The Legacy of Kain

Sounds good. I never bothered with the series much. This might tempt me to play though.

It'd be hard as hell writing out something like this for Xenogears though, lol...

Yeah, it really fucking would. I'm not even halfway through Xenogears, and the plot is already confusing the hell out of me.

Ahh, this is quite interesting. Helps out from what I forgot and need to fill in with BO2. Looking forward to tomorrow's read.

By the way, I should mention that because of the Vampiric curse inflicted by the Hylden, Nosgothic Vampires are weak against the following things:

Water - Burns like fire if touched, kills instantly if submerged.

Fire - Vampires simply have no extra defenses againt it. Fire burns a Vampire in exactly the same fashion as a human.

Sonics - Extremely harsh sonics are capable of stunning Vampires because their hearing is exponentially sharper than a human's.

Sunlight - Sunlight will only kill fledglings. It weakens any other Vampire, but even during the day, Nosgothic Vampires are still stronger than most ordinary men. Older vampires aren't affected at all by sunlight.

Impalement - If a Vampire is impaled (not necessarily through the heart, just the torso) and they are left impaled for a period of time, then their wounds are incapable of closing. They bleed to death if impaled. Most Vampires can be resurrected after dying from impalement. Some vampiric bodies cannot take the strain, and being impaled simply causes them to dematerialize and disappear.

Beheading - If a Vampire's head is severed, he will die. However, most vampires can be resurrected from this as well.

Beyond that, Vampires evolve over the course of time. They are periodically given Dark Gifts by the powers that be. These Dark Gifts can range from anything between the ability to teleport to the ability transfrom into a cloud of mist. All Nosgothic Vampires are capable of superhuman strength, speed, stamina, healing, and a few other common abilities such as Slow Descent which allows a Vampire to land softly and sliently on the ground from any height, or The Whisper, which allows Vampires to communicate telepathically over any distance.

Just thought I'd point all that out.

Tonight's installment...

Blood Omen

From the moment he was birthed into this world, Kain was damned. 30 years before his death and rebirth, Ariel, the Balance Guardian, was murdered. The moment her eyes closed for the final time was the very moment Kain was brought into this world, and the split second that Nupraptor poisoned the Circle was the very moment of Kain's first newborn cry. He was destined for horror.

30 years later, Kain has become a vagabond. He was raised as the son of an aristocratic nobleman, and after reaching adulthood, felt that his life must have some greater purpose than simply carrying on in his father's footsteps. He left his hometown of Coorhagen and traveled the lands of Nosgoth for ten years, searching for purpose. By his 30th birthday, he had planned to return home to see what had become of his birthplace. He would not make it that far.

Since Kain was born, the only Nosgoth he had known was the perverted, decaying world of the Corrupted Pillars. His world had been in a steady decline since the day he was born, and he could see the vast differences between the world he currently lived in and the world he existed in as a child. That state of decay would soon turn it's misfortune upon Kain in the small town of Ziegsturhl. Arriving in the town at dusk, intending to stay the night on his way home, he is attacked by a group of brigands. He is robbed, beaten and impaled upon his own sword.

Some time later, Kain awakens chained to a pair of stone pillars set before a lake of roiling fire. He knows immediately that he did not survive the encounter, for he is still impaled on his large blade. Moments later, a figure dressed in black approaches Kain and introduces himself as the Necromancer Mortanius. He offers the beaten Kain an opportunity to strike back at his murderers and a second chance at life altogether. The one condition for the agreement is that Kain must do a favor for Mortanius after exacting his revenge. Kain accepts, and watches as his body is transformed from the fair human state he had enjoyed for 30 years into a devilish, dark figure with ash grey skin and stark white hair. He then realizes the depth of the agreement he had just made with Mortanius: he had just signed himself over to becoming a vampire.

Seemingly moments later, Kain snaps awake and forces his way out of a large stone coffin. He steps out and realizes that while it only feels like moments since his death, it has actually been much longer. Probably months or years, because since his death, he has been entombed and sealed within his family's mausoleum. Eventually, Kain breaks free, hunts down his attackers and slaughters them all while laughing maniacally. After executing the assassins, Mortanius contacts Kain through telepathy and tells him to venture to the Pillars of Nosgoth in order to learn what his side of the bargain would entail. By this point, Kain has already fulfilled his desires and simply wants to be rid of his vampiric form. He, like the rest of Nosgoth, loathes the Vampire race and wants nothing to do with his newfound unlife. He wants a cure, and decides to seek one at the Pillars.

Arriving at the Pillars, Kain is greeted by the scarred spectre of a mournful woman. She announces herself as Ariel, the former Balance Guardian, and tells Kain that since her death, she has been bound to the Pillars. Their decay bound her to them, and because of this, she is unable to fulfill her destiny on the Wheel of Fate. She explains to Kain why he Pillars had become corrupted and tells him that his duty is to restore the Pillars to their natural state. In order to do this, Kain would need to kill each of the infected Guardians and bring their Pillar token back to their respective Pillars. The Pillar tokens, he is told, are mystical objects that symbolize the power of the Pillar they each represent. She tells Kain where to find the first Guardian, her lover Nupraptor, and informs him that in order to restore the Pillar of The Mind, Kain would need to retrieve the Mind Token: Nupraptor's head.

So, Kain sets off in search of his first quarry. He reaches Nupraptor's retreat, a giant stone skull built into the side of a cliff face, and begins his infiltration of the stronghold. Kain fights off the Mentalist's minions, and eventually reaches his personal chamber. Arriving, he encounters not only Nupraptor but Malek as well. The Paladin has become aware of Kain's plans, and as such, has rushed to the Mentalist's aid. Nupraptor commands Malek to vacate his fortress, claiming that he himself will finish Kain off. Squaring off in battle, Nupraptor uses a number of lethal psychic attacks to attempt to fell the Vampire, but all of his efforts are in vain. Kain defeats Ariel's lover, severs his head and returns to the Pillars.

