Red blood

Red blood
Introduced in	Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)
Appearance(s)	•(SR1C)••••• (DEFC)

"Blood is your life. Without it, you will die. If you are wounded, seek out blood to restore your vitality."

―Umah

Blood is a bodily fluid involved in the circulatory system, which carries nutrients to specific locations and carries waste products away. Many of Nosgoth's inhabitants had some kind of Blood and The Blood Curse means that Vampires need to consume blood regularly to survive. As such, blood has been a constant need for Kain in Blood Omen, Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

Profile

As a series that focuses on Vampires, Blood is featured throughout the Legacy of Kain series and a blood vial represented Kain's health gauge. Many of the major characters in the series, as Vampires required blood to survive and recover from injuries, this could be fed from in humans by traditional neck biting (seen in Defiance ) or by telekinesis, though a multitude of other methods existed to restore Blood level (see blood-related items)

Kain feeding telekinetically in Blood Omen 2

Blood was also related to the relative strength and experience of Vampires with several concepts involving the consumption of blood bestowing special powers. Blood vials in Blood Omen increased Kain's capacity to hold blood making him stronger and this concept was carried over into Lore in Blood Omen 2 (explicitly linked to drinking the blood of enemies). It was also mentioned that Vorador was able to read the thoughts of a victim as he drained their blood and at one stage in Blood Omen Kain apparently demonstrated a similar skill, reading the thoughts of a dying human^{[Blood Omen]}. Blood Omen would also demonstrate through Blood fountains how drinking blood could gain new powers and later Blood Omen 2 would feature Absorbing veins, apparently linked to consuming blood that allowed Dark Gifts to be 'stolen'.

Kain feeding telekinetically in the Defiance comic

In addition to Vampires, other creatures seemed to require blood. The Mass was fed on the blood of Ancient Vampire Janos Audron(but it was also poisoned by Ancient Hylden blood) and the wraith smiths in Spirit Forges granted artifacts in exchange for a blood sacrifice.

Outside of direct implications for biology and 'feeding', Blood has a large part in the mythos of the series as a whole. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain begins with an apparent prophecy regarding the planet being "bathed in blood" (an apparent reference to the upheavals of the Blood Omen and era following Blood Omens) and blood is frequently mentioned in dialogue both in reference to the Blood curse and metaphorically regarding the vampire bloodline^{[Blood Omen][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver 2][Blood Omen 2][Defiance]}.

Blood and Gore

Typical enemy damage shown by blood loss in Defiance

Blood and Gore have always been a defining characteristic of the Legacy of Kain series, perhaps unsurprisingly considering the supposed violent nature of videogames and vampire nature of many characters; though the series has perhaps avoided the infamy of other violent and gory videogames.

At a basic level, Blood was frequently used to signify damage and injury in enemy characters, with most weapons (including ordinary claws) able to slice through flesh and extract blood^{[Blood Omen][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver 2][Blood Omen 2][Defiance]}. Many of the more advanced attacks had gory applications, most obviously related to feeding, however several were gratiously violent or gory with no particular feeding bonuses and some even actively impeded any feeding; these types of gory attacks were notably emphasised in the Blood Omen arc of the series.

• In Blood Omen, gory deaths could be inflicted with the artifacts Flay, Implode, Font of Putrescence and Pentaliche of Tarot, the Lightning Spell and use of the Soul Reaver as aweapon ^{[Blood Omen]}.

• In Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Raziel's finishing moves could be utilised to impale enemies (with Spear weapons) or destroy their bodies completely with the Wraith Blade (Soul Reaver), enemies could also be impaled on Wall spikes with a finishing move, Telekinetic Force Projectile or Force Glyph usage^{[Soul Reaver]}.

• In Soul Reaver 2, Raziel's finishing moves returned with Raziel able to directly utilise an impale or decapitation finishing move with most weapons, though a heart rip and neck twist were available with claws. The Wraith Blade retained its ability to totally desroy enemies^{[Soul Reaver 2]}.

  

  A gory 'Stealth Kill' in Blood Omen 2

• In Blood Omen 2, Kain could utilise several impalement-type attacks in ordinary combat and the use of certain weapons enabled Kain to use decapitation grab attacks. Also using Kain's Mist Dark Gift, he could use a variety of gory, one-hit Stealth kills ^{[Blood Omen 2]}. The Dark Gift Immolate was also originally intended to be a violent bloody attack called rupture (and functioning similar to Implode from Blood Omen).

• Legacy of Kain: Defiance featured the return of wall spikes, now more useful with telekinesis attacks and finishing moves used to Feed the Reaver generally featured an impalement attack^[Defiance].

Blood-Related Items

Vorador's Blood soaked ring

Throughout the series, several items and features have heavily involved the use of blood.

Most of these involved some kind of restoration of blood level; these items include blood beakers, Blood fountains (which also granted Kain other powers), Spells Blood Gout (which involved using Kain's blood as a projectile weapon), Blood Shower and Sanctuary, the Heart of Darkness artifact and the Flesh Armor (noted as "wrought with the blood of noblemen") in Blood Omen and Blood Basins in Legacy of Kain: Defiance^[Defiance]. Chained and Sleeping villagers could also be considered a 'free meal' in this manner.

