Catherine

Overview

Little is known about Catherine up until Gehn's writing of her age, Riven. Upon his linking, he began to teach a select amount of natives the D'ni language and art of writing. Catherine was one these chosen, and became reasonably skilled at the art. She met Atrus after finding him nearly drowned in a pool of water, from when he had linked from K'veer. Over time, they became close, eventually falling in love. Together, Atrus and her destroyed all Gehn's books within the age and linked to Myst while falling into the Star Fissure, leaving him trapped within his own diminishing creation.

On Myst, she married Atrus and conceived two sons, Sirrus and Achenar. Atrus introduced them to his worlds but they became power-hungry with the dominance they had over them. In their greed, they tricked their mother in linking back to Riven, and their father to K'veer, trapping them both.

On Riven, she was picked up by the Moiety, a group that broke off from the original tribe after seeing the events at the Star Fissure years ago. They considered her and Atrus gods, and Gehn an enemy. She wrote an age as a safe haven for them known as Tay. However, she was eventually captured and imprisoned by Gehn, seeking information on the Moiety.

In the events of Riven (the game), Catherine is freed by The Stranger, who was sent by Atrus to rescue her and trap Gehn within a prison book. She sends the Rivinese villagers to Tay before linking home with Atrus, and settling in Tomahna. In Tomahna, she has a daughter, Yeesha, who they teach the art of writing.

Besides happening between Myst IV and Myst V, the events of her death are unknown.

• Catherine is mentioned in nearly every game but only physically appears in two, being portrayed by Sheila Goold in Riven, and Maria Galante in Exile.