Arriving at the Pillars, Kain uses the Mentalist's skull to restore the Pillar of The Mind. Ariel and Mortanius then both speak to Kain, explaining to him that he was lucky to have bested Nupraptor. Had Malek stayed, the Vampire would not have been able to defeat them both. So, Kain's newfound advisors instruct him to seek the Paladin out next. With the protector of the Circle dispatched, the rest would fall much more easily.

So, with a new destination in mind, Kain sets out for Malek's Bastion. The only problem is actually reaching the fortress. Malek's stronghold is located on top of a massive stone pillar shaped much like a giant dinner table. There is one giant column reaching high into the air with a massive stone plate sitting on top which Malek's Bastion rests upon. In addition to this, the structure is located high in the snow-covered mountains, resting in the groove of a steep and narrow valley. There is no way at all to reach the stronghold on foot. So, to counteract these measures, Kain is granted the ability to transform into a flock of bats, and whith this newfound ability he reaches the mountain fortress.

Arriving at Malek's Bastion, Kain is greeted with a number of nasty surprises. First, Kain is unaware of the fact that most vampires, especially fledglings, are fatally weak against water. Touching water burns like fire, and submersion in water means instant death. Kain will have to trek through snow-blanketed fields outside of the Bastion's walls and inside the courtyard areas. On top of that, Malek has fortified his defenses with an army of golems, suits of possessed armor with no blood for Kain to consume if he is suddenly injured.

Eventually, Kain manages to breach Malek's inner sanctum and squares off against his seemingly impervious opponent. The warrior proves himself to be unbeatable, and in a final act of desperation, Kain uses a teleportation device to escape defeat at the hands of the Paladin. Frustrated, Kain seeks advice from Ariel, and she instructs him to visit a man known only as the Oracle, located high up in the winding cavernous tunnels east of Malek's Bastion.

Making his way through the Oracle's tunnels, Kain finds a number of interesting artifacts along the way. He spies suits of armor, flags and weapons from the Sarafan Order's time period. He has read about their exploits, and remembering now the tales of their Vampire Genocide, he reacts with revulsion rather than the admiration he had once felt for those "Holy Knights". Kain's vampiric nature is starting to grow on him.

Eventually, Kain locates the Oracle, a small, frail man in a shroud eagerly watching scenes of the past and future playing themselves out in the reflection of his cauldron. Kain, exhausted and impatient demands answers from the old man. The Oracle (being an eternal wiseass) chooses not to wait for Kain's questions, and instead provides Kain the answers to questions that the vampire has not asked, and isn't going to ask. He speaks the phrase:

"King Ottmar - the only hope to defeat the Legions of the Nemesis.
King Ottmar - paralyzed by his Princess' malaise.
King Ottmar - the useless."

Kain, tired of the old man's jabbering, demands to know how to kill Malek. The Oracle obliges the Vampire and informs him to seek out the only living creature to have ever bested the Paladin: Vorador. He provides Kain with directions to Vorador's Mansion, located deep within the Termagent Forest Swamp. Kain arrives at the looming Mansion shortly thereafter and storms through the stronghold. He is attacked repeatedly by the elder Vampire's defenses, including his large harem of vampiric "brides". While exploring Vorador's Mansion, Kain comes to the conclusion that this elder vampire is a vain, decadent and materialistic recluse, interested only in his own pleasures. Upon finally meeting the Vampire, Kain realizes he was mostly correct. Vorador proves himself to be an extravagant but intelligent creature. He welcomes Kain openly and offers the fledgling a chalice of blood to drink from. He recounts the tale of his defeat of Malek in the sarafan Stronghold over 500 years previous, and tells Kain that currently there is no earthly way that the younger vampire can defeat the Paladin. He tells Kain to end his meddling in the affairs of men. He explains that doing so will only bring more trouble upon the heads of the vampire race. Vorador also expresses his personal opinion that Vampires are Dark Gods, intended to prey upon the human cattle and thin their numbers accordingly. From Vorador's perspective, the humans exist only to prolong the lives of the Vampire race, and he assures Kain that it is not a curse that the young Vampire has been afflicted with, but a blessing. Taking Vorador's words with him, Kain prepares to leave, but is stopped at the last moment. The elder Vampire presents Kain with a Signet Ring that can be used to summon Vorador should Kain ever require his assistance. Thanking the elder for his hospitality and wisdom, Kain departs the Mansion and seeks more assistance at the Pillars.

Arriving, Kain is told that there are three corrupted Guardians living in the northernmost regions of Nosgoth, causing a great disturbance in the land. The land that they have taken up residence in is a region now called Dark Eden, and for very good reason. Kain, heedless of the fact that Malek is still alive and still a very large obstacle, traverses the Nosgothic plains until arriving in Dark Eden. Immediately, he is shocked at what has become of this land. A massive ebony tower has been constructed, and from it, a giant red dome of sheer putrefying energy slowly expands outward, mutating everything in it's path. The grass is green and healthy on Kain's side, the ground is a cracked bed of cooled lava on the other. Birds, squirrels and other natural creatures are scattered on Kain's side, while horrid, skinless abominations stalk the burnt fields of Dark Eden. Stepping through the barrier, Kain is amused to see that he is not affetced in the slightest. He comments on how he must simply be too vile a creature for the forces in Dark Eden to mutate any further.

Entering the massive tower, Kain notes that the inside of the structure is much larger than it appears on the outisde, which he attributes to the Guardian's abilities to distort space. He fights his way through a legion of the freakish accidents that he encountered in the burning fields. He hacks and devours his way to the top of the tower and encounters the three Guardians responsible for this atrocity: Anarcrothe the Alchemist, Bane the Druid and Dejoule the Energist, the Guardians of The States, Nature and Energy, respectively. Confronting the three of them, Anarcrothe allows his cowardice to get the best of him and summons Malek to their aid as he flees. In response to the arrival of the Paladin, Kain uses his Signet Ring to summon Vorador to his side. While Malek and the elder Vampire square off against one another, Kain pursues Bane and Dejoule into a back chamber and fights both at once. Bane uses his powers of Nature to transfrom sections of the ground into puddles of water with which to impede Kain and injure him at the same time. Dejoule positions herself away from the action and proceeds to launch a volley of energy-based attacks at Kain. The Vampire manages to defeat both of his adversaries, taking Bane's Ceremonial Headdress and Dejoule's Insulated Cloak to restore each of their respective Pillars with. Exiting the back chamber, he sees that Vorador is nowhere to be found, and Malek's armor is lying lifeless on the stone floor. Somehow, the elder Vampire managed to defeat the Paladin, and Kain is now free to take Malek's Helmet to restore the Conflict Pillar as well.

