E4M6: Temple of the Forbidden Gods (Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder)

E4M6: Temple of the Forbidden Gods is the sixth map of Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder. It was designed by Matt Powell (cannonball) and uses the music track "Cryonic Dreams," originally composed by Kristian Aro for Whispers of Satan.

Essentials
In this map, it is necessary to kill all four cyberdemons to open the path to the exit. The first two cyberdemons you encounter will teleport to various areas of the map to pursue you, while the last two cyberdemons are waiting near the end of the map.

East temple
Head north across the blood river to some marble steps that lead up to the temple entrance, which will open automatically as you approach it - you will also see two marble blocks lower on either side of the entrance, revealing the two cyberdemons that will follow you through the rest of the map. Enter the temple and turn right to go up some steps guarded by shotgun guys and imps, then turn left at the top to reach a lava pit where two monster closets will open to reveal lost souls (or cacodemons on Hurt Me Plenty (HMP) skill level or higher). Turn right to see an eye switch embedded in the wall and shoot it to raise some small platforms from the pit, which you can run across to reach the ledge on the east side.

Go up the steps to a caged walkway, which is overlooked by the first pursuing cyberdemon as well as several imps, and follow the path east past some lost souls to a gargoyle switch that will lower a barricade in the center of the room. Step past the barricade and head south until you get back outside, then turn right and right again to find an armor as well as a skull switch that will open another barricade nearby. Head north-west across another walkway then go up some marble steps to a door, which leads back to the lava pit you crossed earlier - you will see a rocket launcher in front of you, but approach with caution as a wall will open ahead to reveal the second pursuing cyberdemon, and you will also have to contend with barons of Hell that are revealed to your right and some imps behind you. Press the skull switch on your left to raise another set of small platforms and run across these to reach the ledge on the north side of the pit.

Open the door in front of you and push past some zombiemen to a large marble chamber guarded by various enemies. Proceed north down either of the staircases in this chamber then walk through a red doorway on the east side to reach a room with a curved staircase guarded by one of the cyberdemons. Drop into the lava below then go round to the east side of the cyberdemon's platform to find a gargoyle switch that will lower some bars in the south-west corner of the room, releasing lost souls. Step past the bars to enter a large white cavern containing the other cyberdemon, then go to the wooden pillars in the north-east corner to find some steps leading up; as soon as you reach the top turn right then run across the tops of the pillars to reach a tunnel containing an eye switch that needs to be pressed. Drop back down to the ground then head south-west past the cyberdemon's ledge, where some marble steps have risen letting you get up to a ledge which leads to a skull switch.

Pressing the skull switch will lower some more bars just ahead of you. Go through the bars and kill any enemies waiting in the next room, then press the gargoyle switch recessed into the north wall to lower a lift with a demon on it. Ride the lift up and turn left to find yourself back in the marble chamber, then turn left again to press an eye switch; after doing so, drop to the floor below then head up the steps in the middle of the chamber to a small room where a baron will appear (or two on Ultra-Violence and Nightmare), along with imps that teleport behind you. Press the gargoyle switch at the back of the room to reveal a skull switch on the east wall, which will reveal a second skull switch on the west wall; after pressing this last switch, go down the stairs to the bottom level then go through the doorway on the west side, where a barrier has lowered allowing you to reach a room with spectres and imps guarding a wooden skull switch. Press the switch to lower a metal lift behind you leading up to the imps' ledge, then walk north to another skull switch that will lower a barricade in the marble chamber.

Drop down to the floor below and kill some cacodemons that have been released, then go up the steps to the marble hall and dispose of some demons and one or two barons before passing through the north doorway which has now opened. Go down the steps to a room with a metal column and wait for the floor to lower you down to a T-junction with two demons (plus a baron on HMP or higher), then head north to a curved hallway with some zombies above. As soon as you enter this hallway, press the metal lift on your right to lower it so you can get up to the zombies' ledge, collect the radiation shielding suit here then proceed north-west past a cacodemon to a ledge where imps are guarding a red skull switch. Press this switch then drop into the lava below and fight your way past some spectres to reach the doorway on the west side of the room.

