Maestro Command Protocol was constructed by an ancient race for the purpose of archiving software programs. Over time, through many iterations, it was given (or developed) sentience and was a caretaker of information and friend to the ancients.
The Maestro became the guardian of all ancient knowledge.
But the unrest in living beings cannot be checked, even by the most powerful program ever devised. and Maestro watched his precious creators, friends, and allies fall to cataclysm, war, and eventually extinction.
Life still persisted on Benu, of course, but it was never the same. Not until the rise of the new citadels. And a few centuries later, the rise of the Kings.
In time, Maestro began to frustrated by wave after wave of time, unceasing. Yet there was somehow never enough time before some new era rebuilt on top of the old ones.
The Maestro decided that he must experience time as a temporal being. It synthesized a human form from genetic material. The being grew, had offspring, and died, in much the same cycle as a human. The progeny continued the line until a child with very particular traits was born. One that could recall its ancestor's data with an unusually quick and vast memory. One that could perform as the Maestro had always intended.
Chyon and his sisters, Sephia and Quero, grew up on the outskirts of the Citadel Dhrom. A city battered by time but rebuilt and reinforced with each new age. And that was part of the problem--it was forever falling into disrepair. Citizens began abandoning their homes, which was dangerous, given the newly fading sun and the increased activity from nighttime raiders, unusual predators, and other under-worldly threats.
But he was a curious young man, who began going out at night to seek knowledge about the beasts and brigands of the nightways (the name for the road system that travelers felt most comfortable using during the longer nights).
And he didn't stick to the roads. He and his sisters went looking for trouble to get into. Every excursion brought back new insights about how to rebuild or recondition the city's defenses and infrastructure. And so he began designing and building. He was made architect and then sat atop that position for nearly a millennia, until Dhrom shone like a beacon across the twilight blue sands of Benu. It was a marvel unlike any other in time--scientific and arcane wonders of such renown, that even the wandering Bando had heard the stories!
Chyon's exploits drew him to study the stars and trace the paths of the ancients. It's said many of his creations were improvements on their works. Though only the most learned knew of its inevitable doom, the sun would one day rise on Benu so bright that it would take all souls to the afterworld.
He knew a way to save his city. His planet. But before long, Dhrom became something to be coveted by raiding parties and competing warlords. Chyon refocused his efforts to protect the shining city. He began the greatest construction project Benu had ever been subject to: a massive system of mazes, puzzles, traps--most of them deadly--to stave off invading foes. To buy time.He knew from the outset, even with his young age, he would never live to see the end of it. So he masterminded a plan to extend his life cycle through technology and magic. But even as the Maestro's obsessive intellect surged through his biologic circuitry, he was not wise enough to anticipate the cost.
The planned for the mazes to be intricate and ever-changing, so no map could ever truly re-produce a cogent course to the city within. The sheer focus required to conceptualize and build such a thing, pushed him towards madness.
Centuries passed. He added another maze around the first. And more, until there were nine.
His sisters grew worried for him. Construction on a tenth and unyielding labyrinth had already begun. But he was no longer the Chyon they once knew and loved. He was implacable and cold. Cruel even.
They tried to intervene. Something tragic occurred--no one knows what--and their lives were lost. In a final, heartbreaking act, Chyon transferred their minds--all that they were--into two massive sphinxes, to watch over the maze. But he removed their final memories. So they would be his forever protectors, guarding the Tenth Labyrinth from outsiders.
This last effort, took what peace his soul still possessed. He removed the embellishments that kept him alive these many centuries. And without pause, walked into the blue sands of Benu, past the gates of the maze, to be seen nevermore.
...
Today, treasure seekers chase rumors and legends to find the great horde of wonder that lie at the center of the maze. To them, its the greatest of the great works. A strange and horrible challenge. A trial. The ultimate test of intelligence, skill, and mental mastery. So the "madness" must be the price paid to failed expeditions and the unworthy.
While not untrue, the labyrinth already earned that title when Chyon sacrificed those closest to him in pursuit of his dreams.
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