Seeking Ariel's guidance again, Kain is presented with what would prove to be his largest task yet. The former Balance Guardian explains that the city of Avernus, the largest kingdom in all of Nosgoth, has been overrun by an army of demons for the last few months. The entire city is aflame, and standing at the nexus of the carnage is Azimuth the Planar, the Guardian of Dimension. Kain makes his way to Avernus and enters his most trying quest yet. He battles through a legion of demonic monstrosities, all the while navigating the labyrinthine inferno of Avernus City. After hacking his way through a groutesque number of adversaries, Kain enters Avernus Cathedral, which sits at the center of the city. Entering the Cathedral, he is faced with yet more demonic opponents awaiting him within a confusing and twisted series of corridors and hallways. While exploring the Cathedral, Kain stumbles across the entrances of two alternate pocket dimensions contained within the Cathedral. One of the dimensions is molded after Hell, with flaming pits and fiery devils infesting it's corridors. At the core of the Hell Dimension, Kain locates the Wraith Armor, a powerful defensive tool. The other dimension is molded after Heaven, with massive marble columns, white clouds filling a blue sky and a legion of pseudo-angelic enemies to hack through. At the core of the Heaven Dimension, Kain locates the legendary Soul Reaver blade, a massive sword that devours the souls of it's victims. In addition to the two pocket dimensions Kain stumbles upon, he also finds his way into the Cathedral's basement. While there, he finds the long-dead corpse of Malek, still suspended by chains in the air, and also a massive ceremonial chamber that appears to be used for sacrifical ceremonies. While exploring the basement, Kain stumbles across a number of ancient documents that mention a creature known as H'ash'ak'gik. The documents also connect this being to a force known only as The Unspoken and another creature named the Dark Entity.

Finally, after much toil, Kain confronts the Planar Azimuth, now equipped with the Soul Reaver and Wraith Armor. She stands as no match against Kain, and falls easily. Having defeated his opponent, Kain takes Azimuth's 3rd Eye to restore the Pillar of Dimension. Upon returning to the Pillars and restoring the Pillar of Dimension, Ariel explains to Kain that there is now a much more pressing matter at hand than dispatching the last three Guardians. A tyrannical madman known as the Nemesis has been slowly advancing his berserker legions into the peaceful regions of Nosgoth, and the only military force that can possibly stop their advancement is Willendorf's Army of Hope, led by the wise King Ottmar, whom the Oracle mentioned to Kain before. Ariel explains that the Nemesis was originally a good and kind boy king named William the Just. Over the course of time, King William's mind was poinsoned by greed and a desire for power. Since then, he has mutated into the Nemesis and has begun his conquest of the rest of Nosgoth. Ariel tells Kain that the Army of Hope could very well end the Legion's crusade, if not for the fact that King Ottmar's only child, his daughter, has recently fallen into a deep coma and cannot be revived. Ottmar has lost the will to fight, and is prepared to let his kingdom die because of his misery. Kain must travel to Willendorf, fix the situation and rally Ottmar's forces against the Legions of the Nemesis.

Kain arrives in Willendorf and uses his Beguile Dark Gift to give himself the appearance of a human nobleman. He speaks with the King and learns that a man known as Elzevir the Dollmaker is responsible for the Princess' current state. You see, recently, the girl celebrated her birthday and for the occasion her father held a contest to see who in the kingdom could craft the best doll for his daughter. Many were submitted, and many were good, but none compared to the masterpiece that the hermit Elzevir contributed. He won the contest and his reward was that he could have any wish, within reason, granted for him. All he wanted was a lock of the Princess' hair. Baffled by the suggestion, but relieved that it wasn't a demand for riches, the King complied and allowed Elzevir to take the lock of hair. A few days later, the Princess fell into a coma and she hasn't been herself since.

So, with this new information in mind, Kain sets out to find the villainous Dollmaker and find out what has happened. He locates the hermit's cottage and enters, expecting to just speak with the man and leave. Instead, the vampire is attacked by the demonic creations crafted in the Dollmaker's workshop. Kain fights his way through a small army of possessed dolls and corners the Dollmaker. Elzevir attacks Kain, but proves to be no match. Kain returns to Willendorf with the doll that the Princess' soul has been imprisoned within in one hand and the Dollmaker's head in the other. The court sorcerers use the doll to restore the Princess, and Ottmar thanks the Vampire repeatedly. When asked what he would like in return for his great deed, Kain replies that he wants the King to mobilize his army and send it against the Legions of the Nemesis. The King, invigorated with new life, begins the process and declares war on the berserker army.

Days later, King Ottmar's Army of Hope and the Legions of the Nemesis meet each other on the battlefield. Kain fights alongside the Army of Hope, and watches as the tide of battle turns one way and then the next. The fracas meets it's crescendo and it appears as though the Army of Hope has won the day, until a foolish tactic costs Ottmar his lfe. The Army of Hope fights valiantly in their leader's absence, but the tide turns in spite of this and Ottmar's forces flee. Kain, surrounded by the berserkers, flees in the opposite direction, into the Lands of the Nemesis in the hope of somehow evading his pursuers. Upon venturing deeper into the Lands of the Nemesis, Kain stumbles upon a strange chamber equipped with a mysterious device of some sort. Ariel had mentioned this earlier to Kain, and had identified it as a Timestreaming Chamber, one of many built by the Timestreamer Moebius, the Guardian of Time. Hoping that all ends well, he uses the chamber to transport himself through time in order to escape death at the hands of the Legion.

