Amateria
From MYSTlore
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| Amateria | |
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Written by Atrus | |
| Type | Lesson Age |
| Connected places | J'nanin |
| Link-in points | In front of the pagoda |
Amateria is one of the lesson ages Atrus wrote for his sons. This age is the Age of Dynamic Forces, and the basis of this lesson (and the age itself) is that "Dynamic Forces Spur Change", which is one of the four Age-building mantras Atrus sought to teach his boys.
In contrast with its three sister Ages: Edanna, Voltaic and Narayan, all the devices in Amateria are kinetic-based, which means they involve movement, timing and balance rather than energy or lifeforms.
Like with Edanna and Voltaic, Amateria has been somewhat sabotaged by Saavedro, meaning the Age seen by the Stranger is slightly different than the one initially written by Atrus to teach his sons. However, the Age's principles are still the same, with its main objective being to get a crystal ball across its three main puzzles, enabling you to get to a fourth puzzle that shows you the way out.
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[edit] The Resonance Rings
One of Amateria's puzzles consists of a winding track that passes through six rings. When a ring "activates," a force field appears inside it that will shatter the ball if it goes through the activated ring. The goal of the puzzle is to set each ring so that it deactivates when the ball passes through it, letting it travel through the track unharmed.
[edit] The Turntable Tracks
Another of Amateria's puzzles consists of two circles that have six circular slots. When the ball approaches the puzzle, it gets stuck in a slot. The puzzle's control panel consists of a diagram of the two circles (the turntables) that also have six slots in them. There are three pegs that can be placed into one of the control panel's turntables' slots. When the puzzle has been activated with the ball nestled in a slot, the turntables on the control panel and the actual turntables will begin to spin. When an inserted peg on the control panel reaches the bottom of the turntable, the ball in the actual turntable will be launched from its new rotated position to the opposite turntable. The goal of the puzzle is to launch the ball from turntable to turntable in an effort to get it to land on a track leading away from the puzzle. There are several ways to "lose" the puzzle:
- The ball isn't launched onto a ramp that carries the ball to the next turntable and shatters.
- The ball is launched successfully, but falls into a slot without a bottom and sinks into the sea.
- The ball doesn't reach the track once all the pegs have been used, and is vaporized.
[edit] The Balance Bridge
Another of Amateria's puzzles consists of a large bridge that is unbalanced at the start of the puzzle. The bridge must be balanced using a fulcrum that can be shifted to the left side, right side, or center of the bridge. The bridge must also be balanced through the use of a counterweight that you must construct, to counteract the weight ball that currently tips the bridge. When the bridge is evenly balanced, the ball will be able to pass across it safely.
[edit] Background
The rock formations on Amateria bear a striking resemblance to Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway, and may actually have been inspired by it.
