Mortvia Aqueduct

The Mortvia Aqueduct (Mortavia Ruins in the Japanese version) is the fourth stage in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. It is accessed from the Baljhet Mountains near Julia's shop and leads to the Forest of Jigramunt.
==Geography==
:Note: The location names in this section are descriptive only.
===Top of the aqueducts===
The gate to the Aqueducts from the Baljhet Mountains leads to the water-filled top of a series of aqueducts. Cloaked statues appear everywhere. These aqueducts are connected by various towers, which can be entered and consist of a singe accessible room. There are a total of eight accessible towers. Some aqueducts are out in the open, while others are embedded in earth. Hector meets Zead for a second time when he first enters the aqueducts, who soon makes haste and leaves before the pursuing St. Germain appears.
====Open aqueducts====
After St. Germain exits, Hector can move toward the first tower. There are four accessible towers connecting aqueducts that are out in the open on at least one side. Before he can make it there, he is confronted with some Mermen, who spit water rather the fire (thus making the Boiling Ring useless for the most part). Once in the tower, Bone Soldier make their reprise after their brief encounter at the beginning of the Garibaldi Temple. They commonly drop Steel, which can be used to make a variety of items, and this is most likely the first time you will have any. Lamellar armor can be made with just two Steels. They can be combined with a Spirit of Fuji to evolve a Bamboo Sword to a Nodachi. It can also upgrade a Gano into a Mace. A Naginata can be evolved from a Sasumata. A Jur can be evolved from Baghnakhs. The special weapons Spike Shield (combine with Soft Leather Armor, Leather Helm, and Bronze) and Baseball Bat (combine with a Club) can also be created.
Exiting leads to more aqueduct tops, one leading to a partially embedded tower to the east, and another to a raised tower accessible by a stair bridge to the south. If you take the raised tower, heading west will lead to a dead-end tower that holds the Mortvia Aqueduct Map (or the Circle Tip when playing as Trevor). Both the raised and embedded towers will lead to another aqueduct (the raised tower is connected via a smaller step bridge) that will take you to another embedded tower to the south, which leads to the embedded aqueducts, where high cliffs of earth line both sides.
====Embedded aqueducts====
The next tower leads to an aqueduct that heads west that is bordered on both sides by steep cliffs. It leads to the Fortification Bridge.
Secret: The tower that lead to the embedded aqueduct has a patch of earth facing east that can be broken to reveal a hidden door. This door leads to a few more embedded aqueducts and towers, ultimately to a dead-end tower that contains the Extra I.D. Pocket (Trevor instead finds a DEF Up). This will allow you to carry an extra innocent devil with you.
===Aqueduct fortifications===
====Fortification bridge====
The area to the south of the Embedded Aqueducts is a flooded area. A short bridge of steps above the water level will lead you east to the Walled Fortifications.
====Walled fortifications====
The next area is on top of a huge platform lined with defensive walls and filled with cannons and Orcs. A ditch bisects the area, preventing you from reaching the south side. You can enter the ditch (where you can find a Potion) from the north via stairs, but there is no path to the south side. Take one of the cannons and destroy the other ones and knock down one of the cannon towers to form a bridge to allow you to get to Aqueduct Interior Gateway.
Backtracking: Once you have a Bird-Type innocent devil with the Glide ability, you can reach a chest on a previously inaccessible platform. This will give you the Brooch of Bonds, which will transfer all the experience points that Hector would gain to the active innocent devil.
====Aqueduct interior gateway====
The music changes as you enter the next area takes you to another walled area. This area contains a save point. This leads to the entry door to the Aqueduct Interior.
===Aqueduct interior===
The insides of the aqueducts will take you down several sets of steps toward the flooded sea level, first heading west, then heading south. Once you reach the bottom, a set of stairs will take you to the second floor.
====Aqueducts second floor entrance (2nd Floor)====
Upon entering the second floor, you will encounter Fish Men for the first time, which will be found throughout the rest of the aqueduct. These are like the Mermen fought earlier except they shoot fire instead of water. Aquamarine can be obtained for the first time from stealing from them. This can be used to upgrade a Gallic Helmet to a Frog Mouth Helm. They can also be used to evolve your Bamboo Lance to a Deck Brush, which actually reduces its attack power and cannot be evolved later and should only be used for amusement.
====Giant statue fork room (2nd Floor)====
Heading northward and upward (along with water rushes downward along the sides) leads to a room that is higher than most of the rest of the floor and contains a giant statue in the middle of it, which also marks the only fork in the Aqueduct Interior. Heading north will take you to the Forward Path, while heading west takes you to the Side Path.