Kain arrives, exits the chamber and looks upon the fields he had just fled through. Only moments ago, they were stained with blood and littered with corpses. Now, they were pristine, untouched. Venturing further outside the chamber, he comes across a small village and listens in on a number of conversations while using his Beguile form. He discerns that he has traveled approximately 50 years into the past (20 years before he was even born) and that the Nemesis doesn't even exist in this time period. The Nemesis is still King William the Just. Kain realizes that if he can kill the boy king before he ever becomes the Nemesis, he can save the lives of countless numbers of people.

Kain stalks through King William's territories, and eventually infiltrates the King's Castle. While making his way through the stronghold, he overhears a conversation between King William and an oddly familiar voice. Spying closer, Kain sees that the Oracle is holding company with the young King, and that he has come to warn William of impending disaster. The Oracle tells William that a Vampire has come to slay him and in preparation for the upcoming battle, the Oracle hands over this era's incarnation of the Soul Reaver to the young King.

Kain makes his way deeper into the Castle, and eventually enters William's throne room. The King awaits the Vampire, dressed in full armor and holding the Soul Reaver blade. He speaks briefly with Kain and tells the Vampire that he will have his head before the day is out. Kain brandishes his own Soul Reaver and the two commence their battle. As the fight rages, the very walls of reality around the two combatants strain and warp. The air vibrates, the ground hums and everything twists in and out of proprtion. Finally, Kain defeats his enemy, plunging the Soul Reaver into the boy King's chest and ending his life. William slumps to the floor, and as he does, Kain feels reality itself violently shifting it's course, changing the future to acommodate the alteration to the past. As the violence subsides, William's guards enter the room and pursue Kain. The Vampire escapes deeper into the Castle and finds another Timestreaming Chamber built within the fortress. He uses it and transports himself 50 years forward in time.

Returning to the present, Kain is not greeted with a war-streaked battlefield. Instead, he sees the same open fields and dense forest that he had traversed previously, free of the carnage of a timestream only remembered by himself. As he makes his way through the fields toward Willendorf, he is suddenly struck with a barrage of unnerving senses. He can smell blood. Vampire blood. A lot of it. And over the smell, he hears the fevered roar of a crowd of humans. He rushes toward the noise and is makes his way within the wooden ramparts of a town that had not previously existed in Kain's present day. In the middle of the large open courtyard, he sees the source of the chaos: a large mob of humans has been executing vampires in public, and their final victim is Vorador. With horror, Kain realizes what he has unwittingly caused. Kain, he himself being a Vapmire, killed King William the Just, forever altering the present and future. While the Vampire thought it was in the world's best interest to do so, what he didn't realize was that he had walked directly into a trap. By causing a past event in which a beloved and caring boy King was murdered by a Vampire, Kain gave a certain religous zealot all the motivational proof he needed to incite a mass genocide of the Vampire race. It is in this moment that Kain realizes that the Oracle has duped him two-fold. He tricked Kain into bringing about the downfall of his own race and he hid his true identity from the Vampire the entire time. The Oracle is in reality the Timestreamer Moebius.

Kain watches in transfixed horror as Moebius brings the guillotine blade down upon Vorador's weakened body, and hoists the ancient Vampire's severed head for the crowd to see. As Moebius fuels the mob's blood rage, he notifies the crowd of Kain's presence and tells them that their quest is almost at an end. Kain is the only living vampire left in Nosgoth, and he's got a furious mob itching to change that.

Kain hacks his way through an army of pitchfork-wielding vampire slayers, killing every last puppet that Moebius sends his way. In the end, it comes down to only the two, the Vampire and the Timestreamer. Moebius is no warrior, and having foolishly forgotten to arm himself wih his Scepter, he falls before Kain quickly. In his last moments, he informs Kain that he knows the Vampire's future, and his future is death. Kain remarks, "fool, I'm already dead," and cuts Moebius' head clean off of his shoulders. Taking Moebius' Hourglass, Kain is summoned back to the Pillars by Mortanius for the final confrontation.

When Kain materializes, he hides himself in the shadows behind one of the Pillars and listens in on an argument taking place between Anarcrothe and Mortanius. Anarcrothe insists that the Pillars exist for the personal gain of the Guardians, and he accuses Mortanius of treason for unleashing Kain upon the Circle. It is then that the Vampire realizes that the Necromancer Mortanius is, in fact, the Death Guardian and that he too must be killed. Mortanius concludes the disagreement with Anarcrothe by saying that the Circle needs to be cleansed for the good of the land, and that nothing is going to stop Kain now. Mortanius launches a death spell at his comrade, killing him instantly. Kain emerges from behind the Pillars and commends Mortanius for his ruthlessness, but quickly states that that won't stop Kain from killing him too. Mortanius accepts his fate but warns Kain that he won't be able to control himself much longer. He tells Kain that the true villain will reveal himself shortly, and that even after Mortanius is dead, there is still one Guardian left to kill. Kain takes Anarcrothe's Scales and Moebius' Hourglass and places them before the Pillars of the States and Time respectively, restoring them to their pristine form.

Once the act is done, Mortanius suddenly changes, as though he's no longer in control of himself. He taunts Kain and then attacks sending waves of undead minions after the Vampire. Kain bests the Necromancer and approaches his dead body. He takes Mortanius' Death Orb and places it before the Pillar of Death, restoring it and leaving only one Pillar left. The Pillar of Balance. Just then, Mortanius' fallen body rises from the ground and laughs. The voice emanating from the ancient sorcerer's throat grows deeper, more sadistic, more inhuman. Suddenly, the Necromancer's dark form mutates into a giant, black, horned demon. The creature is known as the Dark Entity, and he is the villain that has been pulling all of the strings. The Dark Entity explans everything, telling Kain how he possessed Mortanius' body and used him to murder Ariel, which he had anticipated would cause the corruption of the Circle and the Pillars as well. He had used his vile powers to protect Mortanius from becoming deranged by Nupraptor's psychic shockwave, and had used the Necromancer's body to exert his vile influence to further his own plans. The only flaw was in Kain's resurrection. Somehow Mortanius had managed to disable the Dark Entity's control over him for an extended period of time. While the Dark Entity scrambled to regain control, Mortanius had enough time to resurrect Kain and use him to undo the Dark Entity's carefully laid plans. Now all that was left was for the Dark Entity to be destroyed and the Balance Pillar to be restored.

Kain and the Entity fought one on one in the Pillar Sanctuary, and in the end, Kain brought the Entity's life to an abrupt end with one final swipe from the Soul Reaver. With all foes vanquished, it was then that Kain realized who his final kill must be. Himself. Kain was born at the exact moment that Ariel died and was chosen at that exact moment to be her successor as the balance Guardian. His first cry was at the exact moment that Nupraptor infected the Circle. Thus, since the day he was born, Kain was corrupted by Nupraptor's anguish. In order to heal Nosgoth, Kain would have to martyr himself.

And so he was pressented with his ultimate decision: would he sacrifice himself, thereby causing the extinction of the vampire race and the restoration of the Pillars, or would he choose to save himself and damn Nosgoth to eternal ruin?

Kain refused the sacrifice. He watched as a violent tremor shook through the foundations of the Pillars and spread throughout the land, cracking the ground and uprooting trees. He watched as a furious light scorched the sky and melted the clouds. He calmly watched as one moment of horrifying silence filled the world, and then turned his back and walked away as the Pillars shattered, spraying chunks of seemingly immortal stone to every coner of the land.

Kain refused the sacrifice for a number of reasons. The humans that he had worked so hard to protect had turned on him and had wiped out his entire race. He was the only Vampire left alive, and as such, his sacrifice would have meant the end of his species. And most importantly, he had come to fully cherish his venomous nature. He now understood what Vorador meant when he said the "curse" of vampirism was truly a gift. Kain's first chapter in his Legacy closed with his following words:

"Once I embraced my powers, I realized that Vorador was correct. We are gods. Dark gods, and it is our duty to thin the herd."

Tune in tomorrow for the third installment: Soul Reaver.

Good writting mang I read the whole damn thing and i actually enjoyed doing it good writting style mang !

I reccomend everybody to read this if theyre interested in Blood Omen Series..

1 thing i noticed:

Kain's name turned into Cain for some reason.. do u know why? (i dont :P im not testing u Hehe)

Excellent reading thus far. I'm actually enjoying BO2 right now, which hopefully means that the Soul Reaver games will be that much better. I might not read the Sould Reaver installment so that I can play it out myself though.

Still pondering the notion..

Tonight's installment...

Soul Reaver

"Kain is deified. The clans tell tales of him, yet few know the truth. He was mortal once...as were we all. However, his contempt for humanity drove him to create me, and my brethren. I am Raziel, first-born of his lieutenants. I stood with Kain and my brethren at the dawn of the empire. I have served him a millennium."

1000 years after the fall of the Pillars, Kain rules all. He is the undisputed Emperor of Nosgoth. Father to every Vampire in the world. Ruler over the six clans. Wielder of the Soul Reaver. He is a Dark God.

Shortly after the refusal of the sacrifice at the Pillars of Nosgoth, Kain began his conquest of the land. His first act was to raise his first vampiric children as his direct subordinates. For this task, Kain would undertake an act of calculated blasphemy. He would seek six individuals whose passion was capable of transcending all notions of good and evil. He would find six individuals who would serve him unfalteringly and eternally.

Kain searched the highest peaks and deepest pits of Nosgoth's landscape, searching fanatically for appropriate candidates to resurrect as his vampiric offspring. He found his new children sealed away in the Tomb of the Sarafan Sleeping Priests. It was there that Raziel and his five brothers were pulled from their caskets, which they had been placed in half a millennium ago. It was in that tomb that Kain unleashed his dark arts upon the corpses of those ancient Holy Knights and breathed vampiric unlife back into their bones.

Raziel was the first-born, followed by Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah respectively. A millennium would pass, and in that time, Kain and his six children would raze the human world, while each of the six lieutenants would spawn their own underlings. The vampiric numbers grew until there were six full clans of them: the Razielim, the Turelim, the Dumahim, the Rahabim, the Zephonim and the Melchahim. Eventually, Kain's growing empire would blanket the entire world.

Massive furnaces were constructed to continuously blast ash into the atmosphere, blocking the sun out perpetually. The tribes and settlements of men were razed and human numbers were forced into a single corner of the world to be kept like cattle. And Kain's throne was built into the crumbling stone of the ruined Balance Pillar, constituting his most sacreligious offense yet. In time, his empire became the world, and the world of man remained only as a memory.

Since Kain's resurrection by the hand of Mortanius, and since the revival of his children, they have all experienced great evolutionary leaps. Instead of slowly changing over the years, however, Kain and his lieutenants would enter a state of hibernation, beginning with Kain and ending with Melchiah. When they would each emerge from this state, they would find themselves blessed with a new Dark Gift. This was the cycle of thier lives...until Raziel had the honor of surpassing his lord.

Raziel somehow pre-emptively entered his state of hibernation long before Kain, and when he emerged, he had grown a pair of bat-like wings. Kain came to know of the event, and as such, he demanded that a conference be held between himself and all six lieutenants. Raziel arrived last, and upon doing so, presented his master with a view of his new wings. Shocked and appalled by what he saw, the Emperor approached his first son and studied these new wings with a look of outrage. In a blinding flash of rage and jealousy, Kain tore the bones out of his eldest sons wings and condemned him for treason. Soon thereafter, Raziel was dragged to a cliff overlooking the Abyss, a churning vortext of water which was used to execute Vampire traitors and weaklings. Kain commanded Raziel's two brothers, Turel and Dumah, to cast him into the Abyss. They obliged and Raziel fell to his doom.

Raziel tumbled through the whiplash currents for nearly 300 years. The raging waters dissolved most of his skin, all of his internal organs, the majority of his clothing and his jaw. When he finally came to rest at the bottom of the vortex, he was destroyed. His skin had been tarnished blue, and his entire body had become a fractured mockery of the fair form he once proudly wore. Yet, somehow he lived. He stood on solid ground, marveling at the fact that he did not seem to be submerged in water at all, and had somehow arrived in some dank subterranean cave. He took his clan's shroud and wrapped it around the lower half of his face, to cover the absence of his jaw and to hide his ghoulish features.

