Sarafan

"Here at last, in the flesh, I beheld my former brothers-in-arms – the warrior-priests of the Sarafan order, their lives devoted solely to the annihilation of the "vampire plague". And while I confess I felt a twinge of longing, a pang of grief for what I had believed was my lost virtue, I regarded them now with none of the reverence I formerly felt. For I had seen the human face of the vampires - and now I beheld the monstrousness of these men."

- Raziel

The Sarafan Brotherhood, also known as the Sarafan Priesthood, the Sarafan Order, the Sarafan Warrior-Priests, the Angels of Light, or more frequently simply the Sarafan, were a legendary Vampire hunting faction operating in Nosgoth's early history. The Sarafan Brotherhood were the first known vampire purges in Nosgoth's history and the original order to bear the name "Sarafan" (inspiring the name of the later Sarafan). The Vampire hunting crusades of the Sarafan Brotherhood lasted over some decades (or centuries) and decimated vampire populations, including the last of the Ancient Vampires, Janos Audron. They were led by commander Malek.

Early history
"It was during these dark times infested with the plague of the undead, that the Circle brought the Sarafan to existence. Trained to be devoutly loyal to the Circle, and the perfect exterminators of the undead scourge, they were led to many victories by the righteous paladin, Malek. They cleansed the vampires with fire, and released their souls to more blessed realms. There is no wrath as terrible as that of the righteous"

- Ancient chronicle in Moebius's museum

The Sarafan brotherhood was formed at an undetermined point in Nosgoth's early history, triggered by a rise in the number of vampires. This threat to human populations caught the attention of the Circle of Nine, who established the vampire-hunting "Order of the Sarafan" and sponsored their fanatical crusades to eliminate the vampire menace. The Sarafan were led by 'protector of the circle' and Conflict Guardian Malek and over many years (perhaps even centuries) Malek proved to be a capable leader and guardian;  leading the brotherhood to many victories, decimating entire vampire bloodlines and causing suffering to many vampires,  including Vorador.



The order would enter something of a 'golden age' as Raziel and his comrades (Turel,Dumah,Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah) joined the Sarafan and in the following years, they were promoted to the ranks of elite Sarafan commanders with Raziel as their leader, apparently second only to Malek himself. At the height of the Sarafan crusades, the Sarafan commanders began plotting to murder the last of the Ancient Vampires Janos Audron, seeing him as the "origin of the vampire plague" (likely derived from his role as father of the turned vampires). Following a blue 'demon'(actually a future Wraith Raziel), the commanders were able to infiltrate the lair of infamous Janos Audron, armed with Moebius's vampire disabling staff. After a confrontation with Janos, the Sarafan warriors used the staff to subdue the ancient vampire as (human) Raziel murdered Janos by gouging out his heart. Recovering the heart and the ancient Reaver blade, the triumphant Sarafan returned to their stronghold, where they christened the heart as "The Heart of Darkness", believing it had the power to restore vampire 'unlife'.



In the aftermath of their greatest victory, the Sarafan would suffer their greatest defeat, as the murder of Janos provoked the ire of two of Nosgoth's most powerful inhabitants; The Wraith Raziel and the Vampire Vorador, both mentored to some degree by Janos himself. As the Sarafan retreated to the stronghold, they were already being pursued by Wraith Raziel, who used his Wraith Blade enhancements to enter the Stronghold. Shortly after, Raziel found the Reaver laid across his path in one of the stronghold's chambers. As he hesitantly investigated the blade, he was confronted by Malek and Time Guardian Moebius, and with Moebius's Staff disabling Raziel's wraith blade Raziel was forced to use the Reaver as his only choice of weapon.



Meanwhile in a different part of the Stronghold, Vorador had begun his own revenge attack, targeting the circle for their sponsorship of the crusades. As they cried for the aid of Malek, six members of the Circle of Nine were slaughtered by Vorador. But with Moebius keeping Malek occupied until the Wraith Raziel picked up the Reaver, Malek was delayed and arrived too late to save the guardians. As the paladin arrived he was ambushed by Vorador and defeated in combat, but the old vampire left Malek alive to suffer for his failure to protect the circle. At the same time, Raziel had been diverted a different path through the stronghold and was now bound to the Reaver, making him invincible. As he progressed through the stronghold he was channeled into combat against the most formidable Sarafan warriors, the Sarafan commanders.Relishing as he faced those who had served him as his brothers in both his human and vampire lives,  Raziel killed each of the Sarafan commanders in turn, before being confronted with the human inquisitor Raziel, one of the most formidable warriors in the order. After a long and vicious duel, the Wraith Raziel killed his former human self, thus making circle of his life complete; but he was unable to recover the Heart of Darkness, which remained hidden.



The attacks on the stronghold, at very heart of Sarafan power, proved costly for the order. With the deaths of the commanders Melchiah, Zephon, Rahab, Dumah, Turel and Raziel, the Sarafan were deprived of several influential members of their leadership (with many of this group buried as martyred saints in the Tomb of the Sarafan ) and along with this the deaths of the majority of the circle the 'sponsorship' that maintained the Sarafan may have been cut. Perhaps most costly for the order though, was the fate of Malek himself, who was punished for his failure to protect the circle by surviving Death Guardian Mortanius, with his soul imprisoned in a suit of armor, depriving him of the "pleasures of the flesh", leaving him disgraced and humiliated. Arguably, the Sarafan would never fully recover from the attacks on the stronghold and the event began a decline which presumably eventually led to the downfall of the order.

Later history
"And so I returned to the sanctuary of my enemy - the fortress of the Sarafan brotherhood, deemed impossible for any man to penetrate...impossible for any man"

- Kain



Some time after Vorador's attack Kain returned to the Sarafan Stronghold, seeking the whereabouts of (Wraith) Raziel from Moebius. At this time the order had progressed much beyond that seen previously, with Moebius apparently taking over the leadership from the disgraced Malek. The armor and organisation of the order had changed much in the interim and differing rankings were seen, with the warriors themselves arguably less proficient in combat than their predecessors.

The Sarafan held many artifacts, some of vampiric origins, like fragments of the Balance and Flame fragments of the Balance Emblem, left in convenient places so Kain could find them. The Sarafan (or Moebius) had also learnt to enchant doors with Blessed barriers which only the Reaver upgraded with the Balance fragment could destroy, allowing Kain to pass through. As Kain confronted Moebius and journeyed to the Vampire Citadel he would face many Sarafan as his main enemies.

The Sarafan at this time were still the "ruling class in Nosgoth", but the order appeared to have begun to decline, with the warriors "overconfident and self assured" and fanatical in their beliefs that bloodshed was "inherently good and just". This led to "corruption, opulence and the slow degradation of their personal and public morals" and the Sarafan hoarding riches while the ordinary peasants of Nosgoth suffered under their brutal regime; perhaps hinting that, with the loss of popular support, the end of the order was near.

Legacy
"Centuries of persecution have taught me well. Five hundred years ago, our race was nearly exterminated by the fanatical crusades of the Sarafan. And now the same sick drama unfolds again. In merely a decade, Moebius’s cutthroat citizen army has nearly accomplished what the Sarafan could not. Vampires meddling in the affairs of men...Look where it has brought us."

- Vorador

Initially the crusades of the Sarafan had most direct effect on the Vampires of Nosgoth, with them causing a great deal of suffering and wiping out entire tribes of vampires. The extent of the interaction between the Sarafan warriors and the declining Ancient vampire race is unknown, though they were at least responsible for the elimination of the last of that race, Janos Audron, and arguably came close to bringing the turned vampires to extinction as well. As a consequence of the Sarafan witch-hunts many vampires, including Vorador, retreated from the everyday world and the "affairs of men", hiding in various extreme outposts and viewing them as dangerous "cattle".

The Sarafan brotherhood would go on to become legendary in Nosgoth's Human history and a defining chapter in the early years of Nosgoth's recorded history, with tales and depictions of their exploits commonplace even centuries after the end of the order and the order held as inspiration for at least two later vampire hunting orders. In the Pre-Blood Omen era of the Second timeline, Vampire hunters occupied the Sarafan Stronghold and they lionized the Sarafan crusades, depicting the martyred Sarafan commanders, their murder of Janos and the martyred Guardians killed in Vorador's Slaughter of the Circle (though this lionization had arguably begun whilst the Sarafan crusades were still active with the construction of a statue of Malek in the Sarafan Stronghold )

