Kain

"I knew what ominous hour this was in Nosgoth's history. For here was the event that had shaped my entire existence... I had cast my fate, refusing the sacrifice, damning the Pillars, and founding my doomed empire upon their ruins. I would raise the Sarafan priests to be my closest lieutenants, and would one day cast the strongest of them, my servant Raziel, into the abyss - dealing one last hand to play against Fate. But in the end, had it made any difference? Had I misread the signs, as Moebius told me? In my arrogance, had I missed my cast at destiny?"

- Kain

Kain is the eponymous lead character of the Legacy of Kain series, who serves as the protagonist of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, and the main antagonist of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. He is the Scion of Balance, and the last Guardian of the Pillar of Balance. Born into the privileged life of nobility, he was transformed into a vampire by the Necromancer Mortanius, and eventually came to embrace his unlife as a gift rather than a curse.

Transcending political manipulation and supernatural assailment, Kain would rise to become the de facto monarch of Nosgoth. Upon destroying the corrupted Circle of Nine and claiming the legendary Soul Reaver blade, Kain, as Nosgoth's last surviving vampire, was presented with a fatal dilemma; sacrifice himself to restore the world, or refuse the sacrifice to topple the Pillars of Nosgoth but ensure the survival of the vampire race. Resolving to find a means of escaping this rigged destiny, he spurned the former option, instead choosing to rule Nosgoth in its miasmatic state. When his first-born lieutenant, Raziel, transgressed against Kain, Kain reacted violently, ordering Raziel to be cast into the Lake of the Dead.

Unbeknownst to Raziel, Kain was dealing one last hand to play against his fate; in executing Raziel and ensuring his unique resurrection, he created a creature with free will. In manipulating Raziel and goading him through the past, he sought to alter history and redraw the map of Nosgoth's destiny, intending to see the Pillars restored and their ownership returned their rightful vampire inheritors. As of Legacy of Kain: Defiance, he has yet to realize either goal, but bears hope for the future.

Pre-Blood Omen era
Kain's birth was preceded by the Dark Entity's calculated murder of Ariel and Kain was born as her replacement in the Circle of Guardians. But as Kain took his first breath, he was struck by the Corruption of the Pillars and Nupraptor's psychic attack on the Circle. Kain grew up oblivious of his greater destiny within Nosgoth but as the ambitious nobleman matured, he lived in the shadow of a dying world (and the rise of the Legions of the Nemesis in the first timeline).



Blood Omen era
Sometime after his thirtieth birthday, Kain traveled to Ziegsturhl (presumably fleeing the plague in his home town of Coorhagen), but he was unable to secure a place to stay for the night, as a Tavern Keeper threw him out of a bar. Immediately upon exiting, Kain was ambushed by a gang of brigands and killed, impaled on his assassin's sword. Kain awoke in the Underworld still transfixed by his enemy's blade, where the Necromancer Mortanius offered Kain a chance for vengeance; Kain recklessly accepted the offer without a second thought and awoke in his tomb in his Mausoleum as a Vampire four days after his death (unbeknownst to Kain, Mortanius had actually used the legendary Heart of Darkness to revive Kain as a Vampire and had hidden the artifact inside Kain's body - likely replacing Kain's damaged heart - under the belief that he was creating theVampire Champion/Scion of Balance of Vampire prophecy).



At first Kain sought revenge(along with a cure for his curse) and hunted his murderers down from the Cemetery back to Ziegsturhl, where he found and killed the gang, sating himself on their blood. But Mortanius warned Kain that the brigands were sent by someone within the circle and told him to seek the Pillars.

When Kain arrived at the Pillars, he found the Spirit of Ariel, bound to the Pillars bytheir corruption, who promised Nosgoth would be restored and Kain would find "release" once all of the guardians in turn were killed and their Pillar Tokens returned; restoring each pillar in turn (starting with the source of the corruption - Mind Guardian Nupraptor ). Kain thus began his quest as the 'scourge of the circle'.

Seeking to eliminate Mind Guardian Nupraptor, Kain travelled to Nupraptor's Retreat, above Vasserbunde and confronted the mentalist, still deep in his grief. Malek appeared to defend him, but Nupraptor dismissed the Paladin (angry at Malek's failure to act to defend Ariel ) and accepted his fate. After a battle (see Nupraptor (boss)), Kain was able to decapitate Nupraptor and take his pillar token (his head), back to the Pillars, restoring the Pillar of the Mind.

Kain next targeted Conflict Guardian and protector of the Circle, former Sarafan leader Malek, travelling to Malek's Bastion in snowy mountains. Kain found little respite (or indeed blood) in the harsh environment and after a brief conflict with Malek (see Malek (boss)), the paladin unleashed an impenetrable spell and Kain was forced to retreat.

Seeking a way to defeat Malek, Kain followed Ariel's direction to find the Oracle of Nosgoth in the Oracle's Cave. The Oracle (after hinting several times about Ottmar, Willendorf and the Legions of the Nemesis) finally told Kain that the only person ever to defeat Malek in battle was the Vampire Vorador. Utilising the Oracle's suggestion of following theIgnis Fatuus through the Termogent Forest Swamp, Kain found himself in Vorador's Mansion and was able to meet the Vampire himself, who advised Kain "not to meddle in the affairs of men" but also gave him a signet ring to summon him if he required aid.

Upon leaving the dark canopies of the forest, Kain was able to spot the dome of energy spewing from Dark Eden and sensing guardians involvement, he travelled there and found that the guardians of Nature, Energy and States (Bane, Dejoule and Anarcrothe respectively) had combined their powers to create hideous mutations of nature. After Kain showed himself, Anarcrothe summoned Malek and fled, but in retaliation Kain used the signet ring to summon Vorador, who happily fought his old enemy again. As Bane and Dejoule attempted to escape, Kain fought the two outside the fortress (see Bane and Dejoule) and Kain was able to kill the two gaining their pillar tokens (Bane's Antler Headdress and Dejoule's Insulating Cloak respectively), returning inside he found Vorador had killed Malek, and Kain took his Pillar Token (Malek's Helmet), along with the others to restore the pillars of Nature, Energy and Conflict.

Next Kain travelled to Avernus to confront the Guardian of Dimension, Lady Azimuth the planar; Kain found the city ablaze and under attack by Demons summoned from other dimensions (by Azimuth) and entering the Cathedral he found it split into three 'dimensions'. Traversing the Cathedral he found and claimed the legendary Soul Reaver blade (and also uncovered his first hints as to the parties responsible for the Corruption). When he confronted Azimuth she was felled by a single blow of the Soul Reaver and Kain recovered from her possession a small portable time streaming device (which Azimuth had been intending to use to summon demons from other times, as well as dimensions). Kain returned Azimuth's Third Eye tothe pillars and the Pillar of Dimension was restored.



Ariel soon diverted Kain's attentions to the Legions of the Nemesis and the plight of Ottmar, King of Willendorf who, in grief for his daughter's lost soul, had sent his army (the last army capable of stopping the Nemesis) out to search for the being responsible for the Princess' situation - Elzevir the Dollmaker. Travelling to his Mansion, Kain killed Elzevir and returned the doll containing the Princess' Soul to Ottmar. Offered the kingdom of Willendorf, Kain refused and asked only that Ottmar rally his troops to defend Nosgoth against the Legions of the Nemesis. In the hopeless Battle of the Last Stand, Ottmar was killed and the Army of Hope defeated. Kain, however, was able to escape the battle when the Time Streaming Device activated, propelling him fifty years into Nosgoth's past.

Finding himself in a time where the tyrant known as the Nemesis was still the benevolent boy-king William the Just, Kain travelled to William's Keep to attempt to assassinate him and change history, preventing the rise of the Nemesis. As he moved through the keep, Kain overheard a conversation between William and Time Guardian Moebius; who gave William a shipment of weapons and encouraged him to strike out against his enemies (Moebius also warned William of a "Vampire assassin"). Soon after Kain was able to approach and battle William, who was unexpectedly armed with a Soul Reaver of his own. As the two battled, Kain was able to overwhelm William, breaking his Soul Reaver and succeeding in changing history (from the first timeline to second timeline). As William's guards rushed into the room, Kain recovered another Time Streaming Device from William's corpse and it activated, sending Kain back to the present.

Kain emerged in the ruined Keep and, when he was assailed by Mercenaries, realized something was wrong. Following shouting noises and the scent of blood, Kain found that Moebius (who Kain now recognized as the Oracle of Nosgoth) had manipulated him all along and taken advantage of the fear generated by Kain's assassination of William to build his own Mercenary Army dedicated to the extermination of the Vampires. As Kain arrived at the scene, the last of the era's vampires, Vorador, was guillotined before a bloodthirsty mob, with Moebius identifying Kain as the last Vampire in Nosgoth. Kain fought off the mob and battled Moebius himself, eventually managing to get the timestreamer to admit to altering history by creating the Nemesis. Moebius ominously warned that he had seen Kain's destiny, and that the Vampire was doomed to die; unconcerned, Kain calmly replied, "But I am dead, as are you," before beheading the Time Streamer and taking his Hourglass to restore the pillar of time. Summoned by Mortanius, Kain returned to the Pillars and witnessed a confrontation between the last guardians; Death Guardian Mortanius and States Guardian Anarcrothe, in which it was revealed that it was Mortanius who ordered Kain's death (to bring him back as a Vampire). Mortanius killed Anarcrothe and Kain confronted the necromancer, battling him until when defeated, Mortanius' flesh was fully taken over and Transformed by the Dark Entity (who, in possession of Mortanius, had murdered Ariel and was responsible for the Corruption of the Pillars). Kain battled and apparently defeated the Dark Entity. But as he collected Anarcrothe's Scales and Mortanius' Death Orb to restore their pillars, he realized that the Balance Pillar was still corrupted and Ariel revealed to him that he was the Balance Guardian; born to replace her in thecircle and instantly corrupted by Nupraptor's madness. Ariel presented Kain with a Fateful Decision:



Sacrifice himself to restore Nosgoth, but exterminate the Vampire race; or refuse the sacrifice, and seal Nosgoth's damnation. Repulsed by the manipulations of the guardians and determined to find another way out, Kain chose to damn Nosgoth and the Pillars Collapsed. Kain concluded with the epiphany that Vorador was right all along: that vampirism is not a curse but a blessing, and Vampires are dark gods who serve to thin the human herd.

Post-Blood Omen era
In the centuries following the destruction of the pillars, Kain sought to gain control of Nosgoth, but found that he did not (yet) possess the means to raise his own vampires. At some point Kain met and allied with the mysteriously revived Vorador (an event that still remains unexplained) who was able to create vampires and provide Kain with an army.

By two centuries after the collapse of the pillars,Kain's army had begun it's path of conquest leaving their headquarters and taking the Pillars, Ziegsturhl, Freeport and Provance in quick succession. Asthe army travelled towards Meridian, the Sarafan Order rallied to defend the city. Kain's army met with the Sarafan Order in the battle of Meridian, where an ambush arranged by Kain's lieutenant Sebastian (and the 'desertion' of others) cost Kain's force heavily. Kain's army was defeated and Kain himself was locked in combat with the Sarafan Lord, unable to use the power of the Soul Reaver (because of the Sarafan Lord's use of the Nexus Stone) the Sarafan Lord defeated Kain, knocking him off a cliff to his apparent demise. The Sarafan Lord, confident of Kain's death, claimed the Soul Reaver for himself.

But (not for the first or last time) Kain was not dead; his unconscious body was recovered by agents working for Vorador and with the "barest thread of life" remaining they set about "nurturing" * it. Nevertheless, it would take two centuries before Kain was recovered enough to be conscious again. In the meantime, the Sarafan Order (who had recruited some of Kain's former lieutenants) conquered Nosgoth and set upon a purge to eliminate the vampires of the land, succeeding in reducing the vampire population to a small resistance movement, the Cabal, based in Meridian, while also using their Glyph magic to incite an industrial revolution and imposing harsh martial law upon the humans.

Blood Omen 2


Two hundred years after the battle of Meridian, the Cabal chose (perhaps through necessity) to revive Kain, who awakened with little of his former power and little memory of what occurred before his awakening. Upon awakening, he first met Umah who took him to feed and then sought to re-train Kain to recover some of his abilities; many of which had been 'lost' in his long slumber. As Umah tried to take Kain to Sanctuary to meet the leader of the Cabal in the Lower City, they were spotted by a Glyph Guard, who raised a Ward Gate, separating the pair. Umah instructed Kain to follow a trail of Cabal contacts (starting with a meeting at the Grand Hotel) to discover the whereabouts of Sanctuary before running off to deal with the Sarafan guard.

As Kain made his way through the Slums and the Smuggler's Den meeting Cabal agents, he was being followed by Faustus, a former legionnaire inKain's army turned traitor and as Kain neared the Smuggler's Tunnel entrance to the Lower City, Faustus confronted him. Kain was easily able to kill the traitor vampire and gain entry to the Lower City where Umah again told him to follow a trail of Cabal agents to Sanctuary (before leaving on her own mission to the Industrial Quarter). Following the directions of the Cabal Contact (and briefly meeting, but not identifying, Sebastian) Kain finally reached Sanctuary, hidden under the Blue Lady Curios shop, where he found that Vorador was "the leader" in charge of the Cabal;



and also learnt of the dire situation facing the vampire race. Before Kain and Vorador could discuss much (beyond the death of the Sarafan Lord being a major objective), an injured Cabal Vampire burst in and announced that Umah had been discovered some vital information in the Industrial Quarter, but had been captured by the Sarafan and taken to the Sarafan Keep, facing a public execution.

On the advice of Vorador, Kain travelled to the Upper City, seeking to meet with the Bishop of Meridian who knew a secret entrance to the Sarafan Keep, but as Kain entered the Upper City he was confronted by Marcus who used his Dark Gift Charm to discover Kain's goals. Kain was forced to chase Marcus across the Upper City to reach the Bishop, eventually killing Marcus and discovering the Bishop's information. Using the secret entrance, Kain was able to infiltrate the Sarafan Keep and rescue Umah. Back at Sanctuary she revealed to Vorador that theSarafan were using the Nexus Stone in the Industrial Quarter. Finally learning of the power of the Nexus Stone (and how it had aided his defeat at the Battle of Meridian) Kain resolved to steal the stone and he travelled to the Industrial Quarter. In the Main Factory, Kain found the Nexus Stone andkilling it's guard Sebastian, he was able to recover the artefact.

But Sebastian's dying words warned Kain of a Device buried beneath Meridian that would spell the doom of both the vampires and the humans. Unable to assist him, Vorador sent Kain into the Canyons to find The Seer. The Seer was initially reluctant to help Kain, but eventually she teleported him to the Device. As Kain entered he was greeted by a monstrous devolved and imprisoned Beast who told him that the only way to destroy the Device was to find the being that created it - The Builder. Kain visited the 'timeless' Eternal Prison and met the Builder who told Kain that the creature at it's heart, The Mass, could be killed by the blood of the ancient Elder Races -his blood. The Builder also affirmed that the Ancient Hylden could not complete the Device because they needed a network; realising that Meridian's Glyph Magic system had provided just such a network, Kain killed the Builder and drank his blood at his own request. (He also had tokill Magnus to escape the Prison).

As Kain returned the Beast warned him that the Hylden, who long ago had been banished to a Demon Realm, were attempting to return to Nosgoth; these creatures ruled Nosgoth using the Sarafan as a cover; and their leader, the Sarafan Lord was in fact a Hylden General. Descending into the Device, Kain was able to use the Builder's blood to poison the Mass and destroy the Device and when he returned he found that the Beast had regained his true form; that of Janos Audron. Returning toSanctuary, Janos urged Vorador that they had to mount a final assault to prevent a full scale Hylden invasion using the Hylden Gate.



Unable to teleport through a Hylden "magic shield," Janos sent Kain to the Wharves accompanied by Umah, to board a ship bound for the Hylden City. As Kain and Umah arrived in the Wharves however, Umah voiced her doubts over Kain's potential empire and stole the Nexus Stone. Outraged, Kain pursued and finally killed Umah for her betrayal; taking back the Nexus Stone and travelling alone to the Hylden City.

Once at the Hylden City, Kain was able to deactivate the Shield Generator allowing Janos and Vorador to teleport in and, as an argument developed between Vorador and Kain regarding Umah's fate, the Sarafan Lord attacked, hitting Janos and Vorador with Reaver Bolts and forcing Kain to face him alone. When Kain reached the Hylden Gate he confronted the Sarafan Lord and finding himself unable to send the Hylden general back into the Demon Realm, he decided to drop the Nexus Stone into the gate; giving up his protection against the Soul Reaver, but ensuring that the Hylden Gate would be closed and all Hylden in the Material Realm would perish. Kain continued to fight the Sarafan Lord as the structure collapsed and some timely intervention by Janos allowed Kain to recover the Soul Reaver (but at the cost of Janos himself, who was dropped through the Hylden Gate). Finally in possession of the legendary blade once again, Kain was easily able to dispatch the Sarafan Lord and as the Hylden Gate exploded, killing all of the Hylden, Kain contemplated Umah's distrust and his plans for his empire.

Soul Reaver era
A century later (five centuries after the collapse of the pillars) Kain finally discovered a way of raising Vampires himself; by snaring a soul and using it to reanimate their corpse (a method apparently based on Kain's own resurrection at the hands of Mortanius). Kain personally raised six vampire lieutenants (in order Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah) from the corpses of six sanctified Sarafan priests, thus giving rise to a new generation of vampires. As each of his vampire sons raised their own vampires, the Vampire Clans of Nosgoth (Razielim, Turelim, Dumahim, Rahabim, Zephonim and Melchahim) were formed and from them, Kain had an army with which to conquer Nosgoth.

Within a few centuries, humanity was "thoroughly domesticated" and Kain's Empire was established, with Kain as the ruler of all Nosgoth. Using slaves, Kain began several large construction projects: building an appropriate shrine to their "new age" around the pillars, the new Sanctuary of the Clans becoming the Council's meeting chamber and Kain's throne room (with the corrupted stub of the balance pillar as his throne); and constructing large furnaces and Smokestacks to blot out the poisonous sunlight with smoke, a fitting atmosphere for their new age. As time passed, Kain and his history passed into legend with the immortal emperor ascending into a god-emperor status, deified amongst the lesser vampires, with few in Nosgoth aware of his origins as a human. As their powers increased however, Kain and his vampire sons became increasingly withdrawn from Nosgothic life, viewing the affairs of the lesser vampires and men as "trivial". Over time, several humans took to worshiping the vampires, while vampire hunters were kept around to entertain and challenge the fledglings.

Over the centuries, Kain and his vampire sons evolved many (unspecified) abilities, with Kain always evolving first. One fateful day however, roughly a millennium after he was raised, Raziel entered the "state of change" before Kain, emerging with a new gift - a set of bat-like wings. Apparently jealous (but in reality recognizing the signs of vampire prophecy and sensing an opportunity to alter his fate), Kain personally ripped the bones out of Raziel's wings and ordered his execution, overseeing as Turel and Dumah committed the act - throwing Raziel into the Abyss. After Raziel's execution Kain, retreated even further from Nosgothic life, making himself known only when "he [saw] fit" while awaiting the return of Raziel (though he may have used the Chronoplast to 'skip to' Raziel's return). For the next five centuries, Kain's kingdom would descend further into chaos, with the land "racked with cataclysms" and turned into a wasteland; and the vampire clans themselves devolving into various beasts.

Soul Reaver era
Five Centuries after his execution (and two thousand years since the collapse of the pillars), when Raziel returned to Nosgoth's Material Realm as a wraith and (after defeating his brother Melchiah and gaining the Phase Through Gates ability) was able to enter the Sanctuary of the Clans. Here he found Kain, apparently waiting for him. The two argued over Kain's choices and the fate of the Razielim Clan. After a brief battle (see Kain (SR1 first encounter)) Kain, apparently angered, drew the Soul Reaver against Raziel and prepared to strike him down. The blade, which was believed indestructible, shattered (because it was unable to consume its own soul), sending Raziel to the Spectral Realm and gifting him with the Wraith Blade. Strangely satisfied and expecting this outcome,Kain retreated to the Chronoplast.

Kain next awaited Raziel in the Chronoplast and after sensing Kain's presence, Raziel entered the Oracle's Cave and found the entrance to the time streaming complex. After once again arguing (over time, destiny and the Tomb of the Sarafan) Raziel and Kain battled while Kain set the Chronoplast's controls (see Kain (SR1 second encounter)), and Kain retreated through a Time Portal into Nosgoth's past with Raziel in hot pursuit.

Time Travel (Soul Reaver 2)
When Kain emerged (presumably at the Chronoplast) in the Pre-Blood Omen era, on the very day of Ariel's murder at the hands of the Dark Entity, he headed to the Pillars to await Raziel (whether or not the Chronoplast sent him directly to the Pillars in that time is unknown), momentarily unaware that Raziel had been diverted by Moebius to a Time Streaming Chamber in the Sarafan Stronghold. When Raziel arrived at the Pillars, Kain was once again waiting for him and, after warning Raziel about Moebius, Kain began a speech describing the events surrounding his birth and his later decision, explaining that his choice, which he regarded as a "two sided coin," was rigged by Moebius and neither his sacrifice nor his refusal would solve things properly; as Kain spoke, Raziel was able to witness the Corruption of the Pillars first hand. Kain finished by wholeheartedly agreeing with Raziel's assessment that the Pillars were vital and must be restored, revealing that he was seeking the "edge of the coin" - a third way out of his dilemma - that was apparently hidden in Raziel's presence there. Intrigued by his words, Raziel allowed Kain to teleport away; encouraged by him to discover Nosgoth's secrets for himself.

Kain's next move was critical - he travelled to the Sarafan Stronghold again to await Raziel, knowing full well that he was destined to die at their next meeting. When Raziel arrived in William's Chapel, he found Kain awaiting him with the (recently restored) Soul Reaver blade. This time, Kain described to Raziel the nature of History and Destiny; how history could not be altered, unless one could take advantage of two Soul Reavers meeting to produce a Soul Reaver Paradox (as illustrated in Kain's murder of William the Just, which ignited the Second timeline). Kain gave Raziel the Soul Reaver, causing the Wraith Blade to manifest. Realizing he had the power to kill Kain, Raziel threatened him with the conjoined Soul Reavers and Kain confessed that he was destined to die there. With the "pull of history" (and the Wraith Blade) forcing Raziel's hand to strike at Kain, Kain desperately appealed to Raziel to prove his free will and prevent them both from becoming "pawns of history". Succeeding in diverting the blade, Raziel managed to spare Kain; changing history and creating the Third timeline. Kain congratulated him and again urged him to discover his own truths about his destiny, before teleporting away.

