Labyrinth
Josh wants to play a monk character from an underground organization with ties to the Pantheon that works in secret to thwart Umbral plans. This would be a great fit for a small group that serves the angel on the Sapphire Isles via the Labyrinth. Hal Redlan could fit in to that organization as well, as a group that follows Tymora's threads to find ways to perhaps free her, while also thwarting any creatures that do not belong in the world of men. This group likely travels the ways of the Labyrinth and could teach the Legion how to do so, as they will soon perhaps need to know how. The Labyrinth is the Divine Gate.
What Godfrey (Maurice) knows about the labyrinth and will share with Finn, since the Labyrinth in his mind is the key to defeating the gods: Godfrey believes the Labyrinth is one of those rare spaces that exists between the planes, but is not the Astral Sea. The Accursed Archives is another of these liminal spaces - somewhere that exists on a boundary, between places, but not truly "in" any place. It is a place of its own, and its vastness is unknowable. Within these liminal spaces, the laws of time work differently. Boiled down, Godfrey plans to use the labyrinth to traverse through time, to the past, to the precise moment when Torm casted the Time Stop that trapped himself and the Hexad in Ishtana for centuries. Godfrey intends to enter that moment when the Hexad were frozen, but before Torm himself stopped, and kill Torm at his weakest. The defeat of a celestial creature imbues the slayer with a touch of their power - Godfrey has learned this through the experimental murders of whatever minor celestials he could find still stuck on the material plane. From everything he knows, the gods must not be willing to fully kill each other and steal power, otherwise it would have happened already.
Godfrey understands that tampering with time could have unforeseen consequences, he is an ambitious man, not a fool. While he could use the confusion of Torm's defeat, at a time before the Divine Barrier existed, to launch his assault on the gods, he knows that ridding the world of the gods centuries in the past could alter reality in such a way that he himself never existed, or developed the goals that led him to destroy the gods in the first place. So, he will defeat Torm in that moment before the Time Stop would take him, and then return through the Labyrinth to present day. This would result in the least ripples along the flows of time, and thus should minimize any consequences of such an action. Once back in modern day, he and his accomplices will travel through the Labyrinth once more, and use it to find a back door into Mount Celestia. Using Torm's power, and their own, his team will begin their assault against the gods on Mount Celestia, quickly and quietly.
The first to fall will be Bhaal. Godfrey knows he is near death, but unable to die at the hands of his own, and so killing Bhaal will bolster his forces even further as they assume his power. From there, with the powers of Torm and Bhaal, they will move through the gods like a wolf pack attacking a herd - picking off the elderly and weak from the fringes first; Waukeen (trade), Milil (poetry), Eldath (peace), Tyr (justice before they can take on the gods strongest warriors; Lyir (seas), Lathander (light), Mystra (magic), Helm (protection).
You might be wondering how Godfrey will orchestrate an assault on beings hidden away on a plane he's never visited. Well Godfrey had other reasons for visiting the Ivory Isles - amassing ivory for use in the Legend Lore spell. Through years of resources, time, trial and error, Godfrey has managed to learn where the gods made their homes on Mount Celestia, what close relationships they have, who their nearest neighbors are, and who are regarded as the strongest - plenty of good info needed to lay out a strategy.
TL;DR
1. Collect knowledge of the gods whereabouts on Mount Celestia 2. Explore the labyrinth further to find a way to travel back to the precise moment of Torm's Time Stop 3. Kill Torm and take his power, then return to present day 4. Explore the labyrinth to find a way between planes, into Mount Celestia, using whatever magic possible and twisting it to find a way 5. Kill Bhaal and steal his power to fuel the war machine moving through Mount Celestia, and with each victory grow stronger and stronger until all the gods are eradicated 6. Bring about a new world for humanity, one built on collaboration and progress for the good of all, not idol worship
Coventina was once similar to the Ymir (light one) that have become Lanfir (dark one), though Coventina retains their original form, as a pale blue-skinned angel. However, the duration of their stay on the material plane has sapped their strength over the centuries. Over time, the Lanfir will suffer a similar degradation, but the havoc they could wreck before that is too great - and knowing that they have limited time, the Lanfir will be motivated to find solutions quickly.
Red's son Daren, and his wife Caroline, went with Red to study the labyrinth, but unfortunately were lost to its mysteries years ago. Red does not hold onto idealistic hope, but if there is a way, a world, where they're still alive, he hopes they're happy. With his chronomancy abilities, he believes he can help the Legion achieve whatever their aim is. He knows who they are as well, as he has actually been conscripted to help them/the world in the past, by either Tymora and/or Falias. Notably though, he has never traveled more than days or weeks into the past (except for El finding the efreet cuffs) - anymore than that could cause too many ripples, and the bigger his action, the larger the ripples:
Red appears visually as an older human man, in his sixties perhaps - though he is really as old as his wife Maggie, in his eighties, but having learned some control over time, is able to slow his own aging process. He has thick blonde-white hair hanging to his shoulders, and sun wrinkled skin from his time on the Sapphire Isles. Together, Coventina will show them the drying remains of an oasis that used to be a portal between the material and celestial world. Coventina served Deneir, and stayed behind to record the history of the world, and help humanity how they could, without getting publicly involved.
To get to the Lanfir hideout, Red will jump them along three main nodes, first near Haven, then the western coast, then somewhere on the Jade Isles, and then into the presence of the Lanfir.
Eilonwy, because of their affliction with Carasphyx's soul, will suffer some negative consequences from being in the labyrinth. It's possible for El to enter, because they are considered both human and celestial, and since they are bonded, the labyrinth can't prevent them from entering, but it will not be comfortable. They may suffer exhaustion from traversing the labyrinth long enough.
What Godfrey (Maurice) knows about the labyrinth and will share with Finn, since the Labyrinth in his mind is the key to defeating the gods: Godfrey believes the Labyrinth is one of those rare spaces that exists between the planes, but is not the Astral Sea. The Accursed Archives is another of these liminal spaces - somewhere that exists on a boundary, between places, but not truly "in" any place. It is a place of its own, and its vastness is unknowable. Within these liminal spaces, the laws of time work differently. Boiled down, Godfrey plans to use the labyrinth to traverse through time, to the past, to the precise moment when Torm casted the Time Stop that trapped himself and the Hexad in Ishtana for centuries. Godfrey intends to enter that moment when the Hexad were frozen, but before Torm himself stopped, and kill Torm at his weakest. The defeat of a celestial creature imbues the slayer with a touch of their power - Godfrey has learned this through the experimental murders of whatever minor celestials he could find still stuck on the material plane. From everything he knows, the gods must not be willing to fully kill each other and steal power, otherwise it would have happened already.
Godfrey understands that tampering with time could have unforeseen consequences, he is an ambitious man, not a fool. While he could use the confusion of Torm's defeat, at a time before the Divine Barrier existed, to launch his assault on the gods, he knows that ridding the world of the gods centuries in the past could alter reality in such a way that he himself never existed, or developed the goals that led him to destroy the gods in the first place. So, he will defeat Torm in that moment before the Time Stop would take him, and then return through the Labyrinth to present day. This would result in the least ripples along the flows of time, and thus should minimize any consequences of such an action. Once back in modern day, he and his accomplices will travel through the Labyrinth once more, and use it to find a back door into Mount Celestia. Using Torm's power, and their own, his team will begin their assault against the gods on Mount Celestia, quickly and quietly.
The first to fall will be Bhaal. Godfrey knows he is near death, but unable to die at the hands of his own, and so killing Bhaal will bolster his forces even further as they assume his power. From there, with the powers of Torm and Bhaal, they will move through the gods like a wolf pack attacking a herd - picking off the elderly and weak from the fringes first; Waukeen (trade), Milil (poetry), Eldath (peace), Tyr (justice before they can take on the gods strongest warriors; Lyir (seas), Lathander (light), Mystra (magic), Helm (protection).
You might be wondering how Godfrey will orchestrate an assault on beings hidden away on a plane he's never visited. Well Godfrey had other reasons for visiting the Ivory Isles - amassing ivory for use in the Legend Lore spell. Through years of resources, time, trial and error, Godfrey has managed to learn where the gods made their homes on Mount Celestia, what close relationships they have, who their nearest neighbors are, and who are regarded as the strongest - plenty of good info needed to lay out a strategy.
