Author: Unknown
Date Written: Unknown
Date Accessed: 09/07/04
Date Released: 26/06/07
Book location: Watchers Sanctuary, Relto, Ashem'en District
Designation: D’ni Age
In the years leading up to The Fall the algae within the D'ni lake was starting to darken, Er'cana was to be a solution to this issue. The Age was engineered by Guild Master Kadish following his exile from the Guild of Writers. Kadish used Er'cana for his own agenda, tying it into The Watcher's Sanctuary and Ahnonay to perpetuate the deception that he was The Grower as prophicized by The Watcher. Using the pellets Kadish sought to fullfill the lines in Words.
] The grower will take time.
] The grower will bring light.
] The grower will have Ages.
] Take it, and move it to and fro.
] Bring light, and give it to the dark places.
] Have Ages, and link to them without bindings.
The Age was first accessed by members of the explorer community in 2004 after the DRC's first restoration attempt failed. The Age was later "officially released" by the DRC at the end of June 2007.
Contents
Appearance
Er'cana is an arid canyon that was once a river bed that snakes through the land that surround it. Perpetial day light from a B-type main sequence star enables a maximized growth upon the Tristalks that populate the canyon. Little grows upon the Age except the plants that are havested there with small scrub grasses and bushes dotted here and there.
Large monorails run the length of the canyon providing a path for the harvester, a large machine with extendable arms like bird wings that collect from the Tristalk plants and deliver the grain to the factory for processing.
Clinging to the canyon walls just prior to the factory is a nest of buildings and walkways suspected to the housing of workers on Er'cana.
Past the factory across calm brilliant blue waters are large snow capped mountains
The Factory
Following the Harvester tracks along the canyon leads to a large factory that seals the canyon off from the expanse of water that lies beyond.
The Harvester brings the collected grain into the base of the factory using the cart that sits at the front of the Harvester. The cart detaches and is raised up into the factory where the collected grain is then removed via pneumatic pipes.
The grain is transported further into the factory by pipes for further processing. Fresh water is channeled into 4 large vats, these vats are connected to the mixing room via a series of pipe and also contain large drainage pipes in case the contents need to be purged. Just past the vats is the Mixing Room, it is this area that allows for the careful callibration of the ovens. Allowing for the right combination of timing, weight ratios and temperature to form the right pellet sets.
Across a short walkway is the Oven, it is here that the pellets are formed and compressed into their shape before being taken to the Ashem'en District for testing.
The Pellets
The completed pellets are about 30cm in length and about 12 cm in diameter and take on an orange colour after being cooked. The pellets then serve two functions depending on the settings used. If the pellets are developed using the settings found within the Bahro Cave then the pellet will produce a white light which interacts with the walls within the Bahro Cave accessed via Er'cana and Ahnonay.
Other settings will react with the D'ni lake water and can be taken to Ashehm'en to be deposited into the lake water. Within Ashem'en is a pellet reader which will tally the pellet before dropping it into the waters below.
With different settings it is possible to affect the lake water in different ways. The best pellets will feed the algae and cause a brighter orange glow. Other settings will generate pellets that will harm the algae, sizzling as those pellets hit the water or, in some cases, producing a small explosion.
Lake Light Level Restoration Project
With the release of Er'cana in 2007, the DRC added a Lake Light Meter to the docks in Ae'gura. Dubbed the "Dalek" by the explorer community, the meter measured the levels of light being produced by the algae within the lake water. Explorers worked to produce good batches of pellets to feed into the lake via Ashehm'en in a long term restoration project to restore the lake water to its 30 hour cycle of old.
Monthly reports were issued to the community via graph charts indicating the progress of the project.
Despite the DRC withdrawing from the cavern, the lake restoration project is still ongoing and is expected to take many years to achieve.
The Path of the Shell
In 2004 after the DRC left the D'ni Cavern Yeesha continued the explorer community on a further journey that was known as The Path of the Shell. Access to The Watcher's Sanctuary opened up the journey which was split between Er'cana and Ahnonay. The journey taught about The Watcher and his prophecies, collectively known as Words. The journey also introduced explorers to The Grower and The Deceiver concepts.
Through a series of new Journey Cloths the path, like The Journey prior to it lead to the Bahro Caves and eventually the Age of Myst.
Notable Wildlife
Tristalks are the main harvest crop from Er'cana. They are bulbous based plants that rise up and split into branches of three. At least two variants of the Tristalk have been discovered thus far. Both start with a bulblike base, keeps this bulb base and develops further bulb like growths at the end of its stalks. This variant also develops large white petals. The other variant starts the same way but then develops a longer thicker trunk before splitting of into 3 branches. These second variants have been spotted reaching heights of 40 to 50 feet.
Artifacts
Clothing Backpack
Relto Page Tristalk
Connections
Ashem'en District Linking Book
Bahro CaveBahro Stone
Bahro CaveBahro Portal
DRC Restoration Notes
Phase Four Suspended 15.06.06
Phase Five prioritization list approved. Begin work. 1.22.07