Vampire hunters (events of Soul Reaver)

"The destruction of the major human Kingdoms was inevitable. Within a hundred years, humanity had been thoroughly domesticated. To be sure, there remained some feral humans scattered across the hinterlands, clinging to their hopeless holy war to rid Nosgoth of 'the vampire scourge'. They were tolerated. They made existence for the fledglings more challenging."

- Raziel

The Vampire Hunters were the warrior class of Nosgoth's remaining humans during the Soul Reaver era, and distant successors to the Sarafan Brotherhood and Moebius's Mercenary Army. Dedicated to eliminating the land's now-dominant Vampire population, they were headquartered in the northerly Human Citadel.

During his journey to kill Kain and his former brethren in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Raziel could capitalize on his common ground with the Hunters; if he spared humans, instead attacking only Vampires, the Hunters would see him as an avenging angel, worshiping him and assisting him in combat.

History
"Far in the eastern mountains, a stifled titan stands in mute surrender - unwilling host to a parasitic swarm."

- Ariel

In the second and third timelines, human Vampire Hunters existed in Nosgoth's history long before Kain raided the Tomb of the Sarafan, and the Vampire race came close to extinction numerous times. However, these efforts largely ended in the Blood Omen 2 era, when Demons began to break into the Material Realm in increasing numbers following the Collapse of the Pillars. The sole surviving Vampire in all of Nosgoth was Kain, and without Moebius to guide their efforts, the Mercenary Army instead reformed into the Demon Hunters, becoming more technologically-advanced and elite to cope with their enemies.

Five centuries after his battle with the Dark Entity, Kain "set his capital in the ruins of the Pillars of Nosgoth and began his conquest of the world". Having discovered a means of creating Vampires, he raised the Council from the corpses of the Sarafan Warrior Inquisitors, heralding a period of rebirth for the Vampire race. The Vampire Hunters rose again in its wake, incorrectly believing that the new Vampires were produced by "a poison of the blood", and "clinging to their hopeless holy war to rid Nosgoth of 'the vampire scourge'"; they sought refuge in places such as the Abbey, and conceived a great Cathedral capable of destroying the Vampires with a deadly hymn.

Regardless, Kain's Fallen Empire quickly grew over the ensuing century, leading to "the destruction of the major human Kingdoms" and the thorough domestication of humanity. Feral human Vampire Hunters remained in Nosgoth's hinterlands, and were tolerated - Raziel reasoned that "they made existence for the fledglings more challenging". Two thousand years after the Pillars' collapse, Raziel returned to Nosgoth following his execution and resurrection. Filled with rage, disgusted that the Vampires had devolved into "foul, scuttling beasts" and aggrieved by the apparent destruction of his clan, he resolved to destroy Kain and his own brethren, spurred on by the Elder God.

On his journey, Raziel discovered that the Vampire Hunters still existed, headquartered in the Human Citadel. Against the odds, they had managed to infiltrate the Silenced Cathedral conquered by the Zephonim, with one making it as far as Zephon's lair. They had even succeeded in decimating the Dumahim clan, killing Dumah in a surprise attack on the Ruined City. Even so, they were forced to contend with Vampire Worshipers loyal to Kain, led by the Priestess.

What ultimately became of the Vampire Hunters in the post-Soul Reaver era is as yet uncertain.

Role
The Vampire Hunters were encountered only in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, where they were divided into two classes:


 * Hunters armed with crossbows, capable of wounding opponents from afar with heavy, impaling bolts.
 * Hunters armed with primitive flamethrowers, whose weapons were devastating but only potent at a short range.

Vampire Hunters could be encountered in the Necropolis and the Silenced Cathedral, but they were by far most prevalent in the Human Citadel, particularly in and around the Water Glyph Shrine.

Uniquely in the Legacy of Kain series, Raziel's early interactions with the Vampire Hunters dynamically determined their attitude towards him for the rest of the game. In the Necropolis, it was compulsory for Raziel to encounter a crossbow-wielding Vampire Hunter, who attacked him indiscriminately; if Raziel retaliated against him, all Vampire Hunters in the entire game became irrevocably hostile, and Villagers would flee from him in terror.

On the other hand, if Raziel ignored this Hunter and proceeded to the next area without harming him, any subsequently-encountered Villagers and Vampire Hunters would bow down to Raziel as a messiah, assisting him in combat against Vampires and allowing him to sip at their souls for health. However, if Raziel harmed or killed any non-combative humans or Vampire Hunters after this point, the faction would turn permanently hostile. Harming Vampire Worshipers had no effect on Raziel's reputation with other humans, and he could cast the Water Glyph around his allies without fearing their retribution.

Though Raziel could not wield crossbows or flamethrowers dropped by slain Vampire Hunters, he made use of the fire stemming from a dead Hunter's flamethrower to kill Zephon.

Background
Arnold Ayala's early concept art for Shifter, the predecessor project to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, depict two Steampunk-stylised, human-like characters labeled "Forsaken" and "Hunter", armed with various weapons and equipment. On both pieces, the words "Material Form" are scribbled in, suggesting that at some point it was considered that the Vampire Hunters would be able to shift into the Spectral Realm.

The Vampire Hunters may have played a larger role in the original game design; levels and extended sections in the Human Citadel's Undercity and Temple, Turel's Clan Territory, Kain's Mountain Sanctuary and the Silenced Cathedral were cut from the project due to time constraints. Considering that all of this content concerns the elimination of Nosgoth's Vampires and Vampire Worshipers, it is probable that Hunters would have appeared in some of these levels to help or hinder Raziel.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver artist Daniel Cabuco released the texture layout map for the game's Vampire Hunters on his online portfolio. He explains: "I create the layout by rendering out the wireframe, and painting over it, then cutting each texture into individual 32x32 or 64x64 textures to be compressed into 4bit textures. Using this methodology, I was able to cram a ton of detail into the PS1. Yes. It was a big pain to do, but the results were worth it in the end".

Appearances

 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver