Vampire Interview



Chapter 8: Vampire Interview is the eighth "level", or chapter, of Soul Reaver 2. It follows Raziel in Nosgoth's early history as he investigates the interior of Janos Audron's Retreat, meets the ancient vampire himself and solves the puzzle of the Fire Forge.

Profile

 * Name: Chapter 8 - Vampire Interview
 * Classification: Soul Reaver 2 chapters
 * Game: Soul Reaver 2
 * Protagonist • Raziel
 * Objectives: • Gain entry to Janos Audron's Retreat • Complete the puzzles to ascend to Janos's chambers • Meet Janos Audron • Imbue the Fire Reaver to escape the forge and return to Janos's chambers
 * Setpieces: • The Janos Audron's Retreat • The Fire Forge *Era: • Nosgoth's early history
 * Timeline: • The third timeline
 * Objects: • Emblem keys • Unique torch • The Fire Reaver
 * Preceded by: On to the Past
 * Followed by: Blade of Vengeance

Plot
Progressing through the mountains beyond Uschtenheim, Raziel eventually reached the lake outside the Janos's Aerie and found it intact and pristine. Unable to reach the high balcony, Raziel discovered a tunnel underwater in the Spectral Realm that gave him entry to lower levels of the building and the inside of a gigantic hollow mountain.

To ascend Raziel was required to complete a large puzzle using all of his previous Reaver enhancements to spawn several Bloodstone bridges, allowing him to reach the level of the balcony and the private chambers of Janos Audron. Entering the room Raziel discovered Janos himself - more angelic than the demonic murals he had seen in the Sarafan Stronghold - and apparently awaiting Raziel as a prohetic figure. Janos elaborated on the stories of ancient vampire history and the Genesis of the Pillars and explained that he was called as a "tenth guardian" to guard the Reaver until the Vampire champion - Raziel - arrived to collect it.

Janos presented Raziel with the blade but instead of the usual displacement, Raziel felt nothing, only a nameless dread and asked Janos to take the blade away from him. Shortly afterward a group of Sarafan warriors burst through the door having followed Raziel through the retreat. Sacrificing himself to save Raziel, Janos teleported Raziel to the nearby Fire Forge and faced the Sarafan alone. Trapped alone in the forge behind a sealed door with an elemental attunement he did not possess, Raziel was powerless to stop the onslaught. The only hope he held out was to complete the forge quickly to imbue the Fire Reaver and return to rescue Janos.

Walkthrough
From the southern bank of the lake outside Janos Audron's Retreat it was necessary for Raziel to cross the frozen lake to reach the hole beneath the balcony. Jumping underwater he could then swim forward to the rocky outcrop which housed the retreat, where a Shift Glyph marked the wall. Shifting into the Spectral Realm would open the glyph out into a passage leading beneath the retreat and by continuing through the passage Raziel would find a planar portal which allowed him to return to the Material Realm and swim upto the opening above, crouch-jumping to reach the edge of the hole and climb to the internal area of Janos's retreat.

Avoiding the pedestal and chalice in the north and the Sentry eye guarding them, Raziel could continue up to the second level using the ramps and continue to the central platfrom where an empty basin was positioned. Jumping and gliding across to alcove in the north above the sentry, Razel could then reach the Air Reaver font and imbue the Air Reaver. Jumping back and to the central platform, Raziel could then continue down the snowy passage to the south, following as it curved down and emerged at a cracked stone wall. By firing an Air Reaver bolt at the wall he could break through and return to the outer lake.

Heading along to the northeast of the frozen lake, Raziel could find a raised platform that ws populated by two Sarafan. Jumping up and dispatching these foes, he could follow the trail along to an Air plinth and use the Air issued from it to glide up to a higher platform where a third Sarafan warrior waited next to a Dark font. Imbuing the Dark Reaver and dropping back down to the lake, Raziel could return through the passage he had previously opened to return to the inner room with the Dark Reaver activated and use its Reaver bolts to blind the sentry guarding the pedestal to retrieve the chalice.

Conclusions

 * Raziel has gained entry to the retreat of Janos Audron. The inside of the mountain is hollow and houses a complex arrangement of chambers.
 * Raziel has activated several mechanisms within the retreat open only to one armed with the Wraith Blade and this has allowed him to ascend the retreat to reach Janos's private chambers.
 * Janos is a blue skinned Ancient vampire. Janos has been expecting Raziel, knows his name and sees him as some sort of prophetic figure, but was not expecting his ragged appearance.
 * In the time Before Nosgoth's recorded history, at the Genesis of the Pillars, nine Pillar Guardians were called to serve the Pillars of Nosgoth and Janos himself was called as a "tenth guardian" - the keeper of the Reaver - to guard the Reaver blade until Raziel came to claim it. He has been waiting at least two thousand years.
 * The Ancient vampires view the Reaver as a holy icon, that has a symbiotic link to the pillars - "the Pillars are the lock... and the Reaver is the key". When presented with the blade, Raziel feels none of the previous distortion only a nameless dread and feels both repelled and attracted by the blade. Raziel has not revealed his possession of the Wraith Blade.
 * The Sarafan have followed in Raziel's wake, using the mechanisms activated by Raziel to reach Janos's chambers.
 * Janos had teleported Raziel to the sealed Fire Forge in a selfless bid to save Raziel's from the Sarafan. Raziel has forged the Wraith Blade with elemental Fire, creating the Fire Reaver and activating all Fire-attuned Reaver fonts, in an attempt to return and save Janos.

Background
Like the other Reaver forges of Soul Reaver 2, the fire forge was based upon distinct architectural elements from real-world ancient temples - the Fire Forge specifically seems to draw mainly from the gothic architectural style, although some elements appear to be shared with much older Greco-Roman temples and architecture. The architecture of Janos's retreat generally draws elements from arabic sources and the architecture of Gaudi as do many ancient vampire structures.

Addressing some of the deleted Reaver forges, designer and artist Daniel Cabuco indicated that some of the puzzles in Janos Audron's Retreat and the Fire Forge were adapted from those originally intended to be in the deleted Spirit Forge: