- “This is an evil place, Spyro. It is called the Mountain of Malefor...asylum to the wandering phantoms and lost spirits of those who turned to darkness. But to the spirits themselves and the black-hearted it goes by another name....”
- —The Chronicler
- “The Well of Souls.”
- —Gaul, the Ape King
The Mountain of Malefor, also known as the Well of Souls and Mountain Fortress, was the stronghold that served as The Dark Master's original fortress as well as his prison. Inside its halls are many traps and chambers lurking with Gaul's dark forces, including a large shrine that houses one of the twisted statues of Malefor. It made its first appearance in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, and later reappeared in the prologue of The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon.
Story
History
The Mountain of Malefor was Malefor's main fortress when he was exiled by the dragon elders after he turned to evil. He formed an army of Apes and taught them how to artificially harness the power of the Spirit Gems, which are the Dragons' life force. In his seclusion, his malice was so great, that it split the earth and created a pit of despair where all the unruly souls of the world could go to rest. This pit was called the Mountain of Malefor, also known as the Well of Souls, where Malefor himself was later imprisoned. On the Night of Eternal Darkness, all those black-hearted souls would awaken from their eternal rest and walk free within the halls of the mountain during the eclipse only for a short while. However a powerful spirit like Malefor, would be fully able to escape the Well of Souls when the Night of Eternal Darkness passes, after his essence was freed from Convexity by Cynder.
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
In his isolation, Malefor's evil created what would become the Well of Souls that laid before him.
Spyro initially saw visions of the Mountain of Malefor in his dreams before the events of The Eternal Night. He later ventured to the Well of Souls to save Cynder from the Ape King Gaul and his horde of apes, as well as to stop Malefor himself from escaping his imprisonment within the mountain. In the ensuing fight, the Lunar Alignment occurred, temporarily infusing Spyro with its dark energies, with which Spyro used to destroy Gaul. After the Lunar Alignment passed, the mountain began to crumble, trapping Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx. In an effort to save them all, Spyro encased them in crystal using his Time Fury, protecting them from harm as the entire mountain collapsed around them. They were later seen frozen in time inside the crystal within the ruins of the mountain, locked in slumber, with Hunter of Avalar observing them from nearby. Shortly after the heroes' disappearance, Malefor finally escaped from the Well of Souls and began his reign of terror upon the realm, shrouding the world in darkness.
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
The crumbled remains of the Mountain of Malefor can be seen briefly in the game's prologue as Grublins ventured into the ruins where they had discovered the crystal that contained the frozen forms of Spyro and Cynder. The sinister creatures freed Spyro and Cynder from their crystal prison and three-year slumber, before proceeding to shackle them together to be sacrificed to the Golem under Malefor's orders.
Gallery
- Main article: Mountain of Malefor/Gallery
Trivia
- In the Gameboy Advance version of The Eternal Night, The Well of Souls is called "The Well of the Night".
- In addition to that version, the story states that "The Well of the Night" was not created by Malefor and instead existed before him. The evil that poured through it was what lured Malefor to its sinister temptations and corrupted him, causing Malefor to turn his back on the purple dragon legacy and have his powers now feed only his own power and ego.
- Despite the area's description as a fortress of undead and evil characters, there are critters in most of the outdoor and cave areas; harmless and long-eared variants of Ice Snouts, gray bugs and green butterflies.
- Despite the mountain's dragon-shaped peak crumbling at the end of The Eternal Night, the Mountain of Malefor's peak is still shown intact in the prologue of The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon.
- According to concept art of Gaul's throne inside the Well of Souls, it is made of dragon bones.
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