Earth Forge (Soul Reaver 2)

The Earth Forge, or Earth Shrine, was a Reaver Forge planned to appear in Soul Reaver 2. Within the Forge, Raziel was to obtain the Earth Reaver, an augmentation which later appeared in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. The Forge is a deleted level and is not present in the finished game.

Background
Discussing abilities planned for Raziel to earn in a May 2000 interview concerning Soul Reaver 2, Amy Hennig commented on the development of the Wraith Blade enhancements:

As well as confirming the presence of "nine additional spell-type things", she caveated this information, saying it "could change", "based on our schedule and what we're going to have to adjust as we go".



As with the other enhancements, Raziel was planned to have imbued the Wraith Blade with elemental Earth in the Earth Forge, creating the Earth Reaver. Ultimately both the forge and its associated Reaver enhancement were cut due to time constraints and the final version of Soul Reaver 2 featured only four of the seven planned Reaver enhancements and their associated forges. Despite the removal of the forge and its enhancement, the Earth symbol can still be observed in game on the dais of the Subterranean Pillars Chamber.

Prerelease screenshots archived at The Lost Worlds depict Raziel wielding a bright-green incarnation of the Wraith Blade in an area which does not appear anywhere in the game. It is highly plausible that this fictile-toned locale is the Earth Forge.

Addressing the deleted forges, Daniel Cabuco commented:

It is reasonable to assume that, like its counterparts, the Forge was constructed by the Ancient Vampires, would have exhibited unique architectural influences from real-world ancient temples, and would have entailed solving a complex puzzle. The location of forge within Nosgoth and the game world of Soul Reaver 2 is unknown, though several locations including Uschtenheim and the Swamp contain playable areas that are usually inaccessible and may have been intended to lead to deleted forges.

An Earth Forge does exist in the Vampire Citadel (and is visited in Legacy of Kain: Defiance), but, like its equivalents, is distinct from the dedicated Earth Forge. Because of its disinclusion in the games, the Forge's canonical status is dubious.

Appearances

 * Soul Reaver 2 (cut)