Kadish Mansion Ruins:
Introduction
Beyond the area we know, known as the Kadish Labyrinth, what remains of Kadish's mansion can be found.
Accessible by a hidden metal door hidden within a cavity in the tree in the enclave housing the podium. By jumping beyond the bahro stone, one can sink into the darkened depression within the bark and find themselves in a dark corridor carved into the wood. This corridor is around 3 metres in length, leading directly to an old rusty iron door.
Aim
The aim of of the mansion environment is as follows:
1. To provide a rich environment unrelated to any puzzle (at the moment), but rather to entertain the explorer in a natural and authentic setting where he/she is encouraged to soak up the visuals and the history.
2. To provide insight into the character of Kadish and the overarching culture of D'ni. What this should reflect is the charm, wonder, and realism presented in Myst and Riven - when one could sort through the Brother's rooms and Gehn's areas of study. Such environments liberate the player from the gameplay and provide a deep sense of honesty and believability to the world, and further the game. World before puzzles.
Maps
Entrance and Old House area:
The old house:
The old house area is the first accessible region. At the entrance lies the prayer room, abandoned and in dire condition. To the right of this room, a pile of broken chairs lies strung about. The corridor going left of the prayer room leads to a second set of hallways. When entering this area, the player is confronted with a fork and another door directly opposite the entrance. The room directly opposite the entrance is an unidentifiable space where an old bathtub lies in the corner, covered in mold, boxes and broken stools lie in piles.
Beyond this area there is the weapons room where various D'ni weapons are stored, although now rusted and covered in dust. To the left of of the entrance, a corridor leads to both this room and a small area where an old statue of the watcher is placed under a dim orange light. To the right of the entrance, one finds the cellar, an open room where various substances are stored, most notably large barrels of D'ni wine.
The small room is what I dub the "red room" - a small square room accessible at each end where all that lies within is nothing but an empty space where a dim, darkroom like firemarble light above illuminates the square stone brick space in an ominous orange.
A tower can be reached by following a spiral staircase beyond the cellar. The tower is but a lookout post peering down onto a large clearing.
New House area:
The new house is much more lavish. Yet still a dim and maze-like area, this section of the house is in good condition, showcasing an array of D'ni architectural craftsmanship. Upon opening the large golden doors, one follows a hallway meeting at first a small hexagonal garden space no bigger than an average bathroom in width. This space contains a soil bed in a round, flat, D'ni basin. Growing in this bed are an array of small or young Teledahn shrooms. Above, an orange light illuminates them softly.
The bedroom features a large bed with roofing, done in a quasi Gothic/Frank Lloyd Wright style of design. The walls feature elegant pillars similar to those found in Sirrus' room on Stoneship - twisting columns painted in stripes of red and gold. A desk holds an open book to Teledahn. A chest contains papers, a knife, ink pots and gold. In an armoir, one finds Kadish' set of clothes, an animal skin, an old sword and a small wooden box. The box holds a linking book! But... the book is locked with a padlock. Next to the book however is a small key, yet the key does not open this book. The bedroom also leads to a small bathroom! A sink, slightly nicer than Gehn's is at the front of the room, and similar in design it features a pull-down tap that shoots a jet of water straight into the drain. A D'ni toilet is in the center, adjacent to a rectangular stone bathtub with decaying plating on its interior.
The living room features a small fireplace built into a corner of the wall and surrounded by pentagonal cushioned seats. A large armoir holds clothing and maps. Two musical instruments lean against the wall, lit by a gentle warm D'ni lamp. Near the floor, a locked grate conceals a small soot stained storage space carved into the stone walls adjacent to the fireplace. The key found in the bedroom proves to open this space. Inside, a lantern is crudely hung on a hook and a small journal leans against the stone walls besides it. The living room leads out to a dark hallway. At one end, an unlit model of Ahnonay stands. At the other end, a dark room filled with cages filled with dirt and various other animal remains lies in disrepair. A multitude of stuffed wildlife from across the multiverse sits and hangs idle, unlit, all while carefully placed about the room with an artists eye in mind.
A second bedroom holds a bed and a table, but in dire condition. Much of the ceiling has caved in in this room.
The main hallway continues, barely lit at all, leading off to the kitchen area. The kitchen is dirty and is built with a dark green tile stone. An old square oven can be turned on, showing a red ash-like heating device illuminating the space under a dirty grill. Pots and kettles lie on a stove on the top of the oven. Another bathroom is reached at the back of the kitchen. In here we find a large sink, a toilet, and an array of sanitizers.
Exiting back to the hallway, at its very end, a small stone door can be opened. This door leads to a stone cave/hallway. To the right, a small wooden door leads to a map room - a room where an array of plans and maps are hung and strewn about on the top of a large wooden table. The cave however, leads firstly to a small area within a shaft of the tree, lit by the purple sky. A gazebo is conveniently located at its center. Leaves even fall in this area.
The stone cave quickly transforms into a wood cave leading to a dark juncture. Remembering the lantern, you rush back and grab it and retrace your steps to this juncture. The lantern's light illuminates a previously unseen passage barred off by a wooden door. A lever sits next to this door, and by pulling it towards you, the door infact lowers itself diagonally making a bridge over a steep crevice in the tree just beyond the juncture. This path leads to a small lookout tower that peers onto the cloud sea.
Study area (apologies for the crappiness of this page):
The study area is reached by following the main path beyond the juncture. This path is carved within the tree and escalates after the juncture leading you off at a level area where the path continues, albeit now the walls appear to be made of stone. This portion of the cave is lit by iron posts concealing small square firemarble light-boxes (akin to the kind in Direbo). This path ends at an iron gate which is locked.
Returning to the house, you wonder why someone would lock their own exit to their own house. Looking through closets and chests, you again come across Kadish' clothes. Lo and behold, in one of his pockets, you find a key!
Returning, you open the gate and find yourself along an open path amid the tree of Kadish. To the left, the path leads to a clearing where you can see the tower up above. There is nothing here except a circular stone plate on the ground, possibly where Kadish would have linked in. The plate has his tree symbol stuck onto it, in gold and stone platings. The path to the left of the gate leads to an open vista of cloud sea. Following stone bridges, you walk from platform to platform across the sea, meeting trees, and eventually arriving at the study, a pentagonal stone building.
The study features glass windows and a large desk. A modest bed, sink, and small table lie in one corner. On another side, there is a book case and adjacent to it, a mirror - almost a duplicate of the famous one from the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eick (1434). A cannen sits in another corner, while a plate holding worms sits on a small stool.
