Chizra - Nali Water God

Chizra - Nali Water God is the sixth map in Unreal's single player game.
 * Author : Myscha the Sled Dog
 * Description
 * The player enters the ancient temple of Chizra, Nali Water God and God of the Good Lore, and is soon absorbed by the sounds of running water, frogs, ethereal Nali drums and the crackling torches that adorn the temple's waterlogged passageways. All seems peaceful, but the temple has in fact been overrun by serpentine Slith monstrosities. Raised on holy altar and seemingly inaccessible lies the mythical Stick of Six Fires, a powerful alien weapon.

Walkthrough
After the horrors of Rrajigar Mines, a return to the surface was welcome; and now, with yourself still reeling from the mines as you enter this Nali temple, it seems so peaceful; you are intelligent enough however to realise that this is unlikely to last, so you keep your wits about you.

You are sealed into the temple now, so the only way to go is onwards. You begin just beyond the antechamber of the entrance, so follow the corridor through to the next big room, collecting an Automag on the way.

You will arrive at a room with a pool in the middle. Circumnavigating the pool you will find 3 Nali Healing Fruit if you need them, plus the corpse of a Slith. If you enter the corridor at the far end of the room, you will see that it turns into a vertical shaft that is barred off. Return to the pool.

Remember "Wood must break free ... for that will be the key."? Well, the switch above the pool is out of reach. Step on to the wooden platform chained to the floor of the pool. Use the Automag to shoot the four chains holding it in place to break them, and the wood will surface, allowing you to jump and head-butt the switch. When activated, the switch will move chains that open the bars blocking the vertical shaft. When it is open, take a leap of faith.

You will arrive at an alcove above another water pool. Collect the Clip and the Flare, then take a look into the dark at the back of the alcove. There is a sleeping SkaarjScout here - so take him out with your Stinger secondary fire. He'll be half dead before he's even awake.

Drop into the pool. Two Devilfish will ambush you here, so Automag them. Having done that, collect the Stinger and Tarydium Shards from the bottom of the pool. There are Biterfish here but they don't harm you. Collect also if you need it the Nali Healing Fruit on the pool floor near the alcove.

At the bottom of the pool, opposite the alcove, there is a tunnel. Follow it; there is a Nali Healing Fruit here if you need it; and surface in a small room where a Tentacle is often found sniping at you. Kill the Tentacle and shoot open the vases and wooden chest to get two Clips, a Flare and a very useful replacement Flashlight. There is also an ASMD Core loose on the floor up for collection.

Return to the main pool and use the broken beams to climb up on to a platform near the ceiling. In the corridor to the right, a Nali Priest will summon you. Follow him - go via the loose stones if you want to collect a Clip - until he opens an alcove with Flares and Tarydium Shards at the far end. Collect what you need, then return to the corridor and look to the left.

A lift is located in an alcove. Press the outset stone on the door frame, and the lift will descend. Stand on the lift and you will be taken up to another room with 4 alcoves and a water feature.

Collect the ASMD from the water feature in the centre of the room, and break all of the vases in the room to reveal 2 Clips. The water contains nothing but a few harmless Biterfish, so ignore it.

Press the outset stone in the first alcove clockwise from the lift. The floor opens and you drop down into a small chamber. Sometimes a Tentacle greets you here, so kill it. Collect what you require of the 2 Clips and Nali Healing Fruit here, then press the middle outset stone of the effigy that is to the right as you drop in. The gold door ahead will open, allowing you access to the next part of the temple.

Pass through the door and go down the steps ahead. Bars block the way through to a Nali who is in a frenzy of worship. An inscription is on the right [1].

Can't go this way yet then. If you need to, collect the two Nali Healing Fruit here, and shoot the vases open to get 2 Clips. Return up the steps and go round to the left.

Follow the walkway until a narrow corridor turns off to the right. Follow it, jumping over obstacles and dislodging them where appropriate. Soon you will reach a Nali Priest who calls for you to follow him over a bridge, but watch out for a Slith behind which will most likely jump off the bridge, but may come for the Nali. If it does so, take it out with the ASMD before it can kill the Nali.

Now follow the Nali - collecting a Clip on the way - and it will lead you to a blocked entrance and two informative inscriptions [2,3].

Only one way to go now; kill the Slith that jumped off the bridge and its friend in the water below, then jump off yourself and land in the water. As you kill the Slith, a plank comes out crossing the gap between an inscription at the pool edge and a small pillar in the middle. Climb out of the juice and read the inscription [4].

Walk the plank and press the small carved pillar of a face. It sinks into its pedestal, and bars open revealing an exit from the pool. Well, it seems that you have "touched the face of the water god idol", so maybe you can get into the main temple now.

Before leaving, there are three Nali Healing Fruit in and around the water that you may wish to collect. Do so if you want, then head up the corridor.

There are Tarydium Shards here but beware; as you move along the corridor a stream of arrows fires down the centre. Avoid these and step up on to the lift at the far end (collect Nali Healing Fruit from either side of doorway by the lift if you need to).

Take the lift up and you will reach a corridor where another Nali Priest summons you. Ignore him for now and go along the corridor to the next room. A stream of Flies comes down from above that might otherwise have attacked the Nali; Automag them, then return to the Nali. He will lead you back into the room and gesticulate at an outset stone on the wall.

Vases in this room reveal a Clip, so collect it (there's also a Nali Healing Fruit by the outset stone), then press the outset stone. A pillar in the opposite corner will descend; step aboard it and ride it to the corridor above, where there is another Nali Healing Fruit and Tarydium Shards. At the far end of said corridor, a wall will open returning you to the room with the four alcoves and water feature.

Note: If you have had any Nali casualties then a SkaarjScout may be lurking behind the moving wall. If you didn't meet one up here, then you will meet one beyond the gold door. However it happens, there will be a SkaarjScout you have to fight.

Return to the room with the stairs down that were barred off before. Kill any Skaarj here and descend the steps. Descending the steps, you will see that the corridor at the bottom is broken by an opening and closing pit in the floor. A useful item can be found down there, so drop down while the slabs are open.

In the water below, take a right and follow the underwater tunnel to the far end. Surface up the vertical shaft to a small area with two sets of Tarydium Shards. Go back down into the tunnel and surface at the next verttical shaft half way along, where there are more Tarydium Shards and a box of 50 Bullets.

Take the other underwater tunnel out of the area where you dropped in to get a very useful Assault Vest. Return to where you dropped in, as the vertical shafts reveal nothing. Surface and you will see a small cubby-hole with a button and a lift shaft. Summon the lift using the button and ride it up to a small attic corridor containing two ASMD Cores, and push the stone out at the end to return to the top of the sanctum stairs.

That little diversion complete, return to the bottom of the stairs and jump this time over the small pit you went down before (mind the Nali). You will arrive on a wooden platform. Take a right (mind the Slith that comes down from the far end) and enter the small antechamber.

Upon entering the chamber, watch out for the Fly that comes down from above. Destroy it and step into the chamber, but beware the wooden pole which swings round and can damage you if you're not careful. Vases in this room reveal nothing useful, but there are Nali Healing Fruits here that you may find useful. When you are done, return down the wooden walkway and go along to another antechamber where there is another pole trap and another Fly. Vases here reveal a Flare.

Take the other wooden walkway now, but stop half way between the two antechambers where a sealed door is on the left. Press the outset stone in the middle of the wall opposite to open the door. Going through the door you are sometimes attacked by a Slith. Dispose of the Slith then read the log of the corpse on the floor [5].

Proceed down the corridor until you reach a junction with a water feature ahead. First things first, jump on to the loose stone and from there to the Super Health Pack on top of the feature. If you fall in the water, climb out and try again.

Take the route that was to the left as you entered the junction. It doubles back, so take a right when it opens out and enter the next room. As you turn the corner you will be greeted by a Slith. Kill it without hurting the Nali behind.

As you descend the ramp from where you came in, the aforementioned Nali Priest will see you and be afraid. Ignore him, and continue round the wooden walkway. When you reach a slightly larger platform before a ramp upwards, three Flies will descend from the open roof. Shoot them down.

Climb the ramp and kill the Slith that meets you at the top. Go past a dead Nali with a knife, and down the ramp through a doorway. You will find a dead human on the walkway below with an ASMD. Continuing down, you will find a room with a hydraulic tank in the middle and an ASMD Core. Collect the core then shoot the barrel under the ramp to get a box of 50 Bullets.

Time for a useful hidden area. Shoot the wall to the right of the barrel and it opens. Go through the revealed entrance into a small cubby-hole, where you will find an inscription [6].

The cubby-hole continues to the right. Follow it through and you will arrive at the top of a deep pit with a central pillar. A green bar goes out and follows round above the pit below. Step on to the beam and use it to go round behind the pillar. Beyond, you will see a mirror on the back of the central pillar. Floating in the gap between the beam and the pillar is a Shield Belt. Do what the inscription says; stand directly facing the mirror then walk forwards off the beam. You will not fall down the pit. Get the belt and return to the beam, then go back round and return to the room with the hydraulic tank.

Shortcut: A quick route to the holy altar of the stick of 6 fires is to press the lever on the hydraulic tank and return to the top of the ramp in the main room. A platform will arrive; step aboard to chug to a gold door on a balcony below, which accesses a later part of the level (go to §).

Otherwise, you need now to return to the junction where the Super Health Pack was. Go either by the way you came or by the water; kill the Slith sometimes found swimming here and drop in. On the floor of the pool near where you came in is an entrance in the floor with Nali Healing Fruit. Follow the tunnel until you arrive at a large underwater room, then swim up until you reach the base of the water feature at the junction. In doing so you will attract the attention of two Devilfish so kill them.

Take now the other route from the junction, i.e. the one that was to the right as you came down the entrance corridor. As you round the corner some Tentacles will attack you. There's an inscription nearby [7].

Drop into the water ahead until you reach a collection of loose stones acting as a kind of staircase. Jump up the stones via Tarydium Shards on the way until you reach the top one, then jump across to the stone ahead on which there is an ASMD Core.

Entering the next room you will see a dead human with a Flare, a Stinger and a knife. Take his Stinger then descend the wooden ramp. A Nali Priest will see you and run away; ignore him. You will soon reach a platform with a dead SkaarjWarrior; from here look over to the right. You should see a SkaarjScout standing up by some blue torches; you're no fool, so try and kill him whilst saving the Nali. Head over to the gold door on the left. It does not open. There's another inscription [8].

A nearby alcove is also walled off, so return to the wooden walkway and take the left in the direction of the two blue torches.

Each of the two pillars with blue torches on has an outset stone. Press both. The wooden platforms in this area also yield two ASMD Cores and four Nali Healing Fruit.

Drop into the water here, keeping on the lookout for the Devilfish that patrol this pool. Head over to the support for the first lightning fire pillar, where there is a raised area with barrels that yield an ASMD Core and a Flashlight. There are also two Nali Healing Fruit in the water beneath this area, so take them if you need to.

Jump back into the juice and head to the other part of the pool. There are more Devilfish here and some further Nali Healing Fruit; there is also a tantalising-looking entrance in the floor but it only leads you back to the Super Health Pack junction.

Climb the wooden ramp out of the water and enter the new alcove beside the gold door where there are two ASMD Cores and a button. Press the button and the gold door opens. As you approach the open door though a Slith will attack from beyond. ASMD Combo it, staying behind the door. Collect any more ASMD Cores you need, then re-open the door if it has shut and continue through.

You will emerge in a small hallway with an open space on the left and a gold door on the right. I advise against going through the gold door at this stage, so head instead out into the open area on the left. You will see an Eightball Gun on a pillar over water, but it is inaccessible so don't try to reach it. This is the holy altar of the stick of 6 fires.

As you enter this open area another Slith will attack from the far side, so dispatch it. Don't jump into the water yet, instead go on to the wooden platform over the water and read the blue inscription at this end of the holy altar [9].

Moving along the platform you will see two barred openings on either side of the room. Read now the pink inscription at the far end [10].

§ At this end of the area there is another hallway, this time with just one Slith. A gold door to one side is a way back to earlier in the level, so go instead through the end door, into another room with wooden platforms and water. A small flat-topped pyramid is at the far end. Kill the two Flies that attack you here, and dispose of the two Tentacles that snipe from under the walkways. Read the white inscription at the far end [11].

So, jump on to the pyramid's centre, which presses down, and bale out on to the wooden walkway. Lightning will strike the pyramid and blast a hole in the wall. Climb the fallen plank, pass through the short corridor revealed and enter the next chamber.

Your arrival in the chamber of death will wake a SkaarjScout who will attack you. Kill it then take a look around. There are three crucified Nali; put them out of their misery with ASMD secondary fire. Now, move over to the raised dais and collect the four cans of 12 Eightballs (Eightball Gun ammo). That done, return to the pyramid room.

Take this opportunity to dive into the water here. First, explore the upper area of the water, collecting Nali Healing Fruit from alcoves on the pyramid and Tarydium Shards from the floor of the upper pool. Venture into the deeper section (breathe first!), where a short tunnel leads off to one side. This tunnel contains two barrels and another tantalising hole in the floor, but don't explore it yet as you would probably drown.

Take a detour at this point, and swim out of the pipe into the large pool beneath the stick of 6 fires. Ignore the tunnel to the right as it is just another route to the Super Health Pack junction, instead heading to the short underwater tunnel at the end, where barrels by Nali corpses contain two ASMD Cores. Return to the pyramid room, climb out of the drink, and head back out to the holy altar.

Travel to the far end of the holy altar area, beyond the blue inscription. You will arrive at the gold door you haven't yet been through. Opening said door, you will see two Nali praying and meditating at what must be the obelisk of the clouds. This part is tricky, because as you enter two Slith will come forwards and attack the Nali. Kill the slith and collect the Nali Healing Fruit from the base of the obelisk; investigating the corners of the room will also reveal a box of 50 Bullets and a corpse with an ASMD. Read the inscriptions on the obelisk [12-15].

Take the tunnel that was on the LEFT as you entered and kill the Slith there. Follow the waterway, collecting a box of 50 Bullets from a corner on the way, until you reach a set of loose stones. Climb the stones and collect the Tarydium Shards as you go, until you reach a corridor to a large pool.

Skirt the pool, passing meditating Nali Priests on the way, and read the two inscriptions [16,17].

Did they? Anyway, climb the steps and collect the ASMD Cores from behind the pillars at the top. Enter the waterfall to get a Super Health Pack.

You are now ready to face whatever demon the game might throw at you, so take the plunge into the pool of thunder. There will be a crash of thunder, and a SkaarjWarrior will drop down from a hole in the ceiling at the far end of the corridor. Use ASMD primary fire to kill the Skaarj then make sure that you have collected the SCUBA Gear from the bottom of the pool. Collect any further ASMD Cores you require from behind the pillars, then return down the corridor to the waterway.

From the loose stones,take a left and duck into the inner corner as the waterway goes round. You will see a concealed entrance in the floor (pictured). Take a dip - the SCUBA Gear will activate automatically - and follow the tunnel. You will find a box of 50 Bullets, and further along two Nali Healing Fruit, two ASMD Cores and a Kevlar Suit. The tunnel continues in a vertical shaft but it's a dead end, so don't waste the SCUBA gear. Return to the hole and surface. Return past the obelisk of the clouds to the holy altar, where one previously barred opening is now accessible.

Extra: Return to the pyramid room and dive down so that you reach the hole in the floor that you didn't go down earlier. Now that you have the SCUBA gear, you can do it without risk of drowning. The barrel at the very bottom of the vertical shaft is empty, so take a turn part of the way down into a horizontal shaft where there is a Devilfish. At the crossroads, straight ahead and to the left are dead ends, so turn right, where another Devilfish will attack. This is a dead end too but there is a vertical shaft that goes up and down; down has a barrel with an ASMD Core. Up leads to a room where you can surface to meet two Tentacles. Dispatching the Tentacles you can retrieve an Assault Vest and shoot a barrel to get Tarydium Shards. Collect what you need and return to the holy altar.

At the holy altar, go to the newly opened alcove.

Within the alcove are a lever and two inscriptions [18,19].

Press the lever and a ramp rises to the Eightball Gun so that you can collect it. Do so. Now... the ceremonial chambers... remember that stone seal earlier? Well, no need to retrace all your steps bacause the remaining bars open to reveal a gold door that creates a shortcut.

Go through the door and follow the wooden platforms round to a Skaarj teleporter. Here a Nali will take fright and head through the teleport; take the teleport yourself but try not to telefrag him. You will appear right by the entrance to the Ceremonial Chambers. Ignore the SkaarjWarrior who charges from behind, and leap straight through the now open stone seal to exit the level.

Translator Messages
[1] "Only a warrior who has touched the face of the water god idol may enter this temple."

[2] "Beyond this stone seal lie the inner ceremonial chambers of the Nali water god."

[3] "Only a warrior who wields the stick of 6 fires may enter the inner ceremonial chambers. Once the stick of 6 fires is in your grasp the stone seal will rise."

[4] "The Nali water god Chizra and his holy temple has been overrun by the water serpents and the demons who came from the stars. Only the messiah can purify the temple now."

[5] "1400 hours Commander Mac Harrison: SITREP: These local natives have a 6 barreled rocket launcher on an altar but it is heavily guarded by those Salamander things. "The Stick of 6 fires" is what the Nali keep calling it. I'll try to sneak in tonight."

[6] "Look into your own eyes. And when your courage is strongest, your last step to your prize will be upheld by your faith."

[7] "Climb the loose stones to reach the lagoon of lightning fire. Beware the demon who came from the stars lurks in the shadows. A fool shall surely perish."

[8] "Beyond this golden door lies the holy altar of the stick of 6 fires. Only by touching the outset stones of the lightning fire pillars may one enter."

[9] "The stick of 6 fires can only be accessed by a warrior who has bathed in the pool of thunder, past the obelisk of the clouds."

[10] "The pyramid is the key to the chamber of death. Here you shall find more power for the stick of 6 fires."

[11] "The pyramid's center is the focal point of Chizra the Nali Water God's power."

[12] "This is the obelisk of the clouds. Beyond here lies the pool of thunder."

[13] "To reach the pool of thunder one must climb the loose stones."

[14] "Powerful strength comes from those who let the waterfall wash over them at the pool of thunder."

[15] "Beware those of impure motives who enter the pool of thunder shall face the demon from the stars."

[16] "This is the pool of thunder. Impure souls who bathe in the water shall face the demon that came from the stars."

[17] "The demons came from the stars in a metal chariot as a punishment for the sins of the Nali."

[18] "THE STICK OF 6 FIRES CAME FROM THE NALI WATER GOD WHEN THE STAR FELL FROM THE SKY. TO FIND THE STAR ONE MUST PASS THROUGH THE CEREMONIAL WING."

[19] "Take the stick of 6 fires and go forth to the inner ceremonial chamber. There you shall find your way back to the place from whence you came and the metal chariot that fell from the stars."

Next (The Ceremonial Chambers) Previous (Sacred Passage)