[h2][center][b][color=ed1c24]Novak[/color][/b][/center][/h2]
Upon getting a closer look at the inhabitant of the room, Novak eased up slightly.  On one hand, it was an old woman dancing with what looked like a bunch of body parts stitched together into a dummy, in the sealed sublevel of an abandoned temple.  On the other hand, she didn't react with hostility as they approached, and that alone made it seem like things were going better than he expected.  And the woman's eyes...they were silver.  Novak momentarily touched his face, assuring himself that he was not wearing the mask, that the silver color of the woman's eyes were not merely an effect of the mask's insight.  [color=ed1c24][i]What would I see, I wonder, if I were to look upon her with the mask on?[/i][/color]

Before he could come to a decision, the woman introduced herself- or rather- himself- as Iva'Krorh, Illuminator.  The very god whom this temple was dedicated to the worship of.  This in itself was a rather alarming revelation- assuming this stranger was telling the truth, they were in the presence of a literal god.  Lazhira appeared to be quite concerned about his revelation, pulling closer to Narkissa and refusing to converse when the stranger addressed her.

[i][color=ed1c24]Curious...so Lazhira isn't one of the thieves that stole the crystal.  This Illuminator seems to think she intended to, but the phantoms that I saw...they must have been someone else.[/color][/i]

So far this stranger's knowledge seemed to fit their claim of being a god, but nothing that compared their analysis of Novak.  When the Illuminator addressed Novak's amnesia- and acknowledged that it was by choice- there was no doubt in Novak's mind that this person standing before them was indeed a god.  The fact that this god was calling him a fool, or that Narkissa openly concurred- seemed inconsequential compared to the realization that within a day of arriving on this world, Novak had already found himself face-to-face with a god.  And that god didn't seem to think very highly of him.

Novak wisely chose not to rebuke the Illuminator's quip about him being foolish.  Aside from the fact that angering a god could end very, very badly, he did not want to enlighten Narkissa and Lazhira to the full context of what Iva'Krorh meant about Novak's head being empty.  If others knew he had given up his memories, and struggled to recall whatever was left behind without some sort of external stimulus, they might seek to manipulate him.  Better to let them assume that the Illuminator was simply accusing Novak of being conventionally vacuous.

There were many questions he had.  Narkissa had taken the initiative to ask about Leannah, so Novak opted to ask about questions to a topic that was clearly of interest to the Illuminator.

[color=ed1c24]"If I may, Illuminator,"[/color] Novak asked, unsure how to properly address this god, [color=ed1c24]"You're the one showing me the things with the mask, right?  The crystal you showed me, whispered about to me...what exactly is it?  Who stole it?  Why did they steal it?"[/color]  Novak has so many more questions- why was this temple abandoned, why was a god dancing with a macabre dummy at the bottom of an empty temple, just what was the deal with Lazhira- but pestering a god with unwanted questions on topics whom they had not expressed interest in was a good way to get on their bad side.

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