Timelines

A timeline, in the Legacy of Kain series, is an iteration of Nosgoth's chronological history, or time-stream. The concept of fatalism is a reality in the metaphysics of Nosgoth; with the exception of Raziel, its inhabitants do not possess free will, and their futures are predestined. Time is therefore usually immutable, but it can be altered by historical paradoxes, when a Reaver-convergence takes place.

If two incarnations of the Soul Reaver meet in time and space, "a temporal distortion powerful enough to derail history" can be the result. When such a paradox blocks the time continuum, forcing Nosgoth's history to reshuffle itself to accommodate the contradiction, the current timeline effectively dies, and a new one is spawned. Four distinct timelines have been observed in the Legacy of Kain series, each one subtly or significantly different to the last, and each remembered by both Kain and Moebius.

Observed timelines
Four timelines have been observed in the series, and multiple timelines have been observed in both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. They are not formally named in official sources, and can only be identified by the order in which they came to exist.


 * The first timeline: Most of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain takes place in the first timeline. Towards the end of the story, at the very instant where Kain kills William in the stronghold of William the Just, the first paradox occurs, killing this timeline and spawning a new one.
 * The second timeline: The concluding events of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the entirety of the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver comic and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and the early stages of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 take place in the second timeline. During Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, when Raziel defies history by refusing to kill Kain in the Sarafan Stronghold, this timeline is derailed and dies, making way for a third.
 * The third timeline: The latter events of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 are portrayed through the third timeline. When Kain saves Raziel from entering the Reaver in the Sarafan Stronghold, he triggers the third paradox, spawning another new version of history.
 * The fourth timeline: The conclusion of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, as well as the entirety of Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2, the Legacy of Kain: Defiance comic and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, occur in the fourth timeline. This version of history has not observably been subject to a paradox, and remains the current "living" timeline of the Legacy of Kain series.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver comic
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
 * Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance comic
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance