Elzevir

Elzevir
Characters article
Elzevir in Blood Omen.
Introduced in	File:Wiki-Icon-BO1.png Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)
Appearance(s)	File:Wiki-Icon-BO1.png Blood Omen

Elzevir the Dollmaker was a minor character in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. He was a minor Human sorcerer in the events of Blood Omen, who had a certain amount of power over souls. Elzevir stole the soul of the Princess of Willendorf and imprisoned it in a crude doll, prompting Kain (who was attempting to rouse the army of hope) to hunt down the Dollmaker to his mansion in the Lake of Lost Souls. Killing Elzevir and returning the Doll to King Ottmar, the Princess was revived and Kain was able to prompt the King to use his army to battle the Legions of the Nemesis.

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"Elzevir imprisoned the girl's soul in a small fabric doll. The old man’s intentions I shall never know."

―Kain

Blood Omen era

Elzevir was a minor sorcerer and "collector of souls", who used the disguise of a toymaker to enable him to steal souls. Elzevir would create a crude effigy of a targeted individual, and attaching an item of personal importance to the effigy that enabled him to focus his sorcery and draw their soul into the effigy.*

Shortly before Kain began his quest, Elzevir targeted the Princess of Willendorf as his next victim and thus he took part in the King's celebrations for the birthday of the the Princess, entering a dollmaking contest with a royal favour as a prize. The doll that Elzevir created easily won the contest, but all that Elzevir would accept in return was a lock of the Princess's hair. Returning to his Mansion, Elzevir attached the lock of hair to his own doll and used his magic to draw the the Princess's Soul into it; turning her into a "lifeless puppet"*. Realizing who was responsible, King Ottmar sent out the Army of Last Hope to scour the land to find the dollmaker and retreated to mouring for his daughter.

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When Kain traveled to Willendorf seeking to use the Army of Last Hope against the Legions of the Nemesis, he found Ottmar still deep in mourning for his daughter and desperately offering his kingdom to anyone who could restore her (with his army scattered throughout the land searching for the Dollmaker). Kain quickly found the Elzevir the Dollmaker on an island at the center of the aptly named Lake of Lost Souls, and after fighting off many rag toys and artificial creations, the vampire confronted the Dollmaker, killing him and recovering the Dollmaker'sDoll from his bedroom. (see also Elzevir (boss))

Kain returned the Doll to Ottmar, whose sorcerers were able to restore the Princess. Keeping his word, Ottmar offered Kain his kingdom but Kain declined, asking only that Ottmar used his army to stop the advance of the Legions of The Nemesis at the Battle of the Last Stand.

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Development

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Notes

• Elzevir's origins or age are not discussed in game. Even the Silicon Knights Character Page says he is "of little note and unknown origin"*.

• Elzevir's is described as a "Dollmaker" and Elzevir the Dollmaker|his Mansion certainly supports the notion that Elzevir was a toymaker of sorts (albeit one that can animate toys); this joined with his apparent childlike possessiveness and 'affection' for the young Princess' Soul, and the fact the doll containing the Princess Soul was found in Elzevir's bedroom may lead players to some uncomfortable conclusions about Elzevir. Even Kain appears somewhat disturbed and unwilling to think about what Elzevir's intentions were any further.

• Elzevir appeared to recognize Kain as a vampire, judging by his words to Kain when he arrived.

• The Dolls created by Elzevir, resemble the misconception of Voodoo dolls; where personal artefacts attached to a basic doll enabled a sorcerer to manipulate or cause injury to a person whose effigy they had created.

• Amy Hennig has confirmed that despite the timeline changes, the stories of Elzevir, Ottmar and the Princess have not been "lost in the time shuffle", they are simply inconsequential to the further stories of Raziel and Kain. Hence it is likely that Kain's murder of Elzevir still occurred in the second paradox timeline, but with a different motivation (Kain is initially offered half of Ottmar's kingdom to pursue Elzevir). [*}

See also

File:Wiki-Icon-DC.pngElzevir the Dollmaker Page at Dark Chronicle (By Marie Tryhorn).