Map18 - Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost is the eighth level of Hedon Bloodrite, marking the beginning of Act 2. It is also the central map of the second cluster, connecting to Place Afoul and Salt and Blood through multiple points of transition. The Core of Hell is the home of the Demons, being part of a larger archipelago of islands peppered across the Sea of Fire. It is considered to be located in the lowest layer of the Underworld, inside a massive cave opening similar to the Crystal Dome that is only accessible by crossing cursed demonic bridges.

Legends claim that the hellish islands were once the peaks of a layer of underground mountains beneath which the Demons were buried, waiting for an Icon to awaken them. Eventually, an ancient war between the chaotic beasts and the humans who once populated the Underworld resulted in the mountains being split apart and erupting with the Sea of Fire, which swallowed both the humans and the demons crawling out of the darkness below, putting an end to their invasion. Regardless of the legend's accuracy, the Core of Hell has ancient human vestiges scattered around, with major parts of the island's topography indicating that it was once a lush paradise. However, the dark obsidian citadel floating above a bottomless pit surrounded by a veil of restless souls proves clearly that the islands are the homeland of the demons.

Knowing this, the Iron Division launches multiple operations to reach the Core of Hell in order to slay the Icon, with their second attempt being successful, following their victory at the Demon Port Town. Following the command of Warlord Grund, the I.D. orcs and their allies sail across the Sea of Fire on a hijacked transport ship, landing on the southern side of the Core of Hell and setting up camp after clearing the Cultists from the surroundings. Zan ends up being washed ashore on a piece of debris a few days before her sisters arrive, following Tiati's sabotage of the Baron's Fleet.

## Western Core of Hell

### Southwest Side

The Southwest Side of the island features a number of beaches interwoven with the usual cavernous topography formed from magma rock sediment. The beaches initially appear as a lush paradise-like scenery surrounded by water to Zan, but as she regains her senses she begins to see the true nature of her surroundings.

A few caves lead up from the beaches to the center of the area, where a few skeletons and an ancient looking vestige inside a cave indicate the remains of a few escaped slaves or renegade cultists. Moving eastwards, a large canyon overlooks a magma river, with the wooden bridge that once connected the area to the main parts of the island, now destroyed. Beyond the bridge, another series of caves lead to one of the island's major junctions, the eastern one opening up to the Temple Yard and the northern way going to the Fungus Caverns.

### Temple Yard

The Temple Yard holds the main access to the Temple on its western side, in the form of a large ziggurat, with the rest of the area having been swallowed by pools of magma and solidified rock. Although the temple appears to have been built during ancient times, a more recent gate has been erected by the Demons at the eastern edge to welcome and keep track of the cultist pilgrims coming to be sacrificed.

### Fire Cauldron

Right before the gate blocking off the Temple Yard, a long wooden bridge crosses over a large crater resembling a Cauldron of Fire. The partially submerged remains of a portal suggest that the crater wasn't pooling with magma during ancient times. A tangent southern path overlooks the area from above, connecting to a small complex of caves that form around the Demonic Shrine.

### Demonic Shrine

Overlooking the Fire Cauldron to the west and the magma outskirts outside of the Iron Division Camp to the east, the Demonic Shrine appears to be a place of worship, given by the offering plates surrounding the central unholy monolith.

The monolith can be lowered to reveal a portal meant to throw unwelcome visitors into an inescapable trap consisting of a dark labyrinth that can only be crossed with the help of an active fire source. If one manages to pass through the labyrinth, however, they can gain access to one of Hell's legendary forgotten libraries.

### Green Primarch Shrine

On the opposite side of the Temple Yard to the west lies the Green Primarch's Shrine, perched atop the ziggurat, in the first chamber behind the main entrance. It is uncertain whether the Green Primarch's altar was built along with the Temple or if it was brought in by the Demons at a later point, but it constitutes the focal point of the large main chamber. On the sides, a symmetric set of chambers hold the pressure plates operating the stone doors of the Temple.

### Temple

Buried beneath the ashes of Hell and eroded by expanding fungal growth, the Temple seems to be the only place in the Core of Hell where cave vegetation grows. Although many of the stone chambers and corridors have been destroyed throughout the ages, the Demons have maintained the multiple traps and pressure plate mechanisms in order to prevent potential renegades from taking shelter inside. An altar sits on the elevated position, opposite to the Green Primarch Shrine and protected by two flame turrets. The other defensive mechanisms include a lever-operated grate, a spike corridor trap and an a set of acid spewing traps protecting the corridor leading to the Temple Canal.

### Temple Canal

The northwestern end of the Temple has a crumbling Canal that is used by the inhabitants of the Fungus Village to drain away the acidic slime produced by the fungal growth. The Canal area once served as an antechamber, featuring one of the Temple's side entrances, but the bridge leading up to it has been destroyed at some point, with a local Psi Demon placing a spell upon it to allow occasional passage.

### Fungus Caverns

Nobody knows what sprung this organism into being, but the Fungus Caves are the result of centuries of parasitic growth going unhindered. Although nutrients are scarce in such an environment, the Fungus Caves have reached an impressive size, creating a whole new self-contained biome that connects the Southwestern Side of the Core of Hell with the Temple in the central region and the entire Western Side of the island. The Fungus Caverns are dangerous and unpredictable, often times filled with acidic pools and toxic fumes which can only be braved with the aid of a Diving Suit.

### Fungus Village

Although the ruins were once part of the Temple's complex, the fungal growth has isolated them from the central building. Willing to take advantage of the fungal biome's sustenance, a group of cultists eventually moved inside, creating the settlement known as the Fungus Village. Later on, they were followed by a few demon Gluttons willing to feed off of the plethora of Grobbogs and mushrooms growing inside. Their presence also led the cultists to start growing a bog-like giant mushroom farm, just to the north of the Village.

### Fungus Garden

The sprawling fungal growth eventually attracted the attention of the island's succubus matron, who decided to assign her gardener to study it in order to grow various fungi by using samples from the nearby Caverns. The Fungus Garden is located at the northern end of the parasite, right in front of Yzbeth Gardener's house (which also connects further with the servant quarters of her domain).

### Western Side

The Western Side of the island is comprised of a series of open caverns arching around and over what was once a lush mountain forest. The area connects the Fungus Village to the south with the Portal Camp in the middle and a junction to the north that leads further on to Yzbeth's domain to the right and the Port to the left.

### Port

Located on the western extremity of the island, the Port is an important settlement where goods are exchanged with the mainland Underworld. The buildings are layered in steps over the sloped terrain, with the large tower of the local chapel overlooking the entire bay from the northern side of the cavern. The tower is critical in guiding ships towards the Port, using a powerful flame beacon to penetrate through the thick red mist.

The Port was also used by smugglers to exchange illicit alcohol with the mainland, especially after the Baron's reign became tyranical beyond reproach and morale met inhuman lows. After the Icon's demands from the cultists escalated to outright authority-imposed famine, the Flame Beacon's Keeper attempted to rally his followers and rebel against the demons. However, the rebellion was swiftly quashed, and the Port's population was either delivered to the Baron to be sacrificed or sealed inside the chapel and driven insane or starved to death.

This event caused Yzbeth a great sorrow and she proceeded to magically bind the spirits of the fallen, freezing the Port in time and enveloping it with a grey mist. The curse can only be lifted by putting the soul of the Keeper to rest and allowing the flame beacon to be lit once again.

### Portal Camp

Initially built by a group of cultist farmers willing to live independently from the others, the Portal Camp is tucked in the eastern side of the cavernous terrain. Reinforcing the already naturally protective shape of the cavern, a set of crude wooden walls and towers indicate that the initial dwellers were at one point forced to defend themselves from an attack.

Knowing that the position is somewhat fortified also led a few of the Port's rebels to set up camp inside the abandoned compound later on, although the gruesome impaled bodies and skeletons littering the area prove that they stood no chance against the island's authorities.

The Camp also has one of the ancient portals once used by the traveler guilds for fast travel which leads to the Portal Cave.

## South & Central Core of Hell

### Portal Cave

Located right outside the Iron Division's Camp, the Portal Cave is a definitive proof that ancient humans occupied the region at some point. The Portals have been commonly built by the traveler guilds of the past to ease the journey of traders and messengers, being used and maintained long after the fall of the human empire from the Underworld.

### Southern Side

Much like the Western Side, the Southern Side of the island appears to have once been filled with lush vegetation nourished by a body of water that has been turned into a deep sprawling trench after the Sea of Fire came into being and parched the land of any moisture. The area around the Southern Side connects the demonic altars on the lower beaches of the island with the Forest leading northwards, to the Baron's citadel.

### Forest

A sprawling, haunted Forest covers the central area of the Core of Hell, containing the paths that connect the Baron's citadel to the other parts of the island. A wooden cabin along the eastern path suggests that the Forest once had a keeper, although it has been abandoned for a while. The cabin has a concealed tunnel connecting to the Crypt Entrance, which is one of the numerous burial grounds spread around the area, along with the Tomb of the Windriders and the Ancient Graveyard.

### Ancient Graveyard

Another piece of evidence pointing to the presence of ancient humans in the past, the Ancient Graveyard is located at the heart of the Forest, concealed behind a handful of paths overrun by dry bushes and thorny roots. The Demons have at some point defaced the angelic statue watching over the four graves, disturbing the spirits of the buried warriors.

### Tomb of the Windriders

Located at the western edge of the Forest, the Tomb of the Windriders is part of a larger building complex (located above the burial chambers) that was later incorporated within Yzbeth's palace. The Tomb serves as a resting place for the Windrider family and traveler guild who were likely the explorers that discovered the territory before it was conquered by demons. The Tomb features a series of corridors and chambers furnished with gravity-defying pillars, and five obelisks scattered throughout the southern half of the island contain a riddle pointing towards the key to the main entrance.

### Crypt Entrance

The island's cultists have also used the earth beneath the Forest to bury their dead, as can be seen by a small graveyard which lies at the junction connecting the two paths leading to the Baron's Citadel Portal. The graveyard's premises contain the Crypt Entrance that goes further down into the burial grounds of the Demons' worshipers. Although the Crypt Entrance is locked, the shoddy condition of the buildings allow multiple ways to get past the closed gates meant to fend off unwanted visitors.

### Baron's Citadel Portal

The northern part of the forest ends with a massive wall bordering the fiery abyss surrounding the very heart of the island. A giant obsidian Portal guards the bridge leading towards the Baron's Citadel - which floats imposingly above the endless hellish pit, far in the distance. Rumors claim that the pit bears a cursed aura, woven from the tormented souls of all who were sacrificed for the glory of the Demons. The foul aura boils the blood of anyone who tries to walk through, allowing passage only to the demon-bloods who also bear the taints of the five Demon Primarchs (who watch over the path from their avatars engraved into the sides of the Portal).

## Eastern Core of Hell

### Eberon's Fort

The Eastern Core of Hell holds the main route connecting the southern and northern halves of the island. Due to the strategic importance of this area (which also includes the nearby presence of the Salt Mine), the Demons have erected a Fort with a reinforced gate system to fend off potential invaders or rebels.

The Blue Baron has given Lord Eberon command over the fort to hold the line, although after the arrival of the Iron Division on the island he gradually loses control of the position (especially after the Fort's gate is sabotaged by someone from the inside, preventing his cultists from reinforcing him).

