In his quest to hunt down the Circle's now-tainted Guardians, Kain sought out Nupraptor first, seeking to destroy the source of the corruption. He confronted the Mentalist in his Retreat, and beheaded him in battle. In doing so, he was able to temporarily restore the Pillar of the Mind.
"Like the mercy you showed your fellow Guardians when you set Kain on them? Or the mercy you showed Kain when you kept him ignorant of his destiny while you used him as the scourge of the Circle? Or perhaps like the mercy you showed your beloved Nupraptor when you made him Kain's first kill?"
Nupraptor was born to serve the Pillars of Nosgoth as Guardian of the Mind at some point in the centuries following Nosgoth's early history and, along with the immortality gifted to him by his role, Nupraptor's position also allowed him power over "mental and psychic abilities", making him "hypersensitive to people's emotions and thoughts"* and over-exposure to these had made him somewhat "unpredictable and illogical", though he was fiercely loyal to those he cared about. His well-known psychic powers made him a popular figure with pilgrims, who travelled from far and wide to seek his wisdom from his impressive retreat overlooking the town of Vasserbunde (which apparently catered for many of the pilgrims). The Pillar Token gifted to him was his enlarged cranium, represented as Nupraptor's Head.
For the next thirty years, Nupraptor would continue in anguish at his bereavement. He would withdraw completely to his retreat and sew his eyes and mouth shut "to deny the outside world"*, Pilgrims that still travelled to the retreat were seldom seen again and many were apparently tortured by the Mentalist.
His Pathetic Self-Pity[]
"The Mentalist Nupraptor was renowned through Nosgoth for his tricks of the mind, telepathy and telekinesis. Pilgrims traveled from all across the land seeking the comfort of his lies. I sought not his wisdom but his life."
When Kain arrived in Nupraptor's Retreat, he found the stronghold largely abandoned and covered in Blood (suggesting the fates of many of the pilgrims that had visited). Ascending to the top of the retreat (the 'mind' of the skull-shaped stronghold), Kain confronted Nupraptor, but found Malek (Conflict Guardian and protector of the circle), waiting to defend the Mentalist. Nupraptor (possibly angry at Malek's lack of protection for Ariel) dismissed the Paladin and fought Kain alone, using his powers of telekinesis, teleportation and illusion to battle Kain whilst he remained seated. (see Nupraptor (boss)).
Once Kain was able to approach Nupraptor, he beheaded him, killing the mentalist and recovering his particularly gruesome pillar token; Nupraptor's head; and returning it to the Pillars of Nosgoth, he was able to temporarily restore the the Pillarof the Mind. Kain would continue with his quest, but only at its climax would he learn that he too (as successor to Balance GuardianAriel ) had been tainted by Nupraptor's Corruption.
Relentless Waves of Hatred[]
"You dare intrude upon my sanctuary? Can I not mourn in peace? Leave... leave and let my solitude be complete..."
Nupraptor does not directly appear in further titles; though his role as the source of the the Corruption of thePillars of Nosgoth (whose effects Kain would still suffer until the climax of Defiance) looms large later in the series:
A bust which is possibly Nupraptor, is also present in the Force Glyph Altar in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver; the sculpture (complete with 'sewn shut' eyes and bulbous head) was in close proximity to Nupraptor's Retreat in that game and after completing the puzzle the eyes shot a blast which presented the Force Glyph to Raziel - a Glyph spell whose 'Telekinetic Blast' mimicked, to a certain extent, the powers used by Nupraptor.
"So this was the Mentalist Nupraptor, this broken, pathetic little man. Yet crippled as he was, he would not yield without battle. Very well, old fool. If it is death you seek, I will not deny you."
A magician of phenomenal mental and psychic ability, Nupraptor is hypersensitive to peoples' emotions and thoughts. This constant exposure has made him extremely unstable - prone to rash action and sometimes unpredictable and illogical decision making. He is a passionate man, however, and very loyal to those who are special to him. And so it was with Ariel, the original Balance wizard. When Nupraptor discovers that Mortanius, under the malevolent control of the Dark Entity, Hash'ak'gik, has murdered Ariel, he goes over the edge. He vows vengeance upon Mortanius and the fates that have caused this event, and turns his powerful magic to bear on the other members of the Circle of Nine. All across Nosgoth, the minds of the sensitive and intellectual are blasted by relentless waves of hatred. There is no stopping the assault. When the enchantment ends, the entire Circle is quite insane, some raving like madmen, others maliciously in control of their actions... And now, Nosgoth is at their mercy.
Though the Corruption of the Pillars of Nosgoth has much to do with the mental state of the Circle of Nine themselves, the corruption was not caused (per se) by Nupraptor's descent into madness; instead the psychic attack on the circle was intentional; as the only method Nupraptor had to strike the circle's 'traitor' Mortanius.*
Powers[]
Nupraptor's age is not conclusively discussed in the series, but since we know that a Mind Guardian was killed by Vorador in Nosgoth's early history, Nupraptor cannot be older than 500 years at the time of the events ofBlood Omen: Legacy of Kain(It is not clear if Nupraptor was born as a direct successor to this guardian, or years later after the death of another).
Etymology[]
Nupraptor is described as a Mentalist; a stage performer who appears to demonstrate several apparently psychic abilities; in the real world mentalists were little more than stage conjurers.