Cemetery

"This edifice, marked with the elemental Light symbol, was clearly much older than the ruins in the rest of the cemetery. The door was far too high to reach. And to open it, it seemed the Reaver would need to be imbued with the power of Darkness.   Clearly I had more to accomplish before I could discover what lay within."

- Raziel

The Cemetery was a playable location in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. An expansive graveyard area, it was located in southwestern Nosgoth to the west of Ziegsturhl. Kain's Mausoleum was one of the most notable structures inside the Cemetery and a number of notable artifacts, spells and objects could be found nearby including he Sanctuary spell, Ornamental Shield, Kain's Family Crest and the Faceted Orb, as well as a number of Secrets.

Role
In Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, when Kain was resurrected by Mortanius in Seeking Revenge, he awoke as a Vampire in his tomb, deep inside his Mausoleum. Making his way out of the structure and gaining his first spells and artifacts along the way, Kain found himself in the wider Cemetery. Emerging from his Mausoleum, he discovered that the sunlight was now uncomfortable to him and as it began to rain he found that water was even more painful. Sheltering from the rain, Kain explored the Cemetery's other mausoleums and found his first Flay artifacts. Shortly after his exit from the Cemetery, Kain was able to find the brigands that committed his murder. Kain took revenge, killing them all, but as he finished the deed he was warned by Mortanius that the brigands were pawns of a greater master. Mortanius directed Kain to the The Pillars and Kain left on the trail to Ziegsturhl. After this Kain was able to return regularly to his mausoleum within the cemetery through the use of the sanctuary spell and was able to discover several secrets in the immediate area.

Raziel was also to find himself in the Cemetery in Legacy of Kain: Defiance after emerging from The Elder's Lair in Escape from the Elder God Chamber. Initially trapped in the Spectral Realm he was denied a chance to enter the Material Realm when The Elder God removed the Planar portals and soon after discovered the Elder's soul devouring agents - the Archons. Seeking a way to enter the Material Realm, Raziel explored the cemetery's mausoleums in Find the Path to the Pillars and found a new method to enter it through 'possessing corpses'. Discovering Moebius's mercenary army inhabiting the Cemetery and overhearing them talking about a spirit haunting the Pillars, Raziel realized that he had apparently been trapped in the Elder's Lair for five centuries and was now in the Blood Omen era. Along with the mercenaries, Raziel discovered that several other enemies - the Revenants - were also crossing realms by spirit projection and possession, apparently just to follow him.

Further inside the Cemetery Raziel was able to find several ruins much older than the rest of the Cemetery and was able to gain entry to the warp gates to the Dark Forge within the Vampire Citadel. Gaining the Dark Reaver from this forge, he was able to enter Kain's Mausoleum and passing through it, reached the ruins that were able to teleport him to the Light Forge and enable him to gain the Light Reaver. Utilizing both Wraith-blade enhancements, Raziel was able to open an ancient gate, behind which was a trail that led directly to the Pillars.

Design and Layout
As with other reappearing locations, the Cemetery in Defiance is drastically altered from its Blood Omen appearance and very little directly matches the layout seen previously, although some buildings appear in similar places. Because of this only the main outdoor cemetery area and Kain's Mausoleum can be directly considered to reappear, with behind the scenes source suggesting that Defiance represented an 'updated' view of the Cemetery. Nevertheless, several distinct buildings and areas of the Cemetery can be identified:

Main Cemetery
The main external area of the Cemetery seen in both Blood Omen and Defiance, although drastically altered between titles.

In Blood Omen the main cemetery area comprised of a number of fenced areas containing five mausoleum buildings surrounded by a heavily wooded area and a stream running diagonally in the southeast - each mausoleum except Kain's mausoleum in the north was linked to another underground, giving a total of three mausoleum complexes. In the center was the 'graveyard' area contained a number of graves with Vista points and completely surrounded by railings, with other partitions spreading off from this: A partition in the northwest surrounding the entrance to the 'first crypt' with a trail leading north through an open gate to Kain's Mausoleum; a partition to the east contained the main gate to the Cemetery with a trail leading north to Ziegsturhl or bending around to a partition containing the exit of the 'first crypt'; to the southwest was another graveyard area and beyond that another fenced off area containing the entrance to the secret mausoleums; to the southeast beyond the stream was the exit of the secret mausoleums into a heavily wooded area with a number of Zombies and Pentaliche of tarot artifacts.

For Defiance the area returned as the main external hub of the Cemetery, this time centered around a large two-tiered circular ruin among a central graveyard with a number of other ruins, buildings and passage spreading out from there. A circular 'amphitheater' style area in the northwest led upto a sealed door and a passage heading through to another similar area outside the entrance to Kain's Mausoleum. An open-topped apparently partially collapsed building in the south led through into the 'Sunken Tomb' building, while a trail around the other side of the ruin from the 'amphitheater' led north through a series of passages and ruins to the main Cemetery gate. High doorways in the east and west led to the Light and Dark forge ruins respectively, with the top tier of the central structure acting and something of a bridge to cross the top level.

Kain's Mausoleum
Arguably the most important structure in the Cemetery, Kain's Mausoleum appeared in both Blood Omen and Defiance and was positioned in the northwest of the Cemetery in both titles. Kain's tomb, the Sanctuary spell and Kain's Family Crest could be found within. Featured a different 'updated' layout in Defance although arguably somewhat reminiscent of the original layout. In Blood Omen linked only the the 'Main Cemetery', but gained a link to the 'Light forge ruins' through a sealed door and high ledge  in Defiance

First Crypt
Referred to only as the "first crypt" or "next crypt", this is the a mausoleum Kain passes through after leaving his mausoleum on the way to exit the Cemetery in Blood Omen. Linked the central eastern and central western mausoleums in the 'main Cemetery' through an underground 'dungeon'-like area. Houses a secret room containing a guide to Blood script.

Secret Mausoleums
Two secret mausoleums found in Blood Omen in the south of the Cemetery linked by Teleporters. The first mausoleum in the south west could be reached only after gaining Wolf Form or Mist Form and allowed Kain to teleport to the southeastern crypt below a river in a heavily forested area, to find three Pentaliche of tarot artifacts and several Zombies.

Sunken Tomb
Appearing in Defiance, this mausoleum complex was positioned in the south of that area, leading to a tomb that was largely flooded and contained a link to the underworld through which Raziel escaped the Elder God, as well as a link to the 'Light forge ruins' on its far side. Also contained the only planar portal seen in Defiance as well as a secret orb activated doorway. The Ornamental Shield could be found within.

Dark Forge Ruins
A set of ruins in the east of the Cemetery accessible only from a high passage marked with the Darkness symbol in the main cemetery area. Housed a megalith structure in the shape of the Darkness symbol and a portal room only accessible to the bearer of the Wraith Blade which led via a warp gate to the Dark Forge within the Vampire Citadel.

Light Forge Ruins
A set of ruins in the west of the Cemetery accessible from a high passage marked with the Light symbol in the main cemetery area, a low passage through the sunken tomb, or a high passage from Kain's Mausoleum. Housed a megalith structure in the shape of the Light symbol and a portal room only accessible to the bearer of the Wraith Blade which led via a warp gate to the Light Forge within the Vampire Citadel.

The Gate
The main gate leading north (or northeast) to Ziegsturhl and the Pillars of Nosgoth. Debatable whether the same gate is seen in both Blood Omen and Defiance, although both are seen in a similar area of the Cemetery. Gains a much more complex appearance and a new orb activated mechanism in Defiance.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance