(Note: sometimes descriptive books are referred to as linking books as well, but strictly speaking, that usage is not correct, as there is a distinction between the two.)
Descriptive books, or kormahntee, in the
M/R/D/E world, were written by the
D'ni using special materials (ink and paper among them), and
allowed gateways or links to be created to other universes.
A particular descriptive book's text would describe the Age to
which the book would eventually link; the text was written using
standard D'ni words as well as special symbols known as
garohevtee. Note that the link to the other universe was not
actually formed until a person (or other organic being) links
through; until then, the linking panel would show only static.
It is supposed that usually the texts were written in ordinary
books first, then transferred to blank linkable books later when
finished, in order to prevent the problem of running out of space.
It is very important to not write contradictions into your
descriptive books; writing contradictions in would link to an
unstable Age -- after a while (or maybe before a while, depending
on the nature of the contradiction) the Age would start to fall
apart. Beginner Writers (seltahntee) had this taught to them
relentlessly from the start. It is possible to make changes to an
Age by writing new text into the descriptive book; if the parameters
changed had not yet been observed by anyone and/or the change was
small enough, the new specifications would actually affect the Age
to which the book linked; however, if the parameters had been observed
and/or the changes were too large, the book's link would shift over
to a different Age, though any linking books would still point to
the original Age.
Primary sources:
- Colin Wilson's Mechanics of Linking, at
<http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dph3cdw/linkmech.html>
- The MYSTcommunity forums, at
<http://www.mystcommunity.com/forum/>