Hub 3: Silent Refectory

Within this repository of mystic artifacts and treasure, the sapphire, the emerald, and the ruby are yours to collect if you can survive.

Essentials
You appear in a storeroom full of crates, which form maze-like corridors. Your first objective is to explore the environs, killing the dark bishops as you go. You will have to jump on top of the piled-up crates to get around. There are blue and green mana containers strewn about. There is a mesh armor atop a small crate to the southwest, and a torch hidden in a switch alcove to the east. The southeastern griffin corridor is lined with fléchettes. There are three (3) switches hidden in three separate alcoves around the store-room, located in the northwest, east, and south. You will have to climb over crates to find them. These switches will open the way to three (3) planets, which you need to progress.

Ruby Planet
First, you should pull the northwestern switch, which is located near a crate with the Church rune (see: Trivia). This will open a northern passage just behind the alcove, unleashing ettins and dark bishops. The passage leads into an antechamber with a long window overlooking the refectory proper — a large dining hall, which is full of dark bishops. Their homing projectiles can strike you through the window, so it is best to keep moving. The northern door leads into the dining hall, where you can take on the swarm. Once you have cleared the area in front of the door, it should be safe to run inside and mop up the rest. There is blue mana scattered on the tables. You have the option of pushing back the northern griffin panel (by walking against it). This opens up a secret niche containing a banishment device.

A larger wooden door at the western end of the hall leads to a vestibule full of ettins and two more doors. These lead to twin chambers, each with large pools and nooks along the walls, and guarded by dark bishops. The northern chamber has a pool of water and crystal vials in its alcoves, while the southern chamber has a pool of lava and blue mana. Each chamber has a manual rotating wall adjacent to the entrance, recognizable by the silver kick-panels. They both lead to the same area, where there are more dark bishops — some are out in the open, while others are holed up in bunkers from which they can fire on you. Fortunately, you can hit them through the windows to clear them out. Ahead of you at the western end, the ruby planet rests on its dais. But beware of the trap — as you move forward to claim it, the bunkers open up, unleashing more dark bishops to ambush you. As long as you pull back and maneuver, you should be fine. There are fléchettes in the newly opened alcoves. If you have not done so already, you may claim the ruby planet. On your way out, you might also want to grab the crystal vials and blue mana from the water and lava chambers respectively. The southeastern nook in the lava chamber has opened to reveal a tunnel (with a few ettins inside) leading directly back to the starting-point in the store-room. You may take the corridor or retrace your steps, it does not matter.

Sapphire Planet
Back in the store-room, you should now seek out the eastern switch. It is concealed in an alcove containing a torch. To the left of the alcove, you will see a stack of boxes emblazoned with Church runes (see: Trivia). These boxes are in fact a disguised lift which will descend to a new area when the switch is pulled. The switch resets, so if you are too late for the elevator, you can simply activate it again. Down in the lower chamber, you are set upon by a squad of centaurs and slaughtaurs — there is no cover here, so take caution. The torches light up, illuminating a circular chamber with stairs winding around the walls, punctuated by windows with dark bishops lurking behind. In the center of the room is a porkelator artifact. At the top of the winding stairway is another switch to pull, which causes several dark bishops to teleport in. Once these are dealt with, it is time to head back up the elevator (it can be activated directly from this level). You should now make your way through the store-room back to the northern dining-hall.

Once in the refectory proper, you will find that the southern griffin panel has opened to reveal a dark passage, connecting to a winding staircase punctuated by windows. In fact, you have come back to the circular chamber, but this time you are just outside its walls. If you did not dispatch them earlier, there will be dark bishops to fight; there are also discs of repulsion along the way. Notably, your third weapon can be picked up somewhere along the spiral staircase — the hammer of retribution at the foot of the stairs, the firestorm on a landing midway, and the arc of death near the top. The stairs lead up to another switch; pull it to open the eastern griffin icon in the dining-hall. Behind it is an expansive chamber with a large, central pier. As you approach the ledge, the pier slides open and the floor rises, unleashing a swarm of dark bishops. You may want to pull back to avoid their numerous projectiles. If you take damage, there are crystal vials along the far eastern wall to heal you. Once the chamber is safe, you will see that the central pier is now a small platform in the midst of a pit, and on top of it rests the sapphire planet. Once again there is a trap, but this time it is not as dangerous. When you jump onto the platform, it suddenly lowers, causing you to fall down if you are dashing across. While the fall is not fatal, it does do damage; therefore it is best to stop short on the platform and wait for it to lower and rise again. Having attained your objective, it is time to seek the final switch in the store-room.

Emerald Planet
You will recall the southeastern corridor lined with fléchettes, culminating in a griffin panel. This is the way forward. To open it, you must pull the southern switch — it is hidden in an alcove not far from where the mesh armor was. Once pulled, you will clearly hear the shifting masonry, as the griffin corridor lowers to form a flight of stairs. Of course, there will be dark bishops lying in wait. At the bottom of the stairs is an exit portal, but you must not take it just yet. Instead, work your way around it to find side-passages and grated windows overlooking a chamber. There are dark bishops in the side passages, and many more in the chamber ahead. It is a good idea to fire your ranged attack through window grating to take out most of the dark bishops. The side-passages lead to the lower floor and terrace of the chamber. There is green mana on the floor and crystal vials on the terrace. At the far end of the terrace is the final switch to pull. Behind you, the griffin icon will open to reveal a darkened alcove containing the emerald planet. This time, there are no traps.

If you have all three (3) planets, you have finished the level. You can simply go back up the steps and take the exit portal back to Heresiarch’s Seminary.

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

Trivia

 * A 'refectory' is a communal dining hall, especially in an institution such as a university, monastery or seminary. The level includes a dining area, which is another example of thematic design.
 * Some of the crates in the store-room are marked with a rune that resembles the floorplan of Traductus' Tomb, which in turn is shaped like the Wraithverge.