Liana was sitting quietly minding her sheep and her own business on a sunny afternoon, when a thunderclap shook the earth and made her jump almost out of her skin. The sheep were so terrified they shot off in every direction.
They would have vanished forever were it not that they happened to be on a small grassy island in the middle of a long lake.
Find Liana's sheep if you'd like to discover the strange events that interrupted her afternoon musings.
(Hint: If you're having trouble finding Liana's sheep, try searching the skinny lake south of the ULeadership)
The thunderclap maker was no other than Montu, the god of War, but instead of the three plumes he normally wore on his head, Liana saw that he only had two.
He took a step towards Liana. "I need your help," he said.
Shock and disbelief had left Liana speechless.
"Well?" the god asked, tapping his spear impatiently.
"B-but I'm only a shepherdess."
"Come to my shrine."
"What about my sheep?" Liana asked.
"I'll take care of them." So saying, he raised his arm. The sheep shrank to the size of ladybirds, and flew into the god's outstretched hand.
(Hint: If you're a stranger to these lands and do not know where to find Montu's shrine, look for his statue on the east side of the road that leads to the Chariot Stop.)
"Good. I see you followed my orders," Montu said. "I'll come straight to the point. You see, I had a slight disagreement with my wife Menhit, and she hid one of my plumes. I need you to find it for me."
Liana felt a twitch of annoyance. Not only had this god stolen her sheep, now he was sending her off on some wild goose chase.
"I thought gods knew everything. How can I find your plume, if you can't?" she asked.
"Menhit has made my plume invisible to me. Only a clever mortal like you can find it."
Clever! So he was going to use flattery as well as robbery to get his way...
"So be it," Liana sighed. "Where did you last see Menhit?"
"She was called away by a priest, to go and bless a wedding."
"I need more clues than that."
"Well... let me see... the priest said something about the bride and groom being researchers... something about seed registry and papyrus paper."
Liana correctly deduced that the newlywed worked as researchers at the University of Leadership, and were married at the nearby altar.
But where had Menhit gone, after fulfilling her duties?
Liana hunted all around the altar for clues. She hunted in vain for three days and three nights. Finally she fell asleep, exhausted. She dreamt of her island, and of her sheep, and of a world where there were no thieving gods with their ridiculous plumes...
When she woke up, it occurred to her that the newly married couple might possibly know where Menhit had gone after the wedding.
Liana knocked on the door of the University of Leadership.
"I'm looking for a newly married couple who work here," she said, timidly.
The man at the door had a very long nose, and he was pointedly looking down it. Liana became uncomfortably aware that her dress was shabby and that she didn't know how to read or write.
"I believe you have the wrong building, ma'am," the man started to say.
But behind him a young woman appeared. "How can I help you?" she asked. "I imagine you're looking for me..."
"I need to find Menhit because she has something that Montu wants and Montu won't give me back my sheep until I find it."
"I'm sorry to hear that," the woman said, kindly. "Well... after the wedding, I saw Menhit walking along the shore of the lake carrying a bag. Her arm was covering the middle of the label, which started with Stic and ended with un."
Having asked the researcher for a spelling lesson and a pack of Lexicon cards, Liana deduced that the label on Menhit's bag must have been Sticky Sun, and that the goddess had gone to fertilise a water lily.
This time, Liana was lucky. When she searched the flower for clues, she found some splotches of maroon and dark blue paint on the petals. There were also traces of mud-granite dust floating on the water. So then she knew what Menhit had been up to...
At the beetle garden, Liana found a huge crowd, everyone oohing and aahing. One beetle outshone all the others by far. In fact, it was so spectacular that it outshone any beetle exhibited ever before or ever since. The artist, Menhit herself, was basking in the glory, while the other exhibitors stood to one side looking glum. "All our hard work is put to shame," one artist said, a tear running down her cheek.
In all the commotion, Liana crept up to the sculpture, and sure enough, underneath it was hidden Montu's plume. She reached for it, but at that moment, Amen-Ra, lord of all the gods, appeared. He was simply dressed, in fact no better than a shepherd. He waved one arm, and the beetle sculpture disappeared, along with the plume underneath it. "Menhit, you know it's not fair to compete with mortals," he said, reproachfully. "You and Montu had better take a holiday to the Moon and think about things for a while."
Disconsolate, Liana was about to leave when Amen-Ra turned to her. "Ah, I almost forgot. Your sheep are back on your island, Liana, and a certificate of cleverness awaits you at the source. Have fun, and good luck!"