Epilogue, also known as Epilogue: The Final Confrontation, is the tenth and final "level" of Soul Reaver 2, marking the formal conclusion of gameplay. It follows Raziel as he confronts his former Sarafan inquisitor self. An epilogue reveals Raziel's ultimate fate and Kain's ignition of the Third paradox in an attempt to avert it.
Plot
After blazing his way through the Sarafan Stronghold, regaining the Reaver and killing his former brethren of the Sarafan commanders in the previous chapter, Raziel made his way to the Chapter House, where he was confronted by the Sarafan inquisitor Raziel - his former human incarnation.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
As the two met, the Sarafan Raziel acknowledged the wraith's killing of his brothers and his pursuit of the Heart of Darkness, but refused to stand aside, instead goading Raziel into attacking.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Raziel battles his former human self
Impaling his former self on the Reaver, Raziel killed his human incarnation and renounced his past completely. As he did so, the Wraith Blade manifested (after being disabled by Moebius's Staff in the last chapter). Raziel watched in alarm as the wraith blade uncoiled from him completely and wound around the physical Reaver blade, forcing it to turn on and impale Raziel himself.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Vainly fighting the blade, Raziel was struck by an epiphany that the physical Reaver is empty - the soul devouring entity that Raziel has sensed within the physical Soul Reaver previously and had carried with him as the Wraith Blade throughout his journey was in fact a future version of himself, taken into the blade at this moment.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Overwhelmed by despair, Raziel was outraged when Kain showed himself, accusing him of orchestrating his fate. Kain did not respond in the same way and instead pleaded with Raziel to let go and to trust him. As Raziel's strength faded he felt a growing sense of displacement - as his soul hovered both inside and outside the Reaver, granting a small window where there was a Reaver-convergence.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Kain spares Raziel, altering the course of history
Acting quickly Kain used this window to rip the Reaver from Raziel, apparently sparing him from his fate - igniting the Third paradox and spawning the Fourth timeline. As history reshuffled and new memories formed in Kain's mind Raziel feared that they might have caused fatal paradox, but the juncture eventually subsides, leaving Kain shocked at the changes caused in the Time-stream.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Kain desperately tried to warn Raziel about a trap set by "the Hylden" and that Janos Audron must not be revived, but his warnings were lost as Raziel was drained of strength and slipped into the Spectral Realm. There Raziel found the Wraith Blade awaiting him - proof that his destiny to enter the blade had not been changed, only postponed.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Conclusions
- Raziel has killed his former human self. After dispatching the other Sarafan commanders in the previous chapter, this means Raziel is responsible not only for the original deaths of himself and his brothers but also the loss of most of the leaders of Sarafan hierarchy[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue] - the only survivor is Malek who will be disgraced and doomed to live as a wraith for his failings.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/9][Blood Omen][Blood Omen/1][Blood Omen/4][Blood Omen/6]
- Raziel has uncovered the truth of the Soul Reaver blade and his own cyclical destiny - that he is the entity within the blade, and it was not intended to be a soul devouring weapon, it only gained this ability by its imprisonment of Raziel. Raziel has thus been carrying his own future soul as a weapon. Raziel is apparently fated to enter the 'vacant' Reaver blade.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
- Kain has used some careful timing around Raziel's 'consumption' by the blade to take advantage of a brief Reaver-convergence - in doing so he has ignited the Third paradox, giving birth to the Fourth timeline.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Soul Reaver 2/5]
- Judging by the the effect on the the Time-stream and Kain's own altered memories, the new timeline has some major changes to an extent not seen in previous timelines. Kain's new memories include a mention of the apparently antagonistic Hylden and his belief that Janos Audron should not be revived.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Blood Omen 2][Defiance]
- Kain's attempt to alter history has not changed Raziel's fate - his possession of the Wraith Blade shows that he is still destined to enter the Reaver blade at some point.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Defiance]
Development
The conclusion of Soul Reaver 2 brings to the fore Amy Hennig's research on time travel and its implications. As explained by Hennig:
"For me, the most interesting approach in time travel stories is summed up with the statement: 'you can't go back in time and change history because you didn't'. That's my favorite way of looking at it. If you do go back - then you did go back. Which means that time travel is ultimately a journey of epiphanies, where the protagonist realizes the role that he already played in history. Of course, Blood Omen established that history can in fact be changed - and we'll be respecting this precedent in Soul Reaver 2."
―
Amy Hennig[1]
The Ouroboros and three Raziels
Fundamentally Hennig saw Raziel's journey going back in time as one of personal discovery and epiphanies. The conclusion of Soul Reaver 2 ultimately features this in two different forms as Raziel discovers not only of the distasteful part his often lionized human self has played in history, but also of his supposed inevitable fate to be imprisoned within the Reaver and the purgatory his future incarnation has endured.[1][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
The decision for Raziel to be eventually revealed as the spirit within the Reaver blade was made as far back as the development of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the the shattering of the Soul Reaver against Raziel in the eponymous chapter was deliberately planned with the intention of revealing that Raziel was trapped within.[2][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/6] As recalled by Daniel Cabuco:
"When the scene first played out, I asked Amy why it broke on Raziel. She explained that 'you can't reave your own soul'. That made sense to me. Somehow she had always planned for Raziel to be inside the reaver, and probably would have addressed it in the next game in some meaningful way. There wasn't a different explanation for the Soul Reaver as far as I know. "
―
Daniel Cabuco[2]
Notes
- Soul Reaver 2 is not formally divided into chapters or levels in-game.[Soul Reaver 2] The chapter names and definitions used at the Legacy of Kain Wiki originate from the supplementary Prima Guide, Soul Reaver 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide[Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)]
- The dialogue transcripts used in this article are, wherever possible, adapted directly from the Dark Chronicle summary transcripts available in game. Scenes not included in the Dark Chronicle feature are instead adapted from Tenaya's transcript of Soul Reaver 2 at Nosgothic Realm - itself derived from the Dark Chronicle and an official game script provided by Crystal Dynamics' Kyle Mannerberg.[Soul Reaver 2][3]
- Epilogue is one of the shortest chapters or levels in the series, consisting of a single 'final' boss battle in a confined room and the cutscenes immediately preceding and following it.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)] The final chapters of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver both end with similar short chapters - with To the End featuring only Kain's decision and surrounding cutscenes taking place entirely at the Pillars; and Showdown With Kain taking place entirely within the Chronoplast and its introductory antechambers, and including only a few of the Chronoplast visions and the introduction and aftermath of the 'final' battle with Kain.[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/12][Blood Omen strategy guide][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/15][Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)] Introduction chapters upto this point are also notably short with Welcome to Hell, Vampire Scourge and Soul Reaver 2 prologue all featuring long cutscenes in a few locations, with little or no gameplay - with Kain's death in Welcome to Hell being the only gameplay, and the entirety of Soul Reaver 2's Prologue being a recap of the end of Soul Reaver.[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/1][Blood Omen strategy guide][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/1][Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Prologue][Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)] Other notably short chapters include Stop Raziel in Legacy of Kain: Defiance which consists exclusively of the introduction to and aftermath of Kain's battle with Raziel in Avernus Cathedral - the remainder of the battle, seen from the opposite perspective, is included in the longer following chapter.[Defiance][Defiance/11][Defiance strategy guide]
Continuity
- Some aspects of this sequence relate to other chapters in the series:
The Ouroboros symbol seen on the floor of the Chapter House which repsents cyclical destiny
- Epilogue takes place entirely within the confines of the Chapter House in the Sarafan Stronghold.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue] The room was first visited by Raziel in A Reaver in Time where it was seen in the history preceding Blood Omen and featured several murals of the fallen Sarafan commanders and a statue of Sarafan Raziel, which served as a memorial to their martyrdom. A purple 'demon' seen behind the Sarafan Dumah at that time almost certainly represented a bastardized depiction of the wraith Raziel, with the conflict between him and the inquisitors - including his human self fully realized here and in the previous chapter.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/1] The room itself was also seen in the Era following Blood Omen in A Fateful Meeting where the murals were faded and the statue missing.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/5] A different but very similar Chapter House would feature in Legacy of Kain: Defiance in Infiltrate the Stronghold an Pursue Moebius.[Defiance][Defiance/1][Defiance/3] One of the trademark features of all versions of the room is an ouroboros pattern on the floor, reflecting Raziel's cyclical destiny seen here.[Soul Reaver 2][Defiance]
