GUIDE TO THE

LABYRINTH

WOLFGANG BAUR
 GUIDE TO THE LABYRINTH
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview......................................................................... 5
Campaigns in the Labyrinth...........................................5
How to Use This Book................................................... 6
Chapter 1: The Labyrinth........................................... 8
Brief History of the Labyrinth........................................ 8
Seven Secrets of the Labyrinth..................................... 8
Recent Events.............................................................. 9
Structure of the Labyrinth........................................... 10
Appearance and Exploration....................................... 11
People of the Labyrinth.................................................12
Culture Across Worlds................................................12
Languages.................................................................. 13
Time in the Labyrinth.................................................. 14
The Hub Calendar..................................................... 14
Holidays and Festivals................................................. 15
Modes of Travel.......................................................... 15
Four Pathways............................................................ 15
Three Shortcuts..........................................................17
Slides, Glitches, and Intermissions..............................17
Chapter 2: Heroic Factions......................................18
Concord of Stars (Concordans).....................................18
Overview....................................................................19
Goals..........................................................................19
Concordans in a Campaign.........................................19
Three Key Characters..................................................19
Keepers of the Keys (Keepers).......................................21
Overview....................................................................21
Goals..........................................................................21
Keepers in a Campaign...............................................21
Three Key Keepers..................................................... 22
The Old Ring (Elders).................................................. 24
Overview................................................................... 24
Goals......................................................................... 24
Elders in a Campaign................................................. 24
Three Key Elders.........................................................25
Servants of the Dreaming God (Dreamers)................... 26
Overview................................................................... 26
Goals......................................................................... 27
Dreamers in a Campaign............................................ 28
Three Key Dreamers.................................................. 28
Wanderers and the Lost............................................. 28
4
Minor Wayfaring Groups............................................. 29
Forge of Truth (Smiths).............................................. 29
Lords and Ladies of the Bright and
Shining Lands (Fey Knights)...................................... 29
The Radiant Order (Radiants).................................... 29
Wings of Alquam (Wings)........................................... 29
Pantheon of the Labyrinth........................................... 30
Chapter 3: Sites and Worlds....................................34
Fifty Famous Sites in the Labyrinth.............................. 34
Planes and Connections..............................................38
Astral Sea....................................................................38
Elemental Spheres......................................................38
Ethereal Plane............................................................38
Core Worlds.................................................................38
Armillary....................................................................38
Celestia......................................................................39
Coldforge...................................................................39
Dreamer’s Islands.......................................................39
Greater Hell of Tyver-Sarok........................................39
Midgard.....................................................................39
Shadow Realm...........................................................40
Summerlands............................................................40
Sunhome................................................................... 41
The Old Ring Worlds.................................................. 41
Yggdrasil, the World Tree........................................... 41
Dead Worlds................................................................ 42
Arch Sky.................................................................... 42
Black Velvet................................................................ 42
Whispering Dunes..................................................... 42
Outer Worlds............................................................... 43
Worlds A to F............................................................. 43
Worlds G to N............................................................ 48
Worlds O to S..............................................................52
Worlds T to Z..............................................................57
Chapter 4: The Void and Its Servants....................64
Void Factions............................................................... 64
Great Chantry............................................................ 64
Last Cathedral............................................................65
Followers of the Pure Void...........................................65
Void and Labyrinth Monsters...................................... 66
Cult Names..................................................................71
Labyrinth Art Preview.............................................72

OVERVIEW
The minotaurs were the first to find the Labyrinth, of course. Their
speech became its language, their maps and names its waypoints
and markers. They opened the way. In that long-ago age, a
minotaur scout named Arvannos discovered the way to walk
into the Labyrinth—or perhaps it would be closer to truth to say
he was the first to wander back out. Since that time, it has been
the pathway to heroic adventure, the connection between all the
worlds, bright and dark alike.
The Labyrinth is the realm of heroes, a cosmos sometimes
referred to as the Ten Thousand Worlds—though of course,
the Labyrinth is only the pathway to the worlds. The worlds
it touches range from the fair to the hellish, and from grim
struggles against a final slaughter to bright lands of valiant
heroism and roguish trickery. The worlds of the Labyrinth
are worlds of adventure, and the Labyrinth can reach into
any campaign.
The Labyrinth offers you the opportunity to explore the
worlds presented here and to forge new worlds of your
own. See Chapter 1 for a description of the Labyrinth
Void giants exit a rift into the Labyrinth
itself, Chapter 2 for the heroes and their factions, and
Chapter 3 for the Known Worlds and a sampling of worlds
and settings from the Black Flag Roleplaying community.
The most important characters in a Labyrinth campaign
are those played by the game master (GM) and the heroes
played by the players, known as player characters (PCs).
These heroes include all the lineages of the Player’s Guide,
who fight to keep the Ten Thousand Worlds free of the
encroaching influence of the ever-hungering Void. See
Chapter 2 for the heroic factions player characters can join
and for a pantheon of the gods of the Labyrinth.
The forces of the Void oppose the characters in these
stories, as described in Chapter 4.
CAMPAIGNS IN THE LABYRINTH
The Labyrinth provides an easy way for your group to visit
any setting, drop in on a new world each week, and hop
from your home game and back again—without changing
or interfering with what makes your home game unique!
5
 Because the worlds of the Labyrinth are connected,
characters can visit Midgard, the Shadow Realm,
Parsantium, or any published world you like for a game
session or two—and return to their home world without
requiring planar travel or high-level spellcasting.
At the same time, the Labyrinth has its own people,
places, factions, creatures, and magic—more than enough
to power a high-magic, high-heroism story or an entire
campaign. Because the Labyrinth is a patchwork place, it
is often under threat, cracked, and sometimes neglected.
Its heroes are those who restore order to wasted lands of
corruption, who rebuild and save the crumbling wards,
and who heal the cracks in the great maze, so that its many
worlds remain whole and connected.
This book provides an overview of the Labyrinth setting
and serves as a starting or introductory point to it. For
more in-depth information on the Labyrinth and its
inhabitants and on running campaigns in the Labyrinth,
see the upcoming Labyrinth Worldbook.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This book presents people, places, creatures, and
adventure ideas for your game. You can use these as
add-ins to your game, or you can begin a game within the
Labyrinth, featuring its people as the primary characters
in a tabletop campaign.
Twisted Root Harbor, a stronghold of the Concord of Stars
6
Characters. Note that all rules referenced here are
from the Tales of the Valiant roleplaying game, which is
compatible with 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. You can
choose to use characters from either rule set in your game.
It’s up to you and your players.
Creatures. Monsters and foes from the Monster Vault are
listed throughout, as well as creatures from Tome of Beasts 1,
2, and 3, and the Creature Codex.
Factions. The setting assumes many player characters
are members of some or most of the factions described in
Chapter 2. PCs aren’t required to be a member of a faction,
but membership opens up additional adventuring options
and potential perks.
Worlds. The worlds in Chapter 3 are examples and are
used as a foundation set of worlds for official Labyrinth
adventures—but they’re by no means exhaustive or even
required to run games in the Labyrinth.
Stories. Because the Labyrinth is the space between
worlds, where hidden cities and strongholds are home
to strange creatures and bold heroes, your stories are
unlimited, and you can hop genres from horror to
cottagecore to sword and sorcery as you please—each
change of worlds can be a change of genre and tone. Your
adventures can hop through rifts and portals into 10,000
worlds—or just to your three or four favorites, with a short
stopover for a published adventure you especially like.
With the secrets of the Labyrinth, an entire
multiverse of storytelling options is at your disposal.
 Cosmology of the Labyrinth,
showing major worlds, regions,
and connecting pathways
7
 A portal mage knows how to reach many worlds—and how to seal them shut.

CHAPTER 1: THE LABYRINTH

The primary location binding the setting together is the
“space between the worlds” known as the Labyrinth. It
encompasses entire cities and pocket dimensions, though
most of the Labyrinth consists of tunnels, bridges, and
stranger pathways between the worlds. Regardless of
whether the true nature of the Labyrinth is a dream or
a mushroom root or the World Tree or a cracked egg of
a world, the Labyrinth is a livable place. It is suffused
by ether, which connects it to the elements. It is lightly
connected to the Astral but more tightly to every other
world, from the Hells to the fey realms to the new worlds
and empty world husks drained by the Void.
Precisely because it connects them all, this great maze
makes it possible for the inhabitants of the Labyrinth and
the worlds it touches to oppose the Void and its demons
and cultists.
Brief History of the Labyrinth
While the Labyrinth has grown in size and population
over centuries and generations, in some ways it remains a
small and secret place where heroes and mystics delve into
the cosmos and learn its mysteries. Here are some of the
highlights of its history and recent events.
SEVEN SECRETS OF THE LABYRINTH
These seven secrets of the Labyrinth setting give it a
distinct character. Natives of the Labyrinth often take
them for granted, but most visitors to the maze find them
surprising or non-obvious.
Worlds Can be Created and Destroyed. The people
of the Labyrinth know that entire worlds can be born
and die in days or can last timeless ages beyond mortal
understanding. But worlds are not eternal: they can be

8
grown, built, or dreamed into existence, or they can arise
spontaneously out of the Astral Sea.
The Maze is Not a World, Only a Road. The Labyrinth
itself is not a world but a set of passages, tunnels, rivers,
roads, and other connections, along with a few small
demiplanes. It may have been dreamed into existence
by the minotaurs or (more likely) it predates them.
Regardless, they awakened it somehow in the construction
of their Great Maze. This maze connects all mazes on all
worlds, it was the first world-linking path, and it gave the
Labyrinth its name.
Five Connections. Five connectors are the foundation
of the Labyrinth: the greatest of these is its network of
passageways, caverns, and tunnels—more commonly called
pathways—which can be walked or traveled between worlds.
In addition, four natural connectors exist: the River Styx,
the branches of the World Tree, the Astral Sea, and the most
dangerous path, which connects things through a deadly
empty space, always close to chaos, called the Void. There’s
some dispute as to whether the void-powered tears in reality
truly can be called a connection (or indeed whether they
are truly natural). However, they function well enough as
connectors for void cultists and others willing to use them.
All Roads Go Through the Maze. While there are
shortcuts into the Labyrinth and back out again (primarily
portals and rifts), all travel between one world and another
goes through the Labyrinth at some point.
Mortal Worlds Stand Alone. The worlds connected
by the Labyrinth are all unique and all mostly inhabited
in some fashion; they are much larger, deeper, and more
populated than the Labyrinth itself. Their inhabitants are
mostly ignorant of the existence of the Labyrinth; only
Fiends, Celestials, voidlings (see Monster Vault), and the
walkers of the Labyrinth know how and where to leave a
mortal world for the pathways.
Walkers Create Paths, Paths Create Roads. While no
one would say that the Labyrinth itself is sentient, it does
seem to grow by absorbing power from all four sources
of magic: Arcane, Divine, Primordial, and Wyrd. The
character of the Labyrinth can change if more travelers and
walkers wielding a particular sort of power spend time on
its pathways or settled in its caverns and strongholds.
Void’s Hunger Cannot be Satisfied. While the void
always seeks to devour and destroy worlds, its hunger never
ends. There is no world so rich and no bargain so fine that
the Void will cease to corrupt and eat worlds.
RECENT EVENTS
The Void changes everything it touches and factions rise
and fall over centuries—but the overall balance of the
worlds stays true. Here are a few conflicts or turning points
from recent decades in the Labyrinth.
APPROACH OF THE VOID
For long years, the forces of the Void had relatively
few successes in gaining a permanent foothold in the
Labyrinth, and many of the Concordan legions retired
and returned to the celestial realms. In the last 20 years or
more, though, it is clear the malevolent dragon Nidhogg,
the scheming Voidmother, and the Brothers of the Last
Cathedral have formed an alliance and are working
together more closely than in times past. This alliance
is weak, but at a minimum, the three great void factions
are currently not undermining each other—which spells
trouble for the Labyrinth.
NIDHOGG’S FURY
The great dragon Nidhogg who gnaws the foot of the
World Tree and whose spawn thrive in the Void and dark
places of the Labyrinth has grown enraged by a recent
theft of some great treasure or jewel. Like other, far less
venomous dragons, Nidhogg prizes his collection of
wealth, much of it stored as the bones of his enemies. The
gossip among the void dragonborn is that one of his prized
skulls has been stolen, or one of his even-more-prized
lich-servants has escaped its confinement in writing the
Doomsday Book, the volume that some of the Black Scribes
believe will bring about the end times. See the Great
Chantry in Chapter 4 for more information on Nidhogg’s
current troubles and restlessness.
NEW PRINCE OF DEATH KNIGHTS
Recently, death knight leadership has changed, as it
does every 500 years or so, when a death knight prince is
defeated and a new one rises. Now, the death knights are
ruled by their prince, Visimar, who is the greatest overlord
in the dead worlds, together with his brother, the Lich King
Domitos. The prince generally follows the commands of
the Brothers of the Last Cathedral in the field, carrying
out orders and amassing armies and power of his own.
Visimar is ambitious and cruel and (unlike his predecessor)
horrifically cunning. Where death knights previously
wandered and slaughtered anyone they met, the new
prince’s skeletons and wights take prisoners, his ghouls
and shades ask questions, and they all seem to be searching
for something.
ARRIVAL OF THE GREAT DREAM
More than 500 years ago, when Cartokk the Dreaming
God (see Chapter 2) awoke and called to his followers,
he promised them a Great Dream. It would send the Void
to sleep and bring the Dreamers themselves a home in
the Labyrinth: a place called the Dreamer’s Island, the
eternal city, the city that Was, the City that Shall Be. The
various Servants of the Dreaming God have either dreamt
9
 it themselves or heard from others that have. However, it
has been centuries, and no one has found out where this
might be, or when the Dreaming God might reveal it. In
the last generation, a faction within the Dreamers has
proclaimed that the city will not build itself, and thus that
the Dreamers should be building it as quickly as they can
on an island in the Astral not far from their stronghold.
Arguments and dissension over interpretation are nothing
new to the Dreamers, but the idea of Building the God’s
City has divided the servants quite sharply. Some feel the
Builders have no faith that all will soon be revealed, while
the Builders believe making the Dreaming God’s dream
city a reality is the ultimate show of faith.

THE LIGHT OF THE SMITHY

The lights are on in the Smithy, the headquarters and
hub of the Keepers of the Keys faction of arcanists and
mechanists, but only just. They flicker each day at the
6th torch in a very clear way, as if someone were putting
a shade over the city’s sky—normally, candles or arcane
lights are not required in the Smithy except during the 12
torches of night. The source of this flicker is (naturally)
of some concern to those who live in the Smithy, for
while they can conjure light if they must, the decay of the
lights of the Smithy may indicate some greater failure, or
possibly the arrival of a void tear in their portion of the King of the
Labyrinth, ultimately capable of destroying the Smithy Death Knights
entirely. Several expeditions have consulted with angelic
wizards specializing in radiant magic, with kobold
mechanists who can examine the arcane workings of
the city’s wards, and with demons and devils who might
understand the powers required to douse a light that has
burned for a thousand years. No one is panicked (yet), but
the people of the Smithy would like the flickering to stop
Structure of the Labyrinth
and any malign casters, infernals, or others responsible At first glance, the Labyrinth shares similarities with a
to be found and punished for disturbing the regular planar or multiverse campaign. The worlds connected
functioning of the Smithy. by the Labyrinth are all distinct and different, but they
aren’t arranged in a pattern like the Great Wheel of D&D
cosmology, or the World Tree Yggdrasil of the Norse
mythos. Their pattern, if one can be imposed, resembles a
set of marbles scattered in the Void, connected by gossamer
strings and of roughly equal import. There are no “outer
planes” or “inner planes.”

WORLD CLASSIFICATION

World Type Features

Sunlit A safe world, growing, pleasant, innocent, and undiscovered. A land of plenty and joy.
Warded A place of safety, but guarded and vigilant, sometimes needing to fend off evil visitors.
Shadowed The roots of the Void have sunk into the world but are weak and thin. Strongholds of great evil exist on the margins
or in hidden places.
Darkened Undead and Fiends are common, as are deadly mists and plagues. These places are rich in Void magic, low in hope.
Lost Burning, dusty, frozen, airless, crumbled, or otherwise ruined. Nothing that lives can thrive.

10
 In addition to that structural difference, the places Demiplanes. Similar to a bottled city but considerably
connected by the Labyrinth are worlds, not infinite planes. larger, demiplanes are small worlds, and many of the
They are the homes of mortal creatures and celestial beings, Elders and Dreamers believe they will grow into full
transfused by more or less magic, and each different in a worlds, given time. For now, they are often entirely
thousand ways from all others. The Labyrinth connects self-sufficient places: a small province of deerlike alseid
mortal worlds, not mystical realms of the afterlife. Some (see Tome of Beasts 1) in a forest demiplane, or a sturdy
faiths believe that the Hells and the celestial realms are group of midnight dwarves (see Labyrinth Worldbook) in a
the afterlife for all creatures; others see them as places demiplane rich in jewels or mithral, perhaps a chunk of
where fiends and celestials come from but consider them elemental Earth cast adrift and becoming a larger space
the antechambers of divinity at best. The gods, these faiths year by year. Demiplanes seem to be either grown from a
claim, have no material home—they are entirely spiritual or shoot of the World Tree, or bits of Primordial matter spun
immaterial, or they dwell in worlds so distant from mortal into something livable by the giants, Elders, elementals,
comprehension as to be effectively unreachable until a soul or others. It is widely believed that many of today’s worlds
crosses the boundary of death into the afterlife. were once demiplanes that were grown or nurtured into
Rather than divine halls and godly concerns, the essential full worlds by such beings.
question of any world of the Labyrinth is its degree of Ruins of the Ancients. One of the great discoveries
threat or freedom from the Void, and how it protects for any maze explorer is finding ancient ruins of the
itself. Travelers of the Great Maze of the Labyrinth use the Qoradan (or very similar ruins of the
following schema to measure and describe worlds they Damoshar) built before the year
have visited, sometimes called the taxonomy of worlds. 1 by the progenitors of the
current Labyrinth. These
ruins often take the form
APPEARANCE AND EXPLORATION of “wheel cities” with a
It is difficult to generalize the appearance of the Labyrinth, circular street plan and
but in its most common form, it is a series of tunnels,
caverns, underground rivers, enclosed hedge mazes,
endless halls and stairs, or (in a few cases) starlit paths
surrounded by glimmering darkness or a foggy riverbank
that seems to loop back on itself at every stream and
crossing. It is often dank, musty, or simply worn—each
step feels like a step on stones and dirt that were somehow
conjured out of the Astral Sea or ripped from elemental
earth to make a constructed space.
The great exception to the ramshackle, cavernous, and
occasionally dingy nature of the Labyrinth is in its bottled
cities, demiplanes, and ruins of the ancients. Exploring
these areas offers the greatest opportunity for finding a
settlement, provisions, and treasure of ancient times.
Bottled Cities. While the worlds beyond the Labyrinth
luxuriate in sunlight, rain, and fertile soil, the rather more
cramped spaces of the bottled cities still seem like a slice
of paradise to those who have been crawling through
corridors and pathways carved by trail snails (see Labyrinth
Worldbook) and infested with sapphire jelly (see Labyrinth
Worldbook). Bottled cities are places like the Smithy or the
Twistedroot harbor—a small magical space similar to an
enormous, magical pocket dimension, with buildings, light
that glows 12 torches on, 12 torches of twilight, and usually
enough fertile soil or orchards to feed a thousand people
or more. These sites are the creations of the Keepers of the
Keys faction and the mechadrons, who understand how
to build a small but fully functional space between worlds
Star Elf Wizard of the Concord
utilizing the power of the Arcane magic source.

11
 either 4 or 8 pathways connecting to other worlds. Because
of their age, most or all of their pathways lead to dead
worlds—which means that discovering and plundering a
Qoradan ruin usually requires visiting and surviving one of
the dead worlds.
Some legions (like the infamous Azure Lions) wander
for decades, supported by mechadrons, by angelic supply
wagons, and by their faith in their work.
DREAMERS (NOMADIC)
As the youngest faction, the Servants of the Dreaming

People of the Labyrinth God, commonly called Dreamers, have the fewest places
to settle, and they are restless by nature. In pilgrimages
The Labyrinth contains endless lineages and four primary to holy sites, in preaching their visions and their dreams,
heroic factions, as well as a whole lot of Wanderers and and in seeking truth and beauty, they are often very poor
Lost—those who stumbled into the Labyrinth and know and rarely patient enough to build more than a shrine.
little about it. Most dreamers are entirely nomadic, traveling in groups in
dangerous places but happily wandering in pairs and family
groups as well.
CULTURE ACROSS WORLDS
The Labyrinth’s people have two primary sorts of cultures: FAR TRADERS (NOMADIC)
settled peoples that reside in scattered demiplanes and Rarely trusted but rarely turned away, the merchant-
bottled cities, and nomadic peoples that move from world peddlers and tinkers called the Far Traders have gone
to world to gather food and expand their territories. In much farther afield than most Labyrinthians. They bring
addition, many hybrid cultures maintain a bottled city or secrets to the Keepers, dreams to the Dreamers, and the
a demiplane, but supplies and vital resources for these promise of new radiance and new worlds to everyone. The
settlements come from worlds outside the Labyrinth. Far Traders are one of the few groups that trade freely with
mortal peoples, devils of the Hells and cultists of the dead
ANCIENTS (EXTINCT)
Long ago, a colossal race of gargantuan and primordial
creatures, sometimes called the Qorads, or the Demoshar,
built titanic islands, bridges, and strongholds in the
Labyrinth. They were its first architects, but most of their
Void Dragonborn
work, indeed their entire home world, was corrupted and
lost. Only a few portals of Qorad architecture remain
functional; most have been mined for precious materials
or have simply lost their power source. Some believe
that many such progenitor groups existed, each with
architecture that is linear, huge, and distinctive, optimized
to connect worlds quickly and effectively.

BOATWRIGHTS (NOMADIC)
Masters of the Styx, the Boatwrights are a primarily human
culture of traveling folk who earn their keep ferrying
people up and down the Styx. Some are diabolists, others
follow one of the factions, but their numbers are few. As
natives to the Styx, they know its fish, its currents, and its
quirks better than anyone. They do a steady trade with the
Hells, shuttling the Hell Caravans up and down the Styx
when needed.

CONCORDAN AND CELESTIAL (HYBRID)

The Concord of Stars faction is to some degree
headquartered in Sunhome, but its mission of repelling
the Void and saving worlds from destruction means that
large groups of Concordans, called legions, wander the
Labyrinth on missions that may take years or decades.

12
worlds. Some believe they are seeking the homeworld of
the Ancients, a well of immortality, or the like.
INFERNAL (HYBRID)
The devils of the Hells have worlds they call home, but
those worlds can’t support all of them. They go out to
conquer fresh worlds, steal from existing worlds, or
simply take what they need in trade and barter. The Hell
Caravans are large, well-organized expeditions that, like
the Concordan legions, can spend months or even years on
the pathways from world to world.
LANGUAGES
Four standard languages are commonly spoken across the
Labyrinth, and a fifth is reasonably well known. Dozens
of esoteric languages are known as well. All the languages
included in the Player’s Guide are spoken somewhere amidst
the many worlds of the Labyrinth and can still be chosen
by PCs during character creation as desired. However,
the most useful language options for a Labyrinth-specific
campaign are detailed here.
STANDARD LANGUAGES

KEEPERS (SETTLED) Sometimes called Labyrinthine, the Common tongue is the

interworld dialect of the Ten Thousand Worlds. At one time,
By far the most settled faction of the Labyrinth, the it was the language of the minotaurs, precisely because that
Keepers of the Keys are crafters, makers, and scholars, and
few of them ever want to leave the safety of the Smithy.
Keeper culture revolves around making and maintaining
portals and gates and around making maps and tools to
strengthen the Labyrinth’s odds against Void attacks and
general decay.

OLD RINGS (SETTLED)

Most members of the Old Ring faction have a forest village
or a full city to call home, somewhere on the World Tree or
the worlds of the Old Ring. Though they wander to hunt
and trade, their homes are where their hearts lie: beautiful Library automatons
growing worlds and the world trees that connect them. are fluent in
Machine Speech
VOID CULTISTS (HYBRID)
Unique collections of peoples and one of the most
common dangers to anyone in the Labyrinth are the
void cultists. These cultists and their various factions are
described in more detail in Chapter 4.

