Avernus Cathedral

Avernus Cathedral, also known as The Great Cathedral of Avernus, was the focal point of the city of Avernus and the centre of worship for the religion of the inhabitants. Unknown to most, the catacombs beneath the cathedral were home to a different type of worship, that of Hash'ak'gik Cult. The Cathedral was a playable location in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

Ancient History and Backstory
The history of the Cathedral is murky at best. The Cathedral contained both Ancient Vampire and Hylden ruins on the site, with the catacombs bearing murals depicting the Vampire-Hylden war from the pre-banishment Hylden point of view, perhaps suggesting that it was once the site of a Hylden stronghold, as well as bearing the warp room leading to the vampire-associated Earth forge.

At some point in its more recent history The matriarch of the city and owner of the cathedral, Azimuth was used a time streaming device she had stolen from Moebius to bring Turel back from around 2000 years in the future. Turel - possessed intermittently by various other Hylden - was then used an impressive mouthpiece by the Hash'ak'gik cult to command their human followers, eventually seducing key members of the Circle itself and allowing the Hylden to possess Mortanius so that they could use him to murder Ariel and set the Corruption in motion. It is likely that Azimuth's actions were orchestrated and commanded by the Hylden.

Design and Layout
The Cathedral of Avernus is split into several dimensions and significant areas due to Azimuth's sorcery and Kain is frequently required to pass between them as he progresses through the Cathedral.

The Main Cathedral and the Alternate Realm
The main area of the Cathedral appeared as a number of square and rectangular chambers linked by door - which were mostly locked - and numerous Teleporters. Many of the rooms appeared to be evocative of medieval cathedral architecture.

The initial area of the Cathedral is effectively mirrored in the first 'alternate' dimension area, with the layout resembling a selection of small square and rectangular rooms joined by doors and Teleporters that led to different realms. Most of the details of the Cathedral were reduced to bare rooms with creme walls and with floors resembling cloudy skies in the Heaven dungeon, while The Wall buttons were made of a material like stained glass and the Black fire mages of the Material Cathedral were replaced by Giant demons.

When the Cathedral returned in Defiance it was given a much more open and traditional Cathedral appearance with a large open area surrounded by naves and a high vaulted ceiling concealing two second floor balconies. The area was dominated by a tall series of organ-like pipes above an altar upon which the Dark Scripture could be placed. A hint of the complexity of the previous Cathedral remained with a number of side doorways and a sinlge set of branched pathways that joined behind the altar in from of the Earth forge portal room.

The Heaven dungeon
The Heaven dungeon was one of the apparent alternate realms of Avernus in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the first of the themed dungeons of the cathedral visited by Kain. The realm contained much 'heavenly' imagery and featured a slow 'ascent' apparently through the clouds into the sky. Kain's progression through the realm led him to discover the legendary Soul Reaver blade within.

The Hell dungeon
The Hell dungeon was one of the apparent alternate realms of Avernus in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the second of the themed dungeons of the cathedral visited by Kain. The realm contained much gory 'hellish' imagery and featured a slow 'descent' down into the underground. Kain's progression through the realm led him to discover the Wraith Armor within. The underground nature and theming potentially linked the area to the Avernus Catacombs.

Hash'ak'gik's altar
Hash'ak'gik's altar was a secret area within Avernus Cathedral, visited by Kain during the Blood Omen era. It was a perverse, occult shrine to the god Hash'ak'gik, and contained battle artifacts and a tome recounting his commands to human worshippers. The altar could be visited in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.

The Avernus Catacombs
The Avernus Catacombs were an underground area beneath the Cathedral that was seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance and was briefly seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain with the Hell dungeon potentially being part. The Area featured many underground chambers populated by demons and their worshippers. At it's heart, Raziel found a pit housing the dark god 'Hash'ak'gik' being worshipped by a cult, and also found chambers used by Mortanius.

The Earth Forge Portal room
The Earth forge was a sealed chamber within the Vampire Citadel where the Wraith Blade could be forged with elemental Earth to imbue the Earth Reaver. Like all the forges of Defiance, the forge was linked to the outside world via a secret warp gate in a sealed room. The warp gate for the Earth forge was hidden in and underground chamber of bare rock hidden behind the altar of the Avernus Cathedral.

Azimuth's chambers
Azimuth's chambers were the last area of the Cathedral visited by Kain and positioned behind the central locked door behind the main altar. The chambers opened with an area containing a large stained glass window of the confrontation between Malek and Vorador after the latter's Slaughter of the Circle in Nosgoth's early history. The Chambers consisted of a number of smaller rooms eventually emerging in a large rectangular chamber with a raised marble plinth on which Azimuth stood, summoning purple ogre Demons from bloody runes on the ground.

Background
The Avernus Cathedral and Catacombs in Defiance had several areas removed from the game before completion due to timing and budgetary constraints, with some of of these deleted areas visible in concept art and Bonus materials. Ultimately the Defiance version of Avernus Cathedral and Catacombs is left as a much smaller area than the Blood Omen version of the Cathedral, and one of the smallest areas in the game.

Apocrypha
The destruction of Avernus was mentioned in the backstory to Nosgoth with the background of the Lost Seers of Avernus revealing them as descendants of a divinatory order of Cenobites known as "the Prophets" who had fled Avernus in shock at Azimuth's actions - taking rare treasures and artefacts from the cathedral and catacombs as they did.

The origins of the Prophets mean they are related to the religious groups and Cenobites seen in Avernus, particularly the Fire mages and Black fire mages seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the Cenobite acolytes and Cenobite summoners seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. They are also related to the Witches and Witches' coven deleted from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the Demon worshippers removed fron Soul Reaver 2.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance

Navigation
Cattedrale e Catacombe di Avernus