- Dialogue in this chapter and even the title of the Dark chronicle chapter as "full circle" refers repeatedly to cyclical destiny of Raziel and the concept of returning to the beginning. The phrase was first used in the series in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in the Dark Diary heading within The Vampire Purges indicating Kain's return to the Pllars and his upcoming confrontation with his maker Mortanius.[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/11] The phrase returns and is featured heavily in Soul Reaver 2, with Raziel again mentioning it as he enters the Chapter House for the first time in A Reaver in Time and sees the memorials to his former human life.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/1] Notably the Chapter House bears a prominent ouroboros, which is symbolic of cyclical destiny and immortality and is used throughout the series - but particularly in Soul Reaver 2 - for this purpose, including appearances in many decorations and murals such as the design of Checkpoints.[Soul Reaver 2] As well as for Raziel it is also "full circle" for the series in general as the last chapters of Soul Reaver 2 notably return to the time and place featured in the introduction to Blood Omen.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Blood Omen][Blood Omen/1] Another notable cyclical destiny referenced throughout the series is the cycle of birth and death of the Elder God's Wheel of Fate.[Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver 2][Defiance]
- Raziel's history as a Sarafan inquisitor in his long-forgotten human life was first exposed in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver in the chapter Tomb of Sarafan when Raziel uncovered the Tomb of the Sarafan and discovered the names of himself and his brothers on the defiled caskets.[Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/9] As Raziel travelled back into the history preceding Blood Omen in Soul Reaver 2 he found a statue depicting his human self in the Chapter House, along with murals of his brothers in their human lives.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/1] The Sarafan Raziel and his brethren finally appeared in the flesh as they stormed Janos Audron's Retreat in Vampire Interview and dispatched Janos Audron before retreating with the Reaver and the Heart of Darkness in Blade of Vengeance[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/8][Soul Reaver 2/9] - Raziel also took his revenge on his Sarafan brothers in that chapter, building up to the confrontation with the Sarafan Raziel in this one.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
- Raziel's mentions of the Heart of Darkness and the fate of Janos Audron recall the legends first mentioned in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in the chapter Seeking Revenge as Kain found his first Heart of Darkness artifacts and recalled again as Kain reached Uschtenheim in Threaten the Circle.[Blood Omen/2][Blood Omen/7][Blood Omen/Miscellaneous] The tale would also be recalled in Soul Reaver 2 as Raziel saw a mural depicting the event in the Sanctuary chapel in A Reaver in Time and was ultimately seen first-hand in Blade of Vengeance.[Soul Reaver 2/1][Soul Reaver 2/9]
The statue of Sarafan Raziel seen in the pre-Blood Omen era Chapter House
- The effectiveness of Moebius's Staff in subduing and the Wraith Blade was first shown in A Reaver in Time where the staff dissipated the blade and Moebius explained that it allowed him to incapacitate their vampire enemies.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/1]. The blade was once again dissipated by the staff in a confrontation with Moebius the previous chapter - forcing Raziel to pick up the vacant Reaver - but regains its form here.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
- Raziel mentions his dread when offered the Reaver blade by Janos, this was seen in Vampire Interview with Raziel rejecting the blade despite his compulsion to take it. When he comes across the blade in Blade of Vengeance he similarly feels a "nameless dread" but takes up the blade when forced by Moebius disabling his Wraith blade - at the time he expresses he is wary of further deception, but presses on regardless. In this chapter the reason for the dread becomes apparent with the revelation that Raziel is destined to become the entity trapped within the blade.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/8][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
- Raziel's acknowledgement of the presence of a Soul devouring entity trapped within the blade matches earlier statements made regarding the blade throughout Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, with Kain remarking in Defeat Azimuth that its purpose was to "feed on the souls any creature it strikes" and Raziel remarking on "legends [which] claimed that the blade was possessed, and thrived by devouring the souls of its victims".[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/8][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/6] In Soul Reaver 2 Raziel begins to truly appreciate the presence of the soul devouring entity when the Wraith blade meets its former self in a Reaver-convergence in A Reaver in Time, realising it is "willful, ravenous, and deranged from thousands of years of imprisonment".[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/1] The Reaver continues to occasionally take control throughout Soul Reaver 2, notably empowering itself at the forges and influencing itself the new Reaver bar mechanic.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2 manual][Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)] In Epilogue the blade again takes control and acts against Raziel.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue] Notably the revelation that the entity within the blade is Raziel also recalls Kain's initial feelings in Defeat Azimuth that he and the blade are "kindred".[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/8]
- Raziel recalls Kain's attempt to strike him down with the Reaver which caused the blade to shatter completely. This event was seen in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver in the chapter Soul Reaver and its destruction granted Raziel with the Wraith Blade as a weapon. Although the reason for this was unknown at the time (and apparently expected by Kain), the revelation that the blade was inhabited by Raziel explains the destruction as a result of the paradoxical meeting of the two Souls of Raziel. It also means that the Wraith blade is - quite literally - Raziel.[Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/6][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
Dumah's commemorative mural in the Chapter House foreshadows Raziel's role in the deaths of the inquisitors
- Raziel and Kain's desperate conversation here is part of a larger theme of trust between the two. When Raziel is Kain's lieutenant he trusted him absolutely, but after his execution in Vampire Scourge at the start of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, he strongly distrusts Kain.[Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver manual (US)][Soul Reaver manual (UK)][Soul Reaver/1] The mistrust continues throughout Soul Reaver 2 but begins to wane as Raziel discovers more about Nosgoth's past, his own destiny and Kain's goals.[Soul Reaver 2] At the Second paradox in A Fateful Meeting, Kain explicitly mentions trust, conceding that Raziel should find his own truths and will not ask for it from him - this is ultimately turned around in this chapter with Kain outright asking Raziel to trust him at the Third paradox.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue] The trust theme continues in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, where Kain again asks Raziel to trust him in a tense situation - here factors have turned against them and Raziel rejects Kain, interpreting the request as a threat.[Defiance][Defiance/11] By the end of Defiance however their trust seems to have once again been restored and Raziel pledges his allegiance to Kain.[Defiance][Defiance/13]
- This chapter features the third time-altering paradox seen in the series, with the first seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in the chapter Stranded in Time and the second in Soul Reaver 2 in the chapter A Fateful Meeting.[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/10][Blood Omen/11][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/5] The displacement and other effects of a Reaver-convergence are first seen in A Reaver in Time as Raziel - armed with the Wraith Blade - finds the Soul Reaver in William the Just's chapel within the Sarafan Stronghold and are later explained by Kain in A Fateful Meeting as he persuades Raziel to trigger the second paradox.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/1][Soul Reaver 2/5] Ultimately the lack of displacement effects is perhaps one of the factors in Raziel identifying the Reaver here is vacant and the rising vertigo identifying that a convergence is approaching.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/8][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
- Raziel's identification of the moment of the Third paradox as "the edge of the coin" recalls Kain's metaphor in Decision at the Pillars which analogized his his choice at the pillars and historical junctures in general to a two-sided coin, with each side representing one of the two choices - with the metaphor again briefly mentioned in A Fateful Meeting as Kain and Raziel converse beneath Janos Audron's Retreat in the Era following Blood Omen.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/2][Soul Reaver 2/5] In the original conversation Kain questions "suppose one day, it lands on its edge" - hinting at a third option with a much smaller probability of success.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/2] Raziel is partially correct in this assumption as the change to the Fourth timeline ultimately leads to a way out of Kain's initial dilemma.[Defiance][Defiance/13] The coin reference returns in Legacy of Kain: Defiance with Raziel claiming the "coin has struck the earth" - likely referring to the change made at the juncture point - and Kain claiming that the "coin is still turning" - likely referring to the future being made from their actions.[Defiance][Defiance/11]
- Raziel's fear that they may have invoked a "fatal paradox" is based on Kain's warning from A Fateful Meeting, which suggests that they could be tricked into triggering an unresolvable paradox, which would expel them from the Time-stream. This appears not to have been the case however.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]
- Kain's warnings about the Hylden and Janos Audron remaining dead foreshadow the events of Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, as does Raziel's realization that he has merely postponed his destiny. Defiance will come closest to a direct continuation of these events: showing Kain searching the Stronghold for Raziel a few years later, following Raziel's imprisonment in the underworld.[Blood Omen 2][Defiance][4]
Gallery
See also
- Nosgoth's early history
- Sarafan Stronghold
- Chapter House
- Sarafan commanders
- Raziel (Soul Reaver 2 boss)
- Soul Reaver
- Wraith Blade
- Reaver-convergence
- Third paradox
- Third timeline
- Fourth timeline
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Official U.S. Playstation Magazine (september 2000), 'Funk Soul Brother' (by John Davison and Joe Rybicki/Amy Hennig) archived at Square Enix Forums
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Initial Soul Reaver plot at DCabDesign (by Boltar/Daniel Cabuco)
- ↑ Soul Reaver 2 - Dialogue at Nosgothic Realm (by Tenaya)
- ↑ "Sarafan Crusader Notes" on Daniel Cabuco's online portfolio (Archived Notes at 'Legacy of Kain Wiki: Sources')
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