STANDARD LABYRINTH LANGUAGES

Language Also Called… Typical Speakers Script

Celestial Angel’s Tongue Celestials, creatures of the celestial realms Celestial
Common Labyrinthine Creatures of the Labyrinth, minotaurs Common
Elder Speech Druidic Old Ring world dwellers, druids, elves, giants Elvish
Infernal — Devils, chols, creatures of the Hells Infernal
Void Speech — Servitors of the Void, derro, satarre, void dragons Void Speech

ESOTERIC LABYRINTH LANGUAGES

Language Also Called… Typical Speakers Script

Elvish — Elves, creatures of the Old Ring worlds Elvish
Machine Speech Cliktar Mechadrons Unreadable by non-Constructs
Qoradan Dreamer’s Argot Servants of the Dreaming God Elvish
Sylvan — Summerlands fey, creatures of the Old Ring worlds Elvish
Umbral — Shadow fey, darakhul, bearfolk, creatures of the Shadow Realm Elvish

13
 lineage was the first to settle and live within the Labyrinth.
It is a language full of excellent terms for directions,
landmarks, turnings, and other terms related to travel and
navigation—including a vocabulary specific to magical
pathways, portals, and obstacles, and terminology specific
to void rifts and corruption. Locals on most Labyrinthine
worlds understand the common Labyrinthine language—
with the exception of the few worlds entirely devoid of
mortal peoples. Labyrinthine is the primary language of the
Keeper and the Dreamer factions (see Chapter 2).
The second major language of the Labyrinth is the Elder
Speech, spoken throughout the Old Ring and related to
Druidic, Giant, and Elvish. While most speakers of Druidic,
Giant, or Elvish can make themselves partially understood
to those who know the Elder Speech, it is a stumbling and
halting affair. The language is thought to be related to the
speech of the Ancients (or at least, the Elders like to think of
themselves as the proper inheritors of the Ancients).
The third major language is Void Speech, spoken by the
cultists, void dragons, derro, death knights, demons, and
others who frequently visit and conquer portions of the
Labyrinth. It is the language of the Outer Darkness, used
by malevolent forces to bring about mayhem, destruction,
and death, and it is often used in dark rituals and bindings.
The fourth major language is the Celestial speech, which
is used widely among the Concord worlds and people (and
exclusively in the celestial realms, where other languages
clang and echo unpleasantly). It is an orderly language
of incredible depth and clarity. It includes a bewildering
number of terms for light, sanctity, prayer, and justice,
and a surprisingly clear set of categories describing dark
magic, corruption, and other forms of evil or wrongdoing.
Proclamations in some regions of the Labyrinth are
declaimed in Celestial first, then Labyrinthine, “because it
just sounds more official that way.”
Finally, the last somewhat widely known language
is Infernal, the language of the Hells. As a language
of hierarchy and command, it excels—groups of chol
mercenaries and widross demons (see Labyrinth Worldbook)
often adopt it as the preferred language for a mercenary
company, and Labyrinthine bandits often find its terms
and its speed useful for ambushes, maneuvers, and orders.
As a language of trade and diplomacy, it is sorely lacking.
Even risolan devils (see Labyrinth Worldbook) directly from
the hell of Tyver-Sarok prefer to use Common or Elder
Speech when among humans or others.
ESOTERIC LANGUAGES
Though dozens of esoteric languages echo through the
Labyrinth, three are particularly common.
Machine Speech (Cliktar). Machine Speech, called
Cliktar by most Labyrinth dwellers, is a language of clicks,
beeps, and clacks spoken almost solely by gearforged
14
(see Labyrinth Worldbook) and mechadrons. Because it
requires mechanical clicks and high-speed interpretation
of just 3 or 4 phonemes, it is largely impossible for flesh-
bodied creatures to understand, read, or speak with any
fluency. Most interpretation of Cliktar is done via magical
translation or by painstaking transcription of written
forms of the language.
Qoradan (Dreamer’s Argot). Largely a religious
language spoken by the Servants of the Dreaming God,
Qoradan concerns itself with the recitation of sacred
prophecy and the transcription of fortune, dreams, and
world-shaping. Much of its written lore concerns new
worlds, old dreams, and hazy, mystic rules for leading a
good life. Qoradan has some intriguing similarities to
the language of the Ancients, primarily because it uses a
similar script and similar syllables and phonemes.
Umbral (Shadow Speech). Spoken by the shadow fey,
some elves, the darakhul, and a few bearfolk, umbral is the
language of the Shadow Realm. It is rarely heard elsewhere.
Time in the Labyrinth
As a place without the natural seasons or rhythms known
in mortal worlds, time in the Labyrinth is a difficult thing,
measured in units such as the “torch” (meaning the time
that a torch or light spell lasts, or 1 hour) and the “day”
(meaning 24 torches). But the week and month are not
consistently used terms, and the Common tongue tends to
use days up to 91 as a “season.” Four seasons make a year.
THE HUB CALENDAR
The hub calendar is the standard for all factions, and it
starts with the year 1 of the First Labyrinth, roughly 5,100
years ago, when Arvannos the minotaur stumbled into the
maze’s darker corners. Since then, there have been 4 ages:
the Age of Minotaurs, sometimes called the Age of the
Great Ring, from the year 1 to the year 1252, when came
the Age of the Celestials. At that time, the Concord counts
its years until 3731, when began the Age of Portals. The
Keepers count their first years from 3732 to 4590, when
Cartokk the Dreaming God woke. Thus, the most recent
age is the Age of Dreams, starting at 4590 and running to
the current year, 5124.
Each year of the Hub calendar thus has 364 days, plus one
non-calendrical holiday, namely New Year’s Day, when the
clocks are stopped, and all work is put aside in favor of a
day of remembrances and celebrations.
However, there is a second calendar sometimes found
in the Labyrinth, called the Old Reckoning, which was
used by the Ancients in their buildings and on their stelae
and runestones. It seems to run over at least 4,000 years
before the First Labyrinth and uses a slightly confusing set

A Lost Minotaur
of nested 91-day seasons, each of which contains 7 long
counts of 13 runs. The seasons are organized into 23-season
great counts, each roughly 5-and-a-half years long by the
Hub calendar. Only the Keepers seem to understand the
Old Reckoning.
HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS
The Labyrinth has rather few holidays and festivals shared
among all its people, though birthdays, founding days,
and even particular faction holidays all exist. The primary
holidays known in many places are the World Tree Festival
in the spring season, the Feast of Arvannos in the summer
season, the First Pathway Feast in the fall season, and the
New Year’s Day festival at the end of the winter season, to
start the new year with joy and well-laid plans.
World Tree Festival. Celebrated primarily in the Old
Ring and by people and worlds connected to the Old Ring,
the World Tree Festival celebrates the first leaf buds on
Yggdrasil, as reported by the ratatosk (see Tome of Beasts 1)—
who always seem to spot it first. It is often celebrated with
clever masks, music, and dancing, and a particular cake
called the “Tree Knot” and (for ratatosk) nut cakes.
Feast of Arvannos. A remembrance of the founding
of the Labyrinth, usually celebrated with a somewhat
solemn meal to remember all the Lost of the labyrinth and
those fallen to the Void. In some places, a procession to a
graveyard, memorial, or mausoleum is part of the event.
First Pathway Feast. This holiday celebrates the young
and the explorers of the Labyrinth, and it is a raucous
affair with beer, wine, and often highly spiced snail sausage
(named for its spiral shape, rather than its contents). New
explorers are given a first torch and led in a ceremonial
journey around their city, stronghold, or local shrine to a
major god of knowledge.
New Year’s Day. Celebrated with oaths to discover new
places or defend the old, New Year’s Day is the closest thing
the Labyrinth has to a universal holiday, as it celebrates
one more year of keeping the Labyrinth pathways whole
and clear, one more year of survival for the struggling or
of triumph for those who have had good fortune. A bard
or singer is usually invited to perform a song or orate the
story of the community’s successes in martial deeds, great
scholarship, mighty magic, or in keeping its young folk
alive and its older folk healthy.
Modes of Travel
Getting around the Labyrinth is much easier than some
suppose, though not without substantial dangers to the
ignorant. Four primary modes of travel allow passage
within the Labyrinth. In addition, three shortcuts can help
a traveler swiftly move from world to world—but their use
almost always comes with a price. In almost every case, a
trip between worlds requires time in the Labyrinth.
FOUR PATHWAYS
Sometimes referred to off-handedly as “river, road, and
portal,” the Labyrinth setting offers four primary methods
to move within the Labyrinth itself.
PASSAGEWAYS, ROADS, AND TUNNELS
The most obvious and least taxing method is to travel the
Labyrinth’s tunnels, roads, and passageways on foot or
horseback. Moving from place to place in the Labyrinth
often leads one from one world to another. One enters
the maze in one world, and leaves the maze in another
one: in between, one might pass through the Smithy, a
forest world of the Old Ring, or merely a set of tunnels and
hedges and echoing valleys devoid of birdsong. “Walking
the maze” is how most expeditions find new worlds or
bring plunder from some dead world back to a home base
15
 or uncover an infestation of the void cult.
These paths and tunnels fade slowly from the Labyrinth
into the destination, or vice versa. In some cases, the
beginning is very clear indeed, such as when the Concordan
war priests of Herak Mavros (see Chapter 2) summon
the war road into being, and a Concordan legion marches
out to destroy some demon’s lair or cult stronghold. In
most cases, the tunnels are simply those of minotaur or
Qoradan origin, long traveled and reasonably well known
by Labyrinth cartographers.
BRANCHES OF THE RING
The followers of the Old Ring know and use the pathways,
but they also know the oak roads, the branches and
pathways of the World Tree. Some ratatosk claim these
predate the minotaur maze (for there had to be a world tree
before one can build a maze). Certainly, all such world tree
branches and roads are empowered by the Primordial source
A portal of the Great Chantry
16
of power more than any Divine or Arcane element. The
elders say that all worlds of the Ring and all worlds grown
from seeds are connected as easily as branches are to trunks
and as tightly as roots are wrapped together beneath the
earth. Perhaps this is druidic mysticism and braggadocio,
but it is certainly true that anywhere a forest grows, the
Elders seem to have a portal to the Labyrinth handy.
THE RIVER STYX
Taking a boat up or down the Styx, also known as traveling
the river road, is a relatively straightforward endeavor,
especially if one has friends among the Boatwrights or owns
a small and agile craft. For those less confident about their
skills on the water, peddlers along the banks sell magic
scrolls and devices that make it quite easy to find a vessel,
embark and disembark, and otherwise master the river
road. The only limitation is that the Styx flows only where it
flows, and most worlds are not connected to it at all.
ASTRAL SEA
While certainly the most dangerous and least charted
pathway, a voyage on the Astral Sea can move travelers in
a large group in relative comfort along what are known as
star roads. However, the presence of derro fleets, astral
destroyers, doppelgangers, and voidlings (see Monster
Vault for all) within the sea makes it decidedly less popular
than the other pathways. The Concord of Stars faction has
utilized their mastery of Divine magic to harness angelic
chariots (called dymaxions or chariot angels) for easy flight
across the Astral Sea, and some believe the war road of
Herak-Mavros is simply an instance of a star road somehow
projected across the otherwise non-astral firmament.
THREE SHORTCUTS
While most journeys to another world do involve physical
travel, there are magical shortcuts, most of which come at a
higher price than boot leather.
GATES AND PORTALS
Great magical or divine portals can create shortcuts in the
Labyrinth, or they can go from the Labyrinth itself into a
particular world without the need for a long journey. This
creation of portals and gates is the specific expertise and
power of the Keepers of the Keys and (to a lesser extent)
the Concord of Stars. Those portals created by the Keepers
of the Keys are arcane and mechanical, with precise
clockwork, timed gear-driven invocations, and a deep
understanding of the Arcane power source. The portals
created by the Concord of Stars are far shinier, often as
bright as the sun when operating, and hostile to malevolent
creatures trying to pass through them. Not surprisingly,
these divine portals tend to be of more limited duration
than the arcane devices the Keepers build.
DREAMS
The Servants of the Dreaming God find travel in the
Labyrinth so easy, they sometimes do it in their sleep.
Upon sleeping and dreaming of a new world or an
old memory, they awake in that place. Sometimes
their companions come with them, sometimes their
companions are left behind. This seems to be a gift of
the Dreaming God Cartokk, and usually, the transport
through a dream serves the god’s purpose in some way.
Such dreams are referred to as a “seeker’s transit” and are
entirely a function of the Wyrd source of magic power.
VOID RIFTS
The most dangerous and unstable method of traversing
worlds is the void rift. These come in two varieties: the
double rift and the void folding. The first brings a creature
directly from the Void or a dead world to the Labyrinth,
and then a second rift leads that creature to a living world
or other target for demons and cultists to overcome. These
double rifts are usually created by a void rift spell with or
without the assistance of a ripper (see Labyrinth Worldbook).
Far stranger is the void folding, a form of bending of the
structure of worlds that should be impossible. Somehow,
void cults use the power of their destructive plane to create
a dark portal between any two worlds, without transiting
the Labyrinth at all and without more than raw void
energy to sustain it. These foldings are wildly unstable and
dangerous. They spew void and chaotic energies all around
them until, within a matter of days or weeks at most, they
collapse, destroying a goodly portion of the land around
them and turning it either into void dust or purple mire
(see Labyrinth Worldbook for both).
SLIDES, GLITCHES, AND INTERMISSIONS
The Labyrinth sometimes seems sentient or whimsical
because portals—even well-known portals—don’t always
lead where they are supposed to go. These are referred to
variously as slides, glitches, or intermissions, and they may
interrupt travel by any shortcut (portal, vision, or rift).
When this happens, the portal or dream seems normal,
the rift opens as expected—then it leads the wanderer or
traveler to a different destination for at least 12 and up
to 36 torches. Depending on whether this is a slide into a
dead world, an undiscovered world, or a friendly world,
the results can be enjoyable or terrifying. At the end of that
time, any and all affected travelers are transported the rest
of the way to their intended destination.
Traversing one of the four pathways never leads to this
kind of glitch or slide.
THE CELESTIAL REALMS
Visitors not familiar with the Labyrinth sometimes assume
that the celestial realms are a literal afterlife or heaven.
While they are inhabited by angelic powers and celestial
beings as well as by sydereans and friendly mechadrons, the
celestial realms seem to be simply extremely well-regulated,
well-ordered worlds untouched by the taint of the Void.
Inhabitants of the celestial realms say the gods do not rule
there directly: archangels do, as archdevils do in the hells.
17

CHAPTER 2: HEROIC FACTIONS
A vast number of factions, groups, and individuals
enter the Labyrinth and venture through it into the Ten
Thousand Worlds, seeking adventure or plunder or
power. Four groups—the Concordans, Keepers, Elders,
and Dreamers—created a purpose for themselves within
the Labyrinth as seekers, guardians, and protectors.
Members of these factions recruit heroes from backwater
worlds or show up unexpectedly to defend a world against
encroaching shadow and maintain outposts on a handful
of worlds, seeking to expand their foothold with the help of
heroic explorers and adventurers.
18
A stronghold of the Concord of Stars on Sunhome
Concord of Stars (Concordans)
We stood before the anomaly, watching its pulsing silver light
shift into purple. The Void screamed and waves upon waves of
selang foot soldiers struck against us. Our world quavered and
everything blurred as our physical forms began to erode into the
blackness—only faith and sunfire armor kept our bodies intact.
—Report of Commander Tarben,
7th Cohort of Sunhome, on his return
The servants of the Concord are the mortal servants of the
celestial realms, the stars and spheres, and the gods of light.
Or so they say, and most of the Concord are trustworthy.
Their great homeworld is Sunhome, though their keeps and
strongholds are scattered throughout the Labyrinth. They
frequently build camps and fortifications near any world
they see as in danger of corruption by the Void.
OVERVIEW
Few individuals gaze upon the Void without a sense of
dread, fear, and hopelessness. Mortals understand little
of what lies beyond the reality they perceive. Those of
the Concord of Stars see a larger view, from high in the
heavens, from remote astral castles, and from worlds near
the Celestial Realms where understanding comes more
easily and angelic messengers, cloud elf battle mages, and
the like are on hand to offer their wisdom. The Concord
of Stars accepts the Void as an absolute, a truth, a part of a
greater revelation that lies beyond the grasp of mortals—
and as a dark truth that must be opposed, lest it overwhelm
and devour all the living parts of the Ten Thousand Worlds.
The Concord of Stars consists of good-aligned scholars,
astronomers, occultists, and esoteric priests captivated by
the tapestry of interweaving energies that form reality. The
warp and weave of these energies creates a harmonious
interplay they refer to as the concord of existence, or
concord of the stars. Though they acknowledge the
immense power of the Void as a foe, members of the
Concord do not try to control or manipulate its energy.
Instead, the Concord listens to the stars and good-aligned
forces arrayed against Void.
GOALS
The primary purpose of the Concord of Stars is to keep the
concord of existence intact and to thwart the servants of the
Void. The Concord of Stars works to protect reality against
Void rifts, Void creatures, and Doom magic. It counters
or destroys mortals who gather to siphon Void energy.
The Concord uses radiant magic and its connections to
the divine and Celestial Realms to gather holy weapons,
celestial magic, and tools as simple as bright light to drive
away darkness.
Factions within the Concord debate the Void’s primary
purpose. Many in the Concord believe the Void operates
with an intelligence or spark of collective unconscious—or
at least, that void lords and dark gods can direct the Void
to suit their own ends. They believe studying darkness is as
important as defeating it. Others in the Concord believe this
is rank nonsense and believe the Void can only be contained
and exterminated, never turned to any worthy purpose.
Concordans seek a deeper understanding of reality and
the way that worlds and nations rise and fall. They also
defend against the void lords who reweave and manipulate
the secrets of the Void to build counter-realities forged from
doom, despair, and madness.
CONCORDANS IN A CAMPAIGN
Most Common Classes: Cleric of Solana or Sabateus,
paladin, wizard
Most Common Lineages: Elf (primarily of the Cloud
heritage), dwarf (primarily of the Fireforge heritage),
human, syderean (celestial)
Good doesn’t always mean right. Despite their best
intentions, the Concordans occasionally make decisions
and actions that have profoundly negative results. While
the faction never sees itself in a villainous role, the player
characters may perceive their intentions as villainous.
If you as the GM choose to position the Concord of
Stars as an antagonist, assume its members act out of
what the Concordans believe are righteous and goodly
intentions. The Concord remains protective of its
members and jealous of its power and position under
Celestial protection, not to mention its literal alliance with
archangels. The following text suggests ways to employ the
Concord as an adversary.
Closing a Rift Prematurely. In their haste to prevent
corrupting energies from seeping into a particular world,
the Concord may take swift but underinformed efforts to
close a Void rift prematurely. They might trap innocent
people within the rift, seal off Void rifts used by a nearby
settlement, prevent a Void creature from escaping back to
its own world, or cut off the power from items reliant upon
Void energy as a power source—no matter what happens,
Void energy should not power any magical item, according
to the Concord.
Triggering Void Backlash. In their military arm, the
Concord tends toward overconfidence rather than
deliberation, and their work can take on the fervor of
a crusade. When dealing with creatures or anomalies
that channel Void energy, Concordan agents might
underestimate those entities’ ability to control, harness,
or otherwise direct Void energy. The Concord might cause
an implosion that sucks objects into the Void plane and
corrupts a region around the origin point, an explosion
that floods a place with volatile Void energy, or a chain
reaction that opens a new Void rift and attracts Void
creatures, such as voidlings, insatiable broods, or golmana
demons (see Monster Vault for all).
THREE KEY CHARACTERS
Concordans are warriors at heart, whether the literal and
the righteous swords of the Celestial Realms or the priests
and mages who burn out darkness and corruption at every
opportunity. The PCs might meet or hear about the three
following best-known heroes of the faction. They reside in
worlds near the Celestial Realm, fight at the front against
the Void, or convene in the Smithy to plan their next march.
19
 ALDERIC SKYTOUCHED, THE SILVER MARSHAL
Of all the warriors of the Concord, none is as well known
in song and story as Alderic Skytouched in his wolf-snout
helmet and sunfire armor. As a Sabatean paladin and
commander of the Concordan First Legion, he leads the
way into battle against the worst breaches of the Void,
against demonic incursions into fading worlds, and on
missions to rescue hostages seized by cultists. His martial
skill is honed to a fine edge, and he bears a deep love for the
Concord and its people.
But he holds a secret as well: Alderic is a werewolf,
and though he carefully controls this curse, he insists
on retreating to the worship of Sabateus a few nights
each month (See Pantheon in Chapter 3). When gravely
wounded, he adopts full wolf form and slaughters anyone
within reach. Several of the high command know his secret,
but most Concordans are unaware of his lupine nature.
PHANTARRA, ELVEN HIGH WAR MAGE
Armored in sunfire and warded by pure star magic,
Phantarra is an elvish battle mage (see Player’s Guide)
who carries a bitter anger. Her husband was slain by
undead on a distant world, his body devoured by ghouls
and unrecoverable. Ever since, her focus shifted from
protecting the worlds of the Labyrinth to taking the fight
to the dead worlds of the Void and now to executing every
last cultist who bargains with shadow and darkness and
cleansing the multiverse with golden fire. Phantarra has a
mission. She has plans. And she has no time for fools.
UNTHER, HIGH ARCHIVIST AND SEPTON
Unther is a human cleric of Solana who loves knowledge
and radiant magic and whose enchantments and wardings
are among the most powerful the Concord can muster.
Unther is both valued and feared among Concordans
because his role as Archivist also means he is the faction’s
spymaster, chief strategist, and sometimes its inquisitor.
Through his spies, scryings, and generous purse, he is
extremely well informed of any hint of corruption within
the Concordan ranks.

CONCORD ADVENTURE HOOKS

d12 Description
1 Concord agents track down a shapeshifting void creature disguised as a void merchant tasked with transporting valuable
goods. Smuggled within the goods is void ritual material used to empower cultists and increase chaos.
2 Enemies of the Concord infuse a clockwork golem with void alchemical fuel and set the creature on a berserk killing spree.
3 Player characters unwittingly tamper with a void rift and must face the Concord’s high tribunal. They must repair the damage
or face banishment from the ranks of the Concord.
4 The PCs encounter a young human woman dying of Void Taint who begs them to take her to the High Archivist Unther.
When he attempts to heal her, the Void surges into the victim and she attempts to murder the Archivist.
5 A backlash of void energies rips through a Concord enclave, killing several agents. Surviving Concord members summon the
characters, pleading for them to aid in a ritual to close the Void rift.
6 The Concord learns enemies are plotting to assassinate the Arch-Septon during his speech at the Solar Festival. The PCs must
foil the attempt.
7 A member of the Concord is scheduled for public execution for stealing a void artifact taken from a powerful regent with
questionable ethics. The PCs are asked to rescue the Concord agent and recover the artifact.
8 The PCs encounter a fear-stricken individual who cannot recall anything about himself. The individual is dressed in garments
that suggest he is a member of the Concord of Stars.
9 The Concord learns a celestial chariot has gone missing; the PCs are sent to recover it and prevent it from falling into the
wrong hands.
10 Concord agents guard an isolated outpost in which they have imprisoned a powerful voidling in a magical orb. The orb
cracked, and the voidling drove some of the guards mad. They turned on their allies and now attempt to wrest the orb from
its prison and free the voidling.
11 Doppelgangers seize a small enclave by assuming the identity of members of the Concord of Stars. They plan to acquire the
identities of powerful members in larger enclaves, and slowly corrupt these settlements with their own rule. The PCs stumble
across a doppleganger just as she is replacing a Concordan mage.
12 The PCs are asked to investigate the corpse of a would-be assassin. A strange marking on the man’s wrist suggests he has
ties to the Concord of Stars. When confronted, the Concord deny any association with the assassin, though officials demand
justice for the murder.

20

Marshall of the
Silver Star
Physically, Unther is unremarkable: a brown-haired man
with a hawkish nose and a small beard who wears rich
vestments of Solana bedecked with a few enormous rubies
and sapphires. His staff of radiance (see Labyrinth Worldbook)
is his staff of office in the church as well. It said to contain
the raw power of his goddess and would summon her
presence instantly if broken.
Keepers of the Keys (Keepers)
“It’s got to be on this ring somewhere. . . . Just push a bit harder on
the ethereal side. . . . Hmmm. Seems surprisingly bright for a cellar.”
—Second Keysmith Mandos, trying to open the wine
cellar and winding up in Sunhome
The Keepers of the Keys are an arcane society of wizards,
rogues, mechanists, and clockworkers who see themselves
as the protectors and scholars of the Labyrinth. Unlike
members of the Old Ring or the Concord, they live within
the Labyrinth at a hub city called the Smithy. There they
fashion keys and portals to expand the Labyrinth and
connect worlds and planes with one another.
OVERVIEW
The Keepers were the first to discover the secret of creating
new gates both into and out of the Labyrinth, rather than
growing them as the Elders do. They took on the mission
of connecting every world of heroes and valor via the
Labyrinth: to turn the tide against the Void by enabling
the heroes of one world to save another, and to arm those
heroes with weapons against the Void. The Keepers are
great wizards, alchemists, crafters, and smiths, many of
them dwarves. Concordans, Elders, and Dreamers depend
on the Keepers for armaments. The Keepers might not
be great warriors, but they are fearsomely well informed,
armed with the plans, enchantments, and tools used
against the Void—and information gathered from spies,
scrying, and enchanted grimoires.
The Keepers are interested in exploration for its own
sake, and they are great allies and often personal friends
of the mechadrons, the gearforged, and other clockwork
creatures, lineages, and gods. They value work.
GOALS
The Keepers of the Keys seek to acquire knowledge,
especially knowledge about the Labyrinth and its worlds
and peoples. Adventuring or exploratory groups of
Keepers are well educated, literate, and led by someone
capable of arcane magic. They thrive as explorers and
researchers bent on making discoveries; whenever word
spreads of a new world, new Labyrinth pathway, or new
magic, a Keeper is likely to have discovered it.
While the Keepers are quick to learn and discover, they
are less attentive to everyday matters such as keeping Void
corruption at bay, growing crops for their outposts in the
Labyrinth, or recruiting sufficient grooms, brewers, and
carpenters to keep their settlements in good repair. The
Keepers care about sophisticated and obscure knowledge,
which stands as currency and prestige among their ranks.
Their great heroes include the inventor of a new mechanism
and the wizard who creates a new spell; the cook who feeds
them or the bard who tells their stories are appreciated, but
not heroic in their eyes. Their elevated concerns ensure the
Keepers are respected, but they attract fewer members than
the Concordans, Elders, or Dreamers.
KEEPERS IN A CAMPAIGN
Most Common Classes: Mechanists, fighters, rogues,
wizards
Most Common Lineages: Dwarf, gearforged, human,
kobold
The quest for lore and knowledge leads the Keepers to
new places. Keepers trying to make a name for themselves
work to discover the location of new worlds, decipher
21
 new languages, or create new ways to master the arcane.
Keepers are natural scouts and carefully record their
discoveries. Unlike Concordans, they have no fervor for
fighting the Void—it’s a nuisance and a difficult subject to
study safely.
Lighting the Beacons. The sheer predictability of Keeper
questing and curiosity entices Void cultists to mislead
and abuse their skills. Providing a Keeper with the ritual
Queen of the
requirements for a Void beacon, for instance, means
Labyrinth
the Keeper spends a lot of time gathering materials and
working out how to construct it, before discovering that
its purpose is to summon voidlings and open a pathway
for a void saint (see the Labyrinth Worldbook). Void cultists
consider short‑sighted Keepers to be very useful idiots
indeed.
Unlocking the Ancient. Keepers discover sites or
mechanisms left by the Ancients, a lineage of
progenitors who wandered a proto-Labyrinth
before the arrival of the minotaurs,
sometimes associated with derro or with
eonic drifters (see Tome of Beasts 1). Their
natural gift for exploration combined with
their curiosity about how the worlds work
means they will reliably pull a lever, press a
button, or chant a ritual phrase that ignites
ancient guardians, empowers mechanical
wardens, or releases an untold horror that
had been safely locked away. The tendency to
poke their heads into everything increases the
likelihood that something nasty pokes back.

THREE KEY KEEPERS

The Keepers of the Keys prize hidden lore, arcane secrets,
and the ability to find, build, and master portals, gates, and
world chariots.

HOLDEVAR, QUEEN OF THE LABYRINTH

The title of Queen of the Labyrinth dates back centuries
to the founding of the Smithy and the first formation of
the Keepers from a ragtag militia group of mechanists,
fighters, and wizards. Their leader became the first Queen
of the Labyrinth, and the title has been passed down by
approval of the members ever since. They wisely chose
queens uninterested in raw power but wildly curious about
taking the universe apart to learn its secrets. Holdevar
keeps to this tradition.
The Queen of the Labyrinth is also the formal leader of
the Priesthood of Rava (see Chapter 2), though rarely
a cleric. As the bearer of that title, Holdevar commands
the respect of minotaurs and portal mages for her role in
creating and blessing portal keys. She is the keeper and
wielder of the artifact Spellbinder, a sword that cleaves
magic and embodies the arcane spirit of its holder.
(Spellbinder may be held by the Queen’s Champion, if the
queen is too young, too elderly, or unwilling to use it.)
Holdevar is beginning to feel her age, and she intends to
elevate one of her three arcane-minded daughters or her
mechanist son to be her successor.
ARCHMAGE ALANA AND HER DRAGON MAGES
The human archmage Alana is fascinated by portals
because she loves dragons and wants to visit dragon
worlds and catalog all species of drakes, true dragons, and
dragonkind. She commissions Kontak for draconic keys
modelled on the Key of Veles from Midgard, as well as
keys linked and attuned to the New Worlds of the Astral
Sea—new worlds that might contain dragons!

22
KEEPERS ADVENTURE HOOKS

d12 Description
1 Agents of the Keepers heard that an angelic chariot fell from the Celestial Realms, and they ask the PCs to recover it for them
so its arcane secrets can be uncovered. Celestial forces race to the location as well.
2 Agents of the Hells threatened the Queen of the Labyrinth and are attempting to intimidate the Keepers into making a portal
key for them to a new world. The Queen asks PCs to investigate that world first.
3 Player characters find a void key directly to one of the dead worlds filled with undead. The characters must decide whether to
keep the key, destroy it, investigate the world, or turn the key over to someone else.
4 The PCs meet a gearforged who asks for help with an infestation of void vermin in the Labyrinth—but the gearforged knows
only Machine Speech and communication is difficult without magic. Once established, the party exterminates a portal ripper or
tunnel goblins.
5 The Keepers find clues to the location of a grimoire of void lore. They ask the party to recover it from the cult that holds it.
6 The Keepers plan to transmute an archmage from flesh to gearforged, but the archmage is missing one key ingredient: water
from the Well of Mir in the Old Ring. They ask the party to negotiate with valkyries and ratatosk for access to the Well.
7 A mechanist asks the characters to retrieve a rare alloy from the 11 Hells and bring it to the Smithy.
8 The PCs meet a gearforged whose memory gears are entirely blank. She asks for help recovering them so that she remembers
her life, friends, and purpose.
9 The Keepers find a portal that won’t close, no matter what methods they try.
This unusual portal draws the attention of Kontak the Mechanist as well as the Dragon Mage
Alana. Both groups ask the party to investigate while they study the portal itself.
10 Keeper agents built an isolated outpost on the dead world of Coldforge to excavate
artifacts and gather lore. The weekly messenger from the outpost is 3 days late,
and the characters are sent to investigate this dire omen.
11 The Queen of the Labyrinth crafted a key to seven worlds
—and one of those worlds has gone missing, perhaps
consumed by the Void, perhaps merely a glitch in that
desert-world’s enchantments. The Keepers need volunteers
to fix the glitch or destroy the cultists responsible.
12 The PCs are asked to oversee a merchant caravan to the mechadrons,
drawn by a mix of living creatures and constructs. The caravan is
threatened by void agents who know that sabotaging or destroying it
will prevent the Keepers from making weapons for use against the Void.

KONTAK TEKAR, THE MECHANIST

A friend to mechanists and gearforged, the kobold
Kontak Tekar has a deep understanding of the gears
and mechanisms of the multiverse, the Labyrinth, and
particularly memory gears. Kontak’s clever claws have built
world portals and carved keys for worlds from the dead
zone of the Void all the way to the Celestial Realms. He has
a knack for knowing how to connect obscure worlds, and
he’s extremely generous with his time, always happy to help.
As a result, he’s overworked and overcommitted, his
attention on helping the person who commissioned him
most recently and forgetting or shelving projects from a
prior week or a prior month. His workshop in the Smithy A Keeper
is a hive of kobold apprentices, gearforged mechanists, and of the Keys
dwarven smiths who create tools and arcane weapons. The
hum of machine speech is as loud as shouts in Draconic or
Dwarvish. Kontak personally meets with every member of
the Keepers who visits his workshop.

23
 The Old Ring (Elders) ELDERS IN A CAMPAIGN
Most Common Classes: Bards, druids, rangers, sorcerers
“Hold up! We’ll need to take the oak road from here—that rift is Most Common Lineages: Beastkin, human, minotaurs
far too unstable.” (see Labyrinth Worldbook), smallfolk
Chitter chitter gnar. The members of the Old Ring are often homebodies,
“Yes, yes, you can always take your chances with a rift. But the preferring the joys of their worlds over the dangers of
Old Ring would rather you live to a ripe age, planting world the Labyrinth, the Hells, and other such places. But
seeds, my friend.” once they have decided to leave the Ring, they are skilled
and powerful travelers, adept at traversing the world
—Moon Druid Heron Trollbane and
tree network safely, tracking cultists and void creatures,
his ratatosk guide, Soupbeard
and sensing the corruption of void-infested people and
From mossy treants to wide-ranging minotaurs to clever places. They are superb scouts and void-slayers, and their
smallfolk, the first groups to walk the Labyrinth were beastkin and minotaur members often find void corruption
brave explorers from the forest worlds called the Old Ring. personally offensive.
These worlds are referred to by the names of their most Plucking Bad Apples. The Elders often consider
famous trees (see Chapter 3). themselves gardeners of the many worlds, alert to any
new kind of corruption, especially any that affects world
OVERVIEW
Since the earliest days, the Old Ring faction has
understood the connections between worlds: their
potential for alliances and wise counsel, and their potential
to create conflict and animosity between those who might
instead fight against a common foe. The Elders are reliably
slow to act and utterly ruthless when they strike.
The Old Ring consists of druids, hunters, gardeners, and
literal plant folk who believe worlds can be grown from
the seeds of the World Tree Yggdrasil, and then connected
through its branches—and that such worlds need tending
to resist the blight and rot of the Void and its servants.
Elders of the Old Ring seek to forge strong worlds with Druid of the
deep roots, connections between sages and grove keepers, Old Ring
and helpful relationships with those who understand little
of the wider tapestry of worlds.

GOALS
The primary purpose of the Old Ring is to plant new
worlds and shepherd the old ones from their youngest
days to final flowering. And yet, they say, “Even old
oaks set new leaves.” The Old Ring knows that
deep roots circle the green worlds and the worlds
beyond, hidden and strong. They share their
strength and wisdom with those less fortunate,
and as long as the Ring grows, it will remain as
strong as in ancient days.
Over centuries and through generations, the Old
Ring has kept the secrets of creation: where the
seeds of each world were first planted. It guards the
locations where the seeds of new worlds sprout. And
it slowly, quietly expands the Labyrinth, adding to its
roots, its world trees, and its countless branches.

24
trees. They are the wardens of the Ring, and they include
scouts, healers, and guardians who put down various forms
of botanical corruption, such as blackthorn creepers and
duskthorn vines (see Labyrinth Worldbook for both). The
Elders may offer a bounty to anyone who can find the cult
or agent responsible for these kinds of wicked schemes, as
they threaten the integrity of the Oak Road.
Messengers on the World Tree. Though the ratatosk are
often thought of as the primary messengers between
worlds, the Elders maintain their own tree striders and
ranger networks both within the Ring and far beyond it.
Any members of the Old Ring faction may be called to
serve as messengers and to rally a defense until help arrives.
THREE KEY ELDERS
The followers and inhabitants of the Old Ring remember
and pass on the lore of the World Tree through a long
tradition of druidic learning and study. Their greatest
elders are linked to the World Tree, and their knowledge of
the Primordial is second to none.
THE GRAND DRUID
The current Grand Druid is a middle-aged human man
named Oberic Thorn, new to the post since the death of
his teacher and predecessor Boulimenya, a bearfolk druid.
Oberic maintains the hub of a network of druids, rangers,
and bards through the worlds, and he is one of the few
entrusted with the knowledge of all the newly growing
world trees, the hidden chambers of Yggdrasil, and the
secret arts to combat darkness and void. He organizes and
sometimes sacrifices Old Ring followers to keep the whole
set of Old Ring Worlds safe—and the weight of those
decisions is plain in his frizzled gray beard and dark eyes.
Oberic is a tower of strength in public, and a man of great
faith in the rich and growing worlds of the Old Ring. But
he’s seen terrible things, including Bouimenya’s death in
a rift from the Dry Lands, and lacks the strength to chase
after darkness in person. Instead, he meets with dozens of
druid elders, ranger wardens, treants, and minotaurs each
day and divines what must be done to keep the worlds free
and whole. He is slow and cautious, deliberate and sure
as the Old Ring adds one ring at a time to the World Tree.
He spends most of his time in the worlds of Oakroot and
Twin Hawthorns.

OLD RING ADVENTURE HOOKS

d12 Description
1 A distant young world tree requires rites and watering. Elders would like the PCs to make the journey with a barrel of Styx-
water and a barrel of Astral essence to encourage its growth.
2 A golden stag has been sighted nearby, and every ranger, hunter, and archer in the Labyrinth is eager to chase it. A
peaceful human druid wishes to save it through the use of illusions and deceptions, making it “vanish” when shot. Can the
heroes help?
3 The Great Druid Oberic asked his favorite apprentice to travel to Seven Pines and review the growth of trees in a district
plagued by frost monsters. Perhaps he could make it worth your while to take the apprentice there in company?
4 A newly recovered grove bears marks written in ancient Druidic—so ancient, even Mossbeard has no idea what it says.
Magical divination shows the runes are linked to mountain giants (see Creature Codex). Would the PCs be willing to
negotiate with one to explain them?
5 A vampire spawn nesting in a dark forest in the Old Ring seems far from home. The locals want the PCs to find out where it
came from, and where the vampire elder lives. They suspect a void rift has opened to a city of shadows.
6 Lady Hawthorne says a ratatosk messenger named Double Nutkin is days overdue on a shadow road from the Shadow
Realm to Grenstad. She wants someone to find out what happened.
7 The Elders need someone to guard a jungle pyramid in the world of Willow Shore from enormous snakes without killing the
Queen of Serpents, expected to visit from the lands of the fey.
8 A druid who recently spent time as a dolphin claims a lost city with pyramids and spires exists offshore. For a small fee, he’ll
take the PCs there.
9 Something is slaughtering the deer in the nearby forest. Locals suspect a werewolf, but the human tracks always lead to the
same watery cavern down by the shore. An aboleth or sahuagin or something dire is in there, eating a lot of venison.
10 An ancient forest tree has died, and the PCs are invited to its funeral and memorial ceremony. Things get out of hand when
a Dreamer fanatic spouts doom prophecies at the event, provoking a mob into a killing frenzy.
11 The Concordans offer to sell the Elders a true divine sun globe, the better to explore the Shadow Realm. The Elders ask the
PCs to bring it back to Oakheart.
12 Oberic opens the Festival of Learning, a series of tests of knowledge, primordial magic, woods tracking, and shapechanging.
The PCs are specifically invited to attend.

25
 LADY HAWTHORNE
Lady Hawthorne is a human woman who came to
Rowanheart in the Ring to escape a family curse. She
enjoyed the company of the gnomes, humans, and ratatosk
of the land, not to mention the lavish gifts and praise of
the Great Druid Boulimenya. Soon her bardic songs and
perfect recall of faces, names, places, and dates earned her a
place at the heart of diplomacy on behalf of the Elders—in
Mossbeard
the Treant
26
addition to coordinating communications, spying, and
investigation of rumors, half-baked scrying, and auguries
written in charred bark and bird flights. Her red hair
and squirrel-like bright eyes make her stand out, and her
laughter is both genuine and uplifting. Lady Hawthorne
has the gift of convincing others to take huge risks—and
she is perfectly willing to go into the field and do the same.
MOSSBEARD THE TREANT
Mossbeard appears as a treant, an ancient oak with a
mossy beard who enjoys sitting on sunny stones and slowly,
slowly speaking to young and impressionable druids,
rangers, and gardener-gnomes. Some believe this is merely
Mossbeard’s public face. Dreamers claim Mossbeard exists
on every living world (and his wooden husk exists on dead
ones), as an avatar or saint or spirit of the Old Ring, tied
through ancient rituals to the world trees and the forest
paths between the worlds. In this way, Mossbeard bears
similarity to the Midgard concept of divine masks, but
he represents the plants and forests of each world. Oddly
enough, Mossbeard is rarely encountered in the Labyrinth,
only on Yggdrasil and in the worlds.
Servants of the
Dreaming God (Dreamers)
“Come to me all ye seekers of wisdom, dream with the god of
dreams, and let go the cares of the world. For the rites of the
dreaming god Cartokk are open to all, welcoming the god in
slumber, joining together to bring joy and transcendence.”
“Pass the wineskin, you optimist. Some of us are simply here to
kill the pain.”
—Balvanor and Ydric, the True Mud Bards of Wiggil
One of the younger factions within the Labyrinth, the
Dreamers follow the visions sent to them via their dreams
from Cartokk, the Dreaming God. Their visions lead them
all across the Labyrinth, seeking truth and beauty and
preaching the revelations from their dreams.
OVERVIEW
Many consider the Servants of the Dreaming God to be
lazy, shiftless drunkards. Their joys and their songs are
strange, their visions even stranger. And yet they always
know where the Void is clawing its way into a warded
world, or where husk demons (see Monster Vault) shelter
beside a portal, or when the noble leader of a reliable group
of Keepers suddenly turns to chaos and despair. They know
things because the Dreaming God tells them.
 Every servant of the Dreaming God has had at least
one compelling dream or vision that binds the faction
together, that helps them recognize others, and that
makes it possible for them to coordinate across worlds and
time in what appears to outsiders to be a system of chaos
and contradictions.
Dreamers babble about the Great Pattern, the spiral at
the heart of the world, the nurturing of seeds and dreams
into worlds and minds and glorious life and wisdom. Their
gibberish seems maddeningly mystical and nonspecific,
except for those times when it changes everything.
GOALS
The Servants of the Dreaming God want a thousand
different things. They want to drink and sing and revel in
life’s pleasures. They want to make their homes in beautiful
demiplanes, cities in bottles, high mountain peaks, and
lazy riverboats. They wish to be free to pursue their dreams
and the dreams of their god, to be hermits and socialites,
to laugh in the face of the Void, and to bring happiness to
the poor, wisdom to the wealthy, and ruin to the servants of
doom and despair.
The Dreamers believe that if enough people dream of a
world without the Void, the Void can be defeated. If enough
people laugh at death, death shall have no dominion
over the True Dreamers. They dream and strive and
work remarkably hard to promote joy and freedom and
happiness everywhere they go.

DREAMER ADVENTURE HOOKS

d12 Description
1 A Dreamer comes to the party with a vision of the characters traveling with her to Novos Draconis, a new world where gold
paves the streets and dragons rule the skies. She pesters them until they send her away or help her reach it.
2 A priest of the Dreaming God wants to hire bodyguards for a one-week pilgrimage to Delinos, a site of pilgrimage. Voidlings
or cultists threaten the site and its visitors.
3 A Dreamer paladin robbed at the festival of Delinos needs a tracker or mystic who can help him find the perpetrator. Sweet
justice awaits.
4 A group of pilgrims seeks access to a Dream-Saint’s tomb. Unfortunately, getting there requires a jaunt through a dangerous
lesser Hell—might the party be available to slay some devils and help poor pilgrims?
5 A Dreamer learned of a mystic cordial made with mountain herbs from a distant world. He hopes to pay a guide or
entourage to take him there, to steal the herb from the giants, and to brew his concoction.
6 A young Dreamer child hears a particular song, which other Servants of the Dreaming God recognize though they have
never heard it before. The child needs a bard to put on a performance—which attracts voidlings to attack the performer.
7 A Dreamer from a desert world seeks a mystical object called a folding, self-stabilizing umbrella, but the term is unknown to
him, and the construction of such a wonder is beyond the everyday. The Keepers of the Keys probably know what it is and
have diagrams.
8 A Dreamer discovered a new variety of mushroom that empowers dreams of travel. Unfortunately, the world where they
grow is inhabited by mycolids (see Tome of Beasts 1) who cherish these mushrooms.
9 A fey Lady of the Dance invited the Dreamers of the Labyrinth to an enormous midsummer festival in the Summerlands.
Musicians will be showered in gold! Rumors claim visitors might be enslaved by fey charms. Everyone wants to get there, but
Labyrinth tunnel-bandits have heard these rumors as well. . . .
10 A Dreamer cleric dreamt of the Voidmother dreaming of him, and this dream contaminated his mind with dark visions, which
led one of the cleric’s acolytes to die of dream poisoning (see Labyrinth Worldbook), slain by the foulness in the cleric’s
dream. The Dreamer cleric demands a bard learn and play an obscure song of cleansing found in the archives of the Smithy,
guarded by mechanical demons.
11 An ethereal demon lies dreaming in the Willow Shore of the Old Ring and cannot be touched by blade or magic. The druids
demand the Dreamers “remove their servant.” Only an old hermit knows how.
12 A Dreamer’s slumber draws the PCs into his dreamlands, across worlds and to a great treasure. When they awaken, they
know where to find it, and they know that three other Servants of the Dreaming God are already traveling through the
Labyrinth to beat them to it.

27
 DREAMERS IN A CAMPAIGN
Most Common Classes: Bard, barbarian, monk, rogue,
warlock
Most Common Lineages: Beastkin, human, syderean
(fiendish)
Dreamers are a force for chaos and a force for joy, for strict
discipline and bodily freedom, and for extreme indulgence
and excess. Their god embeds multiple meanings in his
messages to the servants.
Pilgrimage of the Week. Dreamers are often shown
particular places in their dreams, and they seek to find those
places. Thus, they are often encountered wandering the
pathways and taking trips along the Styx in search of the
“world that fits the dream.” Once they arrive, often a new
dream instructs them in some task, prayer, or holy mission.
A follower of the
Dreaming God
28
THREE KEY DREAMERS
The Dreamers draw their share of city folk, but its most
famous sons and daughters come from the wild woods or
the high mountains.
LESHAY, THE LADY OF THE DANCE
Covered in tattoos and dressed in flowing robes, Leshay is
a human priest of trickery, a woman of whims and joys: hot
tea, silky robes, tigerskin cloaks, and outrageous gossip.
She takes lovers and makes friends at a remarkable rate
at her mansion in Revelsport, in the Dreamer’s Islands
(see Chapter 3). The heart of a network of hundreds or
thousands of Dreamers, she somehow remembers every
name and every face and loves them all. Some of her friends
and associates believe she is a child of a god of wine or fated
to ascend into sainthood of some kind, but Leshay finds
this amusing. She just wants to help her friends and bring
them beautiful dreams.
TONDREL THE EVEN-HANDED
Combining martial fervor with prophetic announcements,
Tondrel is a strange wolf-warrior of the wintery world of
Seven Pines.
DIOGELAR, THE SINGING WARLOCK
Diogelar is a particularly strange warlock who is an owl
and beastkin, except for those days when he is a wolf or a
raven. He lives in a branch of the World Tree Yggdrasil that
connects to the world of Summer Birch in the Old Ring.
Beastkin seek him out with questions about the Wyrd
source. Though he tries to remain a recluse in the winters,
in the springtime, Diogelar is always glad to answer queries.
By summer, it is difficult to get a word in edgewise as he
speaks, hoots, and pontificates late into the summer nights.
Wanderers and the Lost
Not all adventurers in the Labyrinth belong to a faction.
Many are lost, independent, or loyal to groups and
organizations on their home worlds. These are referred to
as Wanderers (or perhaps less charitably, as the Wayfarers
Without Maps). Members of the factions try to recruit
Wanderers to their cause, believing that their independent
streak is valuable for those who venture into new and
dangerous territories.
Many who stumble into the Labyrinth die in it before
mastering the talents required to survive it and get to safety
at a portal or hub. Those who die in the Labyrinth may
become a particular kind of undead, called the Lost. For
an example of this, the classic lost minotaur (see Creature
Codex) of Midgard’s great maze is one such creature.
Minor Wayfaring Groups
The four great factions are the largest, but smaller
factions know the Labyrinth exists and maintain some
strongholds in the Labyrinth. And indeed, smiths and
assassins and wizards all benefit from visiting other
words and opposing the Void. These groups are also
sometimes encountered by adventurers.

FORGE OF TRUTH (SMITHS)

The Void-Saint
Obsessed with crafting weapons to cut the Void or
Nargoth
armor that withstands dark forces, this fireforge
dwarven society provides arms and armor to others,
including the dwarven Hammers of Golden Fire (used
to smash void rifts) and the occasional suit of sunfire
armor. The Smiths hire adventurers to bring them rare
metals for alloys, or ingredients to enchant a suit of
armor or helm.

LORDS AND LADIES OF THE BRIGHT

AND SHINING LANDS (FEY KNIGHTS)
Elves, smallfolk, and ancient woodland fey who live
in the Summerlands divert themselves with music,
courtship, dances, vicious gossip, and byzantine
political scheming. A few, however, turn their
eyes to the wider constellation of worlds and
go exploring for new experiences. They call
themselves the “Lords and Ladies,” though others
prefer to call them the “Tricksters” or the “Fey
Knights.”
Their archers and knights are adept at striking
down void creatures, as formidable as their wizards
with their Elvenstar rites and rituals.

THE RADIANT ORDER (RADIANTS)

Also called the Paladins of Montremor or the Swords of
Herak-Mavros, the Radiant Order is a group of human
paladins loosely affiliated with the Concordans and led
by the Grand Marshall Faldoro Rezzenzi. They operate
from Celestia in the service of angelic masters and show
up unannounced, heavily armored, to destroy demons,
cultists or portals corrupted by darkness—then return
whence they came. The Radiant Order rarely explains itself
or bothers to consider collateral damage.
While their single-minded focus on order and justice
can be off-putting, as allies, they are utterly reliable.
Mechadrons find them extremely congenial, and the two
groups share a loose alliance.
WINGS OF ALQUAM (WINGS)
Assassins and spies of the night order of a demon lord of
night, the Wings of Alquam see themselves as avengers
and victims fighting for survival. Their patron Alquam is
a silent, mysterious figure with a wide range of followers,
including humans, gnolls, gearforged, fiendish sydereans,
and gnome smallfolk (see Player’s Guide). Their missions
are stealthy affairs, and the best of them leave void cultists
dead and their followers confused. It’s unclear when or
why the demon lord decided to fight against the Void, but
the blue-cloaked followers are ruthless and reliable. The
Concordans won’t deal with Alquam’s spooks, but other
factions consider them a necessary evil from time to time.

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 Dreaming God. They travel the Labyrinth seeking to learn
Pantheon of the Labyrinth its mysteries and dream new worlds into being. Whether
clerics or druids, all are devoted to the divine wisdom
The domain of knowledge appears in the portfolio of several found in sleep and visions.
Labyrinthine gods, since navigating and thriving within the
Labyrinth requires specific information. But like anywhere SYMBOLS AND BOOKS
in the multiverse, those who walk through the maze need
Common symbols of the Dreaming God include the third
comfort, healing, and protection as well as guidance.
eye and an open eye, as well as wisps of purple smoke or
The following six deities appear most frequently in the
sparkling incense. Peacock feathers, eye-shaped amulets,
worlds of the Labyrinth as major divinities, lesser saints,
and a specific shade of turquoise are also popular among
or minor gods.
his followers.
For sacred texts, the followers of Cartokk collectively
CARTOKK, THE DREAMING GOD possess thousands of books of personal prophecy and
God of Dreams, Forest Lord, Summoner of Seeds, Lord of visions of varying degrees of worth and obscurity. The
Eternal Life, King in the Buried Kingdom, Master of paramount text consulted by all priests and followers is
All Worlds, the Slumbering Titan called The Holy Eye, a mélange of mystic ideas about the Ten
Thousand Worlds, recipes for potions to induce visions,
Domains: Knowledge, Life, Nature
and sensible rules for treating others with compassion.
Favored Weapon: Club
Cartokk is a god of mysteries SHRINES AND PRIESTS
and visions, a god of seekers
Cartokk’s greatest shrine is the Temple of the Golden
and those who wish to
Portal, built around a dead gateway said to lead directly
understand the rhythms
to the god’s hidden sleeping chamber. Opinions differ
of the natural world as
widely on whether this chamber rests within the clouds of
well as the mysteries
of the stars and
spheres. As a fertility
god, he governs the
all-important realm
of plants, crops, and
harvests, as well as the mysteries of winter hibernation,
spring rebirth, and summer feasts. Nonbelievers think the
Dreaming God’s followers waste their time chasing visions
and getting drunk. The faithful place Cartokk at the center
of the legends of the Labyrinth’s creation and believe his
dreams created the Ten Thousand Worlds.
Cartokk is depicted as a handsome, bearded man wearing
a crown of holly or barley and dressed in a bearskin or lion’s
pelt, or simply daubed in green and blue paint. Cartokk’s
eyes are closed on his statues and open on his holy symbol.
He is pictured with two or up to eight arms, and his
representations sometimes include wreaths of mist or
smoke that hide his legs.

WORSHIPPERS
Cartokk’s followers include rustic people of the land such
as shepherds, hedge witches, farmers, and druids as well as
hermits, mystics, and strange savants. His devout followers
believe they receive secret knowledge from divine visions;
less pious devotees merely chase beautiful dreams with the
herbal potions and mushroom rites of the god.
The most devoted and adventurous followers of Cartokk
call themselves his Servants, or the Servants of the

30
Celestia, is sealed in an obscure lesser hell, or is nestled
somewhere in the near-infinite branches of the World Tree.
Rituals to restore and activate this portal take place daily,
consistently without success.
Villages welcome priests of the Dreaming God at planting
and harvest time; other times, they may be confused for
alchemists, dazed mystics, mendicants, beggars, or drunks.

HERAK-MAVROS
God of War and Thunder, Lord of Battle and Rebirth, Patron of
Warriors, Master of Strife, Swift Striding Commander, Husband
to the White Goddess
Domains: Life, Tempest, War
Favored Weapons: Spear, shortsword, greatclub
The swift god of war and
thunder is the Master
of Strife, who savors
destruction, strength,
and war. His chorus
is the sound of weapon
on shield, and his
ceremony is the tramp
of boots as soldiers muster
and march. His hymnal comprises
war songs and battle chants.
Herak-Mavros is the bright blade of
youths undertaking their first cattle
raid and the notched edge of gray-bearded veterans. The
desperate or wounded turn to him in times of anger. His
service is honorable, as long as followers don’t violate the
edicts laid forth in his holy texts.
The worship of Herak-Mavros includes an unusual SYMBOLS AND BOOKS
aspect of healing and rebirth, since his mysteries involve All weapons of war are symbols of Herak-Mavros. His
resurrection and the cleansing of the soul along with death favorites include the spear and the shortsword, and in
and glory. times of great anger, an enormous war club. The axe is also
Herak-Mavros is most often depicted with a beard and associated with the Bloody God of War. His worshippers
long hair, wearing his coat of storms. This tailored garment incorporate a lightning bolt, a red bull, or a red circle in
resembles a suit of heavy metal plates, which gives off their heraldry.
lightning that strikes his enemies and heralds his terrible The holy writings of Herak-Mavros include Twenty-Five
stride across the field. Martial Books and the mystical Soldier’s Journey. The Edicts
of Just War is not a holy book, but it provides the legal and
WORSHIPPERS moral rules for how his followers must behave, whether on
Humans form the bulk of Herak-Mavros’s most devoted the battlefield, marching, laying siege, or taking prisoners.
worshippers, though many orcish communities follow him
as well. Several prominent dwarven clans worship him as a SHRINES AND PRIESTS
paragon of swift courage and unerring strength. Herak-Mavros’s priests frequently serve as military officers
Soldiers, guards, farmers, bandits, scouts, and shepherds and leaders, embodying both the best officers and the worst
beseech the God of War and Thunder for strength and due to their fanaticism. His rites commonly commence in
guidance. spring, as the military campaign season begins. His priests
resemble mercenary captains, and some lead famous bands
of sellswords.

