Blade of Vengeance

Blade of Vengeance or Chapter 9: Blade of Vengeance is the ninth "level", or chapter, of Soul Reaver 2. It opens with Raziel witnessing the death of Janos Audron in his retreat and follows Raziel as he pursues the Sarafan commanders responsible for the act to the Sarafan Stronghold and confronts them.

Profile

 * Name: Chapter 9 - Blade of Vengeance
 * Classification: Soul Reaver 2 chapters
 * Game: Soul Reaver 2
 * Protagonist • Raziel
 * Objectives: • Discover the identities of the Sarafan commanders • Pursue the Sarafan to the Sarafan Stronghold• Defeat the Demons • Gain entry to the stronghold • Recover the Reaver • Take vengeance on the inquisitors
 * Setpieces: • Janos Audron's Retreat • Uschtenheim • The Swamp • The Subterranean Ruins (The Subterranean Pillars Chamber) • The Pillars of Nosgoth (The Pillars • The Shrine) • The Great Southern Lake • The Sarafan Stronghold (The Cloister • The Sanctuary)
 * Era: • Nosgoth's early history
 * Timeline: • The third timeline
 * Objects: • The Soul Reaver
 * Preceded by: Vampire Interview
 * Followed by: Epilogue: The Final Confrontation

Plot
Having completed the Fire Forge and gained the Fire Reaver in the previous chapter, Raziel used the new enhancement to open the sealed door barring his way into Janos's chambers. He arrived to find the Sarafan commanders surrounding a fallen Janos Audron rendered helpless with the use of Moebius's Staff and was powerless to stop them as the lead inquisitor tore out Janos's heart.

As he continued through the stronghold he was next ambushed by Rahab and Dumah in the Sanctuary area, and then by Turel in the chapel - each fell before the power of the blade - with Raziel taking particular pleasure at the death of Turel who had eluded his vengeance in the Soul Reaver era. Finally Raziel made his way to the Chapter House and a final confrontation with the human Sarafan Raziel.

Janos Audron's Retreat
After dropping in the lake outside Janos Audron's Retreat it was necessary for Raziel to swim directly upward to the hole in the ice above him and climb out onto the frozen lake. Heading south, he could crouch-jump to the island with Sarafan banners and glide across to the island with the broken staircase, before gliding to the southern-most island and from there to the terrace at the edge of the lake. As he headed down the small staircase Raziel would be confronted by two Gas demons who erected Combat barriers and taunted him about his destiny. Defeating the two would drop the barriers and enable him to travel further south into the mountains.

Uschtenheim
As Raziel continued along the path another set of Demons would ambush him, with two Acid demons raising barriers and attacking - again requiring Raziel to defeat them to progress. Once he had dispatched the Acid demons Raziel could continue to follow the trail as it dropped down into a wide open area. Here he was again confronted by Demons that taunted him - this time by three Lightning Demons and their barriers. Attacking them with the Wraith Blade and using the powers of the Reaver bar allowed him to defeat them quickly, dropping the barriers and allowing him to re-imbue the Fire Reaver from the nearby Fire Reaver font if necessary. Climbing the western wall, Raziel could make his way along the passage to the entrance to Uschtenheim, fighting or evading a group of Sarafan warrior swordsmen and a sorceress along the way. As Raziel entered Uschtenheim the village would be blocked of by Fire barriers and three Fire demons would spawn within in addition to the five Sarafan already present in the village. Generally the enemies would split into three groups, each with conflicting enemies, allowing Raziel to choose to attack with the wraith blade quickly or keep his distance and pick off the survivors (remaining wary that if he got to close all of the enemies would turn on him) - a Fire demon fought with a pikeman and a swordsman in the north, another fought two pikemen in the center near the church, while a third fought a swordsman to the south in front of the exit. Raziel could take cover within the small church and once the demons were defeated use the save altar there before re-imbuing the Fire Reaver at a font in front of the church and moving on to the south to use the lever to raise the gate and allow him to leave the hamlet.

In the next clearing four Sarafan warriors waited below a high ledge, but as soon as Raziel dropped down two fire demons would spawn and raise combat barriers. Again Raziel could choose to attack quickly with the wraith blade or return up the slope and wait for the demons and Sarafan to fight among themselves and pick off the weakened victor, this time he could use the overlook to his advantage and fire Reaver bolts at the enemies below. Once the demons were defeated, Raziel could progress to the platforms on the other side and jump up to face or evade a swordsman and a sorceress before moving onto the next clearing. At this overlook, Raziel would be confronted by a powerful Black demon, again using combat barriers and taunting him. Using Reaver bolts and dropping down and using the wraith blade against it, Raziel could defeat the demon and drop the barriers, allowing him to reach the passage to the swamp, again imbuing the Fire Reaver at the nearby font if necessary.

The Swamp
Dropping down and taking the southeast path, Raziel would be confronted by three Sarafan warriors as he passed a checkpoint. Confronting or evading them he could continue further south, passing another three Sarafan on his way to the save altar in the east of the swamp. As he embarked upon the watery areas of the swamp, Raziel could choose to imbue the Air Reaver at a nearby font to run through the water, or keep his Fire Reaver and jump across the islands - either way he would be confronted by another Sarafan as he left the clearing and four more as he moved around the turning to the northern gate. As he passed under the Dark forge balcony, another set of combat barriers would be raised leaving Raziel trapped with another taunting Black demon. After defeating it he could jump down the shaft inside the building in the south and reach the Subterranean Ruins.

The Subterranean Ruins
When he reached the bottom of the shaft Raziel would be confronted by a shade and, killing or evading it, he could continue heading southwest, dropping down to the Air plinth at the bottom of the cavern. Dealing with several more shades here, he could continue to the southwest following the stairs and crouch-jump up to a higher platform where he would encounter more shades, before descending to the cavern entrance where three more shades awaited.

As Raziel reached the statue room he found the water completely drained and a pair of Acid demons warped in to confront him. Killing or evading them, he could then proceed to the alcove in the northwestern wall where a air font was positioned and another pair of acid demons would warp in. Jumping to the alcove to imbue the Air Reaver and returning to the base of the statue to activate the Air plinth, Raziel could then glide up on the updraft created to reach a platform near the top of the statue and then use the climbing wall to reach the summit of the statue. From there he could jump to the north west to a platform jutting from the wall and follow it around the top of the chamber, jumping to the platform in the western corner then to the balcony along southwest wall and on to the platform in the south to re-imbue the Fire Reaver at the font, before jumping back to the balcony, jumping up the platform behind it and continuing up the climbing wall in the southeast of the room above. At the top Raziel would be confronted by several shades, but could easily dispatch or evade them and follow the path as it headed towards the southwest before winding down around a pool of water. Jumping in the water, Raziel could swim through the underwater tunnel westward to reach the Subterranean Pillars Chamber. Swimming past the Elder God and surfacing to meet him, Raziel could soon visit the Save altar in the north of the room before continuing to the south and up the staircase, bypassing or dispatching several shades along the way. Following the passage as it headed north and westward, Raziel would be confronted by two acid demons at the bend in the trail and another two in the wider cavern area, each accompanied by several shades, however none was using demon barriers so it was possible to avoid them and head straight for the exit to reach the sealed door leading to the end of the Pillars area.

The Pillars
Once through the sealed door Raziel could head forward to the checkpoint where three shades would attack him, but they could be easily avoided or dispatched. Heading up the stepped path, he could follow the trail as it twisted back towards the pillars and dropped down into the Pillars clearing itself. As Raziel made his way across the clearing to the battlement doors, demon barriers would raise and he would be faced by three Black demons who taunted him. Using a combination of a charged wraith blade, long distance Reaver bolts and using the pillars for cover (if necessary using them in the same capacity to help him consume souls in the Spectral Realm), Raziel was able to defeat the demons and drop the barriers allowing him to progress through the battlement doors.

Proceeding through the doors Raziel would be confronted by a group of Sarafan warriors which he could dispatch or evade at will. Following the trail around towards the top of the Shrine area, another group would confront him before he reached the top of the bridge - which was yet to be built in this era (usage of a nearby air plinth was necessary to return to the pillars section). Dropping down, Raziel could follow the river south passing a checkpoint and another group of Sarafan, and down the waterfall to the Shrine construction where he would be confronted by two pikemen and a sorceress.

