E3M6: Bright Sanctuary (Masters of Chaos)

E3M6: Bright Sanctuary is the sixth map in the Shadowlands episode of Masters of Chaos. It was designed by Caleb26 and uses the Hexen music track "Chapel 1".

Essentials
Go through either of the archways in front of you to a hall with a green floor. Take the Hellstaff sitting on the trident symbol at the west end of the room, then go north through the archway to a much larger hall with square columns. Climb up either of the staircases in the north wall to the top, then go through the north doorway to a passage with a yellow and blue floor. Climb the steps and destroy the sabreclaws that rise from the floor ahead, then follow the passage to the end and press the switch next to the Dragon Claw. Destroy the sabreclaws and weredragons that are released into the passage, then backtrack to the main hall to find that a door in the east wall has opened revealing a Bormereth. Kill it, then go through the wide door behind it and climb the steps past the golems to a room with a tiled floor.

Turn right at the top of the steps and kill the undead warriors, then go through the stone door behind them and turn left, following the passage down the steps to an area with a high ceiling. Turn left and follow the path up some steps, noting that several pillars will lower on your right holding sabreclaws and a butcher. Step over the low wall into the water and kill the monsters, then press the switch at the south edge of the pool to lower a pillar behind you with a Firemace. Step on that pillar before it rises again, then jump up the other pillars until you reach the top of the waterfall by the north wall.

After reaching the waterfall and jumping through the opening in the wall above it, turn left and kill the weredragons that try to ambush you then enter the next chamber and kill the sabreclaws that are released from behind a wall ahead. Step into the teleporter behind the sabreclaws to be sent to a ledge overlooking the large water pool south of the pillar area. Drop into the pool and destroy the three iron liches that have teleported into the area, then press the switch by the north wall and jump over that wall to return to the pillar area.

Head north-west through a doorway (pressing the switch lowered a set of bars here) and follow the tunnel to a tall room; there is a switch on a platform in the middle of the room, but it cannot be reached yet. Leave the room by the west doorway and follow the tunnel to a room with a metal altar guarded by undead warriors. Press the switch on the west face of the altar, which will lower the north and south walls to release sabreclaws and ophidians. Once they are dead, go through the tunnel to the south.

You will enter a wide room with more undead warriors. Press the switch on the south wall to lower it and reveal several enemies, including one or more vampires. Go into the chamber the enemies came from and check the pillars to find a switch hidden in one of them, which will lower more walls to the east and west and reveal golems, nitrogolems and green chaos serpents. Dispose of them then head east to find a wooden door and go through it.

Follow the passage past several sabreclaws until you reach a switch guarded by ophidians, and press it to lower a lift on your left. Ride the lift up to a room guarded by disciples of D'Sparil and press the switch in the north-east corner, which will lower a wall nearby. Go back down the lift and turn right to see that a room with ophidians and gargoyles has been revealed in front of you - climb the steps in this room and go through the doorway at the top to an area with more undead warriors.

Turn left to find some steps leading to a fast-flowing river which will carry you to some disciples and fire gargoyles; take the north-east stream from here and you will drop back into the large water pool where you faced the iron liches, collecting a Shadowsphere on the way. Head north, retracing your steps back to the room with the previously-unreachable switch, which you can now press. This will open a number of surrounding alcoves that hold dark bishops.

Leave the room by the west exit to return to the chamber with the metal altar, where a door to the north has now opened. Go through it and climb to the steps to an area guarded by butchers, disciples and nitrogolems, then follow a snaking staircase to the north-east until you reach an outdoor area with a round stone structure. Cross the area and go through the skull door to the north, then go straight forward and turn left; some bars here have lowered, allowing you to reach the final area of the level.

Climb the tan steps to the top, then turn right and go down another set of steps to find a passage with metal supports. Follow the passage and turn right to see a switch past a water pool - pressing it reveals the exit, but also releases a number of disciples from overhead ledges to the north. Fight your way back up the passage and climb the steps to find the exit switch being guarded by an iron lich and two butchers; press the switch to finish the level.

Other points of interest
The three keys in this level are optional, but finding all of them will allow you to open a door in the north-east area of the level. Behind it is a staircase with numerous ammo pickups and a Wand of Embers, leading to a non-functional switch which was probably intended to be a secret exit (see Trivia).
 * To find the blue key, go through the door west of the room with the yellow and blue tiled floor then head west down a staircase to a stone door. Go through it to reach a ledge overlooking the starting hall, then turn left and head forward to a wooden doorway. Climb the steps to a room with a chandelier, then press the switch in the north-west corner (behind an Ethereal Crossbow) which will lower the south-east wall. Defeat the monsters and head south through a doorway that has been revealed, following the tunnel behind it to a switch guarded by an undead warrior. Press the switch here, fight off the monsters that are revealed then return to the chandelier room - part of the north wall has lowered, and behind it are two disciples guarding the key.
 * The yellow key can be found while searching for secret #3 below.
 * The green key can be found in secret #8.

From the room with the unreachable switch (leading to secrets #2 and #3), climb up the west staircase to find a Blood Scepter. Watch out for sabreclaws ambushing you from either side as you take the weapon.

Secrets

 * 1) As the level starts, climb the metal staircase behind you to find a Tome of Power. (sector 116)
 * 2) Press the switch in the south-western stone room to lower three walls to the south and reveal one or more vampires, then enter the newly-revealed chamber and press the switch hidden inside one of the pillars to lower two more walls to the east and west. Chaos serpents will emerge from the west chamber; go inside it and press the switch hidden in the north-east corner, then backtrack to the room with the unreachable switch and step over the south-eastern red wall which has lowered to release some roaches. Step into the teleporter behind them to reach a ledge overlooking the starting hall (sector 384), then go forward to collect a Ring of Invincibility.
 * 3) After taking the Ring of Invincibility from secret #2, head north through the main hall and climb the staircases to find that several sections of the inner wall have lowered. Kill the butchers behind these walls and take the yellow key from the wooden platform, then press the switch hidden on the south side of this platform. Backtrack to the room where you found the teleporter to secret #2 - the south-western red wall has lowered to reveal more roaches guarding another teleporter. This will send you to another ledge overlooking the starting hall (sector 383), leading to a Map Scroll.
 * 4) After pressing the switch in the passage in the north-east passage, nine alcoves containing sabreclaws will open in the south wall. Press the back wall of the middle alcove to reveal a Morph Ovum. (sector 508)
 * 5) Go up either staircase at the north side of the main hall and go through the north-west doorway, leading down to a room with stone supports. Slay the enemies that rise from the floor, take the items in this area then climb the stairs in the south-west corner of the room, leading to a passage with metal tombs. Follow the passage past several enemies to a round room with a Quartz Flask and two Discs of Repulsion, then open the east wall to find a Phoenix Rod and two Flame Orbs. (sector 986)
 * 6) Climb the staircases in the north wall of the main hall and go through the north-east doorway, going down some steps to a room with metal altars. Press use on the southern altar (decorated with blue candles) to open the walls on either side, revealing reivers guarding a Skull Staff and four charges for this weapon. (sector 1687)
 * 7) Pressing the switch in the room south-west of the main hall will open six alcoves containing bishops. Step into the alcove on the east side of the north wall (containing an Energy Orb and two Claw Orbs) to trigger a secret (sector 1845). The floor will lower when you approach these items and reveal a secret wall; open it to find a Tome of Power.
 * 8) There is a pool of water north of the switch that reveals the level exit. The waterfall here is a false wall; walk through it to find the green key. (sector 2586)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doomed Speed Demos Archive are:

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level, not including monsters or items spawned via scripts:

Trivia

 * According to the MAPINFO lump for this WAD, this level was originally intended to include a secret exit to E3M12: The Forsaken Garden. That level is missing from the WAD, and this level does not include a secret exit.