The Vestibule of Hell
| Welcome to the Vestibule of Hell! Welcome to Hell! Please enjoy your stay. |
The Vestibule of Hell is the entrance to the four other branches of Hell. It is presided over by Geryon, the gatekeeper of Hell. Aspiring adventurers who wish to enter Hell must slay him first and sound his horn.
Useful Info
You'll find multiple portals to the Vestibule past level 21 of the Dungeon. Its most noteworthy inhabitant is Geryon, a huge three-headed demon, but you'll also find flocks of demons and hell knights. When Geryon is killed and his silver horn blown, the entrances to the four main branches of Hell open up:
Cocytus, the cold hell.
The Iron City of Dis, the iron hell.
Gehenna, the fiery hell.
Tartarus, the undead hell.
Each of these four branches contains a rune of Zot. Furthermore, once the Vestibule has been cleared, it can serve as a stash location since no monsters respawn here.
Recommendations
The Vestibule is generally safe to clear by the time you've finished exploring the Dungeon and cleared the middle branches (Elven Halls, the Vaults). You'll need high AC and EV along with whatever fire and cold resistance you can muster. Geryon himself is not that difficult to kill; he is not immune to poison, and if you can deal damage through opponents (Bolt spells, smite-targeted attacks), he doesn't take that much abuse before going down. Geryon will never follow you upstairs, so you'll have to face him in the Vestibule, but you can certainly stairdance his allies up a few at a time for safe disposal. Be aware that stairdancing can be dangerous, as his summoned Hell beasts may trample you away from the stairs. If you have no means of outrunning them to a clear staircase up or controlled blinking back to the stairs, this may result in a quick death.
If you do use the Vestibule as a stash, remember that all portals close when you pick up the Orb!
