A while back I came up with an idea for a short story, but never actually wrote it; it wouldn't work too great as just a short story. I put it aside, but then a friend reminded me of it when I was contemplating an Age to write. I really don't want to spoil one of the major surprises in the Age, but it was what really made it cool, so I'll put it in a spoiler tab. You don't have to view it to understand the basic idea of the Age, though. So here it goes:
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A D'ni Writer wrote an Age of lush forests, beautiful meadows, and peaceful rivers. But when he linked there, he found that something had gone terribly wrong: the Age was unstable! The core of the planet was steadily expanding, and it was coming near the time when it would explode the entire Age. At first he considered rewriting it, but that would not change the Age; it would just link to completely new one. There were people on the Age, and he felt pity; he couldn't abandon them.
And so the Writer set out to "fix" the Age without rewriting it. He recruited several other D'ni to help him, and together they built a central power area for the Age, separate from the forest, but near the village. He set up barriers around it so the people of the Age wouldn't try to take control of the power core and accidentally destroy something important. The technology worked perfectly, controlling the unstable core and keeping the Age peaceful. But then D'ni died...
After years of wear on the technology, with no one coming to maintain it, and the villagers wondering what happened to the mysterious people that came to keep their land safe, it finally shut down. Now mysterious things are happening: strange volcanic rumblings knock houses from their supports, odd valleys are popping up in random places, and the oceans are beginning to heat up.
When you arrive, the Age appears to be in and endless night. You are in the center of the power core, and must explore, activating various parts of the massive mechanism. You cannot see over the giant wall surrounding it or access the forest and village beyond. As you explore, you read various journals of the Writer of the Age, and learn more of its history. When finally you can leave the mechanism, you enter the forest and village. You also stumble across an astonishing secret:
You meet one of the villagers, and they tell you of the recent strange occurrences, and of the disappearance of their "saviors from afar." The power core is running, but you must access the master control room to make it fully functional again. Once this is done, you receive much thanks from the villagers for saving their world from destruction, and can depart.
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So, how do you like it? Like I said, you don't need to read the spoiler to understand the story, but it will certainly help you better understand the Age. Please feel free to comment on how you like it. Thanks!
Guild of Writers
