[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DEs5zeu.png[/img]
[h2]Lektor's Lectures[/h2][/center]

- 1α -

That temple was a symbol of commitment. It was not born by the greater magic of the gods but instead held together by only her will, any distance or distraction would be enough to shake it to its foundations. It felt trapping to the goddess, but, with it she would be able to guide the humans, earthlings, towards their destiny.

It was a simple round thing, brutish in design, with a central atrium with a stone pillar where the goddess stood, to its surroundings many floors in a tower-like round structure, with balconies so that all humans may watch her. The outward ring of the round structure was an endless row of dormitories, spartan in design, with merely a bed and a washing bin in each. All humans wore simple robes with a middle sash holding them together. Initially, they were all green. Clean water was offered, and so was bread, made by the goddess to make sure they would have good nutrition in them.

The mortals, just raised from lifeless stone forms, were all very much dazed, and they all looked at the goddess with curiosity.

[color=gold]"Good Morning my pupils. I am Lektoria Koreh Tellur, goddess of Earth. Today, the knowledge that will be imparted to you will be that which is most basic. You will learn of this world, of its gods, of how your body works and how it will survive. You will also learn how things will work here in Haven. This very temple where you stand."[/color]

And the goddess did follow that exact proposal with very little distraction. Most important were the rules of her lectures and their staying in Haven. [color=gold]"Every morning and every evening you will listen to me and pay attention to my lessons. They will start simple but become more complex. There IS a world out there, far beyond these walls, you MAY choose to go there, but, once you LEAVE you cannot go back, Haven will be lost to you, so will be my overwatching blessing, you will need to forage your own food, defend yourself, and build your own shelter. You may not interrupt me whenever I am lecturing, even to ask pertinent questions, it is simply not allowed.[/color] the rules were so simple even the newly-born mortals understood them. And for the first few days, the lessons would be peaceful and none would leave.

But as time passed, some mortals were too eager for their own good. Too excited. although Lektor always made sure she explained how dangerous the world out there was, a group of humans thought themselves ready enough to face it, curious even, wanting to be the first to leave the building. They knew how to eat, they knew how to drink, what else was there to learn? Surely nothing important!

And so, the first batch left.

- 1β -

At night, as all humans slept, the goddess of the earth adjusted strings in her hand following the pattern of a cat's cradle.

[color=gold]"Seems like the first few have left. How brave, yet how foolish, very low self-control and wisdom on those. Yet they made be necessary for mankind when certain times come."[/color] she adjusted the strings and knots in her weave. [color=gold]"I believe those who do it for curiosity may fare well among those, but those who do it out of ambition and pride... well, those are truly lost. It is not yet the time of men, it's the age of shadows and flames, with their masters the elves at the lead. A time of tragedies and great change, of falling sounds and the spreading carmine wound."[/color] she sighed.

But there was nothing that could be done, the flame in those few burned too bright, now it was up for Fate to decide which ones would be pruned. She had her lessons to continue.

- 2α - 

The teacher's teachings would become more hypothetical and figurative as time went on, long gone was the simple "There is this, there is that, this is named x, this is named y." of the past. Now she spoke of sentiments and feelings, and even her more grounded words were sapped with metaphors and unclear answers. But given survival was easy and guaranteed most did not mind that shift, that is, until all those who are too adventurous had left and days went by without new abdications.

A long time would pass of relative peace and no changes within the temple, when the goddess felt it was time new lessons were given. Tasks to be completed. Typically menial beyond belief. They seemed to come in waves, one day it was very physical, like cleaning the walls, running around the building, pruning plants and sand raking; the next day would be menial too but more mentally challenging, students would be given jars with pebbles within and asked to count them over and over, or separate them by aspect, or puzzles were given, or the students were made to remember the names of all those within their floor. There was no punishment (at the moment) for failing these tasks, just the shame of it, some students cheated as they could not find joy in these tasks, Lektor took notice, others, finally, gave up.

The earth goddess had expected that, and she took notice of what tipped over each student, some did not mind the bureaucratic tasks but minded the physical ones, while others thrived in mindless forceful work but did not deal well with numbers, some were too lazy to do either but also not clever enough to cheat. Thankfully the former two were more numerous than the latter.

The adventurers had been left to go without care or aid, but to these newly departed the goddess would give some guidance. She would tell them of caves and bountiful areas within the mesa, and instruct them to live in those places as they were more peaceful than the lands below. She made it clear that it was not their time yet to settle beyond the mesa, she would not stop them if they tried, but success would only come when special students arrived to their villages, ready to lead them properly.

- 2β - 

The cat's cradle formed an image of iron and clay strings surrounding a single ruby. The goddess had spent the entire night observing it.

[color=gold]"Wind and Water act mechanical, bound to the earth that is the body. But the fire, it is the spirit. And yet... why is that."[/color] she pondered in whispers, unheard in the dead of the night. [color=gold]"It clearly is not random, there is a design, but not even the creator seems to contemplate the decision of making the spirit an ember. That can't be the full story. What does it provide? What does it define? What is the philosophy of this alchemical product?"[/color] she re-adjusted the strings.

It was no use.

[color=gold]"Perhaps the solution to this earthling puzzle is in accepting it, sacrifice the whys for the hows. The first students who left had flames too bright, those who leave now have flames too fickle. Those who have the fire but whose earth failed them were more likely to force themselves or to cheat, that is ambition, but what of those gifted in earth but with low flames? Are they of use? I will need to create more situations and test it."[/color]

She sighed, so much work to do, yet her own enthusiasm was lacking at times, she was not, after all, a goddess of fire, but she was not foolish to let just let humans go into the world untested. When all of this was over, she would likely take a long rest, and poor will be the humans who ever expect her to help them again.

- 3 -

As the population of the temple settled again, the waves of people leaving stopping and the shape of the temple adjusting for the now more empty areas, the goddess started to think over her task again. It seemed her effort had already filtered a chunk of the humans, the time was coming she would need to change things.

[color=gold]"The days to come will make this less of a temple, more of a forge. The most peculiar and potent humans are now under my command, it is time to test them. First, the minds, then the body. Some will need gifts, so I should wait until I have more energy."[/color]

But one last test would be made, it was time to give these humans the fruit of knowledge, and know how they would react.

One day, they would wake up and find their clothes had been changed for colourful garbs, crowns of jewels and rings of silver were given to the, the temple was colourful and vibrant with images from all over the world in its walls. The food too, was wine and nectar, bread with meat and fruits, pie slices too. For one day life in Haven was a feast.

The next days that came, however, gave nothing but the nutritious bread and clean water, the white garbs and brutish rock walls. And Lektoria would refuse to answer if the mortals would ever see those colors and tastes again, merely smiling when asked or reminding them they were not to interrupt her lessons.

The sphinx waited to see what would happen next. This was but one of many tests to come. Not simply testing if the humans would succeed, but more scientific in nature, where the results are truly unknown even to the gods.

[hider=Summary]
Lektor creates a school where she lectures humans. They are given food and water and shelter and are free to leave, but once they leave they cannot go back. She knows eventually they will all leave eventually, but is aiming to test them out a lot, and divide humans into faux-castes based on her observations of what makes them leave.[/hider]

[hider=Might Usage]
None, somehow.[/hider]