MAP09: Abandoned Observatory (Hexen Upstart Mapping Project)

MAP09: Abandoned Observatory is the ninth map of Hexen Upstart Mapping Project. It was designed by Mikolah and uses the music track "Rithm" by Kevin Schilder.

Essentials
The objective of this level is to find the fire key and use it to unlock the exit portal. To reach the fire key you will first need to locate the sapphire, emerald and ruby planets.

Sapphire planet
As soon as the level starts, grab the Serpent Staff, Frost Shards or Timon's Axe in front of you and use it to kill the approaching enemies; the fighter will face centaurs, the cleric will face green chaos serpents and afrits, and the mage will face afrits and dark bishops. Approach the north door, which will open automatically and let you go outside - you will see a keyhole for the cave key to your left, and a bridge straight ahead that leads to the fire key. Ignore these for now and follow the rocky steps on your right down to two green serpents and an afrit, then head east to a rope bridge that leads to a double-door. Behind this door is the "clockwork room" which you will return to later; for now, destroy two more afrits then open the west door and turn left to see a smaller wooden door. Go through this door to find an afrit and bishop guarding a Mystic Ambit Incant and the cave key.

Backtrack to the first outdoor area and use the keyhole you saw earlier to open a wall, revealing a hole for you to drop down; as you land in a water pool, it will change to slime and you will be ambushed by a large, translucent stalker boss. Kill it then enter the neighboring room and walk north to a dark tunnel - using the torches that light on either side to guide you, follow the tunnel west past some afrits until you cross a wire bridge, then enter the next room and head up some sloping steps to another wooden door. Open this door to reach a sewer infested with stalkers, then open a second door in front of you and pull the chain switch behind it to open some maintenance hatches in the clockwork room. Follow the sewer east and north to a slope, then go up it to find a water tank - turning the valve here will flood the chapel at the start of the level, letting you collect the emerald planet later.

Go back down the slope then head south and east to a teleporter leading back to the first outdoor area. Retrace your steps to the clockwork room and kill some more afrits that have been released, pull all four minotaur switches inside the alcoves then interact with the hatch in the center of the east wall to reveal some gears - press these gears to activate an elevator later in the map. Go through the west door again, but this time head north through two more doors to enter the indigo section. Drop down the hole in front of you and open a gray door on your left, then head up the steps to find four bishops (or three centaurs if you are playing as the fighter) guarding a chain switch. Pull the switch to lower the elevator you activated earlier, then ride it up to a door and kill three waiting bishops. Walk through a second door at the end of the hallway, then jump up to collect the sapphire planet above your head.

Emerald and ruby planets
Kill a few bishops that spawn behind you, go back to the elevator and drop down to the floor below, then climb up two silver ladders next to the elevator switch to reach a steel door. Go through the door and follow a winding passage past some centaurs and afrits to a second door, then open it to find some floating platforms over a pit. Carefully step across the platforms and press a moon switch at the other end, then go back across the bridge - hatches will light up along the walls before opening to reveal reivers, but hold your fire as a metal grid will drop from the ceiling and kill most of them. Go to the north-west hatch and crouch down to reach a face switch inside it that will re-open the entrance door, then backtrack to the clockwork room where the north wall has opened to reveal bishops and afrits. Break the stained-glass windows behind these enemies to find a flame mask, watching out for an ambush by wendigos when you pick it up.

Go back to the chapel at the start of the map; the west side of the chapel has flooded, allowing you to pick up the emerald planet that was previously sitting inside a cage. To the east are some sloping walkways over a lava pit - follow them to the north-east corner and use the flame mask on the receptacle in front of you, which will open some bars blocking a doorway below and to your right. Go through this doorway and kill the bishops and afrits on your right, then head up the slopes to a brass door and open it to confront centaurs and more bishops. Carefully jump over some rusty platforms (the pit below is lethal) then turn right to see the ruby planet on a plinth in front of you.

Fire key and exit
Go back to the starting point then head north to get outside again - this time, head north across the bridge you saw earlier to find a solar system carving on the floor in front of some bars. Press the use key while standing on the carving to insert the planets and lower the bars, then head forward through a skull door to find the fire key along with a Mystic Urn and a Krater of Might (the game will autosave as you enter the room). When you take the fire key a maulotaur will appear - hold it off until you see a teleporter appear in the center of the room, then enter the teleporter to go back to the starting point. Flip the star switch in front of you to open the exit portal, which leads back to.

Other points of interest
Press the bookcase on the west wall of the cave key room to reveal a rope switch and pull it to lower a wall just outside the room. Pull the stone switch behind this wall to open a door leading to a Krater of Might.

After defeating the translucent stalker boss, check the west wall for a concealed minotaur switch that will reveal the emerald key. Go back to the starting point and jump west across two angled platforms to find a keyhole for the emerald key, which will open the door next to it and allow you to claim (depending on player class) the Hammer of Retribution, Firestorm or Arc of Death.

Secrets
There are no official secrets on this map.

Speedrunning
As this level does not contain official secrets, the NM 100S category is redundant.

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 19, 2022.

Player spawns
This level contains six spawn points:
 * 1) facing east. (thing 111)
 * 2) facing south. (thing 125)
 * 3) facing east. (thing 160)
 * 4) facing south-east. (thing 161)
 * 5) facing north. (thing 176)
 * 6) facing west. (thing 383)

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