Kain (Legacy of Kain)

Kain is a fictional character, and the main protagonist and title character of the Legacy of Kain video game series. First introduced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in 1996, he was created by Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights, and has appeared in all subsequent Legacy of Kain games under the direction of developer Crystal Dynamics. Between games, he serves as either the central playable character, or as an antagonist, but in all his depictions he has consistently been described as an antihero.

Kain
Legacy of Kain character
First gameBlood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)
Created byDenis Dyack
Voiced bySimon Templeman

Drawing inspiration from the morally ambiguous character of William Munny from Clint Eastwood's 1992 film Unforgiven, Silicon Knights conceived Kain as a nobleman murdered and revived as a vampire to take revenge on his assassins. He gradually embraces his new existence, and learns of his birthright to maintain balance in Nosgoth (the fictional setting of the series). Crystal Dynamics later portrayed Kain as an Oedipus-like figure, seeking to thwart the fate determined for him before his birth.

Beyond his role in the series, Kain has also featured in tie-in comics, and in Crystal Dynamics' Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. In all of his voiced appearances, he has been played by actor Simon Templeman. He has been favorably received by video game critics and enthusiasts, with praise attributed to his antagonistic role in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and his status as a strong example of a memorable, nuanced antihero in the medium.

Concept and creation
Kain is very much the focus of the series, though. If you remove the melodrama and just look at the human elements of his character, you can see that he's flawed. Depending on how you look at things you could call him a tragic hero or an anti-hero. In my opinion, characters painted as 'true villains' just aren't interesting. They're too two-dimensional; no one is ever really so uncomplicated. Everyone always has their motives for what they're doing - everybody believes they're doing the right thing within their belief system. Kain is basically screwed by his own character flaws - which is more interesting than the idealized hero figure.

—Amy Hennig, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, September 2002[1]

Kain's character was originally conceived circa 1993 by Silicon Knights' president, Denis Dyack, as the protagonist of The Pillars of Nosgoth, an initial video game concept for what would become 1996's Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. He was modeled in part on William Munny, the protagonist of Clint Eastwood's 1992 Western film, Unforgiven.[2] The developers set out to craft an antihero to suit "a game where the player is put in the position where everyone believes you are evil", feeling that the industry required a story addressing issues of moral ambiguity and wondering how players would react when "everyone in the world was your enemy (including yourself) [...] where you had to kill innocents to survive [and] you are the ultimate pawn".[2][3] Other influences which helped to define Kain's character arc included The Wheel of Time, Necroscope, and cover art from The Pillars of the Earth.[2] In comparison to Count Dracula, Dyack commented in an interview that he believed Kain would "kick his ass" in a fight. He and writer Ken McCulloch considered Simon Templeman's voiceover for the character superlative, despite initial apprehensions that the actors they had hired might not be able to convey the game's complicated dialogue.[3]

After a legal dispute with Silicon Knights,[4] Blood Omen publisher Crystal Dynamics obtained the rights to the Legacy of Kain intellectual property, with Amy Hennig directing Kain's characterization for the sequel, 1999's Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. In this game, which built upon the Blood Omen ending in which he damns the world, Kain adopted the role of antagonist, with new character Raziel serving as the lead. Hennig justified this choice, believing that it would prove interesting to see what his decision had engendered after a few millennia. She emphasized, though, that she did not consider him a monster or mustache-twirling villain, remarking that "in many ways, he's a more complex and sympathetic character than Raziel himself".[5] Sources which helped to formulate his role in the plot ranged from Biblical lore to Eastern myth and mysticism.[6]

Clint Eastwood's character in Unforgiven inspired the moral ambiguity represented in Kain's portrayal.

In interviews preceding the release of 2001's Soul Reaver 2, Hennig said that Crystal Dynamics had a huge investment in Kain as a character.[7] His portrayal in this game extrapolated further from Blood Omen's story, and was influenced by Joseph Campbell's ideals. No longer acting as a pure villain, Kain was intended to function as a "steadfast character", coming to the story from a position of knowledge in contrast to Raziel's relative ignorance. Hennig expressed that, by Soul Reaver 2, her personal perception of Kain's character had changed over the years, and that she now considered him a somewhat more attractive and interesting individual than Raziel due to his complexity. She dubbed him a tragic hero, "screwed by his own character flaws", and argued that this hamartia added to his depth.[1] Since joining Naughty Dog, when asked whether Raziel or Kain is closest to her heart, Hennig has said that while Raziel is a sympathetic protagonist, she probably prefers Kain as a character.[8]

For 2002's Blood Omen 2, developed by a different team within Crystal Dynamics, Kain returned as the playable protagonist.[9] The development staff chose to focus on his rise to power as a younger vampire, combining aspects of his Blood Omen and Soul Reaver incarnations.[10][11] He was marketed as a more powerful and ruthless character than traditional video game heroes, with lead designer Mike Ellis inviting comparison to Final Fantasy VI's Kefka Palazzo and Revolver Ocelot of the Metal Gear series. Design issues, raised by the wealth of abilities and equipment he accumulated in Blood Omen, prompted the team to add to his backstory and convincingly deprive him of these powers.[12] Producer Sam Newman described him as "a very unique character" who "doesn't fit to the generic character molds you find in many other games, books and movies [...] not good, he's not necessarily evil - Kain does as Kain believes".[13]

Legacy of Kain: Defiance, released in 2003, returned to the aged, elder Kain from Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2, now controllable alongside Raziel. The prospect of making this incarnation of Kain playable left the development team "very excited", and was agreed upon very early in pre-production.[9] Recognizing that he is "the most important character in the series",[14] designer Kyle Mannerberg named several parallels and influences concerning his development up to that point, citing Neo and John Murdoch (the protagonists of The Matrix and Dark City respectively), the archetypal Fisher King of Arthurian legend, the story of Oedipus, and Gnostic myth as inspirations[14] (with both latter sources being reaffirmed as strong influences by Hennig in a later interview[15]). The spells he obtains over the course of his levels were intended to pay homage to the original Blood Omen.[14]

Characteristics

Kain's appearance undergoes "pretty dramatic changes" throughout the games as he ages,[14] but core personality attributes cited by Defiance's developers include his intelligence and cynicism,[9] arrogance and regality,[9][16] and his defiant nature.[15] In the series' fictional universe, he is described as the guardian of balance, a being responsible for preserving the health and integrity of Nosgoth (the games' setting), but left incapable of realizing this duty due to spiritual corruption that he inherited at birth.[14]

The character's transformation into a vampire, and the visceral nature this trait lends the series, was derived from William Shakespeare's classical models: "for the drunken commoners in the front rows he would insert dirty jokes to keep them entertained but for the aristocracy in the balconies he would write very cerebral metaphors". According to Silicon Knights, the graphic violence and vampirism in Blood Omen served as their "dirty jokes", supplemented by a complex story.[3]

As the story progresses, Kain evolves from a directionless young nobleman, to a lithe and devious vampire, to a "craggy" figure.[9][14] As a playable character, he frequently narrates his thoughts through the dramatic device of soliloquy. In Blood Omen and Defiance, his battle cry and catchphrase is Vae victis, a Latin phrase attributed to Brennus meaning "woe to the conquered".[17]

Appearances

Debut
Main article: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
The story of Oedipus significantly influenced Kain's development in later games (in a Sophoclean rather than Freudian sense).[15]

In Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Kain is introduced as a young human noble.[14] In the game's prologue, he is murdered by assassins, and resurrected as a vampire by Mortanius, a necromancer.[18] He is promised both vengeance and a cure to his vampirism if he can restore the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, edifices whose state dictates the vitality of the world; the nine guardians who symbiotically represent the Pillars were corrupted prior to his birth, and must be killed before the land can recover.[19] During his quest, he meets the ancient vampire Vorador, who influences him to forsake his former humanity and accept his vampirism,[20] and discovers the Soul Reaver, a legendary soul-devouring sword.[21] Using the Reaver, he tries to alter the course of Nosgoth's history to prevent the Nemesis — a tyrant king — from coming to power.[22] Tricked by Moebius, the guardian of time, Kain succeeds in destroying the Nemesis, but the temporal paradox this triggers results in a new timeline in which vampires have been hunted to extinction; Kain is left the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth.[23] After systematically tracking down and killing most of the guardians, he confronts Mortanius — revealed as the guardian of death, and the orchestrator of Kain's assassination.[24] After killing Mortanius, a malevolent, mysterious being known as The Dark Entity emerges from Mortanius's body where he tells Kain that he is the one who orchestrated the murder of Ariel (by possessing Mortanius) and the entire affair in Nosgoth, while Mortanius attempted to save Nosgoth and fight mentally against him before succumbing. Kain confronts The Dark Entity in final battle by slaying him. After the battle, Kain realizes that he himself is the final guardian, and that the cure to his curse entails his own destruction.[25] Faced with the obligation of self-sacrifice — thereby restoring the world, but ensuring the annihilation of the vampire race or the alternative of destroying the Pillars to rule over the world in its miasmatic state.[26] Although both options are available to the player, the canon established in the sequels proves that Kain opts for the latter choice, embracing vampirism as a blessing as the Pillars collapse.[27][28]

Soul Reaver games
Main articles: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver features Kain as the main antagonist and a recurring boss character, narratively following him centuries after his decision. Since the first game, Kain has revived the vampire race, and has become the despotic ruler of the land.[29] When the game's protagonist, his lieutenant Raziel, surpasses Kain, Raziel is executed for his transgression.[30] Resurrected by The Elder God, Raziel returns to destroy his former brethren and Kain,[31] and eventually confronts Kain at the ruins of the Pillars. Kain attacks Raziel with the Soul Reaver,[32] but the blade shatters when it strikes him, and Kain escapes, strangely satisfied.[33] Raziel discovers, to his horror, that Kain created him and his other lieutenants from the corpses of the Sarafan, an ancient order of vampire hunters.[34] He fights Kain a second time in Moebius's abandoned time machine, the Chronoplast, where Kain explains the nature of free will and rationalizes his actions.[35][36] Narrowly escaping, Kain activates the Chronoplast and travels into the past, with Raziel pursuing him as the game ends.[37]

In Soul Reaver 2, Kain acts as a non-player character encountered by Raziel in several cutscenes. As the game's plot progresses, his agenda and motives become clearer. He seeks a third option to the dilemma prescribed for him at the end of Blood Omen,[26] hoping to both restore Nosgoth and return the Pillars to vampire control.[38] Having viewed the timestream, he learned that history is predestined,[39] and seeks to change his fate by triggering more temporal paradoxes,[40][41] an objective which demanded Raziel's temporary destruction.[42] It is revealed that Raziel is destined to be consumed by the Soul Reaver, thus becoming the soul-devouring entity trapped within the weapon.[43] With Raziel's help, Kain is able to defy history and prevent his own pre-ordained death,[44] and, in return, he saves Raziel from being consumed by the Reaver at the story's climax. However, this alteration putatively changes history for the worse, leading into the events of Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance.[45]

Blood Omen 2 and Defiance
Main articles: Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance

Blood Omen 2 pursues a younger Kain during his early conquests of Nosgoth,[9] in the altered timeline triggered by the changes to Raziel's destiny at the end of Soul Reaver 2.[46] Legacy of Kain: Defiance takes place in the same altered timeline, periodically switching between the characters of the elder Kain and Raziel from Soul Reaver 2, with both acting as playable protagonists. Over the course of the game, Moebius manipulates Kain into believing he is a champion prophesied to fight against and destroy Raziel,[47] culminating in a final battle between the two characters which Raziel wins.[48] It is discovered that The Elder God is malevolent, and he and Moebius—his servant—had conspired against Kain from the outset of the series, considering vampires an abomination.[49][50] Kain, after being presumed dead, returns,[51] and reconciles with Raziel, who willingly enters the Soul Reaver.[52] As he does so, he uses his powers to cleanse Kain of the corruption he inherited at birth as a Pillar guardian.[53] Armed with the ancient sword once again, Kain is able to see and battle The Elder God for the first time, but is unable to destroy him.[54] The story ends as he looks out at the Nosgoth landscape; though uncertain that he can ever restore the world, he contemplates Raziel's sacrifice and the "first bitter taste" of hope it has given him.[55]

Cultural impact

Merchandise and promotion

Several action figures and figurines of Kain have been created by Blue Box Interactive[56] and the National Entertainment Collectibles Association[57] in partnership with Eidos. He featured extensively in marketing for the Legacy of Kain series, including a $1 million advertising campaign for Soul Reaver.[58] Beyond the games, he also appeared in Top Cow's promotional comics for Soul Reaver and Defiance,[6][59] and was included alongside Raziel as a playable character in downloadable content for 2010's Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.[60][61]

Reception

Opinion on Kain's character has been largely positive in critical reviews of the Legacy of Kain games. Praise has frequently been directed towards Simon Templeman's voice acting, with IGN, Game Revolution and Adrenaline Vault citing Kain's soliloquies as "both gruesome and entertaining", "the best part [of the game's audio]" and "one of the best stints of voice acting ever recorded" respectively in their assessments of his debut in the original Blood Omen.[62][63][64] For Blood Omen 2, although critics expressed disappointment with the game itself, they praised Kain's character nevertheless; GameSpot's Greg Kasavin branded him "a very intriguing protagonist" and "as memorable of a main character as they come",[65] while IGN's Douglass C. Perry felt he was "incredibly likeable", and "in a very true sense [...] a great videogame character".[66] GameZone's Michael Knutson opined that he was a "wicked cool character",[67] and Game Revolution's Johnny Liu named him a "great anti-hero".[68] Kasavin again praised him in a review for Defiance, writing that "it's rare enough to find a truly memorable main character in a game, let alone two", and that the game's ensemble cast "[to some extent superseded] the problems in the gameplay".[69] Ian Dransfield of Play has stated that "we totally and completely fell in love with [Kain]" and highlighted him as a "character who [needs] to be revived".[70][71]

Kain has also appeared in contention on several lists comparing video game characters, both critical and user-decided. A 2000 GameSpot readers' choice poll to determine the top ten video game villains ranked him at #10,[72] and the same site's 2010 All-Time Greatest Game Villain contest included him as one of 64 candidates.[73] He featured in IGN's 2005 Battle of the Badasses, surviving to the "Elite Eight" stage before being eliminated.[74] A 2008 IGN Reader's Choice poll determined that he ranked among ten heroes most desired to appear in a Soulcalibur game, and he appeared in an IGN list of gaming's most notorious anti-heroes, sharing both honors with Raziel.[75][76] He ranked as #34 in IGN's top 100 videogame villains list,[77] was showcased as #2 on a 1UP.com list of the top five videogame characters named Kain/Kane,[78] and ranked as #4 on the latter site's list of top ten vampires.[79] GameDaily ranked him as #17 out of their top 25 anti-heroes,[80] and GamingBolt listed him as one of "35 Characters We Want To See In Sony's Super Smash Bros".[81] Joystick Division included him as #2 on their list of the top ten best vampires in video-game history,[82] while Diehard GameFAN named him #8 on theirs.[83] GamesRadar praised Kain's role as an antagonist, putting him in their 2013 list of the best villains in video game history at #59, but noted that he "lives in more of a grey area than most of the villains on this list."[84]

Some reviewers were less enthusiastic about aspects of the character, with IGN's Perry commenting that his Soul Reaver 2 dialogue was haughty and "overwritten",[85] and Ivan Sulic considering his Blood Omen 2 incarnation "nothing more than an arrogant jerk with little to latch on to and care about" while expressing preference for Raziel.[86] Also relating to Blood Omen 2, IGN's Aaron Boulding regarded his pompous nature as his "one personality trait", and considered it comedic,[87] while Matt Casamassina felt Kain was "cool", but decried his visual design as "flamboyant to the point of being comical".[88]

gollark: No, it is not.
gollark: That would be a monopoly.
gollark: And if you were so dedicated to buying them all, prices might actually rise.
gollark: Other people would *want* them.
gollark: Could what? Buy them all?

See also
  • List of Legacy of Kain characters

References
  1. Davison, John; Rybicki, Joe (September 2000). "Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine" (36). Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Behind The Scenes". Silicon Knights. January 13, 1997. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  3. "Recreated PSXnation.com Interview with Denis Dyack". psxnation.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-16. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  4. Johnston, Chris (April 19, 1998). "Knights Fight for Kain". GameSpot. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  5. "Face To Face: Demon Meet Your Maker". Game Informer. September 1999.
  6. Hansen, Craig (January 2000). "Interview: Soul Reaver's Amy Hennig". GamerWeb Sega. Archived from the original on 2003-03-25. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  7. Perry, Douglass C. (May 10, 2000). "Soul Reaver 2: Director's Interview - PlayStation 2 Feature". IGN. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  8. Shuman, Sid (October 12, 2012). "Behind the Classics: Amy Hennig Talks Soul Reaver Secrets". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  9. Lemarchand, Richard (October 23, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance Designer Diary #1". GameSpot. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  10. "Blood Omen 2 Q&A". GameSpot. December 4, 2001. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  11. Newman, Sam (November 20, 2002). "Blood Omen 2 Interview - GameCube Feature". IGN. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  12. Ellis, Mike (March 13, 2002). "Blood Omen 2 Designer Diary #2 Feature". GameSpot. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  13. Perry, Douglass C. (September 26, 2001). "Interview With a Vampire: Blood Omen 2". IGN. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  14. Mannerberg, Kyle (November 5, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance Designer Diary #3". GameSpot. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  15. Perry, Douglass C. (May 18, 2006). "The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames - PC Feature". IGN. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  16. Cabuco, Daniel. "Kain's symbol". The Art of Daniel Cabuco. Archived from the original on 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  17. "Gallic Sack of Rome". UNRV.com. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  18. Kain: Vae victis – suffering to the conquered. Ironic that now I was the one suffering. Not anything as pedestrian as physical pain. Rather the cruel jab of impotent anger – the hunger for revenge. I didn't care if I was in Heaven or Hell – all I wanted was to kill my assassins. Sometimes you get what you wish for. The Necromancer Mortanius offered me a chance for vengeance. And like a fool, I jumped at his offer without considering the cost. Nothing is free. Not even revenge. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  19. Kain: I seek only a cure. / Ariel: There is no cure for death. Only release. You must destroy the sorcery that is now poisoning Nosgoth. Only then will you realize peace. The Nine of the Protectors of Hope were sworn to use their powers to preserve our world. Now these pillars have been corrupted by a traitor. My murder at the hands of this beast drove my love Nupraptor mad. Now he spreads misery and pain among the Circle, crumbling the very foundation of Nosgoth. You must restore balance. You must right the Pillars of Nosgoth. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  20. Kain: Gift? Pah! Vorador thought my curse a blessing. That we were gods and that mortals offered their blood as sacrifice so that we could enjoy our supernatural powers. And somewhere deep inside my new self I knew he was right. That mortal dreams were prayers. Prayers to us – begging for our power. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  21. Kain: Time fades even legend, and the origin of the Soul Reaver has been lost long ago. But its purpose remains – to feed on the souls of any creature it strikes. Kindred, this blade and I. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  22. Kain: The stronghold of William the Just. 'Twas time for me to pay a visit to he who would become the Nemesis and force Nosgoth on its knees. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  23. Kain: In my youth, I witnessed William's rise to power, and his transformation into the 'Nemesis' who laid waste to Nosgoth. / Raziel: Keep your distance, Kain. / Kain: Years later, I stumble upon a chance to journey back in history, unaware that the entire affair has been carefully orchestrated by Moebius. In my wisdom, I seize this opportunity to murder the young king before he can ravage Nosgoth... and thereby provide the catalyst Moebius needs to ignite a genocidal war against our race. / Raziel: I warn you – no further! / Kain: This one reckless act unravels the skein of history. The Nemesis never becomes the Nemesis; William dies a martyred saint. I, the vampire assassin, become the author of my own species' extinction. And Moebius profits from it all. I destroyed a tyrant only to create one far worse. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  24. Anacrothe: You betrayed us Mortanius! You had Kain killed and turned him into a monster! You set him upon us! / Mortanius: It had to be. Nupraptor's insanity poisoned all of our minds. The Circle had failed in its sworn duties. It had to be destroyed. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  25. Kain: I am the last Pillar. The only survivor of the Circle of Nine. At my whim the world will be healed or damned. At my whim. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  26. Kain: Thirty years hence, I am presented with a dilemma – let's call it a two-sided coin. If the coin falls one way, I sacrifice myself and thus restore the Pillars. But as the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, this would mean the annihilation of our species. Moebius made sure of that. If the coin lands on the reverse, I refuse the sacrifice and thus doom the Pillars to an eternity of collapse. Either way, the game is rigged. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  27. Kain: 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. Silicon Knights (November 1, 1996). Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation). Crystal Dynamics.
  28. Elder God: This world is wracked with cataclysms – the earth strains to shrug off the pestilence of Kain's parasitic empire. The fate of this world was preordained in an instant, by a solitary man. Unwilling to martyr himself to restore Nosgoth's balance, Kain condemned the world to the decay you see. In that moment, the unraveling began... now it is nearly played out. Nosgoth teeters on the brink of collapse – its fragile balance cannot hold. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  29. Raziel: Kain is deified. The Clans tell tales of Him. 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. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  30. Raziel: 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. Over time, we became less human and more... divine. Kain would enter the state of change and emerge with a new gift. Some years after the master, our evolution would follow. Until I had the honor of surpassing my lord. For my transgression, I earned a new kind of reward... agony. There was only one possible outcome – my eternal damnation. I, Raziel, was to suffer the fate of traitors and weaklings – to burn forever in the bowels of the Lake of the Dead. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  31. Elder God: You are reborn. The birth of one of Kain's abominations traps the essence of life. It is this soul that animates the corpse you 'lived' in. And that Raziel, is the demise of Nosgoth. There is no balance. The souls of the dead remain trapped. I can not spin them in the wheel of fate. They can not complete their destinies. Redeem yourself. Or if you prefer, avenge yourself. Settle your dispute with Kain. Destroy Him and your brethren. Free their souls and let the wheel of fate churn again. Use your hatred to reave their souls... I can make it possible. Become my soul reaver, my angel of death... Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  32. 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. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  33. Kain: The blade is vanquished. So it unfolds... and we are a step closer to our destinies. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  34. Raziel: These crypts... defiled caskets of Sarafan saints... bearing my brothers' names... And my own... The irony of Kain's blasphemous act rushed in on me with the crushing force of revelation.... Were my hands not as bloody as these? Worse, I had spilled the blood of my brothers – these very comrades whose tombs lay ravaged before me. / Elder God: Yes, Raziel – you were Sarafan... born of the same force that all but destroyed your race. Before the dawn of the Empire, you were chosen. Kain – Nosgoth's solitary, self-declared monarch – plundered this tomb and raised you from these crypts. Breathing his vampiric gift into your defiled corpses, he resurrected you as his favored sons. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  35. Kain: As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion... That is why, when I must sacrifice my children to the void, I can do so with a clear heart... / Raziel: Very poetic, Kain, but in the end you offer no more than a convenient rationalization for your crimes. / Kain: These chambers offer insight for those patient enough to look – in your haste to find me, perhaps you have not gazed deeply enough. Our futures are predestined. Moebius foretold mine a millennium ago. We each play out the parts fate has written for us. We are compelled ineluctably down pre-ordained paths. Free will is an illusion. Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  36. Raziel: I have been to the Tomb of Sarafan, Kain. Your dirty secret is exposed. How could you transform a Sarafan priest into a vampire? / Kain: How could I not? One must keep his friends close, Raziel – and his enemies even closer. Can you grasp the absurd beauty of the paradox? We are the same - Sarafan and vampire. With our holy wars... our obsession with Nosgoth's domination... Who better to serve me than those whose passion transcends all notions of good and evil? / Raziel: I will not applaud your clever blasphemy. The Sarafan were saviors, defending Nosgoth from the corruption that we represent. My eyes are opened, Kain – I find no nobility in the unlife you rudely forced on my unwilling corpse. / Kain: You may have uncovered your past, but you know nothing of it. You think the Sarafan were noble, altruistic? Don't be simple. Their agenda was the same as ours. / Raziel: You are lost in a maze of moral relativism, Kain. These apparitions and portents... what game are you playing now? / Kain: Destiny is a game, is it not? And now you await my latest move... Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  37. Kain: You nearly had me, Raziel... But this is not where – or how – it ends. Fate promises more twists before this drama unfolds completely. / Elder God: Be warned, Raziel – once you cross this threshold, you are beyond my influence... / Moebius: Raziel... Redeemer and destroyer... pawn and messiah. Welcome, time-spanned soul... Welcome... to your destiny... Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  38. Raziel: We agree then that the Pillars are crucial, and must be restored? / Kain: Yes, Raziel – that's why we've come full-circle to this place. / Raziel: So after all this you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die so that new Guardians can be born. / Kain: The Pillars don't belong to them, Raziel... they belong to us. / Raziel: Your arrogance is boundless, Kain. / Kain: There's a third option – a monumental secret, hidden in your very presence here. But it's a secret you have to discover for yourself. Unearth your destiny, Raziel. It's all laid out for you here. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  39. Kain: When I first stole into this chamber, centuries ago, I did not fathom the true power of knowledge. To know the future, Raziel... to see its paths and streams tracing out into the infinite... As a man, I could never have contained such forbidden truths... But each of us is so much more than we once were... Gazing out across the planes of possibility, do you not feel with all your soul how we have become like gods? And as such, are we not indivisible? Crystal Dynamics (August 16, 1999). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
  40. Kain: This isn't a chase, Raziel – we are merely passengers on the wheel of destiny, describing a perfect circle to this point. We have been brought here for a reason. I have seen the beginning and the end of our story, however – and the tale is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the ending of it, you and I. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  41. Kain: If you truly believe in free will, Raziel, now is the time to prove it. Kill me now, and we both become pawns of history, dragged down the path of an artificial destiny. I was ordained to assume the role of Balance Guardian in Nosgoth, while you were destined to be its savior. But the map of my fate was redrawn by Moebius, and so in turn was yours... Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
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  43. Raziel: With all other foes exhausted, the conjoined blades turned themselves on me. And I realized, finally, why I had sensed nothing when Janos offered me the blade. The Reaver was never forged to be a soul-stealing weapon... the ravenous, soul-devouring entity trapped in the blade was – and always had been – me. This is why the blade was destroyed when Kain tried to strike me down – the Reaver could not devour its own soul. The paradox shattered the blade. So – this was my terrible destiny – to play out this purgatorial cycle for all eternity... I could not bear it – despair overwhelmed me. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  44. Kain: History abhors a paradox, Raziel. Even now, the time-stream strains to divert itself, finding its old course blocked by your refusal to destroy me. The future is reshuffling itself to accommodate your monumental decision. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  45. Raziel: Behind Kain's eyes, I could see new memories blooming and dying, as history labored to reshuffle itself around this monumental obstruction... And I could see by the dawning horror on his face that perhaps we had strained history too far this time... that by trying to alter my fate, he may have introduced a fatal paradox. Crystal Dynamics (October 31, 2001). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
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  47. Kain: Here, no doubt, was the evidence Moebius wished me to have... For the Vampires had prophesied not one, but two champions – one destined to be Nosgoth's redeemer, the other, its destroyer. The Vampires' hero wielded the Reaver, forged for this very purpose. His opponent was clearly the hero of their adversaries – the Hylden – and brandished a flaming sword. The foretold outcome was unambiguous: the Vampire hero would fall. Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  48. Raziel: And will that knowledge sustain you? You too are going to your death. / Moebius: For a true servant of the one God, death is never bitter. I will go – again at peace with the knowledge that I have played my small part in our master's plans. Kain is at last destroyed, and you have carried out the deed. Which hero do you think you are now? The vampire savior? Or the other one? Have you realized yet that it didn't matter to us which one either of you thought you were, so long as the result was the same in the end? And now, Kain is dead. Really, I cannot thank you enough. Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  49. Kain: This history, in part, I knew already... How, as the Vampires began to die out, the Pillars summoned human Guardians to fulfill their roles. It seemed the ancient Vampires had adopted – and, when necessary, abducted – the human Guardians, and made vampires of them when they came of age. Until the humans rebelled against their masters... And here I made a surprising discovery: it was Moebius the Time Streamer, and Mortanius, Guardian of Death, who led the bloody revolt. Now I understood why Moebius hated me so intensely. I was the first vampire Guardian in all these centuries – and he knew what my coming signified... or perhaps I reminded him of all he had forsaken. Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  50. Raziel: I had seen this symbol throughout these ruins. I should have realized what it was they worshiped. Now there was no question. For this scene depicted the ancient Vampires' torment and despair as their curse cast them from the Wheel of Fate. So this was the god whose abandonment had driven them to madness and suicide. Finally I understood – it was not their bloodthirst, but their immortality that was the true nature of their enemies' curse. The wisest, strongest, most noble race – gulled by the voice of that old parasite. But I had seen him – and whatever he was, he was no god. Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  51. Moebius: Master, my apologies, a momentary oversight. Somehow Kain still lives, and has unexpectedly dispatched me. Make use of your good servant, and – Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  52. Raziel: The Soul Reaver – pure of all corruption – this is what it is for. This is what I am for – The two become one – both Soul Reavers – together – and the Scion of Balance is healed. And I – am not your enemy – not your destroyer – I am, as before, your right hand. Your sword. / Kain: No, Raziel – this can't be the way... / Raziel: And now you will see – the true enemy – Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
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  54. Elder God: You cannot destroy me, Kain – I am the Engine of Life itself. The Wheel will turn... The plague of your kind will be purged from this world... And on that inevitable day, your wretched, stagnant soul will finally be mine. / Kain: In the meantime, you'd best burrow deep. Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  55. Kain: Now, at last, the masks had fallen away. The strings of the puppets had become visible, and the hands of the prime mover exposed. Most ironic of all was the last gift that Raziel had given me, more powerful than the sword that now held his soul, more acute even than the vision his sacrifice had accorded me – the first bitter taste of that terrible illusion: Hope. Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
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