Map14 - Brazen Bull

## Brazen Bull

Brazen Bull is the fourth level of Hedon Bloodrite, being part of the same map cluster as Besieged. Named after the fire-heated torture device, the level presents the player with the infernal visage of a Demon Factory built inside the entrails of an ancient Minotaur Town.

Using the knowledge acquired during the old wars between Dwarves and Minotaurs, the Demons began to construct their own machines in order to produce large cannons and artillery capable of surpassing the destructive power of their traditional magics and Hellclaws. The key discovery that pushed demonic technology into existence and a true golden age, however, was their ability to harness unholy energy and use it to power larger machines for sustained periods of time.

One of the main concerns of the demon lords who invested in the pursuit of such technologies was finding a secure location to build the factory. Thanks to its very effective gate access system preventing any unwanted access, the ancient Minotaur Town located in the lower layers of the Underworld proved to be a perfect host for the project. The construction led to its merciless mutilation, with large portions of the abandoned village and temples being demolished in order to accommodate the infernal machinery. Naturally, a factory would also require an obedient work force, for which the lords used their Cultist worshipers, settling them inside the eastern part of town.

When Zan manages to infiltrate the factory, she discovers the undergoing production of a new weapon - the Paingun - designed after the methods and blueprints of stolen Iron Division technology. After securing the factory and slaying Lord Efri, the Halfblood allows her orc sisters to safely claim the Demons' supply of hell powder and send in a squad to investigate the weapon production machines and assess how much their enemy has learned about Crystal Technology.

## Western Side (Demon Factory)

### Main Entrance

The square Main Entrance hall marks the epicenter of the town, separating access between the Eastern and Western Sides. The ceiling is decorated with an iron labyrinth - a mark of many of the important or ritualistic areas of the town and a shrine of Fire is present in one of the corners, although one of the statues is obstructed by a group of factory pipes piercing through the ceiling. The floor is covered by a large grate built by the Demons after digging up the lower area to make an additional storage space.

### Secondary Storage

Extending beneath the surface of the Main Hall and the corridor to the west, the Secondary Storage was built to keep supplies and materials required for the functioning of the Factory. Unlike the main Storage Depot, this one was placed more remotely in order to prevent the Factory from being damaged in case of a detonation of the more volatile materials. At the south-western end, a small elevator connects the area to the main Storage Depot and the Observation Room.

### Observation Room

Following the corridor to the west from the Main Entrance, it becomes less and less clear of what purpose the chambers served before being claimed by the Demons. Aside from the pavement and a few portions of the wall, the Observation Room was re-built with a metallic structure, with the western side featuring a band of glass panels overlooking the Storage Depot. At the far ends of the room, two Dwarven bulkhead-style doors reveal passageways into the rest of the Factory.

### Storage Depot

The Storage Depot was built to stage and prepare the factory's products for transport to their various destinations. Since Demons have the ability to gate over short distances, they can simply teleport the crates away without having to use a conventional supply route. The Depot is equipped with security grates capable of fending off potential intruders and allow the goods to be safely evacuated. A large corridor to the west leads to the main elevator which connects to the Factory Hall below.

### Factory Hall

Serving as a staging area for freshly produced goods and as a gathering point for the factory's slaves, the Factory Hall was built into the side of the old Fire Temple's Hall in order to allow easy access to the Weapons Production area and the nearby Office.

### Factory Office

The Factory's Office is mostly used for administrative purposes, although the presence of a large bell lets it double as a communication center at which the local staff can signal for demon carriers to gate in and transport important pieces of weaponry away.

### Weapons Production

Probably the most important area of the entire Factory, the Weapons Production area is split between a series of chambers containing intricate machines designed for the mass production of the Paingun and its respective ammo. Following an alleged theft, the demonic doors leading to the Weapons Production area were cursed by Lord Efri so they would only allow access to Hellblazes and Pit Lords.

### Waterworks

Located just to the east of the Weapons Production and right underneath the Storage Depot, the Waterworks allow the Factory's maintenance staff to control the pressure and flow of the complex pipe system which assists in powering up the larger machinery. The Waterworks also serves as an impromptu storage area, much to the dismay of Lord Efri.

### Trash Disposal

East of the Waterworks, a couple of conveyor belts equipped with a series of automated crushers handle the Trash Disposal. The secluded position of the machines suggest that they might have had a different purpose at an earlier point, especially with one of the chutes opening up right next to the Observation Room. The crushed debris is transported and dumped in the central Power Pillar Cave.

### Power Pillar Cave

The sheer size of the Power Pillar Cave indicates that it might have been formed from pockets of eroded rock blown up into a much larger cavern by the Demons. The process ruined a significant chunk of the Fire Temple, especially the area connecting its main Hall with the Antechamber above. This large gap allowed for the Factory's four Power Pillars to be built and act as an unholy energetic core for the whole complex.

During the intense production of the Paingun, a power surge caused one of the pillars to explode, requiring the Demons to turn off some of the machinery in order to allow the important parts to keep functioning properly.

### Fire Temple Antechamber

Overlooking the Power Pillar Cave from an elevated position to the east, the Fire Temple's Antechamber is built in the same style and proportions as the Hall to the west, which it was most likely connected to via a long flight of stairs before being blown apart to make room for the Pillars. The Antechamber contains a giant ruby-operated mechanism which powers up the gates to the side, one which leads down to the Observation Room and the other leading up to the Fire Temple's Altar. At the back of the Antechamber, an offering shrine overlooks the Eastern Side of the Minotaur Town through a set of grates.

### Fire Temple Altar

Perched on the highest position of the Fire Temple, the Altar is protected by a deadly pressure plate-operated trap that causes the Minotaur head murals to shoot bolts of fire from their eyes. The Altar room has been preserved surprisingly well, apart from a hole in the side wall carved by Demons to allow their servants to access the auxiliary Pillar's safety system. On the lower side, a magma basin precedes a pair of doorways that connect to the Fire Temple's Nave.

### Fire Temple Nave

Being the main worship area of the Fire Temple, the Nave features plenty of room, a couple of magma basins and an offering altar. Much like the Altar, it was mostly preserved in time, although the Demons did not spare it from piercing it with pipework and demolishing the walls in order to install their machines. The pair of doorways lead further inside to the Ritual Chamber was sealed off with a wall.

### Fire Temple Ritual Chamber

The ancient Ritual Chamber specific to many of the temples dedicated to the Elemental Gods has been converted into a common hall by the Demons, leaving only the ember basin in the middle and the rune-covered pillars to signify the original room's purpose. The room also features one of the flame turrets meant to protect against intruders. The southern wall was entirely torn apart to make room for a small technical space, and the chamber to the north has been converted into an Iron Urchin Production area.

### Iron Urchin Production

Four complex machines carved into the former Fire Temple side chamber's walls are used to produce Iron Urchins, allowing Demons to bypass having to keep appeasing the Forge Elementals in order to gather an army of expendable drones. It is uncertain how the Demons have managed to produce such intricate machines, but they have most likely based their designs off of stolen Iron Division crystal tech, using unholy fire magic to give the Urchins a form of soul.

### Fire Temple Hall

Located on the western side of the Power Pillar Cave, the Fire Temple Hall was once a place of gathering for the worshiping Minotaurs. Now, it remains as a residual space that precedes the Factory Hall, with one of the side walls containing a demonic flame turret that guards the main entrance.

After the explosion of one of the nearby Power Pillars, the resulting tremors caused a part of the hall's structure to collapse, which required the Demons to set up a Dwarven mole digger machine in order to re-establish a connection with the Portal to the west.

### Portal Antechamber

The western edge of the Minotaur Town has a special Portal room, allowing fast travel to the wilderness outside. The Portal Antechamber was heavily damaged by cave-ins, although the access gate has somehow managed to remain functional.

## Eastern Side (Minotaur Town Commons)

### Main Street

Although the Commons were built in a very dense and labyrinthine manner in order to use the limited space of the cave to the fullest, the Town is not devoid of any hierarchical planning. The Main Street connects the center of the Main Entrance with the Market and the exit towards the Mines, to the east. The houses bordering the street might have served as an extension of the market, although their initial layout and purpose has been lost to time, with the Cultists moving in and converting them into their own shelters and storage spaces.

Instead of a conventional pavement, most of the streets in the Commons have been compressed and engraved with labyrinth-like patterns which have lasted the test of time. However, the lack of cave wall reinforcement has allowed a cave-in to sever the Main Street at some point, effectively segregating the Commons into two major areas - north and south.

### Pyromancer Guild Square

Overlooked by a large fire signal tower, the south-eastern corner of the Commons holds a large square which was once bustling with Minotaur mages and scholars. The Cultists have mostly ignored it, although the garden patches show signs that someone tried to grow crops in them.

A wide set of steps focuses the view towards the Pyromancer Guild's entrance, marked by a fiery pit used to test new apprentices of their worthiness to gain access. At the side, a memorial offers enough space to meditate upon the entry riddle which requires one to place six figurines of Fire on six altars spread around the town in order to open the gate to the Pyromancer Guild.

### Pyromancer Guild

Unexplored ever since the Demons have driven the Minotaur inhabitants out of the area, the Pyromancer Guild has crumbled under the weight of the ages and underground quakes. Although dusty and rid with cobwebs, the main entrance still stands, along with a side altar and a small library.

It is unclear how much of the Guild's interior has remained intact since the main hallways have collapsed entirely, blocking off any access, although the baths to the north-east can still be accessed via a small water tunnel just outside the cluster of buildings by the Tavern.

### Tavern

After moving in, the Cultists have mostly preserved the Tavern's old purpose, turning it into a mess hall and barracks for the factory slaves. With the Main Street blocked off by a cave in, they have broken one of the Tavern's walls in order to turn it into a central access point between the two sides of the Commons.

### Market

The Market extends to the northern side of the Commons, past the Tavern. Most of the buildings appear to have had a mixed functionality, combining housing with commerce. Several houses have had their access sealed off judging by the different type of masonry blocking off their doorways. Much like the rest of the Commons, the Market area is mostly designated for housing the Cultists and their supplies, although the northern area is also inhabited by a contingent of demonic Factory staff and guards.

### Fire Temple Square

Furnished with stepped gardens, the Fire Temple's Square was once a space of recreation for the ancient dwellers. Aside from the western hallway connecting to the Main Entrance to the south, this is the only other area that bridges the Temple with the Commons, although the entrance gate has long remained sealed.

### Upper Shrine

The Upper Shrine lies just above the Fire Temple's Square, overlooking the entire north side of the Commons. Although the cavern it was built into has eroded in time, some of the murals and the altar in the middle have remained mostly intact.

The Upper Shrine also connects with the central guard tower that holds the giant ruby mechanism which operates the gate to the Fire Temple, as well as the exit to the east which leads up to the Mines.