Avernus Catacombs

The Avernus Catacombs were a set of underground tunnels and burial chambers underneath Avernus Cathedral. They were visited in Blood Omen and Defiance.

In the course of his quest in Blood Omen Kain visited Avernus and it's Cathedral to challenge the Guardian of Dimension - Azimuth the Planar. Beforehand he was advised before by Ariel that he would have to "rise and fall and find [his] salvation in between" When Kain arrived in Avernus Cathedral he found it was apparently split into three 'realms', with teleporters linking them; these were seen as the Normal Cathedral; a bright white 'heavenly' realm; and dark 'hell' realm. The 'hell realm' was later revealed to be the Avernus Catacombs.

In the Catacombs the young Kain was able to find the Wraith Armor and several other interesting areas including one that resembled a scene in the opening FMV and appeared to contain Malek's corpse, as well as the hidden Hash'ak'gik's Altar, which showed a secondary religion that was active in Avernus which demanded blood sacrifices.

The Catacombs were revisited in Defiance, apparently a short while after the young Kain had been through. Raziel, coming to the Cathedral in search of The Heart of Darkness was able to gain entry to the Earth Forge (which was apparently also underneath the Cathedral) and imbue the Earth Reaver. This enabled him to climb high in the Cathedral to pick up the 'Dark Scripture' which allowed him to enter, through a portal, 'Hell Realm' of the Avernus Catacombs.

In the Catacombs, assailed by Cenobites who summoned Red Fire Demons, Raziel discovered murals of the Elder Wars, except this time they were from the Hylden perspective and they showed the Ancient Vampires as terrifying aggressors, descending from the skies to attack their enemies for refusing "to submit to the Wheel of Fate ". He also found an image of how the Hylden saw their own champion - a dark silhouette in the shape of Raziel, whose flaming sword now seemed much more like the Wraith-blade. This champion was to "destroy the shackles of the vampires tyrannous god ."

Further along the chambers he found his way to a large pit where Mortanius and the Cenobites were apparently worshipping the Hash'ak'gik entity. When they had finished Raziel moved close enough to the pit to be telekinetically dragged into it by the Entity, which was revealed to be his (d)evolved brother from the far future, Turel, who was possessed by several Hylden. Battling Turel, Raziel was able to devour his soul and finally gain the Amplified Force Projectile (that was removed from Soul Reaver along with Turel) which brought his telekinetic abilities upto Kain's standard.

Exiting the Pit, Raziel met the Mortanius, (who was leaving a message for the younger Kain.) Mortanius, much like Truel was possessed by Hylden, this time a single Hylden - The Hylden Lord, who confired that it was he who put the chain of events that led to the corruption in motion by murdering Ariel. Raziel also got Mortanius to admit to hiding the Heart of Darkness inside Kain. As Raziel exited the Catacombs to the Cathedral, Kain entered and the two battled. Raziel won the battle, claiming the Heart of Darkness and sending the apparently dying Kain through the portal back to the Catacombs.

Some time later Kain woke in the Demon Realm and found himself in Hash'ak'gik's pit. Attacked by a 'demon horde' Kain was able to fight them off and make his way back to the Material Realm through the portal. Shortly afterward he left the Catacombs and Avernus itself and returned to the Vampire Citadel -apparently feeling the pull of the Spirit Forge.