Few places in Vashrath are as ancient as the Labyrinth of Cnossos. Built to imprison a single creature, the complex was banished to the Forgotten Realms along with its guards, its servants and its inhabitants. Over the centuries, the labyrinth ceased to be merely a prison and became an ecosystem of its own.
Its corridors seem to shift without explanation. Doors appear where walls once stood, and paths vanish overnight. Many believe the structure itself was absorbed by Vashrath and gained a kind of dormant consciousness. At the center of the labyrinth rests Asterion, the first and last lord of Cnossos.
The Dwellers of the Maze
Lost Youth
They descend from the victims sent into the labyrinth in the days of the old kingdom; many were born within the corridors and have never seen the outside world. Centuries of isolation turned them into fierce survivors who live hidden among abandoned passages and attack any stranger who trespasses on their grounds. Most do not even know their own origin. They fight with improvised blades.
Guard of Minos
They once served the king who ordered the labyrinth built; when Cnossos was cast into Vashrath, they remained at their posts. Time destroyed their kingdom, their families and their history, but not their duty: they still patrol the corridors in corroded armor, obeying orders given centuries ago by a sovereign long forgotten. To them, every intruder is still an enemy of the crown. They bear spear and shield.
Labyrinth Hunter
Descendants of adventurers, mercenaries and looters who lost themselves in the depths of Cnossos and, over the generations, abandoned any bond with the outside world. They know secret shortcuts and routes that appear on no map, and many survive by ambushing travelers unlucky enough to cross their path. They carry a short bow and a knife.
Automaton of Daedalus
Machines built to protect the corridors, among the countless creations of Daedalus. They survived the banishment and still carry out their original functions, powered by ancient mechanisms and runes, patrolling forgotten galleries without ever resting. Many scholars believe they no longer distinguish allies from invaders. They are more than eight hundred years old, with blades built into their own bodies.
Priestess of Ariadne
They descend from the ancient keepers of the sacred threads once used to navigate the corridors of Cnossos. After the kingdom fell, they came to preserve the last knowledge of the labyrinth's paths; their rituals blend faith, superstition and lost traditions. Few inhabitants know as many secrets of Cnossos as they do. They fight with ritual threads and sacred magic.
The Masters of Cnossos
Captain of Minos
The most loyal of all the old king's commanders. Even after centuries of abandonment, he still protects the royal chambers and the forgotten treasures of the crown, and his armor has become a symbol of the lost authority of Cnossos. Among the remaining guards, he is treated as the last legitimate representative of a vanished kingdom. He wields a longsword and a tower shield.
Daedalus, the Lost Architect
Creator of the labyrinth, an inventor without equal and a master of traps, banished together with his own work. Imprisoned forever inside the structure he built, he has devoted countless years to perfecting his mechanisms and reshaping the corridors — many believe the labyrinth's constant changes are the direct result of his interventions. As far as Daedalus is concerned, no one knows Cnossos better than he does. He fights through contraptions, traps and automatons, and is more than nine hundred years old.
Asterion
Asterion is the true name of the Minotaur. For centuries he was treated as a monstrosity to be hidden from the world; his existence prompted the building of the labyrinth and shaped the history of an entire kingdom. When Cnossos was banished to Vashrath, he became absolute lord of its depths. Some consider him nothing but a beast; others, the true king of the labyrinth. All agree that no dweller of Cnossos stands higher than he does. He swings a colossal axe and is more than nine hundred years old.
Walking Out Alive
Cnossos rewards those who press deep enough to face its masters — but the maze gives nothing away for free. Bring companions you trust, expect the corridors to change behind you, and remember that every dweller here has survived centuries longer than you have. For another domain that devours the unwary, see the Bestiary of the Witch's Forest.