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"We are hurtling toward our destinies, Raziel. What you feel is the pull of history rushing to meet us. This is where history and destiny collide."
―Kain[src]

A timeline (historical timeline), in the Legacy of Kain series, was an iteration of Nosgoth's full chronological history, or time-stream. The concept of fatalism is a reality in the metaphysics of Nosgoth; with the exception of Raziel, its inhabitants did not possess free will, and their futures were predestined. Time was therefore usually immutable, but it could be altered by historical paradoxes, when a Reaver convergence took place.

If two incarnations of the Soul Reaver met in time and space, "a temporal distortion powerful enough to derail history" could be the result. When such a paradox blocked the time continuum, forcing Nosgoth's history to reshuffle itself to accommodate the contradiction, the current timeline effectively died, and a new one was spawned. Four distinct timelines have been observed in the Legacy of Kain series, each one subtly or significantly different to the last, and each remembered by both Kain and Moebius.

Nosgoth's temporal logic[]

Time travel model[]

Main article: Time
Main article: Time-stream
SR2-DC-HistoryAndDestinyCollide-118

The pull of history attempts to force Raziel into slaying Kain.

The time travel model utilized in the Legacy of Kain fiction was conclusively developed and explored in Soul Reaver 2, and borrows from Terry Gilliam's 1995 film 12 Monkeys (which adheres to the Novikov self-consistency principle), but is slightly different: it includes a loophole. Series developers Amy Hennig, Jennifer Fernández, Richard Lemarchand and Kyle Mannerberg outlined its core principle as "you can't go back in time and change history because you didn't".[1] Hennig's full interpretation of the concept was described in an interview:

"Is it impossible to escape preordained fate? And it's interesting to layer this quesiton into a time travel story. This is really the whole crux of the time travel concept - can you change history or not? And if so, what does it mean to change history - in terms of being responsible for the repercussions? I did some research into time travel fiction, in preparation for Soul Reaver 2. 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[2]

Series producer Andrew Bennett described it as follows:

"Initially, Raziel naively believes that history is fragile and may be altered easily. He gradually comes to understand, however, that there's a 'conservation of reality' at work, and that history is essentially immutable--that it requires a kind of 'temporal wildcard' to change its course. Raziel ultimately realizes that his comprehension of Nosgoth's multilayered, twisted past is much more limited than he initially believed. He also discovers that he continues to be manipulated by others who understand Nosgoth's history--and the nature of time--better than he does."
―Andrew Bennett[3]

Nosgoth's time continuum was extremely rigid and resilient, and did not normally allow for the introduction of paradoxes: the map of each individual's destiny was fully outlined and immutable, accommodating for time travel events and preventing contradictions.[Soul Reaver 2/5] Even to characters who knew the future and were aware that "free will is an illusion", resisting history was usually an impossibility: they did not possess the intrinsic free will necessary to defy "the rules of fate and predetermined events".[Soul Reaver 2/1][4] This theory of predestination was a fundamental, indiscriminate constant, and applied to almost all entities within the Material, Spectral and Demon Realms alike.[4]

Altering history[]

Main article: Paradoxes
Main article: Reaver convergence
SR2-Texture-Stronghold-ReaverConvergence

Kain and William battle with two incarnations of the Soul Reaver.

The only "unbound creature" within Nosgoth was the wraith, Raziel, who could make choices freely, unhindered by the predestination others were subject to.[Soul Reaver 2/5][Defiance/11][Defiance/12][5] Only vague descriptions as to why he was singular in this regard were afforded: his free will was usually attributed to "his remaking into the world" at the hands of the Elder God, and his resultant liberation from the Wheel of Fate.[1][4][Defiance/11] It may also have been connected to his destiny to become the captive, soul-devouring entity within the Soul Reaver, and to later wield a future incarnation of his own soul - the Wraith Blade; the meeting and constant presence of two incarnations of the same soul-devouring entity, crucial to the timeline, in close proximity - and the very possibility that one might attempt to devour the other - may have contributed to his unique exemption.[Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]

On the rare occasions where two incarnations of Raziel's soul met, in either the forms of the Soul Reaver or the Wraith Blade, a Reaver convergence was the result: "reality itself" would tangibly warp and bend slightly, creating a sense of vertigo, or displacement.[Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][6][Soul Reaver 2/1] At such points, there was a window of opportunity in which it was possible to create a paradox, potentially sufficient enough to derail history and rewrite the timeline.[Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue][Blood Omen/11] Kain analogized these junctures to the flipping of a two-sided coin: "suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge".[Soul Reaver 2/1]

Only relatively slight diversions could be triggered; most major events remained constant in Nosgoth between each timeline. If a paradox blocked the time continuum, history would always follow "the path of least resistance while admitting only the slightest alterations". Defying the force of history was always a dangerous gamble - "if events [could not] be reshuffled to accommodate the change", the irritants responsible for the contradiction would simply be expelled from the time-stream.[Soul Reaver 2/5] Such a fatal paradox did not overtly happen in the Legacy of Kain series, but the concept served as a looming danger which Kain and Raziel were forced to acknowledge and remain wary of.[Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]

Parallel timelines[]

SR2-DC-FullCircle-095

Kain's memories are reshuffled as the continuum of history is derailed.

Parallel or "forked" versions of history did not exist in Nosgoth - only the current iteration of history was considered "real". If a historical paradox occurred and a timeline was derailed, the derailed timeline was considered to be "dead", and could never be revisited. Timelines did not split or actively co-exist, and a new one could only be spawned if the current one was subject to a paradox and derailed.[4][7]

Previous variations of history which were dead, however, are still considered part of Legacy of Kain's continuity; certain individuals retained full memories of previous timelines. As evinced throughout Soul Reaver 2, Kain remembered all four timelines observed in the Legacy of Kain series, likely because he was present at the point of the three paradoxes observed. When a paradox occurred, all of his old memories and experiences up to that point remained intact in his mind, but were also "shuffled aside by the newer memories that reflect the altered course of history". Kain was aware of four variations of his own past as of Legacy of Kain: Defiance.[4][Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/Epilogue]

Raziel, who was similarly present and conscious at two of the paradoxes, was also aware of the alterations which concerned him.[Soul Reaver 2/5][Defiance/2] Moebius (and, presumably, other Time Guardians) inherently knew if, and exactly how, history had reshuffled itself, even when he was not present during a paradox; the only entity whose actions he could not account for was Raziel.[Soul Reaver 2/5][Defiance/3] However, all other individuals within Nosgoth who were not present at the heart of the paradoxes - including even the Elder God - appeared to be ignorant of the changes in the time-stream, and never demonstrated the same knowledge of alterations to their destinies.[Blood Omen][Soul Reaver 2][Defiance]

Observed timelines[]

Nosgoth's history was altered three times throughout the Legacy of Kain games. As such, four timelines have been observed in the series, two or more being explored in both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver 2. They are not formally named in official sources, and can only be identified by the order in which they came to exist.

Continuity between the timelines[]

From the games alone, it is not possible to determine the full extent of the changes incurred by each paradox (and, hence, the exact nature of the differences between each timeline). However, some facts can be ascertained:

  • The raising and corruption of the Pillars, the formation of the Circle of Nine, the forging of the Reaver and the slaughter of the Circle occurred in all four timelines.[Blood Omen][Soul Reaver 2][Defiance][Soul Reaver][Blood Omen 2]
  • The Battle of the Last Stand and the Legions of the Nemesis were only present in the first timeline. When the Nemesis was prematurely killed by Kain in the assassination of William the Just, these elements were removed from history and ceased to exist.[Soul Reaver 2/5][8]
  • Moebius's mercenary army, its renewed vampire purge, and the execution of Vorador (which left Kain the only remaining vampire in Nosgoth) was a product of the assassination of William the Just. These elements did not exist in the first timeline.[Soul Reaver 2/5][9]
  • The events of Blood Omen 2 (and Legacy of Kain: Defiance) were "made possible" by Janos Audron's resurrection in the fourth timeline at Raziel's hands. This did not occur in previous timelines, and therefore these events could not have unfolded in the same way.[Soul Reaver 2/Prologue][10]
  • The events of the Soul Reaver era were not changed or affected in the third or fourth timelines. Even after paradoxes, they still unfolded as depicted in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.[1][Soul Reaver 2]

Soul Reaver 2 establishes that history admits only the slightest alterations to the timeline possible, so it can probably be assumed that many events and elements between the four timelines witnessed are consistent between the paradoxes, even though only limited information is available to confirm the full extent of this persistence in canon. The fourth timeline is the most comprehensive and coherent version of the history of Nosgoth, prospectively including events witnessed in all of the Legacy of Kain games and media.

Historical Timeline[]

Notes[]

  • The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain, written by Silicon Knights (before the introduction of Crystal Dynamics' time mythology and principles to the series), mentions a "previous timeline", prior to those observed in the series, in which "William the Just was exactly as his title suggested", exempt from Moebius's influence. Hints as to this "previous timeline" continue through the series as in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Kain accuses Moebius of "going back in time, and altering the past".[2][8][Blood Omen/11] In Soul Reaver 2, Kain infers that both the first and second timelines are "artificial" destinies, and that his original, unaltered fate was always "to assume the role of Balance Guardian in Nosgoth, while [Raziel was] destined to be its savior".[Soul Reaver 2/5]

Gallery[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Icon The Lost Worlds Question and Answer with Jen, Richard, and Kyle at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Icon Nosgothic Realm GLoK Interviews with Amy Hennig at Nosgothic Realm (by Raziel Fan), post #4 (by RazielFan)
  3. GS Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Feature Preview at GameSpot (by Miguel Lopez), page 2
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Eidos Interactive Answers to questions from the Defiance team at the Eidos forums (by Chris@Crystal)
  5. Icon The Lost Worlds Question and Answer with Amy Hennig at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
  6. Icon Dark Chronicle Miscellaneous Questions & Answers at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle)
  7. Icon Dark Chronicle Moebius' Museum at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Icon Dark Chronicle The Players at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle)
  9. Icon Dark Chronicle Legacy of Kain: The Plot at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle)
  10. Icon The Lost Worlds My Visit to Crystal Dynamics at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
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