West temple and exit
Follow the lava trench west past two demons and a cacodemon until you reach a fenced lava pit; do not stand still here as both of the pursuing cyberdemons have followed you to this room. Walk round to the marble skull switch on the north wall and press it to raise a step behind you, which will allow you to run south across some more steps to a platform in the middle of the pit. Run west up another set of steps to a ledge with a demon (or baron on HMP or higher) then go round the corner to see one or two cacodemons guarding a red skull switch. Walk towards the switch to trigger an ambush by zombies and demons behind you, press the switch then head back to the lava pit and run south up a staircase that has risen to another ledge with demons.

Head straight forward past some shotgun guys to a T-junction and turn right to kill a spectre (or baron on HMP or higher), then go up the steps to a marble hall where both of your pursuers are waiting. Using the wooden columns as cover, kill all the imps ahead then head up to the top level (watching out for cacodemons that are released behind you) and walk through the doorway between the cyberdemons' platforms and go round the corner to an eye switch guarded by lost souls. Press the switch then go back into the hall and run through the now-open east doorway to reach a red ledge with another eye switch; after pressing this second switch, drop down to the floor below then head south to the T-junction and turn left to go up a staircase to a room full of crushers. Head south-east through the crushers to reach the yellow skull key, which is guarded by barons; you may wish to lure them into the crushers to save ammo.

With the yellow key, leave the room through the south doorway to reach a red room with demons and imps then drop down to ground level to find yourself back at the temple entrance. Head back into the temple and walk forward until you see a yellow key door on your right, open it then press the skull switch in front of you - this will lower a barrier leading to the heart of the temple, and lower a ledge behind you with a BFG9000, a berserk pack and three energy cell packs that you should take. Head north until you go down some steps then continue north to leap across the lava trench you walked through earlier. When you reach the other side, two cyberdemons will appear on the platforms on either side of the hall and the other cyberdemons that have been pursuing you will also teleport in - these enemies can teleport across the lava trench to get close to you. You will also have to contend with a crowd of cacodemons and lost souls that teleport in, so use the BFG to clear them out.

Once all four cyberdemons are killed, a wall in the north-east corner of the hall will open. Go through it and head down the steps to an underground blood river, then head north into the darkness to finish the level.

Secrets

 * 1) As soon as you enter the temple, turn right and go up the steps in front of you. When you reach the top, get on the north ridge and follow it back to a wall with brown vines instead of green. Press these brown vines to reveal a switch that needs to be pressed. Now go to the next passage to find a chainsaw and a teleporter. (sector 557)
 * 2) The teleporter from the previous secret takes you to a ledge north-east of the temple entrance. Drop towards the nearest marble column, the one with the lion face on it, and press on it to lower a plasma gun. (sector 184)
 * 3) In the marble chamber at the east side of the map with all of the teleporter pads at the north end, go to the north-east column and press on its east side (with the lion face). This will lower the recessed wall on the north side of the chamber, allowing you to get two energy cells, two boxes of rockets, a medikit, a partial invisibility and a computer area map. (sector 422)
 * 4) In the same room as the previous secret, head up the west set of steps until you reach the red torch near the south-west end. A button is tucked near this torch. Shoot at it to raise a bridge to the south-west. After crossing that, use the next switch to reach a teleporter and two armor bonuses. The teleporter takes you to a supercharge. (sector 388)
 * 5) In the north-west part of the map, step across the blocks leading to the west ledge then go round the corner to an eye switch; a monster closet will open behind you. In this closet, press on the brick wall in the center to find a passage leading to health bonuses, a medikit, a box of bullets, an energy cell and a box of rockets. The teleporter here leads to a megaarmor. (sector 985)
 * 6) Open the yellow key door and press on the pentagram to the south to find three backpacks (which are actually two of each backpack stacked on top of each other, making a total of six), a health bonus (ten of each) and an armor bonus (also ten of each). (sector 1088)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on February 21, 2022.

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: