Welcome to Hell

Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell is the first "level", or chapter, of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and the introduction to the Legacy of Kain series as a whole. It briefly establishes the Nosgoth setting, the characters of Vorador and Malek, and the history of the Circle of Nine, before following Kain's murder in Ziegsturhl and subsequent resurrection.

Plot
The story opens with a spoken epigraph, quoted from real-world occultist Aleister Crowley's Magick (Book 4):

"There is a magical operation of maximum importance: the initiation of a new aeon. When it becomes necessary to utter a word, the whole planet must be bathed in blood..."

- Aleister Crowley

Historical montage
In Nosgoth's early history, it is sunset, and somewhere in the countryside, a vampire is witnessed being hoisted onto a stake by human warriors, amongst countless others in the distance. Members of the Circle of Nine congregate in the Sarafan Stronghold, magically observing and guiding the movements of these vampire slayers - the Sarafan.

Suddenly, a much older, green-skinned vampire bursts into the Stronghold, and begins slaughtering the Pillar Guardians: it is Vorador. In the chaos, he uses various weapons and spells to murder the Balance, Energy, and Nature Guardians, and three others. As they perish, the Guardians cry for their protector, Malek, who rushes to the chamber in response. He is struck from behind by Vorador's sword, and the scene goes blank.

Some time later, Malek finds himself in a darker chamber beneath Avernus Cathedral, bound and stripped of his armor. From a lofty perch, the Necromancer Mortanius addresses him, condemning his failure to defend the Circle. Mortanius magically wrenches Malek's soul from his body, and fuses it to his armor, proclaiming that Malek has but one purpose: to serve them for eternity. Malek, now a wraith, examines his new form before the scene cuts again.

In the pre-Blood Omen era, at the shrine, Ariel is seen magically igniting braziers suspended on balance scales, oblivious to the distinctive shadow moving purposefully towards her. She turns too late, and is fatally stabbed by the attacker; her scream is penetrating. With a final motion, her bloodied hand reaches towards the scales, brushing against it before dying; it is knocked out of balance, and the scene ends. Elsewhere, a crack emerges in one of the Pillars of Nosgoth, and they each turn corrupt and decay in quick succession.

Kain's assassination
Passing through the small town of Ziegsturhl, a young nobleman - Kain - stops at a tavern in hopes of sating his thirst. The Barkeep turns him away, noting the time and the looming danger the night brings. Disheartened, Kain leaves the bar to resume his journey, but is immediately set upon by a large group of armed brigands. Unable to fend them off, he is quickly knocked to the ground, and one of his attackers consummates this inexplicable assassination attempt by stabbing him in the back with an Iron Sword.

Kain's resurrection
Transfixed with the blade and shackled to two posts in the fiery Underworld, Kain's soul struggles incessantly to escape. He despairs, profoundly tormented by a singular lust for vengeance. Mortanius approaches from behind, and twists the Iron Sword free from Kain's back, freeing Kain of his captivity; he has been offered the chance to kill his assassins.

Peering with contemplation into the roaring fires behind him, Kain jumps at this chance for revenge, heedless of any costs. He accepts the Iron Sword from Mortanius, and coruscating magic ripples across his body, transforming his living skin to dead, vampiric flesh. Mortanius, his benefactor, laughs facetiously as Kain strides away, promising him the blood he hungers for.

Walkthrough
This chapter contains only a single, scripted playable sequence in Ziegsturhl, which begins after the introductory cinematic, and depicts the human Kain's assassination. The player's input is limited to guiding Kain out of the tavern and losing the battle against his assassins; there is no need to fight off the brigands, nor any reward in attempting to do so. Once Kain is killed, the story progresses to the next cinematic, which shows his resurrection, and then the next chapter.

Players (in order of appearance)

 * A Wizard/The martyred Balance Guardian
 * A Wizard/The martyred Dimension Guardian
 * A Wizard/Final Wizard/The martyred Energy Guardian
 * A Wizard/The martyred Nature Guardian
 * Vorador (voiced by Paul Lukather)
 * Malek (voiced by Neil Ross)
 * Mortanius (voiced by Tony Jay)
 * Ariel (voiced by Anna Gunn)
 * The Unspoken/Dark Entity (voiced by Tony Jay)
 * The Barkeep
 * Kain (voiced by Simon Templeman) and Kain's voiceovers
 * Brigands/Kain's assassins
 * An Assassin/Kain's assassin

Conclusions

 * This chapter has marked the first appearance (in order) of the characters of Vorador, Malek, Mortanius, Ariel, the Dark Entity and Kain. It has also marked the debut of Nosgoth, the Sarafan Stronghold, Avernus Cathedral, the shrine, the Pillars of Nosgoth, Ziegsturhl and the Underworld. Only the names of Malek and Mortanius have been revealed in dialogue; those of all other characters and locations, including Kain, have not.
 * The Circle of Nine has been introduced, and an outline of its immediate history has been presented, but most details have been intentionally left unclear for now. The crusades of the Sarafan have been briefly witnessed.
 * Ariel's murder at the hands of an enigmatic Dark Entity has been witnessed, as has the subsequent corruption of the Pillars.
 * Kain's murder has been witnessed. He has been revived from the dead by Mortanius, a Necromancer whose motives are uncertain, to seek his revenge. The nature of Kain's resurrection is not made explicit until the next chapter.