgets to deal with 1st. If one follows the Bahro then the blue bucket would be found before the yellow one, so I'm heading for blue then yellow and then the hassock. (NOTE) I don't think it really matters which colored button you press first as long as you don't flop around after beginning the procedure. Once you press down on the hassock the floor begins to rise up to the cantilevered spans at the 4 corners of the circular room. This gives you access to another section of the shaft once blocked by the lowered floor. It turns out to be 2 rooms; the 1st larger room has a device sporting a lever and the 8th book. Read the book and pull the lever. Something inside the device starts turning, (fan or motor Idahno?) Enter the 2nd room to discover it's another sleeping quarters, the linking book has the #3 on it and so this is sleeping room #3. Watch the video Yeesha left, link out to Direbo and then to. (NOTE) I'm not bothering to open the gates anymore; they're useless unless you miss a Direbo book and want to go back to whatever area you think you missed it in the quickest route possible. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 6. NOLOBEN Nice place, minus the big blackening clouds above a possible island. We're beachside, small islets surrounding a larger one; maybe originally it was all one larger landmass. Further up the beach to the right maybe some gear and a lean-to. Esher is to the left in the distance and maybe a lean-to behind him. I figure I'll make him wait; he became a major creep out in Todelmer. I'm heading to the right to see what's what over there. After a little exploration its obvious the shore is blocked off and aside from the ladder and cave opening there isn't much to do at this time. The cave tunnel is blocked off about 30 feet in and a rope ladder, (once you pull the hanging rope it unravels) giving access to the Mesa. I think I'll hold off exploring the upper level till after I talk to Esher, so might as well get it out of the way and hear what he has to say. So this is Noloben the home of the Bahro. Tiny, Ida gone bigger seems odd they'd pick such a small place to call home. Esher sounds particularly bitter in this speech. (NOTE) The condition and shape of the bases of the island and ring islets makes me think of a great inrush of water or series of them in the distant and not so distant past. So maybe the place was more massive but due to deluge catastrophes major portions have been eroded away. Continue exploring, ahead and to the left against the cliff is the lean-to, as you approach it, the easy guess is that it's a shrine. There are symbols etched into the cliff above 4 bowls and a stone egg looking thing. The thing at the base of the shrine may be an altar. It's the same shape as the Age slate and has a power symbol etched into it. The symbol looks like it represents rain, the tarp covering the shrine has 4 holes cut into it and the 4 bowls are below the cuts. Easy guess is the bowls fill up with water. I'm going to explore whatever else there is to see along the beach then come back to the shrine. Ooh a tunnel! It goes to another part of the island and has snakes slithering about the floor. If you hang around for a bit and then follow a snake you'll see it slither into a little black hole in the sandy floor. When you exit the tunnel you'll see tonza odd looking birds hanging about on the out crop of little isles and you can't get them to move at all. Too bad the game doesn't allow MF to throw rocks. Once you move out onto the beach you can see an islet with a big stone door, the islet is very close and you can walk out to it. The door has a tree etched into it. As you turn away from the door you should notice a bright object sitting on top of a massive boulder atop the Mesa. Continue exploring this end of the island till you're forced back to the shrine. If you aren't carrying the slate with you grab it from the KEEP and return to the shrine. Once at the shrine draw the power symbol on the slate as shown on the alter thing and place it on the altar. (NOTE) Initially I thought the slate had to be on the altar then only needed to touch the altar to get the Bahro to summon the rain. Now I'm sure it doesn't need to touch it at all. I must have been reproducing the power symbol poorly. Pick up the slate as the Bahro exits the area, the rain will continue for a minute, while it's raining you'll begin to see the symbols on the wall appear in the water bowls. Try to place MF directly in front of the altar so that you acquire the correct symbols. Write them down on your notepad for future reference. Now it's time to explore the Mesa, head over to the rope ladder and climb up to the plateau. You can drop the slate and let the Bahro deal with it or drop it off onto the KEEP pedestal as you pass by. (NOTE) The holes at the base of the rope ladder look like the snake holes in the tunnel but they are much bigger and I never saw a snake outside the tunnel. Explore the plateau and take note of the resemblance to something else already seen. The 4 satellite stones have symbols engraved around their tops which can rotate left or right. The egg shaped stone dome in the center of the plateau has small portholes on its side, most are covered and you can see symbols on the outside of the shutters. When you look into the dome you can see other symbols on the wall above every one of the portholes. (NOTE) With little effort it's easy to deduce that the symbols represent numbers from 1 to 15. l=1, #=4, 0=5. Continue following the symbols counter clockwise to see all 15 symbols. If Esher is D'ni why does he use a different numerical system? So after exploring the plateau and the structures you may recall the symbols on the shrine and that they are represented on the satellite stones and on the inside of the dome. What do we want to do? 1. Continue deeper into the blocked tunnel. 2. Get past the big stone door on the islet. 3. Get into the stone dome on the plateau. What do we know? 1. The shrine on the beach is a miniature of the structures on the plateau. 2. All symbols on the inside of the dome and many on the on the shrine are numbers, most or all the symbols on the satellite stones are not numbers, although 2 look like the numbers 3 and 4. 3. The satellite tops can rotate so that one of the many symbols can be aligned with a symbol etched on their base. 4. The dome has small portholes, (windows) that have shutters you can raise or lower. 5. The shutters have symbols on their exterior side that can be seen when the shutter is lowered. 6. The symbols reflected in the water bowls are the numbers 12, 2, 9 and 4 in a clockwise rotation. What do we need to do? 1. Locate the numbers reflected in the shrines water bowls inside the dome. 2. Find out if the shutter symbols related to the shrine numbers match up with any of the symbols on the satellite stones. 3. If any of the symbols match then to line the correct symbol to the correct satellite stone/shrine water bowl. (NOTE) When you turn a top on a satellite stone you hear a loud grinding sound emanating from the island's interior. It is no indicator that you have the correct symbol on the correct satellite stone but that the sound is from an object moving. Regarding the plateau structures and the shrine, there are 2 orientation possibilities that stand out, the Islet with the stone door or the ladder leading up to the plateau. Either of these markers could represent the power symbol slate in front of the shrine. I, (Mr. Thicky) of course picked the wrong. So, once I had all the symbols lined up I ran over to the ledge overlooking the islet with the stone door to discover it's still closed ... figures. I return to the beach and locate the tunnel close to the ladder; (loud noise when satellite stones reset), once I'm past the 1st stone door I begin to see snakes crawling about. After the 4th door there's a long winding tunnel to a central cave that rises up to the top of the plateau. To the left is a linking pedestal. I link back to the KEEP, grab the slate, draw the linking symbol on it, drop it and back away. Annnd the Bahro leaves the slate and links away ... lazy good for nothings ... Geez do I gotta do everything! Crap! The Bahro won't take the slate, so pick it up and hoof it back through the tunnel to the room and place it on the pedestal. Once back inside the plateau explore your way up into the dome. You can see the shuttered openings from the base of the stairs. As you climb up Esher appears on the steps to impart some needed info on dome access, the Bahro and the big tablet thing at the center of the big main KEEP. So Esher calls this a "Lab"! Once on the wooden platform locate the pin board with all the notes and drawings. Note that you can climb the cage but that you can't reach the ladder above. What did Esher say to do? If you can't recall use the speech journal and read it again. (NOTE) Esher doesn't say whether or not the snakes are indigenous or that he imported them to KEEP the Bahro out of his sanctuary. It's the Bahro's home port why would they hang around a place with something they hate or fear? Regarding the pics on the pin board, it looks like Esher was experimenting on the Bahro Once you have sealed the lab/refuge link back to the base of the lab and climb up onto the cage. The ladder is down and you can climb up and out to the top of the dome. Nice view, a pedestal and the shiny thing seen from the islet door on the beach. Below the lens or whatever it is there is a pressure plate, step on it and watch the islet door open, step off and it closes pronto. Copy the symbol from the pedestal, link down to the KEEP then to the base of the dome. Grab the slate and link back to the KEEP. Draw the symbol drop it and back away. Link up to the top of the dome once the Bahro takes the slate and plops it onto the pedestal up there. So, the top of the dome is safe for them. OK, now what do we want do? 1. We want to get past the islet door. What do we know? 1. The islet door opens when you stand on the pressure plate and closes as soon as you step off. 2. The slate isn't heavy enough to open the door. 3. There are 2 symbols in and at the end of 2 of Yeesha's journals, (book 3 and 7) that suggest they, (the symbols) are important and may be used to direct the Bahro into performing a feat. 4. Esher states the Bahro won't go near the snake symbol. What do we need to do? 1. Try the symbols from Yeesha's journals, leave the slate on the pressure plate and link out to the KEEP for a run to the islet. What we will learn from this is that the 2 symbols in the journals don't work. The game isn't programmed to work with either symbol, at least in Noloben. (NOTE) Esher lies to MF when they're on the stairs in the dome, which was very confusing; if Esher wants your help and to help you to reacquire the tablet why lie to MF? If he doesn't want MF to attain the tablet why not lie to him at all turns to prevent success? However I should have been expecting it, if you go back and read the 1st Yeesha's monologue (from K'veer) she says, "You'll find in each age that there will be help and hindrance." Once you figure out the lie draw the correct symbol on the slate and drop it on the pressure plate. Link out to the beach KEEP and then beat feet to the islet. After some time, (if you drew the symbol correctly) the door will dissolve and you can enter. Once inside you can copy the final link symbol and link out to the beach KEEP. Draw the symbol, drop it and back away. As soon as the symbol appears on the pedestal link out to the islet. Once inside you'll get another barrage from Esher, the tone of his speech is beginning to sound desperate, (PSYCHO PUPPY!). Touch the slate within the KEEP then link out to the Beach KEEP, link to Direbo and then back to Re-gah-ro-ti- wah. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 7. RE-GAH-RO-TI-WAH Exit the room, return to the shaft and explore. Run back down to the bottom of the shaft to discover that the openings are blocked. Return to the platform, there's only one thing left to do and that's to press the hassock again. Once it's at the bottom press the hassock again then run off to the side of the room so that the platform can rise without you. As the platform rises you can see that there is an area below its sitting position. Find your way down and grab and read book #9. Look around, find the tunnel, run to the end and locate and flip the lever. So that's the fan above and the lever is a clutch, so the previous room and lever was the fan motor. As you exit the area you find a ladder has descended from the tunnel ceiling. This puts you in a tunnel above and provides you with another book, pick up book # 10. Near book 10 is a door with a lever. Pull the lever and you can see back into the great shaft, turn around and explore in the other direction. This must be the fan room there's a big bright light shining down on a fan set into the floor in the center of the room. As you explore the room you'll find the 11th journal near a damaged lever. On the far side of the fan room there's an opening leading to the 4th sleeping quarters. Inside you'll find the usual junk, KI machine, viewer, 12th and final Yeesha book and linking book #4 to Direbo. Link to Direbo, enter the KEEP and link out. ______________________________________________________________________________ "LEAD AND INVESTIGATE WITH YOUR HAND"! 8. LAKI'AHN MF links into a tropical age, palm tree looking things, sandy beaches, blue skies, big honkin boulders, big honkin fort and of course Esher. Grab the slate and head over to flaky puff, (looks like he may wet himself) listen to his story of loss and then get to some exploring. So the place is called Laki'ahn and the fort is a trading house, (big house). Esher says the front door is locked but the back one can be unlocked. Since discovering he's lied to me at least once so far, (that I can tell) I check the door, look inside the building and find a strip of paper on a table near the window opening, it has a series of red colored geometric shapes, copy them down. So to begin the age I explore my local surroundings, ooh butterflies! Out onto the beach you can see a large fence to the right and beach to the left, I head left and quickly find a barrier blocking further progress. Heading back to the fence it seems to be made of a bamboo like material, not very sturdy. The landscaping seems to be pushing you left along the beach, so go with the flow. A few yards past the end of the fence there is a passage between the boulders that empties out into a large low mud baked area, in this area are 3 huge skeletons of I don't know what. To the left is a power symbol engraved into a boulder and on the ground a tiny birdlike thing. Maybe it's a prehistoric chicken with a really big head? My eyes suck so I need a closer look on the bird and power symbol. The power symbol looks like ocean waves and the bird is one ugly mother! It's got some impressive teeth and a big ugly red head. I wonder if it was adopted. It needs to be oiled or something, it makes an awful creaky noise when you get close to it and it doesn't appear to be aggressive, (probably a good thing). Copy the power symbol onto the slate and drop it to see what happens. Lots of windy wind, a bleeden sand storm! There's another opening between the boulders that I believe I'll take while the taking is good. Snatch up the slate and head out. A small inlet/stream crosses in front of MF; there are a couple more skeletons in the stream and a big honkin gate thing ahead and to the left. If you go right the stream and path ends just around the corner. If you go left to the mouth of the inlet and continue you end up back at the passage between the boulders near the bamboo fence. Go right at the mouth of the inlet and you're stopped at the pointy boulders. OY! Look at the big things that swim around in the water huge dorsal fins occasionally rise up, some very close to shore. I'm easy guessing those things are what the skeletons used to be. The game channels you into the giant cage thing, so enter and explore. As you move deeper into the cage area you can see a busted up side on the left that should allow you to exit. Once deep into the cage you can see a mostly submerged pedestal in a round enclosure at the center of the massive cage, it has an opening that leads into another cage section blocked off from your current position. Head back to the break in the wall and climb out. As you thoroughly explore the confined area you find a 2nd chicken thing. This ones crazy, it's running around in circles in front of a large structure with a huge fan and a pulley that connects by belt to the top of the giant cage. On the far side of the cage is a tusk lined canal leading from a section of the cage into a tunnel. I'm guessing the cage is closed off to the canal and that somewhere there's a lever or button that raises the gate. Head back to the chicken and investigate the structure. When you get to the top of it you see one large lever, 2 smaller levers and 2 buttons. On top of the giant cage it looks like someone connected the skull bones of 3 of those big swimming things and then connected the pulley cable to it. You can pull on the levers and press the buttons but nothing will happen. Its time to test the slate again, move out to the front of the structure, draw the power symbol, drop the slate and move away from it. As soon as the Bahro links out snatch the slate and return to the levers. If you start from the left and pull each lever and push each button one at a time and look up and over to the cage after each action you can pretty much tell which lever and button does what, even through all the chaos of wind and light. 1. The wind created by the Bahro and power symbol may power the big fan. 2. The big lever must be a break. 3. The left small lever raises the pedestal out of the water 4. The left red button opens the gate to the canal 5. The right small lever rotates the small round inner pedestal cage. If you inspect the cage and pedestal from within the 1st canal you'll be able to see the linking symbol. Take note that the inner cage must be turned one more time to be aligned with the 2nd canal. Return to the structure and pull the right small lever one more time. Once the round central cage has been properly oriented draw the link symbol to the slate, drop it and beat feet to the KEEP. (NOTE) If the action of the power symbol has ceased repeat the earlier action with the slate and pull the small right lever one more time. When you arrive at the KEEP link out to the cage pedestal, then beat feet through the canal into an aquatic arena. There's a ramp at one end of the arena and at the top of the ramp is a tower with a pedestal on it. As you make your way up the ramp you see that the top of the tower is level with a cantilevered ramp. There are 4 devices that look like rudimentary robot heads attached to the rear wall and there's a big yellow button centered between the 4 heads. Lastly there's a recessed area to the left. You want to pay close attention to the details of all items on the ramp. With some little inspection you'll notice some of the eyes are red, (exposed) and some are yellow, (covered). The mouth of the heads is a big circle with one or more rings within. The 1st head on the left has one red eye and 4 rings on the mouth, the 2nd head has 1 red eye and 3 rings, the 3rd head has both eyes covered and has 2 rings and lastly the 4th head has 2 red eyes and 1 ring. See that the eyes of the heads can be exposed or covered by pushing on the round mouth part. Walk into the niche on the left and discover that it may be a scale. There is a series of black circles set vertically on the wall in the recess that resemble the eyes and mouth rings of the 4 heads. Step onto the plate in the recess and take note of the eyes that go red. If you're holding the slate when you step on the plate the 2nd set from the top has 3 rings and both eyes are red, the 4th set has 1 ring and 1 red eye. If you step on it without the slate only the 2nd set from the top shows 2 red eyes the rest stay black. So, what do we want to do? 1. Get to the pedestal on the tower. 2. Get the tower down to ramp level. * What do we know? 1. The tower height is level with the elevated cantilevered ramp. 2. There are 4 devices on the wall that resemble heads and may register the weight of the tower as a counter balance. 3. The device in the recess is likely a scale and if so then MF and the slate weigh 2 red eyes with 3 rings and 1 red eye with 1 ring, possibly equal to 7. With what we know and a little experimentation we can lower the tower and set the slate on it. Total up the weight of MF, the slate and the tower, once you have the total set the eyes of the wall heads for the correct counter balance and push the yellow button. Dang! Try as you may, the game won't allow you onto the tower before it begins to rise, that's not right. Your options are limited, so beat feet to the cage pedestal and do the linking thing back to the tower. As you materialize on the tower it begins to lower to the elevated ramp, grab the slate and walk off when allowed. Explore the area thoroughly, there are 2 pretty red buttons to push that make a little magic. As you approach one of the buttons Esher will pop in and regale MF with the glory of a bit of butchery misnamed as sport. As you poke around you'll find the jewel door Esher mentioned at the beginning of the age, it'll have a lock pretending to be a decorative plaque. Look familiar? You have the tools to solve the puzzle, it may take a second but this far into the game I'm sure you'll agree this isn't one of the difficult puzzles. A cozy rustic shack eh, rubies strewn all over the place, beast skulls hanging from the ceiling and tapestries hanging from the walls. Explore the rooms off to the side to see if there're any goodies to be had. On a table in one room there's a strip of paper with a color scheme, take note. Once you take in all there is return to the arena and back into the water to explore the gates you opened up earlier. Once in the water enter whichever tunnel you're closest to. If you do a smidge exploring you'll see that the tunnel is horseshoe shaped connecting both entrances from the arena. In either case there is one offshoot, (dead-end) tunnel, ending at a red pressure plate. Just before the plate on the left and in a niche is, (for lack of a better answer) a switch, I guess. It kind of looks like a mini pile driver, lift it up it stays and won't come down till you step on the pressure plate. When you step on the plate the round elevator platform you passed over on your way to the plate begins to rise. What do we want to do? 1. Access the level above via the elevator What do we know? 1. There is a pressure plate and switch that operate a lift. 2. Something/someone heavy enough must be placed onto the pressure plate for the lift to rise. 3. It will take a little experimentation for the proper order and symbol. 4. It will require the assistance of the Bahro to succeed. This puzzle is a bit tricky but an important clue is in your hands and the solution is in one of Yeesha's journals. Once you're on the level above take note of your surroundings, you're at the center of an intersection. There are 4 tunnels leading away, each tunnel ends in a sort of fork and at the point of each fork is a colored light. Are the colors familiar? Locate the color swatch in your notes and follow the correct pattern to the end, be tactile. Once back outside copy the pedestal link and then link to the KEEP. Once there follow the drill and then link back to the antler pedestal. As you begin to explore the area Esher pops in speaks of the Kresh, (natives) and then rants about outsiders, (not sure whether referring to Atrus' family or DRC). This is a stony place! There's some wreckage on the beach, what looks like a windmill on a boulder and an old dock a short distance from the pedestal. As you expand your search you'll come across a couple more asthmatic prehistoric chickens and eventually a poor excuse for a tree house. The tree house is tight to a big honkin boulder, the boulder has been hollowed out and there's a giant seesaw supported by pilings above the boulder. Assess the situation, circle the tree house and boulder and take note of the structures above and below. Once you discern their purpose raise the gate. (NOTE) Normally I'd grab a chicken and use its teeth as a saw to cut the weights away, but in this case, I'll follow game procedure and abide the rules. You'll soon discover that there isn't much to do up on the platform, however there is a window that looks out over the water pointing to a small stony cay. To the left of the window is a flag with something drawn on it which, (for the moment) can't be entirely seen. It may be a head with an eye and mouth. (NOTE) If you're up on the platform during the evening you'll get a treat looking out to the cay, it's faded for sure, but you can make out the bubble on the cay. If you haven't explored the rest of the allowed area yet do it, there isn't anything of import outside of nice to look at. When done looking about you'll be at an impasse, there's nothing else to find, nothing else to do save one, try to find out what the flag image is and whether it's important or not. What do we want to do? 1. See the entire emblem on the flag. What do we know? 1. Can't touch the flag. 2. The flag and the cay just off the island are sort of framed in the tree house window and may be important. 3. There's one option that may get the flag to move. Once you have a full on visual of the flag, copy the image onto the slate, drop it and back away, if done correctly the Bahro will accept it and link out with it. So, run back to the antler pedestal, link to the age KEEP and then to the cay. Esher will convey his soliloquy and link out. Look about if you like then enter the TARDIS and touch the slate. Touch the age symbol to link to K'veer. Take the tablet at the center of the KEEP and exit the bubble. You'll see Yeesha waiting for you pretty much where you left her. Approach her and she'll hold out her hands as if to take the tablet from MF. If you have paid any attention to the journals and the speech log, even though she holds out her hands you know she doesn't want it. She fears the longtime bondage of the Bahro will continue and of failing to do the right thing which is releasing them. Drop the tablet to the floor. Once done everything goes black and then you appear in front of Yeesha, who drops to her knees. She praises you and the maker for freeing her from the curse. You'll learn that the "CURSE" has lasted in to order of 10,000 years and then you're whisked to Releeshahn. There you'll see and aged and feeble Atrus, he speaks to MF and then Esher is dragged from wherever he was. He spits bile at everyone and then he's carried off to whatever punishment the Bahro give. Yeesha gives one more speech then walks off with Atrus. One Bahro remains, unfurls a set of batty wings flits up into the air, latches onto MF and lifts him into the air for a ride. As MF rises you can see a huge honkin obelisk in the distance down in a valley. The credits roll and you're done. (NOTE) There are at least 2 alternate endings from the one above, if there are more I haven't spent the time nor have the desire to look for them. 1. Give Yeesha the tablet, she'll walk around a bit and then link out. You're alone; your only recourse is to return to the room you began the journey in and the location of the Myst book. The book is now unlocked and can be accessed, link out to Myst. It's dark, miserable and raining big time, the place looks like it's been abandoned for some long time. You can explore the island some, try and find Ti'ana's grave marker. Know that when you near the Library Esher will come out. Berate and condemn you for giving Yeesha the book then link out leaving you to your death. 2. Don't give the tablet to Yeesha or the Bahro run out of the room to the actual beginning, grab the Myst book and link to Myst. Myst is in the same condition as the 1st alternate ending. Make your way to an empty Library, see the tablet holder thing and place the tablet on it. Esher will link into the Library and go into manic phase turning his amp up to 11. The 2 endings aren't all that different from each other, in both cases it is clear Esher is insane and MF is left to suffer a slow death on Myst. All in all Giving the tablet to the Bahro is a much pleasant ending and preferable over the alternates. (NOTE) if it was me, I'd have leaped onto Esher in his delusion, grabbed his linking shoulder cloth and linked to wherever it is that he goes to. His refuge must have linking books to all the ages he appears in throughout the story. From there I'd link back to Myst, grab the tablet, link back to K'veer and give it back to the Bahro. _____________________________________________________________________________ 9. SOLUTIONS TAHGIRA Cave Puzzle Place the slate over the image on the floor; you'll hear the ice cracking under your combined weight a small fracture appears. Step far enough back so that the Bahro appears and removes the slate. As it removes the slate the ice floor will fracture even more under its combined weight but not collapse. Move away from the bubble and the Bahro will return the slate to the pedestal and leave as Esher pointed out. It will take the combined weight of the avatar and slate to collapse the floor and give access to the outer pit. Pond Puzzle Turn the 6 levers on the structures from left to right and then return to the pond area. Draw the power symbol on the slate and drop it, step back far enough to allow the Bahro to appear and bring heat. The manifold levers will rise up and be functional. Pick up the slate and head for either manifold. I think the heat and or the existing life forms are transferred from the structures through the pipes to the manifold levers and then to the pond. While facing the pond, turn the levers on the "BLUE" right side manifold from left to right (R, L and L) to avoid the breaks in the pipe and create a path to this side of the pond. Turn the left side manifold, from left to right (L, R and L) to create a path to the opposite side of the pond. ______________________________________________________________________________ TODELMER Gear Puzzle Pull the near lever on the tram platform 1 time, (loud metal noise) wheel turns enough to expose pedestal symbol on mesa of distant narrow monolith. Last Gear Puzzle Once the power symbol has been used 2 times return to the last telescope, set the coordinates to 4 and 5, (if not already done) and then adjust the magnifier by pulling the far right small lever. ______________________________________________________________________________ NOLOBEN Dome Puzzle The 4 symbols found in the water bowls at the shrine/altar on the beach are the numbers 12, 2, 9, and 4. IMO the easiest/fastest way to find the correct shutter symbols is to close all shutters but one, square up to the open window by standing back a bit center on the window and move up tight. Look directly across the dome to the center point between the 2 windows on the opposite wall and the numbers above them. Your orientation from this position to the 2 windows is 7 windows from the one on the right and 7 from the one on the left. Counting 7 from either tells you what window you're at. In total there are 15 windows around the dome, once you know which window you are at count down left or up right to the target windows. Move to them lower the shutters and jot down their symbols. 12 is the power symbol for most electronics, 2 is 6 dots 2 rows 3 dots each row, 9 is for a lack of proper designator the letter H with the cross bar set low and 4 is 3 horizontal lines 3 rows 1 line each. Move to the satellite stones and locate the symbols found on the shutters. There're 2 main clues regarding the orientation of the satellite stones; the most obvious one is that only one stone has the power symbol on it which came from window #12. The 2nd and maybe less obvious is that the plateau ladder, dome and satellite stones orient with the shrine, i.e., the rain symbol, stone egg and water bowls are the ladder, dome and sat stones. Once all satellite stones are correctly set the cave tunnel barriers will allow access to the lower level of the dome. Seal Dome Climb back up the plateau and spin the top of one satellite a couple times to rotate the door closed. Islet Door Puzzle Only the snake symbol Esher mentions, (as a repellent) works for the puzzle. He lies about the Bahro not going near the symbol, it just delays their approach. (NOTE) First I experimented with all the symbols on the beach; I timed each from the drop to the link out. 1. Book 3 takes 00:30 to final link out. 2. Book 7 took 00:33. 3. Snake symbol 1:40 pressure plate to when the Bahro links to the dome. With the symbol from book 7, technically, if you link and run the whole way without flopping around you can get to the door before it opens. At minimum see it open up or close as you run for it but you never do. The game isn't programmed to work with the symbol. I was hesitant to even consider trying the snake symbol due to Esher's statement, Esher lied. ______________________________________________________________________________ LAKI'AHN Cage/Windmill Puzzle Pull the large left lever, then the smaller left lever; push the left button and then the small right lever twice. Run to the near right side of the enclosure to read the pedestal symbol, draw it to the slate, drop it and run to the KEEP. If your eyes are bad like mine and with all the chaos from the power symbol still in effect you'll need your glasses or a magnifying glass to see the symbol. Tower Puzzle For each wall head, the number of red eyes times the number of rings on the heads mouth equals the counter balance weight provided. Tower weight, (1X4, 1X3, 2X1 =9), MF and slate, (2X3, 1X1 =7), total, (9+7=16). Close the eyes of one of the heads and push the big yellow button to lower the tower. Place the slate on the tower pedestal, reset the heads to total 16 and again push the big yellow button. Run to the cage pedestal link to the KEEP and then back to the tower. Locked Back Door Puzzle While you're at the front door of the Trading House look through the window to the left of the locked door, the geometric symbols found on the table are upside down and backwards. If you were able to rotate the strip of paper the symbols are on you'd get the correct order and orientation. Circle, Square, Triangle, Hexagon, Diamond. Lift Puzzle Stand on the pressure plate; draw the symbol from the 7th Yeesha journal on the slate and drop it. Move to and raise the switch, run to the round lift and wait for the Bahro to stand on the plate to raise the lift. Color Swatch Puzzle Once you're at the floor above step off the lift and spin around to locate the hallway with the blue button. Once located do a 180 to face the red button, follow said hallway (right, right, left) and press the (red, red, green, blue) buttons as you go. The last blue button gets you back outside. Tree House Puzzle There are 7 counter balance stones on the ground, U= Up, D= Down. There are a couple combinations that work, this is one of them. From left to right, (U, U, D. D, U, U, D) Flag Puzzle Draw power symbol on slate and back away. Grab slate as Bahro exits and run to tree house window. Draw the fish thing on the slate, drop it and back away. Once the Bahro links out with the slate run back to the window and look out to the cay, you can see a twinkle as the Bahro links in and or out. ______________________________________________________________________________ Lastly, I was kind of bummed out that Cyan didn't use real people for the characters; I've become accustomed to and expectant, (for me) EOA was a disappointment in that regard. The End!