Other Blood-related items include:

• In Blood Omen, the Guillotine in Moebius's museum, Vorador's Signet Ring and Tome of Hash'ak'gik^{[Blood Omen]} (see notes) were all described as stained or soaked with blood as well as the grisly Pillar Tokens Nupraptor's Head ^{[Blood Omen]}; Azimuth had also used runes inscribed in Human blood to summon demons to Avernus.

• In Soul Reaver 2, in the Air Forge, Raziel was able to collect and restore the blood-dripping hearts of three colored mummies (Red, Blue and Green) and later in Janos' Retreat, he was able to use a system of Blood chalices and Blood Basins to move blood, ultimately creating the Bloodstone bridges with which he ascended to Janos' Chambers. At the climax of Soul Reaver 2, Raziel was able to claim the blood-drinking Reaver blade, but was unable to recover the bloody Heart of Darkness^{[Soul Reaver 2]}.

• 

  the Human Raziel gains the Heart of Darkness in SR2

  In Legacy of Kain: Defiance, Kain would be armed with blood-drinking Reaver as his weapon throughout. When Raziel reached Vorador's Mansion he could collect three spears; the Heart Seeker, Blood Drinker and Soul Stealer (each subtly named after Raziel forms); these spears were ultimately used to impale three hylden 'gargoyles', allowing their 'blood' to fall into the pond below and create a warp to the Water Forge. Raziel was also able to recover the Heart of Darkness and restore Janos Audron with it. Defiance also featured another heart artifact, the Howling Heartstone^[Defiance].

Feeding mechanics

Kain was able to feed using telekinesis as soon as he was transformed into a vampire. This was the first instance of his telekinesis and appears to be instinctive. Initially this is only possible against helpless opponents, either chained humans or those near death (in the waver state) after being hit by him. Feeding on chained captives could be delayed indefinitely, but those in the waver state would quickly die if not fed upon soon after.

Using his sword or werewolf claws, Kain could accidentally kill targets (preventing feeding upon them, the blood had to be drawn fresh from the neck of a standing opponent) if rapidly attacking and not stopping when they began to waver. The addition of the Spiked Mace and the Stun spell helped prevent this, as they quickly put targets into a waver state with a single hit, and would not kill them if accidentally hit a second time.

Kain could feed on multiple targets simultaneously, beginning on a new victim before feeding had concluded on the first. This required discrete actions and initiated a new slurping sound for each one. Kain did not have to be facing in the direction of a target, a wavering or chained human behind him would still have blood drained into his mouth.

Types

In Blood Omen, there were four different types of Blood that Kain could consume;

Red Blood

Vorador's Larder in Blood Omen

Humans and many creatures had Red Blood which topped up Kain's blood vial; This includes the first use of a blood fountain.

Kain could only suck this when it was fresh (from a still stunned opponent). As soon as they fell down and died, he could no longer feed upon them, even though their blood is still visible on the ground. Blood fountains appear to be an exception to this, keeping blood fresh indefinitely despite not being inside a human body, although after feeding the fountain went black.

Blue Blood

Siphoning Blue blood

Ghosts had Blue blood which filled Kain's magic energy.

Green Blood

Siphoning Green blood

Demons and the Dark Eden creatures had Green blood, which was poisonous and constantly drained Kain's blood vial - he could cure himself by using Anti-Toxin;

Black Blood

Siphoning Black blood

Undead creatures and 'used' Blood fountains, had Black blood, which depleted Kain's blood vial.Plague was mentioned to taint Red Blood turning it Black and the same process occurred after Kain drank from Blood Fountains^{[Blood Omen]}.

Notes

• For plot-related reasons, parts of Nupraptor's Retreat, Coorhagen, Vorador's Mansion, Avernus, Stahlberg, the Plains of Blood^{[Blood Omen]} and the Ruined City of the Dumahim^{[Soul Reaver]} are covered in Blood when encountered. Butchers and the Big Horn Brothel were also likely to be covered in Blood^{[Blood Omen]}.
• As a vampiric blade, The ((Blood) Reaver also drank Blood, it can be seen doing this when Raziel wields it in the Sarafan Stronghold at the end of Soul Reaver 2^{[Soul Reaver 2]}, it is unknown if the Reaver still had this ability after it became the Soul Reaver .
• In the description of the Spell Incapacitate, fear was mentioned to sweeten blood

• The Spirit Forges blood sacrifice could be satisfied with human under the influence of Control Mind^{[Blood Omen]}.

• The bloodstained Tome of Hash'ak'gik found on Hash'ak'gik's altar mentions that Hash'ak'gik required a blood sacrifice^{[Blood Omen]}; this was later revealed to be because the cult was represented by Vampire Turel.

• 

  The effects of the Blood Curse on the Ancient vampires

  Text 'language' Blood script, based on real-world Futhark runes, is presumably related to blood due to its name. The Blood Script 'translator' is however written in a 'bloody' font^{[Blood Omen]}.
• The Blood curse which created vampires could be implied to literally be a disease of the blood and though the original 'traditional' method of turning humans into vampires is yet to be elaborated, it is possible that, as in other vampire mythology, the dark gift is passed by an exchange of Blood. In later times, the Soul-based vampires of the events of Soul Reaver, would deride the humans belief that vampirism was a blood disease.

See also

• Blood at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni).