Hell

The Hell Realm was one of the several supposed dimensional realms that divided the cathedral of Avernus in the Blood Omen era as Dimension Guardian Azimuth attacked her city. Visited by Kain in the Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain chapter Defeat Azimuth, the area consisted of much 'hellish' imagery and acted as something of a dungeon for the Wraith Armor.

Role
The hell realm was one of the several apparent dimensions that split Avernus Cathedral when Kain visited in the Blood Omen era of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.

After defeating the triad of Pillar Guardians at Dark Eden in Threaten the Circle, Kain was directed by Ariel to Avernus and Dimension Guardian Azimuth and cryptically advised that "Three instruments await you, to aid you in your quest, but first you must rise and you must fall and find your salvation in between."

Travelling to Avernus in the chapter Defeat Azimuth, Kain discovered that the city had been overrun by Demons originating from the Cathedral. Entering the building Kain discovered that Azimuth had split the internal area into several dimensions, with the regular Material Realm joined by a murky alternate dimension and subsequently another two areas - the cloudy Heaven realm and the fiery and skeletal Hell realm.

Pushing his way through the Cathedral, Kain was periodically teleported to the alternate dimension and back again before reaching the Heaven realm and following a rising "Stairway to Heaven" until discovering a chamber containing the Soul Reaver blade along with a angelic statue. Soon after Kain was able to descend down the chambers of the Hell Realm to recover the Wraith Armor.

After discovering the armor Kain was able to confront Azimuth in the regular Material Realm to gain a time streaming device.

Design and Layout
The Hell Realm, in contrast to the previous Heaven realm, began in the regular Cathedral surroundings and descended into a more 'hellish' scenery - regular flooring was replaced by uneven tiles, and dingy underground environments bearing skeletal and spiky motifs - a frequently seen chamber featured a deep lava filled pit with various wooden bridges that Kain was forced to cross several times as he slowly descended into the realm. As with the heaven realm, much of the area was surrounded by Shooters.

