Edanna, the Age of Nature, is one of the Element Ages written by Atrus. It was designed to teach that "Nature encourages mutual dependence". Sirrus and Achenar had to discover how creatures in the Age react to different stimuli: light, touch, electricity, or the presence of other creatures.
Geography[]
Edanna is a living tree-like edifice that rises about 200ft above an ocean. Inside the trunk, branches and other life forms grow inward weaving a labyrinth which houses 3 different ecosystems. The upper level of Edanna is the Deadwood Ridge, actually a formation of huge interior branches; although it is well-lit, it is stark; below it is a lush densely canopied Forest; the base of Edanna is a murky, low-lit saltwater Swamp where its root system snakes in and out of saltwater.[1]
Points of Interest[]
- Deadwood Ridge
- Upper
- Outside, there is a Fan Palm behind which is hidden another linking book to J'nanin, hiding the sun from an Aurora Blossom. There are also one Quaffler Fig and 2 Corkscrew Cattails, one leading to the middle level, and another to the lower level.[1]
- Middle
- Curved branches wend their way downward along the great trunk's inner walls, forming ledges and walkways with sprouting plants that consist a symbiotic ecosystem, like 2 Lens Blossoms, Corkscrew Cattails and Quaffler Figs.[1]
- Lower
- Compared to the stark and barren levels above, this part becomes more lush as it leads to the Forest. A sheer drop into the canopy below opens between giant branches that twist to become a shadow maze. A path leads to a stand of low palms and a basin of a Quaffler Fig where an Electra Ray swims. Another path is lit by glowing lavender lichen and leads to a perilous drop bridged by two Tongue Ferns, a swing vine and a rotten log covered with Barnacle Moss. On a ledge there is a growth of vines with pink fruits above a Squee nest; someone (Atrus or Saavedro) has installed a squee trap nearby.[1]
- Grossamery Nest
- This nest is built on the oldest curved branch in Edanna where a Grossamery has her nest with eggs and a hatchling. The broken branch had been eaten away by Strangler Figs whose vines aged and broke away, forming a large tangle hanging beneath the nest, at the center of the ridge; dripping sap from the dying wood hardened to amber forming a natural vine chamber, and inside, a pair of vines hold the linking book to the J'nanin Observatory. Vine fragments encased in amber-hardened sap form Edanna's special Nature symbol.[1]
- Forest
The lush, canopied middle level of Edanna. It is lit by some shafts of sunlight breaking through the canopy or gaps in the great outer trunk, as well as luminescent growths. A giant Venus flytrap can trap even a mature Grossamery is trapped inside the carnivorous plant. A ledge outside the trunk leads to a lower level where Saavedro has painted a mural. The thorny roots of the Venus flytrap and the Fig's vine converge and drop winding through a basin. A branch-formed ledge has another orchind and Aurora Blossom with a direct view to the lowest basin. A hollowed-out branch illuminated by yellow-orange glowing mushrooms lead onto another ledge with a swing vine that drops down the Swamp.[1]
- Swamp
The lowest part of Edanna is a swampy maze of roots. There is a Jumping Dragon, as well as a root-formed arch that leads into the swamp, which is lit by luminescent growths and occasional gaps to the trunk. Edanna's roots separate the swamp in two rooms, each dominated by a large Nemel Lotus; the one in the lighter chamber is open and the mother Grossamery took its succulents; the other in darker chamber is dormant. There is also a Fan Palm, a Lambent Orchid and a grove of Vesuvi Mushrooms.[1]
Flora and Fauna[]
Several species of plant life are live in this age, many with functional abilities.
- The Lens Blossom, a flower that acts as a magnifier.
- Two types of Sun-collector flowers: the aurora blossom, which focuses sunlight into a heat ray; and the lambent orchid, which redirects sunlight in the dark lower levels.
- Corkscrew cattails that act as elevators and get their water and nutrients from a plant called the quaffler fig, which stores water in large bulbs or hard basins.
- Giant pitcher plants, apparently nonnative.
- The nemel lotus, which releases spores that attract the grossamery.
- The fan palm; unlike the fan palms of D'ni Rihltahgamihn, this plant has a bulb which, when touched, opens or closes the plant.
- The barnacle moss, which opens when a squee chirps.
- Swing vines, which allow one to swing across a gap in the path or lower one a ways.
There are also various fauna.
- The red-breasted grossamery, a bird that nests in the upper levels and has a distinctive trumpeting.
- The electra ray, which lives in the quaffler figs.
- The squee, a white rodent with distinctive chittering.
- Pollinating insects that hang around the nemel lotus
The flora and fauna interact in various ways within the enclosed ecosystem.
Saavedro's Traces[]
- Saavedro has left p. 10 of his journal in the yellow-lit passage in the lower Deadwood Ridge.
- He left p. 2 in the upper hollow branch of the Forest, near a grove of luminescent mushrooms.
- He made a mural for Atrus, showing Sirrus and Achenar preaching to the Narayani people and telling them about the linking books. According to his journal, they were telling them to escape their world, or they lied that they can fix Narayan with the Art.
- He left p. 16 of his journal inside the Nemel Lotus root.
- He broke half of the Nature symbol, leaving the glyphs for "Nature" and "Encourage".
Maps[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The insignia of Edanna is the schematic of a bird. It also appears in the options and credits screens of the game.
- Along with the other two ages, this symbol represents the final "ride" of the age that leads the player to the symbol to unlock the way to Narayan, In this case, the bird that carries the bunch of fruit the player hides inside.
- There are two videos of the freed Grossamery, depending on which you do last: either push the fig (while the orchid is already directing light towards it) or arrange the orchid (while the Electra Ray is in the fig).