Defeating or evading them, Raziel could follow the trail and the river east as it led over a bridge away from the shrine - with another fire font positioned under the bridge if necessary. A group of Sarafan would ambush Raziel here and as he progressed further along and another set would attack at the bend in the trail. Continuing to head east, Raziel would soon reach a high overlook where he could drop down to the icy Great Southern Lake.

The Great Southern Lake
If Raziel did not possess the Fire Reaver at this point, then it was necessary for him to head east across the frozen lake to a Fire Reaver font on an outcrop on the southern bank, clearing various Sarafan troops along the way - including several sorceresses who would flee when damaged and shoot bolts from afar. Returning to the western bank and down the western trail Raziel could use the final save altar before returning to the lake and the dock entrance to the Sarafan stronghold. A Fire Plinth on the west bank allowed Raziel to melt a section of ice just in front of the door. Once this way done, Raziel could cross the ice again to reach a light font on a platform on the northern bank, clearing the Sarafan along the way and crouch-jumping to reach it and imbue the Light Reaver. Armed with the Light Reaver and the nearby Sarafan dispatched, Raziel could shoot a Light Reaver bolt at the Light crystal atop the dock doorway, opening the doors and allowing him to swim inside the dock and enter the Sarafan Stronghold.

The Sarafan Stronghold
Swimming inside the stronghold dock, Raziel would immediately be attacked by four sorceresses firing bolts at him from either side of the dock. Climbing out to the western side, Raziel could dispatch those on this side if necessary, before following the passage in the southwest and defeating the two swordsmen waiting in the corridor and progressing through the doorway at the end of the passage. In the next small antechamber, Raziel would be confronted by two swordsmen and a sorceress and forced into combat as portcullises shut the exits, requiring him to defeat the enemies before moving on. Once Raziel had dispatched these foes the southern exit opened leading him down another corridor. With the southern corridor exit barred, Raziel was forced into the eastern door into a small antechamber where he was able to recover the Reaver after a confrontation with Moebius and Malek.


 * Icon-SoulReaver.png The Reaver: "The sword's power is at its height, and it sustains Raziel, healing any damage in seconds and forcing him to remain in the Material Plane. The vampiric blade also drains the blood of its fallen enemies."

Exiting through the eastern door, Raziel found himself in the Cloister where the exits were shut and he was confronted by the first of the Sarafan commanders - the Sarafan knights Melchiah and Zephon.

Made virtually invincible by the Reaver, Raziel's health did not drain and he was unable to shift into the Spectral Realm or put down the blade, however the aggressive attacking and stout defending of the inquisitors still made the battle something of a challenge. To defeat them it was necessary to evade their lunging strikes and to block and counter - keeping them together so they could not attack from two sides. Once they were defeated Raziel could move on, heading through the corridor on the north wall to reach the Sanctuary cathedral area and an enclosed confrontation with the Sarafan knights Rahab and Dumah.

As before Raziel was impervious to harm, but the aggressive style of the inquisitors could still make this battle challenging, so it was best to block and counter their attacks until they had taken enough damage to be put down. After they were defeated Raziel could move north through the Sanctuary area into the raised gated choir where he would be faced with the inquisitor Turel.

With Turel facing Raziel unaccompanied, he represented a step up in terms of strength but lacked the opportunity to double team, and with Raziel made invincible by the Reaver, the same tactics as before would eventually pay dues and Turel would be dispatched. With Turel defeated the portcullis barring the southern door would rise, allowing Raziel to pass through the corridor and onto the Chapter House and his final battle.

Players (in order of appearance)

 * Raziel/Sarafan Raziel (voiced by Michael Bell) and Raziel in Voiceover/Soliloquy
 * Janos Audron (voiced by René Auberjonois)
 * Turel (voiced by Richard Doyle)
 * Dumah
 * Melchiah
 * Zephon
 * The Elder God (voiced by Tony Jay)
 * Moebius (voiced by Richard Doyle)
 * Malek
 * Rahab

Conclusions

 * Janos Audron has been killed by the Sarafan - as in the legends of the event, this was achieved by tearing out Janos's heart - the item, later known as the Heart of Darkness, is reputed to have the power to restore vampiric unlife.
 * The high ranking Sarafan commanders were responsible for the murder of Janos. The human incarnations of Melchiah, Zephon, Dumah, Turel and Raziel were in the group that stormed Janos Audron's Retreat and the human Raziel personally committed the deed - (wraith) Raziel has realised their identities.
 * The Sarafan used Moebius's Staff to subdue the ancient vampire, allowing them to extract the heart.
 * The Inquisitors stole both the Heart of Darkness and the Reaver at this time.
 * Demons are not just the product of Nosgoth's future damnation but can be called to serve those plotting against Raziel and Kain - their masters arecnot revealed at this time.
 * Raziel has used the Fire Reaver to infiltrate the Sarafan Stronghold, intending to recover both the Reaver and the Heart of Darkness - and use the powers of the latter to revive Janos himself. Raziel's infiltration coincides with that of Vorador and the legendary Slaughter of the Circle - now revealed to be a direct response to the murder of Janos.
 * Malek was delayed from saving the members of the Circle of Nine by the insistence of Moebius that Raziel is a greater threat.
 * Raziel has recovered the Reaver - which Janos claimed was forged solely for him. The blade has bound itself to Raziel, making him invincible and preventing him from Shifting into the Spectral Realm or devouring Souls.
 * Raziel has confronted and killed the Sarafan inquisitors Melchiah, Zephon, Rahab, Dumah and Turel - Turel's death is particularly appreciated by Raziel who comments on the vampire Turel's absence from the Soul Reaver era. Raziel now understands the "blasphemous private joke" made by Kain in his choice of lieutenants for his empire.

Development
During development the Soul Reaver 2 team specifically intended to avoid the traditional level/boss structure of videogames, instead punctuating the action with what director Andrew Bennett called "epic sequences". This is achieved through most of the game by plot heavy cinematic sequences and puzzle heavy forge areas with specific unlocks gained. Blade of Vengeance perhaps comes closest to videogame convention, with the entire chapter essentially being a 'rush' of increasingly challenging enemies, starting with various Demons and building up to pseudo-boss battles against the Sarafan commanders, with final encounters with Melchiah and Zephon, Rahab and Dumah, and Turel before facing the final 'boss' in the next chapter.

Notably neither Malek nor Rahab is present at the death of Janos. While Malek's absence is perhaps plot-related and understandable with his duties as leading Sarafan and protector of the circle, Rahab's absence was in actuality due to performance issues - as Daniel Cabuco explained:

The final sequence of Janos Audron's Retreat, which shows Raziel observing looking down from the balcony holding the Fire Reaver greatly resembles the final window of the Chronoplast visions seen in the Chronoplast in the final chapters of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. The scene from Soul Reaver was originally intended to depict Raziel with the Amplified Reaver looking down from the Pinnacle of the Silenced Cathedral, having opened the sounding pipes to destroy the Vampires of Kain's empire - these events were ultimately cut from Soul Reaver and included in the Chronoplast sequence as 'visions of a potential future'. Soul Reaver 2 was the first to actively re-integrate the events into the time-stream with the sequence from the end of Janos Audron's retreat actually remodelled to more closely match the scene shown in the Chronplast visions - the original scene is still present in game files and can be observed by re-entering and exiting Janos chambers using Debug menus or other methods. Other scenes from the visions would be re-integrated in Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

Manipulation of the Debug menu reveals several interesting effects that shed light on the development process:
 * Re-entering the Reaver antechamber repeatedly after triggering the cornered in the stronghold cutscene allows Malek to be fought as a regular enemy, revealing that he does have a form of combat AI, despite being seen only in a single cutscene (by comparison, Moebius does not). Presumably this is due to Malek being at least partially copied from the other inquisitors.
 * Following on from this, the other inquisitors can also be fought without the use of the Reaver and its healing powers. The battles with the inquisitors are the only place where Pikes can be seen in game, and they can only be retrieved if Raziel is not armed with the Reaver. Their listing as a weapon type in the Prima guide and the naming of the Vampire hunter pikemen and Sarafan warrior pikemen perhaps suggests the weapon was originally intended to be seen more often in the title before its usage was restricted to the inquisitors.
 * It is also possible to shift to Spectral Realm using debug menus or other tricks - which is not usually possible in the Sarafan Stronghold sequences because of Raziel's possession of the Reaver - this reveals that the spectral realm is notably quieter, with fewer Planar portals, virtually no spectral enemies and less spectral terrain morphing - arguably this is due to its inaccessibility in the course of the regular game, rendering such additions unnecessary.

Continuity

 * Raziel's expectations of the Demons recalls his confrontations with them in the future of the Post-Blood Omen era in A Fateful Meeting, and even Kain's first encounter with Demons in Blood Omen era Avernus in Defeat Azimuth of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Like those summoned by Azimuth, Raziel suspects the Demons seen here are "minions" sent by the unseen forces that he and Kain discussed beneath the ruined retreat in A Fateful Meeting. Though not explicit the identity of the unseen force controlling the demons is expanded upon in Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
 * Raziel's resurrection, apparently because of the Elder God, occured in the Vampire Scourge and Underworld chapters of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.
 * Raziel's doubting the Elder God has built through every meeting in Soul Reaver 2, becoming increasingly sour through Decision at the Pillars, Through the Swamp and A Fateful Meeting. The mistrust perhaps originates in Raziel's discovery that Moebius served it in A Reaver in Time.
 * Raziel's trepidation when encountering the Reaver blade was first seen in the previous chapter, Vampire Interview, when Janos presented Raziel with the blade; and the lack of temporal distortion was also cited in that chapter - the distortions were first encountered by Raziel when finding the Soul Reaver in A Reaver in Time and were explained by Kain in A Fateful Meeting. Ultimately the lack of distortions and Raziel's sense of dread foreshadows the next chapter.
 * Malek was first seen in the introduction to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain where his failure to protect the circle and subsequent punishment in Nosgoth's early history was seen in flashback (and briefly recapped in Vorador's Mansion (chapter)). Malek was subsequently fought in the Blood Omen era in The Hunt for Malek, before being finally put to rest by Vorador in Threaten the Circle. In Blood Omen Malek was acknowledged as defender of the circle, leader of the Sarafan and the last of the Sarafan warrior priests. His appearance here appears to slightly predate the flashback of Blood Omen.
 * The Slaughter of the Circle at the hands of Vorador heard in the background here can be seen in flashback in Welcome to Hell and Vorador's Mansion (chapter) of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Soul Reaver 2 suggests that Malek's delay in reaching the circle was actual due to Moebius insisting he remained with Raziel. Furthermore Soul Reaver 2 suggests that the slaughter was likely a direct retaliation by Vorador for the murder of Janos Audron, which immediately preceded it. The martyrdom of the circle was depicted on the walls of the Circle's gathering-room in A Reaver in Time.
 * The appearance of the Sarafan commanders closely matches their appearances as seen in depictions in A Reaver in Time, but there are also a number of subtle references to their later Vampire forms as seen in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Legacy of Kain: Defiance - these include matching color schemes, markings resembling their later clan symbols and helmet or armor decorations evocative of their later forms.
 * Turel is seen for the first time since the vampire Turel was seen in the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver opening. Turel was originally supposed to have appeared in that title, but he and his clan territory were cut from the game, leaving only his brief appearance in the opening cutscene and his name in the Tomb of the Sarafan to show his presence.  Raziel's reaction to Turel solidifies the notion that Turel was present in that era but that Raziel did not meet him. The dialogue and appearance of Turel here foreshadows the reappearance of the vampire Turel in the Legacy of Kain: Defiance chapter Seek Mortanius.
 * The deaths of the inquisitors are subtly foreshadowed in A Reaver in Time, where Dumah's mural is backed by an image of a purple 'demon' - almost certainly a bastardized depiction of the wraith Raziel.
 * The deaths of the Sarafan commanders and their elevated and martyred status was first hinted in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver in Tomb Of Sarafan (chapter), where Raziel discovered their tomb and realised he was once a Sarafan warrior. His initial reaction demonstrated throughout subsequent chapters was outrage at Kain's blasphemous actions in reviving them as his lieutenants. After his experiences throughout Soul Reaver 2, Raziel understands the Vampires side of the story and holds the Sarafan with distain. In killing the Sarafan inquisitors, Raziel finally appreciates that Kain's revival of the inquisitors was partially a private joke between them, with Kain knowing Raziel was responsible for their deaths in the first place.