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ship_manifestoTitle: The Sins of the Father
Author: Crazy Dragon
Series: Legacy of Kain
Pairing: Kain/Raziel
Spoilers: Only if you’ve not played the whole game series as their very integral characters the series revolves around.
E-Mail: crazy dragon 1 2 3 4 (AT) frontier net . Net (jumbled for the security of my inbox! *swats net-bots*)
Notes: Thus far, since you did so awesomely, Emerald Embers, you are my model for writing this. I also thank those who have taken the time to read this before I have posted it here.
Many have heard of me, but few know me. I am Crazy Dragon. An infamous personality who wanders the Legacy of Kain fandom writing fan fics and creating fan art that easily borders on the X-rated side. Most infamous of these is titled Consumed Light. I dwell within the series for I love its wonderfully complicated plot, the game play and the lovely, lovely views with way the camera is configured.
Why I chose these two when I could have chosen so many others? I debated some, that how easily I could write my first one on Kain/Vorador, of their tense relationship and how it might actually work. No, that shall be for another time. I chose to go with the more obvious of possible relationships Kain would have had over the centuries. Many have known, been killed by, and met the former nobleman, but even fewer actually knew the man who would one day conquer the land, raise six sons and later sacrifice them in a fight to attain his birthright. Raziel is one of the very few who had that right that so few ever had.
Within the world of Nosgoth there is a deep plot, kept secret and buried under ages of dust and more lies. Many of the characters are caught within that plot. Many die as it carries out its course. The analogy Kain uses at one point….destiny, like a coursing river, too strong and resilient to resist, sweeps up many. Some are deposited else where, or else when, others are swept from the board entirely. This is a plot Kain himself was trapped within long, long before he was born and never knew until his thirtieth year of life, when it ended.
Assassinated then raised by the same Necromancer, Kain never knew, or learned of, the greater picture of what exactly was going on until some time later. It is well known that Kain was never one to be satisfied with the way things were. He tried to right things by toppling the reign of The Nemesis, and later, made his first attempt to conquer Nosgoth. In that attempt, he developed his known, earlier relationships. Many speculate him having at minimum flings with Sebastian and Magnus. After his betrayal, there is the hot debate over how much he felt for Umah.
It is unnamed when, whether it is before, or after he raised his six sons, and amongst them, his pride and joy; Raziel. After that unholy, ironic incident that raised the vampire population, the events that led up until Soul Reaver are unknown, and yet much is indicated right up until a fatal day. The day Raziel came forward with newly evolved wings. Kain played his part well in acting out the part of a jealous superior and executed Raziel for what was easily viewed as betrayal. Their relationship did not end there.
Kain: Arrogant, selfish, short tempered, body proud and loves letting everyone else know it. Handsome bleached white features eventually gave away to sandy colored , accented in deep tones of olive, once, crackled somewhat like the bark of a tree, or the beginning of a dragon’s hide, depending on one’s opinion. Either way, though out time since his first day as a fledgling, he kept his gorgeously thick silver highlighted white hair.
There is more depth to him than many consider. Certainly short tempered. He has shown that well over the ages. In his pursuit in hunting down the traitors that heralded his downfall, in the pursuit for the Sarafan Lord’s head, in dogging down the Pillar guardians, and finally, when he cast away his eldest son.
You can see in his eyes as he’s thinking while Moebius held him pinned with his staff and gloated over his weakened body. You could tell that in his age, he has gained some wisdom to go with his developed appearance and advanced age. One, while watching him, listening to his voice, watching his surprisingly expressive face, would learn that though time not only had he learned more and had tried to decipher the plot which he was entangled, that he also likely get in touch more with himself.
Raziel: The ever present angel of death. Definitely arrogant before his fall, considered whiney and confirmed angst after it, he is a survivor in his own right. In life, he was a killer, a murderer of Vampires. In undeath, a murderer of humans. In his second chance at unlife, a reaper of souls, feasting on living and undead alike.
He was certainly very hurt, mentally, when his dear Sire threw him into the Abyss at the beginning of Soul Reaver. After a showing of freshly evolved wings, then thrown like so much trash, like a traitor and object of hatred. This spawned his infamous vengeance streak in a dogging pursuit of Kain all to take his life in return. Kain cleverly evades Raziel‘s warpath, and guides him to greater heights. With surprisingly gentle guidance, Kain leads Raziel to see the path that Kain had realized at one point or another. That there is a picture far bigger than Kain’s fallen corpse.
You do eventually get to see a range of emotions from him as well. The first images of Kain’s eldest son are that of a strutting, proud vampire, if not bordering on arrogant. He pride is obviously hurt, if not destroyed after he completed his descent into the Abyss. Hurt and feeling abandoned he searched for Kain to take his life, and more subtly, for someone to cling to.
Many lines in Soul Reaver can be easily misinterpreted. In the perverted mind, one would have thought Raziel was a regular in Kain’s bed.
Now, Kain is an impressive actor. What person who attains his rank isn’t, after all? Despite his claims of considering politics petty, he would have had to learn something to hold his position. If not for the way of acting like the divine father of six very powerful vampires, but towards outsiders to some respect as well. Kain would have, obviously, retained his arrogance despite himself for he has an almost amusing tendency (especially in his younger days) to still speak with some level of manners, and not bother to hide his contempt for another individual. IE: referring the woman at the gate on his way to get Umah though the Sarafan keep as “Madam” though he plainly disliked her for withholding opening the gate until he did something for her.
All this aside, there is still his famous quote: “Alas poor Nupraptor, I knew thee well. Well, not really.” And may have even studied a little theater in his days in advanced schooling that he had a high privileging of attending.
Now that I’ve beaten the poor bush to twigs, I’ll state what I’m getting to. Kain’s whole act of feigning jealousy, anger and hatred, was purely an act in itself that accomplished exactly what he was going for.
When watching the opening to Soul Reaver one must watch it carefully. Kain is subtle in his body language. His body gives away what facial expression, and vocalizations do not.
As Raziel enters the room, Kain tenses some and eyes Raziel. Some of that action is uncertainty. He slowly stands after Raziel unfurls his wings, still looking a but unsure, but he hides it well. He walks over to Raziel and looks at his wings with a touch of fascination. Then he brutally tears the bones from the delicate membranes. That in itself shows Kain’s physical strength and accuracy, for a surgeon would have a hard time tearing flesh as such. Then the scene shifts, to the massive stone overhang over the Abyss. It shows Turel and Dumah carrying their fallen elder brother. Kain leads them over to the execution area. He drops to one knee, looking the area over. As Kain hears his sons approach, his right hand clenches, then he stands, claws stretching outwards, expression something his face and voice do not: tension. Kain then turns his back on all of them, looking towards then and giving his fatal order “Cast him in.” Then looks away, his face betraying nothing. Mind you, that clenched hand could have been easily guised from behind by that half cape, and he probably wouldn’t show much emotion if his other sons were lagging behind.
From Raziel’s point of view, he entered the Pillars Chamber solemnly, with an almost milted stride, his expression neutral. He quietly, without prompting, shows off his new evolution and from his narrative dialogue he states that “he had the honor of surpassing his lord,” without ego or arrogance. In a way, if you look at it this way, he could have hoped that Kain was impressed and he would gain praise. But instead he watches quietly as Kain walks over, examines his wings with soft touches. Raziel did indeed recoil and give a flash of fangs. Dutiful son or not, we are still talking about a large predator who is being looked over by the alpha male. He was also surprised as everyone else when Kain grabbed hold of them, by the wrist joints, and tore them from Raziel’s back. You can see Dumah’s reaction in the background, his stance change and jaw drop from his reaction as he, himself, cannot believe that Kain had hurt his prized eldest son.
An impressive act indeed. Again, for all we know, Kain could have studied theater. And from dialogue further on in the series, Kain knew it was coming. It would never mean that he had to like it, but he had plenty of time to plot and rehearse what he was going to do what that terrible day came. Keep in mind as well, Kain is a person who is very in control of himself and the vast majority of his emotions. Amy Henning herself stated that “Kain wasn’t a jerk like that” regarding the jealous act of removing Raziel’s wings.
Onwards we go…
Now returned, and quite angry, Raziel finds that he has to hunt down his brothers for answer. Clearly, Kain had violated the bond and trust that Raziel had put in him. The first of his brethren he meets is his dear baby brother, Melchiah. Melchiah was the weakest of Kain’s young. One would think that such an arrogant and all powerful being would have no tolerance for weakness much less a childe that is described as being barely above human. And yet, Kain allowed Melchiah to continue to live.