31
 In his cavern-temples, Herak Mavros raises the greatest
warriors to fight again with resurrection magic. Toward
this end, he commands the spear-maidens, angelic female
warriors who ferry souls to and from battle.
NAKRESH
The Many-Handed, Patron of Thieves and Tomb Robbers,
Archmagus among Wizards, King of Revelry and Japes, Protector
of the Poor and Destitute, Bane of the Rich Man
Domains: Knowledge, Trickery
Favored Weapons: Shortsword, wand
Nakresh the Many-Handed works
through deception, magic,
and corruption. His greed is
immense, and his reach is oft
underestimated. He enjoys
stealing things considered
perfectly secure, and he finds
such challenges a good way
to dispel his boredom and
to test his worshippers.
His trickery is more
productive than his brother’s volcanic rage.
Nakresh is depicted as a mandrill or a human-mandrill
hybrid with small black horns, blazing eyes, and six or
eight arms. Two of his hands hold a wizard’s wand and a
footpad’s dagger or sword. His other hands grasp a bag of
coins, a fist-sized jewel, a bouquet of flowers, or a string of
pearls. One hand is always empty, symbolizing his lust for
more wealth. Nakresh wears a wizard’s robe or a mage’s
severed hand on a cord around his neck.
WORSHIPPERS
The followers of Nakresh are thieves, wizards, and
diabolists; they include tomb robbers and the desperately
poor, who call him “Uncle Whispers” or “the Duke of
Air and Steel” or “the Peach Collector” or a dozen other
nicknames. His worship as a godling is common in dark
and shadowed worlds. His followers’ desperation drives
them to try anything to succeed, and most have an affinity
for crime and a love of wealth. His priests share Nakresh’s
rough humor and seek to emulate his skill as a trickster.
SYMBOLS AND BOOKS
The sign of Nakresh is an open hand with a star in its palm.
He has only one holy book, the True Gospel of Prosperity and
Wealth, which is a collection of cheats, cantrips, cons, and
swindles practiced by his followers against the gullible.
His teachings are passed on in stories, drawings, and songs
because many of his followers are illiterate.
32
SHRINES AND PRIESTS
In some worlds, the cult of Nakresh is led by rogues,
thieves, and cutthroats as much as by priests. Nakresh
rarely appreciates open displays of piety, so his temples are
typically built underground or in hidden back rooms.
RAVA
The Fate Spinner, Goddess of Clockwork and Travelers, Patron
of Weavers, Mistress of Birds, Luckbringer, Merchant Goddess,
Mother of Golems
Domains: Crafting, Knowledge, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Dagger, staff
Rava is a wise goddess, a patron of
industry with a trickster’s streak and
a great willingness to travel and toil
in pursuit of her goals. She grants
visions to oracles and smooths the
way for travelers and wizards, helping
mortals gain knowledge both arcane
and mundane. She has three primary
forms—that of a young maiden, a
woman of middle years, or an aged
crone, but she always has white hair,
six arms, carries a staff, and wears a
gear‑embroidered robe.
WORSHIPPERS
The worshippers of Rava include smiths, clockworkers,
weavers, travelers and nomads, and gamblers—those who
live by good fortune and frequent the crossroads. Her
followers also include messengers, oracles, and wizards.
SYMBOLS AND BOOKS
Rava’s symbols include a gear and a staff. Her sacred
volumes are not shared with her adherents but rather
kept in the weaving shrines and temples for the priests to
consult. Rava’s priesthood shares popular compilations of
parables, wit, and guidance with her followers.
SHRINES AND PRIESTS
Priests of Rava make their way in the world as oracles, gear
workers, or bards and tale-spinners. Some are nomadic,
and their shrines of Rava are little more than beautiful
tents carried by faithful herders. She is known both for her
clockwork shrines in cities and her red-rock shrines, where
sacred stones form the foundation of a permanent temple.
Tent-temples may be erected in market squares, where
Rava’s followers turn wool into yarn and cloth. In the scribe
temples, the priestesses copy out letters and messages for
anyone (for a modest fee).
SABATEUS
The Seven-Sided God, Lord of Stars and Planets, Maker of
Magic, Patron of the Shadow Paths, King of the Moon, Master of
the Desert Night
Domains: Knowledge, Light
Favored Weapons: Dagger, staff
Sabateus is an enigmatic figure,
described as the “seven‑sided
god.” He is always shown
in a black tabard or djellaba
marked with white and
yellow stars. He is portrayed
masked or with a halo and
attended by circling stars and
moons. His worship takes place
exclusively at night, and yet he is
never ranked among the dark gods. He might be distant
and rarely moved by entreaties, but Sabateus is a celestial
figure. He is never openly malevolent.
WORSHIPPERS
The worshippers of Sabateus seek wisdom and knowledge,
and they are devoted to the stars, ancient mysteries, and
knowledge from ages long gone. Some cast horoscopes,
others master magic, and others are simple shepherds
who hear the song of the spheres in the desert nights. The
lamias worship Sabateus as the Moon’s Husband.
SYMBOLS AND BOOKS
Hundreds of volumes of Sabatean lore exist, though
many are little more than plodding poems dedicated to
the stars and the sphinxes. Some include grisly tales of
magical rituals and descriptions of how to master esoteric
knowledge. The only Sabatean volume that commands
universal appeal is the Gospel of Adimun, written by the first
prophet of Sabateus.
SHRINES AND PRIESTS
Idols of Sabateus exist on desert plateaus, on mountain
peaks, and along cliffs and tablelands. Temples are rare
and built in secret spots, more noticed by night than by
day, much as a lighthouse seems to be a simple tower until
after the sun sets.
The priesthood of Sabateus is largely nomadic, and its
members are known for their humility and their caution.
The faithful often gather with fellow adherents under the
night sky during celestial events to declaim from works of
verse or recite hymns.
SOLANA
Lady of Light, Goddess of the Sun, Marshall of Angels, Matron
of Steel and Silver, Queen of Pure Radiance, Forge Mother
Domains: Crafting, Life, Light
Favored Weapon: Mace, warhammer
Often appearing as an
elf wreathed in golden
light and crowned with
rays or stars, Solana is the
goddess of the heavens
and the champion of
those who fight the Void,
providing healing, strength,
and warding to her
faithful. Civilizations
of all kinds worship her
as a goddess of creation, and servants of
the Void abhor her name.
WORSHIPPERS
Healers, smiths, and soldiers worship Solana, as do the
paladins of the Radiant Order and the marshals of the
Concord of Stars. Some followers of Sabateus consider
Solana the daytime face of their own nocturnal god—the
two faiths are often friendly.
SYMBOLS AND BOOKS
In addition to her radiant sun symbols, Solana is depicted
with a crown of seven rays or stars, and her brightly
glowing orange anvil features in her legends and statuary.
This orange anvil—called the sun forge—is believed to
exist somewhere in the Labyrinth and is one of the great
artifacts of the faith.
For sacred texts, none are more important than the
Rules of Radiance (for her priests and paladins) and the
Word of Light (for all her followers). Both describe the laws
and proscriptions for a righteous life of service against
darkness, as well as charms and nostrums to heal the sick
and care for the wounded.
SHRINES AND PRIESTS
The Concord of Stars maintains the First Forge Temple
in the Smithy, and Solana’s shrines are common in
worlds where elves dwell, especially in the Summerlands
and (to a lesser degree) along the branches of the World
Tree. Her priests organize into three chapters: the Forge
priests are smiths, the Sun’s Blessing priests are healers,
and the Radiant Forge priests are zealous warriors
against the Void.
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 A dragon’s head adrift in the Astral Sea

CHAPTER 3: SITES AND WORLDS

The known sites and worlds of the Labyrinth are many,
though the known worlds are centered on a collection Fifty Famous Sites
of core worlds and the nearest outer worlds, those that
can be reached by a few days or weeks of travel through
in the Labyrinth
the pathways of the Labyrinth. Beyond these, the
These places are known to the walkers in the Labyrinth
known worlds grow increasingly strange farther from
as nodes, portals, and safe places between the worlds.
the Labyrinth—the ones near Sunhome or the Smithy
Each may be found when wandering the Labyrinth,
are familiar and often friendly, while the Hells are quite
along tunnels and roads, or even as an “intermission” or
hostile, and realms close to the Void might be entirely
“rerouting” during a portal jump or dream travel (See
barren or filled with eonic drifters or a world of goblins and
Modes of Travel in Chapter 1). In the case of rerouting
vampires. The worlds closest to the Void are usually lifeless
or intermissions, the traveler(s) arrive at the desired
or filled only with undead, demons, and cultists. Travelers
destination with a delay of either 1d20 hours or 1d4 days.
know to avoid the dead worlds unless they have specific
Antechamber of Parzelon (Least). This is a dusty library
reason to visit.
for fiends and library automatons (see Tome of Beasts 1). The
All the worlds of the Labyrinth have access to the Ethereal
Curator (see Tome of Beasts 2) oversees the collection for his
Plane and the Elemental Planes. Some worlds also touch
master, the arch-devil Parzelon. Most of the volumes are
the Astral Sea.
magical and warded, and all are dangerous to one’s health
and sanity.

34
 Antechamber of Parzelon (Greater). This chamber
is the waiting room for the arch-devil Parzelon, whose
chamberlain and keeper of accounts is Hanribbos, a pit
fiend. The fiend does not enjoy having visitors.
Bridge of Ghosts. A bridge through a void rift, cold and
clammy. Spirits and demons challenge those who try to
cross it.
Chambers of the Brood-Mother. A section of earthen
tunnels connected to one of the tosculi hive-cities. They
know where the exits are but adamantly keep intruders
away from the queen, the drones, and the egg chambers.
Clockwork Kingdom. A walking kingdom of the
mechadrons, the Clockwork Kingdom is said to be part
of their mysterious Plan. It resembles a large army that
wanders through the Labyrinth from portal to portal; when
it visits a world for sustenance, it strips lands bare of all
wood, coal, and metal and leaves husks of villages behind.
Colossal Step Well. This cavern has a set of stairs sized
for giants; each step is 3 feet tall, and the step well as a
whole drops 279 feet (93 steps) from top to bottom. The
water at the bottom can connect to either the Astral Sea or
the Styx, depending on what rituals are performed there.
Concordan Cloud Gate. A portal used by the Concord
of Stars in Sunhome to bring food and supplies to
almost anywhere else in the Labyrinth. It connects the
Summerlands fortress of the Concordans to that one
chosen point until a week-long ritual directs it elsewhere.
The ritual magic for this requires considerable expense,
and the Concordans have not shared their formula.
Invocations to Solana and offerings of astral dragon’s
blood may be involved.
Crypt of the Glittering Gods. This burial ground of
the Ancients is warded by void angels and celestials who
seek to keep the ancient dead from being plundered or
disturbed. Keepers of the Keys often claim to know where
the Crypt is, but maintaining a road or portal to it is
surpassingly difficult.
Dreaming God’s Tomb. The literal tomb of Cartokk the
Dreaming God is an enormous hive-shaped burial mound
guarded by golems, though the tomb is empty. The walls
of the tomb are covered in script in the sacred speech of
Cartokk.
Echoing Halls of Nargoth. A set of stairs, stone halls,
tombs, and temples linked in a looping pattern. Once
entered, it is impossible to leave without opening a void
rift, chariot, dream path, keeper’s key, or shadow road (see
Modes of Travel in Chapter 1).
Echo Tunnel. This tunnel is inhabited by doppelgangers
who attempt to replace visitors.
Empty Throne of Mechadron Prime. Thought to be
a fragmentary demiplane of the mechadrons’ old home
world, this chamber contains a metallic throne that shines
with inner blue light. It stands fully 15 feet tall, with strange
cables, gears, and sockets all around. Mechadrons think it is
haunted by the spirit of their ancestor.
Fire Wheel. This is similar to the prior wheels, with six
entryways but twelve possible exits, one to each of the hells
plus one that goes to the roots of Yggdrasil, in the caverns
of Nidhogg. Devils and demons use the fire wheel to travel
between their realms.
Florez Belltower. A construction of the Dreamers, the
Florez belltower contains seven bronze bells attuned to the
cosmos. Servants of the Dreaming God use their tones to
enter mortal worlds from the tower.
Frozen Waves of Tokando. This section of the Labyrinth
resembles waves made of black and gray stone rather than
water. They are connected to a void saint named Tokando,
who is said to have frozen water into stone and thus
destroyed a world.
Giant-King’s Falling Mountain. A mountain in a world
of elemental air, always falling and thus always windy. Giants
carved out the mountain into a strange fortress, where the
wind is a constant whistle and small creatures (and small
objects) fly away, swirling into the cold rushing air.
Glass Temple of Olyssa. This sequence of halls and
tunnels is entirely made of glass and devoted to a
chaos‑goddess named Olyssa. Passing through its glass
halls is confusing—and occasionally, the halls fill with
soporific gas.
Great Maze of Ariadne. This set of enormous webbing
covers a pit over what might be the Astral Sea 400 feet
below. Unlike a bridge, climbing webs is quite difficult,
and a spider climb spell or flying magic is the safest way to
cross. At its center is a stone maze carved with runes and at
its center is the Pillar of Ariadne, a site of pilgrimage and
offering for her followers.
Great Northern Road. This section of the Labyrinth
resembles a deep, heavily shaded forest. Anyone wandering
off the road eventually stumbles back onto the road, usually
worse for wear because of the hostile owlbears, wood woses,
children of the briar, and other creatures of the woods.
Great Ruby Bridge. A bridge over a pit of magma,
believed to be a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire.
Hatching Chamber of Melchiar. A pair of mated void
dragons uses this enormous chamber with an open,
star‑filled ceiling to lay eggs and raise wyrmlings. A magical
force field keeps air in the chamber.
Howler’s Corner. This stone junction in the Labyrinth
connects to catslide alleys throughout the worlds—cats of
all kinds and catfolk come here to confer with their goddess
Bastet. The junction has a certain urine stench, and its soft
stone is marked with claw scratches.
Infinite Crypt of Urgametra. This is the tomb of a Great
Dreamer, a place where thoughts become reality and those
who enter must agree on how to exit. Filled with banshees
and visions of the Dreaming God.
35
 Lesser Elflands. Sometimes the Labyrinth turns into
a pocket dimension, with roots overhead, brambles and
berries in the tunnels. Quicksteps (see Creature Codex), elves,
and fey animals find the place amusing. Generally created
by an archfey for a fey party, wedding, or funeral.
Lunar Beamway. A set of tunnels through glowing white
stone near new worlds or worlds still being created. Lunar
devils enjoy haunting these paths (see Tome of Beasts 1).
Mechatown. A permanent settlement of mechadrons
on the site of a thermal spring powered by elemental Fire.
The mechadrons keep a single house of visitors where
guests are allowed; the rest of Mechatown requires an
increasingly rare series of visas and permits.
Mexha Wheel. Another turntable intersection, but this
one is unlabeled and four of its five passageways lead to
dead worlds (described earlier in this chapter). Bones at its
center suggest that a blood sacrifice might be required to
escape the wheel.
Minderhal Anvil. Another name for the Forge of Truth
and the home of the Smiths. It fills a Labyrinth cavern with
ruddy light and smoke and produces weapons and soldiers
to fight the servants of the Void.
Moonlit Kingdom of Tes-Qamar. Along with its capital
city of Roshgazi, this thriving community was once in
Midgard. Its minotaurs moved into the Labyrinth and have
faced a slow decline since, though they visit the ruins of
their old kingdom from time to time.
Narric Trace. A long passageway in the Labyrinth that
dead-ends and changes positions frequently. The theory
that it was created by an epic purple worm has been
conclusively disproven by the Keepers’ research, but the
theory that it is a sentient passageway remains popular.
Also called the “fool’s passage.”
Ocean Oracle of Phylestra. This area of the Concordans
resembles a lighthouse that illuminates its cavern. The
reflections from the waters help the oracle Phylestra see
the future, or at least to predict where creatures of the Void
might strike.
Pindelsburg. A kobold settlement in the Labyrinth, at
a crossroads of two passages not far from the Smithy. Its
street peddlers and merchants will sell you anything you
want for the right price, but especially potions of (modest)
healing and charms and amulets “guaranteed to prevent
you from becoming lost.”
Queensgate. This passageway is the greatest creation of
the Keepers of the Keys: a world portal that can be tuned
to any world (in theory) and that is large enough to bring
wagons and ships through.
Quicksilver Canal. A canal of pure elemental waters
flows through the Labyrinth; elementals enjoy it and use it
as a route to water worlds.
36
Radiant Egg Chamber. This 100-foot-tall chamber
resembles the inside of an enormous world-egg, and
kobolds believe it the hatching-place of Veles, the great
world-serpent. It glows with a soft orange light, and the
two holes in it are no larger than a horse.
Sea of Tranquility. A quiet section of the Astral Sea that
sometimes appears in foggy regions of the Labyrinth. It is
said to be haunted by nihileth aboleth (see Tome of Beasts 1)
or to be a ghostly echo of their lost empire.
Silber Stad. A fireforge dwarf settlement in the Labyrinth
of several hundred silver miners and silversmiths. They sell
to the Smithy and to the kobolds of Pindelsburg, and keep
notes on every wanderer, merchant, or adventurer who
passes through their gates.
Silent Hall of Thandor. A section of clearly worked stone
inscribed with runes that compel magical silence. No
counter spell enables speech or noise within the halls.
Sphere of Chaos. Difficult to describe to those who
have not seen it, the Sphere of Chaos is an amalgam
of passageways that rotate, connect, and disconnect
randomly, like a series of covered bridges that briefly
pass by a landing or an arched bridge abutment. Getting
through the Sphere requires exceptional coordination—
or flight.
Sphere of Order. A predictable but slow set of armillary
spheres that make it possible to cross a pulsing purple void
rift safely. The covered passages are not as fast as those of
the Sphere of Chaos, but falling from them would result in
void corruption or death in the abyss below.
Spore Caverns. The apocalyptic fungus responsible for
sporeborn (see Monster Vault) propagates here in enormous
quantities, and its spores infect anyone traversing these
caverns without filtering magic or cures.
Street of Frozen Tears. A section of blue glacial ice filled
with the bodies of well-preserved human warriors.
The Bubbler’s Well. A twenty-foot-diameter well of
derro construction and lined with runes of inlaid silver
seems a dangerous place to draw water, but it is perfectly
potable. The bucket is wooden and resembles a huge frog
or water demon.
The Hub and Hounds. A famous tavern usually found
in the Hub, but sometimes wandering far afield. It is said
to be built on the barrow-mound of a fey lord of travel
and whimsy, who shifts its location on full moons or in
accordance with high tides on some distant fey realm.
The Loop. For a time, people thought this was a full
world rather than part of the Labyrinth. The Loop is a
region of prairie grasslands that stretches evenly in all
directions. It’s impossible to leave the grasslands except
through the riverbank cavern back to the Labyrinth.
Hive-city of the Ahu-Nixta

37
 The Spindle. Six passageways on a rotating platform
connect in the middle like a potter’s turntable. The platform
often moves of its own accord. Labyrinth adventurers
labeled the passageways and tunnels with six sigils, so that
travelers know where they are going—but these change
occasionally (the Smithy, the Crypt, the Tree, the Sphere,
and the Town are the most common).
Ticking Forest. A stand of feyward trees (see Tome of
Beasts 1) and mechanical plants, created and maintained by
mechadrons for purposes of their own. Its cavern includes
an arcane sun to provide light, for no other apparent reason
than to make the forest’s leaves and flowers shine more
beautifully.
Titan’s Throne. This intricately carved tomb has walls 40
feet high depicting battles and captives and blood magic.
It includes a huge throne for a giant at least 30 feet tall. Its
bones still rest on the throne in a heap, and gigantic ghosts
defend the chamber.
Tower of Solana. A construction of the Concordans,
the Tower of Solana is a navigational beacon within the
Labyrinth, shining with divine radiance. Its light can be
seen through stone, though planar gates, and through
enormous distances—but only by celestials and the few
souls Solana blesses in this manner.
Transit Roundway. One of the safest sections of passages
that leads from the Smithy to the World Tree and the
Celestial Gate.
Planes and Connections
Three regions outside the worlds of the Labyrinth are
referred to as “planes,” and they are both highly magical
and extremely strange. The Astral Sea is a mystical ocean
that seems to give rise to the worlds of the Labyrinth, and
it largely exists outside the worlds and the Labyrinth. The
Elemental Planes of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water are not
quite worlds but multiversal constants that empower magic,
creation, and life in various ways. The Ethereal plane seems
to be an echo or shadow of each world that permits the
movement of things out of phase with the material world.
ASTRAL SEA
The Astral Sea is visible from the shores of the Labyrinth,
providing another way for travelers to move between
worlds. It is a strange place subject to tides and currents
unlike any true sea. It appears to glow, and travelers find its
watery essence disturbing—it isn’t water, it isn’t Ether, and
yet it can support swimmers and ships who concentrate on
moving through the sea to some destination.
The creatures within the Astral Sea, such as the astral
destroyer, tend to be enormous and quite dangerous.
Colonies of derro inhabit small islands within the Astral.
38
ELEMENTAL SPHERES
The elements are woven into the structure of the Ten
Thousand Worlds, and a Primordial caster has no difficulty
accessing elemental power from any given world. Some
claim the element of Fire is stronger near the 11 Hells and
Air is stronger near Celestia, but results of arcane studies
by the Keepers of the Keys are inconclusive.
Elemental magic can be practiced anywhere in the
Labyrinth and its worlds. Some believe that each element
exists somewhere as a perfect paragon world, such as a
World of Fire (which is rumored to be inhabited by the
efreet) or a world of Air (filled with djinn and angels).
However, getting to such places is difficult—no branch
of the Labyrinth seems to go directly to a place of pure
elemental force. Perhaps the pure elemental paragons are
a myth.
ETHEREAL PLANE
The Ethereal Plane suffuses each of the Ten Thousand
Worlds, slightly out of phase with the material world.
Arcanists know the Ethereal can be visited, explored, and
used in enchanting items or weaving spells, but it is a misty,
foggy realm with few native inhabitants. Almost nothing
grows or lives in the Ethereal, except by making jaunts
into a mortal world for sustenance. That said, certain
archmages hide tiny huts, magnificent mansions, and even
colossal castles within the Ethereal Plane.
Core Worlds
These worlds are easy to find from within the Labyrinth
and feature elements suitable for heroic fantasy campaigns.
They mesh well with a GM’s home campaign and other
published settings, providing roughly a dozen worlds
that can be visited without a major expedition though
uncharted territory.
ARMILLARY
Near to the heavens and yet outside their gates, this
creation of clockwork creatures is the home plane of
the mechadrons (see Monster Vault). It is not their first
home. Their world was lost to the Void long ago, when
Mechadron Prime led his clockwork people on the Great
Exodus. They built the world of Armillary from a single
living gear salvaged from their home world. It is inhabited
by mechadrons, gearforged, and a small number of trusted
dwarves and celestial sydereans. The world exists as four
rings around a central arcane sun; there is no night, for
mechadrons rarely require rest, merely repair and renewal
at the Great Forge when a part wears out.
 The mechadrons have a boundless appetite for metals,
coal, and workable stone, constantly working to expand
DREAMER’S ISLANDS
These islands on the shore of the Astral Sea are always
their small world into a larger one. They speak of “The Fifth
warm, shimmering, inviting, and full of tropical nights and
Ring,” a project that may take centuries to bring into being.
disquieting dreams. The Servants of the Dreaming God
find them congenial, but no one else does.
CELESTIA
Sometimes referred to as the heavens or the angelic realms,
Celestia is not one specific world, but a vast collection of
GREATER HELL OF TYVER-SAROK
Of all the hell worlds, none is more prolific than the Greater
worlds embodying law, strength, and divine providence,
Hell of Tyver-Sarok. Although typically hostile to mortals
protected by beneficent angels and demigods who rule
and entirely populated by infernal forces, the greater hell
with justice and mercy. The total number of celestial worlds
remains largely uncorrupted by the Void. The use of void
(commonly called realms) is believed to number between
magic is strictly controlled by infernal barons, countesses,
seven and seventy-seven. The lesser of these realms are
and archdevils, who fiercely defend their world against void
ephemeral demesnes that greater angels literally carry
corruption perpetrated by anyone other than themselves.
with them through the Labyrinth—which makes them
particularly difficult to tally. To enter the realms of Celestia, The Hands of Tyver-Sarok are the diplomats who speak
one must traverse a crystal highway hidden within the to the members of the Old Ring, the Servants of the
Labyrinth and walk its sunlit paths before finally passing Dreaming God, and the Keepers of the Keys.
through the Celestial Arch—a massive structure that burns
away void corruption. The golden portals to the angelic MIDGARD
realms lie beyond the arch. A world of dark roads and shadow magic, Midgard is
Like the hell worlds, the realms of Celestia depend on home to masked gods, powerful ley lines, and ancient
their immortal rulers to keep them secure and organized. fallen empires. Its unique people include the clockwork
The most famous worlds include the Clockwork Heaven gearforged, the rock-ribbed bearfolk, and a clever strain
of Rava and its seneschal Hala’ath (see Tome of Beasts 3); the
Shining Heaven of Solana; and the Lesser Heaven of the
Archangel Iilar’jil (see Tome of Beasts 3), the angel called the
Fire of Forgotten Hope, which moves as a beacon through
the Labyrinth. A Dwarf Explorer
on Coldforge
COLDFORGE
Though technically abandoned, Coldforge feels alive
and is the site of frequent visits by dwarves, smiths,
and members of the Concord of Stars. They all seek the
superior enchanted weapons, armor, and secrets once
known to the Dwellers, the dwarven rulers of Coldforge
who vanished three hundred years ago. Their servants still
rule the realm, a mountainous place of enchanted fires and
deep tunnels connected by outrageous bridges, aqueducts,
and sky ships. The only permanent inhabitants are the
servitors (rolling spheres that perform maintenance with
limbs and tools), stumbling warrior golems, and a handful
of gibbering gearforged, driven mad by whatever drove the
Dwellers away.

39
 of mining and urban kobolds, as well as a dragonborn
empire ruled by ancient drakes. Its greatest cities are the
magocracy of Bemmea, the elven remnants in Dornig,
Per-Bastet, the City of Cats, and Harkesh, capital of the
Dragon Empire. Midgard faces threats as varied as a ghoul
empire in the darkened depths, hellish gnomes, cultists of
deranged gods, Baba Yaga, and an array of elder aberrations
from the Wasted West. When visiting Midgard, heroes
can empower their magic with ley lines, travel swiftly on
shadow roads, and confront hostile fey, gnome assassins,
or members of the Emerald Order, a group of illuminati
seeking world domination.
SHADOW REALM
Once upon a time, the Shadow Realm was created by the
will of the goddess of moon and magic. She tempted a
group of ambitious elves to settle the shadow plane and
grow its population and might. These were the shadow fey,
and they are still the preeminent creatures of the realm
The city of Zobeck in Midgard
40
of Ebon Tides. Their fey rulers are Sarastra, the Queen
of Night and Magic, and her estranged husband, the
Moonlit King, along with others such as Chief Gulfwyr
of the Bearfolk and Queen Valda of the Golden Oak elves.
Emperor Vilmos of Ghouls, the Shadow Goblin king
Flibbam Barkwater, and the Queen of Teeth Phylomara
also vie for the power of shadow. The magical realm
is prone to bursts of shadow corruption, empowered
illusions, and the wanderings of the River Styx, but fey and
shadow mages find the realm congenial.
SUMMERLANDS
The lands of the elves and the fey are sunlit and warm,
a richly forested world littered with slim towers and
underhill palaces, with courtfolk halflings and gnomes
as well as the ever-shifting rule of the Archfey lords and
ladies. A representative sample includes the Countess
of Garlands, Mother Berchta, Mother Moth, Morrinn
the Snow Queen, Nicnevin, the Queen of Witches,
Mesikammen the Bear King, the Lord of the Hunt, and
Reynard the Fox.
The Summerlands folk are suspicious of strangers and
cautious around any whiff of dark magic or the Void. While
the lands are pleasant and the forests are enchanting,
this world’s relative peace and security derives from
watchfulness and isolation. Uninvited visitors are politely
told to leave, especially any creature of unnatural or non-
fey lineage, such as gearforged, stonekin dwarves, humans,
or sydereans.
SUNHOME
Positioned near the Celestial Realms, Sunhome is
sometimes called “the Floating World” since it consists
entirely of small floating discs and spheres connected
by skyships and magical creatures that fly from fiefdom
to fiefdom within the radiant sky. Elves are its primary
inhabitants, though a sect of stern sydereans maintains a
string of glasslike castles called the Great Globes. Each of
these holds a small sun shedding light piped to Sunhome
from Celestia or higher realms.
THE OLD RING WORLDS
The worlds of the Old Ring are the most ancient known
to the folk of the Labyrinth. They’re known by the names
of their primary flora and sometimes the place where they
first linked to the Labyrinth. Not surprisingly, these worlds
are generally wooded, and they were either discovered or
created by the Grand Druid of the Old Ring. The type of
tree in their name refers to the grove where the world tree
of each world was first grown.
Ancient Alder. Populated by humans and minotaurs, this
world of druids maintains richly woven connections to the
World Tree. Its climate supports woodlands from birches
and alders to olive trees and cedars. The rocky and poor soil
hinders farming, but small villages or settlements subsist at
its river mouths.
Autumn Ash. Ruled by forest drakes and smallfolk
gnomes, this world’s inhabitants are believed to be among
the most greedy and rapacious of the Old Ring, valued as
assassins for their skills.
Maple Leaf. Featuring a chill climate characterized by
small lakes and expansive bogs, the world of Maple Leaf
is primarily elvish, and humans are not welcome. Gnomes
and beastkin work the orchards and trim the hedges of
the strange, fey houses built along the lakes. For reasons
known only to the elves and their allies, the houses of
Maple Leaf are always built along lakes and river shores.
Oakroot. With its stone towers and ancient, living forests
as aware as the Margreve in Midgard, wood woses, treants,
and children of the briar are more at home in Oakroot
than humans or elves (who live here in smaller numbers.)
Mossbeard’s Throne is the largest tower here, built on a
great mountain just above the tree line. This is considered
the throne of the Great Druid Oberic, though he wanders
through the worlds as often as he stays in one place.
Redwood Haven. With deep fogs and sharp cliffs and
canyons, Redwood Haven consists of two great islands and
a wide ocean of whales, dolphins, and kraken. Its people
make fishing for salmon and whaling the foundation of
their small cities.
Rowanheart. Primarily home to grove elves and halfling
smallfolk, Rowanheart is a world of brambles, berries, and
cities of woven wood. Lady Hawthorne often visits.
Seven Pines. Sometimes called Winter Pines, this world is
cold and glacial, with craggy peaks and more giants, ogres,
and trolls than humans or elves. Yew, birch, and reindeer
are all common, and bearfolk visit from time to time.
Summer Birch. A long-settled place of plenty with
vineyards and barley fields between well-loved forests of
alder, birch, laurel, and pine. Mossbeard the Elder was said
to have wooed a birch-maiden here in his youth, and some
believe he still visits her grave each spring.
Twisted Cedar. This land of cedars and pines on a
cold and foggy ocean is populated primarily by humans,
though they share the land and sea with ravenfolk, elves,
owl beastkin, and selkies. Foggy moors and deep-cut river
valleys make travel difficult.
Twin Hawthorns. Named for the two trees near its
famous druidic College of Thorns, humans and bearfolk
settled this world. Elves appear only as visitors; they have
no communities here. The Great Druid Oberic spends
hours here teaching senior druids and inspiring the young.
Willow Shore. A mangrove world of islands and low-
lying coastal land, this world’s first world tree is at its
coldest region. The rest tends toward desert or jungle, with
long rivers and cenotes providing places for human and
catfolk settlements and nomadic gnoll, jinnborn, and air
elemental tribes.
YGGDRASIL, THE WORLD TREE
Yggdrasil connects to the worlds of the Old Ring and
Midgard through structures called world trees, which are
magical extensions of Yggdrasil. Creatures that climb or
enter a world tree might be transported onto Yggdrasil.
More information on Yggdrasil can be found in the
Midgard Worldbook.
The World Tree Yggdrasil is a planar pathway between
worlds, but it hosts permanent inhabitants, primarily
humans and ratatosk. Its great city is Grenstad, city
of the five branchings, a place of ratatosk. One of the
five branches from the city goes to Midgard, another
41
 to the Court of the Golden Oak in the Shadow Realm,
and so forth, making Grenstad a vital hub of trade and
ARCH SKY
This world exemplifies the rare case of a celestial realm
communication. The ratatosk make the most of this
devoured by the Void. The Arch of the Sky is a beautifully
position between worlds. They assert that they are not
preserved world of orderly cities covered in dust, rich
beastkin but divine messengers of the gods of Valhalla,
temples gilded with soot, and its people, plants, and
and that they have known about the Labyrinth far longer
animals transformed into marble, white clay, or limestone.
than those minotaurs who arrived so much later. When
The few remaining black lizards hunt sandflies that eat pale
questioned why, the ratatosk reply that they kept the secret
blue flowers that persist along burbling rivers. Treasures
to themselves like a prized nut buried for the winter, so of
taken from the Arch of the Sky crumble to dust within days.
course the minotaurs get the credit for the discovery.

Dead Worlds
Sometimes referred to as the Abyss or the demon-haunted
worlds, within the dead worlds of the Labyrinth mortal
life barely exists, suns have gone black, and magic fails to
function. Their inhabitants include demons, satarre (see
Monster Vault), void cultists, undead, and bizarre horrors
seemingly created by the void energies that run riot here.
These few represent a small percentage of the known dead
worlds and barely count against those long forgotten.
BLACK VELVET
The dead world of Black Velvet glimmers with black soil
lit by fungal growth near its hot springs rather than a sun.
In the eternal night, the stars shine brightly, and only the
moon rises and sets.
WHISPERING DUNES
This world contains a white sandy beach that stretches
forever, and dunes without end. Very little grows here, and
salt contaminates the soil and most water. A few species of
sand grasses still survive, and a few bugs and lizards find
springs and seeds enough to live on. Nothing else moves
or breathes.

Ratatosk are the messengers of Yggdrasil

42
Outer Worlds
This section includes sample worlds one might find when
traveling the Labyrinth. Seventy of these worlds were
designed by supporters of the Tales of the Valiant RPG.
Most of these are traditional fantasy settings that have
been run for years by their creators, who are acknowledged
below. Note that Kobold Press doesn’t own or endorse
these settings, but they are presented here to demonstrate
the range of worlds players might find within the Labyrinth.
AGIEL
A high-fantasy jungle island grown from the head of an ancient,
dead dragon that floats in the sea of the Astral Plane.
By Jonah Tappan and Katie Truelove
The head of a massive, long-dead astral dragon, Agiel,
floats in the Astral Sea. Residual magic from the dragon
and from the sea’s connection to other worlds act as the
life blood to the deep jungle that has encased the head.
Powerful gods have taken to ruling the people who inhabit
the harsh and wild landscape. The massive mountains of
Casto host dwarves and avian humanoids who worship the
eagle god of light and battle, Castio. The great jungle hides
the treetop city of Nandue, home to beastfolk worshipping
the trickster monkey god, Nue-moo. A central lake holds
the Island of Pojo, where a city of frog people and driders
worship the spider goddess of death, Namiera. The panther
god of law and justice, Baheer, fights to keep order in this
chaotic and savage world, aiding and protecting all who
seek order on Agiel. Heroes can explore Agiel’s overgrown
roads, lost temples, and bright canopy, each inhabited by
people and beasts from all worlds that touch the Astral Sea.
AHARAT
A war-torn world where cosmic horrors slowly seep out from their
eons-long imprisonment.
By Stephen Michael DiPesa
Three hundred years ago, the goblins of the Imperial
Legions toppled the continent-spanning empire of the
Drahazai, devil-blooded giants. Now, the once-subjugated
peoples of the empire bear witness to terrors new to
them but ancient beyond reckoning, as alien threats from
outside reality seek to break free from their eons-long
imprisonment. The goblins of Vul Dargash turn to such
allies as the elves of the Bloodlands, the dragon-kiths of
Naxzath, and even the feuding human city-states of the
Inheritor Kingdoms. Heroes in Aharat can clash with the
minions of the Nameless Ones, tap into the cosmic magics
of the Drahazai, or make contact with the long-silent gods
as they wake from slumber.
AKAMAIN
A fantasy world ruined by natural disaster and run by monsters.
By Jeff Quick
A dragon’s age ago, a mountain fell on the center of
Akamain, burying a pleasant, green kingdom under gray
ash. Five monstrous city-states arose, while humanoids
live as thralls and chattel: Grimgaunt, a region where
giants live to war, and the smart control the city-state as
racketeering oligarchs; Duskruth, a region where vampire
houses plot beneath ash clouds kept aloft by geothermal
updrafts; Brass City, a desert redoubt of shapechanging
djinn, whose caravans travel the roads around the Fallen
Mountain, trading goods and information; The Crawling
Ziggurat, a region where necromancers oversee a ruthless
meritocracy, ensuring only the best survive while all
others are turned to undead; and the Hoard, a region
where an extremely ancient silver dragon known only as
“The Dragon” micromanages every life in its regimented
human empire. Meanwhile, in the center of Akamain, free
dwarven rangers patrol and mine the Fallen Mountain for
ancient treasures and hope of a return to the green times.
ALDGATE
A heroic fantasy world with rediscovered ancient technology.
By Brian Suskind and Jon Enge
Aldgate is a world of heroic fantasy where absent gods
protect the Shroud, the barrier separating the world from
the demonic void. Soliddio, the God of Silence, alone
remains to ensure the prayer of mortal worship never
ceases to flow. Twice in the past, mortals turned from the
gods, once to the beguiling fey and once to technology.
Each time, Soliddio triggered cataclysms, reducing
civilizations to a primitive state and rebuilding them over
eons. Now it is the third age, and Soliddio languishes in
magical slumber. In his absence, mighty nations clash
for dominance, and the pantheistic church fractures with
schisms. Newly rediscovered steam and blackpowder
technology contend with the return of the fey courts, while
A NOTE ON SCIENCE FICTION
Some of the backer worlds reside in the science fantasy
or science fiction genres. While most games are played
in the fantasy genre, some groups enjoy mixing in the
occasional robot or laser with the goblins and warlocks.
Ultimately, it is worth asking your players whether they
want to include high technology next to their high magic,
or whether they prefer to keep the genres separate as
part of different campaigns.
43
 demonic Jahan subverts the leaders of nations. Unnoticed
amidst the turmoil, the Shroud weakens. Aldgate’s heroes
ATLABEL
Descendants from an ancient empire have returned, spreading war
wield blades and pistols against the growing tide of
in a world long-ago reshaped by the magic their people left behind.
darkness threatening to engulf the lands.
By The Manhattan Kobolds
Atlabel is a continent punctuated with magical fonts,
ANDOVIR each characterized by an element and school of magic.
A high-fantasy accesspunk world that accounts for disabled and
The fonts shape the landscape and cultures around them,
neurodivergent beings throughout its design and architecture.
though the peoples of Atlabel tell legends of an ancient
By Wyrmworks Publishing empire that harnessed the fonts’ power and fell to magical
A realm where accessibility and universal design flourish, plagues. One hundred years ago, the Ameran Dominion
shaping a world of limitless possibilities. In the layered city arrived in their fleet of ships, declaring themselves to be the
of Duneport, devils and djinn vie with dragons for control. descendants of that empire. They now claim the continent
Beyond its walls, in the Hollow Sea, the iridescent-shelled as their ancestral home, firm in the belief that all but divine
abaloi dwell, their spiraling homes piercing the coral desert magic must be suppressed to prevent future apocalypse.
sand. The goblins of the United Hordes of Kluird are The Dominion’s industrial and warlike people steadily
renowned trainers of service animals, including unicorns, spread across the continent, sealing the fonts and their
velociraptors, and pseudodragons, while their wheelchair magic. Heroes can explore the nations and the fonts that
cavalry strikes awe and fear. Shathun dwarves, orcs, and nurture and sustain them, uncovering the history behind
clockwork tinkerlings explore the oceans in ships and the strange phenomena.
underwater submersibles. Arcanowrights combine magic
and invention to create prosthetics, clockwork servants,
and culinary wonders, the paladins of the Order of the
Silver Lance safeguard the marginalized, and an ancient
cabal of wizards manipulates governments across the
continent. Within this vibrant realm, the arcane currents of
the Flow propel airships and arcane skimmers while casters
manipulate it to altruistic and nefarious ends.

ASCENSION
A world of floating islands orbiting a massive maelstrom.
By Isaac Morley
The world of Ascension consists of twelve spirals of island
kingdoms orbiting a massive perpetual storm called the
Maelstrom. Out of the Maelstrom fly the massive and
monstrous beings called Leviathan that are among the
greatest threats to the surrounding kingdoms. These beings
are hunted by the Hunters Guild, from its chapter houses
throughout the world, protecting settlements and pursuing
rare materials. Leviathans range from small monsters that
attack in large groups to massive island eaters that require
armadas to destroy. Leviathans are steeped in mystery
with little known except for the fact that they come from
the Maelstrom itself. Because of the nature of the islands,
airships are crucial for trade and war, ranging from small
skiffs designed for island hopping to massive war galleons
and even small one- to two-man shrikes designed for
daredevil maneuvering and racing through the expanse.
Heroes can explore the different spiral kingdoms within
the world, join the Hunters to slay Leviathans, or just hop
on their own airship and try to make their way through the Wind Acolyte
world, flying through a sea of clouds. (Tome of Beasts 3)

44
AURELIS, THE GOLDEN WORLD
A fantasy, alternate Earth where humans are refugees and their
gods walk among the living.
By T.D. Daigle
Two centuries ago, a mysterious new species appeared
on the planet Aurelis in a storm of arcane power. Calling
themselves “Humans,” these refugees claimed to have
come from a world simply known as “Earth,” with all
known avenues of return tragically lost to them. Now, they
must contend with a world filled with powerful magicks
and many sapient peoples, where gods of both their new
home and their lost homeworld walk among the living.
Here, among orc clans and dwarven kingdoms, undying
elven realms and proud dragonborn republics, they hope
to rebuild. Some have offered to take the humans under
their protection, while others look upon the humans
with suspicion, as the newcomers attempt in vain to find
a way home. Humans, too, are divided about their new
neighbors, either dedicated to living in harmony with these
strange creatures or to making their new world safe for
Humanity—whatever the cost may be.
AVUS
An apocalyptic, dark fantasy world where devils have twisted
the landscape to match the hells, and scattered peoples eke out a
desperate living.
By Jorge A. Torres
On the world of Avus, the great continent of Vea has
become a twisted reflection of the Nine Hells. It was here
that devilkind smashed the mortals and their celestial
allies. Now the Infernal Archduke reigns over a world
of dead gods and broken mortals. Humankind willingly
serves their infernal masters or are enslaved as chattel. On
islands scattered west of Vea, the elves lie shattered, their
nobility utterly decimated. Under the northern Howling
Mountains, the dwarven clans have chased their failed
kings from the Kingsrock and established a republic
bent on reclaiming their fallen realm. Far east of Vea, on
the small, harsh continent of Drevea, myriad peoples
fight over what little resources remain. Before they fell
to the Archduke’s armies, the gods left one final gift to
mortals: the Paragons, great heroes from all parts of Avus
with a spark of divinity and capable of pushing back the
Archduke’s forces. With the Paragons comes hope.
BEYOND
A neo-noir planet-city filled with godlike rulers, decadence, and
magical technology.
By Zachery Newbill
Dive into the City of Beyond, where the arcane is an
accessory to every object in town. Divided into Spires,
the planet-city is filled with mysteries, dark forces,
kidnappings, mutated monsters, infernal infestations, and
more. Heroes can gear up with ManaTech weaponry and
augmentations to increase their firepower or take to the
streets to help those oppressed by the Icons that rule each
Spire. Heroes can join the Manapunks as they rebel against
Icon Invictus, corrupted ruler of the Western Spire, and his
Iron Legion, or they can take their chances in the B.A.D.
Games, a battle royale where mercenaries duke it out for
the highest bidder. Will your heroes go Beyond or will they
fall prey to the wonders of the city of Neon and Night?
BLOODTHORN
A cubic, cyberpunk world fueled by an arcane substance secreted
from a sentient star.
By Scout Fenton
Eternal starless night cradles the cubic world of
Bloodthorn, centerpoint of a universe without sunrise.
Nine civilizations carve their skyscraper territories on the
surface, but as adventurers dig underneath, the caverns are
filled with mysterious light, tropical rainforests, and other
natural wonders long since buried by the urban jungles
above. The top, known as the Calm, needs no sunlight,
and its cities never sleep. The underground, known as the
Chaos, is unconquerable. Gargantuan geodes may appear
suddenly, revealing displaced worlds or portals. How long
one remains is never predictable. The core of Bloodthorn
is a sentient star that produces its namesake bloodthorn,
a neon blue glowing substance that runs like water, has
a sticky, thorny texture, and is the source of the world’s
magic. Unknown fates await those who bring bloodthorn
beyond the world that bears its name.
CLOCKWORK NEXUS
A steampunk world set within a world-spanning clock.
By Willy Alers
Clockwork Nexus is a mechanical world resembling the
insides of an unfathomably large and complex clock.
Roads, tunnels, rivers, and even mountains slowly change
over time as the great gears turn. Allied nations grow
distant and bitter enemies close. Empires rise and fall
as the shifting world moves resources and dangers or
changes climates over time. Adventurers often wait years
for the gears to reveal long lost paths and dungeons only
45

Mytholabe
(Creature Codex)
to be hidden again decades later. Clockwork creatures
are common sights alongside living flora and fauna. The
Clockwork Nexus is notable as a world where clockwork
people can occur naturally, sometimes found wandering
newly formed. Its most notable city is Horologium, home
to the Great Academy. The academy devotes itself to the
study of science and magic, mapping the movements of
the unending clock. Humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes
are all common within the city. Prominent religions of the
world worship the great Clockmaker and his emissaries.
DAUDALAUS
A world under a mysterious curse that prevents the dead from
reaching the great beyond.
By Jeff Lee
In Daudalaus, people die, but their souls never cross over
to the afterlife. Mortals must deal not only with undead,
but also the insistent voices of their ancestral spirits still
wishing to guide them from beyond the grave. Ghostly
kings rule nations, unwilling to yield power to their living
descendants. The Seekers for the Veil are a group that aims
to discover the cause of this worldwide curse, returning
things to normal and allowing the dead to reach the great
beyond. The Seekers boast heroes both living and dead,
who venture into ancient ruins and lost regions of power to
find the answer to their plight.
46
DENARIUS
A hyper-capitalist fantasy realm where corporations vie for
market dominance.
By Mark G.
In Denarius, death (or mortal bankruptcy) is temporary;
everyone is eventually reincarnated into the Business
Cycle. Long ago, the CEO/King died for tax purposes and
never returned, creating a vacuum for rivals to expand—
through subterfuge, violence, or magic. Participate in very
hostile takeovers, engage in corporate espionage, or delve
into supply closet dungeons to find mythic sales leads.
Notable locations include the Box, a walled city where
only the bold think outside; the Skeem Pyramids, home
of the MLM cult; the Data Mines; the Boiled Ocean; and
the Land of Dead Projects. Adventurers may make a pact
with the Devil in the Details, encounter Lybor (the dragon
who lends money at usurious rates), hear cryptic business
aphorisms from the Monks of AGILE, worship Angel
Investors at the Churches of Supply or Demand, or dine
with Count Receivable, the vampire who won’t stop talking
about Crypt Currency.
DUNBOURD
A swashbuckling world defined by a churning, world-spanning
swamp that spews forth dead civilizations and ancient horrors.
By Jonah Buck
Life on Dunbourd is defined by the Great Tarn. The
world-spanning swamp exists as frozen taiga marshes
near the poles and steamy, horror-infested wetlands most
elsewhere. The boundaries of the Great Tarn constantly
shift in a process called the Strange Tides, making maps
useless. Semi-nomadic villages of humans, chameleonfolk,
and ravenous shrewmen follow the ever-changing shores of
the swampland to harvest fungal crops. These communities
often come into conflict over access to dry land. Pioneers
exploring regions recently disgorged from the mire
frequently discover the bones of gargantuan beasts or the
zombie-filled ruins of sunken settlements. On Dunbourd’s
far-flung highlands, permanent cities thrive: Zuderdam,
with its haunted aqueducts; Van Trusk, whose damworks
are said to hold back more than just murky water; and
Knife-Tongue, with its monstrous royal zoo. But the
Strange Tides can isolate cities for years or generations,
and odd cults sometimes take root in these enclaves during
those hard years. Travelers must beware towering saurian
predators, speech-mimicking parrot griffons, oozing
monstrosities among the tar-like muck, flotillas of bog
pirates, wicker sirens, and frenzied ferrymen.
EIGHTY WARDEN MOONS
A fantastical civilization spread across the moons of a gas giant,
where political factions vie for power.
By Grant Martin
Gleaming cities and deep seas spread across the eighty
habitable moons of a gas giant. Mortals travel from
moon to moon in merfolk rocketships, on the backs of
void dragons, as cargo in djinn caravans, through the
empty afterlife, and in dozens of other ways. Ever since
the old gods and their servants were overthrown and
imprisoned centuries ago, godhood has become a prize for
the strongest and cleverest mortals. Divine halos change
hands regularly, as no mortal can stay the strongest or
cleverest forever. Monster Parliament claims to protect and
represent the peoples of the moons, but they are opposed,
discreetly or openly, by treant rebels, slime revolutionaries,
anti-magic zealots, krakenkin colonists, corporate nobility,
and most of all by the True Folk, an alliance of elves,
dwarves, and humans seeking to destroy the moons and
release the imprisoned gods.
ELDER EARTH
A post-apocalyptic high fantasy world where heroes must stave off
corruption to rebuild the dying land.
By Stephen Diamond
Elder Earth is in ashes. The broken moon has unleashed
magic upon the world. It corrupts people and beasts
into the Foulborn, twisted abominations that seek chaos
and destruction. Adventurers can visit the prison city
of Karnoth or the decadent port of Thaeloon. They can
explore the ruins of the arcane empire of Anueria, battle
pirates and raiders along the Broken Colonies, or fight
abominations within the Daragesh Wastes. Elemental
magic infuses the lands, from the storm swept Mahron
Reach to the fiery Ashcrown Mountains. Dwarf priests seek
the remnants of their god-emperor’s soul, scattered upon
his death. Elves consort with demons and spirits, seeking
to reclaim their lost immortality. The old gods were cursed
and have become mockeries of their divine purpose. Only
the foolish or depraved seek their blessing. The Theocracy
of Thalasia has risen in their place, promising refuge in
exchange for blood sacrifice and faith.
EMERALDIA
A world of dark fantasy where intelligent plants dominate the land.
By Mike Welham
A lush world of forests, grasslands, and jungles, Emeraldia
is covered by vegetation across every inch. The verdant
paradise subtly conceals a post-apocalyptic reality. The
Green rebelled against the creatures that wantonly
destroyed it and wiped out whole civilizations, directly
through tree armies and indirectly via deadly pollen
targeting animal life. The plants allowed lesser fauna to
survive to provide the plants with necessary, life-enriching
nutrients. Some surviving humanoids took refuge in
enclaves ruled by benevolent plants that believe they can
all coexist. The majority fled underground, where they eke
out meager existences and form tenuous alliances with
preexisting underworld societies. However, the Green
has begun to extend its reach to the fungi populating the
subsurface realms, endangering the world’s remaining
humanoids. Heroes in Emeraldia meet with hostile plant
life and may become embroiled in plots to remove or
reduce the Green’s stranglehold on the world.
ESERIEL
A world featuring vast towers filled with seemingly endless
dungeons, where life is driven by the hope to ascend a tower to the
home of the gods.
By Sawyer Judkins
The world of Eseriel is scattered with Dungeon Cores:
staggering towers of obsidian, running with veins of
emerald and gold. These cores are of an unknown origin
and are filled with seemingly endless levels of dungeons.
Over time, these mysterious objects have become a hub of
commerce and adventure because of the treasures found
within them. Jineth, the largest city in the world, started
as a base camp to explore the first Dungeon Core. Eseriel
boasts a diverse array of people from all walks of life.
Many come to the big cities to find their fame and fortune.
Floating high above the world, a massive crystal hangs in
the sky amidst the three moons. This blood rose crystal
is home to the gods. Many adventurers hope to one day
be the first to make it to the top of a Dungeon Core, and
perhaps discover their origin.
FELSENREICH
A gothic land of hope during a hopeless time, in which the lone
nation to survive a magical apocalypse struggles against the forces
of darkness.
By Justin C E Penner
The last nation is teetering on the precipice of annihilation,
but it’s also the largest bastion of hope and defiance against
the darkness that consumed the rest of the world. Within
the mountainous borders of the Kingdom of Felsenreich,
hundreds of cultures and heritages struggle to survive. The
Shrouded Maw hangs in the sky, blotting out the sun daily,
plunging the world into darkness and spewing forth more
dark horrors. This dreaded event is known as middark
and lasts one hour. Thirty minutes of partial darkness
before and after are known as middusk and middawn.
47
 Furthermore, werewolf packs led by the Queenwolf prowl
the forests of Silbernveld, death knights march across the
GÍGAN
A world of nomadic cities and unfettered greed.
fields of Konigtal, and dark corruption spreads across
the farmlands of Nordenwiese. Within the capital city, By Montana Sparks
Leuchtendstein, civil war brews between the resurrected Vast cities built upon the backs of great roaming Behemoths
royal prince Eckhard Erhaben and Cardinal Ulrich of the are the safest places in the nigh untamed wilderness of
Order of Light church. Gígan. Groups of nomadic kobolds act as traders and
couriers between the cities, which are led by autocratic
constructs. Small tribes of exiles have carved hard-fought
FERLINN’S BACKYARD pockets of sanctuary on the ground but remain vigilant.
A microcosm in an eccentric scientist’s backyard, where adventurers
Some cities of note are the Great Marketplace, the scholarly
contend with bugs, mushrooms, critters, and being tiny.
city At-the-Seat-of-Knowledge, and the elusive City in
By Lola Fortney the Sky. Tensions run high between city leaders as they
The eccentric old scientist, Ferlinn, lives in the Hitherguard do whatever it takes to secure power. A shadowy group
Forest, but an entirely different world thrives behind his of necromancers attempt to raise the First Behemoth, a
house. Ferlinn’s lush backyard is full of miniscule life, and guerilla army of exiles seeks retribution for their hardships,
its inhabitants don’t need much room. High in the tree and rumors spread of a cult that can control Behemoths.
canopy is the Hive, protecting its territory. The friendly and Heroes in Gígan will tame and hunt beasts, fill their pockets
colorful mushroomfolk whisper of their mystical bee rider. from trade, and face avarice incarnate.
Aggressive bugs roam the yard looking to feed the Queen
and replenish their numbers. Shifty pack rats run the black
market under the Deck, always looking to strike a “deal.”
Wealth and adventure can be found in the Mold Tunnels,
but be wary, the voles are always putting their snouts
where they don’t belong. War brews between the bugs
and the mushrooms, and the scientist’s experiments
cause constant havoc. Being small will not be easy. A
drizzle is a hurricane, a rock is a mountain, and the
squirrels don’t seem to be very skittish anymore.

GALLERIA OF GRUNRUNDI
A world of dark, commercialized fantasy set in a
post-apocalyptic shopping mall.
By Chelsea “Dot” Steverson
The surface world remains uninhabitable
after the Great Scorching, and the remains of
society have found refuge in the ancient dwarven
mines burrowed throughout the planet’s core.
Under the united banner of the Galleria, the mines
have evolved into a shopping megalopolis of scarcity,
commercialism, and superstition. The Fashion, Antiques,
Makers, Entertainment, Beasts, Food Court, Alchemy,
Magic, Rare Valuables, and Black Market districts have
emerged as the core power of the Galleria. Each has its
own modus operandi, housing, security, and political
interests driving its economy. But even with a century of
development, the Galleria’s inhabitants have yet to dig deep
enough to find the ancient dragon, Grunrundi, sleeping
beneath their feet, slowly inflicting a fever of rapacity on all.
Under superstition, the people offer tithes of molten gold
to the Pit, a vast unexplored hole where Grunrundi sleeps
undisturbed—as long as the gold keeps flowing.
Greed Swarm of the Galleria of Grunrundi (Tome of Beasts 2)

48

HEARTWOOD
A world set in a vast tree, exploring fantasy from an entomological
perspective.
By Nick Milton
Heartwood is a vast and majestic oak tree located in
the heart of an ancient forest. Its branches, bark, roots,
and soil are home to a myriad of magical creatures: the
Formicans, tiny but powerful ants whose Obsidian Legion
march to protect their queen; the Coleopteran beetlefolk,
known for their clans and guilds; and the Apoideans, a
monarchy of bees who provide the surrounding kingdoms
with magically infused Heartwood Honey. Adventurers
might explore the depths of Rootdeep with the 17th
Colony, work with honey alchemists to assist the Amber
Monarchy, draw leafsteel blades and barkiron shields to
defend the Crownlands from fierce lightning-breathing
blue jays, delve through the decay of Rotreach to unlock
the mysteries of the long-forgotten Fate Weaver Spiders,
or soar the skies over the verdant green Grasslands on
dragonflies.
HOURGLASS VERSE
An expansive collection of science fantasy worlds amidst the stars,
where an epic space opera unfolds.
By William West
Hourglass Verse is an ancient star cluster filled with fallen
civilizations, lost artifacts, and forgotten lore guarded
by ancient traps or simply buried on jungle planets.
Constructed as a refuge for those fleeing an ancient war, it
evolved into a refuge for any creature in need of sanctuary
and grew exponentially. The star systems of Hourglass
Verse orbit the central system, Flagpole, home of the
Blood Guard, who protect the Verse’s independence
and neutrality. Other worlds include Peregrine, a world
of unliving bone lords; Kerak, a world overrun by
magic‑eating, zombie-making fungi but being reclaimed
by nonmagical humans; and Cambria, the base-in-exile
for star-faring elves with a bad attitude. Forces beyond
Hourglass Verse’s boundaries that strive to influence or
conquer it include the Pride, a cat-shifter empire; the
relentless Durloc horde, bent on conquest; the mischievous
Reshi; and the world-building Ekka.
HOWLING ISLES
A peaceful world above an endless sea of clouds, where a
long‑forgotten disaster threatens to return.
By Austin H.
Ten thousand years after the great Calamity struck the
world, the mortal survivors moved to islands of rock that
drift on the winds above an endless sea of clouds known
as the Stormshroud. Villages and whole kingdoms are
constrained to the fragments of a past the people have long
forgotten. The world is now named after its largest and
most populous of these islands, Howling Isles, an inverted
mountain filled with the moaning roar of the winds of the
Stormshroud. The islands give life, shielding the people
from the long-forgotten monsters that dwell below the
clouds. Mortal kind has come a long way since all was
nearly destroyed in the Calamity. Memory of those days
has passed beyond myth, and monsters are relegated to
the stories told by parents to children. But the monsters
have not forgotten the people of Howling Isles. Deep in the
world below the Stormshroud, those of the void stir once
more. Mortals have had ten millennia of peace in the wake
of the great disaster. Soon they will have no more.
ISLES OF RELABORHAM
A naturalistic world tree canopy above the clouds.
By Emirranth
High in the clouds, a single tree stands serene. Expansive
branches reach beyond what can be seen. Great isles are
held in its twisting embrace, hiding among the protective
leaves it creates. Beings of mighty nature call out to the
tree, to move its branches and bring together the lands
that be, to grow the settlements of Beast and Humanity
and make the paths which they roam. It is a mighty tree
they call home. Some isles are lost to time, either overrun
by dark creatures or choked by thick vine. Some hold
treasures, great and vast. Some hide secrets, words echoed
from the past. Plants are fast to aid those who take these
paths. To track trees whose fruits glitter and shine, grant
strange boons to those who dine, or gateways to realms
that blow the mind, the rituals await for the wise to find.
LANDS OF LINGUIS
An eons-old civilization built on the magically binding nature
of words.
By Marc “DM Mythall” K.
Linguis is a realm of subtle contrasts where verbal verse
controls magic and where spellcasters channel the Holy
Triptych of Diction, Rhyme, and Metre to craft powerful
magical spells and bring ethereal constructs into being
with words. Eons of passive linguimancy heighten cultural
and commercial capabilities of densely populated areas.
The abundant nations of Idioma, Alliterative Alliance,
and Metaphoric Magocracy each provide for citizens’ and
visitors’ basic needs in seemingly perfect equity. Paragonic
deities form the Conclave of Ephemeral Concepts, where
ideologies tend to supersede theologies. Heroes looking
past the idyllic utopian surface find the machinations of a
darker force, Fracture, which undermines all communities
49
 from within. Tempting casters with dark promises,
Fracture urges manipulation or subjugation of others for
gain, seeding disharmony. Beyond the three cosmopolitan
Capitals of Commerce nations, vast wastelands of
Ignorance house many with only the most basic linguistic
learning. Creatures, conflict, and Fracture obstacles seed
many adventures in Linguis.
LANDS OF PARSANTIUM
A heroic fantasy world filled with Byzantine intrigue.
By Richard Green
The Free City of Parsantium stands astride two continents
at the crossroads of the world. Here, storied cultures
collide in a melting pot of adventure and intrigue, home to
evil cults, unscrupulous politicians, scheming serpentfolk,
ancient dungeons, powerful criminal gangs, gladiators,
and chariot racing. Conflict simmers between rival
city‑states and kingdoms vying to control the Corsairs’ Sea
and vital maritime trade. Adventurous souls can explore
the crumbling ruins of fallen empires: Bathura, whose
glorious cities were sacked by orc and hobgoblin armies;
Karjan, home of the infamous geomancers who corrupted
the land with twisted earth magic; and Khemit, destroyed
in a magical cataclysm by Queen Merytnofru’s sorcerers as
Greater Rakshasa
of Parsantium
(Creature Codex)
50
they battled invaders from the Caliphate of Aqhran. High
in the Pillars of Heaven mountains, the rakshasa Rajah
Vrishabha has been frozen in ice for 1,900 years, patiently
waiting to be freed to unleash a terrible tiger-striped future
on the world.
LOASTRA
A world built upon a catastrophe beyond memory, where spirits
and mortals exist in a delicate balance.
By Marbles M Goblin
Everything has a spirit. From the sky and the sea, to the
leaves that fall in autumn. In Loastra, most mortals live
in walled cities, safe from the spirits that dwell in the
wilds outside their gates. Here, there is harmony. The
domesticated spirits of forge and hearth work with mortal
peoples to create splendors beyond counting. Yet even
when spirits work willingly, some would strip the spirits
of their will. These mortals would command the spirits as
if they were the lost gods returned. The spirits are caged in
devices meant to drain their energy for foul purposes. This
cruelty is sometimes forgotten in glowing cities, where
magic is easier to find than water. These cities forget the
balance that exists in the smaller walled towns, but they
never forget the danger outside their own walls. In between
the cities and towns are the spirit-lands. Mountains float in
the sky, waterfalls flow up cliffs, and the land itself moves
when it wills. These lands are haunted by spirits turned
feral and some that have possessed the forms of beast and
mortal alike. A world of spirits and splendor awaits in
Loastra. Adventurers must choose: exist in harmony with
the spirits, or dominate spirit and mortal alike?
LORUS
A dark fantasy world where pastoral beauty is undercut by the
ever-lurking danger of alien horrors and forgotten elder gods.
By David Garrison
Lorus is a world of sanguinity and atrocity, of pastoral
beauty undercut by the rot of alien horror from the far
realms of madness. Here, the guttering coals of civilization
strive to alight and drive the aphotic gloom from the land.
Many unique peoples call Lorus home. The contemplative
loxodonts wage shadow war against the undead spiderfolk,
who haunt the whispering bamboo forests of Lambu
Weald. River elves, driven from their ancestral homes,
now follow the path of the merchant or become feared
reavers of the waterways. Like oases, cities lure both the
wholesome and the unholy to their beckoning lights:
Aluma’s Weir, the great port and secret gateway to the
stars; Rhuka-Tor, the capital of the grim hobgoblin empire;
and the City-State of Valas, ruled by the mad empyrean.
The minions of forgotten elder gods hungrily await.

MAL SCHOLASTICA
A bleak world of enforced education, where powerful knowledge
can be learned or stolen.
By Boleslav
Mal Scholastica is a plane of dismal villages and walled
cities. Attendance at the local school is compulsory;
the Captor rounds up truants who ignore the tolling
of their school bell. Schools offer a grim curriculum,
such as student vivisection in Biology and chanting
obscene summonings in Language Arts. Learning
in Mal Scholastica is evaluated by the Preternatural
Inspectorationist, an agency that inflicts terrible and
morbid punishments for schools, teachers, and students
marked as “needs improvement.” If students can graduate,
they join the elite in the gleaming, walled cities, gaining
forbidden knowledge. Otherwise, they are relegated to a
life of toil in the bleak, poorly maintained villages.
METRAS
A fantastical world living through its happily ever after—at least
for 50-year spans.
By Jeff Quick
Thanks to a couple of centuries of unified dwarven rule,
the world has gotten lax. History has been forgotten. No
king has a standing army. Places off the main roads have
gone to seed. However, every 50 years or so, a massive
threat appears: waves of undead, extraplanar incursion,
or magical eruption. All are catastrophes best handled
by temporary bands of adventurers rather than standing
armies. The 50-year mark approaches, and excitement
fills the people of Metras as the latest event has started
appearing: dungeons. These structures fall from the sky
and alter the landscape where they land. Strange creatures
and fabulous treasures await within each dungeon, and
teams of adventurers line up outside to try their luck. Once
a team defeats a dungeon, it proclaims their victory then
disappears, leaving behind only the adventurers, their
spoils, and the changed landscape.
MIASMA
A historical, dark fantasy world of Vikings, Saxons, Danes, fey,
witches, and horror.
By Curtis
Set in the distant past, the lands of Britannia have suffered
an invasion of Vikings on an unprecedented scale. While
Saxons and Danes vie for control of the shorelands, the
vast interior Wildwood has mysteriously transformed.
A dark mist, known to locals as the Miasma, covers the
interior and slowly consumes the surrounding villages.
Magical legends have become reality, and the secrets of
ancient runes help unlock the lost secrets. Miracles and
dark patrons have also become more visible, and the world
has unquestionably changed. From the Wildwood, druids
emerge alongside witches, with elves and dwarves brazenly
stepping into the countryside. Monstrous things stir,
and villages empty in terror. The dark things yet to reveal
themselves are the most worrying. Malevolent fey seem
to be behind the Miasma, and lands shrouded in the mist
hold answers and more dangers still. The heroes must find
their calling in the eye of this storm. Elves and dwarves,
goblins and dragons, Vikings and dark fey all threaten their
very existence. History will never be the same.
MORTENFELL
A burial world of intricate tunnels linking opulent underground
vaults that conceal secrets and technological traps.
By IrRyo
In the heart of eternal darkness, Mortenfell, once
brimming with life, now lies lifeless like those entombed.
This burial planet, a final resting place for nobility, teems
with treacherous snares and fortified defenses, erected to
deter relentless grave robbers. Beyond the need for genetic
coding to tread its paths, the tunnels house an intricate
web of traps, blending both primitive and advanced
technologies. Mortenfell boasts impenetrable vaults
safeguarding an array of treasures entombed alongside
their owners. One audacious group, driven by greed, dared
to breach the vaults from without. Their ill-fated drilling
struck a web of booby-trapped passages, engulfing their
excavation in torrents of molten lava and suffocating
gases. Caretakers are shapeless, soulless, stalwart sentinels
immune to corruption, and they are the overseers of this
desolate realm. Mortenfell’s enigma beckons, a testament
to its tragic past. Venture forth, defy its perilous depths,
and uncover the secrets that lie entwined within the eerie
embrace of its impregnable vaults.
NAZEROTH: THE CRADLE LANDS
A futuristic world-ship, forcibly terraforming a dying world
of magic.
By DC Shepard
Nazeroth was a dying world of petty kingdoms, warring
city-states, and holy strongholds littering broken lands
when, two centuries ago, a futuristic world-ship ripped
open the sky and plummeted to the earth. Delivered by
the gods, as some claim, the ship’s miles-long trail of
wreckage released flora and fauna engineered to rejuvenate
Nazeroth where magic and prayer could not, creating
the Cradle Lands over the passing years. Surrounded by
blasted wastelands and jagged obsidian peaks, the Cradle
Lands are an oasis of verdant life in a world unused to
supporting it. Now dark sorcerers, megalomaniacal
warlords, egalitarian Councils, and dogmatic God-Priests
51
 lead their people into the Cradle Lands, seeking alien
knowledge, bountiful fortune, power, and the resources to
enjoy them all. Heroes that venture here will contend with
strange carnivorous plants, prowling alien predators that
stalk the unwary, and malfunctioning drones struggling to
rebuild the world.
NEUVELDT
A world poisoned by eldritch magic and seeking vengeance on its
invaders.
By Benjamin L. Eastman and Matthew Dunn
Long ago, small folk lived in harmony with the land of
Neuveldt. Then the enigmatic pathways connecting worlds
shifted, making Neuveldt more accessible to those leaving
other worlds. Dragons searched for new nests and hoards,
finding willing kobold minions on Neuveldt. Hobgoblins
fled war-torn worlds and transformed Neuveldt’s docile
goblins into loyal legionnaires, ensuring their strength of
arms should their enemies ever catch up to them. Humans
escaped centuries of fiendish domination, seeking a
peaceful life on Neuveldt. Many more peoples soon settled
in Neuveldt, filling its lands with towns and cities. Over a
hundred years ago, the many peoples fought a protracted
war, each claiming Neuveldt as theirs. The war ended
only after the Lasting Peace and Ultimate Breath, twin
arcane atrocities that left much of Neuveldt a wasteland,
forcing the survivors to accept a reluctant peace. This alien
magic still taxes the land, granting Neuveldt just enough
sentience to understand its invaders are the cause of its
scars. It now actively rejects its invaders, growing great
beasts, forests, and other dangers to drive out the settlers.
OEDMORR FEL, THE TOMB PLANET
A grimdark, survival-horror fantasy world, featuring desperate
heroes against a world full of necromantic terror.
By Christopher Lockey
Oedmorr Fel is a stony planet of sprawling subterranean
catacombs, bathed in the penumbral magic of outer realms
and populated with a multitude of restless dead who call
the loathsome place home. It is a hollow construct of
ancient evil, fashioned by a sentient species of arachnid
necromancers—known as the Whispering Masters—who
hail from dimensions unseen. As the Tomb Planet drifts
languidly amidst the shadows of other worlds, this cruel
magocracy harvests countless species of lifeforms from
disparate realms and planes for its gruesome menagerie of
bones. Those fortunate enough to escape immuration may
find their way to settlements like Asylum or Graveholm,
where covert societies of displaced humanoids manage to
survive the Tomb Planet’s never-ending night. A veritable
“dungeon-sphere,” Oedmorr Fel is populated by vast
legions of undead, their necromage masters, the scant
refugees of myriad worlds, and arcane horrors beyond
mortal comprehension.
Sarcophagus Slime of Oedmorr Fel
(Tome of Beasts 1)

OBRUS
A comedic fantasy world where a demon lord of filth fights
sentinels of cleanliness.
By Fish Davidson
Sentinels of cleanliness wage unending wars against the
hordes of the demon lord Norozogaan, who seeks to
remake the world into a giant ball of dung. Franchises
of powerful but amoral academies manufacture useful
magical items that trade partial curses for widespread
affordability to fund their support of both sides of the
wars. Meanwhile, the constant battles transform pockets
of the world into blighted frontier lands where people
seek freedom from meddling kings. In the Freehold of
Brownstone, the largest such pocket, the citizens have
created a vast network of sewers and emergency response
teams to deal with the inevitable dung incursions. The
sewers beneath the city contain a city of their own, the Trash
Pit, where shapeshifters and tribes of conquest-minded
mushroomfolk live in an uneasy truce with surface dwellers.

52
PAPER WORLD
An Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired realm made of parchments, ink,
and paintings, where forsaken creations become sentient.
By Echidna Design and Follow the Fool
Every idea is a world, and every discarded idea is a world
that will never be. However, there is a place for all the
burned letters and the ripped pages—Paper World, ruled
by its Princess, where roads are parchment rolls, castles
are built with lost books, and tree leaves are unheard
poems about the beauty of nature. This is the place where
forgotten or unfinished creative works magically end up,
become sentient, try to find a new purpose, and complete
their unfinished sides. Peace is preserved by the Princess
of Paper World, a mysterious child who is untouchable
by any harm. She parses the new arrivals, dividing them
into “gentle thoughts,” who belong to the Realm of the
Quiet Words, and “grouchy thoughts,” who are sent into
the Lands of the Unreadable. Missed Happy Ending is the
largest city in Paper World, where adventurers can find
the sassy Unfinished Tavern, the half-burned Tapestry
Knights, and the tragic Willow of Poems. In the Lands of
the Unreadable, adventurers can encounter dangerous
beings, such as the living bounty posters known as the
Bounty Gang, the deadly Killer of Ink, and the chaotic
Uncompleted Spell. The central city of the Lands of the
Unreadable is Despicableton, a discarded utopia ruled by
the ever-changing painting of the Faceless King.
QORONUS
A ring world formed from the husk of a dragonserpent, where
political factions vie for control.
By Elliot Wenzel
Qoronus is a ring world, the petrified husk of a titanic
cosmos-roaming dragonserpent. The interior hosts a
bizarre array of life within varying terrain and biomes,
with notable features like a primeval forest that’s bigger
on the inside, a bustling megacity, a pregnant sleeping
volcano, and a dreamlike demiplane within the dead
dragonserpent’s brain. The exterior is alternatingly a
frozen or scorching hellscape depending on the orbit of
Sol, Qoronus’s microsun. Seasons pass similarly inside,
with summer peaking wherever Sol orbits closest. No
deities hold sway over the Ring. Societies populating its
lands are cosmopolitan but ideologically divided. The
Hyperion Arcanum pursues advancement of arcane
knowledge and technology, locked in a cold war stalemate
with the Arboreal Commonwealth, ecomagical stewards
of the Aelderwylde. The industrious Cavern Concord lies
between them, underneath the Ultramountain, licensing
mercenaries to handle threats its neighbors’ militaries
cannot or will not address.
REALMS OF NAR-THREAH
A wild, violent land of dark magics, fallen empires, and malicious
fey intrigues.
By Robert Fairbanks
The ruins of an ancient, world-spanning people lie
sprawled across a broken, tumbled world. Here, mighty
nations of fire and frost giants vie against the kingdoms
and allies of humans. The Nine Elder Wyrms, ancient and
powerful dragons, command vast, sovereign regions and
populaces, playing their own political games away from
the machinations of most humanoids. In Nar-Threah,
heroes can join the Thraexian Imperium’s falcon-helmeted
legions to campaign against Queen Torghan Anvilbrow’s
fire giants, or they can voyage past the ocean-washed walls
of Thymria, whose lotus-dreaming sea kings’ fantastical
and bizarre visions can alter and become reality. They can
explore the serpent-infested lands of Kleshia or seek the
fabled Glimmergloom, hidden home of the dark fey.
REALMS OF PALANNIA
A Celtic-inspired fantasy realm.
By gaelQuest
Long ago, the wise King Breannas led his people to Tír na
nÓg, the Land of Youth, triggering an epic war between
mortals and the Daoine Maithe, known also as the Good
Folk. The seas rose and the mountains crumbled until the
land itself was split asunder. This gave rise to the realms
now known as Palannia. In the centuries that followed,
saints and scholars have sought out the lost secrets of the
Good Folk. From the smoke-filled streets of Brencaster
to the dark groves of Witchwood, from the giant-plagued
highlands of Loch Anann to the mysterious dunes of
Mionn na Mara, valiant heroes embark on quests to learn
the language of the Daoine Maithe, reclaim their mystic
heritage, and discover secret pathways beyond Palannia—
or else spend eternity in the shadowy halls of Teach Duinn,
the House of the Dead.
SALMIRE
A modern world where magic is mundane and planar travel is the
domain of corporations and government.
By Bob C.
Two hundred years ago, magic returned to the world.
Industry adapted, science progressed, and eventually other
worlds were explored. The people of the nation of Salmire
used the magic and technologies they found in their
travels to create an empire that spans worlds, all under the
leadership of the great dragon president Dragoric. Now
magic is mundane. Corporations hire mages to work the
assembly lines, golems and other constructs are regularly
53
 added to construction crews, and people avoid dumpsters
in case of mimic attacks. But worlds need to be explored,
and in the race to the stars, everyone needs any edge
they can get. On Salmire, the wealthy elite hire groups of
mercenaries to explore new worlds, sabotage and infiltrate
their competitors, and stake their claim on the multiverse,
all while the government is staking its claim to every new
world (and society) it comes across.
SARLANA
A heroic fantasy world of outcasts from across the planes.
By Alice Avoy
The world of Sarlana lies on the fringes of the Material
Plane and forgotten by the gods, which made it a perfect
location for beings wanting to hide from the powers that
be. For eons, Sarlana was home to misfits from every
plane—devils on a path to redemption, defiant celestials,
somber fey, and noble aberrations. These outcasts not only
established their own city-states (like Doreelion, Teheria,
or Hari) according to their ideals and preferences, but
also suffused the land itself with their own unique energy,
causing a baby boom of plane-affected children. Sarlana
is a melting pot of cultures, worldviews, and high magic,
where bold heroes carve their own destiny by taking part in
skirmishes between the states or by exploring old ruins full
of forgotten mysteries. Recently, the gods have again taken
notice of Sarlana, causing panic among the ruling outcasts.
The world needs heroes now more than ever.
SÉARAIGH
A dark fantasy dimension that serves as the astral sewer system for
other worlds.
By Ryan McLaughlin
Everyone has waste–even the Great Powers that control
the Planes of Existence—and waste must have somewhere
to go. Séaraigh is an interdimensional sewer system for
the magical, etheric, and astral waste created on planes as
disparate as the Material, Fey, and Elemental. Séaraigh
offers an affordable and convenient service to worlds and
planes that would rather flush their waste and forget it. The
gloomy tunnels and endless aqueducts leading to Séaraigh
are near-impossible to map because of their mind-bending
geometry, and only the members of the mysterious Select
Committee know where the tunnels and aqueducts
ultimately empty their metaphysical waste. Despite this,
many unsavory characters have found dark, disgusting
paths to Séaraigh, allowing access to those in search of an
escape route to a new world. Likewise, an entire ecosystem
of unspeakable monstrosities has found a near-endless
food supply in Séaraigh’s cesspools.
54
SEAS OF KIRNON
A high-fantasy nautical world where adventurers explore rapidly
changing islands.
By Will Struck
The Seas of Kirnon are a nautical plane composed of
seemingly infinite islands. Fascinatingly, this ocean follows
a dramatic tidal cycle in which at any given point in time,
half of all islands are underwater. Thus, maps are frequently
outdated and the islands themselves change with the tide.
Major factions include the Gnavy, founded by gnomes
that bring order to the sea with their magical ships of wax;
the Metal Legion, an alliance of goblinoids and dwarves
focused on both conquering and creating islands; the Order
of the Scale, a secret society of dragons that masquerade
as pirates interested only in gold; the Drowned Court, a
royal family that ruled most islands at one time or another;
and the Abyss, the pantheon of Kirnon, who come in many
forms and temperaments. Deities include Denny the King
of Wanderers, the prophecy-writing Fors Eel, and the
island-gormandizing Leviathan.
SEVERNITIUM
A post-apocalyptic fantasy world literally split in two by a
magical cataclysm.
By J Santana
Inhabitants of a modern world depleted of resources
discovered an alternative deep below the surface: a
seemingly unlimited source of arcane power, which fueled
the renaissance of the population. Hundreds of peaceful
and prosperous years later, it was discovered that this
energy was, in fact, the magical prison holding a great evil.
With the walls weakened, this entity escaped, decimating
almost all life on the planet, including the pantheon of
gods who had imprisoned it eons ago. Somehow, however,
the world did not end. The two halves of this broken planet
remain together in an endless, cosmic dance, separated by
what is known as the Chasm, the broken-open remains of
the entity’s prison. Few have ventured down; none have
returned. Only evil, twisted creatures emerge from the
chasm. No one knows why the world still holds together,
and, perhaps, no one ever will. Hundreds of years have
passed, and the landscape has changed. Remnants of
past technologically advanced civilizations remain. The
few survivors, a mixture of humans, dwarves, elves, and
halflings, have begun to rebuild where they can. It is a dark,
godless existence in which no one truly knows why they
were spared from complete and utter destruction.

SHEKHENAH
A broken world shaped by invasive nature and recently slain
decadent gods.
By Ian “Grendel Todd” Grey
Beneath a fractured, crystalline sky supported by
cyclopean pillars spreads Shekhenah, half consumed
by the ever-growing forest Morfairsing as survivors
fight over the scraps. Join the notorious mercenaries
of Purgatory Company, travel with the goblins of the
Laughing Caravan, or build a shrine to a reborn Devanian
sky god. Meet undead wine-peddlers of disgraced
Xethenduul, plane-touched ideologues of the Pillar or the
Pit, or Y’tllian Pilgrims preaching salvation through the
dissolution of souls. Explore the sundial city Clepsydra,
the ruins of lost Venth, or the bones of Godshead
Mountain. Parlay with bleak Asuran gods over faithless
souls in the Underworld, give offerings of meat and honey
to divine beasts in the Cinderlands, or persuade chitin-
armored nomads to give up their secrets in the depths of
the Hungry Wood. In Shekhenah, visitors find a dying
world infected with rot thanks to the pride of angels and
the decadent gods they slew.
SILURIEL
A world of primeval forces and ancient magic.
By Thomas M. Reid
of spells and as reagents in the admixtures of forge and
cauldron, the black crystals are hoarded and traded, and
many even kill for them.
SILVER VALLEY
A claustrophobically small world with limited resources and
political intrigue.
By Sean Nester
Centuries ago, a frontier village was at the forefront of a
war against lycanthropes, when an unnamed mage sought
to resolve the conflict with a spell that would cure the
disease for hundreds of miles. However, something went
wrong. Impossibly large mountains sprang up all around
the village, trapping everyone inside their borders. Silver
in the mountains evaporated and created a seasonal haze
called the Silver Veil, which cures lycanthropy in all who
breathe it. The lycanthropic threat is gone, but now there
exists only 25 square miles of land for humans, dwarves,
elves, and goblins to survive. The citizens of what is now
called Silver Valley are faced with internal struggles, limited
resources, and occasional monsters from the mountains.
And no one who has braved the dangerous mountains and
left Silver Valley has returned.
Black Ooze of Siluriel
(Monster Vault)

Siluriel is a world literally alive, the embodiment

of an ancient, slumbering sentience. Brimming
with untamed wilds—old-growth forests, jagged
mountains, sweeping plains, vast tundra, and
fetid swamps—its civilizations remain stunted,
small pockets of settlement barely holding
against the inexorable forces of nature. It is a
place where magic waxes and wanes on
a generational timescale as the
great sentience sleeps and stirs.
During its restive periods,
magic in the world grows more
powerful, and Siluriel’s lifeblood bubbles
to the surface. Sometimes taking the
form of a mysterious black ooze
and other times manifesting as
twisted, terrifying aberrations
(the form of its nightmares), the
lifeblood eventually crystallizes,
transforming into a valuable
commodity, a prized ingredient
in the crafting of magic. Used
as components in the casting

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 SKOVANNYY’BEREG, THE FETTERED SHORE
A desolate world of ice, avarice, and sorrow.
By Paul McNeil and Edward Rollins
The Fettered Shore is a land of desolation, isolation,
zealotry, greed, avarice, and, beneath it all, a nearly
extinguished ember of hope. Civilization clings to the icy
shore of the Northern Sea, home to ancient city-states as
hostile to one another as they are to the creatures of the
tundra or the taiga. It is a world without kings or emperors,
where princes lead at the whim—and under the edicts—of
guild masters, who themselves vie for supremacy among
their peers. Within the shadows of the guild houses, greedy
men look to the lands of the peoples to the south—within
the taiga and across the steppe beyond—and to the fortunes
to be taken there. But even as the druzhina—with their
muskets and steel armor—march southward, a cancer grows
within the world, a forgotten thing that has long sought to
corrupt humanity. Its minions already lurk in the shadows
of power, whispering terrible desires to those who will hear.
SOL IMIS
A Bronze Age fantasy world, in which almost all dragons have been
slain and humanity has risen to an uneasy power.
By Cameron Feiler
The creation of bronze has allowed humans to finally slay
their dragon oppressors, plunging the world into an age
of anarchy. Now stone forts and temples hold the last
bastion of civilization. Not all peoples of the world support
the fall of the dragon rulers. The dwarves believe the new
age of chaos was not worth the freedom, while the elves
relished the constant shifting of power inherent in draconic
leadership. Elven woad now overgrows dragon hoards,
while dwarven citadels once appropriated as dragon nests
are slowly cleared. Mighty human heroes freed the Agarain
Fields from monsters years ago, but they now rule as petty
warlords hiding in their fort cities jealously sniping at
each other as monsters reclaim their ancient homes. This
is an age where heroes are made. Any mortal dreaming of
glory delves into the depths of the world to find forgotten
treasure and, if lucky, the chance to be the one to slay the
final dragon, Imperator Bathir.
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SOPHIA
A fantastical capitalist world in an Industrial Revolution setting,
where the land itself revolts against industry.
By Ressu Crebalt
Sophia, a semi-sentient world, was once ruled by dragons.
Then humans came from the sky and a millennia-long war
ensued. Eventually, Sophia had had enough, and many
disasters unfolded across the world. All humans died and
dragons suffered so much they were forced to begin a
long hibernation of another thousand years. To coexist in
relative harmony and keep Sophia at peace, the world was
divided in three realms: the Descartes Kingdom, ruled by
goblins; the Great Forests of Bacon, protected by a circle
of orc druids; and the Aristotle Theocracy, controlled
by kobold wizard-priests. The gnomes, descendants of
humans and goblins, were forced to live underground.
This status quo shattered when the dragons awoke. They
took the reins of the Aristotle Theocracy, with the objective
of ruling the world once again. They used their power to
marshal their armies anew. They used their hoarded gold
to create the first banks. But an unexpected rival appeared.
The gnomes returned to the surface and created the new
Kant Empire, using and improving the technology of the
extinct humans and sending the world into an Industrial
Revolution. Now, the world has become engulfed in war
and in nature-destroying industry, and Sophia isn’t happy.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, and tsunamis attack
indiscriminately. Is Sophia’s story destined to forever
repeat or can heroes broker an everlasting peace?
SORAMANCE
An ocean world of piracy, secret societies, political intrigue, and
freedom on the open sea.
By Valin
Soramance is a world dominated by an all-consuming
ocean. At the heart of the world is the grand city of Yohn,
whose mystical might once dominated the seven seas.
Now, the authority of their Crystal Throne has been
undermined by many secret societies, all jostling for power.
With Yohn no longer able to maintain control over the rest
of the world, other regions like the pirates of the Lunallan
Archipelago, the bold explorers of Midos, and the secretive
rebels of the Tangle’s majestic coral forests have asserted
independence. The world is threatened by the grasping
techno-liches of the Thaumagraph Cabal, lurking horrors
of the deep, and endless internal strife. Yet it’s a place
of discovery and wonder, where the prospect of a better
tomorrow always waits over the horizon. Adventurers in
Soramance can expect to become mixed up with secret
societies, visit strange new lands that seem to defy nature,
and witness history being made.

SPIRE HAVEN
A disc world once tyrannized by Titans, protected by the Gods, and
now under threat by a mysterious power.
By Talador
Spire Haven is a disc world that has seven giant towers of
mysterious purpose, with entire nations forming at their
very feet. The mortal people were once oppressed by their
deities called Titans, but a group of gods from another
plane, led by Baldurion, the God of Light, intervened
and banished the Titans to the underside of the world
ten thousand years ago. Now the people of Spire Haven
prosper under the benevolent rule of the Gods. However,
the Titans scheme to take back what is theirs by right.
Elves and humans are in constant conflict due to shadowy
machinations. A mysterious power in a forest called
Goshollow brings creatures of the night to life under the
malevolent eye of a Baroness. An adventurer’s guild was
created so heroes can solve these many mysteries under the
looming gaze of the towers.
STIRIACUS
A science fantasy world of technology and magic standing against a
wild, unforgiving world governed by zones of day and night.
By Phil Welch
Stiriacus is unchanging, its sun fixed in the sky. Here,
day and night are directions, not times. Life thrives in the
dusk and struggles against the extremes of daylight and
darkness. Adventurers evade the hardened Vrud raiders in
the Sivru desert beneath the blazing sun Aym, riding sand-
surfing skiffs to the mystery of its unreachable center. They
sail toward dusk across savage depths of the Nythosian
ocean to the ever-raining mangrove jungles of Hicaltus,
with tree-borne villages of the Myssuk and their volatile
gods. Further into dusk, the technomagical megacity
Valentorr reigns with its feuding city districts and political
power struggles. The ancient hidden civilizations of the
Tusga lie beneath Valentorr’s heat pipes, and the city’s high
walls cut into the frozen landscape of the Deep Night,
holding back the encroaching horrors dwelling there.
STRAND
A pseudo-modern electropunk fantasy world exploring power
imbalances that come with burgeoning technology.
By Jenn Tsai
Generations ago, the warring nations of Strand nearly
unraveled the Tapestry in a rabid arms race of cataclysmic
magic. Their ambitions drew the gods’ wrath, who sent an
angelic Herald to obliterate their rulership and rebuild them
as a single civilization, obedient under her ever-watchful
gaze. Today, Strand is a place of innovation and unified
prosperity, born from the Herald’s divine gift of magecraft
electricity. Opulence adorns Sant Devane, the sprawling
metropolis she calls her seat of power, where airships dot
the skies and gleaming spires shine deep into the night. But
the wealth of electrotech rarely makes it past the capital.
Brassi, Aborala, and Sei-nan, once proud arcanocracies,
now languish under the Herald’s iron rule. Age-old rivalries
and electrodependence have proven enough to keep them
in line, even as filth buries their overcrowded alleys and
flickering neon begs desperately for power.
TALAMH
A moon floating amidst the stars, where a rare celestial event gives
rise to monsters and gods.
By Jessica Henry
Talamh is the moon of a gas giant in a binary star system.
Grian, the gas giant, produces heat allowing for a
temperate climate on most of the surface. The light‑giving
star, Aine, and a brown dwarf star, Realta, form the binary
center. Every thousand years, there is a conjunction
where Realta eclipses Aine, causing darkness on Talamh
in an event called Hawl’twyll, or “the Dark Star Rises” in
Common. The surface of Talamh has one main continent,
and the ocean on the other side is mostly unexplored.
Talamh’s biggest threat is during the months surrounding
Hawl’twyll, when proximity to Realta’s radiation causes
portals to the realms of the fey and other planes to open,
letting loose monsters across the world. This threat leads
the gods to temporarily assume physical form in the world
to aid and protect Talamh’s people.
TALOTH
A world where magic and technology clash, and an extraplanar
entity threatens to consume all.
By Biometal Omega
Taloth is a plane where technology and magic both
flourish, with each kingdom or nation choosing how they
adapt to these influences. Some look inward and become
jealous, clinging to technology, while others still dwell in
magical wonder, building great metropolises and trading
with neighbors. Beneath it all are the scars of the past,
those lost to the chaos of a long-forgotten era, unseen
and festering. Something waits beyond the great veil.
Its tendrils and abominations are sent forth as corrupt
missionaries, trying to claw its way in and consuming all in
its path for some unknown purpose. Taloth sits adjacent
to a planar entity, a great machine of flesh and energy that
seeks to connect to and consume other planes. It sends
its minions to make a beachhead before beginning its
feast. On Taloth, this beachhead is the ever-growing maze
known as the Nullwood, where these minions process lost
unfortunates for their master.
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 TAMMERYN
A world of dark and gritty magic.
By Phillip Larwood
Thousands of years ago, a terrible cataclysm split
the world of Tammeryn almost in two, toppling
cities, destroying mountains, and killing millions.
Now an enormous rift separates the two halves
of the planet. The gap is crossed here and there
by towering metal bridges and swirling glyphgates
staunchly guarded by fierce golems and bound
souls. On the western side of the chasm, a great
theocracy has arisen, built around the heart of
a flayed god that requires a steady stream
of humanoid sacrifices to keep beating.
On the eastern side, bickering city-states
vie for control over dwindling resources
as a sorcerous malady known as the
Consuming Curse reduces everything
to powdery, bone-white ash. Above all this chaos stand
the godmarked, a new people born with a spark of divine
essence from a forgotten pantheon that may yet save
Tammeryn from ruin—or herald its final destruction.
Flayed Wraith
TELEVYSE (Tome of Beasts 2)
A darkly comedic, 80s-inspired world of neon magic and
capitalistic parody.
By Nick “Jack1Spade” Lucas
subterranean city, Crystalhaven, governed by guild leaders
In the world of Televyse, brands have replaced gods, spells
known as the Crystal Conclave. Within Crystalhaven,
and artifacts are used to create mundane wonders, and
heroes summoned by the Church of Radiant Light mount
mysteries lurk in the sewers, the drifting mall plazas, the
expeditions above, searching amongst ruins and darkness
hanging skyscrapers, and the industrial arti-forges. All
for knowledge and relics to purge the Ebon Shroud, while
manner of people exist somewhere in this planet-city,
disciples of the Church of Shadowed Night actively seek
working, living, and questing. New additions such as
to venerate it using insidious rituals. Abyssal Excavations
intelligent oozes, living holograms, and dryads add new
Incorporated instead uses its explorers to delve deeper
viewpoints to explore. Multitudes of adventures exist,
to find untapped resources, rare materials, and ancient
from tense magi-mobile races through the city slums,
treasures. These unknown depths are home to venomous
corporate espionage among the eldritch depths of the city,
fungi, ravenous monstrosities, raging elementals, and
or filming new high-stakes programming for spellevision
colossal wyrms. Deeper still lies the Obsidian Reach, which
broadcasting. The dragon-ruled city is full of light, magic,
is home to the plotting necromancer, Drakthanar, and
and wonder that hides a dark and hungry underbelly
other bastions of sentient life, including the Mindspire
feeding on a distracted populace.
Sanctum, a twisted city of aberrations.

TERRA OBSCURUS TERRACK, THE CRACKED CONTINENT

A subterranean city that serves as the last baston of civilization or
the base for even deeper exploration into a world of stone
and shadow.
By Vish Naidoo
After a terrifying magical cataclysm, the surface of Terra
Obscurus was covered with the Ebon Shroud—a plague
that slowly turned infected individuals into corrupted
shadow beings. Civilizations fled below, founding a new
A survival horror world amidst the rocks of an endless canyon.
By Jason Dincauze
Above—massive, winged behemoths that snatch in a
flash and devour in single bite. Below—a mist few ever
return from, save those who speak of horrors beyond
comprehension. All known life exists in between, in
the multitudinous canyons that make up the Cracked

58
Continent. There are no nations, just desperate settlements
clinging to the sides of canyons, though some tell of
sprawling cities: the mythical Aerotroplis, a city suspended
across a canyon; Mazur Estermar, the legendary Carved
Dwarven City; and countless more. All manner of peoples
survive here in the canyons, traveling either along the
canyon side and through its beast-filled cave systems or by
aerial means, which isn’t without its perils. Generations
have survived like this. But now, seven godlike beings
have plummeted from above, drawing all the people of the
canyons into a mysterious new conflict that may lead to a
paradigm shift for all residents.
TERRAN EMPIRE
A post-apocalyptic world set in the far future, where the last
vestiges of a galaxy-spanning empire cling to the shadows of their
former glory.
By Rob Dearsley
Centuries ago, the Terran Imperium spread across
thousands of planets, its technology and military prowess
unmatched across the galaxy. But their sentient warships
turned against them, burning the Imperium from the face
of the galaxy. Exotic weapons, capable of rending the fabric
of space, opened subspace rifts all across the Imperium.
Survivors using these “portals” found the bombed-out
cities of their homeworld long-since reclaimed by nature,
and they settled into the cities, clinging to the shadows
of their empire’s former grandeur. Overhead, the skies of
the world are choked with debris from their desperate last
stands. Sentient Imperial ships still stalk the wider galaxy,
their crews long dead or mutated into abominations—the
Turned—that mindlessly serve the ships. In the far corners
of the galaxy, a new darkness rises. Older than time, this
force is intent on dragging all the universe into the infinite
darkness of the Before.
TERRAPEIRO
A world of underground exploration in darkness and scarcity.
By Phil Mason
Terrapeiro is a realm of earth and rock where the sky and
open air, if they exist, have yet to be found. The first visitors
to Terrapeiro found a nearly featureless cave with walls
of rock and a single vein of quartz, which attracted the
attention of miners. Eventually, more and more miners
and supporting staff joined the centuries-long excavation
until generations were born not knowing a world
before Terrapeiro or how to return to that other world.
Terrapeiro’s main city is Troglopolis, which is a conical city
that was carved in the first century of the excavation and
that is run by a coalition of mining guilds. The areas closest
to the narrow base of the city are the most cosmopolitan
and wealthy and are said to be where the First Cave
once existed, though no one has ever found it. As the
passageways spiral upward and outward from this base,
dwellings quickly become plain, eventually turning to little
more than roughly converted exploratory dig sites. Tunnels
reaching out from Troglopolis lead to natural caves filled
with running water, massive lakes, and fungal forests,
which supply food and water to the city. Some of these were
found by mining efforts, but others lie down passageways
created by tunneling beasts native to Terrapeiro. There are
rumors of massive burrowing leviathans out in the dark,
and legend speaks of endless gold deposits, uncountable
gems and, somewhere out there, the surface of Terrapeiro,
with land to be claimed by the first mining guild to find it.
THAECOSIA ARCHIPELAGO
A science fantasy world of Bronze Age explorers rediscovering
ancient technology.
By Gabriel L. Helman
The ten thousand sun-drenched islands of the Thaecosia
Archipelago sprawl across the known waters of the
Turquoise Sea. The Bronze Age kingdoms and aspiring
empires of the inner islands are home to human artisans,
cat-like lynxus sailors, bureaucratic lizardfolk, and
mercantile dragons, while ancient aberrations swim deep
below. Traders, freebooters, and pirates sail between
islands on sorcerous winds, traveling from towering
cities, to the fey-haunted Redwood Isles, to the roosts
of the crystal plateaus. On the uncharted outer islands,
adventurers battle living metal statues with bronze swords,
counter lasers with wizardry, and delve into wondrous
structures, pairing sandals with scavenged futuristic
technology. Further out, beneath the Obsidian Citadel,
lies the nearly forgotten wreck of the starship that brought
their ancestors to this world. Old folktales survive,
whispering about the Thermal Shelters and the Sleep of a
Thousand Nights, but few believe them.
THE ALWAYSGREEN FOREST
A whimsical yet dark enchanted forest, with tiny people and
talking animals.
By Darryl T. “Splattered Ink” Jones
The Alwaysgreen Forest is a lush and beautiful land, full
of ancient, towering trees, magical, life-giving waters, and
deep crystal-lined caves. It is teeming with life and magic.
The awakened woodkin, the majestic deeret, goblins,
ratkind, dobbers of all traditions, and many more call it
their home. They are friends to the forest, belonging to
it, and it to them as a leaf does to a tree. Dobbers are tiny
people, often described as three apples tall. What they lack
in size, they make up for with intelligence, wisdom, and
59
 creativity. They are hardworking and love their community,
always willing to lend a hand, share a story, or enjoy a warm
cup of tea by a roaring fire. No story of the forest would be
complete without woodkin. Awakened raccoons, badgers,
chipmunks, owls, and more also call the forest their home
and have been embraced by dobbers as family.
THE DEVOURED LANDS
A world largely conquered by an alien invasion, where the
survivors use ancient magic to stage a resistance.
By R Moorhead
Darkness and hope preside over The Devoured Lands.
Invaders from beyond the stars conquered The Devoured
Lands and now change the world from the familiar to the
strange and profane, growing alien plants and ferocious
animals using the blood of captured native wildlife and
humanoids. Below the surface, the humanoids that once
roamed the surface, known as the Arks, hide in fear, their
discovery only ever one mistake away. Revolutionaries,
malcontents, and people dreaming of the skies above evade
the eyes of the invaders. Couriers of the Arks face death
every day, traveling between the Undercontinent, the
Blood Roots, the Swamp of White Terrors, and the Ocean
of Sand. The Arks known as the Red Skull Marauders
call for open arms against the invaders, wielding alien
weapons against the invaders and raising their flag on
captured invader ships. The Arks known as the Cult of the
Swallowed Heart delve deeper below, seeking the magics
of the Forgotten, but will their delving lead to some new
doom? And could the invaders be fleeing something worse?
THE SPECTRAL CONTINENT
A gothic, dystopian world where the harvested energy of ghosts
fuels technology.
By Hbossssobh and Baldesion
On The Spectral Continent, necromancy has become the
driving force of technological and industrial development,
harnessing the energies of ghosts, called ghostfire, to
create trains, airships, and war machines. In cities, this
has resulted in various amenities, but it has also resulted
in the exploitation of the poor through indentured service
that lasts well into the afterlife. A world without deities,
The Spectral Continent has been left under thick cloud
cover, with rain a near-constant element of life thanks to
a magical war fought three hundred years ago over the
implementation of ghostfire. The Spectral Continent
now consists of five different nations, political unrest,
disquieted spirits, and various monsters—including
strange aberrations seeking a foothold in the plane. Daily
life is a struggle as the haves and have-nots vie for a better
life and afterlife for themselves and their descendants.
60
THUNDERSCAR ISLE
A post-apocalyptic world of cold-blooded fantasy.
By Sebastian Rombach
An old equatorial continent made new again, Thunderscar
Isle is home to revived thunderlizards, dinosaurs brought
back to life by the necromantic power of the High Dragons.
In a land where draconic worship and necromancy are
commonplace and mammalian life has been made extinct,
four lineages of sentient life remain: the dragonkin,
koboldkind, lizardfolk, and nagaborn. These four peoples
struggle to survive as their home island fractures beneath
the might of dinosaurs resurrected well after their time
had ended. Enduring a surge of natural disasters, primal
territorial conflicts, and the sudden silence of the now-
missing High Dragons, the people of Thunderscar Isle
must unite to divine left-behind elven mysteries, delve into
human ruins, and excavate dwarven secrets to ensure their
survival. Only by solving the mysteries of the extinct can
the remaining peoples of Thunderscar Isle save their home
from a past cataclysm on the verge of repeating itself.
TRAEVEON
A world of young civilizations impacted by an ancient conflict
between spacefaring giants and dragons.
By Mycelia Fearne
The strong gravitational pull of the gargantuan planet
Traeveon led to massive vegetation and the birth of titanic
beasts. Giants were its rulers, and they built a civilization
that endured for eons—until the gemstone dragons
descended. The giants escaped the draconic invaders to
a planet-sized asteroid, which was eventually drawn into
the orbit of Traeveon, becoming its first moon, Maerlorn.
A peaceful truce was struck between the dragons and
giants, but the elemental magic of Traeveon pulled at the
gemstone dragons and eventually birthed new chromatic
and metallic dragons. Tensions between the dragons rose,
and the giant-gods, sensing war, tore two continents off
Traeveon, forming them into two new moons, Caerbest
for the metallic dragons and Laeliffle for the chromatic
dragons. Traeveon was permanently altered, bringing
new life to the land in the form of humanoids. Now these
peoples build young civilizations across the world.
TROGAART
A world of contracts and debts, where bizarre quests for exotic
items never seem to go as planned.
By Daniel Paoliello
On Trogaart, the great nation of Tiberis is ruled by the
Merchant Houses and Crafting Guilds whose trading
network and hoarding of wealth has led its citizens and
entire nations into unfathomable debt. Even so, it is never
enough for the Houses, which push the Guilds to create
ever more fantastic artifacts and tools, requiring ever more
exotic and scarce components to create. The Adventurer’s
Guild fills the role of procurement expert for the other
guilds, and it is mostly made up of the most ambitious
and most desperate people. These people take the
contracts that no one else will. Many who volunteer for the
Adventurer’s Guild become legendary heroes, but few ever
retire. Most who join the Adventurer’s Guild do so to pay
back a debt, be it their own, their family’s, or their nation’s,
and stay in the guild indefinitely, as paying off that debt is
nigh impossible when everything comes at a price or with
another contract to fulfill. Heroes on Trogaart can find
amazing artifacts found nowhere else—as well as sellers
who are all too happy to lend credit or offer a contract to
complete the transaction.
VADIS
A fractured world with pockets of relative stability threatened by
calamity and the magical fluctuations of the world itself.
By Eric Sage and Gates Perrault
The world of Vadis is mostly wild. Direction, distance, and
even time itself shift and flow like mercury. Most beings
huddle within the Calms—islands of stability built upon
the ruins of an ancient empire. World travel remains the
purview of the Seekers’ Guild, sole possessors of technology
to navigate the ever-changing wild. Travelers may encounter
many peoples: the rugged, stoic Stonespeakers; the
Treesingers, matriarchal masters of arcane and botanical
sciences; the Sleepless, zealots dedicated to defying
death; the Unmen, who arise spontaneously from lifeless
matter; and the Many, as varied in size and ability as they
are numerous. Society reels from recent, unprecedented
events. Belgeritte, the oldest and largest Calm, has collapsed
into the wild. Tens of thousands are presumed lost. Other
Calms face an influx of refugees. The powerful hold court
in the ancient city-state of Centruus, economic center of
Vadis, discussing a plan to deal with the catastrophe. Others
whisper of another impending collapse. Heroes could
be drafted to maintain order, join in the rescue efforts,
investigate the cause of the collapse, or follow reports of
spiderlike humanoids raiding the fringes of civilization.
VERDANI
A steampunk world, where the technologies that have
revolutionized life have also created existential threats.
By Levi Indvik
Industry and innovation rule the world of Verdani.
Factories produce steam-powered engines, high-power
flintlock rifles, flameless torches, and airships. Thanks
to the Artificer’s Consortium, lavender-hued Brenorium
crystals are processed into Brenite cores, which power
clockwork devices. Tragically, a huge Brenite processing
plant recently exploded, destroying the city-state of
Galvora and releasing a noxious gas that mutates flora
and fauna across much of Verdani. Now, strange monsters
roam the countryside, and a zombie plague haunts most
cities. The largest of the city-states built Brenite-powered
barriers to keep these monsters out, and people can safely
ride airships to all the major city-states on the world.
Most are drawn to Alveron, the megacity of guildhalls and
trading hubs. Adventures can help cities fight off hordes of
mutated beasts and zombies using new Brenite-powered
weapons and technology, or they can attempt to explore
the ruins of Galvora, searching for answers to the plague
that haunts Verdani.
VOREL-MIIR
A high fantasy world full of ancient ruins, lost artifacts, and
forgotten lore, where tyrannical dragons rule in the stead of gods.
By Myth Epicweaver
Vorel-Miir is a world controlled by the five ancient
chromatic dragons, each ruling from one of the five
continents. Centuries ago, the ancient dragons were stirred
from their slumber by an entity known only as Night-Eyes.
From the far reaches of the void, Night-Eyes warned its
ancient kin of the growing threat of the humanoid races,
having observed firsthand the infection and devastation
humanoids brought to countless worlds that Night-Eyes
had seen in their travels. The resulting Draconic Purge saw
the destruction of all the humanoids that did not become
subservient to the dragons. With no followers, divine
magic and its gods disappeared over the years. The dragons
monopolized all other magic, allowing only their most
loyal followers access to some magical secrets. Adventurers
can uncover ancient lore, artifacts, and secrets, but they
must be careful of the magic they wield, for the minions of
the dragons are always watching.
VYDAL CITY
A cyberpunk fantasy world, where life revolves around using and
controlling a refined magical substance.
By Evan Noone
The neon-soaked skyline of Vydal City illuminates the
perpetual night sky and barren planet below. Being
the only megacity, its technological marvels allow it to
thrive with extensive mining operations accessing entire
bioluminescent biomes in underground caverns. Here,
magic crystalizes into physical material that can be refined
into glowing multicolored liquids called Neononoxite,
or Neon for short. Each color produces magical effects
from a different school of magic, powering different types
61

Non-canonical elements
of the Labyrinth can
easily include science
fiction worlds
of technology. Everyone in Vydal City is born human, but
most modify themselves with Neon upgrades to emulate
the abilities of more fantastical species. Governing
Vydal City is the Fluorescent Brokerage, managing the
distribution of Neon across the city. They also oversee
the eight Spectrum Corporations that produce the eight
different colors of Neon. Heroes in Vydal City contend with
the corporate elite, Lazervein gangs, and mad geniuses,
each vying to use Neon to reshape the city in their image.
WESTWARD FRONTIER
A spaghetti western fantasy world.
By David Mathews
Westward Frontier is a dry, mostly untamed world with a
collection of small city-states, the Imperial Union, along
the coast of the largest body of water. The western edge of
the Union’s monitored and protected territory is known
as Imperial End (or Imp’s End to the locals). From here,
travelers can strike out westward, delving into monster-
filled ruins (most go broke trying to clear ‘em out), chasing
bounties on the Dark Eight (better get them before the
Inquisitor Marshals do), or procuring passage to the
62
Union’s only western outpost, New Sanctum (watch out for
bandits). Aside from monsters, dehydration, outlaws, and
the heat, travelers in Westward Frontier might face one of
the Grand Barons or their agents (which often takes more
guts than brains), the Emissary of the Eternal Heavens
and their zealous followers (they’re more dangerous than
they seem), or Ol’ Zeke (the oldest and most ornery dragon
there ever was).
WEZTEREALMS
A mind-bending eldritch horror world inside a political western
package, featuring desperate heroes and reality-shattering
monstrosities.
By Dreamfyre Shadowcaster
Beyond the forgotten corners of the cosmos lie
Wezterealms, fragmented realities disguised as a single
coherent world through inconceivable illusions. To the
unsuspecting mind, Wezterealms is a land of opportunity.
Here, bright minds can thrive in the political and scientific
circles of ever-expanding cities of concrete and steel, and
deft and strong hands can quickly gain fame or notoriety
as gunslingers in the cities or the vast countryside plagued
by crime and lawlessness. Those unfortunate enough to
catch a glimpse of the truth of Wezterealms discover that
the splendors and the promises of fortune and opportunity
are but dissembling glamours masking horrid, ravaged
realities. In these fragmented wastelands, traversable
only with powerful and dangerous magic, a perpetual war
rages. It is a conflict between ancient witch clans seeking
to restore reality, terrifying aberrations nourished by the
souls of the deceived, and the mysterious Aspecti, the
rulers of Wezterealms and fabricators of the Great Mirage.
Heroes may visit Wezterealms to benefit from their riches,
scientific progress, and technological inventions, but
fortune and power were never meant for anyone unwilling
to accept the illusion.
WYRDSTRANDS
A world of shunned misfits surviving under the high fantasy
veneer of an Arthurian world that has no place for them.
By Bill Olander
The Divine Council created a perfect world: an endless
realm of fey woods and feudal human kingdoms
underneath heavens run with clockwork precision. The
Shining Gods from the Avalonian Isles balanced by the
Tenebrous Gods of Annwn are locked in an eternal war
between Good and Evil. No one expected Nyxus, Dark
Lord of Dragons, to fall for Amyra, Angelic Goddess of
Love. Fallout from their union has ravaged the land, left
rebel deities murdered or banished, and populated the
land with a host of new humanoids, known as the Fateless,
that both sides of deities ignore after excluding them from
the Loom of Fate. The Fateless range from lycanthropes
to druidic shapeshifters, half-demons to elves, and
many other humanoids. Supported for decades by the
sympathetic High King Arthur, the Fateless now fear for
their safety as Lord Mordred, who sees those exempt from
fate as dangers to his divine right to rule, takes the throne.
YESTERMORROW
A world of discovery, where time is a malleable force.
By Richter
Embark on an extraordinary odyssey through the ever-
shifting realm of Yestermorrow, where time itself is a
malleable force. Explore the magical mysteries of the
Arcanum Enclave, where time echoes through the halls,
revealing hidden knowledge to those who dare to unlock its
secrets. In the Grove of Epochs, witness the convergence
of timelines, where ancient forests coexist with the vibrant
life of bygone eras. Feel the pulse of time in the Everforge,
a place where past, present, and future entwine, and where
the fires of creation burn eternal. Traverse the enigmatic
Whispering Isles, where the whispers of forgotten warriors
reverberate across the ages, guiding the brave toward
their destiny. With each step, the very fabric of time shifts,
offering endless possibilities and captivating quests.
Adventurers can unlock the mysteries of this realm, where
the ebb and flow of time becomes their greatest ally on the
path to legend.
YGGDRASIL
A science fantasy world of space travel and wars over territory and
powerful resources.
By Patrick Boyer
Yggdrasil is home to advanced technology, overgrown
magic that can corrupt at a touch, and powerful artifacts
imbued with the essence of those who have wielded them.
The mystic dragons of Vanaheim and the industrious
dwarves of Nidavellir wage war to become the galactic
superpower, the animal folk of Asgard merge science and
sorcery to spread their faith across the stars, and the elves
of Alfheim and Svartalvheim have never known peace with
one another. Chief among the myriad dangers of Yggdrasil
are cosmic horrors of fathomless power, autonomous
constructs surviving long after their creator’s fall, and
those corrupted from the use of dark magic. Heroes wield
swords and sorcery in equal measure with firearms and
technology, they traverse the cosmos, turn the tides of war,
navigate a tense political climate, uncover the secrets of an
ancient imperium, and overcome the dangers of the vast
cosmic unknown.
ZHIKETH
A decaying world built on the prisons of evil gods.
By Brad Castles
For untold millennia, Zhiketh was plagued by cruel and
vicious gods who demanded harsh tithes and sacrifices.
Life was brutal and short until a century ago, when mortals
banded together and bound them into physical form,
ending their threat forever—or so it was hoped. While the
gods remain trapped, their powers have eked from their
prisons and warped the cities and towns built in triumph
above and around them. These wonderous cities include
Kavorl, a realm of peaceful debate, which now drowns in
whispers from jealous mouths; Bralon, whose wonderous
architecture is alive (and slightly hungry); and the learned
city of Turaf, stuck in ever-lengthening days. The people
have also changed, focusing ever inwards and distrusting
all, with their only allies being those with memories
untainted—the vampires who led the coup against the gods
in the first place.
ZORAKAN
A dark fantasy world of harsh extremes, half always in light, half
always in darkness.
By John Leonas
Zorakan rotates about its axis exactly once per solar
orbit, leaving half the world eternally in light and half the
world eternally in darkness. The Brightlands is a region of
infested jungles, uninhabitable deserts, volcanos, and the
Boiling Sea. The Djinn Empire constantly defends itself
from raids by barbarian fire giants. Dragons and demons
scheme for domination. Elementals and basilisks roam
harsh wastelands. The Darklands is a region of undead
hordes, eldritch horrors, and remorhaz herds. Dwarves
shelter underground, mining gems and metals. Their
forges are a source of warmth, forming civilization’s
frontline against dark threats. The Lich Queen awaits the
End Storm, which prophecy says will plunge the entire
world into the darkness she enjoys. Betwixt is the hundred-
mile-wide ring of land and sea between the extremes where
dawn and twilight live. It is home to societies of humans,
elves, and many others. Betwixt’s gleaming city of Boraxis
is defended by celestials and knights riding pegasi and
griffons, and its arcane scholars monitor the unchanging
position of the sun.
63

CHAPTER 4: THE VOID AND ITS SERVANTS
The Void is a malignant force that devours worlds and that
offers power to those who choose to use it. It’s part of the
Wyrd power source, otherworldly and almost entirely
destructive. Those few who know its secrets can turn it to
good ends, but in the long run, everything the Void touches
is corrupted, tainted, or destroyed. Those who draw on the
Void gain access to spells and power, but they create cracks
in any world where they use that power. Over time, their
followers and their world suffer the incursions of demons
and void creatures, and the world loses the radiance and
life that is the hallmark of life-giving magic. Long-term
exposure to the Void and its power eventually leaves worlds
hollow, lifeless, and dead.
64
The Cathedral of Silence
Void Factions
There are thousands of cults dedicated to the Void, its
power, and its denizens, but three stand out as large
enough and powerful enough to disrupt the Labyrinth and
bring doom to new worlds or old ones. These are the Great
Chantry of the Voidmother, the Last Cathedral of the death
knight king and his brother, and the Followers of the Pure
Void. For more information on void cultists, void factions,
and void magic, see Warlock 31: Void Magic.
GREAT CHANTRY
The Great Chantry is a clerical order devoted to the Void
and the members of its dark pantheon. Two partnered
groups form the heart of the religious cult—the Sisterhood
of Outer Darkness and the Scribes of the Black Star.
 Under the stewardship of Voidmother Boslara the Sweet,
the sisterhood’s sprawling cloisters have become a bastion
FOLLOWERS OF THE PURE VOID
A rather esoteric group of mostly human, satarre, and
of the Great Chantry’s power. Few are allowed inside, but
dwarven mystics, these bookish cultists are among those
rumors abound of the secrets hidden within the cloister’s
who seek to use knowledge in the pursuit of Ragnarok—
ritual chambers and expansive crypts. The most tantalizing
or other apocalyptic end times. This often culminates in
of these rumors speak of a hidden gateway to the twisted
summoning a cosmic horror or a major fiend, such as a
realm of the archangel Kel Belleth—progenitor of void
spawn of Hriggala (see Tome of Beasts 2) or a voidling. These
angels and known ally to the Voidmother.
cultists haunt the libraries of major cities, infiltrating
Much of the sisterhood’s power comes from mastery
wizard’s collegiums and guilds, with an eye toward locked
of the scrolls penned by the Scribes of the Black Star, the
rooms of forbidden manuscripts, and they go adventuring
other half of the Great Chantry. These malignant scholars
to recover lost or buried works of significance to the Void,
dutifully seek out and transcribe the baleful utterances of
always seeking to unlock the great blasphemous secrets
the Void’s most powerful servants. The most influential
that will unmake the world. In particular, they seek the
of these scribes is Elder Jesparga Lavide, who famously
bones and relics of void saints and godlings.
penned the dark visions of the ur-wyrm Nidhogg. Lately,
The Followers of the Pure Void deny having a leader, but
however, more and more such servants are being devoured.
two rivals stand out (though they are friends, of a kind).
Nidhogg seems restless and questing for something,
The elder is the red-robed Toothless Crumble, a venerable
though precisely what troubles the dreams of the ur-wyrm
dwarven wizard with a thin white beard and an incredibly
is yet unknown.
keen memory for void lore and symbols. Toothless lives on
a drifting tower of pure force anchored in the Plane of Stars
LAST CATHEDRAL
This major void cult is led by two undead brothers—the
Lich King Domitos and Visimar, King of the Death
Knights—who terrorize the worlds of the Labyrinth with
their undead soldiers and fanatical living cultists.
Domitos and Visimar suffered childhoods of unspeakable
cruelty. Growing up together, surrounded by death,
torture, and hate, they became driven by revenge. Once
those who had wronged them had met with slow and
terrible justice, this drive for revenge transformed into
a desire to snuff out all life. When the brothers became
undead, their reign of terror began in earnest. Entire
worlds, such as Coldforge, fell to their army, becoming
lifeless husks. Allied with the Doomspeakers and other
violent cults, they have spread their influence deep into the
Labyrinth, and members of the death knight legions are
found on a dozen worlds.
The cult is named for its headquarters, a ruined cathedral
on a demiplane in the Void where the undead kings sit on
their Twin Thrones. The Last Cathedral is the only surviving
temple of Solana’s first worshipers. She is a goddess of
life and love whose various shrines and followers were
completely obliterated—first from the brothers’ home
world, then from a dozen worlds where she was worshiped.
To this day, the brothers maintain a fanatical hatred of
Solana and all her followers and priests, but the goddess
herself remains a power within the Labyrinth.

Voidmother of the
Great Chantry

65
 (more often called the Astral Plane). Equally ancient and
learned is Chuptar alz-Faragh, a satarre cleric and scholar
whose understanding of Void Speech and the dark gods is
wide-ranging.
Though their faction seems loose and non-violent,
the seeds they plant grow into monstrous crusades and
hideous purges, for they know how to light the black flame
of the void in the hearts of ambitious souls.
Void and Labyrinth Monsters
Creatures of the Void have existed as long as the worlds
have existed. For GMs running games in the Labyrinth
setting, the challenge is to show the weird and wonderful
variety of creatures in the many worlds of the Labyrinth—
and fortunately, there are hundreds of options available.
A list of the most common Labyrinth-friendly and

CR 0–1 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source Monster CR Source

Zoog 0 CC Light Eater 1/2 TOB3
Cultist 1/8 MV Mydnari 1/2 TOB2
Lantern Hagfish 1/8 MV Skin Bat 1/2 TOB1
Solodron Mechadron 1/8 MV Sooze 1/2 CC
Stirge 1/8 MV Void Cultist 1/2 CC
Derro 1/4 MV Xanka 1/2 TOB1
Exploding Toad 1/4 CC Alabroza 1 TOB3
Roachling 1/4 TOB1 Anophiloi 1 CC
Star Crow 1/4 MV Dark Servant 1 CC
Ahu-Nixta Drudge 1/2 TOB2 Dust Goblin 1 TOB1
Chaos-Spawn Goblin 1/2 CC Eonic Drifter 1 TOB1
Crimson Jelly 1/2 MV Glass Gator 1 TOB1
Darkmantle 1/2 MV Minor Malleable 1 TOB2
Derro Guard 1/2 TOB2 Nihilethic Zombie 1 TOB1
Dupladron Mechadron 1/2 MV Satarre 1 MV
Husk 1/2 TOB2 Wyrdling 1 MV
Light Drake 1/2 TOB2

Gibbering Mouther
(Monster Vault)

66
Void-themed creatures from the Kobold Press catalog is CR 4 MONSTERS
included here. Some are creatures of the pathways, tunnels, Monster CR Source
and portals, others are clearly the creatures that scrounge Alabroza Bloodfiend 4 TOB3
dead worlds of the Void, and others still are strange, alien
Derro Fetal Savant 4 TOB1
civilizations and worlds at the edge of the known.
Dorreq 4 TOB1
The entries are arranged by creature Challenge Rating
and include the source where you can find their statistics Dust Grazer 4 TOB3
(CC represents Creature Codex, MV represents Monster Vault, Elophar 4 CC
and TOB represents an entry in the Tome of Beasts series). Faceless Wanderer 4 TOB2
Husk Demon 4 MV
Infernal Centaur 4 TOB2
CR 2 MONSTERS
Lesser Voidling 4 MV
Monster CR Source
Oculo Swarm 4 TOB1
Ahu-Nixta Mechanon 2 TOB3
Ratatosk 4 TOB1
Akanka 2 TOB3
Rattok Demon 4 CC
Balbazu Demon 2 TOB3
Relentless Hound 4 TOB3
Baleful Miasma 2 TOB3
River Spirit 4 BOET
Black Sun Orc 2 CC
Selang 4 MV
Cave Dragon Wyrmling 2 TOB1
Tosculi Warrior 4 TOB1
Cobbleswarm 2 TOB1
Tripladron Mechadron 4 MV
Derro Explorer 2 TOB2
Tusked Skyfish 4 TOB1
Dopplerat 2 TOB1
Vangsluash 4 TOB2
Fanatic Cultist 2 MV
Vulgoloth 4 TOB1
Gibbering Mouther 2 MV
Grick 2 MV
Mechanist 2 MV
Blaspheming Hand
Ophinix 2 TOB2
(Tome of Beasts 3)
Roachling Lord 2 TOB1
Roachling Scout 2 CC
Umbral Shambler 2 TOB3
Void Dragon Wyrmling 2 MV
Wind Eater 2 CC

CR 3 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source Monster CR Source

Ahu-Nixta 3 CC Minotaur 3 MV
Black Sun Priestess 3 CC Mordovermis 3 MV
Blaspheming Hand 3 TOB3 Pale Screamer 3 TOB2
Bloodsapper 3 TOB2 Plaresh Demon 3 CC
Corpse Worm 3 TOB2 Radiant Spark Swarm 3 TOB2
Dark Eye 3 CC Satarre Destroyer 3 MV
Derro Void Eater 3 MV Satarre Mystic 3 TOB2
Dust Goblin Chieftain 3 CC Skull Drake 3 CC
Far Wanderer 3 CC Snake with a Hundred Mage Hands 3 TOB2
Gaunt One 3 TOB2 Swarm of Vampire Blossoms 3 TOB3
Giant Mole Lizard 3 TOB3 Void Constructor 3 TOB3
Goat Man 3 TOB1 Void Fungus 3 TOB3
Insatiable Brood 3 MV Wind Witch 3 TOB3

67
 CR 5 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source
Arachnocrat 5 TOB2 Moderate Malleable 5 TOB2
Cipactli Demon 5 CC Nihilethic Dominator 5 TOB1
Dark Voice 5 CC Oth 5 CC
Derro Shadow Antipaladin 5 TOB1 Otyugh 5 MV
Derro Speaker to the Darkness 5 CC Phase Giant 5 TOB2
Derro Witch Queen 5 CC Ratatosk Warlord 5 CC
Dread Walker Excavator 5 TOB2 Roper 5 MV
Dream Eater 5 TOB1 Sandman 5 TOB1
Dream Wraith 5 CC Spawn of Parzelon 5 CC
Flayed Wraith 5 TOB2 Tosculi Bow Hunter 5 TOB1
Gargoctopus 5 CC Voidpool 5 TOB2
Ion Slime 5 TOB3 Wormhearted Suffragan 5 TOB1
Labyrinth Keeper Minotaur 5 CC Wrack Demon 5 MV
Mandriano 5 CC

CR 6 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source
Akaasit 6 TOB2
Child of Yggdrasil 6 CC
Culicoid 6 TOB2
Derro Shadowseeker 6 TOB2
Doom Creeper 6 TOB3 Derro Witch Queen
Doomspeaker 6 CC (Creature Codex)
Dracotaur 6 CC
Fate Eater 6 TOB1
Fext 6 TOB1
Mamura 6 TOB1
Mortifera 6 TOB3
Necrotech Reaver 6 TOB3
Nichny 6 TOB1
Ogrepede 6 TOB2
Planewarped Derro 6 TOB3
Rimepacted Devil 6 TOB3
River Giant 6 BOET
Spawn of Rhopalocerex 6 TOB2
Tetradron Mechadron 6 MV
Tumor Troll 6 TOB3
Void-Blessed Ogre 6 TOB3
Xecha 6 TOB3

68
CR 7 MONSTERS CR 8 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source Monster CR Source

Advanced Grick 7 MV Ahu-Nixta Cataphract 8 TOB2
A-Mi-Kuk 7 TOB2 Ancient Mandriano 8 CC
Crystalline Monolith 7 TOB2 Astral Devourer 8 TOB2
Eonic Savant 7 TOB2 Avulzor 8 TOB2
Chatterlome 7 TOB2 Black Sun Ogre 8 TOB3
Ghost Knight 7 TOB1 Blood Giant 8 CC
Gilded Devil 7 TOB1 Chained Angel 8 TOB1
Golmana Demon 7 MV Feyward Tree 8 TOB1
Herald of Darkness 7 TOB1 Kachlian 8 TOB2
Moon Priestess Minotaur 7 CC Locksmith 8 TOB2
Repository 7 TOB2 Lost Minotaur 8 CC
Selang Void Piper 7 MV Lunar Devil 8 TOB1
Shadow Beast 7 TOB1 Necrotech Thunderer 8 TOB3
Void Speaker 7 CC Onyx Magistrate 8 TOB2
Voidclaw Zombie 7 TOB3 Parzz’val 8 TOB2
Walled Horror 7 TOB2 Qwyllion 8 TOB1
Voidwracked Mage 8 CC

CR 9–11 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source
Arx 9 TOB1 Catonoctrix 10 TOB3
Bonecage Constrictor 9 TOB3 Conjoined Queen 10 TOB2
Chaos Creeper 9 TOB3 Ghost Knight Templar 10 TOB3
Dimensional Shambler 9 TOB2 Kobold Planes Hunter 10 TOB3
Eater of Dust 9 TOB1 Major Malleable 10 TOB2
Flame-Scourged Scion 9 CC Spawn of Hriggala 10 TOB2
Heirophant Lich 9 CC Void Knight 10 TOB3
Mytholabe 9 CC Flutterflesh 11 TOB1
Shadow River Lord 9 CC Flying Polyp 11 CC
Spider Drake 9 CC Glacial Crawler 11 TOB3
Stargazer 9 TOB3 Herald of the Void 11 TOB2
Xhkarsh 9 TOB1 Infernal Champion 11 MV
Young Cave Dragon 9 TOB1 Leech Demon 11 TOB3
Young Void Dragon 9 MV Void Giant 11 CC
Altar Flame Golem 10 CC Voidling 11 MV
Automata Devil 10 TOB1

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 CR 12–16 MONSTERS

Monster CR Source
Devouring Angel 12 TOB3
Droth 12 CC
Galidroo 12 TOB2
Gug 12 TOB1
Hundun 12 TOB1 Adult Void Dragon
Mi-Go 12 TOB1 (Monster Vault)
Necrotech Death Barque 12 TOB2
Skein Witch 12 TOB1
Spawn of Alquam 12 TOB2
Stellar Rorqual 12 TOB2
Tosculi Hive Queen 12 TOB1
Yskarakta, Lord of the Satarre 12 TOB2
Bone Colossus 13 TOB2
Bonespitter 13 TOB2
Demon Lord Chittr’k’k 13 CC CR 19–25 MONSTERS

Helashruu 13 TOB2 Monster CR Source

Nihileth Aboleth 13 TOB1 Adult Cave Dragon 19 TOB1
Cambium 14 TOB1 Bone Lord 19 TOB3
Howler of the Hill 14 TOB3 Living Star 19 CC
Liminal Drake 14 TOB2 Shoggoth 19 TOB1
Orobas Devil 14 TOB1 Demon Lord Rhopalocerex 20 TOB2
Pact Lich 15 CC Dread Examiner 21 TOB3
Shadow Giant 15 TOB2 Demon Lord Hriggala 23 TOB2
Star Drake 15 TOB1 Demon Lord Qorgeth 23 TOB1
Adult Void Dragon 16 MV Ancient Void Dragon 24 MV
Infernal Knight 16 CC Ancient Cave Dragon 25 TOB1
Massive Malleable 16 TOB2 Arch-Devil Parzelon 25 CC

70
Cult Names
Splintered into a thousand temples, parishes, and To choose the name of a prominent void cult in any new
variations, all void cults are essentially the same cult. Each world, use the Void Cult Naming table and roll a d20 three
promises easy power, and each offers a different death. times, once each for prefix, core, and suffix elements. Add
Though their names and homelands change, the results adjectives to fill any indicated blank from the Suffix column.
are always the same: a mad cult leader grows powerful,
and their followers and the world suffer.

VOID CULT NAMING

d20 Prefix Core Suffix d20 Prefix Core Suffix
1 Ancient Brothers/ and Allies 11 Fanged Loremasters of ______ Blood
Brotherhood
2 Black Chantry and Sons 12 Golden Oracles of the _____ Deeps
3 Blessed Chapter and Spirits 13 Hidden Masons of the _____ Grove
4 Crawling Children Astral and Ordained 14 Honest Philosophers of the Eternal
5 Crimson Coven Beyond the Great River 15 Noble Savants of the Night
6 Dawn Guardians Beyond the Light 16 Reverend Seers of Nidhogg
7 Dragon’s Hermits Beyond the Stars 17 True Servants of _______ Truth
8 Ebony Keepers by Royal Appointment 18 Watchful Sisters/Sisterhood of the ______Void
9 Endless Kings/Queens Ethereal and Rare 19 Whispering Sons Under Oak and Stone
10 Faithful Knights In the Vale 20 Wise Watchers Under Hill and Tombs

A satarre member of the Harbingers of the Void cult

71
 LABYRINTH ART PREVIEW
This appendix features sketches and early previews of some of the art that will appear in the upcoming Labyrinth Worldbook.

72
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