Standing stones

Standing stones, also known as Menhir or simply Stones, were a series of destructible object encountered by Kain in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain that acted as an immoveable barrier but could be smashed with the Spiked Mace.

Profile

 * Name: Standing Stones
 * Category: Blood Omen terms
 * Introduced: • Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)
 * Appearances:
 * Related Articles: Spiked Mace, Ugly statues, Trees, Breakables

Role
Standing stones were destructible objects encountered by Kain in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain which acted initially as barriers. Kain could encounter the first Standing stones in Nupraptor (chapter) as he explored the town of Vasserbünde on his way to Nupraptor's Retreat. Just south of the town he could discover a blocked off area containing several Battle artifacts nearby the gypsy camp at the entrance to the town, and another could be found in the north of the town blocking entrance to a house in the north central area of the settlement - both were immovable and impeneterable at the time.

Kain moved on to Nupraptor's Retreat and confronted Nupraptor and as he left the building he would encounter a circle of these stones surrounding a new weapon - the Spiked Mace - and blocking his exit. Retrieving the mace, Kain discovered that the mace could destroy the stones with a single strike, reducing them to rubble.

Thereafter Kain would occasionally encounter the stones blocking his path and would be able to break them down with the mace. Frequently the stones were used to hide and protect a number of Secrets - these included the first two stones he had encountered before gaining the mace.

Background
Standing Stones and Menhir are both basic forms of monlith or megalithic structure frequently constructed by prehistoric humans in the real world. Such stones can be grouped together to form the basis of more complex arrangements like stone circles - as such the 'stonehenges' (as they are titled in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Official Game Secrets, where they are named from the most famous megalithic stone circle - Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England) may well be considered related to the standing stones - with several secret areas - including the Lost City - also related to the 'stonehenge' constructions. Stone circles an other megalith structures are seen again in Legacy of Kain: Defiance where the outer areas of the Dark and Light Forge are marked by them. Similar constructions can be seen outside the entrance to the Underworld in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and in the garden of Vorador's Mansion in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, however these are of a design more reminscent of the much later classical architecture.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain