1. Locations

The Labyrinth

Natural Feature
The Demon Wastes in Khorvaire

More than 200 miles across and spread along the feet of the Shadowcrags and the Icehorn Mountains, the Labyrinth is a torn and ruined expanse of terrain giving way to the plains and windswept deserts of the Wastes. In its depths, Khyber pushes closer to the surface world than anywhere else on Eberron.

The Labyrinth gets its name from the maze formed by the canyons, mesas, and defiles found throughout the area. The terrain here is most sinister, and it is easy to become lost along its unmarked paths, or to fall victim to the natural hazards spread throughout. Boiling pools of mud, geysers, sluggish lava flows, and crumbling walls frequently claim the lives of reckless travelers. Roving bands of demons and savage humanoids hunt here in search of flesh and plunder.

The Ghaash'kala clans patrol the Labyrinth, keeping the horrors of the Wastes from pushing into the mountains. They discourage travelers from venturing into the Demon Wastes, often to the point of threatening violence. Though they stop short of attacking explorers set on entering, the Ghaash’kala ensure that nothing they encounter leaves the Wastes—including adventurers who ignore their initial warnings.

Source: Eberron Campaign Guide

In the great cosmic struggle that formed the world, legends say that Khyber lashed out in fury, sundering the flesh of their sibling Eberron in a bid to escape. When the progenitor turned to stone and earth, these scars remained - and the Labyrinth is the largest and deepest by far. This is the place closest to Khyber in all of Eberron.

The Labyrinth sprawls for hundreds of miles - a network of badlands, canyons and mesas infested with fiends and ravaged by the elements. The crimson maze is littered with demiplane incursions that spew fiends onto the surface. Lava flows, landslides and earthquakes cause it to shift and break, defying any attempts at cartography. Even worse, countless fiends nest atop the plateaus to descend on those that climb out of the canyons.

Some of these pathways through the Labyrinth exit into the Icehorn and Shadowcrag Mountains, providing entrance into the Reaches. These are the only gaps in the draconic cage - the sole routes by which fiends can leave the Demon Wastes. The Ghaash’kala maintain constant vigil over the pathways with the help of the Hammers of Truth - immense bells that strip away disguises from those with evil intentions. Those entering the Labyrinth from the Reaches are given a stark warning by these sentinels. All are free to travel into the Wastes, but none can ever leave. 

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

Flying over the Labyrinth

The ancient magic that binds the Demon Wastes extends into the sea and sky, blocking the fiends within from escaping. Accordingly, flying fiends cannot pass over the Labyrinth, but must travel through it to escape. Naturally, mortals are exempt, and could theoretically fly over the rock maze - unless they value their lives. Flying fiends such as vrocks dwell upon the upper plateaus of the Labyrinth, desperate to escape into the Reaches. Anything unusual in the sky is clearly visible for miles around, drawing the attention of these fiends — who will happily tear mortals to shreds. This extends to anyone traversing the ‘top’ of the Labyrinth, who are utterly exposed without careful disguises, imposing disadvantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

For every ten minutes that a character spends above the Labyrinth and out of its canyons, there is a cumulative 10% chance of an optional encounter from the table below.

  1. 1 vrock and 2d4 imps take note of the party from 120ft away on a different plateau and begin flying towards them to strike.
  2. A flock of 2d4 vargouilles descends out of the sky to assail the party.
  3. A chasme and 2 spined devils notice the party from 200ft away.
  4. A horned devil on the hunt for Ghaash’kala notices the party, but is willing to bargain for their lives if they do something suitably evil or pathetic (such as grovelling).
  5. A dust storm from the east darkens the horizon; within minutes, it sweeps over the party, carrying dust, grit and shards of demonglass. While above the Labyrinth, all visibility is reduced to 10ft, and creatures exposed to the storm take 1d6 slashing damage every minute. The storm lasts for 2d4 hours.
  6. Characters with a passive perception of 16 or higher notice an odd shifting storm on the horizon. The elder tempest hasn’t noticed the party due to their ant-like size, but moves towards them, beginning at a range of 1 mile.

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

September 22nd, 2023 September 22nd, 2023

Feral Yowler

Feral yowlers roam the Labyrinth, a maze of canyons and fi ssures that scars the landscape of the Demon Wastes. They also inhabit forlorn ruins and dungeons throughout Khorvaire, occasionally striking up alliances with goblinoid warlords in exchange for treasure or fresh food.

January 19th, 2020