Apparently "biding [his] time" before his final move, Kain (again suspected of using the Chronoplast) crossed history to follow Raziel to the Post-Blood Omen era, meeting him outside the collapsed facade of Janos' Mountain Retreat. Pleased with Raziel's progress, Kain warned him of the forces that, "regardless of [Raziel's] sentiments", would be gathered against them and cautioned him not to become too overconfident and ignite a paradox that history could not accommodate (a situation that would result in the 'expulsion' of the "irritant"). Kain once again teleported away.

Planning a last dramatic alteration of history, Kain traveled in time again, arriving in Nosgoth's early history; and as both Vorador and Raziel performed dramatic attacks on the Sarafan Stronghold(ultimately killing six Pillar Guardians and six Sarafan Inquisitors respectively), Kain also infiltrated the stronghold and made his way to the Chapter House (Ouroboros room). As Raziel killed his former human Sarafan Inquisitor self and the Wraith Blade turned the Reaver on him, Kain emerged, urging Raziel to "give in to it".



With Raziel's strength failing, a moment of temporal distortion was generated when his soul existed paradoxically both inside and outside the blade, and it was in this moment that Kain was able to wrench the Reaver from Raziel's body, saving Raziel and changing history; igniting the fourth timeline.

With Kain forming new memories (of the events of Blood Omen 2 - see 'Post-Blood Omen era' and 'Blood Omen 2' above), he realized that he had completely underestimated one of the major forces behind the corruption; the Hylden. Understanding the role Janos' revival had in the Hylden's escape, Kain tried to warn Raziel that Janos must not be raised, but as Raziel's weakened state shifted him to the Spectral Realm, Kain's warning was lost. Kain collected the vacant Reaver blade and began his search for Raziel.

Time Travel (Defiance )
Unable to find Raziel, Kain returned to Nosgoth's early history (returning some years after the climax of Soul Reaver 2). Infiltrating the Sarafan Stronghold, Kain sought Moebius and information about the whereabouts of Raziel. Unfortunately when Kain found and confronted Moebius, Moebius gained the upper hand; using his staff against Kain, to temporarily 'disable' him and allowing Moebius to taunt Kain's motivations; (his "messianic delusions" as the Scion of Balance). Hinting at a larger, more enigmatic role for Raziel than Kain knew, Moebius, somewhat insultingly, left Kain armed with the Reaver and left; apparently not expecting to divert the vampire for long.

Eager to continue their conversation, Kain pursued Moebius through the stronghold to the tower, this time, it was Kain who set the agenda; using TK to rip away Moebius' staff, and interrogating Moebius about Raziel's location. Moebius chided Kain for his "pathetic" manipulations and as they discussed Raziel's 'true nature' and his free will, Moebius revealed that whatever his choice, Raziel would kill Kain. Offering Kain proof, Moebius sent Kain "west of the Pillars", where he would find a "testament written in stone".

Following Moebius' directions, Kain arrived at the Pillars and to the west he found a vista overlooking a lake (probably the Lake of Tears); completing a sufficient amount of the Balance Emblem, he was able to clear the mists surrounding the lake revealing the ancient Vampire Citadel at its center. Arriving in theCitadel, seeking not only information about Raziel's destiny but also his own as Scion of Balance, Kain discovered a mural depicting the dual-nature of the ancient prophecies; that there were in fact, not one, but two champions; one Hylden and one Vampire, that would battle to decide the fate of Nosgoth.



Exploring the Citadel further (and finding information on the motivations and Moebius and Mortanius in the ancient Human Guardians Revolt), Kain was able to open the inner sanctum of the Citadel and inside he discovered the 'Oracle of the Ancient Vampires' (actually the voice of the unseen Elder God), who finally gave Kain the information on Raziel he desired; revealing that Raziel (as Kain feared) had found the corpse of Janos Audron and, set on reviving the Ancient Vampire, Raziel had travelled to Avernus (in the Blood Omen era) seeking to recover the Heart of Darkness. Realizing what this meant, Kain accepted the Oracle's help and was sent through a portal to the Blood Omen era to stop Raziel. The Oracle left Kain with the warning that Raziel viewed Kain as his enemy, though Kain did not consider Raziel to be his enemy.



Arriving at Avernus Cathedral, Kain met Raziel and attempted to persuade him not to revive Janos; but with Raziel having learnt that Mortanius hid the Heart of Darkness inside Kain, believing himself to be the Hylden Champion - seeing Kain as the Vampire Champion - and with the Hylden fuelling his anger, the meeting was turned into a battle. In this vicious grudge match, Raziel's soul began to be absorbed into the Reaver and in desperation he used his bare claws to rip the Heart of Darkness from Kain's chest and before blasting him through a portal to Kain's apparent death. (see also Raziel (Defiance boss) and Kain (Defiance boss)).



