Nupraptor (chapter)

Chapter 3: Nupraptor is the third "level", or chapter, of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. It pursues Kain's quest to track down and kill the first member of the Circle of Nine - Nupraptor, the Guardian of the Pillar of the Mind.

Plot
When Ariel was murdered in the pre-Blood Omen era, her lover Nupraptor realized that a traitor within the Circle itself was responsible for this brutal deed. Overcome with grief and a lust for vengeance, he turned his powers against his peers, driving the minds of the Circle members into dementia. This corruption of the Pillars was almost irrevocable - only when all the currently-serving Pillar Guardians were destroyed could Nosgoth be redeemed. Kain was charged with killing these sorcerers, and returning their Pillar tokens; only when all of the Pillars were restored, Ariel told him, would his curse end.

Kain travels north towards Nupraptor's Retreat, honing his new powers as a vampire, and offering cynical commentary on the human towns of Nachtholm and Steinchencröe. In Steinchencröe, he encounters Irmok the Mad, a so-called lunatic who advises him to disguise his presence. With this counsel in mind, Kain enters a Gypsy camp, and obtains a human guise. This enables him to avoid detection when passing through the city of Vasserbünde, whose inhabitants express their dismay at Nupraptor's sadistic activities.

Entering the Retreat, Kain reflects on the folly of the pilgrims who traveled to this fortress in search of the renowned Mentalist's wisdom. He comes upon a catatonic serving girl, who explains that Nupraptor sewed his eyes and lips shut to deny the outside world, driven to insanity and self-pity by the loss of his beloved Ariel. Unimpressed by this, Kain makes it to the sorcerer's inner sanctum, and finds that the wraith, Malek, is there to defend Nupraptor from attack.

Believing that Malek will inevitably fail him, Nupraptor dismisses the Paladin, and confronts Kain alone. After a brief battle, Kain prevails in beheading the Mind Guardian, and returns his severed head to the Pillars. It dissolves into the stone of the Pillar of the Mind, resulting in its restoration. Though triumphant, Kain recognizes that he cannot expect further successes as long as Malek remains active to defend the remaining Guardians - thus, he proclaims the Sarafan warrior his next target.

Players (in order of appearance)

 * Kain (voiced by Simon Templeman) and Kain's voiceovers
 * Ariel (voiced by Anna Gunn)
 * Irmok
 * Nupraptor (voiced by Richard Doyle)
 * Malek (voiced by Neil Ross)