Temen-ni-gru
The Temen-ni-gru is a tower of legend in the video game Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. Originally constructed by the hands of man some millennia again in reverence of evil like the antithesis of the Tower of Babel, its purpose was in opening a gateway to the demon world in order to allow the Prince of Darkness Mundus and his minions through. Legend has it that one of the demon world's own, the demon swordsman Sparda, awoke to justice and fought against the legions of the demon world, in the end defeating Mundus, sealing the gate, and suppressing the tower. However, in doing so, he sealed his own devil's power beyond the gate, contained within the demon-forged sword Force Edge.
Many years later, Sparda's son, the half-devil Vergil, and a mysterious theologian named Arkham have sought out to not only resurrect Temen-ni-gru, but to reopen the gateway to the demon world in order to usurp the sealed power of Sparda.
Only one man dares to challenge the threat: Sparda's second-born son Dante, Vergil's identical twin brother.
Lesser Denizens of Temen-ni-gru
Hellkeepers of the Seven Deadly Sins
The hellkeepers are the jailors of the netherworld, a particular type of demonic jailor sent to guard and punish the sinners of each of the seven circles of Hell; their personality and style are always suited and appropriate for the task. However, it should be noted that normally they reserve all punishment specifically for the denizens of their circle of Hell, thus keeping the innocent free from oppression. With the rise of Temen-ni-gru, however, they have been summoned forth to punish even those who have not commit the particular sin they concern themselves with.
- Hellkeeper of Pride: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Pride. Sand is the medium he uses to materialize in the Human world. He carries a giant sickle to judge his prey."
The hellkeepers of Pride are the weakest of the hellkeepers, but also the most numerous. Thankfully, they can be easily dispatched with a few well-aimed melee strikes or some moderate firepower. Their movements are limited to walking and occasional jumping, and they have but one easily-predictable attack: to rear back with their scythe, then swing it forward at Dante.
- Hellkeeper of Envy: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Envy. Differs from other jailors in the fact that he materializes via a fluid which severely limits his movement."
The hellkeepers of Envy are not actually found that often within the confines of Temen-ni-gru itself, but rather the great devil Leviathan, the gut of which acts as a portal to the living, pumping hell of Envy. Similar to the Pride hellkeepers, they are easily predictable in their movement and attacks.
- Hellkeeper of Wrath: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Wrath. He materializes via sand. The massive bomb he carries often obliterates both friend and foe."
Pointedly marked by desiccated, humanoid viscera almost devoid any scraps of clothing beyond some sparse black leather straps and what appears to be a bondage mask reserved for sado-masochistic use, the Wrath hellkeepers carry atop their backs enormous, possibly organic sacs of flammable liquid punctured by multiple large nails, possibly made of obsidian or metal. If Dante attempts any type of melee attack on this netherworld jailor, his attacks will harmlessly rebound off the otherwise-invincible hellkeeper. His vulnerability actually lies in the enormous, spheroid sac he carries in a manner reminiscient of Atlas, forever condemned to hold the world on his broad shoulders: if Dante perforates the sac with gunfire, the volatile liquid within will become aggravated and explode, destroying the hellkeeper of Wrath and inflicting severe damage on both friend and foe, just as the file data states.
Abilities & Attacks:
- Explosion [All Difficulties]: When given the opportunity and proximity with Dante, regardless of the presence of other enemies, the Wrath hellkeeper will adjust his hold on the sac and then bring it slamming into the ground, exploding on impact.
- Hellkeeper of Sloth: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Sloth. His body is made of sand which he uses to quickly teleport to any nearby location."
Hardly suffering from their self-imposed blindness, the violet-skinned hellkeepers of the sin of Sloth, while seemingly slow to attack, can be a hearty and vicious group. Clad in white, hooded garments, the lack of blood staining their otherwise pristine clothing belies the deadliness of their decorated scythes when ignored.
Abilities & Attacks:
- Sand-Shift [All Difficulties]: The hellkeeper of Sloth moves by shifting his sand composition via teleportation, instantly disappearing from his current location and appearing in another location a moment later.
- Sand Slash [All Difficulties]: Before using this offensive variation of his Sand-Shift technique, the Sloth hellkeeper will momentarily rear his head back, opening his mouth wide in a gutteral warcry, before disappearing, signalling his impending attack. Afterward, he will appear near Dante a moment later, and swing his deadly scythe.
- Hellkeeper of Greed: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Greed. He is another sand-based hellkeeper. He uses his beloved coffin to call upon his disciples for help."
Arguably one of the most aggravating hellkeepers for Dante to deal with, the hellkeepers of Greed are predictable, but still a pain in the neck to deal with, as they endure tremendous punishment, unerringly raising their coffin for a wild, aimless one-two combination before slamming it back down into the earth and unleashing the sand-based spirits with which to summon forth lesser hellkeepers, such as the hellkeepers of Pride.
Special Properties: Knock-down immunity, knock-back immunity, launch immunity
Abilities & Attacks:
- Hellkeeper of Gluttony: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Gluttony. He is sand-based like other hellkeepers. He fires a high-powered sand mist, damaging his foes."
The Gluttony hellkeeper isn't as the file data describes him; don't ignore the pimp cane he arms himself with, as he'll always use it in combat. His attack will always be preceded by an audible intake of air, followed a second later by a massive whack of his cane that can deal surprisingly hefty damage to Dante. He can also slap Dante with his pimp hand, sending him flying, and doing suprisingly large damage to him. They should be dealt with just like the hellkeepers of Pride: immediate, brutal melee attacks, as they are easily stunned and shifted off-balance, thus preventing them from ever even getting a chance to let loose with their sand-blast.
- Hellkeeper of Lust: "Netherworld jailor who governs souls sent to hell for the sin of Lust. Sand-based jailor who leads confused sheep to hell with his amazing speed and deadly sickle."
One of the first hellkeepers Dante must deal with, the half-devil quickly becomes acquainted with their predictable strikes. When they are not hopping back and forth and around in an effort to circle to Dante's unguarded backside, they are letting loose with feral war cries just as they leap backwards in order to get the distance necessary for a brutal overrun attack.
- Hell Vanguard: "The god of death who manages dead souls. He is feared by even inhabitants of the netherworld for his wicked nature and fighting prowess. A deadly sand-based demon."
One of a relatively small cadre of black-robed demons, the hell vanguards, as the name implies, act as the forefront of the demon world's armies, with a design drawn from the skeletal, scythe-wielding Death imagery of ancient human mythology. With one eye lit with the promise of eternal damnation, its glimmer often a signal for impending doom (as you'll see in The Bell Tolls attack description below), it swings its scythe unerringly after its prey. The hell vanguard relies on all manner of darkness-related abilities, but that does not imply a vulnerability to the Beowulf devil arm.
Special Properties: Sub-boss, knock-down immunity, knock-back immunity, launch immunity
Abilities & Attacks:
- Shadow-Shift [All Difficulties]: This is a teleportative technique, similar to the Sloth hellkeeper's Sand-Shift technique, where the hell vanguard disappears into shadows at one point, then reappears at another, typically next to Dante.
- Shadow Spiral [All Difficulties]: This technique usually occurs after the vanguard's The Bell Tolls attack, wherein the vanguard reappears from the shadows near Dante, spinning its scythe rapidly over its head. The range of this attack is extremely limited, so Dante can move right in on and attack during this animation.
- Double Slash [All Difficulties]: Usually occurring at the end of a Shadow-Shift, the vanguard steps out of the shadows, rears its scythe back near its hip, and very quickly swings it around at Dante. A moment later, it swings it back in the opposite direction.
- Overhead Slash [All Difficulties]: Occurring after blocking several of Dante's attacks with its scythe, preceded by a different-sounding "clang," the vanguard rears its scythe over its head and then swings it down for a devastating slash. This attack can be parried, though with difficulty (depending on the weapon), for a phenomenal amount of Style points.
- The Bell Tolls for Thee [Normal]: The signal of this attack is the very clear sound of a bell tolling, followed by the vanguard disappearing into shadows. Afterward, the vanguard will attack in one of two ways. After the attack is fully completed, it will finish with the Shadow Spiral technique.
- Lateral Reaper: Rippling shadows will appear in the air near Dante for a moment, followed by a flash of the vanguard's one blue eye, and then it will fly out of the shadow distortion horizontally, spinning wildly with its scythe.
- Vertical Reaper: The ground will ripple like waves of water for a moment, and the vanguard will come flying out of the distortion vertically, again spinning wildly with its scythe.
- The Bell Tolls Twice [Hard/Very Hard]: The Hell vanguard uses its The Bell Tolls attack two times consecutively. Note: The attack pattern it uses, whether the Lateral Reaper or Vertical Reaper, is random.
- The Bell Tolls Three [Dante Must Die]: The Hell vanguard uses its The Bell Tolls attack three times consecutively. Note: The attack pattern it uses, whether the Lateral Reaper or Vertical Reaper, is random.