The history of the Sarafan continued to be well-known through the Blood Omen era (even in the First timeline, without the presence of Moebius's army), with at least two chronicles detailing the history of the order and stained glass depiction of Vorador and Malek's present in Avernus Cathedral. The survivors of the Sarafan era (most notably Moebius and Vorador ) frequently made reference to the events of the Sarafan crusades, often at the expense of the last surviving warrior priest and defender of the circle Malek, who would not ultimately meet his end until he was again met in combat by Vorador whilst defending the circle. Though their crusades were long finished by this era, Sarafan (or similarly attired) warriors were faced in combat by Kain as Malek summoned "long dead warriors" to combat Kain in his bastion; similar armor was later seen in Moebius's museum, with Moebius himself summoning similar warriors during his boss battle. Even peasants of the era were aware of the legendary actions of the Sarafan.

In the Post-Blood Omen era, The tales of the Sarafan brotherhood would become inspiration for the Hylden leader, posing as a regular human, in reviving the name of the Sarafan and create a new order, intent on once again destroying the vampire race (though this order would once apparently be destroyed by Kain).

Knowledge of the Sarafan crusades continued into the Soul Reaver era, viewed rather differently by the Vampires of Kain's empire as merciless indiscriminate murderers and Raziel would recount this version of their history (calling the era of their crusades, "the time of Vorador") as he entered the long-buried Tomb of the Sarafan and uncovered his own history as a martyred Sarafan commander; a fact which would serve to motivate his initial quest against Kain.

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
The Sarafan were first introduced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain as part of the background story to the game(and were briefly seen in the opening video ). Blood Omen established Vorador's attack on the circle and Malek's subsequent punishment  in Nosgoth's early history as crucial to the motivations of both characters   and this event was frequently referenced; depicted twice in cutscenes, mentioned by both Vorador and the Oracle, and even depicted lionized in stained glass in Avernus Cathedral. Kain would also recall another event of this era, mentioning the story of legendary Vampire Janos Audron and his murder (later explicitly revealed to be the hands of the Sarafan), recounting the story when he recovered his first Heart of Darkness artifact in his mausoleum and again as he approached Uschtenheim. Kain could also discover accounts on the formation of the Sarafan in two 'ancient chronicles' in Moebius' museum and Vorador's Mansion. Several human villagers, notably in Uschtenheim and Vasserbünde, would also recount legends of vampires killed by the Sarafan (presumably referencing Janos in the case of the former). Though the crusades of the Sarafan were long over by the Blood Omen era and with Malek explicitly the last of the Sarafan, Kain was able to encounter probable Sarafan warriors of some form in combat; with the generators in Malek's Bastion fusing long-dead warriors to suits of armor to create Malek's warriors and Moebius summoning similar warriors in his boss battle (an empty suit of Sarafan armor was also seen in Moebius's museum ).

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
The Sarafan crusades were once again part of the background story to 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. At first, Raziel regarded the Sarafan coldlly, recalling legends of the Sarafan decimating the vampires and seeing them as "murderers enshrined". Inside the tomb however, he was shocked to find the "defiled" tombs of martyred Sarafan commanders, bearing the names of himself and his brothers. Realizing that he and his brothers had been Sarafan warriors in life, Raziel was horrified by Kain's blasphemy, and this would continue to motivate him through the rest of Soul Reaver; he would reveal their common heritage to an unconcerned Rahab and at the final confrontation at the Chronoplast, Kain and Raziel openly debated the morality of the Sarafan crusades and Raziel's new-found reverence in them before Kain retreated into the past.

Soul Reaver 2
The Sarafan 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, where Vampire hunters inhabited the structure and was met by Moebius, who revealed their former association in the Sarafan priesthood when Raziel was human, and encouraged him to "re-embrace the essence of [his] humanity". As he investigated the stronghold Raziel would find "evidence of [his] former nobility", including murals depicting Vorador's slaughter of the circle, the murder of Janos Audron and the fallen Sarafan commanders themselves, and with these depictions Raziel was further motivated against Kain. As Raziel explored Nosgoth and uncovered some of its ancient history however, he began to question his assumptions about the Sarafan. Meeting Vorador at the exit of the Dark Forge he would learn more about the Sarafan; hearing how "centuries of persecution" had caused Vorador to withdraw into hiding, and how Janos and the Reaver blade (stolen by the Sarafan after Janos's murder) were both crucial to Raziel's own prophetic destiny. Raziel would return to the Sarafan Stronghold, attempting to use its Time-streaming chambers to return to the Nosgoth's early history, but he would instead be misdirected by Moebius to the Post-Blood Omen era, where he would find the crumbling ruins of Uschtenheim and Janos Audron's Retreat.

