Like Human revenants, the Vampire Revenants resembled decayed corpses - but of winged Ancient vampires, with curved wing bones visible rising from the back of the shoulders and tridactyl claws visible on the hands and feet. The rest of the body consisted of a skull-like head with tufts of remaining hair and the trademark green glowing eyes indicating Hyldenpossession. The revenants wore scraps of clothing with large chest and shoulder pads visible along with a kilt-like garment worn beneath the waist which was decorated by several ancient symbols. forearms/wrists and lower legs were covered by wraps. Typically Vampire Revenants would wield bladed or mace-like weapons.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide]
The Revenant classes were not explicitly named in game, however the overarching "Revenant" distinction was mentioned in manuals, scripts and the official guide - with the guide explicitly defining the different classes and naming the "Vampire Revenant" class.[Defiance][Defiance/4][Defiance manual][Defiance strategy guide] Game files label the class as "revenant_v".[Defiance]
Revenants are named after the Revenants of European folklore - animated corpses which returned from death to haunt the living.[1]
A Hylden soul after the defeat of a Revenant
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As with other Revenant classes, when defeated the Human Revenants will leave behind a Hyldensoul.[Defiance]
Although Raziel is confined to the use of specific Burial sites to revive himself, Revenants are able to manifest and control corpses in several areas that do not contain these sites. Conversely they are often not seen in areas with burial sites.[Defiance]
Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide gives further backgrounds to the Revenants suggesting that most of the Revenants are "ancient corpses... buried from long forgotten battles". It also suggests that the Vampire Revenants are rarer than their human counterparts "as Vampires though once common in Nosgoth are still short in number compared to the teeming masses of Human corpses littering the deep unforgiving soil".[Defiance strategy guide]
Various Hylden concepts from Blood Omen 2 including a potential Revenant
Blood Omen 2 concepts posted by Blood Omen 2 developer Steve Ross appear to show five different Hylden castes planned for that title, where only two appeared in the final game. One caste depicts a skeletal figure emerging from a portal and could suggest an early design that eventually became the Defiance Revenant [2]
The background of the Vampire Revenants suggests that they would technically be classified as a form of Undead creature. Revenants however do not share the Black blood typically associated with the undead, instead having regular Red blood.[Defiance]
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Revenant at Wikipedia