However, not for the first time, Kain was not dead; he awoke in the Demon Realm, minus the Heart of Darkness and was assailed by several Demons. Fighting off the 'demonic hordes', Kain was able to re-enter the portal, emerging in the Material Realm in Turel's Pit. Sensing the 'pull of the Spirit Forge' (from Raziel's activation of it), Kain returned to the Vampire Citadel and discovered, in the Spirit Forge, a recently resurrected Moebius. Surprising the timestreamer, who had believed Kain dead, Kain once again killed Moebius; sending him to the Spectral Realm to where Raziel himself repeated Kain's actions, sending Moebius' soul to the Wheel of Fate to feed the Elder God. Realising his true destiny (as both  champions and secondary to the Scion of Balance), Raziel possessed Moebius' corpse to re-enter the Material Realm, tricking Kain into impaling him with the Reaver. Raziel manifested fully, and finally pledging his allegiance to Kain,



Raziel sacrificed himself to the Reaver ; creating the Soul Reaver for the first time; but also ensuring that he dispersed the (Wraith Blade) Spirit Reaver into Kain; purifying him of all corruption, healing him of all injuries and allowing him to see "the true enemy" - The Elder God. Kain briefly battled the Elder God (see also Elder God (boss)), forcing him to "burrow deep", before teleporting out of theSpirit Forge and reflecting on how Raziel's sacrifice had finally given him hope.

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
"The game was rich in drama and mythology, and it cast the player in the role of Kain, an intelligent and cynical medieval nobleman, who is turned to the accursed life of a vampire. His destiny becomes inextricably entangled in a plot to control the fate of a world, named Nosgoth, that, over the coming years, gamers all around the world would find themselves increasingly drawn to."

- Richard Lemarchand



The character of Kain was originally conceived circa 1993 by Silicon Knights' president, Denis Dyack, as the protagonist of The Pillars of Nosgoth, an initial outline and concept for what would become Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. He was modeled in part on William Munny, the protagonist of Clint Eastwood's 1992 film Unforgiven, with the intention of creating an anti-hero suitable to "a game where the player is put in the position where everyone believes you are evil, perhaps even yourself", in "a world where you had to kill innocents to survive [...] [in which] you are the ultimate pawn".

During development, his role and personality were further expanded and revised by scriptwriter Ken McCulloch, Silicon Knights' employees, and publisher Crystal Dynamics' Sheatiel Sarao, Seth Carus and Jon Curry. Early concept sketches suggest a more elderly and grotesque depiction of Kain was considered in contrast to the final result. For some of the production phase, his human incarnation had blond hair, before being changed to black for the retail release. The character was not named Kain at first; this rename was a revision from McCulloch's first drafts of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain's script, though the original moniker is not publicly known.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
"For the sequel, we assumed the latter - Kain embraces his vampire nature, and establishes himself as a "dark god", subjugating Nosgoth to his rule. We thought it would be interesting to fast foward a millennia or two, to see what Kain's decision engendered."

- Amy Hennig

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver introduced the Elder Kain incarnation of the character. Elder Kain conceptually originated as the unnamed "master", the antagonist of a game proposal independent of Legacy of Kain named Shifter, devised by Crystal Dynamics' Amy Hennig and Seth Carus, and inspired by angelic and Biblical themes. In Shifter, this master was to be the overlord and leader of the main character and his brethren; after being "thrown down" by these individuals, the main character would return "to hunt them down". A variety of concept artworks for the protagonist and the antagonist were produced by artist Arnold Ayala before the Shifter project was reworked into the Legacy of Kain universe. The protagonist character became Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver's Raziel, and Kain returned to adopt the antagonist's role.

For this sequel, Hennig explained the choice to abandon Kain as the lead character: "At the end of Blood Omen, Kain was presented with a decision: he could sacrifice himself and thereby save the world; or, in choosing to preserve his own life, he could damn the world. For the sequel, we assumed the latter - Kain embraces his vampire nature, and establishes himself as a "dark god", subjugating Nosgoth to his rule. We thought it would be interesting to fast foward a millennia or two, to see what Kain's decision engendered." She clarified, however, that "Kain is by no means a monster or mustache-twirling villain, though - in many ways, he's a more complex and sympathetic character than Raziel himself."

Kain's symbol was introduced in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and was conceived by artist Daniel Cabuco "to represent his arrogance (the Crown) and his vamprism (the Fangs)". In early production stages, Kain was depicted with Raziel's symbol. Cabuco commented on his finalized appearance: "I designed old Kain to be a reflection of many apects. One was that he is sees himself as a 'Dark God' and that revealed itself as a crown. That's what the deal is with his bony forhead and ears." According to Cabuco, Elder Kain is about 6'8 feet tall. In an attempt to aesthetically tie him back to his Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain past, Cabuco portrayed Kain with Vorador's Signet Ring, with Hennig's approval.

As covered by the Gaming Intelligence Agency and The Lost Worlds, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver initially called for Kain's death at Raziel's hands. The originally-designed intention, truncated due to time constraints, was for Raziel to pursue Kain further into Nosgoth following the Chronoplast events; he would ultimately slay his former master with the Soul Reaver at Kain's Mountain Sanctuary. Dialogue was fully recorded for these events, and remains unused in the retail product's files. Hennig confirmed to GameSpot that "for reasons that seem to be infamous, that was not the originally intended ending for the first game": "I would've liked to have ended it more elegantly than we did. I really wanted to end the game with a final confrontation between Raziel and Kain." She felt, however, that the change in plan "ultimately [...] turned out to be a very good thing for the series".

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
"Crystal has a huge investment in Kain as a character, we're not writing him off as some sort of villain, a nasty villain guy. Hopefully we'll get to this in Soul Reaver 2 and people will understand, but I mean there's a lot more to this story than would meet the eye."

- Amy Hennig

Despite fans' expectations, Kain stepped back from the role of antagonist for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. By then, Hennig's "personal perception of Kain himself [had] actually changed over the years", such that "in some ways [she found] him an even more attractive and interesting character than Raziel because there's more complexity to him".

Dissatisfied with the term "villain", she described his function in the game as "the steadfast character that's going to alter the protagonist's perception of reality", coming to the story from a position of knowledge in contrast to Raziel's position of ignorance. In interviews, she explained that "Crystal has a huge investment in Kain as a character, we're not writing him off as some sort of villain, a nasty villain guy". Drawing from Joseph Campbell's ideas, she perceived that "the only way a hero can ever succeed is by following his own path. As long as he's following a path laid out by someone else, ultimately he's going to fail. He's not going to reach the 'grail', so to speak. That's one way I've chosen to interpret the first game. Kain, because of his decisions, was doomed to failure. Even if inadvertently, he was always carrying out other people's wishes and failed to forge his own path - even when he thought he was".

Prior to release, Hennig re-iterated: "there's villainy in Raziel, and there's heroism in Kain", but assured fans that "Kain is very much the focus of the series, though". Analyzing his portrayal in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, she rationalized: "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".

When reminded that Kain's "been a pretty nasty sonofabitch", she elaborated that "no bad boy ever thinks he's a bad boy [...] Basically Kain is just pissed off because he was wronged. He realizes that he was really screwed over again and again. Everything that happened to him was the result of someone else's machinations. That's why he's such a fatalist. That's why he believes there is no such thing as free will".

Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2
"Kain was again shown as a "younger" vampire--a vampire who was lithe, devious, and thirsty for blood."

- Richard Lemarchand

Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 reintroduced the younger Kain as a playable character. Its developers elected to place more emphasis on Kain's "powerful and ruthless" personality traits than previous games; lead designer Mike Ellis interpreted him as "powerful, arrogant, calculating, and ruthless, not to mention a megalomaniac", and compared him to Final Fantasy VI's Kefka Palazzo and Revolver Ocelot of the Metal Gear series. Producer Sam Newman described him as "a very unique character. He doesn't fit to the generic character molds you find in many other games, books and movies. He's not good, he's not necessarily evil -- Kain does as Kain believes. If that happens to help or hinder others as a side effect is of no concern to him."

Intending to showcase Kain's rise to power, and faced with design issues - considering his wealth of abilities and equipment by the conclusion of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain - the developers expanded on his backstory, placing the game 400 years after the events of the original title, and adding the war for Nosgoth and the vampire army to his history. As a result, "the most powerful weapon in the LOK universe wasn't freely available", and his "near-death experience and a 200-year hibernationlike period also provided [them] with a reason why Kain didn't retain all of his original powers". Meridian's humans served to "demonstrate just how frightening and powerful Kain was" to the player: "Kain would manipulate the humans as if they weighted nothing to him, as well as stalk his prey like the most cunning of lion".

Newman explained that "Kain is still rather young in BO2 as opposed to the aged, chitinous Kain in Soul Reaver, so we maintained his regal and arrogant style but still kept one foot in humanity". [...] "Character and dialogue wise Kain is a balance between the young vampire of Blood Omen I and the fatalistic power monger of Soul Reaver. He is still learning things about himself and the secret wars of Nosgoth, but his is also more ruthless and determined in recreating his former glory. Physically Kain is also showing his transformation from human to ancient vampire. His skin is changing, and his clothes are adopting a decadent appearance."

Kain's stylized appearance in Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 was designed by art director Steve Ross, "a cross between what he wore in the original and the styles worn in Soul Reaver". Ross had previously worked on 1992's Chakan: The Forever Man for the Sega Genesis, and more recently its unreleased sequel, Chakan, for the Sega Dreamcast. Ben Lincoln of The Lost Worlds fansite noted striking similarities between the appearance of the Chakan character and Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2's Kain, surmising that "Chakan himself differs from the Blood Omen 2-era Kain only in that his body and face are harder-worn and he wears a hat". Ross responded to this, stating that "yeah, some of the themes are the same simply because they came from the same artist (me). [...] I did about 20-30 full color concepts in 2 weeks and it was all kind of a blur".

Legacy of Kain: Defiance
"Among the large cast of characters who populate the world of Nosgoth, Kain has remained constant as the most important character in the series. He made many appearances in the Soul Reaver series as one of Raziel's main antagonists and continued to further explore his own unique destiny in Blood Omen 2. What it is that has kept Kain so vitally important to the series, and where did his journey start?"

- Kyle Mannerberg

The Elder Kain became playable for the first time in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, alongside Raziel, a decision made very early on in pre-production. Senior designer Richard Lemarchand described the character's progression to that point: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain had established "the role of Kain, an intelligent and cynical medieval nobleman, who is turned to the accursed life of a vampire", Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 featured him again "as a "younger" vampire--a vampire who was lithe, devious, and thirsty for blood", and in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, "Kain's role was brought to the forefront". Lemarchand noted that "we were all very excited to finally play as the craggy, regal, and, frankly, ass-kicking Soul Reaver incarnation of Kain".

Designer Kyle Mannerberg performed an analysis of Kain's character and his evolution in a developer diary with GameSpot. "Among the large cast of characters who populate the world of Nosgoth," he said, "Kain has remained constant as the most important character in the series." Mannerberg highlighted Kain's parallels to the characters Neo of The Matrix and John Murdoch of Dark City - a gnostic hero who "struggles in a world veiled in lies and illusion that is dominated by a tyrannical deity (the "Demiurge," or Elder God)", and his similarities to the maimed king of Arthurian legend: "as long as he remains corrupted as a Guardian, the Pillars cannot be restored, and, therefore, Nosgoth will remain blighted and poisoned. Only by healing his own corruption will Nosgoth be saved from its similarly linked fate".

He also opined that "what also makes Kain an imposing and memorable character is his weapon, the Reaver, and the power with which he wields it". For Legacy of Kain: Defiance, Kain's Balance Emblem abilities and Reaver spells were intended to pay homage to his spells from the original Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. His telekinetic powers were set as more advanced than Raziel's at the beginning of the game, with the rationale that "he has had hundreds of years to master his telekinetic abilities and starts the game off with a much higher level of mastery". Mannerberg concluded with the promise that the team had "put a lot of effort and time into refining all the things that make Kain the eye-catching and attention-captivating antihero he has evolved into over the years".

