Plane of Maze
The boundless labyrinth. Shifting pathways and impossible geometry.
Fourteen lefts in a row. Fourteen. It didn't just not make sense, it was a complete impossibility. He'd tried string and chalk to mark his passage to no avail. Now, leaving a trail of coins was simply emptying his purse. His stomach rumbled and his mind returned to the fruit tree he'd passed hours ago.
Most travellers reach the Plane of Maze by accident rather than on purpose. It is a place of shifting, natural pathways interspersed with permanent, labyrinthine constructions. A visitor may become lost in a hedge maze during a party, pass through a threshold and find themselves staring up at unfamiliar architecture. No one is completely certain what combination of triggers causes such an event but it is theorised that it isn't just the physical environment - instead, specific timing or mindset may be required.
The plane is the original home to all minotaurs and is ruled over by their lesser god, Tianusaark, the Seeker. The three-faced being rules from the exact centre of the plane in the layered, mountaintop city of Twinsnarl. It is said that a traveller cannot find their way into Twinsnarl until they are judged worthy, the shifting pathways of the landscape simply don't allow it. In total, there are seven major settlements that pierce through the disc-shaped firmament; their central spaces non-euclidian and allowing a traveller to move from one side of the disc to the other. It is by travelling to the six outer settlements and petitioning the minotaur lords that one may gain access to Twinsnarl, the seventh. Dotted across the landscape are other, minor settlements that act as trading posts, rest stops and occasionally as ways to escape the plane.
Travel throughout the Plane of Maze is particularly difficult. It is nearly impossible to fly and magic that transports oneself usually backfires. Powerful magic, such as plane shift, still works but for those who lack the means, a lengthy trip to Twinsnarl may be the only way home. Fortunately, time moves strangely within the plane: a day that passes on The Material corresponds to a fortnight in the Maze. Travellers also find that they rarely need to eat, drink or sleep - using up supplies and becoming exhausted at the same one-fourteenth ratio.
Inhabitants and Life
As mentioned, minotaurs are the most numerous inhabitants of the plane. They tend to reside within the major cities and larger settlements where their natural ability to memorise layouts ensures that they never get lost within the expansive and intricate passageways. The rest of the population is made up of interplanar travellers who have given up trying to make their way home. Some endlessly travel the shifting ways hoping to find trinkets to sell while others find homes for themselves in the permanent settlements throughout the realm.
Plant life is unpredictable because the layout of the plane changes whenever a region is not observed. This includes the natural flora, especially in areas that resemble hedge mazes. A traveller may find berries and vegetables tangled within the hedgerows, fruit trees standing in junctions or even mushrooms in dark, dank spaces. Small animals abound within these regions but the plane is inhospitable to those that fly.
Notable Features and Events
The Maze Spell
Normally, the maze spell has the following description: "You banish a creature that you can see within range into a labyrinthine demiplane. The target remains there for the duration or until it escapes the maze." In Urvén, the Plane of Maze acts as a replacement for this demiplane. Instead, a suitable region of the Plane of Maze warps for the duration of the spell: if the victim escapes, they are returned to their original location.
Pilgrimage
Before being able to access Twinsnarl, a petitioner must visit all six major settlements: Metatropolis, Oubliette, The Shifting, Spindle and Tangleroots. Each of these locations has a towering obelisk at its core upon which names can be carved. The gates of Twinsnarl only open to one whose name is carved upon all six. This journey is usually referred to as a pilgrimage and is responsible for the many travellers wandering the paths of the plane.
Adventuring Hazards
The Plane of Maze is relatively safe when compared to other planes of existence. It does, however, shift form regularly and is therefore impossible to map.
Pitfall
From time to time, areas of the plane may become unstable. Since the firmament of the plane is quite thin, temporary fissures may open and close as the plane shifts around. A creature that stumbles through such a fissure finds themselves on the opposite side of the disc-shaped plane with no obvious way to return.
Upstream: Plane of Earth
Downstream: Havoc and Tumult
Rules on crafting magic items can be found here.
Planar Effect The Plane of Maze resists those who attempt to cheat its layout. Creatures that bypass natural barriers with a method of travel such as flight, jumping or burrowing must make a DC 10 Charisma saving throw, becoming stunned until the end of their next turn on a failure. The DC for this save increases by 2 each time it is made and resets to 10 at dawn. Creatures may still use these methods of travel provided that they respect the layout of the plane.
Multiverse Portal
(a work in progress)
The Cosmos
The Astral, The Void, The Material (Urvén)
Elemental Planes
Air, Creation, Earth, Entropy, Fire, Water
Major Planes
Good (Celestial Wilderness, Edict, The Empyreal Mountains)
Neutral (The Ordered Realm, Havoc and Tumult)
Evil (The Abyss, The Desolate Grey, The Hells)
Minor Planes
Artistry, Innovation, Justice, Knowledge, Maze, Mirrors, Ooze, Wealth
Other Concepts and Locations
Conduit of All Souls
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