Novitiates

Novitiates are a type of human enemy in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. They, alongside the adepts, were vampire worshipers in service to the vampire population of Kain's empire during the Soul Reaver era. Raziel encountered them in the Silenced Cathedral.

Role
As vampire worshipers, the novitiates were among those humans who "adapted to the vampire menace by serving their tormentors and worshipping them as gods". They were considered "an insidious threat to the human population, since they [kidnapped] victims for blood sacrifices. Considering no sacrifice too great, they [would] also gladly give their own blood, and lives, if necessary, to sustain their vampire masters". They, and the adepts, answered to the Priestess, and were adverserial to the vampire hunters operating from the Human Citadel. If Raziel had established an alliance with the vampire hunters, harming and killing novitiates and adepts would not break it.

Novitiates considered Kain their god, and wielded "decorative but deadly staves" - novitiate staffs. They wore flowing gray garbs with red trimmings, and face masks with a distinctive red circle surrounding the left eye. Raziel came upon them on his quest to destroy Kain, but only while traversing the Silenced Cathedral; they were servitors to the Zephonim residing in the long-derelict building. Like adepts, they attacked Raziel on sight, in their "blind allegiance to their vampire masters". Though exceedingly weak in comparison to vampires, they were immune to the elemental powers of the Water and Sunlight glyphs.

Background
In Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, the vampire worshipers feature only in the Silenced Cathedral, a peculiarity considering that most other enemies appear in multiple regions. The initial production design of the game warranted a larger role for the worshipers in the main storyline: after defeating Kain in the Chronoplast, Raziel would travel to the Human Citadel and infiltrate its secret subterranean compound, the Undercity, which led to a Temple where the Priestess dwelled. Presumably, the novitiates - as her vampire-worshiping underlings - would have reappeared as enemies in this area. Due to time constraints, Crystal Dynamics cut this planned scenario (along with all other events following the Chronoplast encounter) in favor of a truncated ending, and the novitiates and adepts do not make appearances beyond the Cathedral.

Though Raziel cannot pick up and use the staffs wielded by the novitiates in the final, retail version of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, pre-release screenshots indicate that he was able to wield them in early versions of the game.

Appearances

 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver