Sarafan commanders

The Sarafan Warrior Inquisitors or simply Sarafan Inquisitors, were a highly ranked Sarafan class involved in the leadership of the order. The Inquisitor rank was hinted throughout the series before they appeared in Soul Reaver 2. Major characters that bore the rank (as Humans) included Melchiah, Zephon, Rahab, Dumah, Turel, Raziel and Sarafan Leader and last survivor of the class Malek. Ultimately, most of the Inquisitors (with the exception of Conflict Guardian Malek) were killed in a legendary assault upon the Sarafan Stronghold in Nosgoth's early history and were buried in the Tomb of the Sarafan.

Role
Much of the important events involving the Sarafan Warrior Inquisitors (including the murder of Janos Audron  and subsequent Slaughter of the Circle , as well as Malek punishment for his failure to protect the circle  ) were revealed in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain through the history of the Sarafan brotherhood, though the inquisitors were not overtly mentioned. In the era featured, the crusades of the Sarafan were long over and the exact leadership structure of the order was not conclusively explored, though Conflict Guardian, Malek was identified as the leader of the Sarafan and "last of the Sarafan sorcerer-priests".

The leadership of the Sarafan was explored further in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver as Raziel found the long-sealed Tomb of the Sarafan, uncovered by Nosgoth's cataclysms in the Soul Reaver era. Entering the tomb, Raziel recalled legends of the "Sarafan warrior priests" and their "merciless war against the vampire tribes of Nosgoth", regarding them coldly as "murderers enshrined". Inside the tomb Raziel found the "defiled" tombs of martyred ""Sarafan saints", bearing the names of himself and his former vampire brothers (Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah) as well as vacant space for Sarafan leader Malek (presumably unused due to his punishment and notably vandalized). The tomb suggested that Raziel and his brothers were highly influential in Sarafan order, of equal status to Sarafan leader Malek..

The Sarafan Warrior Inquisitors were featured in a much greater role in Soul Reaver 2, as Raziel journeyed into Nosgoth's past. Initially Raziel arrived in the Sarafan Stronghold in the Pre-Blood Omen era, (inhabited by Moebius's mercenary army) and discovered lionized depictions of the fallen inquisitors (along with a hint as to their murderer). With these depictions Raziel was further motivated against Kain, but as he explored Nosgoth and uncovered some of its history, he began to question his assumptions about the Sarafan - and by the time he had returned to the time of the Sarafan crusades his opinions on the Sarafan crusades had changed and he viewed the Sarafan crusades as "chilling" and the Sarafan themselves as "monstrous".

In the final climactic scenes of Soul Reaver 2, Raziel was able to revisit the important events of Sarafan history and discover the truth behind the artistic depictions he had seen before, finding that it was the Sarafan inquisitors that had attacked Janos' Retreat, murdered Janos ,  and stolen the Heart of Darkness and the Reaver; with the human Raziel leading the group and personally responsible for the act. This revelation caused Raziel to reject his former humanity and pursue the retreating inquisitors to their stronghold, attempting to recover the Reaver and the Heart of Darkness, with his attack unwittingly coinciding with Vorador's legendary assault. After recovering the Reaver (and delaying Inquisitor Malek) Raziel was confronted by the remaining Sarafan Inquisitors (including his former human self). With Raziel made invincible by the Reaver, he was easily able to dispatch them and took particular pleasure as he discovered that he was their murderer and finally understood "Kain’s blasphemous, private joke" and his own role in the downfall of the order.

Though much of the leadership of the Sarafan had fallen by the time of Kain's return to the Sarafan stronghold in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, he found several depictions of Sarafan inquisitor and leader Malek, as well as seven thrones in the tower of the stronghold; apparently a 'council chamber' of sorts for the late inquisitor group.

Members and Leadership
The Sarafan Warrior Inqusitor group (as suggested by the Tomb of the Sarafan) included seven inquisitors: Malek, Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah. Though the inquisitor rank is clearly at the highest rank of the Sarafan brotherhood faction, the exact rankings within the group are less obvious. The Sarafan crusades as a whole were acknowledged to be led by Malek  , presumably suggesting he would be the highest ranked of the group, however Raziel is referred to on several occasions as the "Head" or "Grand Inquisitor" (with his armor appropriately displaying much more ornate and intricate detail than the other inquisitors) and he displayed seniority over the rest of the inquisitor group at least, though he is still on occasion referred to as a "Sarafan lieutanant". The remaining individual inquisitors were apparently ranked in the same order as their later vampire lives (Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah). The features of the Tomb of the Sarafanand the 'upper tower' of the Sarafan Strongholdmay suggest that the inquisitor group formed a 'council' of sorts to preside over the Sarafan crusades.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (by last surviving member, indirect mention)
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (indirect mention/depiction)
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance comic (indirect mention)
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance (indirect mention/depiction)