Ouroboros Puzzle

The Ouroboros Puzzle is an ancient artifact passed down and protected by many generations of individuals who appear to be connected to Primaries. The puzzle, once unlocked, reveals a clue that may lead to the breaking of the Great Cycle. The solution to the puzzle lies in a poem written by Marion Woods.

Description
The exterior of the puzzle is designed into the shape of a snake eating its own tail, also known as an Ouroboros. The interior of the puzzle consists of seven painted dials with several images on each dial. Each image is representative of a person, place, or thing within Marion's poem. By turning each dial to align chronologically with the poem, the serpent's head unlocks from his tail. Stored within the snake's head is a piece of cloth with the words "Blackleaf May 11, 1852" printed on it.

Middle Ages
The origin of the Ouroboros Puzzle remains unknown. At an unspecified time in the Middle Ages, the puzzle was handed down from a man to a young Primary girl with instructions to keep it safe. She repeats the name "James Cole" as the puzzle is handed to her.

2018
The puzzle resurfaces at an Ouroboros exhibition in Prague in 2018. Guided by her Primary visions, Jennifer Goines tracks the artifact down and steals it from the museum. She is pursued by Interpol Detective Bonham, who comes from a line of individuals sworn to protect the artifact.

The authorities track Jennifer down to a train station. Jennifer stages a daring escape by hurling herself in front of a train and into the arms of a splintering James Cole. Jennifer drops the artifact amid her escape and it falls into the possession of Bonham.

Jennifer arranges a meeting between herself, Bonham, and Cole. Once Cole sees the device, he remembers his mother's poem, as as a result, the solution to the puzzle. He unlocks the device and discovers the clue hidden within it.

Background
James Cole's mother, Marion Woods, wrote a poem describing a snake that is cursed to chase its own tail. The imagery in the poem contains many metaphors about the  Army of the 12 Monkeys  and time travel. At some point, the poem was tucked into a copy of The Wizard of Oz. It was discovered there by James and Matthew Cole in 2015.

In 2018, after discovering the Ouroboros artifact, Cole remembered the story and was able to tie out each phase of the poem to one of the images on the puzzle.