Malek's Bastion

Malek's Bastion was a mountaintop fortress in northern Nosgoth, the lair of Malek the Paladin. It appeared in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Upon slaying Nupraptor the Mentalist during his quest to destroy the corrupt Circle of Nine, Kain turned his attention to Malek, the Guardian of the Pillar of Conflict, and flew to his remote fortress from a vantage north of Coorhagen. The Bastion lay west of the Oracle's Cave, upon an inaccessible plateau high in Nosgoth's northern wastes. Upon reaching the desolate peak, Kain was able to gain entry, and discovered that many of the Bastion's human guards appeared to have died, frozen solid during their watch in the cold, sterile environment.

Within the Bastion, Kain was continuously taunted by Malek and assailed by numerous rotating blades, spike traps and Sarafan Wraiths - the remnants of long-dead warriors of the Sarafan Brotherhood, whose souls had - much like Malek's - been fused to magical armor. Kain overcame the Sarafan, locating and shutting down their generator machinery. In the Bastion's penultimate chamber, Kain came upon a regal corpse sat upon a throne, flanked by guards, which Malek claimed was his own.

Kain engaged in battle with Malek in the Bastion's furthermost sanctum, temporarily incapacitating the Guardian with Iron Sword combos. However, Malek proved too powerful for the fledgling Vampire to defeat alone, and summoned forth an almighty spell which propelled a wall of fatal energy towards his opponent, attempting to destroy Kain and the Bastion itself along with him. Kain retreated via a teleporter and emerged in an easterly cavern, where he obtained Havoc and Malice. Ariel then counseled him to seek the Oracle of Nosgoth for aid.

Legacy of Kain: The Dark Prophecy
Screenshots of the unreleased Legacy of Kain: The Dark Prophecy from Jason Muck's portfolio depict Kain traversing a snowy, mountainous fortress emblazoned with the symbol of the Sarafan Brotherhood and defended by animated suits of armor. Upon viewing the images, several fans theorized that the then-undisclosed location was Malek's Bastion, revisited. This theory was confirmed in an update to Jason Muck's website, in which most of the screenshots were renamed (i.e. FinalMalek02.jpg).

Gameplay
The Bastion is easily one of the least hospitable locations in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain - the only source of blood in its confines are blood vials, as the few enemies Kain can feed on are ghostly and cannot replenish his health. Additionally, the snow in its outdoor environs is harmful to him.

There are no secrets to be found within Malek's Bastion. The courtyard can be revisited after the battle with Malek via bat flight, but not the main fortress itself.