====Side path====
Taking the east door in the Giant Statue Fork Room will take you down the Side Path. A long set of stairs heads downward and northward, along which the water rushes downward at a great pace. The path then heads west and then south. When the first floor is reached, you can see forest trees outside the windows and plant life intruding on the aqueduct formation. At the bottom is a flooded room where you can't reach the next area. A set of Thieves signify that this is an optional area. At the moment, you can only head back.
Backtracking: Once the water is drained after Dracula's Castle is resurrected, you can return to this area and enter the door that was blocked by water. This leads to a large area where you can find Dark Matter, Aquamarine, and the Two-Seater Sofa.
====Forward path====
=====Dry stair path (2nd Floor)=====
Taking the north door in the Giant Statue Fork Room will take you to an unusually dry area. A long series of dry stairs (the only set of stairs that lack water lining the sides) heads east until it reaches the bottom, and then another set up stairs immediately follows at a right angle, leading up and south. The next room is a wet gated room that contains a statue with a trident in its hands that appears to be a dead end, although you can see a path ahead and above the statue. Hitting its trident to the right will cause stairs to appear, leading you to the Banner Floor (Third Floor).
=====Banner floor (3rd Floor)=====
Wind roars through the windows and ripples banners set up on the highest floors of the aqueduct. The room after a save point is a domed area with balconies. Jumping down from the balcony will take you directly to the Southern Second Floor, although you can also head north and use the stairs to get there.
=====Southern second floor=====
The Southern Second Floor can be reached from the domed room by jumping off the balcony from the 3rd Floor or by taking the stairs further north. It is the only level segment of the 2nd floor. It heads first south, then east, then north, until it reaches the Aqueduct Exit on the first floor.
=====Aqueduct exit (1st Floor)=====
The Aqueduct Exit contains a large room where large man-made waterfall gush water on the north and south side. A narrower corridor lined with Frost Dragons heads east to the exit.
===Flooded shore===
Upon exiting the aqueducts, you come across a flooded shoreline with the lake facing south. A warp chair and save chair are embedded in the rocks on the north side of this strip of land. Looking back at the aqueduct structure, you can see a broken set of aqueducts that used to lead to Dracula's Castle, and will again once the Castle has been resurrected. A step path that heads downward into the water where you cannot go is in the south in the center. To the south east is a pit of dry land where the water has not crept into, where you can find a Potion. On the other side of this pit is an area you cannot reach yet. To the east a tall cliff with a boss door embedded into it that will take you to the Water Colosseum.
Backtracking 1: Once you defeat the boss in the Water Colosseum and have the Crow familiar, you will be able to make it across the ditch to other side, which leads to the entrance to the Forest of Jigramunt.
Backtracking 2: Once the castle has resurrected and the water has drained, you will be able to take the path that used to lead into the water to a bridge to Dracula's Castle.
===Water Colosseum===
Entering the boss door takes you to a bridge across a cylindrical set of walls resembling a Colosseum. Water is fed from aqueducts to the south and north, which pool the outer edge of the Colosseum. Before you can make it across the bridge, it collapses, where you are forced to face the Skeleton Diver boss riding a hell fish. Once defeated, you will be able to take you to a ramp that heads east and upward and then back west. To the side is a room containing the Crow innocent devil. The Crow starts out with the ability to glide a distance with you hanging onto its legs in order to reach areas you otherwise could not reach. This will allow you to get the unreachable land across the pit in the Southern Shore, which will lead to the next stage of the game, the Forest of Jigramunt. It will also allow you to reach the treasure chest in the Walled Fortifications of the Mortvia Aqueducts to get the Brooch of Bonds, or a couple chests in the Baljhet Mountains for an XS Potion and a HP Max Up. First, you should use it to cross the broken bridge and get back to the Flooded Shore.
Backtracking: Once the water has drained, you can return to this area and get an Angel Halo in the area that the hell fish was swimming in.
==Enemy Data==
==Item Data==
*Extra I.D. Pocket
===New materials available===
*Steel
*Aquamarine
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
Mortvia Aqueduct - 01.png
Mortvia Aqueduct - 02.png
Mortvia Aqueduct - 03.png
Mortvia Aqueduct - 04.png
Mortvia Aqueduct - 05.png
Mortvia Aqueduct - 06.png
Mortvia Aqueduct - 07.png
===Maps===
Mortvia Aqueduct Map.jpg
Mortvia Aqueduct Labeled Map.png|Complete Map
Map Mortvia Aqueduct 1F North.png|First Floor, North Part
Map Mortvia Aqueduct 1F South.png|First Floor, South Part
Map Mortvia Aqueduct 2F.png|Second Floor
Map Mortvia Aqueduct 3F.png|Third Floor
==External links==
*Combine System Guide by djwassabi at GameFAQs
*Enemy/Steal Guide by DanteRules at GameFAQs
*Guide and Walkthrough by Berserker at GameFAQs
Category:Aqueducts
Category:Courtyards
Category:Ruins
Category:Curse of Darkness Locations