Avernus

Avernus was a major city in Nosgoth that was visited as a playable location in both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Defiance at its height in the Blood Omen era. The walled city was dominated by its large Cathedral and was ruled by its matriarch - Dimension Guardian Azimuth - who ruled the city as a religious autocracy with a secret cult at its heart. The City notably suffered tragedy in the Blood Omen era as in the wake of the Corruption of the Pillars, Azimuth summoned Demons from the Demon Realm to attack the city and its inhabitants, resulting in the city being set aflame and much of it destroyed.

Profile


Avernus was first featured in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain where the settlement was a playable location featured on maps. It appeared as a large walled city in eastern central Nosgoth, directly east of Vorador's Mansion, southeast of Uschtenheim, north of Willendorf and the Lake of Serenity and southwest of Stahlberg and the Plains of Blood. Only the cathedral was named on maps and the city was pictured as the Cathedral surrounded by walls, with little trace of the expansive city around it.

The city was once ruled by the Matriarch of Avernus, Azimuth, who upon becoming tainted by the corruption of the pillars, began summoning Demons from other dimensions - presumably the Demon Realm - to attack the city.

After defeating the Dark Eden triad in Threaten the Circle Kain was advised by Ariel to confront Azimuth but that to do so he would have to "rise and fall and find [his] salvation in between". Kain travelled to Avernus in the chapter Defeat Azimuth and found that much of the city had been reduced to ruins and set |aflame, with the populace slaughtered or under attack by Demons - none of the devastation outside touched the Cathedral itself, which was apparently the source.

Once within the Cathedral, Kain was able to explore a shadowy alternate dimension, "rise" through the Heaven realm to claim the Soul Reaver blade and "fall" through the Hell realm to find the Wraith armor. Finally Kain was able to confront Azimuth in her private chambers. Both of the items he had recovered from the Cathedral would come in useful against Azimuth who - unaware of the presence of both devices in her Cathedral - summoned Demons from bloody runes to combat Kain. When she was within range, a single strike of the Soul Reaver was sufficient to Kill Azimuth. After he death Kain claimed her Third Eye Pandant pillar token and along with it found a time streaming device she had stolen from Moebius in order to gather demons from other ages. Kain immediately understood what Azimuth had been intending to do with the device, but did not realize that she had used it already, or why it was his salvation. Within the walls of the Cathedral he also uncovered the first clues as to the true nature of the corruption of the pillars in the Avernus Catacombs, where he found a secret altar dedicated to the worship of dark god "Hash'ak'gik".

Kain would subsequently use the time-streaming device to escape the Battle of the Last Stand in Stranded in Time, while the Soul Reaver went on to become Kain's iconic weapon.

Avernus returned in Legacy of Kain: Defiance in the same time period, where as the city burned Vorador directed Raziel there, in search of the Heart of Darkness so that he could resurrect Janos Audron, apparently shortly after the visit of the younger Kain. Raziel's journey was only seen from when he reached Avernus Cathedral and none of the area outside was seen, although Raziel commented upon the "chaos" in the city. Raziel explored the Cathedral and found a sealed chamber with a warp gate leading to the Earth forge within the Vampire Citadel where Raziel was able to imbue the Wraith Blade with elemental Earth - creating the Earth Reaver. Returning to the main cathedral area, Raziel was able to use an Earth plinth to summon Earth platforms so he could reach the higher balconies of the Cathedral where he could discover the Dark Scripture. Using the scripture on the altar opened a portal leading to the 'hellish' Avernus Catacombs, where he found evidence of Hylden involvement in the secret religion of Avernus and their side of the Elder Wars and 'dual champion' prophecy. Now virtually convinced he was the Hylden champion, Raziel ran into Mortanius who was conducting a ceremony worshipping the unseen Hash'ak'gik over a murky pit along with a group of Cenobites. Curious to see the entity, Raziel approached the edges and was telekinetically dragged into the pit with to find his monstrously devolved brother Turel - periodically possessed by several Hylden and used as the voice of 'Hash'ak'gik to command their disciples. Battling with possession by the Hylden, Turel vaguely explained the circumstances of his capture while various Hylden struggled to communicate with Raziel and warn him of the coming of the Vampire champion. Believing he needed blood to gather the strength to get rid of the Hylden influence - and not aware that Raziel was no longer a creature of flesh and blood - Turel attacked his brother but was defeated: finally gifting Raziel the Amplified Force Projectile or Enhanced telekinesis ability. Afterward Raziel got the chance to talk to Mortanius, intermittently possessed by the Hylden Lord, who told him that he had placed the Heart of Darkness inside Kain to turn him into a vampire in the first place, believing he was creating the vampire champion.

Meanwhile The Elder Kain - warned of Raziel progress and his journey to Avernus by the Elder God had travelled through time, worried about what would happen if Raziel found the Heart and entered the Cathedral himself and as Raziel left, he found Kain entering the Cathedral. Supposedly fulfilling the prophecy of the champions final battle, Raziel attacked Kain and won, tearing the heart out of Kain, blasting him through a portal between realms and leaving him to die before returning to Vorador's Mansion to use the heart to attempt to bring Janos back to life.

Kain would later wake in the Demon Realm, finding himself in Turel's pit assailed by demons. He was able to escape and return to the Material Realm and after battling his way out of the Cathedral, Kain returned to the Vampire Citadel, feeling the pull of the Spirit Forge.

Design and Layout
The main area of Avernus City appeared on maps as a square walled city with the Cathedral at its heart. This was not completely represented in game which showed an area is made up of four square map areas arranged vertically in an extended rectangle, each densely populated with a network of houses which clearly overspilled beyond the map edges. In each square only a small number of houses were actually accessible and barrier across streets made frequent trip into dungeons, basements and sewers necessary to cross the city.

Main City
The main city was the first area seen and it consisted of a square of a the unblemished city, with houses and fountains in pristine condition, populated with villagers and Blue swordsmen.

Ruined City
The ruined city was the next square down and consisted of an area of the city that was heavily damaged. Gory remains and corpses were strewn around, houses bore a variety of rips, tears and holes, with some even collapsing to some degree and many were aflame. Enemies now included Shadow spots and Demons. Though not readily apparent, the accessible ruined city was split into four passages in the north, east, south and west - each linked to its nearest neighbors by underground passages.

Two further ruined areas were positioned to the south for the area surrounding the top half and the bottom half of the cathedral. These were both dominated by the central Cathedral, but were also surrounded by ruined houses and blocked streets. Again these were each divided into two sections, each covering a smaller area above ground and linked by underground passages and tunnels.

Avernus Cathedral
The City of Avernus was dominated by the cathedral at its center which overshadowed the entire city. In Blood Omen, Kain approached the Cathedral through the ruined city and was able to walk outside before entering, whereas in Defiance only the inside of the Cathedral was seen, although it was implied that both Kain and Raziel had been outside.

The Cathedral interior was split into several dimensions, realms and themed dungeons. In Blood Omen Kain entered the Cathedral and was able to pass between the main Material Realm and a shadowy alternate dimension before, 'rising' to the Heaven realm, 'falling' to the Hell realm and finally confronting Azimuth in her chambers. He could also discover the secret altar of Hash'ak'gik in the Avernus Catacombs. In Defiance Raziel passed through the main cathedral and used the subterranean earth forge portal area to reach the Earth forge before returning and using the Earth Reaver to reach the Dark Scripture and use it to open a portal to the subterranean Avernus Catacombs which culminated in a pit containing the dark god Hash'ak'gik and a chamber used by Mortanius.

Interiors and Connections
The layout of the Avernus city area maps and interiors under the "Map0035" designation is incredibly complex and not easily illustrated.

The City
The regular city area is listed as "Sect 01" with the interiors listed as:
 * "Sect 00" (or "A" in the Prima guide) for the northern house containing the save altar
 * "Sect 42"/"C" for the house west of the fountain
 * "Sect 41"/"B" for the house east of the fountain
 * "Sect 43"/"D" for the house in the eastern passage
 * "Sect 44"/"E" for the first house in the southern passage.
 * The second house in the southern passage ("92"/"G") leads down some stairs into an underground dungeon ("93") and upstairs to another house ("94"/"A") which opens out into the eastern 'Ruined City' area ("02")

The Ruined City
The Ruined City area is actually made up of four different outdoor maps relating to different accessible sections of the map.
 * The first encountered is the eastern section ("02") which contains:
 * A house in the west of the northern section ("74"/"L") - signposted as the Avernus Armory - which led back through a basement towards the western section.
 * A self-contained central house ("46"/"K")
 * A house in the east ("72"/"J") led down to a basement area ("71") which led up to a house ("70") in the eastern section

Upper Cathedral Exterior
The top Cathedral section was made up of two different outdoor maps relating to different accessible sections of the area - along the north ("06") and east ("07") of the cathedral - these contained:
 * A house in the west of the northern section ("98"/"A") which led down to a basement ("97") and back up to a house ("96"/"N") in the western section of the ruined city area.("05")
 * A house in the east led ("26"/"D") down to a basement ("36") which led up to a house ("27"/"E") in the eastern section ("07")
 * The main trail in the eastern section led south to the lower section of the Cathedral.

Lower Cathedral Exterior
The lower cathedral exterior was also made up of two different outdoor maps relating to different accessible sections of the map - along the east ("17") and south ("16") of the cathedral - these contained:
 * the main trail led in eastern section ("17") had led down from the eastern section of the upper Cathedral area ("07") and led down to a house in the south east ("24"/"B") which led downstairs to a basement area ("23") which led back up to a house ("25"/"C") in the southern section ("16")
 * A boarded up house in the east ("20") led through a to a mist associated dungeon area.
 * The main trail headed into the main area of Avernus Cathedral ("Map 0036 Sect 00")

Mist Dungeon
A secret Mist Form associated dungeon spanned the area beneath the city. It could be entered by using Mist Form to breach the entrance of one of three different boarded up houses:
 * The boarded up house in the center of the eastern section of the ruined city ("12") led through a permeable crack to another chamber ("13") where a staircase led down to a northeastern entrance the upper dungeon area ("11"). A Permeable door in the south led to a lower dungeon area ("21")
 * The boarded up house in the center of the western section of the ruined city ("14") led through a permeable crack to another chamber ("15") where a staircase led down to a northwestern entrance the upper dungeon area ("11"). A Permeable door in the south led to a lower dungeon area ("21")
 * The boarded up house in the east of the southern section of the lower cathedral exterior ("20") led through a permeable crack to another chamber ("22") where a staircase led down to a southeastern entrance the lower dungeon area ("21"). A Permeable door in the northwest led to the upper dungeon area ("11")

Avernus Cathedral
In Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, The main Avernus Cathedral areas were listed under the "Map 0036" designation, with "Map 0036 Sect 00" representing the main Material Realm body of the Cathedral. Several other areas could be reached from here: In Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the main Cathedral areas are listed under the "Avernus" designation in Debug menus, with "Avernus 1a" (and "99a") representing the main body of the Cathedral. Several other area can be reached from here:
 * The main doorway led outside to the lower cathedral exterior map area, southern section ("Map 0035 Sect 16")
 * Teleporters led to the Alternate Dimension ("Sect 01") and teleporters there led back to the material realm.
 * The initial doorway led through to a room containing a Save altars ("02")
 * The top left doorway led through to the Heaven Dungeon areas (at "Map 0037 Sect 10")
 * The top right doorway led through to the Hell Dungeon (at "Map 0038 Sect 43")
 * The top middle doorway led through to the Azimuth's chambers. The first chamber with the stained glass window ("Map 0036 Sect 10") led through to a chamber with a save altar ("Map 0036 Sect 11") and onto a smaller chamber where Azimuth first met Kain ("Map 0005 Sect 11"). The main boss arena ("Map 0005 Sect 02") was followed by two square chambers containing a Time-streaming device ("Map 0005 Sect 13") and a final Save altar chamber ("Map 0036 Sect 03") with a teleporter which led outside the southern exit of the city (to "Map 0001 Sect 56")
 * A secret doorway in the southern wall of the top-right side chamber of the cathedral led through the top bridge of the 'descending shaft' chamber in the Hell dungeon ("Map 0038 Sect 52") to a winding passage ("Map 0009 Sect 01") which led into the altar of Hash'ak'gik ("Map 0009 Sect 00").
 * The main Cathedral doors lead back to Vorador's Mansion for Raziel and the Vampire Citadel for Kain.
 * The passages either side of the altar lead through to a sealed door leading to Earth Forge portal room ("2a"). A warp gate here leads to the Earth forge.
 * The central Earth plinth spawns Earth platforms allowing Raziel to reach a high balcony containing the Dark Scripture.
 * The Dark Scripture opens a portal to the Avernus Catacombs ("3a"-"6a") when placed in the main altar. Subterranean corridors ("3a" and "4a") lead on from here to Turel's pit ("5a"), where a portal leads to the Demon Realm ("6a").

Development
As with other recurring areas, The design of Avernus Cathedral areas in Legacy of Kain: Defiance was heavily influenced by the appearance of the rooms seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Art Director Daniel Cabuco elaborated:

The architecture of the Avernus was acknowledged to have been greatly influenced by medieval Cathedral architecture in the real world and included a combination of various French, Italian and Spanish influences, with items identified from several real-world Cathedrals such as "Florence Baptistery doors, Notre Dame Paris Cathedral rose window, Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona fasade, Pere Lachaise cemetary figures". The catacombs beneath Paris were also used as an inspiration for the Avernus Catacombs. Cabuco commented:

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
Avernus