Atrus

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Atrus, son of Gehn, is the main protagonist in the Myst series of computer games. He is a member of the ancient D'ni civilization and the owner of Myst Island, for which the series is named. He is seen as one of the greatest Writers of Ages. He was named after his grandfather Aitrus (their names are spelt and pronounced the same in D'ni).

Born in 1755 to Gehn and Keta (Leira), Atrus (D'ni: Aytrus/[Étrus]) was only 1/4 D'ni, the other 3/4 Human. He grew up with his grandmother Anna after his father had abandoned him at birth; his mother died in childbirth. Under Anna's guidance, Atrus grew into an inquisitive person, having deep respect for life and moral values. Anna also taught him the D'ni language and many stories from the empire, which he initially considered tales.

When Gehn returned to claim his son, Atrus came with him to the ruins of D'ni, where his father taught him the Art of writing books that link to other worlds. This is where Atrus first not only realized how real D'ni actually was, but also that he was one of the last survivors of the fallen Empire. Unlike his father, however, Atrus did not believe the fact he could Write made him God-like, and he rebelled against his father. As punishment he was trapped on the island of K'veer in D'ni, with only a Link to Riven as a way out.

On Riven he met Katran, whose name he consistently mispronounced as Catherine. Catherine was a student of Gehn, and Gehn intended to marry her against her will. Secretly, Catherine, together with Anna who had, without him knowing, followed her grandson, wrote the Age of Myst, and planned to trap Gehn on Riven by destroying every Linking Book in the Age.

After trapping Gehn, Atrus moved to Myst with Catherine and his grandmother. On Myst his two sons Sirrus and Achenar were born. Atrus was much later trapped on K'veer in D'ni, while Catherine was lost in Riven.

In the Myst series, the player acts the role of a stranger who gets to know Atrus near the end of the game Myst, after having read his journals and notes throughout the game. In the game Riven, the Stranger again meets Atrus, who now enlists his aid to free Catherine and again trap Gehn. Succeeding that, Atrus and Catherine explored the remnants of D'ni, attempting to rebuild the D'ni civilization: a project which ended after Atrus realized that this would lead the D'ni to repeat their old mistakes. Instead, he wrote a new Age for the D'ni, called Releeshahn. In Myst III: Exile, the Player again meets Atrus and Catherine, who now have a daughter Yeesha. The events of Myst IV: Revelation also surround his life, especially after his sons escape while the Stranger is housekeeping for Atrus.

Some time between the events of Myst IV: Revelation and Myst V: End of Ages, Atrus confines himself in Releeshahn to live out the rest of his life. What impact his D'ni blood had on his aging rate is not completely known; he did retain some degree of D'ni longevity (although he seems not to have anticipated it: in a journal written when he was in his fifties, he refers to himself sardonically as "an old fool"). Certainly he seems to be as physically and mentally fit as a much younger man, although by the events of Myst IV: Revelation he is past 70. Myst V suggests that at least as of 2005, Atrus is still alive, 250 years old.

[edit] Casting

Atrus is and always has been played by series co-creator Rand Miller, who took on the role, along with that of Achenar, for the original Myst, when the budget was too low to hire more experienced actors. He is also the only character to appear in all of the Myst games including a minor voice role in Uru.

Although many of the characters in the series have had casting changes, Atrus never has, despite the fact that Miller has openly stated that he dislikes playing the role. This is because he is the most popular character and the fan community on the whole would vehemently oppose a change of actors.

[edit] Sources

• Myst novels
• Myst games
• D'ni Restoration Council

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