### Salt Mine Entrance

Another vital strategic position, the Salt Mine allows Demons to export their prime resource to the Overworld Kingdoms, which the humans further use for their own trade. The Salt Mine has also provided the Blue Baron and Nithriel with rare reagents for an ominous ritual, which were extracted from the ground and brought up with the help of a giant wooden elevator. After the slaves were worked to the bone and sacrificed in order to speed up the ritual's progress, the Mine Entrance became desolate and abandoned, much like the nearby Quarry.

### Quarry

Located across the main road to the east from the Mine Entrance, the Quarry was once used to provide the island with ash rock, with the nearby Fort being built from the very same stone. After the demand for ash rock lowered, the Quarry was re-purposed for preparing scaffolding materials for the Salt Mine. The Quarry also features its own mining tunnels spreading towards the south up until a magma river separating them from the Crater Shrine.

### Crater Shrine

The Crater Shrine is yet another venue of demonic worship found on the island. The Shrine is entirely carved into the ash rock, with even the furniture being carved from the same material. A couple of shoddy wooden bridges connect the main chamber to the elevated caves and cavities further south, with an altar and sacrificial pit at the end of the path. Six demonic monoliths are spread along the area, and activating them in the correct sequence reveals the portal leading to a nearby magma crater containing another secret altar.

### Eastern Side

The rest of the Eastern Side of the island is comprised of canyons and a small beach pierced by the derelict ruin of a smuggler's ship. Much like the rest of the areas spread around the Eastern Core of Hell, the road is covered in white cursed ashes, that often times stack up against the canyon's walls, resulting in the cavernous terrain that characterizes this region of the archipelago. Going further south leads to a cultist settlement that was taken over by the Iron Division when they arrived on the island.

## Southern Core of Hell & Iron Division Camp

### Eastern Camp

At the southeastern end of the island, wooden palisades guard what once was a small outpost of the Cult. The bodies of its past dwellers now lie impaled outside, next to the banner of the Iron Division orcs who stormed the position, fortifying it into a proper forward base after their arrival at the heart of the demonic territory.

The Eastern Camp also features a large barn which the orcs and their allies use for their quarters, with the other tents and equipment being set up around the cultists' buildings. Right by the barn, a pool of magic amber is being used by a Minotaur Pyromancer in order to preserve the bodies of the deceased, as none of the Earthborn wish to bury their dead on the hellish island.

### Upper Eastern Camp

The orcs have erected an additional wooden wall to guard the Upper Eastern Camp. The elevated area contains the camp's mess hall and kitchen located inside an abandoned cultist house, as well as the orcs' briefing tent and the officer quarters built inside a cave on the northern end of the Camp.

After arriving on the island, the Earth Mothers used their magic to revive the vegetation and form a grove able to sustain their presence at the Core of Hell. The grove also contains an anti-magic ward, a pool of clean water and a farm plot which helps to feed the Division and their allies, supplementing the severely limited food supplies.

### Western Camp

Marking the original landing point of the Iron Division's ship, the Western Camp is comprised of several tents set up inside a large cave protected by a couple of sturdy wooden gates. At the mouth of the cave, a large ziggurat overlooks the Sea of Fire to the south, with a demonic altar of sacrifice built at the very top.

Originally, the area was an important place of worship, placed at the junction between the paths connecting the Central, Western and Eastern sides of the island, but the erratic magma oozing from the craters has destroyed the road infrastructure. After the arrival of the orcs, the Demons have also collapsed the tunnel connecting the Western Camp to the Eastern one, severing the connection between the two for a short time.

The orcs have set up a field hospital on the southwestern cavity of the large cavern, with Hectus building his forge in the northwest, and Ingrim set up an impromptu kitchen in the northeast. The tents usually open up to the opposite side of the cave's center, in order to mitigate the heat coming from the magma below. After being freed from the Gold Primarch's vault, the Shady Fixer will also set up shop at the eastern end of the cave, right by the tunnel path leading towards the Eastern Camp.