The realm could be divided into fifteen brief areas, linked by a central descending shaft:
 * The first area was a small square room bearing a save altar flanked by stained glass windows on the back wall. A door in the north east corner led to the next area.
 * The second area consisted of a longer corridor leading north and looping round in a rough 'n' shape, with the area mostly populated by Fire mages and Black fire mages and the occasional horned shooter. Initially the path headed north, then turned east between two spike pits before turning north again and passing a rotating blade before heading up to a wall button flanked by two spike pits which opened a door to the east. This room was a large two tiered rectangle with a rows of spike pits along the northern and southern walls - preventing direct access to two switches on the back wall, which could be activated with Energy Bolt to drop a bridge across the southern spikes and lower a stairway allowing Kain to descend to the lower tier where a floor mural of the Wraith armor was positioned in the center along with a Cerberus and a blood beaker. A switch disguised as a chain in the northeast opened a passage over a spike pit in the northwest, allowing Kain to reach the switch that opened a door in the south leading to the next area.
 * The next area was the first of the 'true' hell areas, featuring a sharp change of environment to a blood splattered, skeletal area with jagged tiles, skeletal themes and corpses strewn around with Undead enemies, many Chained humans and an notable increase in shooters. The first chamber was populated by Cerberi and several shooters and featured three tiers, with the first a reversed 'L' shape connecting to a stairway which led to the second square tier containing a skull shaped switch and a blood beaker. A stairway in the south led to the lowest rectangular tier containing a green magic sphere and a rune triangle, with an exit opened by the previous switch in the west.
 * The next area was Kain first view of the main descending shaft - a deep chasm with lava at the bottom from which a number of wooden bridges and skeletal remains could be seen. Kain was positioned on the second bridge down and needed only to cross the bridge - evading or confronting a sword-bearing Red skeleton on the way - to return to the rooms of the hell realm.
 * The next area was again populated by Cerberi and numerous shooters began as a corridor heading west before descending a stairway south to another wider western corridor which met another staircase overlooking a balcony and a lower square tier to the south. Kain could collect a blood beaker from the balcony before descending the staircase and afterward drain a chained human before pressing the star/shield-shaped switch on the northern wall and exiting via the eastern doorway.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, with Kain at a lower level. This time the bridge was vertical and he was confronted by a Red skeleton knight before pushing across the bridge led to the next area.
 * The next area began as a small wide corridor heading eastward before turning north into an area with several Liches as enemies and shooters. From here the path headed east with a captive and a star-switch on the northern wall. A stairway amid a balcony to the south led down to a lower area with a blood beaker and a magic sphere flanking the switch-opened door in the south.
 * The descending shaft was then visited again - and again Kain was at a lower level and could cross the bridge to return, this time passing two skeleton knights.
 * The next area was a large roughly square area with three tiers. Kain began at the top tier on a wide balcony along the northern wall that overlooked the tiers below. Fighting off the Cerberi and Liches that attacked, he could descend using a stairway to the south to reach the square second tier where more liches awaited along with a blood beaker. Passing through and using the stairway to the south, Kain could descend to the bottom tier where could activate a skull-switch on the northern wall and drain a nearby captive before following the path east, then northward and draining the captive in the north before using the switch-opened door in the east.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, crossing another bridge at a lower level while two Zombies attacked.
 * The next area was a corridor heading eastward where Kain was immediately confronted by a Shadow summoner and its Shadow spots. A staircase headed down to the south after a short distance nearby a captive.Below the stairway was positioned the first of two exit switches. The path the headed east to another southern staircase with a switch beneath and a green magic sphere beneath, before the path headed back westward to a final blood beaker alongside the exit door.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, crossing another bridge at a lower level with a axe wielding red skeleton attacking.
 * Kain next emerged in an 'n' shaped room populated by more shadow summoners and shooters. Beginning in the southeastern corner next to a Heart of darkness artifact the passage led north to where a stairway led up to a higher level, the passage then headed west, passing a skull switch and a captive before descending southwards down a staircase to a southern exit on a lower level which was opened by the previous switch.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, crossing another bridge at a lower level. This bridge was vertical and vacant.
 * The next chamber was populated by Lich summoners and began as a corridor heading north which emerged as a balcony on the western side on a larger room. The balcony headed north before turning east where a southern staircase led down into the larger room below. Passing a green magic sphere at the bottom of the stairs, the path turned back around the bottom of the balcony in a 'J' shape before heading back northward and passing a rotating blade on a skull-topped pole. At the top of the room the corridor turned eastward, passing a captive to the north and emerging as a balcony along the north of another open room, with a blood beaker at the far eastern end. A stairway led south to the room below with a switch positioned at the bottom of the stairs which opened the exit doorway in the south. A green magic sphere was positioned opposite the skull switch, with a Blood beaker below it to the south, to the east of the exit door.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, crossing another bridge at a lower level with a red skeleton knight attacking.
 * The next room was home to a number of Lightning spitter demons and began as a corridor heading eastward to a stairway overlooking a wide rectangular area below with a switch positioned on the eastern wall at the bottom of the stairs. The rectangular room was divided by a large chasm which was bridged with the use of the switch, leading down to another vista to the south where a flay artifact was positioned along with another southern stairway which descended to a narrow corridor heading west. A blood vial was positioned on the far eastern end of the corridor and after a short passage westward the room widened into a rectangular room which opened northward with a switch positioned on the upper eastern wall and the corresponding exit door opposite on the western wall.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, crossing another bridge at a lower level. Kain was now visibly approaching the bottom of the shaft and was attacked by a axe-wielding red skeleton.
 * The next room was a 'c' shaped room populated with ogre demons and spread across three tiers with several staircases descending down through it. Kain began in a wide corridor heading west, which proceeded to an overlook and a staircase heading down to the south into a small square area. In the south of this area was a blood beaker and another overlook-stairway heading south to a lower level. A switch was positioned on the western wall below the stairs along with an orange magic sphere, while the main corridor headed east to a blood beaker and the exit opened by the previous switch.
 * Another visit to the descending shaft followed, crossing a tiled bridge at the bottom of the pit, with another red skeleton knight attacking.
 * The next area was a roughly reversed 'C'-shape and was populated by Giant demons. The room began at the southern prong as a wide corridor heading east with a captive and a rune triangle on the northern wall, before reaching a balcony overlooking an open area below, along with a staircase heading down to the south. Beneath the balcony a switch was positioned on the western wall, before the passage rounded the bottom of the balcony in a wide 'J' shape and headed northward to where a large chasm crossed the room - which was bridged by the previous switch. Following the wide passage north to an orange magic sphere in the top-right corner, the room again emerged as a balcony overlooking a lower area to the west. The balcony itself turned westward to where a captive was positioned before descending a stairway to the south into a narrow strip along the bottom of the room below. Following the strip west, the room widened into a square area beneath the balcony where a switch was positioned on the northern wall along with a heart of darkness artifact and the corresponding exit door on the western wall.
 * Kain was now able to reach the very bottom of the descending shaft and could progress across the bare rock and between the lava to reach the skull decorated door to the final chamber of the realm.
 * The final chamber of the hell realm was a large square area obviously excavated from the bare rock and earth and with a notable dinosaur or dragon-like fossil or skeleton exposed along the northern wall - and several other, more human skulls and skeletons visible around the room. Two impaled bloody corpses were seen in the bottom corners of the room and at the heart of the chamber was a large set of golden symbols arranged in a circular pattern flanked by two dark pillars. Chains attached to the top of the pillars suspended a skeleton between them in the middle of the pattern below - greatly resembling the place of the Malek's execution seen in Welcome to Hell. Behind the grisly altar was positioned the Wraith Armor in the arms of a demonic bloody figure or statue along with a teleporter that led back to the main cathedral and a confrontation with Azimuth.