History Characters / Myst

* AwesomeButImpractical: Gehn's unwillingness to properly master The Art means he has to compensate by using slave labor to build contraptions to make his books work to begin with. These include his massive Fire Marble Domes which require a colossal amount of power to function and his smaller-system system he has in his office, both of which aren't portable. Cathrine's method in contrast is SimpleYetAwesome, as she expertly salvages a descriptive book that Gehn thought was a failure and makes a stable descriptive book to a habitable world with a type of gemstone that can power Gehn's books. This allow books with lower quality materials to function, and Cathrine only needs to use a fire marble dome once for the first link to acquire the gemstones.

* DropTheHammer: His weapon with which he hunted squees for food and brains the player in a few bad endings is a heavy mallet.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Gehn's unwillingness to properly master The Art means he has to compensate by using slave labor to build contraptions to make his books work to begin with. These include his massive Fire Marble Domes which require a colossal amount of power to function and his smaller-system system he has in his office, both of which aren't portable. Kathrine's method in contrast is SimpleYetAwesome, as she expertly salvages a descriptive book that Gehn thought was a failure and makes a stable descriptive book to a habitable world with a type of gemstone that can power Gehn's books. This allow books with lower quality materials to work, and Kathrine only needs to use a fire marble dome once for the first link to acquire the gemstones.

* BeigeProse: Exaggerated. Rather than actually learn the art of the Art, like his son, Gehn treats writing like a science, scavenging through old D'ni linking books to learn "formulas" and deleting any "unnecessary" words to preserve his ink supply. This has a direct and negative effect on the stability of his worlds. Atrus, who spends years and years trying to stabilize Gehn's MagnumOpus, the book of Riven, compares his work to looking at a collage of masterful tapestries and paintings haphazardly cut apart and strung together to form an image with no regard for cohesion or style.

* TooDumbToLive: It's out of his desperation to escape Riven, but the player has seen multiple telltale signs on Riven that Gehn hasn't changed in the slightest, including the still-active Moiety rebellion and potentially Cathrine warning you that he'll kill Atrus if given the chance. Yet in the end, after you [[spoiler:enter into the prison book first to demonstrate its safety]], he fails to consider that Atrus made it a "one-man-prison" and you're actually [[spoiler:baiting him into the prison so that he ejects you]]. Gehn's limited expertise on trap books means he's too trusting.

* YouHaveFailedMe: Trying his patience is a very bad course of action.

* ShadowArchetype: While D'ni was far from flawless, [[spoiler: Terahnee makes it look like a {{Utopia}}. While the inhabitants of D'ni might've thought of themselves as better than "normal" humans, their racism never quite made the leap from paternalistic prejudice to mass-scale industrial slavery.]]

** He was subject to prejudice and mistreatment at the hands of other D'ni children as a boy, but as a grown man he's thoroughly internalized their supremacism and treats other peoples with contempts while glorying in his heritage.

* FauxAffablyEvil: He is soft-spoken and unfailingly cordial in your conversations with him, and he claims that he's a better man for his time trapped in Riven - even expressing regret for trying to kill Atrus during the backstory. It's [[spoiler: just a mask to disguise his true ambitions, but unlike his grandsons he actually mostly keeps his composure even in the worst endings where he's won.]] During [[spoiler: a bad ending]] he goes so far as to [[spoiler: politely apologize for shooting you with a poison dart]] and muse nostalgically on the chance of seeing Atrus again [[spoiler: while you slowly die in the background.]] The closest he gets to their EvilGloating is a reserved smirk [[spoiler: in the bad ending where the player has unleashed him from the trap book in Tay, musing that it looks like he and the Moiety might be able to [[DeadlyEuphamism settle their differences after all]].]]

* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Sirrus has a taste for nice things such as mahogany furniture and Renaissance art, in contrast to his more AxCrazy and ObviouslyEvil brother Achenar. This may make Sirrus seem like the more stable of the two, until you remember that his rooms of wealth and opulence stand in stark contrast to the poor villages around him, and then realize that all that money had to come from somewhere. Achenar helpfully leaves a letter [[EvenEvilHasStandards chiding him for his greed and ordering their subjects ''not'' to pay new taxes Sirrus was apparently imposing.

* DefectorFromDecadence: Originally, their entire civilization broke away from the decadent corruption of the Ronay. Too bad for them that it ended up becoming a FullCircleRevolution with a few of them, as they ended up just as bad. Sirrus in particular shows this off, as he tries to be a ManOfWealthAndTaste while taxing and/or stelaing money from inhabitants of the Ages.

