Raziel's Clan Territory

Raziel's Clan Territory was an area of Nosgoth seen in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver that was home to Raziel and the Razielim clan in Kain's empire. After Raziel's execution and return as a wraith he travelled to the territory and found his clan no longer is residence - which fuelled his suspicion that they had been wiped out by Kain.

The territory served as one of the earliest levels of the game and an early hub area - connecting to the Necropolis, Drowned Abbey and Abyss/Sanctuary of the Clans. It was also home to several collectables gained through backtracking with later abilities.

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Raziel's clan territory was one of the first areas visited in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Ostensibly the main territory of the Razielim clan, the territory had been the home of the clan for some time before the opening sequence of the game.

When Raziel returned from the Abyss after his execution, emerging in Kain's empire, his first thoughts were regarding the safety of his clan, thus he travelled west to his clan territory. He ultimately discovered the Stronghold empty and long abandoned, only scavenging Dumahim roaming around. Raziel took this as evidence of a genocide against his clan by Kain further motivating his hatred against his former master. With much of his stronghold collapsed and reduced to a ruin, Raziel traversed his former home in order to get to Melchiah.

Apocrypha

Main article: Fane

Main article: Nosgoth (cancelled game)/locations#The Fane

The cancelled mutliplayer Nosgoth made reference to the Razielim clan territory and suggested that early in Kain's empire all of the clans had utilised covert underground cities to ensure the survival of fledglings and to protect themselves in pupation states.

Raziel had been among the first to order his clan to abandon their original underground city and the Fane beneath the Erebus Mountains to move to a new territory above ground in the early years of Kain's empire. After Raziel's execution and Kain's disappearance the other clans, believing they were doing Kain's will, had turned on the Razielim and invaded their territory - dividing the spoils of their conquest ultimately led to conflict and the beginning of the Vampire civil war.

Some time later a group of fledgling Razielim led by Eskandor, who had been covertly stored in the abandoned Fane, returned to the Razielim territory to find it occupied by the Dumahim. Revealing the human victories at Coorhagen seen from the skies on his journey, Eskandor and his brood were spared and the clans called a truce to put down the human resistance and begin the War for Nosgoth.

Design and Layout

The Throne Room

This larger outer area has several columns on each side and a staircase in the middle. The staircase leads to an altar with a bowl of fire in front of a Razielim symbol encircled on the wall. The door to the right leads to the Warp gate room, while the left door leads deeper into the territory.

The Octagonal Courtyard

This area houses a large drawbridge tower which gives Raziel access to three different drawbridges. These are manipulated by tower´s central constrictable object and pressing the switch on the wall. By default, the drawbridge leading to the Necropolis is down already, allowing Raziel to reach the Necropolis.

Development

Soul_Reaver_Alpha_-_Raziel's_Clan_Territory — Soul Reaver Alpha - Raziel's Clan Territory

(by Raina Audron)

Raziel's clan territory had a few changes made during the course of development and has some notable changes in alpha builds:.

The initial chambers of the stronghold had square pillars down the middle of the room.
The main courtyard area had no collectable alcove and grate, no flaming bowl, no flags and had visible ruined remains- with a statue head and a hand still on the floor, and a fallen arch in the back of the area. The stairs originally started off complete before being made rougher in successive builds.
The drawbridge tower area lacks the bonfires and enemies seen in retail. The drawbridge arrangement changes with builds as two drawbridges which are down upon entry and no mechanism is present in early alpha builds, but the later alphas have the more familiar single drawbridge, switch and constrict dial mechanism. The northwestern chamber contains the Fire Forge which is moved to the Drowned Abbey for retail.The southwestern chamber connects directly to the next chamber rather than through the zig-zag corridor seen in retail.

Notes

Raziel's Clan Territory is never named in Soul Reaver and there are currently no clues as to its name. The Elder God refers to it as Raziel's former stronghold.

The Razielim may have indeed been wiped out by Kain, but Raziel's Clan Territory provides little evidence of this. The only evidence are blood stained shields mounted on walls, but apart from this, it is totally empty and there are no signs of a struggle or bodies (unlike what is shown in Dumah's territory, Ash Village ), though this may be because the genocide of Raziel's clan happened centuries before that of Dumah's clan.
While the location of the events of the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver comic is not definitively discussed its set up would suggest the Razielim clan territory as a likely setting.

References

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