Great Labyrinths

The "Great Labyrinths" are special dungeons which are scattered around the world of Tortus.

Said to be extremely dangerous, the true reason for there creation isn't publicly known in the present times; but in the past it was said that the labyrinths were created by the "mavericks", who were rebels that tried to bring about the end of the world, but God put a stop to their plans and the mavericks were forced to flee and exile themselves inside the Great Labyrinths.

But in truth, the Great Labyrinths were created by the last surviving and most powerful members of the Liberators, in order to give the necessary tools in the form of the Ancient Magic, to those who would rise against the tyranny of the Gods and challenge them, and hopefully win against them, which is something they failed to do so.

Each Labyrinth is a form of trial, meant to test a person's specific aspect, and prepare and mold the challenger in order to allow them to face against the Gods. If anyone is able to complete the labyrinth, but fail to clear the trail set by the labyrinth. Then that person would be considered to be unworthy of inheriting the Ancient Magics.

Actually being able to enter the Labyrinths can be difficult as well, thus not to the same extent as the Labyrinths themselves. They can be divined into two categories: Either a least one person has to have already clear one or more Labyrinths, with some requiring a specific Labyrinth to be cleared first. Or, they have to overcome a difficult pretrial first, such as a never ending sandstorm or blizzard.

There are seven such labyrinths, each with their own theme and structure.

Great Orcus Labyrinth
Located in the present in the town of Horaud under the rule of Heiligh Kingdom. It is one of the most easily accessible Labyrinths out there. It's commonly used by all kind of people in order to either farm for materials or as a training ground in order to level up.

Commonly believed to be 100 floors deep, it is in fact divided into two sections; the Upper Levels containing 100 floors, and the True Labyrinth below it which is also comprised of another 100 floors. The labyrinth is filled with monsters of varying degrees of strength and abilities as well as deadly traps of all variations.

The strength of the monsters between the Upper Levels and the True Labyrinth is quite drastic, in the sense that even a group of people who had completed all the upper 100 floors, could easily lose to the weakest of the first floors monster in the True Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth was created by an ancient Synergist named "Oscar Orcus" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Creation Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magics) to those who have overcome its trials. The theme of the Labyrinth is "giving strength and experience to the challenger so that they could overcome their own limit".

The Labyrinth was created inside the The Greenway Mines under the city of Velnika, the Capital of the Kingdom of Velka, which existed over 2,000 years ago. It was intended to be the most difficult of all the labyrinths, and was meant to be conquered last.

Great Reisen Labyrinth
Hidden deep within in the Reisen Gorge, one of the most dangerous place on Tortus, because of the natural phenomena of the region which disperse Mana before a spell could be activated, and is a nest to powerful and dangerous monsters found on the surface of Tortus.

Because of the inherit phenomena of the region, it is practically impossible to use magic inside the Reisen Labyrinth as well, and the effect gets stronger as one goes deep inside the labyrinth.

The structure of the labyrinth is like a maze filled with all kinds of non-magical traps and army of Golems. Also, the maze like structure of the Labyrinth keeps changing after a certain period of time, so it's difficult to map out the region as well.

The Labyrinth was created by an ancient mage named "Miledi Reisen" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Gravity Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magic) to those who have overcome its trial. The theme of the Labyrinth is "force challengers to clear obstacles without the aid of magic".

Grand Gruen Volcano
Located in the Gruen Desert. It is 5 kilometers in diameter at its base, and has a height of 3 kilometers. It is conical like most volcanoes, but shaped more like a dome. Its summit is flat, however, unlike most domes.

It is one of the few Labyrinths whose location is well-documented in modern times (the only other being the Great Orcus Labyrinth), but it's not frequented as much due to it being more dangerous and not as rewarding to face.

It has about 50 floors, and is filled with rivers of lava that are suspended midair. The intense heat causes explorers to lose their energy quickly and can be deadly after being exposed to it for a long enough period. Despite being an active volcano, it has never once erupted. This is due to a keystone that keeps the magma contained inside the Labyrinth. Once the keystone is destroyed, however, it will erupt violently and destroy the Labyrinth (though it will repair itself overtime).

The Labyrinth was created by "Naiz Gruen Caliente" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Spatial Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magic) to those who have overcome its trial. The theme of this Labyrinth is "test how challengers can keep their focus and respond to constant surprises while under extreme stress".

Sunken Ruins of Melusine
Located at the bottom of the western sea near Erisen. It is hidden under a mound of dirt beneath the sea. The only way to find it is to conquer the Grand Gruen Volcano and obtain proof of that feat in the form of a pendant of a woman holding a lamp. A person must hold the pendant in front of a full moon and allow the light to pass through the slot where the lamp is suppose to be. That will cause the Labyrinth to rise up from the sea floor. This makes it the only Labyrinth where challengers need to have already cleared another Labyrinth and go through a pretrial as well, as they need to be able to reach the bottom of the ocean to enter the Labyrinth.

Challengers will face various sea creates until they are lead to rooms that will show them mana-based illusions of Tortus' history involving the gods. The illusions will then turn hostile and attack the challengers and can only be destroyed with mana.

The most dangerous creature that challengers will face is a nearly-indestructible gelatinous monster known as a "devourer".

The Labyrinth was created by "Meiru Melusine" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Regeneration Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magic) to those who have overcome its trial. The theme of this Labyrinth is "exposing the horrors that the gods have inflicted upon the world".

Divine Mountain
Located where the Holy Church is situated on the mountain that is near the palace of the Heiligh Kingdom. In order to reach this Labyrinth, a challenger must meet 3 conditions: to have cleared at least two other labyrinths, disavowing the gods of Tortus, and having defeated someone under the gods' influence. If a person has not met the third condition of defeating someone who worships the gods, then they would be tested through a series of mental trials. This includes being brainwashed into serving Ehit, alter their subconscious, lead them astray with visions, and all manner of misdirection and persuasion. If they have managed to clear them, they would fight against illusions of past warriors from the church. Only after clearing the challenges would the spirit of the Labyrinth's creator appear and guide them to the room that would award them the ancient magic.

The Labyrinth was created by "Laus Barn" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Spirit Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magic) to those who have overcome its trial. The theme of this Labyrinth is "test the challengers' resolve to overthrow the gods".

Haltina Labyrinth
Located in the Grand Tree "Uralt" that was in the center of the Sea of Trees. It was initially believed by most people that the entire forest itself was the labyrinth. It can only be accessed after a challenger has already conquered 4 other Labyrinths (including the Sunken Ruins of Melusine) and has established a good relation with the beastmen. The Labyrinth looks like a large forest and each level is filled with many monsters that are insects and trees.

Challengers will be separated from each other upon entering and some will have their bodies changed into monsters. If they manage to reunite, they will later be sent to a room that will trap them in pods and force them to experience their deepest desires. If they managed to escape, they would be forced to overcome their strongest sexual desires after being exposed to a substance that would greatly increase their lust. The final test would be to face against a cockroach monster that simulated the powers of apostles of the gods, while also having their emotions reversed so that it would cause them to be antagonistic towards their comrades under normal circumstances.

The Labyrinth was created by "Lyutilis Haltina" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Evolution Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magic) to those who have overcome its trial. The theme of this Labyrinth is "test the challengers' bonds that have been forged".

Frost Caverns of Schnee
Located in the southern region of the continent at the fringes of the demons' territory. The entrance is in a large crevace that is miles below the surface. The extreme cold will normally weaken challengers before they even enter the Labyrinth. It is full of many monsters and traps designed to weaken a person both physically and mentally.

The first obstacle will be facing monsters in the form of cute bunnies that will zap challengers of their warmth. Once inside, challenges confront white gorilla-like monsters that will be able to easily coordinate against most attacks. Challengers will have to navigate a series of passages made of ice. The walls will be embedded with the bodies of all those that failed to clear the labyrinth and they will be reanimated as zombies and attack the current challengers. Although they will be weak, there are many of them and they can regenerate after any attack. The challengers will then enter a room that can only be cleared once its mana crystal is destroyed. It will create many monsters out of ice and snow to act as its defence and prevent challenges from destroying the crystal.

Once that room is cleared, the next obstacle is a giant maze. It will prevent anyone from attempting to fly past it by instantly teleporting them back to the ground while it coats their bodies in ice and gradually have ice shards skewer them. Even if challengers reach the maze's exit, they will be unable to escape unless the find three keys to the exit gates that are hidden throughout the maze.

Challengers will then walk though a long single pathway while they hear their own voices in their heads that will expose all of their fear and hated that they have towards themself or someone else. This will continue until they enter a room that will create frost golems for each of them to fight one-on-one. The room is coated in ice that is designed to reflect a challenger's magic back at them once it hits the golem's shield. The greatest disadvantage, however, is that the voice that the challengers previously heard will impair them by lowering their energy and could even cause them to unconsciously attack their comrades if they are the source of their negative feelings. If challengers defeat their designated frost golem, then they will be able to leave through a portal and be separated from everyone else. Each person will be sent to a large room with an ice pillar in the middle. It will then spawn a copy of that person that will try to kill them. The copy represents all negative aspects of that person, while possessing all of their memories and skills. It will grow stronger the more a person tries to deny those negative qualities, but will grow weaker if a person learns to accept and embrace them.

The Labyrinth was created by "Vandre Schnee" over 2,000 years ago, and gives the knowledge of "Metamorphosis Magic" (one of the "Age of God" Magic) to those who have overcome its trial. The theme of this Labyrinth is "conquering one's self by overcoming all of their negative aspects".