Sunset Labyrinth - Nov 2017 — Explorers Guild

On Saturday, November 11th, a band of intrepid explorers met in the hills of Napa to go in search of the fabled Sunset Labyrinth. Meeting in the late afternoon, they were first greeted by other pilgrims having just left the sacred place. Worried that they might miss out on the transformation, the troupe didn't hesitate to get on the trail. There were a number of possible discoveries on the way up the mountain, but Dr. Professor moved the troupe at a quick pace in an effort to get everyone to the destination in a timely manor. Even the Stellar Cartography book was stowed away during the initial ascent.

Luckily though, this hurried pace paid off. The troupe made it to the lookout just in time to see the golden sun wave a final goodbye and letting the royal blue mountains take center stage. From this lookout, the troupe found a flag friend waving in the distance too along with the path to the labyrinth. Taking in a final moment at the lookout, the troupe moved on to their goal.

It was hear that we first noted that the space actually held two labyrinths. Uncertain about which one was the Sunset Labyrinth, the troupe split into two in order to test them out. As each of the paths twisted and turned Explorers each confronted their own minotaurs. The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of footsteps, the only light was the quickly fading glow of the sun, now a deep indigo. By the time the two groups reconvened it was obvious which one was the sunset labyrinth. This information though was decided to be too great to broadcast, instead it's hoped to inspire Explorers to seek and discover for themselves.

Once the darkness of night had completely enveloped the hill top, the troupe armed themselves with their necessary items: a set of small lights, some bells to ward off danger and their personal intentions for exploration. Dr. Professor and Lark took the role of clue bearers, slowly placing each light with a gentle ring. As they cut through a path into the depths of the labyrinth, the rest of the troupe slowly followed behind one by one. Tybeck, who had armed himself with a resonant bowl took the rear lead and made sure no Explorer would be lost in the many passageways. Slowly the labyrinth took shape and soon the entire troupe made it to the center. In silence they stood under the stars and took in the moment. The shadow minotaur, who had earlier been identified as having the name Traobclke, loomed nearby and the occasional shiver of cold was directly attributed to its presence.

When the troupe finally felt satisfied they left one by one and back to the entrance. The clue bearers retrieved their lights and signaled their snuffing with a chime. The Sunset Labyrinth had shown everyone the power it contained.

The trek back was in starlight with only flashlights to shine the way home. Small, introspective conversations were had and by the time the troupe had reached the end, a boastful cry of Semper Explorandum was given. The troupe reconvened further down the hill for dinner and shared stories. The expedition was a success.