Suddenly, he was identified by an ominous, rumbling voice. The voice announced itself as "The Elder God" and told Raziel that it was he who spared the Vampire lieutenant's life. Raziel more closely inspected his surroundings and came to realize that this Elder God was physically horrifying. He amounted to a monstrous, squirming mass of tentacles and eyeballs, which communicated in a deep, reverberating voice that seemed to echo through the earth itself. The Elder God proposed a bargain to the young ghoul, offering him a chance for vengeance in his new form. While Raziel regarded his new body as a step down from his former visage, the Elder God contradicted him, telling him that his form had been elevated, not diminished.

Raziel quickly earns a tutorial with his newfound powers and comes to learn that he is actually much more durable and much more terrifying in his new body than he had ever been as a Vampire. He is no longer a drinker of blood, but now a devourer of souls. He is physically stronger, faster and more resistant to harm than any Vampire could hope to be. He has become immune to the light of the sun, and has gained increased defenses against fire. Sonics no longer affect him, yet he retains his keen sense of hearing. The only weakness of his that still remains is his susceptibility to water. However, immersing himself in water will no longer kill him. It has a different effect entirely. Now, submersion in water will cause Raziel's Material form to disintegrate, forcing him into the Spectral Realm. Though, in the Spectral Realm, water has no substance, no weight. It's like thin air.

Raziel is informed that in his new form, he is naturally a creature of the Spectral Realm, and no longer one of the Material Realm. The Spectral Realm is described to him as being the demented mirror-image world in which the souls of the dead languished after their bodies had passed on. The Spectral Realm is the afterlife. However, being given supernatural gifts by the Elder God, Raziel is capable of focring himself into the Material Realm at will. He is capable of using a technique called the Spectral Shift, in which he can focus his Spectral energies and use them to manifest his form in the Material Realm. However, he is informed that he will need to constantly expel energy in order to remain in the Material Realm, while on the converse side, he will constantly regain life energy while in the Spectral Realm.

The Elder God teaches Raziel how to properly use his newfound abilities, and in return for his gifts, he simply asks that Raziel kill every Vampire he sees, devour their souls, hunt down his brothers, devour their souls, and finish off Kain. The Elder God had grown tired of the Vampiric rule and wishes the world to be returned to a normal state, which can only be accomplished by eliminating the entire Vampire race and killing Kain so that the Balance Pillar can be restored.

Raziel leaves the Elder God's chambers and emerges in the courtyard just before Kain's Stronghold, which had been built around the now-ruined Pillars. As Raziel surveys his surroundings, he comes to realize that he has been out of commission for much longer than he had originally thought. Nosgoth has decayed immensely, and is now only a rotted, mildewed husk of it's fomer glory. In addition to this, Raziel encounters many descendants of his brothers' bloodlines, and they have evolved into horrors. No longer are they the proud, noble warriors they once were. Nosgoth's Vampires have mutated into a beastly parody of themselves, feeding on carrion and skulking through the shadows like wild abominations.

Raziel is instructed by the Elder God to first seek out his brother Melchiah, the youngest of the six. On his way to the Melchahim Territory, he must first pass through his own lands, the home of his clan, the Razielim. Upon entering the gates of his former home, he is met with silence. The once-bustling streets of his lands are dead, as is every last member of his clan. The Razielim had been systematically exterminated by Kain's forces, and for this, he would pay dearly.

After exting his own dead kngdom and entering Melchiah's lands, he spies many members of what could only be his youngest brother's ilk. They have degenerated into zombie-like monstrosities, their moulded flesh barely clinging to their weathered bones. They rob graves for flesh with which to patch their own bodies, they prey upon small animals for sustenance and they grovel in the dirt like mongrels. Raziel is not pleased with this omen, and could only imagine the fate that has befallen his brother.

Eventually, he comes to Melchiah's Keep, a large stone and steel temple that descends many levels below the surface of the earth. It is in the lowest level that he encounters his unfortunate brother, who has become far more horrible than Raziel could have ever imagined. Melchiah now stands (or more appropriately slouches) somewhere between 15 and 20 feet tall. His original form is no longer recognizable in the slightest. You see, whatever flaw had occured within his progeny that caused their skin to rot away had originated in him first, and he had for the last 300 years made a steady practice of covering up his rotting flesh with the dead fleah of others. In fact, his body has degenerated so badly, that he has taken to fusing entire corpses onto himself in order to cover his putresence. That's why he has grown so large. He is now an ape-like, walking pile of dead bodies.

The two brothers exchange words briefly, Raziel damning his brother for allowing him to be executed, and the brash Melchiah damning Raziel for daring to question Kain's decisions. After heated banter, they engage one another in combat. Raziel watches in horror as his younger brother exhibits the ability to pass through permeable barriers, such as gates and fences, as though he is made of fog. Raziel evades the monster and uses the cruel torture implements located all over the younger brother's throne room to grind the abomination into pulp. In the end, Raziel devours his soul and recieves the Phasing ability, which allows him to walk through permeable barriers while in the Spectral Realm.

After defeating Melchiah, Raziel is contacted by the Elder God and told to make his way to Kain's Palace. He is was equipped to bypass his former master's defenses and confront him in his throne room.

Arriving at the Palace, Raziel shifts through the large iron bars blocking all of the entrances. Slowly making his way towards the throne room, he anticipates a shocking vision of his former lord. Considering how far Melchiah had devolved, he expects a samiliar fate of Kain. Raziel is, however, wrong. Upon entering the throne room, Kain greets him as though he has been expecting his first lieutenant all along. And he hasn't aged a day! Raziel immediately assaults his former lord with accusations of genocide and psychosis. Kain replies that Raziel has no right to form judgments until he can say honestly that he has been forced to bear the burden of responsibility as severely as Kain has. Raziel scoffs at his master's justifications, and halts as his eyes widen in terror. Kain has risen from his seat, and he is clutching a very fearsome instrument in his hand...

Raziel: "The Soul Reaver, Kain's ancient blade. Older than any of us, and a thousand times more deadly. The legends claimed that the blade was possessed and thrived by devouring the souls of its victims. For all our bravado, we knew what it meant when Kain drew the Soul Reaver in anger. It meant you were dead."

Launching into battle, Raziel attacks his master with his bare claws. Kain responds by teleporting around the room and firing bolts of energy from the Soul Reaver blade. A single hit is powerful enough to destroy Raziel's Material form, forcing him into the Spectral Realm to recharge himself. Eventually, Raziel manages to almost best the elder Vampire, until one foul mistake costs him the battle. He finds himself on his knees before the Dark God and prepares for his death as Kain swings the Soul Reaver blade downwards onto his former lieutenant's back.

...yet Raziel finds himself transfixed in absolute shock as the blade shatters upon his back, leaving only the hilt clutched in Kain's grasp. The elder Vampire is not at all surprised by it, in fact, he seems almost satisfied that it has happened. He remarks about how the two of them have come one step closer to their true destinies, tosses the useless hilt away, and then vanishes.

Moments later, Raziel watches as the writhing energies of the Soul Reaver blade re-form in the air directly in front of his eyes. He reahces out and touches the pulsing beam of light and watches as it snakes it's way around his right arm, attaching itself there permanently. The soul-devouring spirit within the physical blade has been set free and has permanently bound itself to Raziel as his symbiotic Wraith Blade. He comes to find that the Wraith Blade will only manifest itself in the Material Realm if he is at full health, but once it formed, it will sustain his life, preventing loss of health until he recieves an injury, at which point the Blade will disappear and his health will slowly dwindle as per normal. The Wraith Blade proves itself to be a fearsomely powerful weapon, capable of completely obliterating the body of any foolish creature that steps into his path. He is now more than adeuqately equipped to exact his revenge upon his brothers and his former master.

Upon trying to exit the Palace, he hears the voice of a mournful woman echo through the hall. Walking back towards Kain's throne, he watches as the spectre of the long-dead Balance Guardian Ariel materializes before him. Speaking briefly, she explains how she had come to haunt the Pillars, and that if Raziel was Kain's foe, that they were now allies against a common enemy. She offers Raziel her assistance whenever he may need it, and welcomes him to return if he should so require it.

Leaving the Palace, Raziel is contacted again by the Elder God, who informs him of his brother Zephon's current whereabouts. The younger brother has relocated himself and his entire clan into the corpse of the Silenced Cathedral, a human structure that was originally intended to be used as a weapon against the Vampires. Venturing into the Cathedral, Raziel spies his first glimpse of his brother Zephon's progeny. They have mutated into a horrible, spider-like breed of Vampire that descend from dark ceilings and wrap their human victims in webbed cocoons. Making his way through the monstrous structure (I'm not fucking joking, it's the longest "dungeon" in the game. I know far too many people that reached this place and just gave up entirely) he eventually manages to climb to the apex of the Cathedral, and enters Zephon's personal chamber.

What awaits him is even more horrifying than the disgusting mess that greeted him in Melchiah's throne room. His younger brother Zephon has mutated into a massive, insectile creature and has actually fused with the back wall of his throne room. His massive torso, head, arms and extra insect-like limbs protrude from the back wall, filling half of the room's space. Raziel comments on his brother's unfortunate appearance and accuses him of cowardice for hiding from the world at the top of his impenetrable tower. Zephon mocks Raziel's ghoulish body and taunts him saying that he will devour every last bit of his flesh and then toss the scraps to his children.

The two engage in battle, Zephon's spider-like arms jabbing at Raziel everywhere he goes. Periodically, though, Zephon's midsection spits out a foul insectile egg, which Raziel ignites and then hurls back at his opponent. Eventually, he manges to set his brother's entire body ablaze, and as he burns, he curses the soul devourer's name. Raziel consumes Zephon's spirit and gains the Scaling ability, which allows him to climb up walls like a spider.

Upon leaving the Silenced Cathedral, Raziel is contacted by the Elder God who informs him that it is now time to divulge the truth about Raziel's past. He directs the soul devourer to the Tomb of Sarafan Sleeping Priests, and allows Raziel to form his own conclusions about his past. Raziel knows what he was intended to learn the instant he sees a raided coffin bearing his own name. Kain had hidden the truth about his children's pasts, and now that Raziel has become aware, he is even more determined to slay the elder Vampire. Exploring the Tomb further, he encounters a creature simply known as the Morlock, a guardian set to watch over the Tomb and protect it from unwanted visitors. Raziel comes to realize that this Morlock is actually one of Turel's misbegotten children, a creature with tough scaly skin and large bat-like ears (ever seen the movie Gremlins? That's what they look like, only much bigger and much scarier). Raziel kills the creature and devours it's soul, gaining the Telekinetic Force Projectile ability in the process, which allows him to fire concentrated balls of pure force from his hands, or through his Wraith Blade for added effect.

Leaving the Sarafan Tomb, Raziel inquires to the Elder God where to go next and is told to visit his brother Rahab in a location known as the Drowned Abbey. The Abbey turns out to be a massive stone structure that is half-submerged in water. This proves to be very difficult for Raziel to maneuver through, because immersion in water will destroy his Material form, forcing him into the Spectral Realm. Raziel wonders how Rahab's clan could live in such a place and is greeted with a quick answer to his confusion: the Rahabim have developed an immunity to water, becoming an aquatic breed of Vampire. Their price for this advantage is an increased susceptibility to sunlight. The sun's rays are capable of instantly killing any Rahabim they touch, regardless of their age.

Raziel carefully navigates the Drowned Abbey, spending much time exploring the underwater depths while in the Spectral Realm. Eventually, he comes to Rahab's central chamber, a massive circular room with a series of stone columns spiraling like steps from the bottom of the aquatic cavern to just above the water line. Upon reaching the highest column, Rahab reveals himself to Raziel. He has become a massive humanoid shark-like creature, with an aquatic lower half like a merman. Certainly not as groutesque as his other brother's forms, but still a step down in Raziel's opinion. The two speak in a much more civil tone than Raziel's previous encounters, and the soul devourer asks his brother if he is aware of what the six lieutenants were before Kain resurrected them. He tells Rahab that they were Sarafan, the antithesis of all they ever believed in. Rahab responds that they were lost, but Kain had saved them...from themselves.

The fight commences and Raziel uses his surroundings to his advantage. He spies a number of stained glass windows surrounding the top of the circular chamber and uses his Force Projectiles to blast them all out. Once the chamber is flooded with sunlight, his brother perishes and his soul merges with Raziel's, giving the ghoul invulnerability to water and the ability to swim with speed and grace. Easily Raziel's most useful skill yet.

Leaving the Abbey, the Elder God informs Raziel of his brother Dumah's last residence: a fortified complex built high in the frozen northern wilderness. Equipped now to deal with the churning tides of the Abyss (which he would be foced to swim through in order to reach the Northern Lands) and also the snow-covered fields of his brother's territory, he sets out for the Dumahim Lands.

Arriving, Raziel is shocked to find his brother's abode almost completely deserted. Throughout his recent travels, Raziel had actually encountered more of his brother Dumah's children than any of the others. They had crept into every last inch of Nosgoth, lumbering along like bulky apes with hard armored skin. Now, he knew why there were so many of them outside of the Dumahim Territory. They had all left. Some cataclysmic event had obviously forced them from their home, and Raziel soon came to find out what it was. At some point, Dumah had grown careless, allowing his defenses to remain lax in spite of a nearby human settlement. One day, the humans attacked Dumah's complex, overrunning his entire clan, killing the majority of them and trapping Dumah himself in the process. When Raziel finally arrives in his brother's throne room, he is shocked at what he sees. Dumah, who has mutated into a much larger and much more heavily armored version of his progeny, sits immobile on his throne, frozen, impaled on three massive silver spears. Wishing to end the monster's life, Raziel pulls the spears from Dumah's chest, reviving him.

Awakening, Dumah thanks his brother, which Raziel quickly negates. He threatens to devour Dumah's soul before the day is out. Dumah responds by saying that not even Kain is his equal anymore. He has grown impervious to nearly all damage, which is why those three silver spears only bound him and did not kill him. Raziel responds that even the strongest of vampires are vulnerable.

The fight begins, and quickly Raziel learns that not even the Wraith Blade can damage his seemingly impervious brother. With no other options, Raziel flees, quickly trying to concoct a plan while on the run. He remembers a massive furnace room in the complex that he had passed through earlier on his way to Dumah's throne room. Leading Dumah through his own home, Raziel tricks the beast into entering the furnace room. The ghoul sets off all of the fire nozzles simultaneously, burning Dumah to cinders and ash. He devours his brother's soul, granting him the power of Constriction. The Constrict ability allows Raziel to form a band of Spectral Energy and wrap it around a target which he can then manipulate. If he ensnares a living creature, it will siphon off health and replenish Raziel's energy. If he Constricts an inanimate object, he can move the object about (mostly for the purposes of puzzle-solving) however he pleases.

Striding away from Dumah's complex, Raziel recieves another bit of information from the Elder God, regarding Kain's current whereabouts. The Elder God directs Raziel to the Oracle Caves, the very location that Kain visited over a thousand years prior when he consulted with Moebius in regards to Malek. Raziel enters the confusing webwork of passages, and eventually finds his way to Moebius' Cauldron Room, which contains a secret passage to an even lower level of the structure. Raziel follows the subterranean passages into a strange hallway whose walls are adorned with odd viewing portals. He peers into each one, and they show him visions of the far past, recent past, present and future. The scenes horrify him, and he continues onward to the core of the underground labyrinth.

Eventually, Raziel comes to the final room, the greatest secret that Moebius ever hid. Throughout his mortal life, he had constructed numerous Timestreaming Chambers all over Nosgoth. This was the largest and most powerful of them all: the Chronoplast Chamber.

Entering the Chamber, Raziel sees Kain busily adjusting levers and large dials adorning the walls of the tri-level Timestreaming Device. Kain mocks his fomer apprentice, asking if it troubled him to murder is own brothers. Raziel responds, asking if it had troubled Kain to throw him into the abyss. Kain replies by explaining to Raziel that he had no idea the true power that omniscient knowledge could afford a person. Kain now understands why Moebius was regarded as the most fearsome of the corrupted Circle, because the knowledge he held was unfathomable. He was capable of seeing and knowing the paths and destinies of all living creatures, and as such, was capable of manipulating them all. Since Kain killed the Timestreamer, he has been using the Guardian's own devices to enhance his knowledge of fate and of his true purpose in life. It was because of this that he could sacrifice his children to the void with a clear conscience.

Raziel accuses Kain of heresy for blaspheming the body of a Sarafan and turning him into a Vampire. Kain responds by asking Raziel if he is actually blind enough to believe the Sarafan of being altruistic, noble men. He accuses the Sarafan, and Raziel especially, of even worse atrocities than Kain himself had ever committed. Raziel, having heard enough of Kain's excuses, attacks the elder vampire and the battle begins.

Kain proves to be of very little challenge to his protege`. Now armed with the Wraith Blade, Raziel cuts through Kain's defenses quickly, almost killing him in the process. During the course of the fight, Kain teleports around the room, adjusting dials and levers, finalizing the process he was interrupted during when Raziel arrived. In the end, Kain escapes Raziel's assault. Gasping for air, the Vampire claims "hmm...Raziel, you almost had me. But this is not where or how it ends." With those final words the Chronoplast Cahmber opens a massive portal directly behind Kain. The Vampire steps through it, challenging Raziel to follow. The ghoul approaches the portal and just as he is about to enter, thr Elder God informs Raziel that once he steps through the vortex, he will be outside of the Elder God's influence. Raziel steps through.

When he emerges, he steps out of an undulating cloud of glowing fog and into a dimly lit room. He hears an ominous voice gleefully welcoming him to his new location. The figure steps from the shadows and reveals himself to be Moebius, the Timestreamer. Raziel realizes that he has been transported more than a millennium into Nosgoth's past. Grinning satanically, the Timnstreamer steps forward and says:

"Raziel. Redeemer and Destroyer. Pawn and Messiah. Welcome, time-spanned soul. Welcome, to your destiny..."

Tune in tomorrow for our next installment, Soul Reaver 2.