"Kain has always been such a powerfully compelling character, not only because of the depth of his story but also for his inherently archetypal nature. People familiar with classical mythology might recognize Kain as an Oedipus figure. Not in the motherly sense, but in that he struggles against the shackles of a dark fate that was predetermined long before his birth. Though the unseen hands of gods and demons manipulate his path along this destiny, he refuses to surrender to it."

- Kyle Mannerberg

Voice acting and audio
"Vae victus!"

- Kain

In all of his appearances, Kain has been voiced by Simon Templeman. Prior to recording for Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Dyack and McCulloch were initially apprehensive "that the actors would not be able to communicate the complicated dialog that Ken created", but later stated that "after five minutes with Simon Templeman (who had many years of theatre experience) we knew that there was no problem. We learned never to underestimate the talents of the Actors' Guild".

Kain's catchphrase is his battle cry, Vae Victus, which is a real-world Latin expression meaning "suffering (or woe) to the conquered". He utters the line with abundant frequency in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain - twice in cinematics, and also crying it out upon performing triple-swing combo attacks in gameplay. In Legacy of Kain: Defiance, he occasionally spoke it when slaying an enemy to feed the Reaver. The phrase, however, was conspicuously absent from Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2. Simon Templeman recorded two variations for the game - one with its typical Legacy of Kain pronunciation, one in a different style - but neither were included. It has been surmised that they were probably omitted by the Crystal Dynamics team due to concerns over pronunciation accuracy (Silicon Knights had earlier admitted that Vae Victus was mispronounced in the original game, but Legacy of Kain: Defiance settled on using the same variation).

In Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Ozar Midrashim plays in both of Raziel's boss battles against Kain. In Kain's battles against all bosses in both Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the Blood Omen 2 main theme plays.

Personality
Cunning and relentless, Kain has a large (apparent) lust for power, and originally seeks to conquer all of Nosgoth for his own, a quest that he eventually prevails in, as evident in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Though he possesses an obvious relish for bloodshed and brutality, Kain is anything but stupid. While his apparent lack of diplomacy seems to stem from his short and violent temper, in reality it is a carefully cultivated tool. The true cunning and subtlety of his actions are only revealed to those smart enough to see past his endless deceptions. With his vampirism, coupled with his intellect, cultured palate and his extremely aristocratic tastes, he could best be described as a combination of Hannibal Lecter and Vlad the Impaler, with a compassionate side that becomes evident on many occasions (mostly throughout Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, and also briefly in Blood Omen 2). In spite of this, Kain's justification is often thrust upon him in that he finds himself, sometimes by his own designs, in such a position that he becomes the lesser of two evils, and one often feels a sense of justice to see "the true enemy" get what they so richly deserve by falling to the mercy of his better graces. In fact, he invites comparison with sound-alike character Caine from another and unrelated series Vampire: The Masquerade, though the comparisons are only passing as Caine (WoD) is the progenitor of all vampires while Kain (LoK) is the latter architect of the vampire scourge dominating and destroying the world. However, his lust for power and destruction during his youth was not a result of his own personality: in fact, it was the result of a mind-afflicting disturbance emanating from another (as part of a greater visionary scheme) at his birth. Furthermore, in a world where so many factions and species are constantly at war (mostly against Vampires), Kain has no other chance of mere survival apart from attempting to become Emperor of Nosgoth. Throughout the ages, Kain grows from wisely arrogant to arrogantly wise. Also through all the games Kain never lies, he tells many half and partial truth but never lies directly.

Etymology
"Ah yes, Kain... I fear he shoulders a greater burden than he realizes."

- Vorador

Kain is a Biblical name of Hebrew origin, meaning "acquire". It is directly linked to its homophone "Cain", who was one of the sons of Adam in the Book of Genesis (recorded as early as the 1st century Dead Sea Scrolls). Cain was the first human born, and became the first murderer upon killing his brother, Abel, when God rejected his offerings of produce but accepted Abel's sacrifice from his flock's firstborn.

Real-world reception
"That bastard can claim no allegiance from me."

- Raziel

Kain has frequently been independently praised by videogame critics and users, appearing on several sites' lists of favorite videogaming characters. He has generally been lauded for his nature as a memorable anti-hero, his portrayal as an antagonist in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and for Simon Templeman's vocal delivery. In a 2000 GameSpot Readers' Choice poll to determine the Top Ten Video Game Villains, he was ranked as #10. In 2010, he was included as one of 64 candidates in All-Time Greatest Game Villain contest, where he was eliminated by The Master from the Fallout series in the first round, winning 45.8% of the ballot (28,723 user votes).

In IGN's 2005 Battle of the Badasses user vote, Kain was inducted as one of 32 contestants, reaching the final 8 (where he was defeated by Wolverine). He was also included as a candidate in a 2008 IGN Reader's Choice to determine a list of ten heroes desired to appear in a Soulcalibur game, alongside Raziel. A 2010 list to determine IGN's Top 100 Videogame Villains ranked him as #34. 1UP.com showcased Kain as #2 on a list of the Top 5 Videogame Characters Named Kain/Kane. GameDaily ranked him as #17 of their Top 25 Anti-Heroes. GamingBolt listed him as one of 35 Characters We Want To See In Sony’s Super Smash Bros, and Joystick Division included him as #2 among the Top 10 Best Vampires in Video Game History. PLAY Magazine have praised him as a "character who [needs] to be revived".

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

Non-canonical

 * Tomb Raider: Legend (depicted only)
 * Tomb Raider: Anniversary (depicted only)
 * Tomb Raider: Underworld (depicted only)
 * Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Raziel and Kain Character Pack)