* EvilGloating: Most of his dialogue, when he's not trying to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate the player into sympathizing with him.]]

* {{Retcon}}: Her character didn't exist yet in original ''Myst'', so her having lived on Myst with Atrus and Catherine comes off like this. Given a nod in the remakes of the game, which give her [[OrwellianRetcon a headstone on the island.]]

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Even if he'd hooked in Atrus instead of the Stranger, achieving his aim would've been impossible. Without a concrete understanding of the Art and how it works, he incorrectly thinks Atrus has the godlike power to rewind time and remake reality, and that Atrus would be able to "fix" his world.

* {{Foil}}: To the Stranger. Both were trapped in a strange world because of Atrus' mistakes, but whereas the Stranger was able to solve the predicament and subsequently chose to be helpful, Saavedro had no means of escape, slowly went mad from isolation, and devoted his energies to revenge.
* HeelRealization: If the Stranger [[spoiler: reclaims the Releeshahn book, but then chooses to restore power and drop the shield anyway, he is struck dumb by their mercy, visibly aware that he does not deserve it, and can only make a wordless gesture of respect and gratitude as he returns to his people.]]

%%* LargeHam

* VillainousBreakdown: Once you finally manage to turn the tables on him.

* DisappointedInYou: He's eternally unhappy with Atrus's inability to see things his way. Atrus, with every slow revelation that Gehn is [[NormalFishInATinyPond kind of a mediocre loser skating along on other peoples' successes]] eventually returns the favor. Upon discovering that Gehn didn't even actually chart out the D'ni tunnels, the very last accomplishment Atrus thought he could be proud of his father for, he intends for his last words to his sleeping father to be "Why did you have to be so ''small'' a man?"

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Most of his diary is filled with pompous declarations and ranting... until you reach the page where he grieves for his wife whom he has not seen in years. There is a teardrop stain in the corner.

* EvilOverlord: On a scale much greater than Sirrus and Achenar, as he actually knows how to use the Art (albeit using a simpler and imperfect method compared to that used by Atrus and the D'ni) to Link to worlds and create disasters on worlds that resist or displease him, and also has an actual army.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He is soft-spoken and unfailingly cordial in your conversations with him, and he claims that he's a better man for his time trapped in Riven - even expressing regret for trying to kill Atrus during the backstory. It's clearly just a mask to disguise his true ambitions: [[spoiler: if allowed, he'll gladly shoot Atrus dead, shoot you as well, or even leave you in the Trap Book for all eternity.]] During [[spoiler: a bad ending]] he goes so far as to [[spoiler: politely apologize for shooting you with a poison dart]] and muse nostalgically on the chance of seeing Atrus again [[spoiler: while you slowly die in the background.]]

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: As a way to justify his AGodAmI behavior.

* KickTheDog: Gehn built a ceremonial gallows to abuse his position as self-appointed "God" of Riven, complete with an elevator throne to preside over the execution. The location is visited early in the game and the means of death is discovered upon simply exploring the islands. And the means the player uses to learn D'ni numerals is a toy for children in a schoolhouse, where the whark eats the prisoner at the end.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: Atrus is originally pretty impressed with his father at the start of ''The Book of Atrus'', even if Gehn is still pretty cold and unloving, but as the book continues he becomes more and more aware of just how little his father's actually accomplished, how much of what Gehn ''has'' accomplished is just digging up other people's work and passing it off as his own, and how little Gehn actually understands about these things he's stolen. He's only really able to rule over the Rivenese by terrorizing them into compliance and passing himself off as a god, and in the time it takes Atrus to raise a family and build many wonders across many worlds, Gehn's barely managed to get a single Age working.

%%ZCE and grammar errors * ShadowArchetype: While D'ni was far from flawless, [[spoiler: Terahnee makes it look like a {{Utopia}}.]]

* EvilOldFolks: He has more in common with Sirrus than his son.

* IHaveNoSon: If he meets Atrus in ''Riven'', he will bellow "...I am no longer your father because ''you'' are no longer my ''son!''" right before [[spoiler:shooting him dead in cold blood, before having his guard fire the gun on you.]]
* KickTheDog: Gehn built a ceremonial gallows to abuse his position as self-appointed "God" of Riven, complete with an elevator throne to preside over the execution. The location is visited early in the game and the means of death is discovered upon simply exploring the islands.

* BigBadEnsemble: With Achenar in the first game. It's unclear which of the two brothers you should trust, but it's clear that neither of them is a saint.

** In ''IV'', the player [[spoiler:sees the shredded-up remains of him gloating on and on to Yeesha.]]

* FauxAffablyEvil: Unlike [[ObviouslyEvil his brother]], Sirrus is good at presenting himself as a prisoner of circumstance, and in ''Revelation'' he plays his mother and sister like a fiddle to [[spoiler: help engineer his escape and his attempt to steal Yeesha's body]]. It's only when he thinks he's won and his enemies are utterly in his power that the sadistic EvilGloating comes out.

* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Sirrus has a taste for nice things such as mahogany furniture and Renaissance art, in contrast to his more AxCrazy and ObviouslyEvil brother Achenar. This may make Sirrus seem like the more stable of the two, until you remember that his rooms of wealth and opulence stand in stark contrast to the poor villages around him, and then realize that all that money had to come from somewhere. [[spoiler:Well, he's not.]]

* BigBadEnsemble: Alongside his brother in the first game. You can't trust either of them.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: Though not outright stated, it's heavily implied that the reason two normal men could subjugate multiple worlds is because the Ages created by Atrus tend to be inhabited by small populations of simple and pacifistic people who are simply unprepared to resist a determined brute armed with a crossbow and mace.

* VillainousBreakdown: Suffered one in Haven. After realising he was trapped on his own with no Linking Book, his already unstable mind underwent a complete psychotic meltdown, causing him to butcher his way through half the Age's animal inhabitants in blind rage. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted, as he eventually came to terms with his fate and realised with all the blood on his hands just why he deserved to be there. Eventually, this led to his redemption.]]

%%* BigNO: In ''Revelation''.

* DrivenByEnvy: While he never had the work ethic to learn the Art, he desperately wants its power. [[spoiler: It's why his plan in ''Myst IV'' boils down to stealing his sister's life from her to learn it from Atrus.]]

* GadgeteerGenius: Every single machine on Spire was his own work.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: In ''IV'', he finally realizes what a monster he's become and reforms, ultimately [[RedemptionEqualsDeath choosing to]] [[HeroicSacrifice die saving Yeesha]].]]

* ObviouslyEvil: From the moment he makes contact with you, it's blatantly obvious he's unhinged and unstable. His rooms in the various Ages are also filled with torture devices, and he has a closet ''filled with the mutilated bodies of his victims''. This is in contrast to Sirrus, who behaves calmly and rationally and whose rooms show him to enjoy wealth, which doesn't seem so bad [[spoiler: until you realize that his opulence stands in stark contrast to the sparse dwellings of the natives around him, and that wealth had to come from ''somewhere''...]]

* PunnyName: Say 'Terahnee' quickly a couple of times.

* TheAlcoholic: A couple of his rooms have bottles scattered around.

* BigBadEnsemble: With Achenar in the first game. You can't trust either of them.
* BigNO: In ''Revelation''.

* DrivenByEnvy: While he never had the work ethic to learn the Art, he desperately wants its power. [[spoiler: It's why his plan in IV boils down to stealing his sister's life from her to learn it from Atrus.]]
* EvilGloating: In both the original game and ''IV''. In ''IV'', the player [[spoiler:sees the shredded-up remains of him gloating on and on to Yeesha.]]
--> [[spoiler: "My dear friend. You've done the right thing. [[UnwittingPawn You stupid fool!]] [[EvilLaugh Hahaha!]]"]]

* SealedEvilInACan: He's a greedy, murderous sociopath who's trapped in a book and he depends on you to break him out.

* YouFool: Sirrus calls the player "you stupid fool" if they release him from his book in ''Myst''.

* AntiVillain: He is simply an innocent victim of Sirrus and Achenar's reign of terror, trapped alone on a desolate age for decades, believing his civilization to be destroyed, and [[spoiler: unable to return to his wife and children]].

* BigBadDuumvirate: With Achenar in the first game. You can't trust either of them.

* UnevenHybrid: 1/8th D'ni.
** His full ethnic (racial) breakdown: 1/2 Rivenese (with possible Earth origins if the Rivenese language is any indication), 1/4 Amad Indian (Earth native), 1/8 D'ni (Ronay), 1/8 unspecified European (Earth native).

* BigBadDuumvirate: Alongside his brother in the first game. You can't trust either of them.