Queen's Labyrinth

Adjacent Zones
 * Otherworld
 * Underground Forest

Lore
It is said that the Shar's relationship with the goddess known as the Morrighan began shortly after the Shar came into existence. Those who spend their time speculating on the history and origins of the Shar believe the Morrighan herself sent a vision to the brave female Shar. This vision led her to the remote location that would become Shar's first home. Philosophers who study the gods and goddesses say that perhaps the Morrighan recognized the potential for war and death in the Shar. She smiled upon them, promising the young female a place as a queen, and a safe haven for her people in exchange for their worship. No matter its origins, there was a strong link between the Shar and the Morrighan.

When the Shar left Hibernia to live in the Otherworld, the link between them and the Morrighan was weakened. This concerned the Shar Queen. She worried that if the Morrighan could not properly sense her peoples' worship, she would not fulfill their desire to conquer their enemies. The Queen also worried that if the Shar could not hear their goddess speak to them through her, as she did in Hibernia, they would lose their faith. The Queen was forced to take measures to ensure that the link between her people and their goddess would be preserved.

In the part of the Labyrinth set aside for the Queen and her court, a large courtyard was constructed. When it was done, the Queen summoned her people to the courtyard, to participate in its dedication to the Morrighan. It was her hope that by focusing their worship in one place, a new link could be forged through the barrier of the Veil. To her dismay, the results were less than satisfactory; for the link to the goddess was still weak even after the measures she had taken. In a fit of anger, the Queen unleashed a powerful spell at one of the courtyards. In her fury, she blasted a hole not only through the wall, but through the Veil itself into Hibernia. Everyone was shocked by the Queen's powers, but none more than the Queen herself. Believing it to be a sign from the Morrighan, the Queen stepped through the opening into the world of Hibernia.

Through the opening, the Queen found not only a vast underground forest, but a link to the bog where the Shar had lived before they moved beyond the Veil. She also discovered that tunnels from this forest led to other cities where non-Hibernian races lived. The most important, and ultimately most terrible discovery, was the cave beyond the forest. The cave was the focus of power for the evil that heard the call of the Shar to their goddess and answered it in the form of the Morrighan incarnate. If the Queen had not torn the hole in the Veil between the worlds, the imposter goddess would have never gained the power that she did over the Shar.

By opening a doorway between the worlds, the imposter goddess was able to gain access to a world that had formerly been denied to her. Through her guise as the goddess the Shar had known for so long, she was quietly able to take control of the minds and souls of the Shar for her own plans. The false Morrighan played upon the Shar's desire to conquer their enemies. While openly assuring the Queen that the Shar would defeat their enemies, the imposter whispered lies to the population. Beginning with the lowest (and thus most disgruntled) in the Shar society, and slowly working her way up, the false Morrighan whispered lies. She told them that their Queen only thirsted for power and did not care for her people. She told them that their queen  would sacrifice them all for the sake of her crown, and that she held riches she would not share with her people. In secret, the false Morrighan promised that she could deliver the Shar to the victory and riches their queen could not. In exchange, they would follow her will. Always a power-hungry people, the Shar willingly gave up their minds and souls to the Morrighan, the goddess they had always known.

When her army was strong enough, the false Morrighan ordered them to rise up and take control of the Queen's Labyrinth. It was only through pure chance that the Shar Queen overheard talk of the mutiny before it happened. Using her magical abilities, she uncovered the imposter’s treacherous plot and sent orders throughout the entire Labyrinth. She called to those who were still loyal to her to come to the Queen's Labyrinth to fight the deceived army. The battle was fierce, and destroyed large sections of the Queen's Labyrinth, but neither force could defeat the other. As the false Morrighan pulled her army back, retreating into the underground forest to nurse their wounds and rebuild her forces, the Shar Queen ordered her people to withdraw to the upper part of the Labyrinth.

As they made their way through the middle of the Labyrinth, the Shar used their magic to create physical barriers between themselves and the possessed Shar of the Morrighan. They pulled down buildings and forced the gardens to grow into great blockades. The free Shar also released the magic that supported the roof and walls of the Queen's Labyrinth, allowing parts to collapse and form barriers. Once the Morrighan realized what the Shar had done, she used her own powers to stabilize the walls and ceiling and stop the destruction. The free shar know that one day, they will defeat the Morrighan's forces and reclaim the Queen's Labyrinth from this new enemy.