It goes as such:
Melchiah: Yesss, brother. You should have stayed where the master sent you, Raziel. You will
find Nosgoth less pleasant than you remember.
Raziel: What has become of my clan? Answer me, little brother, or I will beat an answer from
your horrid lips.
Melchiah: Everyone is afraid, sibling. You awake to a world of fear. These times of change are
so... unsettling. Do you think I feel no revulsion for this form? Do you believe for a moment that
our Lord would risk his empire upon an upstart inheritance?
Raziel: Enough riddles - what are you saying?!
In other words, Melchiah plainly told Raziel that Kain was not so petty to simply toss such a good child out over a set of wings. But this is something Raziel doesn’t want to hear because his anger towards Kain is still too strong.
Later, we encounter Zephon, Kain’s next youngest son.
Raziel reaches Zephon's lair and confronts him:
Zephon: The prodigal son... There is no returning for you, Raziel.
Raziel: Zephon, your visage becomes you. It’s an appropriate reflection of your soul...
Zephon: ...and you are not his handsome Raziel anymore…
With Zephon’s remark again it is referred to Kain and Raziel being close. With the distaste that Zephon spits out those words he could have been jealous of the closeness that Raziel was privilege to. This is the last of references from Raziel’s brothers. It is clear that when encountering Rahab, he was a pawn, a sheep to Kain’s word. To Dumah, Dumah was not concerned with much except hunting down Raziel and very sure of him self in the process. Turel is not seen in this game, but a later release.
We can turn to the last bits of dialogue in Soul Reaver for only a few more tidbits. One has to keep in mind two things at this point. One being that Kain has been purposefully plugging at Raziel to drive and motivate him to the ends he requires. The other, that this dialogue did appear at the beginning of Soul Reaver, two, though it is altered.
After having worked his way down into the depths of Moebius’ complex, he comes across the “heart” of Moebius’ time-streaming device - the Chronoplast room. Kain reveals himself, stepping out from the shadows of the room.
Kain: At last. I must say, I’m disappointed in your progress. I imagined you would be here sooner. Tell me - did it trouble you to murder your brothers?
Raziel: Did it trouble you when you ordered me into the abyss?
Kain: No - I had faith in you. In your ability to hate. In your self-righteous indignation.
Raziel: Lies. You cannot have foreseen all of this.
Words that were meant to plug at Raziel to some point, but indeed, he had faith in his ‘wayward son’. Kain, knowing that he has a large lack of love for those who have betrayed him in the past, would know that he would not refer to someone so kindly, in the tone of voice he used, if he had not cared or felt anger towards.
As a side note: Many know this speech from Kain, from the beginning of Soul Reaver 2, but in the end of Soul Reaver it is different. I italicized and bolded the line that is different. That line was edited out. He justifies there, his intentions, how he deals and justifies his losses. They must have had some importance to him if he cared enough to mention his children. He had more for Raziel…that I will demonstrate in the next game’s dialogue.
Kain: Eternity is relentless, Raziel. When I first stole into this chamber, centuries ago, I did not
fathom the true power of knowledge. To know the future, Raziel... to see its paths and streams
tracing out into the infinite... As a man, I could never have contained such forbidden truths...
But each of us is so much more than we once were... Gazing out across the planes of possibility,
do you not feel with all your soul how we have become like gods? And as such, are we not
indivisible? As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion... That is why, when I must sacrifice my children to the void, I can do so with a clear heart...
There are many interactions in Soul Reaver 2. Many between Moebius, one with Vorador, and a few with Kain. Unfortunately they are very long winded. I do not wish to loose people’s attention with them, so they so I will tunicate them. For the full script go to http://www.dark-chronicle.co.uk/sr2script.html
The first encounter between these two vampires occurs at the Pillars at Nosgoth. The previous encounter has already been covered as the ending of Soul Reaver was also the beginning of Soul Reaver 2.
Kain stands in the center of the Pillars platform, his back to the clearing's entrance. He appears
to be surveying the Pillars calmly, waiting for something. Raziel stalks up behind Kain, readying
the wraith-blade. Completely aware and composed, Kain addresses Raziel without turning.
Here, Kain is trusting Raziel. Trusting that he still has the honor he always knew the other had along with his hot headed temper. Trusting that Raziel would not just run up to him and plunge the Reaver between his ribs and be done with him.
Kain: And if Moebius told you I was hidden on the underside of hell, would you throw yourself
into oblivion to pursue me? Moebius trawls for the ignorant and unwary, hauling his gasping prey from the streams of their destinies. Stay out of his net, Raziel -
The ever coaching father figure offers words of wisdom to his childe…
Kain: This isn't a chase, Raziel - we are merely passengers on the wheel of destiny, describing a
perfect circle to this point. We have been brought here for a reason. I have seen the beginning
and the end of our story, however - and the tale is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the
ending of it, you and I.
Again, he is indeed including Raziel in what he intends to do, still needing and trusting his childe.
AS Kain continues to speak, his tones are gentle, especially from one who is well known for one who is given to arrogance, anger and violence. The two continue to speak, and Kain basically forces Raziel to see the corruption that has altered and tainted Kain’s own life, making him incapable of certain actions, and very capable of others. He continues to speak with Raziel, trying to hold the message he is trying to get across to his angst filled and kill happy childe, and leaves him on one last note:
Raziel: You said it yourself, Kain - there are only two sides to your coin.
Kain: Apparently so. But suppose you throw a coin enough times... ...suppose one day, it lands
on its edge.
Kain vanishes, leaving Raziel standing in the clearing alone
Leaving Raziel with one last message to think upon until their next encounter. Much of the interaction between these two is one sided, and difficult to tell without actually hearing the dialogue, to hear the tones of their voices. Words exchanged may be sharp at times, but Kain is obviously trying to hold a great deal of faith and patience in his childe, trying to teach and show him another way. It will remain like this for some time, with Kain’s persistent lessons.
Later on, these two come together again and this time, Kain puts a lot of trust in his angry eldest son.
As Kain takes a final step toward Raziel, the surrounding distortion reaches its peak, and the
wraith-blade begins to manifest of its own will. Raziel reacts in alarm.
Raziel: Is this your sorcery?
Kain: Not mine, Raziel - yours. You have nothing to fear from me, Raziel. You hold all the cards.
Kain turns the blade and extends it to Raziel, hilt first. Raziel reaches out tentatively and takes
the Reaver - Kain releases the blade willingly, and extends his hands to show that there's no
deception. As Raziel grips the hilt, the displacement intensifies around them.
Raziel addresses Kain icily. As he speaks, the wraith energy of the Reaver manifests and begins
to twine itself around the physical blade.
Raziel: Then perhaps I should test your sincerity.
Swiftly, Raziel brings the point of the blade up to Kain's throat. Kain steps back, and Raziel advances with him, keeping the sword at his throat.
Raziel: If what you say is true, you should be terrified. I could kill you here and now.
Kain responds, clearly apprehensive, but also strangely resigned -
Kain: And so you do, Raziel.
The blade begins to tremble slightly, as if possessed of its own will.
Raziel is confused and alarmed -
Raziel: What's happening?
The trembling intensifies as Raziel struggles against the pull of the Reaver.
Kain: 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.
The Reaver lunges at Kain - he stumbles against William's sarcophagus and falls to the ground.
As Raziel fights to resist the pull of the blade, Kain urges him with earnest intensity.
Kain: If you truly believe in free will, Raziel, now is the time to prove it. Kill me now, and we
both become pawns of history, dragged down the path of an artificial destiny. I was ordained to
assume the role of Balance Guardian in Nosgoth, while you were destined to be its savior. But the
map of my fate was redrawn by Moebius, and so in turn was yours...
Raziel struggles to maintain control.
Raziel: This is madness!
Kain: Fight it, Raziel... This moment does not have to be an ending - it can become a prelude.
The pull of the Reaver is too powerful; Raziel is losing strength.
Raziel: I can't...
Kain: You can, Raziel - look inside and see that it is so. You have the power to reshape our
inevitable futures.
Raziel raises the Soul Reaver and brings it down violently. Kain turns his head and tenses for the
impact. The sword crashes downward in a blinding flash of light, and Raziel staggers back, his
hand now free of the blade.
Raziel has diverted the Reaver's course, avoiding Kain by mere inches - the blade stands embedded in William's sarcophagus, the impact having fractured the stone.
At first, it seems odd that Kain so willingly hands over to Reaver, his hard earned weapon that he had watched over so closely for so long. He kept his calm but its clear Kain was nervous with this as well, told by a few facial expressions and but gestures. Kain kept his calm in the end, a calm that Raziel needed. Here, is the first piece of real mercy Raziel has shown. Yes, Raziel had it at Kain’s throat at one point, but he has done so to many others as well. Here…Kain gave a lot of trust again. More so than before in his irate childe…he could have been easily killed, nailed to William‘s sarcophagus like a fly.
But Raziel did not. This, I believe is one of the first times that Raziel is beginning to see that the sire he thought had so coldly rejected and thrown him away…still cared. In the end, Kain once again leaves Raziel to his own decisions on the newly altered future.
Time passes and they meet again. Raziel has, once again, been deceived by Moebius and lead to another space of time where he cannot meet Janos Audron. Instead, he first encounters his sire again…
Kain: Perhaps... (then, with sarcasm -) Or maybe he merely hoped that it would harden your
heart against me to see this wasteland which I single-handedly authored.
Raziel: My heart doesn't need hardening, Kain. If I even suspected that destroying you would
make any difference, I would do it this instant.
Kain: (laughs approvingly) I knew you'd see through them, Raziel. Janos is indeed the key to
your destiny, but you'll need to find your own way back into Nosgoth's past. Make no mistake
though, Raziel - you and I are now in great danger. We are irritants here - malevolent forces are
being marshaled to eliminate us.
Raziel: You talk as though we're allies.
Kain: Regardless of your sentiments, Raziel, in their eyes - we are.
A short clip of a longer conversation. Here, Raziel states that he has learned that what Kain was trying to teach him, though he did not trust him, was indeed true. Perhaps enough to finally learn Kain’s trust once again. This time around, however, it should be noted it is the mildest of conversations between the two, almost as if on some level they were regarding one another as old friends again. A little glue to heal a shattered relationship. Kain clearly warns Raziel to tread carefully in the end, leaving with the knowledge that some of his work has had a small reward.
More time passes, Janos Audron is discovered and murdered, a twin set of vengeance streaks blaze though the Sarafan stronghold and kill many of its important members. Raziel discovers his hand is the one that put each of his brothers, human at the time, along with himself, in the ground in the first place.
The Reaver then turns on him, trying to devour him from within…
And his ever patient sire shows up…
Raziel: Are you enjoying this, Kain?!
Kain: (intense) Don't fight it, Raziel... Give in to it...
Raziel: (in agony) Was this your destiny for me, all along?!
Kain urges him intently -
Kain: Trust me...
Raziel is clearly in pain, his life about to end, and still Kain asks for his trust. Just as Raziel was nearly devoured, Kain pulled the Reaver from his chest and released him from its pull. His last message to Raziel goes unheard as the wraith slipped off into the spectral realm.
There…Raziel sees that no matter what, he cannot escape his destiny.
The two separate after the events of the previous game. They spend a good deal of time apart, searching and defining their paths of destiny. Kain is trapped in one time, running one path, and Raziel another, running another path. Many of Kain’s actions in the earlier time sets things up so that Raziel may continue on and easier path though the tasks he is set to accomplish. This shows how tied, as far as destiny goes, these two individuals are.
Over time, their paths start to draw together again….
Raziel: I seek the Heart of Darkness.
Mortanius: Ah, now you think of that. But as I told you, you are too late. The Heart has served
its function. I have used it to set prophecy in motion. I created the champion foretold by my
masters, who is destined to be your destroyer. The Scion of Balance will save Nosgoth - the
Pillars will return to Vampire guardianship as intended, and your race will be cast down forever.
Raziel: Kain. You used the Heart of Darkness to create Kain.
Mortanius: How else? I refused at first to believe the ancient myths. I thought the vampires were
simply a plague upon mankind, a pestilence we had to control. But they were right, and we were
wrong to overthrow them - Moebius and I. We didn't understand what it was the Pillars were
holding back. I have made my atonement. I will continue to make it to the end, which will be
soon, now. But I know - Kain will set it right, he will restore Balance - The Hylden Lord tries to
seize control again, but loses.
Mortanius: And none too soon. My enemy is growing stronger.
Raziel: Where is the Heart of Darkness now? Did you destroy it?
Mortanius: (laughing) You still don't understand, do you. You cannot make use of it as long as
Kain guards it with his life.
Raziel: (incredulous) Kain - has it?
Realization dawns, and finally Raziel understands.
Raziel: (shocked) It is in Kain!
Mortanius: Check and mate. his deed will redeem first me and then all Nosgoth. It must, it - unh -
The Hylden Lord's presence asserts itself forcefully.
Mortanius/Hylden Lord: This one grows weak. But we will soon have a stronger vessel.
Mortanius rises and advances on Raziel, who retreats.
Mortanius/Hylden Lord: The long-awaited hour approaches - our release is at hand -
Mortanius falters, then regains himself.
Mortanius: Ah... I must - finish it. Now -
Mortanius summons his Death's Head mask again, and vanishes.
After Mortanius teleports away, Raziel remains, but he looks hesitant. Hesitant to leave and thoughtful. His posture slowly shifts, looking like a child that had been given an order to do something unpleasant. All this time he had been searching for a reason, a way, or the means to kill the one who had hurt him so deeply….
And with the way he slowly hangs his head, you can clearly see he now no longer wants to do it.
This is a turning point in their relationship. At some point along the path Raziel had been running he realized that there was one person he could depend on. The one who had raised him from the grave, nurtured him and, indeed, been his demise. He had re-gained the connection he once had to his Sire and likely, then some.
Despite this, when Raziel returns to Avernus, something snapped. We see him run and return, but he never receives a chance to think, or so we think. Raziel returns to Avernus, sees Kain and immediately snaps, in a manner of speaking. Perhaps on the way he made up his mind, fortified it for a confrontation he did not want. Perhaps a great actor in turn, and a determined one as well.
Raziel stands beside Janos' body in the crypt, the Heart of Darkness in hand.
Raziel V.O.: This relic had come at so high a cost... my blood offering for the answers I sought
from this enigmatic corpse. It was the price of my freedom, for which Kain had paid with his life.
Raziel replaces the Heart within Janos' chest and stands back, waiting. Nothing happens.
Raziel V.O.: Had I journeyed so far and forsaken so much, only to have it end like this?
Despairing, Raziel lays his right hand over the hole in Janos' chest. All at once, a blue glow manifests over the wound and Raziel leaps back as Janos convulses. A moment later, the Ancient sits up - restored. His clothes and skin are no longer bloodstained.
For a moment there, Raziel did look lost. That the high price to revive the ancient vampire was nearly akin to paying for a dead horse. Only the dead horse was the only person in his life who had so diligently cared for him. Yes, around Janos, Raziel seemed to calm down his hot headed nature, but Janos has this effect on everyone. This was seen in Blood Omen 2 when he returned to the Cabal, where everyone, even Kain, were calmed by his presence.
And now…The climax…
Elder God: And you will come to understand how oblivion can be a mercy. You and Kain will
spend eternity buried here together, praying for the merciful release of a death that will never
come.
The room shakes again, and Raziel falls to hands and knees, facing the Scion of Balance and
Champion murals; all three have been knocked down from the upper level, and now rest at the
bottom of the forge.
Raziel V.O.: But I was armed with newfound knowledge, and it burned within me...
Raziel starts to piece together what other people have told him.
Janos V.O.: ...redeemer and destroyer...
Raziel V.O.: Moebius had never seen his master until the Soul Reaver purified his sight. Even
the ancient Vampires had no idea what it was they so righteously worshipped.
Ariel V.O.: ...you must unite what has been set asunder...
Raziel V.O.: All the conflict and the strife throughout history, all the fear and hatred, served but
one purpose - to keep my master's Wheel turning. All souls were prisoners, trapped in the
pointless round of existence, leading distracted, blunted lives until death returned them - always
in ignorance - to the Wheel.
Kain V.O.: ...the coin is still turning...
Raziel V.O.: But what hope had there been? One cannot fight the unseen.
Ariel V.O.: ...only then will the Scion of Balance be armed for his true endeavor...
Elder God: Despair, Raziel. There is no escape.
Raziel V.O.: It was then I knew what I had to do. I alone could end this.
In the Material Realm, Kain examines Moebius's staff, unaware of Raziel using Moebius's body
to manifest behind him.
Moebius/Raziel: Kain...
Kain turns - and seeing only Moebius - reacts, again impaling Moebius on the Blood Reaver.
Kain: Do you so enjoy death -
'Moebius' becomes Raziel as Raziel manifests fully.
Moebius/Raziel: Yes...
Kain: Raziel!? No -
Horrified, Kain tries to pull out the sword. Raziel grabs Kain's wrist, preventing him from
withdrawing the blade.
