Hub 3: Dragon Chapel

Death is straightforward and direct within the basilica of the great worm.

Key puzzle switch
Step through the tripartite portals, and into the narthex. On either side are dragon icons with crystal vials, but beware of the trap — if you jump up to the ledges, a swarm of afrits will swoop down from the ceiling. Ahead of you are two sets of heavy wooden doors, which slowly swing open as you approach, admitting you to the chapel proper. But first, you will have to clear the way forward by defeating the crowd of ettins. The safest method is to lure them to the doors, using the threshold as a choke-point to take them out one at a time. Once these are dealt with, you may venture further inwards.

The chapel mainly consists of a large, open hall. Just ahead of you are a ring of eight torches. Further north is an elevated walkway leading to the altar. The hall is roughly divided in half by a rood wall, supported by columns. There is a tower in each quadrant, and ledges around the perimeter. The corridors are sealed off for the moment. Aside from ettins, there are slaughtaurs sniping at you from the towers and ledges, dark bishops floating around, and a stalker boss firing projectiles from the altar’s slime pool. Simply put, it is an onslaught that lives up to the flavor text.

Your first priority should be the dark bishops. They are initially stationed on the ledges adjacent to the four towers and float down from there. Keep in mind that there is another pair on the opposite side of the rood wall, also on either side, who will not notice you until you head north. You should step off the raised walkway while you battle the second pair, so that you are less vulnerable to crossfire. Next, there is the stalker boss and slaughtaurs to deal with. The slaughtaurs are fairly difficult to hit on their towers and ledges, due to height and torches (strategically placed to act as ramparts). The two slaughtaurs perched on the northern towers have a clear shot at you on the walkway, but are also vulnerable to your returning fire — for this reason, you should at least take them out, if not the others. It is important to keep strafing to avoid taking hits. The stalker boss makes this more difficult, but there is a workaround. If you strike the array of candles with your weapon, you will temporarily lower the slime (this will be useful later, see: Miscellaneous). This also temporarily removes the stalker boss from the field of battle. A good strategy is to keep the slime lowered while you deal with the slaughtaurs on the flanking towers, and then finish off the stalker boss (if you have not already slain it while striking at the candles). Alternatively you may strike the stalker boss first, but this is dependent on luck. It is not necessary to defeat every slaughtaur up above, since you will eventually climb up to the high ground and be able to deal with them more directly.

On either side of the altar are columns, ettins, and mana. You should take out the ettins first. When you step on the altar, the columns open, unveiling dark bishops as well as items — a disc of repulsion to the left/west, and a mystic urn to the right/east. Grab either item, and corridors will open to the east and west under the rood wall. Each of these newly opened corridors unleashes an ettin and a green chaos serpent, which you should dispatch at once (so that the serpents cannot ambush you). From there, you should explore the corridors. To the east, you will find four quartz flasks, which will probably come in very handy. There are corpses, and two passages crowded with dark bishops, which will be barred if this is your first visit.

The western corridor is where you must enter. On the lefthand wall, there is a chain switch — pull it to “solve one ninth of the puzzle on the monastery”, and partially unlock the other two chapels.

Further inside, there are heavy rotating grinders. If this is your first visit, they will bar your passage; in fact they can kill you quickly if you get too close while they are in this state. With both passages blocked, there is nothing more to do but make your way to another chapel. However, if you are following the conventional order, and have come here after the Wolf Chapel, the southern passages should be opened in both corridors. In that case, you should read on to make the most of your visit. If this is your third visit, see: Miscellaneous to learn about the altered conditions.

Post Wolf Chapel
Having pulled the first switch, it is time to seek the second. The southern/lefthand passages of both corridors are now open. These lead up to the ledges overlooking the hall south of the rood wall.

The western passage is not required, but it is beneficial to clear it, and it is convenient. The rotating grinders have shifted to let you enter (and they are no longer dangerous). Behind them is an alcove with ettins and green mana. You will notice two wall sections with silver panels — these are lifts which bring you up to the southwestern ledges, which hold more ettins and slaughtaurs. If you have not defeated the slaughtaurs from ground level, it is best if you first take the lefthand lift that is recessed into the wall. This way, you will have a clear shot at the slaughtaurs without having to fight them at melee range. If you defeat the slaughtaur on the tower, you can jump down to the tower (and collect discs of repulsion). From there, you can dispatch the slaughtaur on the higher southwest ledge (and the slaughtaurs to the east if you wish). You will find it much easier to duel with them when you share the high ground. The higher ledge has blue mana and crystal vials, while the lower ledge has green mana.

The eastern corridor is where you must go. The southern bars are open, and there are dark bishops to contend with. At the end of the passage on your right is a dragon icon — this is the lift that will take you up to the southeastern ledges. A group of monsters come down with the lift, depending on your class — centaurs and slaughtaurs for the fighter, and afrits for the cleric or mage (along with the slaughtaur posted on the ledge). It is best to fight them down here, where it is much easier to dodge.

Up on the high ledge, there is plenty of green mana. From the edge, you have a clear shot at the slaughtaur on the southeastern tower, which should be dealt with now (if not before). You will recall that there were higher and lower ledges to the southeast; it is likewise here. To the right/north is a short drop down to the lower ledge, but be wary — the moment you jump down, the eastern wall behind you opens, ambushing you with dark bishops. The ledge is narrow and hemmed in, giving you little room to dodge, although there is a torch for cover. You do not want a slaughtaur attacking your rear at the same time, which is why it is important to have neutralized the southeastern tower beforehand. There are more discs of repulsion on the southeastern tower, and blue mana in the alcove.

Most importantly, the second puzzle switch is in the darkened alcove, set in the wall to your right. This solves another “ninth of the puzzle on the monastery”.

From here, you can simply jump down to the main floor. Assuming you are following the conventional order, you have progressed as far as possible for now. In that case, simply make your way back to the tripartite portals — the griffin portal is facing the wall to the east (your left). If this is your third visit and the chapel is unlocked, you may seek out the third puzzle switch, as outlined below.

Post Griffin Chapel
If you are following the conventional order, you should have pulled the other two key puzzle switches to completely unlock the chapel. This creates a couple new conditions, which include afrits flying around, as detailed in Miscellaneous.

In any case, the northern passages are now open. This time, the northwestern passage is required, while the northeastern passage is optional. The northern ledges mirror those to the south.

In the eastern corridor, the northern passage is unbarred, revealing an ascending staircase. Along the way are dark bishops, a pair of crystal vials, and possibly a few ettins. At the landing, there is a dragon icon to the right, and more stairs to the left. The stairs lead up to the lower ledge and an ambush. The dragon icon is a lift that brings you up to the higher ledge, where a dark bishop and slaughtaur await. They have a clear shot at you from atop the lift, so it is best if you first activate the dragon icon and deal with them, so that you do not get sniped from behind. The higher ledge offers blue mana for your trouble. Back on the stairs, you will ascend to the aforementioned lower ledge and its ambush — as soon as you reach the top, the wall to your left instantly opens, unleashing many dark bishops (more than there were in the southeastern alcove). You should step inside the alcove to mop up any stragglers; there is also green mana there. Presumably you already dispatched the slaughtaur on the adjacent tower, where there are fléchettes to pick up. The worst case scenario here is to step into the dark bishop ambush, while the slaughtaurs strike at your rear and flank, but this situation is easily avoidable.

To proceed, head to the western corridor, and past the now-opened rollers into the northern passage. On the other side are ettins and blue mana. There is a dragon icon ahead of you, which remains closed for now. To your right is a niche with silver paneling, which is a lift which will carry you up to the northwestern ledges. You come out on the lower ledge, adjacent to the slaughtaur tower (which has fléchettes). To the left/north is a dragon icon set in a darkened section of the wall — this slides open to reveal an ascending staircase, guarded by an ettin and slaughtaur. This leads up to the higher ledge, which offers crystal vials, blue mana, and a pulley switch to the left/north. This switch opens up the dragon icon you passed by earlier, so you should make your way down to the floor and re-enter the western corridor and its northern passage. The dragon icon has opened onto a descending stairway filled with ettins. The stairs lead down to the basement, where many dark bishops await. There are several quartz flasks to pick up, which you will probably find useful. The basement curves around the sewer, clearly visible through the wraparound window. The stalker bosses should not concern you. For gaining access to the sewer and its cache, see: Miscellaneous.

At the opposite end of the basement is a chain switch. Pull this to solve “one ninth of the puzzle on the monastery”.

If you have pulled the other puzzle switches (detailed above), this should be the third and final switch of the map. If you are following the conventional order, you have persevered through the chapels and solved the puzzle. From here, you should head back to the tripartite portals — the portal back to the Seminary is oriented north, facing you directly.

Miscellaneous
If you have already unlocked the chapel via the other two key switches, a few conditions will be different. The circle of torches light up, and a krater of might will appear in their midst, provided that you have killed enough ettins. In addition, alcoves will open at the east and west ends of the corridors, releasing swarms of afrits (items only appear in these alcoves in co-operative play or deathmatch). These afrits will spill out of the corridors into the hall.

There is an optional bonus area which you may access at any time. As mentioned earlier, you can strike the candlelit altar to lower the slime pool. Descending with the slime, you find yourself in a sewer guarded by more stalker bosses. There is a cache of goodies down here — quartz flasks, mana of both types, and plenty of fléchettes. There is also a wraparound window overlooking the sewer, with dark bishops lurking behind; this should not concern you for the time being. To get back up, simply strike the wall of slime, and wait for it to carry you up.

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

Trivia

 * According to some players, there is a similarity between the music of this level and Seven Portals, especially on the Nintendo 64 port.
 * A dragon can be referred to as a wyrm, worm, or wurm. The Old English spelling 'wyrm' is most commonly used in the fantasy genre.