Countless generations ago, well before the Great Exodus, there was a courageous D'ni explorer named Klvino who was the first to travel to another world without the aid of descriptive books.
Klvino, a nobleman of the highest ranks, engineered an astounding craft unlike any other for physical transport from the confines of the known stars.
Ever cautious, he kept a sole linking book close at hand that could transport him safely to an Age he called "Haven," where his wife and child waited in anticipation of his return.
He traveled in silent isolation for several years before his craft's instruments confirmed a celestial body with an accomodating environment. He described it as "having a unique aura unlike any other that has presented itself before me. Surely this is a good omen."
The omen did indeed indicate good fortune for Klvino, if only for a brief time. With a keen ability to assimilate into this newfound world, he lived among them covertly as a "traveler from across the seas." He quickly learned the language, customs, and technology and, befitting his nature, became well respected in their community.
Days prior to the completion of his studies and consequential return home, his star craft was discovered by the native inhabitants. In violent reaction to what they deemed was a betrayal beyond reprieve, Klvino was sentenced to death.
His body was severed into five parts, which were distributed across the land and sea as a warning to others. His single valued possession, the linking book, was then fed to a sea beast, the inverted remains of which linked to the feet of Klvino's grief-stricken family.
A spherical time translator for converting D'ni time to surface time uses this tale as a symbolic reminder. This device, engraved with a map of Klvino's vindictive world, must be held at the five points where his body was distributed. Applying pressure sequentially with a final touch of the sea beast opens the timepiece.
It serves as a constant reminder to be wary of contact with worlds over which you have no influence or control.