Raziel: Yes - this is how...
Kain: No. Raziel!
Raziel:(struggling to speak) The Soul Reaver - pure of all corruption - this is what it is for. This
is what I am for -
Raziel lays his right hand on Kain's chest wound, the wraith Reaver manifesting.
Raziel: (struggling to speak) The two become one - both Soul Reavers - together - and the Scion
of Balance is healed. And I - am not your enemy - not your destroyer - I am, as before, your right
hand. Your sword.
Raziel slumps, nearly drained.
Kain: No, Raziel - this can't be the way...
Raziel: (hoarsely) And now you will see - the true enemy -
Raziel's physical form fades leaving Kain's Reaver aglow with its new endowment. It is now the
Soul Reaver.
Kain: (sadly) Raziel -
As Kain pulls the Soul Reaver from the wall and turns, the Elder God becomes visible to him.
Kain V.O.: And it was then - I saw.
Elder God: So... I am revealed to you at last.
Kain: What in the hell...
Elder God: I am the origin of Life... the devourer of Death. I am the hub of the Wheel, the
purifying cycle to which all souls must be drawn.
Kain V.O.: Had I condemned Raziel to this nightmare when I cast him into the Abyss?
In this final scene together, it dawns on Raziel his entire purpose. The whole reason that he was truly cast away like so much rubbish. That Kain had done it to ultimately protect him from the fate of his brethren. To give him the power of choice over his destiny. A heavily weighted choice, but one none the less. A choice that Kain lacked. It is clear here, watching Raziel, as the weight of the whole situation dawns on to him, from his shifting posture, that a lot that was spoken to him on the part of his Sire, that indeed, Kain had been right all along.
And that he had one destiny. A sacrificing destiny to save Nosgoth, and above that, become once again Kain’s right hand, so to speak. As he had always been. In his earliest days Kain had been led to Raziel, but not known it as Raziel was the entity that was trapped within the Soul Reaver, mad with his imprisonment. That it was he, and no other, that would be Kain’s constant companion long before anyone else and always at his side.
Raziel then chooses to give up his freedom for his Sire. Quite the labor of love for how can few others give so much? It is a powerful gift indeed, and a lasting one at a very high cost.
In turn, you can see, with the saddened expression on Kain’s face, an expression that we had not seen before, that it is a choice he did not want. He would have preferred to have his childe at his side, as is, even in the withered form he came to inhabit. His expression and manner stays, even after Raziel’s body disappears. Regretful, even as he looks upon his sword.
With no time to mourn, Kain is then left to finally face the Elder God. And see, thanks to Raziel’s gift, the force that is driving so many things in Nosgoth. Purified by Raziel’s gift, Kain can now see the Elder God or Oracle has it had passed itself off for, for what it really is. A giant psudo-cuthulu.
In the end…
Kain returns to the council chamber of the Vampire Citadel. He walks over to the break in the
wall, contemplating the Soul Reaver in his hands, and looking at the ruined Pillars.
Kain V.O.: Now, at last, the masks had fallen away. The strings of the puppets had become
visible, and the hands of the prime mover exposed. Most ironic of all was the last gift that Raziel
had given me: More powerful than the sword that now held his soul, more acute even than the
vision his sacrifice had accorded me. The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion -
Hope.
Kain now must continue his journey and save Nosgoth.
Alone.
As Emerald Embers stated in her own manifesto, one reason these two make a good couple is the whole Sire/Fledgling thing. Bound together somewhere between lovers and relatives. Literally bound by blood per say. Though it is estimated that Kain could not raise a childe by traditional means. No, Kain himself is not a traditional vampire. Necronic some refer him as to being, sterile even by vampire means but reality is something that Kain has never let himself be bound by reality. As Adam says in Myth busters “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”
Kain has not been known to be one to let much of anything close to him. He has his reasons and its likely, with a vampire’s excellent memory for remembering wrongs committed against them, he would still hold a grudge to some extent even in his later years. However, Kain is also still not the arrogant bastard some believe him to be. There is a great deal of dimension to his character and plenty of room in an empty heart for one individual. If he could have helped it, he would have never let Raziel committee himself so. He had tried his damnedest to prevent what inevitable happened out of the need for someone left in his life.
Raziel in turn, if he hadn’t been so hurt by the simple act of tearing away his wings, then having the power to drag himself from death to try and seek vengeance from the one who did the hurting, he wouldn’t have returned in the first place. I am one to believe that since it was destiny playing strongly in the series, it bloody well and possible that the Elder god never resurrected him. I believe it was Raziel’s own will, anger and hatred that caused him to resurrect in his fragile, withered form. Yes, the Elder God gave the directions and the means, but it was Raziel’s will first of all.
That same anger and hurt drove him onward and back to he one that had caused it in the first place. It was a space in Raziel’s own heart that kept him from slaying Kain in the many opportunities that he had been handed. That same space made dealing what damage that he did cause regretful. And that same space gave him conviction to ultimately die for the one he had loved, and loved him in return.
In the end, these two are a case of two people alike that do get along well. Kain, the more matured mind, and Raziel, the still hotheaded childer that Kain gladly guides and keeps close to his heart.
These two are the very center of the Legacy of Kain fandom. The story revolves primarily around Kain himself. Raziel has added his own legacy to the story as well and both have a great number of fans. I am guilty being one who favors Kain over Raziel, largely from the grand views. Many in Defiance alone were enough to make a fan-girl swoon, especially with the infamous camera system that one could play with. But then, that view could go both ways, depending on the view of who one prefers to see.
These two are a part tragic tale, worthy of Shakespeare really. With the deep plot line to entice, compelling characters to follow though enough twists and turns to send one’s head spinning and guessing more than a hardcore Trekkie. And Lord knows the forums of Eidos and the Nosgothic Realm are full of fans trying to guess the fates, the plot and the Unknown that was mentioned so many times though out the still incomplete series.
On Deviant Art:
http://orderofkain.deviantart.com/ The Order of Kain
http://razielim-clan.deviantart.com/ The Raziel fan group
http://lokclan.deviantart.com/ covers all of LoK
On Live Journal
http://www.livejournal.com/users/goldenguttering/ Emerald Ember’s Fiction Journal. Some very wonderful gems in here.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/ Soul Reaver Slash.
On the Net:
http://www.dark-chronicle.co.uk/updates.php The Encyclopedia Nosgothica. Thank you for having most of the dialogue I used.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/ For all of the information that didn’t make the game.
http://p081.ezboard.com/bnosgoth.html? The Nosgothic Realm’s forums
http://www.nosgoth.net/ Nosgothic Realm itself
http://www.spiritnoir.com/ Spirit Noir. A wonderfully started fan comic. We’re still waiting for more when the artist gets the time.
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/ The LoK EB’s fiction site. Yes, I am a co-owner.
Recommended Readings:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/9834.html#cutid1 not worksafe. http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/13328.html#cutid1 also not worksafe.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/goldenguttering/5545.html#cutid1 One of Emerald Ember’s gems. Certainly not worksafe
http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/9192.html#cutid1 more not worksafe
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/story.php?no=98 One theory of how they were raised.
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/story.php?no=164 Kain assists in interpreting a dream.
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/story.php?no=121 Father and son, lost after a battle, struggle to survive.
Author: Crazy Dragon
Series: Legacy of Kain
Pairing: Kain/Raziel
Spoilers: Only if you’ve not played the whole game series as their very integral characters the series revolves around.
E-Mail: crazy dragon 1 2 3 4 (AT) frontier net . Net (jumbled for the security of my inbox! *swats net-bots*)
Notes: Thus far, since you did so awesomely, Emerald Embers, you are my model for writing this. I also thank those who have taken the time to read this before I have posted it here.
1. Intro
(why I wrote the manifesto, and a brief intro to the Legacy of Kain world)
2. The characters
(Kain and Raziel: who they actually are)
3. Finding subtext where subtext is not
( The subtle hints of their relationship)
4. Who, what, where, why, how?
(Reasoning why these two might have actually been a couple off and on)
5. Why I love these two!
(*swoons*)
6. Fandom
(recommendations and other information)
(why I wrote the manifesto, and a brief intro to the Legacy of Kain world)
2. The characters
(Kain and Raziel: who they actually are)
3. Finding subtext where subtext is not
( The subtle hints of their relationship)
4. Who, what, where, why, how?
(Reasoning why these two might have actually been a couple off and on)
5. Why I love these two!
(*swoons*)
6. Fandom
(recommendations and other information)
Introduction and Brief History of Nosgoth‘s Solitary Self-declared Emperor:
Many have heard of me, but few know me. I am Crazy Dragon. An infamous personality who wanders the Legacy of Kain fandom writing fan fics and creating fan art that easily borders on the X-rated side. Most infamous of these is titled Consumed Light. I dwell within the series for I love its wonderfully complicated plot, the game play and the lovely, lovely views with way the camera is configured.
Why I chose these two when I could have chosen so many others? I debated some, that how easily I could write my first one on Kain/Vorador, of their tense relationship and how it might actually work. No, that shall be for another time. I chose to go with the more obvious of possible relationships Kain would have had over the centuries. Many have known, been killed by, and met the former nobleman, but even fewer actually knew the man who would one day conquer the land, raise six sons and later sacrifice them in a fight to attain his birthright. Raziel is one of the very few who had that right that so few ever had.
Within the world of Nosgoth there is a deep plot, kept secret and buried under ages of dust and more lies. Many of the characters are caught within that plot. Many die as it carries out its course. The analogy Kain uses at one point….destiny, like a coursing river, too strong and resilient to resist, sweeps up many. Some are deposited else where, or else when, others are swept from the board entirely. This is a plot Kain himself was trapped within long, long before he was born and never knew until his thirtieth year of life, when it ended.
Assassinated then raised by the same Necromancer, Kain never knew, or learned of, the greater picture of what exactly was going on until some time later. It is well known that Kain was never one to be satisfied with the way things were. He tried to right things by toppling the reign of The Nemesis, and later, made his first attempt to conquer Nosgoth. In that attempt, he developed his known, earlier relationships. Many speculate him having at minimum flings with Sebastian and Magnus. After his betrayal, there is the hot debate over how much he felt for Umah.
It is unnamed when, whether it is before, or after he raised his six sons, and amongst them, his pride and joy; Raziel. After that unholy, ironic incident that raised the vampire population, the events that led up until Soul Reaver are unknown, and yet much is indicated right up until a fatal day. The day Raziel came forward with newly evolved wings. Kain played his part well in acting out the part of a jealous superior and executed Raziel for what was easily viewed as betrayal. Their relationship did not end there.
2. The Characters:
Kain: Arrogant, selfish, short tempered, body proud and loves letting everyone else know it. Handsome bleached white features eventually gave away to sandy colored , accented in deep tones of olive, once, crackled somewhat like the bark of a tree, or the beginning of a dragon’s hide, depending on one’s opinion. Either way, though out time since his first day as a fledgling, he kept his gorgeously thick silver highlighted white hair.
There is more depth to him than many consider. Certainly short tempered. He has shown that well over the ages. In his pursuit in hunting down the traitors that heralded his downfall, in the pursuit for the Sarafan Lord’s head, in dogging down the Pillar guardians, and finally, when he cast away his eldest son.
You can see in his eyes as he’s thinking while Moebius held him pinned with his staff and gloated over his weakened body. You could tell that in his age, he has gained some wisdom to go with his developed appearance and advanced age. One, while watching him, listening to his voice, watching his surprisingly expressive face, would learn that though time not only had he learned more and had tried to decipher the plot which he was entangled, that he also likely get in touch more with himself.
Raziel: The ever present angel of death. Definitely arrogant before his fall, considered whiney and confirmed angst after it, he is a survivor in his own right. In life, he was a killer, a murderer of Vampires. In undeath, a murderer of humans. In his second chance at unlife, a reaper of souls, feasting on living and undead alike.
He was certainly very hurt, mentally, when his dear Sire threw him into the Abyss at the beginning of Soul Reaver. After a showing of freshly evolved wings, then thrown like so much trash, like a traitor and object of hatred. This spawned his infamous vengeance streak in a dogging pursuit of Kain all to take his life in return. Kain cleverly evades Raziel‘s warpath, and guides him to greater heights. With surprisingly gentle guidance, Kain leads Raziel to see the path that Kain had realized at one point or another. That there is a picture far bigger than Kain’s fallen corpse.
You do eventually get to see a range of emotions from him as well. The first images of Kain’s eldest son are that of a strutting, proud vampire, if not bordering on arrogant. He pride is obviously hurt, if not destroyed after he completed his descent into the Abyss. Hurt and feeling abandoned he searched for Kain to take his life, and more subtly, for someone to cling to.
3. Finding subtext where subtext is not
Soul Reaver
Soul Reaver
Many lines in Soul Reaver can be easily misinterpreted. In the perverted mind, one would have thought Raziel was a regular in Kain’s bed.
Now, Kain is an impressive actor. What person who attains his rank isn’t, after all? Despite his claims of considering politics petty, he would have had to learn something to hold his position. If not for the way of acting like the divine father of six very powerful vampires, but towards outsiders to some respect as well. Kain would have, obviously, retained his arrogance despite himself for he has an almost amusing tendency (especially in his younger days) to still speak with some level of manners, and not bother to hide his contempt for another individual. IE: referring the woman at the gate on his way to get Umah though the Sarafan keep as “Madam” though he plainly disliked her for withholding opening the gate until he did something for her.
All this aside, there is still his famous quote: “Alas poor Nupraptor, I knew thee well. Well, not really.” And may have even studied a little theater in his days in advanced schooling that he had a high privileging of attending.
Now that I’ve beaten the poor bush to twigs, I’ll state what I’m getting to. Kain’s whole act of feigning jealousy, anger and hatred, was purely an act in itself that accomplished exactly what he was going for.
When watching the opening to Soul Reaver one must watch it carefully. Kain is subtle in his body language. His body gives away what facial expression, and vocalizations do not.
As Raziel enters the room, Kain tenses some and eyes Raziel. Some of that action is uncertainty. He slowly stands after Raziel unfurls his wings, still looking a but unsure, but he hides it well. He walks over to Raziel and looks at his wings with a touch of fascination. Then he brutally tears the bones from the delicate membranes. That in itself shows Kain’s physical strength and accuracy, for a surgeon would have a hard time tearing flesh as such. Then the scene shifts, to the massive stone overhang over the Abyss. It shows Turel and Dumah carrying their fallen elder brother. Kain leads them over to the execution area. He drops to one knee, looking the area over. As Kain hears his sons approach, his right hand clenches, then he stands, claws stretching outwards, expression something his face and voice do not: tension. Kain then turns his back on all of them, looking towards then and giving his fatal order “Cast him in.” Then looks away, his face betraying nothing. Mind you, that clenched hand could have been easily guised from behind by that half cape, and he probably wouldn’t show much emotion if his other sons were lagging behind.
From Raziel’s point of view, he entered the Pillars Chamber solemnly, with an almost milted stride, his expression neutral. He quietly, without prompting, shows off his new evolution and from his narrative dialogue he states that “he had the honor of surpassing his lord,” without ego or arrogance. In a way, if you look at it this way, he could have hoped that Kain was impressed and he would gain praise. But instead he watches quietly as Kain walks over, examines his wings with soft touches. Raziel did indeed recoil and give a flash of fangs. Dutiful son or not, we are still talking about a large predator who is being looked over by the alpha male. He was also surprised as everyone else when Kain grabbed hold of them, by the wrist joints, and tore them from Raziel’s back. You can see Dumah’s reaction in the background, his stance change and jaw drop from his reaction as he, himself, cannot believe that Kain had hurt his prized eldest son.
An impressive act indeed. Again, for all we know, Kain could have studied theater. And from dialogue further on in the series, Kain knew it was coming. It would never mean that he had to like it, but he had plenty of time to plot and rehearse what he was going to do what that terrible day came. Keep in mind as well, Kain is a person who is very in control of himself and the vast majority of his emotions. Amy Henning herself stated that “Kain wasn’t a jerk like that” regarding the jealous act of removing Raziel’s wings.
Onwards we go…
Now returned, and quite angry, Raziel finds that he has to hunt down his brothers for answer. Clearly, Kain had violated the bond and trust that Raziel had put in him. The first of his brethren he meets is his dear baby brother, Melchiah. Melchiah was the weakest of Kain’s young. One would think that such an arrogant and all powerful being would have no tolerance for weakness much less a childe that is described as being barely above human. And yet, Kain allowed Melchiah to continue to live.
It goes as such:
Melchiah: Yesss, brother. You should have stayed where the master sent you, Raziel. You will
find Nosgoth less pleasant than you remember.
Raziel: What has become of my clan? Answer me, little brother, or I will beat an answer from
your horrid lips.
Melchiah: Everyone is afraid, sibling. You awake to a world of fear. These times of change are
so... unsettling. Do you think I feel no revulsion for this form? Do you believe for a moment that
our Lord would risk his empire upon an upstart inheritance?
Raziel: Enough riddles - what are you saying?!
In other words, Melchiah plainly told Raziel that Kain was not so petty to simply toss such a good child out over a set of wings. But this is something Raziel doesn’t want to hear because his anger towards Kain is still too strong.
Later, we encounter Zephon, Kain’s next youngest son.
Raziel reaches Zephon's lair and confronts him:
Zephon: The prodigal son... There is no returning for you, Raziel.
Raziel: Zephon, your visage becomes you. It’s an appropriate reflection of your soul...
Zephon: ...and you are not his handsome Raziel anymore…
With Zephon’s remark again it is referred to Kain and Raziel being close. With the distaste that Zephon spits out those words he could have been jealous of the closeness that Raziel was privilege to. This is the last of references from Raziel’s brothers. It is clear that when encountering Rahab, he was a pawn, a sheep to Kain’s word. To Dumah, Dumah was not concerned with much except hunting down Raziel and very sure of him self in the process. Turel is not seen in this game, but a later release.
We can turn to the last bits of dialogue in Soul Reaver for only a few more tidbits. One has to keep in mind two things at this point. One being that Kain has been purposefully plugging at Raziel to drive and motivate him to the ends he requires. The other, that this dialogue did appear at the beginning of Soul Reaver, two, though it is altered.
After having worked his way down into the depths of Moebius’ complex, he comes across the “heart” of Moebius’ time-streaming device - the Chronoplast room. Kain reveals himself, stepping out from the shadows of the room.
Kain: At last. I must say, I’m disappointed in your progress. I imagined you would be here sooner. Tell me - did it trouble you to murder your brothers?
Raziel: Did it trouble you when you ordered me into the abyss?
Kain: No - I had faith in you. In your ability to hate. In your self-righteous indignation.
Raziel: Lies. You cannot have foreseen all of this.
Words that were meant to plug at Raziel to some point, but indeed, he had faith in his ‘wayward son’. Kain, knowing that he has a large lack of love for those who have betrayed him in the past, would know that he would not refer to someone so kindly, in the tone of voice he used, if he had not cared or felt anger towards.
As a side note: Many know this speech from Kain, from the beginning of Soul Reaver 2, but in the end of Soul Reaver it is different. I italicized and bolded the line that is different. That line was edited out. He justifies there, his intentions, how he deals and justifies his losses. They must have had some importance to him if he cared enough to mention his children. He had more for Raziel…that I will demonstrate in the next game’s dialogue.
Kain: Eternity is relentless, Raziel. When I first stole into this chamber, centuries ago, I did not
fathom the true power of knowledge. To know the future, Raziel... to see its paths and streams
tracing out into the infinite... As a man, I could never have contained such forbidden truths...
But each of us is so much more than we once were... Gazing out across the planes of possibility,
do you not feel with all your soul how we have become like gods? And as such, are we not
indivisible? As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion... That is why, when I must sacrifice my children to the void, I can do so with a clear heart...
Soul Reaver 2
There are many interactions in Soul Reaver 2. Many between Moebius, one with Vorador, and a few with Kain. Unfortunately they are very long winded. I do not wish to loose people’s attention with them, so they so I will tunicate them. For the full script go to http://www.dark-chronicle.co.uk/sr2script.html
The first encounter between these two vampires occurs at the Pillars at Nosgoth. The previous encounter has already been covered as the ending of Soul Reaver was also the beginning of Soul Reaver 2.
Kain stands in the center of the Pillars platform, his back to the clearing's entrance. He appears
to be surveying the Pillars calmly, waiting for something. Raziel stalks up behind Kain, readying
the wraith-blade. Completely aware and composed, Kain addresses Raziel without turning.
Here, Kain is trusting Raziel. Trusting that he still has the honor he always knew the other had along with his hot headed temper. Trusting that Raziel would not just run up to him and plunge the Reaver between his ribs and be done with him.
Kain: And if Moebius told you I was hidden on the underside of hell, would you throw yourself
into oblivion to pursue me? Moebius trawls for the ignorant and unwary, hauling his gasping prey from the streams of their destinies. Stay out of his net, Raziel -
The ever coaching father figure offers words of wisdom to his childe…
Kain: This isn't a chase, Raziel - we are merely passengers on the wheel of destiny, describing a
perfect circle to this point. We have been brought here for a reason. I have seen the beginning
and the end of our story, however - and the tale is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the
ending of it, you and I.
Again, he is indeed including Raziel in what he intends to do, still needing and trusting his childe.
AS Kain continues to speak, his tones are gentle, especially from one who is well known for one who is given to arrogance, anger and violence. The two continue to speak, and Kain basically forces Raziel to see the corruption that has altered and tainted Kain’s own life, making him incapable of certain actions, and very capable of others. He continues to speak with Raziel, trying to hold the message he is trying to get across to his angst filled and kill happy childe, and leaves him on one last note:
Raziel: You said it yourself, Kain - there are only two sides to your coin.
Kain: Apparently so. But suppose you throw a coin enough times... ...suppose one day, it lands
on its edge.
Kain vanishes, leaving Raziel standing in the clearing alone
Leaving Raziel with one last message to think upon until their next encounter. Much of the interaction between these two is one sided, and difficult to tell without actually hearing the dialogue, to hear the tones of their voices. Words exchanged may be sharp at times, but Kain is obviously trying to hold a great deal of faith and patience in his childe, trying to teach and show him another way. It will remain like this for some time, with Kain’s persistent lessons.
Later on, these two come together again and this time, Kain puts a lot of trust in his angry eldest son.
As Kain takes a final step toward Raziel, the surrounding distortion reaches its peak, and the
wraith-blade begins to manifest of its own will. Raziel reacts in alarm.
Raziel: Is this your sorcery?
Kain: Not mine, Raziel - yours. You have nothing to fear from me, Raziel. You hold all the cards.
Kain turns the blade and extends it to Raziel, hilt first. Raziel reaches out tentatively and takes
the Reaver - Kain releases the blade willingly, and extends his hands to show that there's no
deception. As Raziel grips the hilt, the displacement intensifies around them.
Raziel addresses Kain icily. As he speaks, the wraith energy of the Reaver manifests and begins
to twine itself around the physical blade.
Raziel: Then perhaps I should test your sincerity.
Swiftly, Raziel brings the point of the blade up to Kain's throat. Kain steps back, and Raziel advances with him, keeping the sword at his throat.
Raziel: If what you say is true, you should be terrified. I could kill you here and now.
Kain responds, clearly apprehensive, but also strangely resigned -
Kain: And so you do, Raziel.
The blade begins to tremble slightly, as if possessed of its own will.
Raziel is confused and alarmed -
Raziel: What's happening?
The trembling intensifies as Raziel struggles against the pull of the Reaver.
Kain: 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.
The Reaver lunges at Kain - he stumbles against William's sarcophagus and falls to the ground.
As Raziel fights to resist the pull of the blade, Kain urges him with earnest intensity.
Kain: If you truly believe in free will, Raziel, now is the time to prove it. Kill me now, and we
both become pawns of history, dragged down the path of an artificial destiny. I was ordained to
assume the role of Balance Guardian in Nosgoth, while you were destined to be its savior. But the
map of my fate was redrawn by Moebius, and so in turn was yours...
Raziel struggles to maintain control.
Raziel: This is madness!
Kain: Fight it, Raziel... This moment does not have to be an ending - it can become a prelude.
The pull of the Reaver is too powerful; Raziel is losing strength.
Raziel: I can't...
Kain: You can, Raziel - look inside and see that it is so. You have the power to reshape our
inevitable futures.
Raziel raises the Soul Reaver and brings it down violently. Kain turns his head and tenses for the
impact. The sword crashes downward in a blinding flash of light, and Raziel staggers back, his
hand now free of the blade.
Raziel has diverted the Reaver's course, avoiding Kain by mere inches - the blade stands embedded in William's sarcophagus, the impact having fractured the stone.
At first, it seems odd that Kain so willingly hands over to Reaver, his hard earned weapon that he had watched over so closely for so long. He kept his calm but its clear Kain was nervous with this as well, told by a few facial expressions and but gestures. Kain kept his calm in the end, a calm that Raziel needed. Here, is the first piece of real mercy Raziel has shown. Yes, Raziel had it at Kain’s throat at one point, but he has done so to many others as well. Here…Kain gave a lot of trust again. More so than before in his irate childe…he could have been easily killed, nailed to William‘s sarcophagus like a fly.
But Raziel did not. This, I believe is one of the first times that Raziel is beginning to see that the sire he thought had so coldly rejected and thrown him away…still cared. In the end, Kain once again leaves Raziel to his own decisions on the newly altered future.
Time passes and they meet again. Raziel has, once again, been deceived by Moebius and lead to another space of time where he cannot meet Janos Audron. Instead, he first encounters his sire again…
Kain: Perhaps... (then, with sarcasm -) Or maybe he merely hoped that it would harden your
heart against me to see this wasteland which I single-handedly authored.
Raziel: My heart doesn't need hardening, Kain. If I even suspected that destroying you would
make any difference, I would do it this instant.
Kain: (laughs approvingly) I knew you'd see through them, Raziel. Janos is indeed the key to
your destiny, but you'll need to find your own way back into Nosgoth's past. Make no mistake
though, Raziel - you and I are now in great danger. We are irritants here - malevolent forces are
being marshaled to eliminate us.
Raziel: You talk as though we're allies.
Kain: Regardless of your sentiments, Raziel, in their eyes - we are.
A short clip of a longer conversation. Here, Raziel states that he has learned that what Kain was trying to teach him, though he did not trust him, was indeed true. Perhaps enough to finally learn Kain’s trust once again. This time around, however, it should be noted it is the mildest of conversations between the two, almost as if on some level they were regarding one another as old friends again. A little glue to heal a shattered relationship. Kain clearly warns Raziel to tread carefully in the end, leaving with the knowledge that some of his work has had a small reward.
More time passes, Janos Audron is discovered and murdered, a twin set of vengeance streaks blaze though the Sarafan stronghold and kill many of its important members. Raziel discovers his hand is the one that put each of his brothers, human at the time, along with himself, in the ground in the first place.
The Reaver then turns on him, trying to devour him from within…
And his ever patient sire shows up…
Raziel: Are you enjoying this, Kain?!
Kain: (intense) Don't fight it, Raziel... Give in to it...
Raziel: (in agony) Was this your destiny for me, all along?!
Kain urges him intently -
Kain: Trust me...
Raziel is clearly in pain, his life about to end, and still Kain asks for his trust. Just as Raziel was nearly devoured, Kain pulled the Reaver from his chest and released him from its pull. His last message to Raziel goes unheard as the wraith slipped off into the spectral realm.
There…Raziel sees that no matter what, he cannot escape his destiny.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
The two separate after the events of the previous game. They spend a good deal of time apart, searching and defining their paths of destiny. Kain is trapped in one time, running one path, and Raziel another, running another path. Many of Kain’s actions in the earlier time sets things up so that Raziel may continue on and easier path though the tasks he is set to accomplish. This shows how tied, as far as destiny goes, these two individuals are.
Over time, their paths start to draw together again….
Raziel: I seek the Heart of Darkness.
Mortanius: Ah, now you think of that. But as I told you, you are too late. The Heart has served
its function. I have used it to set prophecy in motion. I created the champion foretold by my
masters, who is destined to be your destroyer. The Scion of Balance will save Nosgoth - the
Pillars will return to Vampire guardianship as intended, and your race will be cast down forever.
Raziel: Kain. You used the Heart of Darkness to create Kain.
Mortanius: How else? I refused at first to believe the ancient myths. I thought the vampires were
simply a plague upon mankind, a pestilence we had to control. But they were right, and we were
wrong to overthrow them - Moebius and I. We didn't understand what it was the Pillars were
holding back. I have made my atonement. I will continue to make it to the end, which will be
soon, now. But I know - Kain will set it right, he will restore Balance - The Hylden Lord tries to
seize control again, but loses.
Mortanius: And none too soon. My enemy is growing stronger.
Raziel: Where is the Heart of Darkness now? Did you destroy it?
Mortanius: (laughing) You still don't understand, do you. You cannot make use of it as long as
Kain guards it with his life.
Raziel: (incredulous) Kain - has it?
Realization dawns, and finally Raziel understands.
Raziel: (shocked) It is in Kain!
Mortanius: Check and mate. his deed will redeem first me and then all Nosgoth. It must, it - unh -
The Hylden Lord's presence asserts itself forcefully.
Mortanius/Hylden Lord: This one grows weak. But we will soon have a stronger vessel.
Mortanius rises and advances on Raziel, who retreats.
Mortanius/Hylden Lord: The long-awaited hour approaches - our release is at hand -
Mortanius falters, then regains himself.
Mortanius: Ah... I must - finish it. Now -
Mortanius summons his Death's Head mask again, and vanishes.
After Mortanius teleports away, Raziel remains, but he looks hesitant. Hesitant to leave and thoughtful. His posture slowly shifts, looking like a child that had been given an order to do something unpleasant. All this time he had been searching for a reason, a way, or the means to kill the one who had hurt him so deeply….
And with the way he slowly hangs his head, you can clearly see he now no longer wants to do it.
This is a turning point in their relationship. At some point along the path Raziel had been running he realized that there was one person he could depend on. The one who had raised him from the grave, nurtured him and, indeed, been his demise. He had re-gained the connection he once had to his Sire and likely, then some.
Despite this, when Raziel returns to Avernus, something snapped. We see him run and return, but he never receives a chance to think, or so we think. Raziel returns to Avernus, sees Kain and immediately snaps, in a manner of speaking. Perhaps on the way he made up his mind, fortified it for a confrontation he did not want. Perhaps a great actor in turn, and a determined one as well.
Raziel stands beside Janos' body in the crypt, the Heart of Darkness in hand.
Raziel V.O.: This relic had come at so high a cost... my blood offering for the answers I sought
from this enigmatic corpse. It was the price of my freedom, for which Kain had paid with his life.
Raziel replaces the Heart within Janos' chest and stands back, waiting. Nothing happens.
Raziel V.O.: Had I journeyed so far and forsaken so much, only to have it end like this?
Despairing, Raziel lays his right hand over the hole in Janos' chest. All at once, a blue glow manifests over the wound and Raziel leaps back as Janos convulses. A moment later, the Ancient sits up - restored. His clothes and skin are no longer bloodstained.
For a moment there, Raziel did look lost. That the high price to revive the ancient vampire was nearly akin to paying for a dead horse. Only the dead horse was the only person in his life who had so diligently cared for him. Yes, around Janos, Raziel seemed to calm down his hot headed nature, but Janos has this effect on everyone. This was seen in Blood Omen 2 when he returned to the Cabal, where everyone, even Kain, were calmed by his presence.
And now…The climax…
Elder God: And you will come to understand how oblivion can be a mercy. You and Kain will
spend eternity buried here together, praying for the merciful release of a death that will never
come.
The room shakes again, and Raziel falls to hands and knees, facing the Scion of Balance and
Champion murals; all three have been knocked down from the upper level, and now rest at the
bottom of the forge.
Raziel V.O.: But I was armed with newfound knowledge, and it burned within me...
Raziel starts to piece together what other people have told him.
Janos V.O.: ...redeemer and destroyer...
Raziel V.O.: Moebius had never seen his master until the Soul Reaver purified his sight. Even
the ancient Vampires had no idea what it was they so righteously worshipped.
Ariel V.O.: ...you must unite what has been set asunder...
Raziel V.O.: All the conflict and the strife throughout history, all the fear and hatred, served but
one purpose - to keep my master's Wheel turning. All souls were prisoners, trapped in the
pointless round of existence, leading distracted, blunted lives until death returned them - always
in ignorance - to the Wheel.
Kain V.O.: ...the coin is still turning...
Raziel V.O.: But what hope had there been? One cannot fight the unseen.
Ariel V.O.: ...only then will the Scion of Balance be armed for his true endeavor...
Elder God: Despair, Raziel. There is no escape.
Raziel V.O.: It was then I knew what I had to do. I alone could end this.
In the Material Realm, Kain examines Moebius's staff, unaware of Raziel using Moebius's body
to manifest behind him.
Moebius/Raziel: Kain...
Kain turns - and seeing only Moebius - reacts, again impaling Moebius on the Blood Reaver.
Kain: Do you so enjoy death -
'Moebius' becomes Raziel as Raziel manifests fully.
Moebius/Raziel: Yes...
Kain: Raziel!? No -
Horrified, Kain tries to pull out the sword. Raziel grabs Kain's wrist, preventing him from
withdrawing the blade.
Raziel: Yes - this is how...
Kain: No. Raziel!
Raziel:(struggling to speak) The Soul Reaver - pure of all corruption - this is what it is for. This
is what I am for -
Raziel lays his right hand on Kain's chest wound, the wraith Reaver manifesting.
