Dereno is Reziksehv's arctic continent. It holds observation pod number 25.

The pod is located half-submerged in a freshwater lake in the southwest of the landmass. The D'ni were exhibiting the fish found in the lake, but since half the pod is above the ice cap of the lake, it's probable that there was land life there as well, at the time the museum was active.

The Pod:

The observation pod of Dereno is typical of them all. It is a hollow sphere with a platform system inside that has three levels. The platforms are designed to align with windows in the body of the pod, two at the lower level, one at midlevel, and two at the upper level.

At the bottom of the pod is the master power switch. The pod is powered by batteries that are in turn fed solar power. The power collector is disconnected when the internal electricity is turned on, so if the power switch is not turned off, the batteries will eventually drain, and cannot recharge until the switch is thrown to the off position.

The four buttons on either side of the power switch are sound players that feed recordings to the speakers in the pod. Each has a recording of a call corresponding to an animal that was typical of the district.

Looking toward the lowest windows, there is a bookstand with a linking book to the Nexus Age. The buttons at the base of each window turns on exterior flood lamps and defogs the window, which are usually necessary steps to see outside.

The midlevel has speakers connected to the sound recordings downstairs, and to exterior microphones that pick up ambient sounds.

The upper level has two separate platforms, one for each window.

Wildlife:

There are several varieties of fish and animals in the vicinity of the pod. The largest is the Dereno kamkenta. It got its name from a resemblance to a flying animal that lives in an Age called Kahlo. There are three main types of smaller fish, the fan-tailed icefish, the ruddy angelfish, and the striped rockfish. There are two types of freshwater coral, and a sponge as well.

Taking pictures of animals can be a difficult job, since it's not usually possible to get them to pose for a photo. This series of three pictures show the Dereno kamkenta from the back, front, and side.

This is a ray-like animal with a single compound eye that wraps around the entire front of its head. I didn't see a mouth of any sort, so I have no idea what or how it eats.

This is a group shot with all three of the other types of fish.

The giant branched and the flat greenish structures are the two species of freshwater coral. Seeing coral growing in an arctic environment is something that would have a zoologist on Earth rubbing his eyes in disbelief, since Earthly corals are strictly warm water animals. To date, there are no official names for either species.

The round objects are globe sponges. Sponges usually trap food that is swept through the cavities in their bodies by water currents, but in this lake the currents are too slow to do the job efficiently. To make up for this, the globe sponge produces gasses that are released up the central cavity, and the gasses in turn draw water from the base of the sponge up the cavity, bringing food particles with it.

The small fish with the ragged-edged fins and tail is the fan-tailed icefish. They seemed to actively try to elude my photo taking, and getting this shot was a lot of work.

This is the ruddy angelfish.

To the right of the corals, you can see a net-like object hanging from the ice cover over the lake. Those are the roots of a type of tree that grows on the ice, and feeds from nutrients and minerals in the water.

And this is the striped rockfish.

The surface:

The area outside the pod is a frozen lake with many wind-sculpted ice ridges. There is also a peculiar type of tree growing on the ice, which feeds on substances in the water below.

This is the only known high definition photo of the surface around the pod. It gives us a much better look at the trees. The long branches look very much like the snake plants in Negilahn, which causes me to wonder if they are related.

An interesting feature of the Age which was pointed out to me by an explorer called Mary Sue is that the frost on the windows does not follow the typical pattern of frost on Earth. Instead of having a six-pointed crystal, it has five points instead. This can be seen on the middle and upper landing windows. I've placed a dark background outside this example to display the pattern clearly.

Because of that, her conclusion was that the liquid in the lake couldn't possibly be water. I don't really agree with that, because while frost does often form snowflake-like crystals, it often breaks that rule and forms other shapes, or none at all. Here is a picture of ice crystals forming on a window as it warms up. Note that there is one in the upper right that does indeed have a distinct five-pointed structure. Just to the left of it is another that looks like a fern leaf.

So, while I cannot explain why almost all of the frost crystals on the pod windows have a five-pointed layout, it's not impossible for water based frost to form that way. It's just very unlikely. Does Dereno have a geographical or environmental reason why frost there would have a star shape? I wish I knew.

Myst, the Myst logo, and all games and books in the Myst series are registered trademarks and copyrights of Cyan Worlds, Inc. Myst Online: Uru Live is the sole property of Cyan Worlds Inc. The concepts, settings, characters, art, and situations of the Myst series of games and books are copyright Cyan Worlds, Inc. with all rights reserved.

I make no claims to any such rights or to the intellectual properties of Cyan Worlds; nor do I intend to profit financially from their work. This web site is a fan work, and is meant solely for the amusement of myself and other fans of the Myst series of games and books.