By the time Raziel managed to reach the appropriate era, his opinions on the Sarafan crusades had changed and having seen the "human face of the vampires" he found their fanatical crusades "chilling", betraying "the cold-blooded righteousness of the true believer" and viewed the Sarafan themselves as "monstrous". The formidable Sarafan Warriors would provide the main enemies for the final time period of Soul Reaver 2, and they were appropriately among the most-powerful human enemy classes. 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 commanders that had attacked Janos Audron's 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 commanders 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 commander Malek) Raziel was confronted by the remaining Sarafan commanders (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.

Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2
Blood Omen 2 featured a similar vampire hunting order, also known as "The Sarafan" in the Post-Blood Omen era, however it was apparent that this was not the same faction as featured previously and it was later confirmed that the new order was a creation of the Sarafan Lord, who had been inspired by the legendary crusades of the original Sarafan priesthood and had used the name to unite the humans against the vampires.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance/Defiance comic
The 'original' Sarafan returned to a prominent role in Legacy of Kain: Defiance as Kain returned to Nosgoth's early history attempting to track down Raziel. With Kain initially infiltrating the Sarafan Stronghold some years after the events at the conclusion of Soul Reaver 2, various Sarafan troops were once again faced in combat as enemies. Defiance revealed that the Sarafan crusades had continued for some years after the Slaughter of the Circle, under the leadership of Moebius  (presumably due to the disgrace of Malek and loss of the Sarafan commanders). Within the stronghold Kain confronted Moebius and was able to recover two fragments of the Balance Emblem, but in contrast to Raziel Kain clearly viewed the stronghold and its contents with some distaste. The Sarafan troops and organisation of this time had clearly evolved and changed in the years since Vorador's attack, but as Kain's first enemies the Sarafan troops were arguably weaker in combat than previous Sarafan enemies, and it was mentioned in guides that by this time the order had become overrun with "corruption, opulence and the slow degradation of their personal and public morals", perhaps hinting at the inevitable downfall and end of the order and its crusades.

Apocrypha
The Sarafan and their successor Vampire hunters were mentioned in the background materials to multiplayer spin-off Nosgoth as stories passed down by subjugated humans in the Soul Reaver era that eventually inspired their rebellion against the vampires and the war for Nosgoth. The Sarafan were apparently held in particular reverence with Sarafan banners from the Tomb of the Sarafan visible in some human locations and a statue of Malek positioned in the Sommerdamm map area.

Leadership
The Sarafan were led for much of their history by commander Malek, with the other members of the commander group, seeming to from a 'council' of sorts; with the individual commanders apparently ranked in the same order as their later vampire lives (Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah) and with Raziel displaying seniority over the rest of the commander group and apparently Malek's right-hand man. Legacy of Kain: Defiance indicated that after the fall of the commanders and the disgrace of Malek, the crusades continued under Moebius's leadership.

Troops
The troops of the Sarafan varied depending upon the time period (or game). In the earlier history of Soul Reaver 2, the Sarafan utilised a mixture of Pikemen, Swordsmen and fireball-throwing Sorceresses to cover all ranges; with the pikemen and swordsmen also seen in the Defiance comic. The later Sarafan troops of Defiance had a variety of different roles (indicated by different colors) including Crusaders, Templars, Zealots, ranged-attacking Archers and spell-casting Inquisitors (distinct from the earlier commanders) effectively also serving to cover all ranges. The wraith and 'summoned' Sarafan warriors (serving Malek and Moebius respectively) encountered by Kain in Blood Omen more closely resembled Malek and variants were armed with axes, daggers or a katana.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (mentioned only)
 * Soul Reaver 2
 * Blood Omen 2 (mentioned only)
 * (DEFC) Legacy of Kain: Defiance comic
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance

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Sarafan