On the Subject of Labyrinth Madness

Why are you reading this? You’ve got bigger problems to worry about.

After tragically dying in a freak shopping cart accident, your soul has been sent to The Maze; an ancient torture chamber used to feed the pets of the Forever Gods. The pets, known as Eldritch Sludges, inhabit The Maze and consume unfortunate souls like yourself. If you’re not able to escape, the Eldritch Sludges will feast on your immortal soul for the rest of time (or until your bomb timer runs out, whichever comes first).

The module consists of a 9 by 9 screen showing a green cell and one of five different colored Eldritch Sludges. It also includes an Emotion Screen, showing the Eldritch Sludges emotion and an XBox style directional pad for movement.

Identifying the Eldritch Sludge

One of three different Eldritch Sludges will be in The Maze with you, each descernable by its color. Refer to the table below to identify the Eldritch Sludge.

If your Eldritch Sludge is Blue, their name is Blegshar the Observant.

If your Eldritch Sludge is Red, their name is Vipaeviox the Furious.

If your Eldritch Sludge is Purple, their name is Awsh’fadak the Untouchable.

Each Eldritch Sludge functions differently from one another, so check the Sludges of The Maze section for more info on your Eldritch Sludge.

Surviving The Maze

Your goal is to get to the center cell of The Maze without being killed by the Eldritch Sludge. To make a movement, press the colored buttons on the bottom right of the module. Yellow is up, Red is right, Green is down, and Blue is left. After performing your movement, the Eldritch Sludge will take its movement turn. Check the Sludges of The Maze section on the next page to determine how an Eldritch Sludge will move on its turn. Then it will be your turn to move again.

If you are killed by an Eldritch Sludge, the module will reset, potentially loading in a new Eldritch Sludge. Don’t worry, you won’t incur a strike!

The Maze

This is The Maze. The walls will not be displayed on the module itself, and The Maze also has a chance to be rotated any multiple of 90 degrees. Don’t worry, however. Hitting a wall will not cause a strike, it will only mean you won’t move from your current cell. The Eldritch Sludge will still take its movement regardless. Navigate to the center cell (the starred one) without being killed in order to solve the module.

Sludges of The Maze

All Eldritch Sludges move in accordance with Appendix E: Eldritch Sludge Emotions. However, each Eldritch Sludge has unique rules that change their movement and how you avoid them.

Blegshar the Observant

Blegshar is covered from tip to tail in eyballs that can see infinitely far. Anything caught in his gaze will be transmogrified into Primordial Concrete, and subsequently killed. When moving through The Maze, never come within a direct sightline of any of Blegshar’s segments. He cannot see through walls and he can’t see around corners. These cells can be seen highlighted in red in The Maze.

Vipaeviox the Furious

Vipaeviox will move quickly, so keep light on your feet and make your way to the exit efficiently.

Awsh’fadak the Untouchable

Awsh’fadak is a normal, bloodthirsty Eldritch Sludge. Have fun!

Developer’s Note

Hey, Professor Giga Uptight LXXIII here. Just a quick note, this module was supposed to be much harder originally, but after suffering through my original coding headaches for long enough, I’ve simplified this dramatically. In the wake of this, I decided to make this as chill of a module as I could instead of being cruel. It’s impossible to strike on it, and it’s very easy to randomly find your way to the center without dying or calculating out anything. If you want to, be my guest! Just have fun with it is all I ask. Cheers,

Professor Giga Uptight LXXIII

Appendix E: Eldritch Sludge Emotions

The Emotion Screen on the right of the module will display one of 25 different emotions that an Eldritch Sludge can have. Their emotion will tell you how they will move once your movement is done. Be sure to plan your movements ahead of time in order to not get killed prematurely.

Move 2 spaces total	Move 3 spaces total	Move 1 space total	Move 2 spaces total

Prioritize moving North		Prioritize moving East	Prioritize moving West	Prioritize moving South

Eldritch Sludges will always move in the prioritized direction if they are able to. Eldritch Sludges cannot move through walls or their own body segments. If they encounter one of these spaces when moving in their preferred direction, they will look in the counter-clockwise direction until they find an open space to move to. This module has been coded to where the Eldritch Sludge will always find an open space to move to.