"The Oracle’s Cave, where Kain’s first fateful meeting with Moebius occurred. Moebius played the role of a doddering soothsayer, stirring his pot of visions while dispensing enigmatic predictions to gullible visitors. Underneath the facade was Moebius the Time Streamer, sorcerer of the Circle of Nine - a ruthless manipulator with the power to bend time. Since his murder at Kain’s hands centuries ago, these caves have stood vacant... though, like Moebius himself, they are rumored to be only a facade for a much larger, more elaborate complex... I sensed that Kain was here... and at that moment, I would have plumbed the depths of hell to find him."
In Blood Omen, shortly after his encounter with Malek in Malek's Bastion, Kain sought a way to defeat the Paladin and was directed by Ariel that the Oracle of Nosgoth (actually Moebius the Time Streamer) might be able to aid him. He entered the Cave and found a maze of caverns with many deadly perils, however he was able to find the Spells 'Stun ' and 'Incapacitate ' and a Blood Fountain to protect him from the snow. Passing through the caves, he eventually entered the Moebius's Museum, and found The Oracle's Chamber, where Moebius awaited. Moebius gave Kain a series of cryptic clues regarding King Ottmar and the Legions of the Nemesis, before advising Kain to seek Vorador in his mansion in the Termogent Forest Swamp, advising Kain to follow the Ignis fatuus to find it.
Raziel also travelled to the Oracle's cave pursuing Kain, on the advise of both Ariel and The Elder God . As Kain had done before him, Raziel fought his way through the Oracle's Cave, now populated with Adult Turelim, through the Empty Moebius' Museum and into the Oracle's Chamber itself where he discovered that The Oracle's cauldron was not only still present, but also still lit. Raziel was able to use the cauldron to unlock a passage into a larger, more elaborate complex, where he not only found a statue of Moebius himself, but several 'portals' which showed Raziel visions of a potential future (which was actually the Original Soul Reaver Storyline.) The passage led to the Chronoplast .
Environment[]
Moebius's museum[]
Moebius' Museum was a room within the Oracle's Cave, just before the Oracle's Chamber . It was visited as a playable location in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver .
In Blood Omen, Kain passed through Moebius' Museum just before he reached the Oracle's chamber. The Museum was a collection of artefacts from different timelines that effectively foretold the mistakes that Kain would make on his quest. It contained two shields, a red banner, a guillotine, a doll, a set of Sarafan armour and a book written about them
Each object would turn out to have relevance: The Book and the Armour were both Sarafan artefacts related to the Paladin Malek, who Kain was pursuing at this point. The Doll was the Dollmaker'sDoll that Kain would later collect to help him enlist the help of Willendorf in the Battle of the Last Stand, indeed one of the shields bore the sigil of Willendorf and was apparently worn from that battle. The other shield and the Red banner bore the signs of Moebius Mercenary Army, and the Guillotine was the one used to behead Vorador (it was apparently still wet with his blood). The last three objects were retrieved from after the Reaver paradox that created the Second timeline and it's resulting change in the timelines.
Raziel was able to visit the Museum room in Soul Reaver, but all that was there was the tattered remains of Moebius' banner
The Museum does appear to 'bend' a few of the rules of time travel within the series (as history is rewritten), although if anyone had that power, it was Moebius.
The Museum also contained some unexplained objects; there was a broken mirror with shards of glass beneath it; there was also a golden chalice on the floor next to the armour (which may represent Vorador, given the cut-scene between Kain and Vorador); of most note however, is what appears to be a Shotgun, as this is the first and only depiction of a gun in the series, though there were cannons in Soul Reaver 2.
The Oracle's Chamber[]
The Oracle's Chamber, also known as the Oracle's Lair, the Oracle's Cave or simply a Cavern, was a significant chamber within the larger Oracle's Cave encountered by Kain in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Raziel in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and was the site of Kain's first meeting with Moebius in his guise of "The Oracle of Nosgoth".
The Oracle's chamber is mentioned indirectly as the "Oracle's Lair" in Blood Omen transcripts, but is only referred to directly as the "Cavern". Soul Reaver stage directions refer to the room as the "Oracle's chamber" whereas Raziel himself only directly refers to it as the "Oracle's Cave".
The Oracle's chamber is notably an incomplete room in Soul Reaver models - as the walls are moveable in cutscenes they are counted as an object and thus do not display along with the rest of the room model.
Behind the scenes[]
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The Oracle's Cave has several elements that were changed during development and appeared differently in the alpha builds:
The most obvious change is the position of the area. Instead of being in the last clearing of the snowy wastes, the Oracle's cave is instead positioned directly north of the Ruined City of the Dumahim and is accessed through it from the back statue courtyard. Turel's clan territory is positioned where the Oracle's cave will be in retail.
A previously unknown snowy valley leads up from the Ruined City of the Dumahim. A passage part way along leads to an unknown forge room labelled as “adda2”. The entrance to the Oracle's cave is more natural with a basic cave-like entrance.
The initial entrance area has an early attempt at a reflecting texture representing ice. The effect will be properly polished and finished for Janos's retreat in Soul Reaver 2.
The original alpha passage leading upto the Oracle's Cave from the the Ruined City of the Dumahim...
...is still present in later builds...
...but leads to a different room
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The lifting trapdoors puzzle bears the sundial constrict object that will end up outside the retail Oracle's cave,has a flat area where a pit will be placed in retail, the trapdoor mechanisms have chains that are missing in the retail version, the main exit door has an appropriately coloured rock texture and the blocks are different and have distinctive symbolic carvings. The wall designs here show head on views of the figures seen only side on in retail - unambiguously showing that one depicts Wraith Raziel.
The diamond door area has plain textures – including the blocks - and features another door replaced by a rock opening in retail. A trapdoor is placed soon after which can be used as a shortcut back to the initial area of the caves.
Moebius's chamber has no fire and doesn't need to be constricted. The clock mechanism behind has no Moebius statue and no levers to activate the puzzle, with 6:40 being the correct solution rather than 6 o'clock as in the retail. In the room below the lenses are a different design, and the final door texture is also different.
The clan clock puzzle has unfinished textures and no symbols on the wall or floors. The following pendulum cog room notably has no platform so the pendulum has to be used as one instead.
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Interactive Map[]
Videos[]
See also[]
Map at Nosgothic Realm (by Tenaya, Guilherme Coelho and Andrew Fradley).