Go on a big adventure with Derrick as he travels from California to Spokane, Washington for a chance to enter the worlds of Cyan.

– Part One –

INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS ‘RIVEN?’

I never thought I’d visit the state of Washington. There’s nothing unappealing about it; who wouldn’t want to explore a forest-covered state with gorgeous rivers and cities drenched in history? But I had only traveled to a few places outside my home state of California: Nevada (for a day), Arizona (also for a day), Washington D.C., and Florida. Out of those locations, only Florida was on my “bucket list,” thanks to its massive and impressive theme parks surrounded by swamps and alligators. My desires were planted on Hawaii next, but it’s not the most frugal trip.

Select pictures & postcards of the previous states I had been to outside of California.

Washington was just never on the horizon, although there was always something there that had intrigued me. I had known of its existence since I was a kid, but I never thought I’d be able to see it.

1997 was a big year. Two films were cemented in my 10-year-old brain: ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ and ‘Titanic.’ However, something else was released that became just as impressionable: ‘Riven,’ a game that was a sequel to Cyan’s legendary ‘Myst.’

Plunge into a deceptively beautiful world cursed by bewildering defects and a powerful overseer. Every shadow hides a secret, and appearances might not be what they seem. Atrus needs you once again – to untangle the truth about Riven and help him free his beloved wife Catherine. You must search, explore, and draw on your intellect and intuition to discover the truth about this troubled land and its inhabitants. Let Riven become your world, before the entire world is lost.

I remember playing it for hours, soaking up its incredible atmosphere. For modern gamers it probably looks a little dated now. The game was a point-and-click adventure, going from one beautifully rendered image to the next. For 1997, it was absolutely alluring. It was also extremely challenging, requiring me to dig up a walkthrough just to complete it. Despite this, it quickly became my favorite game of all time; allowing me to enter a world I could easily become lost in. It was there for me when the real world often felt like it wasn’t.

During this time, I saw a behind the scenes video on the making of ‘Riven.’ It featured an intriguing custom-built structure that eventually became Cyan World’s headquarters for its creative staff. The load bearing masonry building was made with a brick-layered entryway, ripped out and pushed forward like a damaged ruin. It looked like something from ‘Riven’ itself, but it was real! It was a place that existed, in Spokane, Washington. However, the idea of somehow being able to go there was impossible. The only feasible way, without trespassing, was to work there. Being able to step foot in a place that felt mysterious and engrossing, like Cyan’s games, became nothing but a dream. It would be easier just to find an actual abandoned ruin to enter, but then you’d risk getting tetanus or encountering shady people.

Cyan’s Headquarters building, designed by Ago Studios.

But just a few years ago, I learned that there is a way to visit Cyan’s Spokane headquarters.

Mysterium, an annual convention since 2000, celebrates all things ‘Myst’ and Cyan-related. While relatively small and under-the-radar at first, it has increasingly grown with attendees over the years. The location of the convention changes every year, and usually includes a “con room” located in a hotel that features presentation panels, intricate puzzles, art displays, swag, and special guests. But one location Mysterium frequents is where it began: Cyan World’s Spokane headquarters. When there, the convention features an excursion to visit Cyan itself and take part in their own presentations, while potentially meeting people like CEO Rand Miller. Rand is also famous for portraying Atrus in all the ‘Myst’ games: the creator of various worlds through linking books. Art imitating life, right?

During the pandemic, I found myself watching videos of Mysterium’s Spokane trips, and became increasingly jealous of everyone who was there. I could see them all having a wonderful time, surrounded by the peaceful and mysterious location that taunted me for years. I finally realized it should be my next trip when it’s held there again. It was an unexpected desire that nearly came out of nowhere. Knowing that it was actually possible to visit Cyan’s headquarters, and to finally see that amazing building in person, I knew it would never leave my mind until it happened.

So, it was to my delight in 2022 that Mysterium was announced to be held in Spokane the next year. On top of that, a remake of ‘Riven’ was later announced to be coming soon (and hopefully mimic just how amazing the game always was). It was then likely the visit to Cyan World’s headquarters would also include a first-look at the remake of my favorite game. The stars were aligning too perfectly for me not to go.

When late June of 2023 arrived, I was ready. While I didn’t have much money for the trip, I was able to sell enough “priceless” things that clearly did have a price. Flights were booked, the hotel was reserved, and I was ready to finally make my dream come true.

DAY ONE: THE JOURNEY TO SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – June 28, 2023

My trip to the Mysterium Convention in Spokane, Washington began with me arriving for my 1:15PM flight at my old stomping grounds: The Palm Springs International Airport. I worked there for almost a decade in the gift shops, owned by Paradies Lagardère, but left in 2019. Now that I was back, I wanted to take a selfie with my favorite Big Horn Sheep statue before making my way to the Sonny Bono Concourse.

I ran into some old co-workers there, shocked to still see them around. We had a few laughs, reminiscing about the old days of us working together. It was a strange way to start my trip, feeling like I had gone back in time; but things were just a bit different. Before long, I departed from Palm Springs, California to Salt Lake City, Utah on a flight via Delta Airlines.

I’m pretty sure I passed Nevada or Arizona along the way. There was some minor turbulence, which matched well with some dramatic film scores I was listening to. Thankfully, nothing bad happened. Seeing Utah’s big, foreboding lake upon approach was engrossing as the plane flew toward it.

My connecting flight to Spokane from Salt Lake City was delayed for about 30 minutes, so I can say I finally spent some time in the state of Utah. It’s a shame I couldn’t go to Dinosaur National Monument, like I had always wanted to. That’ll have to be another trip, someday, with a side quest to that strange Evermore Park if it’s still open.

My 5:28PM flight to Spokane was filled with some incredible landscapes. I was glad to have chosen window seats for all my flights to experience them. I’m sure I flew over Idaho, and maybe part of Oregon. I was able to snap some great shots, including one of a magical landscape with a twisting river. It felt like I was approaching Neverland or Fantasia.

I arrived at Spokane, Washington in the evening, and immediately took a Lyft from their airport to the DoubleTree by Hilton Spokane City Center. The highway was flanked with pine trees, something I was not used to around Southern California.

When I arrived at the hotel, I realized I had likely never stayed at a Hilton before. For the past few years, nothing was fancier than Motel 6. I checked in via digital key, which was also a first for me. It felt odd to enter the hotel, never say a word to anyone, and just walk into my room after pressing a few icons on my phone. The future is now! I soon unpacked my luggage, quickly ordered some cheap McDonald’s food, and was ready to rest.

DAY TWO: THE RIVERFRONT PARK – June 29, 2023

It was the day before Mysterium’s main festivities. While some people were already meeting up, I knew I first had to explore Spokane’s Riverfront Park that was right beside the Hilton hotel. It’s not very often I get to be somewhere completely new! While it was a little daunting to just trek away from the relative safety of the hotel, I needed to get a layout of the city’s surroundings. I wanted the first-person approach on my own, perhaps inspired by the very game that brought me there.

Spokane’s Riverfront Park was gorgeous, with a lot of scenic spots. There were also some great art installations nearby, the most notable being the metal-sculpted “Garbage Goat” that “eats” your garbage at the push of a button. This guy has been around since the 70s but still eagerly eats whatever you’ve got. I fed it a few times; I must admit.

However, the best experience at the park for me was riding the Numerica SkyRide, traversing on an aerial gondola across Spokane Falls. The ride provided a fantastic look at the immense waterfall as its rush of water roared under the Monroe Street Bridge. I wondered if this attraction, which has been around since the 1974 World’s Fair, was an inspiration for Riven’s “mag-lev?”

Speaking of Myst-related excursions, a visit to Spokane would not be complete without seeing the city’s famous clock tower, which looks suspiciously familiar…

I had spent so much time at Riverfront Park that I didn’t get to explore much of the city itself. However, I did make a stop at the River Park Square, which featured many shops and an AMC IMAX & Dolby theater. I was getting a bit tired, and it just happened to be the opening weekend of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (which was among the music scores I had listened to on my flight). So, I decided to go see it on their Dolby screen at 3PM. Well, I tried to anyway. Fifteen minutes went past the scheduled time to watch it, and it still hadn’t started. Apparently, the projector malfunctioned. They moved us over to their IMAX screen, which was fine except for my new seat being less than ideal. I actually enjoyed the film, if only because I felt like I was on an adventure, too.

When I returned to the hotel, I did my best to finally meet complete strangers that were also there for Mysterium. Some of them were people I had talked to online in the months leading up to the trip, such as Patrick and Andrea. After a brief dip with some of them in the pool, I finally called it a day. There was still so much more to come.

DAY THREE: MYSTERIUM FESTIVITES & SPOKANE WALKABOUTS – June 30, 2023

The Mysterium Convention officially began on my third day in Spokane. It was quite a sight to see all the different Myst fans together in one big room at the hotel. Near an area to buy merchandise (t-shirts, art prints, pins, etc.) were also several fan-created items, including an impressive recreation of ‘Myst’ Island made entirely out of Legos by Tim Heiderich! After running into someone else I had spoken to online before, Joshua, I began to make some new friends like Brad and Darryl.

I even finally got to meet composer (and former ‘Starry Expanse’ member) Hollister Starrett! I authored a novel, ‘Invertiverse,’ and created a companion soundtrack that Hollister co-composed some tracks for. One track I wanted was heavily inspired by the soundtrack from ‘Riven.’ It’s likely the soundtrack I have listened to the most, not just within the game but usually as I write and try to relax. It’s unsurprisingly near the top of my favorite music scores of all time. Well, I learned in a video from 2018’s Mysterium that Hollister had tracked down the original synthetic system composer Robyn Miller used for the game. A few years ago, Hollister replicated the same classic synthetic sound for my track! The result was spectacular, and if it weren’t for Mysterium, it would never have happened!

The energy in the hotel’s convention room was high, and we were all excited for what the weekend would bring. We eventually sat down, and after an introduction, the presentation panels started. My rundown of these presentations may not be as interesting to someone who isn’t a fan of Cyan’s games, but everyone has their own niche. One person’s Coachella is another person’s Mysterium.

The first Mysterium 2023 panel was ‘D’ni Linguistic Fellowship,’ which detailed word-formation in the D’ni language (invented within the ‘Myst’ games). We then took a break for lunch, which gave me and my new friends enough time to walk through Downtown Spokane to grab lunch at Domini’s Sandwiches. I got a big salami sandwich, which even came with a free bag of popcorn! I can’t ever say no to popcorn, probably thanks to usually getting it when going to the movies.

The next Mysterium panel upon our return was Uru World-Building, hosted by Patrick. He demonstrated Blender for Korman, the free plugin commonly used to create Ages for MOULa, also known as ‘Myst Online: Uru Live Again.’ It’s a massive multiplayer online game (MMO) where people can explore vast worlds created in the context of the lore in ‘Myst’ and beyond. This was followed by the Art of Shoomlah, fantastic artist Claire “Shoom’lah” Hummel, who has been making ‘Myst’ art throughout her entire life. She recently got hired by Cyan as a lead visual designer! Her work was striking and wonderful as she displayed many of her favorites, including one inspired by ‘Jurassic Park!’ Yes, it was lovely to briefly have both of my favorite fandoms merged at the same time.

Those panels were followed by ‘The Cavern Today Podcast,’ who have been around since 2005. They had a lively chat with us, soaking up the atmosphere of the event for nearly an hour. Then, there was a puzzle session known as ‘Try Moving the Slider,’ a reference to the infamous line uttered relentlessly by Atrus in ‘Myst 4: Revelation.’ I’ll be honest: I am not really one for doing puzzles in-person, so I did not participate. In fact, I didn’t do any of the puzzles for the entire convention. It’s probably a little ironic, but so be it!

Another panel, ‘Unwritten Character Creation Workshop’ for a table-top roleplaying game that explores ‘Myst’ lore, took place after this. However, since I didn’t stick around for the puzzle, I didn’t come back for this workshop either. Its own activities were meant to go on well into the night, and I was ready for dinner. Christian & “Kefrith” did a quick walk with me through downtown Spokane to a place called MOD Pizza. Apparently, they are popular, but my sheltered self had never been to one. I’d recommend it, although nothing amazing. When we returned to the hotel, I was still energetic.

It was nearly 9PM now, yet the fading sunbeams still lit the blue sky. It was strange for me, having lived in Southern California all my life, for there to have been any light at all at such an hour. It inspired me to take one more trek to see Riverfront Park at night. Darryl joined me on the little adventure, as we had a nice walk along the river’s edge, appreciating the environment from a whole new perspective.

The most notable location at this time was the Spokane Pavilion, which was a venue normally used for concerts and events. Despite not being in use that night, the pavilion’s teepee-shaped structure performed a beautiful “light show” on its own, surrounding us with ever-changing colors. It felt peaceful, serene. One could lay on the grass beneath it and feel inspired for hours or traverse its stairs to get a gorgeous view of the surroundings. This night excursion gave the city an air of romance and was a beautiful way to end the day with Darryl.