Phil Henderson's Relto

The only DRC member's Relto that can be accessed belonged to Phil Henderson. Phil was a restoration engineer who was assigned to work on Eder Kemo in 2002. Towards the end of the year, he became the first person to enter a Bahro gate, the portal having appeared in the garden while he was restoring it. It's not known whether it opened itself for him, if he found the seven cloths, or if he found some other way to open it, but after a barely cogent mental debate he wrote down in a notebook that can still be found in his Relto, he went through and disappeared. His KI signal also vanished, making it impossible to contact him.

A few weeks later, he made contact with Zardoz, one of the authorized explorers, and confirmed that he was alright, then quickly disappeared again. It was almost a full year later, on November 20, 2003, that Phil returned. He had been changed by the Journey, and claimed to have physically seen Yeesha. He took Douglas Sharper on the Journey shortly after his return. Henderson wholly supported Yeesha's form of restoration over that of the DRC, and seemed to have gained abilities. He caused one of Yeesha’s Island Relto page to appear in neighborhoods out of nowhere. Besides saying he had seen Yeesha, he did not talk about what he experienced in the year he went missing. He seemed confused and disoriented when he first reappeared, but later seemed to at least know where he was, though some still argued he may not have been sane. It was at this time that Douglas Sharper decided to form an "alliance" with Phil, who became noted for climbing into places that were restricted and dangerous with what seemed a blasé disregard for his own safety.

Together, the two of them talked to explorers about the DRC and their mistakes, as well as how important it was to follow Yeesha and learn the “truth” about D'ni from her instead of the DRC. I'm not sure that Douglas even knew what "the truth" was; he just seemed to like having influence with the explorers who rallied behind him. To that end, he saw an opportunity in Phil. In his journal, Sharper wrote about his first meeting with Phil: 11.28.03 What is it with this Phil character? The man is disturbing, yet intriguing. I was able to talk to him last night for a while in Kemo. He's probably just crazy but if they will listen to him, he could be very useful. More people need to hear him. He's agreed to meet with me again. This could be just what I needed.

On December 3, 2003, Dr. Watson and Victor Laxman tricked him by inviting him to the Canyon bridge, where they took his Relto book away and then took him to Kirel, where they locked him in the meditation chambers. They began questioning him to try to determine why he was behaving so irresponsibly. This caused immediate and widespread discontent among explorers, and Douglas Sharper lead a number of them into tearing down the barricades to the Kahlo Pub, and breaking into the meditation chamber of his private neighborhood. He also stole Phil's Relto book from DRC custody and hid it in his spy room.

On the 22nd of that month, Phil was released on his word that he would cease climbing into unapproved areas. On the very next day, Phil broke his word to the DRC and climbed up onto the capital structure of the Guild Hall complex. He used it as a podium to begin speaking to explorers on the Island. However, while he was speaking, a portion of the structure collapsed, and he was thought to be killed. The DRC cleared all explorers off the Island while search parties looked for Phil, buth they were unable to find his body. All they found was his KI, which had been smashed beneath some rubble. It was suspected that he had taken it off before climbing to avoid being tracked.

Shortly after Phil Henderson's supposed death, Dr. Watson had an emotional breakdown and went away to re-evaluate whether the restoration was worthwhile. We know he ended up staying in one of the Eder Tomantee in the Great Shaft, and while he was there, he cut off communications with the DRC and explorers. Victor Laxman, Dr. Kodama, Dr. Sutherland, and Michael Engberg continued on in Dr. Watson's absence. Victor Laxman opened up the Great Zero and asked the explorers to re-calibrate it, but this project wasn't completed before the next big surprise. Funding for the restoration dried up, possibly because of the number of fatalities, or maybe because the investors simply weren't getting the returns that they were looking for.

Sharper also suffered an attack of conscience. In his journal, he wrote this.

That image and his possession of the Relto Book, which he left in the spy room as a type of shrine, haunted him for years.

In February 2004, the restoration was officially cancelled, and all Restoration Engineers, Authorized Explorers, and even the Uru Explorers were escorted to the surface. The caverns were locked away, and for the first time in over ten years, D'ni was empty again. It wouldn’t stay that way; in 2006, the DRC returned to the cavern for a year. However, that attempt to rebuild D’ni failed as well, and it wasn’t until 2010 that the cavern was reopened for a third time, but this time without an official DRC presence.

However, that was not the end of Phil and his involvement with the cavern. On August 3, 2007, he returned to the cavern, having been missing for four years. He began talking to explorers about his absence and about Bahro and Yeesha. Sharper heard about his appearance and came to see it with his own eyes. When he saw Phil there, alive and well, the relief was intense for him, and he apologized humbly. Phil absolved him of wrongdoing, saying, "It wasn't you, Douglas. It was what was."

That was, as far as I know, the last time anyone saw Phil Henderson.

Phil's Relto is the only one known that has a sky just after sunset, so while there is light on the horizon, overall it's dark.

Explorers originally believed that the sky in Phil's Relto was dark because of comments made by Yeesha about the Age reflecting the soul of its owner. When explorers first gained access to the Relto in 2004, Phil was believed to be dead by everyone in the community. However, when Phil returned to the Cavern in 2007, the sky remained dark, which seems to stand against this long-running theory. It now seems more likely that in his extensive travels, Phil simply acquired a Relto Page to darken the sky of his Relto that is not available to anyone else.

As a DRC member, Phil's linking book shelves are filled with mysterious books. However, they are firmly locked, and cannot be explored. In this picture, the sole unlocked book takes you to Kirel, Phil's home neighborhood as a member of the DRC. The DRC was unable to remove these books because the locks can only be undone by a Relto's owner.

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.