TL;DR
1. Collect knowledge of the gods whereabouts on Mount Celestia 2. Explore the labyrinth further to find a way to travel back to the precise moment of Torm's Time Stop 3. Kill Torm and take his power, then return to present day 4. Explore the labyrinth to find a way between planes, into Mount Celestia, using whatever magic possible and twisting it to find a way 5. Kill Bhaal and steal his power to fuel the war machine moving through Mount Celestia, and with each victory grow stronger and stronger until all the gods are eradicated 6. Bring about a new world for humanity, one built on collaboration and progress for the good of all, not idol worship
The Labyrinthine Team
Chief assistant to Godfrey is a human man named Delane. Finn will work closely with him to understand the labyrinth, and Delane is also a powerful wizard who is assisting Godfrey with Legend Lore to learn as much as they can about the gods. Once Finn learns how to navigate the labyrinth to cross overland in the present time, the group will then practice transporting to the Feywild and Shadowfell, since those mirror dimensions are closest to the Material plane. Then they will practice getting to the elemental planes. Once that is accomplished, they will practice moving through time. Once they can move back in time and then back to the present, they will learn how to move to the Outer Planes.Labyrinth Meta Scenes
Every so often I want to sprinkle in Finn's activity with Godfrey in for the players.- 6/5/23: Delane has asked Finn to bring up some more ivory from the refinery. As Finn delivers it to the room, passing by numerous magical wards, he will overhear Godfrey and Delane discussing that they've learned that Bhaal is alive, but still incredibly weak from his thrashing by Lathander - Godfrey thinks he would be an excellent first target on Mount Celestia. As Finn turns to go, Godfrey will ask him to lead another expedition to the labyrinth, this time see if he can reach the Shadowfell.
- August: Delane reports that Ishtana is empty "he's on the move"
- September TBD: reveal that when Finn earned the name "godkiller" he didn't actually kill Torm, he was part of a group that imprisoned Torm into Godfrey's diamond ring. It wasn't possible to affect Torm while he was affected by the timestop, so Godfrey's team traveled back through the labyrinth to hit Torm in that final instant before the timestop took hold of him. Finn will overhear Godfrey and Delane arguing over whether to kill Bhaal or just imprison him, Delane posits that they still have no idea how to truly kill a god, it's never been done, imprisoning is a better guarantee, while Godfrey argues that is only temporary.
- Godfrey and Delane argue over Torm once more. Godfrey points out that though Torm's form is contained, his influence on the world has not changed - Godfrey is angry that he's only managed to play into Torm's narrative of self-sacrifice. He believes Torm was a foolish target (even if it was his idea). Delane posits that even so, with Torm imprisoned, he cannot act, only his believers can, and they need not fear mortals. Delane believes they should continue their plan to imprison the gods until they can be rid of them for sure. (this whole conversation reveals that Godfrey and Delane only have a partial understanding of the gods nature - in other words, gods cannot be killed while the ideals they stand for exist - as long as people believe self-sacrifice is a worthy cause, Torm cannot die, just as Bhaal cannot be murdered, as the act of murdering him fuels his reality, existence, and strength)
- Godfrey was once an acolyte of the Liar, back before the Divine Barrier was raised. Cyric chose him and marked him, leaving a piece of himself in Godfrey's soul, to extend his reach of power and knowledge. When the barrier went up, Cyric was hoping to continue using Godfrey to influence the world, but the separation by the barrier eventually led to Cyric's power over Godfrey weakening, and Godfrey grew to resent the god, and what he had made him do. Once Godfrey discovered the labyrinth in his magical studies, he learned that he could not stay there for long, and over time learned that Cyric's mark on him (appearing as a tattoo of a skull over a sunburst, now with a lattice cage tattoo over it) was the cause of that sickness, so he found a way to enchant a suppression of that spell Cyric had on him. This allowed Godfrey to study the labyrinth, and so he's been working on understanding it, and finding a way through it, to reach the celestial plane and kill Cyric, hoping to remove the binding over him.
- However, now that the Nexus points are weakening the barrier (which is the labyrinth), more of the god's influence is seeping into the world, and Godfrey's suppression is weakening. He knows he will be reclaimed by Cyric, and laments that his dream will soon be dead, as he is not yet ready to face the Liar himself. Before the other gods are able to extend their full power through, Cyric will pull himself forcefully into Godfrey's body and take him over.
Traversing the Labyrinth
It is possible to traverse the labyrinth through time and space, following threads of destiny. Not all can see these threads, even those who know how to follow their pull, merely following a sensation. With help from the planetar, Coventina, trapped behind on the material plane, Red, the grandfather of Halia, has found a way to see the threads of fate, believed to be spun by Lady Tymora herself. Red has become a Chronomancer, capable of bending the labyrinth, and time, to his will. Unknown to mortalkind, the labyrinth was made to bleed into the material plane intentionally, by Gond and Oghma, as an act of resistance against Beshaba, who constructed it to trap Tymora away. Celestial-kind cannot enter the labyrinth due to Beshaba's wardings and the Divine Barrier.Coventina was once similar to the Ymir (light one) that have become Lanfir (dark one), though Coventina retains their original form, as a pale blue-skinned angel. However, the duration of their stay on the material plane has sapped their strength over the centuries. Over time, the Lanfir will suffer a similar degradation, but the havoc they could wreck before that is too great - and knowing that they have limited time, the Lanfir will be motivated to find solutions quickly.
Red's son Daren, and his wife Caroline, went with Red to study the labyrinth, but unfortunately were lost to its mysteries years ago. Red does not hold onto idealistic hope, but if there is a way, a world, where they're still alive, he hopes they're happy. With his chronomancy abilities, he believes he can help the Legion achieve whatever their aim is. He knows who they are as well, as he has actually been conscripted to help them/the world in the past, by either Tymora and/or Falias. Notably though, he has never traveled more than days or weeks into the past (except for El finding the efreet cuffs) - anymore than that could cause too many ripples, and the bigger his action, the larger the ripples:
- He supplied Hugh with the magical rocks that led to him developing flight technology
- He slipped a set of efreet cuffs off a prisoner of Torren and helped them escape, and left the cuffs behind for El to find
- He knocked Dab unconscious and stowed him in a barrel for the Legion to find
- He removed Finn from the court of Hyrsam in the feywild to return him to Salthis to set on his path towards wizardy
- He made sure Tudar's father would never return, by destroying the correspondence Tudar's mother attempted to send
- He has murdered travelers who would bring plague to cities and villages
- He has defended important travelers from being waylaid by monsters
- "I've always known what I would do, in the end, because, well, I'd already done it." - Red. He is not happy or proud of all the things he's done, but he lives to serve. "You cannot hurt me, I do not live in your world anymore." - his control over time has made him practically untouchable
Red appears visually as an older human man, in his sixties perhaps - though he is really as old as his wife Maggie, in his eighties, but having learned some control over time, is able to slow his own aging process. He has thick blonde-white hair hanging to his shoulders, and sun wrinkled skin from his time on the Sapphire Isles. Together, Coventina will show them the drying remains of an oasis that used to be a portal between the material and celestial world. Coventina served Deneir, and stayed behind to record the history of the world, and help humanity how they could, without getting publicly involved.
To get to the Lanfir hideout, Red will jump them along three main nodes, first near Haven, then the western coast, then somewhere on the Jade Isles, and then into the presence of the Lanfir.
- Haven Sewers - the Legion will be surrounded by ghouls, alghouls, and stirges feasting upon corpses thrown into a sewer. Their task is a simple one, but will they be able to reach the next threshold unscathed?
- Sea Hag Ritual - the Legion will fall spluttering into shallow waters, and see a ritual going on before them, led by a Sea Hag. They will need to get to the large opening to the cave, but Sea Spawn and water elementals lie in their path - and what is this ritual about anyways? (If they don't stop it, they will hear rumors of horrible storms near Neverwinter - caused by this hag, looking for drowned lovers)
- Bandit Camp - the Legion will find themselves crammed at the interior entrance of a tent. This is in fact a small camp of sailors on the Jade Isles. They are here seeking their captain, Levi. He abandoned his crew on shore and they've been following his tracks inland. They're not sure what came over him - he doesn't like to leave the water.
Eilonwy, because of their affliction with Carasphyx's soul, will suffer some negative consequences from being in the labyrinth. It's possible for El to enter, because they are considered both human and celestial, and since they are bonded, the labyrinth can't prevent them from entering, but it will not be comfortable. They may suffer exhaustion from traversing the labyrinth long enough.
Purpose / Function
The labyrinth was constructed by Beshaba to enact revenge on the goddess Tymora for the mockery she made of the Umbrals in the whole larva theft.
Alterations
Though they have not been able to impose any changes to the construction or function of the labyrinth, the Cult of Baphomet has discovered the labyrinth through one of Tymora's loose threads. By that proxy, the Horned King Baphomet himself has come to know of the maze, and incites his followers to use it in their savage hunts, bestowing on his devout the ability of an unerring tracker and labyrinthine recall. Through his power he has helped them create Labyrinthian Coins to access the labyrinth more easily when they will, and go on their hunts. As coins are wont to do, they have become lost and can find their way into the hands of confused bystanders.
Architecture
The general structure of mazework is constructed of dark stone, with winding passages, not all right angles either. Many halls of the labyrinth look very similar to the others, promoting confusion. These hallways connect the various temporal and spatially separated chambers of the labyrinth, which come in all shapes and sizes, in all sorts of scenarios.
Level 10 Party of 4Start - 80: gladiator arena featuring a Champion (Regis), and two Gladiators in a Mareotis arena (possibly Jana?)
1 - 89: 5 gnoll fangs of Yeenoghu and 1 giant hyena in a desert cave
2 - 27: 1 ogre and 2 half ogres in a desert ravine
3 - 68: 1 giant crocodile in a swamp hollow
4 - 62: a frozen chamber of extreme cold threat, with symbolism of Azuth god of winter
5 - 52: 1 chimera in a hill cave
6 - 79: 1 young bronze dragon? coastal setting. Young dragon named Nymmurh (Nym-yoor). Parent is away nearer Mareotis.
7 - 1: 11 giant wolf spiders in a wet coastal cove/cave
8 - 66: 1 orc eye of gruumsh with 7 orcs in a grassland area
9 - 66: giant footprints in some mud high atop a mountain
10 - 5: a dark cave with no light, it is impossible that any exits to this chamber exit the labyrinth. On the ceiling is a large image of Myrkul's symbol, a white human skull. A magical aura surrounds it, as it is actually an illusion, and beneath it lies the symbol of Cyric, a white jawless skull on a black sunburst. It requires a 4th lvl dispel to reveal.
Level 10 Party of 4
History
Following the Divine War, Beshaba turned to underhanded methods to enact revenge on Tymora specifically. The goddess of misfortune coerced Gond the Craftsmen into building this labyrinthine prison for Tymora, which he carried out with great reluctance. In a covert act of defiance, Gond turned the Oghma for help creating a loop hole of sorts in the maze. By this time the Dividing Barrier had already been raised between the divines and the material plane, so Oghma and Gond had to get very creative. With some elements of previously un-tampered with temporal magic, Oghma enchanted the labyrinth to transcend both time and space, allowing it to bleed into portions of the Material Plane from slices of time, either in the past or future, when the Dividing Barrier did and does not exist (yes, it will one day fall).
After the disappearance of Tymora following her capture, the Pantheon searched and discovered her imprisonment, but thanks to Beshaba's hateful enchantment, it was impenetrable by the gods directly. The Pantheon found ways to impose their will on the labyrinth in small ways, such as emblazoning their symbols onto the walls to help lead towards safety or exits. When Tymora began to notice these signs from her companions, she realized there must be some way to impose her will outward, and so she started leaving threads of her dress, in the hopes they would be found and lead a rescuer to her. After many years these magical threads were eventually discovered by a young human couple, the Redlans.
After the disappearance of Tymora following her capture, the Pantheon searched and discovered her imprisonment, but thanks to Beshaba's hateful enchantment, it was impenetrable by the gods directly. The Pantheon found ways to impose their will on the labyrinth in small ways, such as emblazoning their symbols onto the walls to help lead towards safety or exits. When Tymora began to notice these signs from her companions, she realized there must be some way to impose her will outward, and so she started leaving threads of her dress, in the hopes they would be found and lead a rescuer to her. After many years these magical threads were eventually discovered by a young human couple, the Redlans.
Founding Date
245 EH
Type
Dungeon
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