Once Kain returned to Willendorf with the Dollmaker'sDoll, restoring the soul of the Princess of Willendorf, King Ottmar prepared for war with the invading Legions from the north. The Army of the Last Hope rallied at the Plains of Blood in a last stand against the Horde. As the Legions approached the hill where the Armies of the Hope stood, Ottmar, elevated, gave a rousing speech to his troops, and the armies charged forth.[Blood Omen/9]
Kain constantly proceeded north, and "sated [his] thirst on warriors of Horde and Hope alike; the dying relinquishing their final moments to give [him] strength." However, the ruthlessly advancing armies of the Nemesis "were fierce and showed no signs of subsiding." The tide of battle turned with Ottmar's death, and Kain "watched as the remaining survivors of the Armies of Hope fled to the safety of the forest." He used his only means of escape: the time-streaming device he obtained in Avernus Cathedral, which swept him fifty years back into Nosgoth's past.[Blood Omen/9] "At once, the battlefield was gone. Where the ground was caked with Blood and dirt, there was lush greenery. Where chaos reigned only moments before, this damning calm prevailed."[Blood Omen/10]
Environment[]
On the world map, the Plains of Blood comprised a large region northeast of Avernus, south of the Lake of Lost Souls, and west of Stahlberg. They were bordered by forest on all sides except the north.[1]
Visually, the Plains of Blood were depicted as a large expanse of mud that, during the battle, was littered with corpses and medieval battle equipment. As Kain progressed northward along the Plains, feeding on both sides, the Legions of the Nemesis gained the upper hand and scenes of carnage became more frequent, reminiscent of the utter devastation and mutilation previously visible at Stahlberg. Eventually, as King Ottmar was slain, the Army of the Last Hope fragmented and fled into the surrounding forests.[Blood Omen/9]
The Plains carried many of the signs of the conquests of the Legions of the Nemesis (previously seen in Stahlberg). Corpses were littered everywhere; some are cut in half, others are beheaded, many people (or body parts) are impaled on stakes or crucified and there is a large pile of bloodied skulls with a white Willendorf flag protruding, defaced with the words "Death to Ottmar", scrawled in Blood.
Though the Plains are never playable outside of the effects of battle, given the name and brief glimpses in cutscenes it appears they were an expanse of grassland and fields before the warring armies reduced them to mud.
Behind the scenes[]
The location of the Battle of the Last Stand is unspecified in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. However, director Denis Dyack said in a 1996 Usenet post, "I can't wait until everyone get to the "Plains of Blood". I believe this area generate a great deal of noise." When asked for more information about the Plains of Blood, he confirmed that "the Plains of Blood is where the huge battle is fought." The Plains were subsequently identified on the printed map included with the 1997 Microsoft Windows port of Blood Omen.[1]
In Blood Omen data, the Plains of Blood are numbered "MAP 44," and are divided into three sectors comprising the north, central, and south parts of the area. They are numbered "MAP 44 SECT 21," "MAP 44 SECT 31," and "MAP 44 SECT 41" respectively.[2] Unlike most of the other plot-related areas in the game, the Plains map and sectors are not labeled in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain—Official Game Secrets.[Blood Omen strategy guide]
The Plains of Blood and the Battle of the Last Stand represent a point of no return for the player in Blood Omen. Once Kain returns to Ottmar in Willendorf Castle with the Dollmaker's Doll, the Battle begins, and Kain cannot return to any locations in the oldevents of Blood Omen.[3][Blood Omen/9] His manual Bat Form ability is permanently disabled from the Plains of Blood onward, even in overland locations, and any undiscovered items, abilities, and secrets from before this point are lost.[Blood Omen/9][Blood Omen/10][Blood Omen/11][Blood Omen/12]
The Plains of Blood are largely inaccessible ingame, surrounded in the map by forests. Kain is transported to the Plains after he returns the Dollmaker'sDoll to Ottmar, and when the battle is finished and the Time Streaming Device activated, Kain is automatically transported to a keep on the outskirts of the Stahlberg, and is free to explore following a cutscene involving Kain reading a Mercenary's memories of Moebius.