Provincial Mines

The Provincial Mines were a set of underground caverns that were owned and mined by the Lion Throne of Willendorf. Positioned in the hillsides to the west of Willendorf town, the Provincial Mines were featured in the Blood Omen era of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain where they were visited by Kain in the chapter Ottmar's Daughter and acted as something of an ability dungeon for the Beguile form.

Role
The Provincial Mines were a set of underground caverns and mines visited by Kain in the Blood Omen era of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain that effectively served as the ability dungeon for the Beguile form. The mines were visited by Kain in the chapter Ottmar's Daughter as he travelled to Willendorf to seek an audience with King Ottmar on the advice of Ariel that he must rally the forces of Willendorf to oppose the Legions of the Nemesis. Travelling southward from Avernus to Willendorf, Kain discovered that only those of noble blood could enter Willendorf Castle, with his Disguise Form insufficient to project this image.

As Kain approached Willendorf he recalled the mineral wealth of the city from its mining operations, and the location of the mines: which also contained the tomb of one of Ottmar's ancestors and a blood fountain that could allow him to reassume the visage of nobility. Travelling east from Willendorf to the mines, Kain discovered a cave entrance leading to a series of caverns containing various mining operations. At the heart of the underground complex, Kain discovered thec blood fountain which bestowed on him the Beguile form.

Kain was subsequently able to use the ability to enter Willendorf castle and meet with Ottmar and in addition he could converse with ordinary citizens and gain extra information.

Design and Layout
Externally the Provincial mines resembled an ordinary cave on a muddy canyon trail trail off to the east of the town area of Willendorf, its entrance protected by white paladins and boulders - ultimately requiring Kain to enter another cave nearby to use a blood fountain to increase his strength before he could enter the mines. Aesthetically the interior of the mines was a regular cavernous rocky interior, generally consisting of that of a set of natural caverns, with rocky brown walls and brown, grey and green rocky floors, although uniquely the caves also contained a large amount of mine-related machinery such as rails, minecarts and buffers.

The interior of the dungeon was divided into seven distinct map areas:
 * The first area consisted of a wide cavern, with the entrance opening to the south and the passage leading to the next area in the north with a floor mural of the Beguile form between them. On the eastern aide of the room, it opened out into a large square chamber containing a save altar.
 * The second area consisted of a wide roughly '+' shaped cavern with a minecart on a rail than ran horizontally across the room, with a buffer at the mid way point. Kain entered from a door on the southern side of the eastern fork where he would be confronted by a single white paladin and could push the minecart along to the center to move around it and reach the other forks of the room. In the southern fork a paladin was positioned along with a flay and a putresce, while two protected a set of the same artifacts in the northern fork. The western fork contained the exit door on its northern side.
 * The third area consisted of a number of interlocking railway lines in a basic zig zag pattern, with the occasional stalactite now visible in the tileset. Kain arrived in a doorway in the south of the area where a horizontal rail led east to an intersection guarded by a Paladin, gravedigger and a Miner. At the intersection another rail led north - with a minecart shortly along the way that could be pushed out of the way - to another intersection where a rail led east with a pair of buffers beyond it to the north and the east, guarded by a gravedigger and a miner, and with an alcove behind the northern buffer containing three Flays and a Heart of Darkness artifact. The eastern rail from the intersection led to a track partially blocked by a stalactite with another minecart to be pushed eastward down the passage populated by a Paladin, Miner and a Gravedigger. The door to the next area was in the northern wall of this passage.
 * The fourth map area was a set of passages in a wide reversed 'c' or ']'shape, with a single vertical rail running down the east of the area. Initially Kain entered from a door in the south west and could follow the passage east where he would be confronted by a Paladin and a Miner. From there the passage narrowed and turned north joining a rail that led northward with a minecart requiring pushing part way along. A stalactite alongside the rail marked its end and a wide passage led west passing a Paladin and a Miner before reaching the exit door in the northern side of the passage.
 * The fifth map area was the last of the minecart sections and contained a considerably more complex arrangement of zig-zagging rails. The entry door was in the southeast of the area where a rail led west along a narrow passage populated by two paladins, a gravedigger and a miner, with a minecart placed part way along and an alcove on the south allowing Kain to overtake the cart shortly after - an intersection had a rail heading north, although continuing west to the end of the rail led to a Flay artifact. Following the northern rail from the intersection and pushing the next minecart upwards led to a slightly wider square area in the east marked with a couple of stalactites where the rail intersected with another heading east and a paladin, miner and gravedigger attacked. A buffer on the eastern track id an alcove in the north where a miner awaited with a rune triangle. The rail led eastward to another narrow section where a minecart blocked the passage before opening out into another square section marked by a stalactite where a miner paladin and gravedigger awaited and the track hit another intersection, with the track now heading north into a narrow section (with a buffer positioned at the southern end). Following the northern track led to an area where the room once again widened to reveal paladin, miner and gravdigger enemies and another intersection marked by a stalactite. Continuing along the northern track led to an alcove with a blood vial, whereas following the new track east led to another narrow area blocked by a minecart. Pushing the cart to its eastern end at a buffer opened into a small alcove to the south with a stalactite where a miner and a gravedigger waited. At the end of the track was a floor mural of the Beguile form and a purple magic sphere, with the doorway to the next area in the southern wall.
 * The sixth map area was a large square chamber containing a blood fountain with a floor mural of the Beguile form in the southwestern corner and by drinking from the fountain Kain would be gifted with the Beguile form. Exiting by the southern door led to the next map area.
 * The final map area was an arrangement of zig-zagging caverns, similar to fifth area but without the minecarts and related machinery. Several alcoves were positioned off the main trail but these were all empty and could be ignored; and in addition, Kain could use Beguile to avoid confrontations. Kain began in an opening in the northeast where a wide passage led westward but was blocked by two large boulders. Pushing these out of the way, Kain could continue along passing an alcove in the south and a gravedigger. At the end of the passage a wider clearing was guarded by three gravediggers and three miners, with the main passage narrowing and heading southward and passing another gravedigger before turning westward once again. Three miners and two gravedigger were positioned along the western passage before the trail turned south and passed another grave digger and an empty alcove to the west. The final stretch of the caves led back eastward and was guarded by three miners and two gravediggers before terminating in a small square chamber containing a save altar. The southern exit led to another cave opening just inside the Willendorf township.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

Navigation
Miniera_Provinciale