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The Sound Glyph altar was an optional location in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. It was one of several glyph altars Raziel could access in Nosgoth in the Soul Reaver era.

The altar was located within the foundations of the Silenced Cathedral and contained a large central bell as well as a distinctive mural showing the use of a gong and accompanying gong stick. Activation of the altar allowed Raziel to gain the Sound Glyph.

Profile

The Sound Glyph like other glyphs in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was an entirely optional enhancement and it was not necessary to visit the altar as part of the story of the game. The Sound Glyph altar was the one of a series of altars that could be reached from the middle of the game and could be accessed as soon as Raziel had gained the Telekinetic Force projectile ability from the Tomb Guardian.[Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/9][Soul Reaver/Sound]

The altar was found in the caves beneath the Silenced Cathedral which could be accessed from a high passage in the external 'village' area of the cathedral or from insides the Cathedral itself by jumping down to the large area beneath the main pipes with the fans in the middle. Both passages led through a series of caverns and met in a clearing with a high alcove covered by a breakable window which led through to a distinctive open area - the Sound Glyph altar.

To obtain the glyph it was necessary for Raziel to find his way to the top of the room and recover the unique 'gong stick' torch weapon and throw the item across the top of the room before Shifting to the Spectral Realm to negotiate a series of pillar jumps. Returning to the Material Realm to smash through a distinctive stained glass of a man ringing a gong, Raziel could then carry the gong stick through to the altar area where a large bell was present. Ringing the bell with the gong stick cause the bells to raise up and unleashed a soundwave which shattered the supports and pillars in the room and caused the bell to drop and crack - and then spawned the Sound Glyph.

Design and Layout

The Sound Glyph shrine is .

It consists of a large room with three pillars and an alcove with a Gong Stick. On the highest level there is a tunnel blocked off by a stained glass mural, which leads to the inner chamber with a bell. Raziel has to bring the gong stick while jumping across the pillars and shattering the mural in order to proceed to the chamber. Once inside, ringing the bell causes it to crumble and releasing the hidden Sound Glyph within.

Development

In beta versions the passages leading to the Sound glyph altar are populated with Vampire worshippers as opposed to the Zephonim seen in the retail version.

In the alpha versions the altar is in a completely different place, being located off the passage between the Sanctuary of the Clans and the Tomb of the Sarafan rather than in the caves beneath the Silenced Cathedral. This in turn means that the entry passages to the altar are different with an initial U-shaped corridor giving way to another curve and an L-shaped corridor before leading into the main chamber of the area. In later builds these initial corridors are replaced with the wide pillared curve seen in retail. The passages beneath the Silenced Cathedral are still present in the alpha, but there is no breakable window or climbable wall at the apex of the passage - only a shallow pool is found with no bonuses associated.

Although much of the puzzle appears to be the same as in retail, the gong stick can't actually be used to activate the altar - presumably for technical reasons. However an imbued Sound Reaver can activate the altar instead: In a similar manner the Fire Reaver can be used to activate the Fire Glyph Altar even into the retail version of the game.

Inhabitants and collectibles

  • SR1-Icon-Glyph-Sound The Sound Glyph: "Deadly waves of sound emanate from the glyph's epicenter. The spell's frequency is deadly to vampires who are reduced to a stunned/damaged state when impacted by sound waves. Humans are unaffected."[Soul Reaver manual (US)][Soul Reaver]

Notes

  • The "Glyph altars" are named as such in the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver manual. [Soul Reaver manual (US)][Soul Reaver manual (UK)]
  • The areas relating to the Sound Glyph altar are listed in files under the "SoundG" designation which relates to the rooms of the Sound Glyph altar. The individual areas are listed as follows: "Soundg6" refers to the initial curved corridor, "Soundg3" relates to the open pillar-jump area, "Soundg4" relates to the final corridor leading to the altar and "Soundg5" relates to the altar with the bell.
    • The different entry rooms found in the alpha versions are labelled as "Soundg1" - referring to the initial u-shaped curved corridor - and "Soundg2" - referring to the zig-zag corridors leading into the open chamber. "Soundg6" is not present in this version, thus the areas initially lined up as "Soundg1" to "Soundg5" but when the altar was moved the opening rooms were changed and a new sixth room created to replace the discarded rooms.
  • The gong stick cannot be carried to the rest of the levels as there are bars preventing that. However, in the pc version objects turn transparent when in the "throwing" mode and it is possible to use the gong stick for combat purposes. It behaves as a torch which can burn down enemies without the need to reimbue.

Gallery

 

See also


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