The Soul Stealer

"With this third and final weapon, the mystery of the fountain would be solved."

―Raziel^[src]

The Soul Stealer was an item used by Raziel in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. The last of three spear-like items collected by Raziel in Vorador's Mansion in the chapter Find Vorador, the spear was ultimately used to open the way to the Water forge.

Profile[]

"This pool seemed related to the portals which had transported me into the Vampire ruins – but its surface was disturbed by the spouting of these gargoyles."

―Raziel^[src]

"These gargoyles were effigies of the Vampires' enemies. In the corresponding murals they were impaled by heroic Vampire warriors. Perhaps this was a clue..."

―Raziel^[src]

The Soul Stealer was a quest item in Legacy of Kain: Defiance that was used by Raziel in the chapter Find Vorador as he ventured into Vorador's Mansion in the events of Blood Omen seeking Vorador.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]^{[Defiance strategy guide]}

As Raziel entered and explored Vorador's Mansion, he soon found an unusual chamber with a distinctive fountain at its heart. Above the fountain three Hylden effigies were positioned on the balcony, each channelling water into the pool below. Around the edges of the chamber several frescoes and murals were positioned depicting three Ancient Vampire champions impaling Hylden adversaries with unique spear weapons - with finding the three spears being a main objective to Raziel in that chapter.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]^{[Defiance strategy guide]}

Shortly after, Raziel could explore the flooded crypt beneath the mansion where he discovered a locked door marked with a skull-faced champion bearing a spear and sealed by an unusually-shaped lock. Exploring the nearby cistern, Raziel could recover the Gold and Silver halves of Vorador's Crest and return them to the flooded crypt - opening the way to the crypt chapel, where a statue of the champion was positioned. Using the Reaver spell of the Fire Reaver to light the Fire sconces within caused the Soul Stealer spear to appear in the hands of the statue, and once he had defeated the Guardian constructs that appeared he was free to take the spear.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]^{[Defiance strategy guide]}

The item itself was a distinctive spear weapon made of a blueish metallic material with a long cylindrical hilt with two darker grips at the bottom and top of the shaft. At the top of the shaft a blue crystal was set into a small holder with the crystal octagonal in shape and tapering towards the top of the spear. The spear head protruded from the sides of the crystal emerging in a large arrow shaped tip with two jagged wing-like protrusions swept back against the crystal - giving the overall impression of a vaguely fish shaped spear head.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]

Returning the spear to the fountain room Raziel would use it to impale the last of the stone Hylden statues. This cracked the murals featuring the same spear and opened a warp to the Water Forge in the pool of the fountain.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]^{[Defiance strategy guide]}

Notes[]

The Soul Stealer is explicitly named as such in the inventory and its name is reiterated in the official guide.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]^{[Defiance strategy guide]} Pre-release concepts in Bonus materials and game files label the item as the "Soul Stealing Artifact" or "Soul Stealer Spear" and note other features of its design.^[Defiance] A third variant title is mentioned by lead artist Daniel Cabuco in his website calling the spear the "Soul Spear".^[1]
The spear in listed in game files with the label "soul_stealer". Another identical variant - possibly used in cutscenes is listed under "dupe_soul_stealer". The actual target of the Spear and its accompanying icon are listed as part of the textures of the background environment and labelled as "vorador5a-0007"/"vorador_ruin5a-0006" and as "vorador5a-0040"/"vorador_ruin5a-0044" respectively.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]

Ancient Vampire mural depicting the Soul Stealer

Like its fellow spears the Soul Stealer also appears in the background environment of Vorador's Mansion in murals, where it is associated with an ancient vampire champion - a female vampire with a skull-like face - the same champion depicted in the statue where the spear is gained. Most notably it is seen on the door leading to the chapel where the spear is gained in the flooded crypt (which is opened by the completed Vorador's Crest). The depiction in question is labelled in files as "chapeldoor" (with the 'Crypt Chapel' room behind it) and features a depiction of the skull faced female holding the spear in one hand with a blue crystal resembling that at the top of the spear (or a Reaver charge stone) in the other. The image is also decorated at the bottom with the completed Vorador's crest. Other murals featuring the vampire show her flying and impaling a Hylden with the spear - this action is ultimately copied by Raziel on the Hylden statues in the fountain room.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]

Concepts of the three spears with early names
- Along with being associated with a unique vampire champion and mural, each spear is also associated with a unique icon which represents the spear - in the case of the Soul Stealer a blue swept back arrow head with trails resembling the head of the spear - unlike the other spears this is not seen beneath the statue itself which is placed on plain stone. Each spear also has a unique target 'stab wound' in the back of the Hylden statue - in the case of the Soul Stealer a pale blue 't' shape - these are also depicted in the planning documents in Bonus materials^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]
Although the Heart Seeker and the Blood Drinker spears can be gained in any order the Soul Stealer is always the third and final spear to be gained in the mansion - and it can only be gained after the collection of the gold and silver halves of Vorador's Crest. Because of this it is the only one of the spears with dialogue directly relating to it. Raziel can comment on the other spears but it will relate only to the spear that is collected first with the second unmentioned.^[Defiance]^[Defiance/8]
Like its fellow spears the Soul Stealer spear represents an aspect of the lives of Raziel - in this case the Soul devouring wraith Raziel. Likewise the Heart Seeker represents the human Raziel and the Blood Drinker represents the vampire Raziel.^[2]^[3]
Like the other quest items in Defiance, the Soul Stealer appears in the secret "artifact1a" room.^[Defiance]^[4]
Daniel Cabuco added more on the subject of the three spears their champions and the skull-faced champion specifically: "She was would have similar magic to Mortanius’ death mask, but wasn’t a necromancer. She ripped out souls with the crystal added to hear spear". "The three were arbiters; Judge, Jury, and Executioner in the Hylden war. Heart, Blood, and Soul were recurring themes we wrapped throughout the series. Whenever I made anything for the game I always thought through the design and looked for themes to reinforce. These three worked perfectly for both keys and a really interesting part of the lore. "^[5]