E3M7: Shrine of the Serpent (Heretic Treasure Chest)

E3M7: Shrine of the Serpent is the seventh map of episode 3 of Heretic Treasure Chest. It was designed by Tatsuya Ito (Tatsurd-cacocaco) and uses the music track "Wait" from Heretic, created by Kevin Schilder.

Yellow key
Turn left or right and go up the steps to an outdoor area with a large V-shaped building. Head north past some fire gargoyles and sabreclaws until you pass the building, then continue north to cross a brown bridge over a lava river which leads to a door requiring the green key. Turn left when you reach the door and follow the walkway past some ophidians until you reach the western-most wooden door and go through it to find a switch; pressing this will reveal a passage with three sets of red, blue and green bars.
 * Go back to the walkway and follow it east. Open the first door on your left to find two or three undead warriors guarding an Energy Orb and the red bar switch.
 * Continue following the walkway east until you pass the green key door, then open the next door on the left to find a passage with nitrogolem ghosts. Follow this passage until you reach the blue key switch.
 * Finally, return to the walkway and follow it east to the next door. Behind this door is a storeroom containing nitrogolems and gargoyles as well as the switch for the green bars.

Once all three switches are pressed, return to the passage that had the colored bars and climb up the lava stairs behind them to the yellow key, passing several nitrogolem ghosts on the way.

Green key
Return to the starting point and kill the undead warriors that have teleported in, open the yellow key door here to confront some gargoyles and nitrogolems then go round the corner to find weredragons blocking the entrance to a circular cave. Enter the cave and follow the walkways round past some sabreclaws and gargoyles to the east side, then step over the lava to find a switch behind an Enchanted Shield. This switch will open three adjoining caverns that you need to visit to open the colored bars leading to the green key.
 * The north cavern contains several red and blue moving platforms - the red platforms have nitrogolems while the blue platforms have undead warriors. Step across the platforms to reach the switch on the north ledge, which will reveal a second switch under the western-most red platform; this second switch lowers the lift in the south-west corner, which leads up to a third switch that opens the green bars.
 * When you enter the east cavern, walk past the nitrogolems around the lava pit to press a switch on the east wall - this will open a barrier on the west side of the lava, revealing the switch that opens the red bars. Watch out for the fire gargoyles (and nitrogolems on bringest them oneth (BTO) skill level or higher) that are released when you pass the barrier.
 * As soon as you enter the south cavern, turn around and press the switch behind you to raise a bridge to the west platform with nitrogolem ghosts. Press the switch on this platform to raise a bridge to the south platform with undead warrior ghosts, then press a third switch on that platform to raise another bridge to the east platform with the weredragons. Press the final switch on the east platform to raise a bridge to the structure in the middle of the cavern, where you will find the switch that opens the blue bars.

After opening all three sets of bars, go back to where you found the Enchanted Shield and step through the open doorway to a gray bridge leading to a Bag of Holding and a switch (the entrance to the room will close as you climb up the steps). Pressing the switch will open the walls on either side of you, revealing disciples of D'Sparil to the south and one or two iron liches to the north. Press the switch by the south wall (next to a Tome of Power), which will lower a pillar by the north wall holding the green key.

Blue key
Go back outside and return to the south side of the V-shaped building, then open the green key door here to reveal a switch as well as a Silver Shield, a Hellstaff and two stacks of Greater Runes. Press the switch then go back outside to find that disciples, nitrogolems and a maulotaur have teleported in; after killing them, head north across the brown bridge again and open the green key door on the other side, then head forward to collect Gauntlets of the Necromancer while killing the nitrogolems and ophidians waiting in ambush. After collecting the Gauntlets, press the switch on your right to lower the wooden wall and reveal the main shrine, which is guarded by sabreclaws, disciples and nitrogolem ghosts. As before, the north doorway is blocked by three sets of colored bars that must be opened to reach the blue key.
 * Go through the west door to reach a long hall with caged weredragons, then open the north-west door to enter a room with nitrogolem and undead warrior ghosts inside a metal structure. Use the stone door on the west side to enter the structure, then follow the passage through two more doors to find the switch for the green bars. This switch is guarded by a nitrogolem on BTO or lower, or an ophidian on thou art a smite-meister and black plague possesses thee skill levels.
 * Return to the long hall with the cages and head through the south-west door this time, then go down the stairs and turn right to see a number of enemies guarding a switch which will lower a lift behind you. Ride the lift up and slay one or two undead warrior ghosts, then open the door here and follow the passage east past more warriors until you reach the east wall. A silver door on your right will open to reveal a switch; pressing it will lower a lift in the room below, which you can ride up to the central platform to find the switch that opens the red bars. Watch out for the nitrogolems that are released below when you step on the platform.
 * Return to the shrine room and open the east door this time, which leads to a cross-shaped room with a deep lava pit. Kill the nitrogolems blocking the path and carefully walk round to the east side of the room to find a lava-filled tunnel. Follow the tunnel south and west past several monsters until you reach a stone room with braziers, where some ophidians are guarding the switch that opens the blue bars. After pressing this switch, look behind it to find a teleporter leading back to the shrine entrance.

With all three switches pressed, go through the north doorway from the shrine room to a hall with nitrogolems on either side then continue north to a lift with a switch next to it. Ride the lift down to a circular arena with fire gargoyles then walk round to the north side to find another switch as well as a Silver Shield, a Mystic Urn and large ammo pickups. Pressing the switch will lower the brown walls in the middle of the arena and reveal two to four iron liches, and monsters will start teleporting in to the arena in waves - nitrogolems first, followed by sabreclaws, undead warrior ghosts, weredragons and ophidians. As the ophidians teleport in, the central column will lower to reveal a maulotaur guarding the blue key.

Exit
Once the arena is clear, enter the passage to the north and follow it until you see a stone door on your right between two blue key gizmos; behind the door is an iron lich guarding a switch that will open the exit teleporter, but the switch will be hidden as you approach it. As you leave the room you will see that a maulotaur has appeared by the exit teleporter, while a second maulotaur and a large number of disciples have teleported in to the arena. Press the switch that has been revealed on the east side of the arena to reveal a second switch on the west side; after pressing this second switch, go through the blue key door again and press the switch between the exit signs - this will open the bars blocking the exit teleporter.

Other points of interest
Use the switch on the north side of the V-shaped building to lower a lift, which will carry you up to an Ethereal Crossbow and a Dragon Claw along with Ethereal Arrows and Claw Orbs.

In the hall with cages west of the shrine room, open the western-most door to find a disciple guarding a Mystic Urn.

A Phoenix Rod can be found on the west side of the hall before the circular arena, while a Morph Ovum can be found on the east side. Both items are guarded by one or two ophidians each.

Secrets

 * 1) When you go across the bridge to the green door, go all the way to the left-most room to hit the switch there, then go all the way to the right-most room. Go all the way to the end of this room where a Bag of Holding is and open the wall behind it to find Wings of Wrath. (sector 1852)
 * 2) Along the lava walkway on the west side of the map leading to the yellow key, you can open a wall to the west which is between two bars. Inside are three Quartz Flasks guarded by nitrogolem ghosts. (sector 400)
 * 3) In the green key area, open up the northern section with the rising and lowering platforms. Head to the right-most red platform, then ride it all the way up. Here, walk through the false wall to the right to find a Shadowsphere. (sector 1688)
 * 4) The switch to lower the green key has another switch on its backside. Flip it, then run north-east and along the path to get a Phoenix Rod. (sector 2108)
 * 5) At the main shrine, head to the room on the right with the walkway above the lava. Head south, east, south, and east a bit, then press on the banner to open it. You will find nitrogolems guarding a Morph Ovum (there will also be disciples and an Energy Orb on BTO or higher). (sector 1093)

Current records
The Compet-n records for the map are:

Deathmatch
In deathmatch, players are confined to the square blue shrine in the middle of the level.

Player spawns
This level contains four spawn points:
 * 1) facing north. (thing 4)
 * 2) facing east. (thing 5)
 * 3) facing west. (thing 6)
 * 4) facing south. (thing 7)

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