[center][h1][color=gold]Leannah[/color][/h1][/center]

[hr]

...This was concerning. It helped her keep evolving her theories, sure, but the test was concerning. Yet its similarity to some big puzzle-filled adventure-action game with a mute elf-eared guy pushing block and yelling 'HIYAH' was enough to put her at some minute sense of ease. Well, a minute bit more at ease was the better way to phrase it, really, as she was still dealing with a puzzle from a seemingly-mad God of Knowledge that she'd managed to get in am upbeat mood by suggesting a 'game'. Perhaps otherwise it was a bad idea in hindsight, but at the same time it was not as bad as other potential outcomes when she was having to ad-lib on the spot to keep her furry tail and hide intact. 

Well, if Lazhira knew this temple well enough then perhaps she'd find where that crystal had been left. Not that it was connected to this place at all, if anywhere else was connected to this place at all beyond these rooms, but it'd be a hopeful sign that Leannah had been there and that something was 'up'. Hopefully Narkissa and the other guy were also ok for that matter, not that the latter had ever been introduced to her. Wait. She hadn't even asked him in the first place! 

The catgirl slapped her forehead lightly with the palm of her right hand, before letting out a sigh and stretching her arms and legs. It was a moment or few to think for a second before acting this time.

[color=gold][i]'Well it seems I was wrong about his mother...Delphiti was his mother then? So the other 'goddess' is his 'Auntie' then perhaps? That would explain the moon thing when I first saw her, and the hooded person dropping the white-eyed child into the ocean.

Plus if that place was meant to [u]lock her up[/u], or whichever goddess of all things, then the whole [b]cracking glass, moon turning red and all[/b] stuff when I first met her was maybe like some [i]prison alarm[/i] going off or something? Maybe something Delphiti [u]placed on her[/u] or [u]did[/u] to keeps tabs on her?'[/i][/color]

It was a another big leap to take, and like anything else prior was potentially far from being right (or alternately far from wrong) in some fashion or another. 

But all the same she would walk over, putting the note on the operating table to be held in the picture book with the journal page in her 'inventory' as it were.

[color=gold][i]'Right...let's get started with this then!'[/i][/color]

If the operating table was one clue, though, something was literally 'taken' from another, if '[i]Knowledge was birthed by The moons demand, but it was knowledge stolen[/i]' was any indication. So when the Illuminator mentioned his 'mother', did that mean his 'birth' mother or Delphiti taking him and acting as his 'mother'? The latter currently felt more likely, and if this god was indeed 'mad' enough then a lunar connection was perfect. 'Lunacy', after all, was tied to the moon and madness back in Earth mythology...at least somewhere or another. 

It could also mean taking knowledge from the mortals races, or at the very least humanity, and coalescing it into a god perchance? Either that or Ms. Ocean was his Auntie who had some aspect of her stolen by Delphiti and used to make a god of knowledge. All incredibly rough and unrefined guesswork at best on the fly, but it was what she initially had to go on when working on her feet.  

From here she would investigate the rest of the main room some more. 

[quote]Around what seemed to be the door at the top of some stairs on a raised platform were four slots for some round spheres.[/quote]

Yes, there were those slots on the door that seemed to be slots for some kind of orbs that would act as keys then. That was the most easy assumption to work from initially, so she'd do it. After this would come taking a doorway-side quick glance at each of those four rooms.

[quote]The northern room - 

Seems to be a rather simple room. A large stream of water runs through the middle of it, and one of the aforementioned statues is submerged pretty far in the stream. The stream moves fairly slowly from one end of a wall to another - a grate at one end while there's one at the other end. You'd need to enter it to see more of it.

The southern room -

Seems to be a room without light, save for the orb in one of the statues on some sort of elevated platform. Hard to see anything else in here as of now.

The eastern room -

Seems to be a completely bare room, except for the statue which is being suspended above the floor by metal chains.

The western room -

Seems...completely out of place. Large glass cylinders line either side of the room with a large black slab of stone against the far wall that pulses slowly with blue energy. A statue sits in front of it. The room reminds you lightly of the prison and the cylinders the things Leannah and the others came out of.[/quote]

Hmm...interesting.

[quote]Notably, you can see what is likely the objective. Various statuettes holding several spheres. The statues also have distinguishing features - one has extremely long, gangly arms. One is standing on some rather tall, slender legs, another has a head with horns similar to the motifs you've seen through the temple, and the fourth has a torso with a large hole in it.[/quote]

Ok, context clues here were going to be key to figure it out correctly. Likewise the correspondence of the orb-holding statue in each room in turn to something back in the Library puzzle was especially useful. Would she overthink it? Likely. But having solved the Library puzzle she knew this:

[quote]The stone necklace upon the vase holding the statue. The crystal sphere on the outstretched hand. The Crystal necklace on the hooded figure's neck. Immediately upon placing the last object upon where it last rested, there was an audible click.[/quote]

Yes. Ok. So she had some stuff to put together first so she could build her knowledge base, then she could try to apply what she'd learned thus far to the room with some context clues and so forth.

One- 

[quote]A statue of what seems to be a woman in a flowing robe. She is holding a vase in her hands, and is sitting upon some sort of pillar. Water flows from the vase into a cistern below. The statue smirks knowingly. Its centered at the back of the room against the wall. Bookshelves flank either side of it.

“Thus, the exodus was made. The beloved Sage led from the place of birth, the heretics cursed to remain. The moon wept once more, the cistern overflowing, and brought life back to the land. This, would in turn give birth to Knowledge, which in turn gave birth to the desire for the secrets of the Oceans. Desire turned into actuality, and thus a seal was made by their accord.”[/quote]

-...this was the statue with a 'knowing' smirk and inscription back in the Library. Aka: The Smirking Statue. It got the heavy carved necklace upon its neck, which came from the Hooded Figure. 

[quote]A robed statue is kneeling at the other end. Their face is covered by a hood, arms outstretched towards a carving in the wall. The carving is of a crescent moon, a star situated in the empty part of it. Tears seem to flow down its face into a basin below, where the water collects and flows away under the front wall. Upon their neck is a carved necklace that seems to detach from the statue.[/quote]

Said [b]Carved Necklace[/b] was far heavier than it should have been. Like a great burden, and if the crying part of the Hooded Figure was right then it was a burden like unto mourning and crying or guilt or such. Like something had been [i]lost[/i]. This [b]burden[/b] was then [i]removed[/i] from the crying [b]Hooded Figure[/b], [i]being placed on the [b]Smirking Statue[/b][/i] who had been [i]holding the vase that had the Crystal Orb in it[/i]. 

This led to the Crystal Orb's end location, as it was taken from the Smirking Statue and given to-

[quote]Another statue is tucked away on the wall opposite to the door you had walked in. A rather macabre thing this one is. A two faced bust statue that seems somewhat to resemble a pair of theater masks, split down the middle of an old man angrily shouting and a woman laughing manically. Atop the head, some sort of claw is reaching up, many tentacles and appendages reaching for the ceiling as though its trying to grab something.[/quote]

...The [b]Two-Faced Bust[/b], which had a hand reaching up for something. 

She still assumed this one was The Illuminator. A two-faced mad god, at one time happy and jovial and at others full of anger and hatred. Just like he'd been in front of her in their short experience around each other. If not that, then Delphiti herself was the mad goddess, given the associations of the moon with lunacy or madness. 

Right or wrong, the hand had received the [b]Crystal Orb[/b], which if it was the [i]"Secrets of the Oceans"[/i] in any capacity was so desired by the hand. So whoever it was had wanted to get those secrets, whichever deity it was anyways, and had achieved this somehow. 

Then the final object: The [b]Crystal Necklace[/b].

[quote]A final statue, this time on the same wall as the one you walked in on. Rather than a person, it seems to be some sort of carving. Of a tower. You might vaguely recall the same tower you saw off in the distance in the prison you woke up in. Seems as though it might be hollow.[/quote]

Said necklace came from the [b]Hollow Tower[/b], which had been a prison for the Illuminator's 'Auntie' if he was to be believed. This had been placed on the [b]Hooded Figure[/b] statue. 

So what did this all mean in the end? What did it translate to, which might help her in this new puzzle about The Illuminator's origins and history?

The [b]Smirking Statue[/b] was [i]holding a vase that contained what could be the "Secrets of the Oceans" in it[/i], which was to be given to the hand reaching out from the [b]Two-Faced Bust[/b]. 

The [b]Hooded Figure[/b] bore a great [i]burden[/i], in the form of the heavier-than-it-seemed [b]Carved Necklace[/b], which was given to the [b]Smirking Statue[/b] and ultimately put into the vase it held.

The [b]Hollow Tower[/b] contained the [b]Crystal Necklace[/b], which was given to the [b]Hooded Figure[/b] after [i]breaking open the Tower[/i]. 

Ok. Now to try to make a story out of it. 

The Prison she and the others were formed in was made to contain a goddess, The Illuminator's "Auntie" as it were. Likewise he had noted he helped his 'mother' make herself and the other world-jumping peoples' bodies, and he knew they were reincarnates. A crescent moon was on the dark pillar that 'sealed the way' to the prison. Also 'Knowledge was birthed by The moons demand, but it was knowledge stolen'. Like it was 'foolish mortal pride' that maybe led that...'thing' in the prison to be that way. 

[quote]“The old tower...the old Lab...it was before my time, but she lets me play with the inmates every now and then. Really, poor sods the lot of them. All because they wanted to lock auntie up. Ah well, mortals will be prideful and foolish mortals...that’s what makes them fun.”[/quote]

Yes. That as well. 

Time to theory-test then. 

A goddess, Delphiti, made the lab to create life, but eventually most of the humans she made there left. The remaining humans wanted to do something horrible, aka: lock The Illuminator's aunt. A goddess. Delphiti mourned this, as well as how those that remained sought to chain up a goddess...her sister...potentially an Ocean Goddess. So for this they were punished, doomed to be eternal toys for The Illuminator and his mother's permission Likewise that statue golem killing machine thing was put there to prevent them from escaping. That lattermost bit was the small part that made a lot of sense and seemed more grounded. Foolish mortal pride, thinking they could contain if not chain-up a goddess on a goddess' turf no less. 

If running the place was the 'burden' that the Carved Necklace represented, then Delphiti handed off the 'Warden' position there to The Illuminator's Aunt. It was a great weight to her to bear all the crap from there thus far, so she simply handed it off without giving up dominion of the place itself. After all, The Illuminator had noted that he'd helped his mother make her and the others' bodies, as well as being allowed to toy with the 'inmates' there. But why hand off Warden-ship to the goddess who others were trying to lock up in there? That was a big question. 

Still, the Crystal Necklace had gone to the Hooded Figure she had assumed was Delphiti in the Library puzzle. So did the mantle of Ocean Goddess get taken by Delphiti in exchange for making her sister the warden of the prison? Either way Delphiti was, if Lazhira's tale about the legend was true it meant Delphiti owned the oceans and manifested life from them after that. It 'brought life back to the land', and she had abandoned the use of the now-prison. This also led to the birth of The Illuminator himself, whose existence led to a desire for the 'Secrets of the Oceans' or what potentially was analogous to 'how to create life'. 

If Delphiti, his mother, held these secrets and power, then she'd likely stolen it or the secrets of how to create life from her Ocean Goddess sister in their 'trade', forcing her burden on her and using those Secrets of the Oceans to birth new life from the Ocean. Maybe she even made the lab with her sister's help, before or after stealing that knowledge. Regardless, in turn The Illuminator desired this knowledge from his mother. So she gave it to him, the "Secrets of the Oceans" as it were, but this deal was a pact to hand over this knowledge in return for sealing away the prison complex forever. And even if the sister goddess wasn't a 'Warden', per-say, the 'Secrets of the Oceans' were stolen from her.

In other words, Delphiti made a lab to create humans with or without the help of a potential sister Ocean Goddess. In time a division of opinion happened among the humans, and most left whilst the 'heretics' stayed to try to lock up her sister...also a goddess. This failed [b]terribly[/b], resulting in Delphiti mourning not only being abandoned by her creations but also how some of them turned on the gods in their vanity and 'foolish pride'. 

Having had enough of the crap, Delphiti took the "Secrets of the Oceans" represented by the Crystal Necklace and left. She took this knowledge from her sister, who the 'inmates' had attempted to lock up, and used it to take control fully over the oceans and birth new life into the world. Thus 'The moon wept once more, the cistern overflowing, and brought life back to the land' made perfect sense, as once again life returned to the lands of the world by her actions. This making of life by Delphiti would lead to the birth of The Illuminator, her 'son', who would in time desire the 'Secrets of the Oceans' for himself. So Delphiti made a deal with him, a [b]pact[/b] as it were, to satiate his desire for this knowledge but also clean up her 'old messes' in the process. He helped her seal away the 'old lab' in return for the knowledge he so greatly desired, which he so desperately wanted. In that sense Delphiti and The Illuminator were kind of 'Wardens' of that prison then, not another goddess. 

Then, however many centuries or millennia later, a goddess had gotten ahold of the souls of herself and several others from Earth. Either it was a facet or side of Delphiti, that Ocean Goddess sister theory proved true, or someone else. Had Delphiti snapped and split herself into two goddesses, by thus making a hot mess of things? But that goddess made the bodies, and The Illuminator had helped her by his own words...as well as calling her 'mother'. Then, in essence, was Delphiti a damaged, broken goddess who had lost herself in making life, stealing the secrets to create it and not being in a rather good spot? 

Ugh. She was making her own brain hurt. For a second, then, the catgirl lied down on the operating table to rest her head. Whilst she did she'd look for anything suspicious or so forth, if it didn't clamp on her like some trap, and whether something was found or not she'd ultimately get off of the operating table. 

From here Leannah would scour the main room, from the door the the operating table to anything else in there as closely and as detailed as she could in a similar process. Ceiling, floor, slots, weak tiles, breakable things, inscriptions, etc. Anything she could get. Yet whether anything was gained or not from the efforts she would eventually wrap up her investigation and enter the Western Room...the one that looked like the prison complex she and the others had escaped from.