Raziel: (struggling to speak) The two become one - both Soul Reavers - together - and the Scion
of Balance is healed. And I - am not your enemy - not your destroyer - I am, as before, your right
hand. Your sword.
Raziel slumps, nearly drained.
Kain: No, Raziel - this can't be the way...
Raziel: (hoarsely) And now you will see - the true enemy -
Raziel's physical form fades leaving Kain's Reaver aglow with its new endowment. It is now the
Soul Reaver.
Kain: (sadly) Raziel -
As Kain pulls the Soul Reaver from the wall and turns, the Elder God becomes visible to him.
Kain V.O.: And it was then - I saw.
Elder God: So... I am revealed to you at last.
Kain: What in the hell...
Elder God: I am the origin of Life... the devourer of Death. I am the hub of the Wheel, the
purifying cycle to which all souls must be drawn.
Kain V.O.: Had I condemned Raziel to this nightmare when I cast him into the Abyss?
In this final scene together, it dawns on Raziel his entire purpose. The whole reason that he was truly cast away like so much rubbish. That Kain had done it to ultimately protect him from the fate of his brethren. To give him the power of choice over his destiny. A heavily weighted choice, but one none the less. A choice that Kain lacked. It is clear here, watching Raziel, as the weight of the whole situation dawns on to him, from his shifting posture, that a lot that was spoken to him on the part of his Sire, that indeed, Kain had been right all along.
And that he had one destiny. A sacrificing destiny to save Nosgoth, and above that, become once again Kain’s right hand, so to speak. As he had always been. In his earliest days Kain had been led to Raziel, but not known it as Raziel was the entity that was trapped within the Soul Reaver, mad with his imprisonment. That it was he, and no other, that would be Kain’s constant companion long before anyone else and always at his side.
Raziel then chooses to give up his freedom for his Sire. Quite the labor of love for how can few others give so much? It is a powerful gift indeed, and a lasting one at a very high cost.
In turn, you can see, with the saddened expression on Kain’s face, an expression that we had not seen before, that it is a choice he did not want. He would have preferred to have his childe at his side, as is, even in the withered form he came to inhabit. His expression and manner stays, even after Raziel’s body disappears. Regretful, even as he looks upon his sword.
With no time to mourn, Kain is then left to finally face the Elder God. And see, thanks to Raziel’s gift, the force that is driving so many things in Nosgoth. Purified by Raziel’s gift, Kain can now see the Elder God or Oracle has it had passed itself off for, for what it really is. A giant psudo-cuthulu.
In the end…
Kain returns to the council chamber of the Vampire Citadel. He walks over to the break in the
wall, contemplating the Soul Reaver in his hands, and looking at the ruined Pillars.
Kain V.O.: Now, at last, the masks had fallen away. The strings of the puppets had become
visible, and the hands of the prime mover exposed. Most ironic of all was the last gift that Raziel
had given me: More powerful than the sword that now held his soul, more acute even than the
vision his sacrifice had accorded me. The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion -
Hope.
Kain now must continue his journey and save Nosgoth.
Alone.
4. Who, what, where, why, how?
(Reasoning why these two might have actually been a couple off and on)
(Reasoning why these two might have actually been a couple off and on)
As Emerald Embers stated in her own manifesto, one reason these two make a good couple is the whole Sire/Fledgling thing. Bound together somewhere between lovers and relatives. Literally bound by blood per say. Though it is estimated that Kain could not raise a childe by traditional means. No, Kain himself is not a traditional vampire. Necronic some refer him as to being, sterile even by vampire means but reality is something that Kain has never let himself be bound by reality. As Adam says in Myth busters “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”
Kain has not been known to be one to let much of anything close to him. He has his reasons and its likely, with a vampire’s excellent memory for remembering wrongs committed against them, he would still hold a grudge to some extent even in his later years. However, Kain is also still not the arrogant bastard some believe him to be. There is a great deal of dimension to his character and plenty of room in an empty heart for one individual. If he could have helped it, he would have never let Raziel committee himself so. He had tried his damnedest to prevent what inevitable happened out of the need for someone left in his life.
Raziel in turn, if he hadn’t been so hurt by the simple act of tearing away his wings, then having the power to drag himself from death to try and seek vengeance from the one who did the hurting, he wouldn’t have returned in the first place. I am one to believe that since it was destiny playing strongly in the series, it bloody well and possible that the Elder god never resurrected him. I believe it was Raziel’s own will, anger and hatred that caused him to resurrect in his fragile, withered form. Yes, the Elder God gave the directions and the means, but it was Raziel’s will first of all.
That same anger and hurt drove him onward and back to he one that had caused it in the first place. It was a space in Raziel’s own heart that kept him from slaying Kain in the many opportunities that he had been handed. That same space made dealing what damage that he did cause regretful. And that same space gave him conviction to ultimately die for the one he had loved, and loved him in return.
In the end, these two are a case of two people alike that do get along well. Kain, the more matured mind, and Raziel, the still hotheaded childer that Kain gladly guides and keeps close to his heart.
5. Why I love these two!
(’nuff said)
(’nuff said)
These two are the very center of the Legacy of Kain fandom. The story revolves primarily around Kain himself. Raziel has added his own legacy to the story as well and both have a great number of fans. I am guilty being one who favors Kain over Raziel, largely from the grand views. Many in Defiance alone were enough to make a fan-girl swoon, especially with the infamous camera system that one could play with. But then, that view could go both ways, depending on the view of who one prefers to see.
These two are a part tragic tale, worthy of Shakespeare really. With the deep plot line to entice, compelling characters to follow though enough twists and turns to send one’s head spinning and guessing more than a hardcore Trekkie. And Lord knows the forums of Eidos and the Nosgothic Realm are full of fans trying to guess the fates, the plot and the Unknown that was mentioned so many times though out the still incomplete series.
6. Fandom
(recommendations and other information)
(recommendations and other information)
On Deviant Art:
http://orderofkain.deviantart.com/ The Order of Kain
http://razielim-clan.deviantart.com/ The Raziel fan group
http://lokclan.deviantart.com/ covers all of LoK
On Live Journal
http://www.livejournal.com/users/goldenguttering/ Emerald Ember’s Fiction Journal. Some very wonderful gems in here.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/ Soul Reaver Slash.
On the Net:
http://www.dark-chronicle.co.uk/updates.php The Encyclopedia Nosgothica. Thank you for having most of the dialogue I used.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/ For all of the information that didn’t make the game.
http://p081.ezboard.com/bnosgoth.html? The Nosgothic Realm’s forums
http://www.nosgoth.net/ Nosgothic Realm itself
http://www.spiritnoir.com/ Spirit Noir. A wonderfully started fan comic. We’re still waiting for more when the artist gets the time.
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/ The LoK EB’s fiction site. Yes, I am a co-owner.
Recommended Readings:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/9834.html#cutid1 not worksafe. http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/13328.html#cutid1 also not worksafe.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/goldenguttering/5545.html#cutid1 One of Emerald Ember’s gems. Certainly not worksafe
http://www.livejournal.com/community/srslash/9192.html#cutid1 more not worksafe
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/story.php?no=98 One theory of how they were raised.
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/story.php?no=164 Kain assists in interpreting a dream.
http://www.esotero.net/storyline/story.php?no=121 Father and son, lost after a battle, struggle to survive.
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-11 03:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-11 10:15 pm (UTC)It was only all over the place with these two XD but htey do make a good pair. I wished I could have done better writing it, but them I'm 4 years out of college, and 6 out of high school so like I've been in practice.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-18 09:17 pm (UTC)I think the best slashy/emotional moment (besides the Final Confrontation) is in the opening of Defiance: the scene where Raziel is thrown into the Abbyss. Just look at Kain's face - and the fact that he has to look away! Not a happy vampire here...
The only story I know is a WIP from an author who hasn't updated for nearly a year. Still, here it is:
http://www.geocities.com/raihnefirehawk/fanfics.html
I still havn't given up hope that there will be another game in this series.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-19 10:21 pm (UTC)I read your fic. It has an intersting start and could prolly use a lil more work. I doubt, though, that Raziel would be so giving to the vampires. He's a fanatic against their existance, the leader of them really. If you've met religious fanatics like I have (dunno how many times I got those !@#2ing pamplets shoved in my face), they don't relent very well.
There should be. Eidos left it open to add another game. Crystal Dynamics itself right now is busy working on the next Tomb Raider game because the people who had been creating Tomb Raider games just blew it the last one (woudn't know though, I don't like Lara Croft anymore than I do Umah). I have a feeling their waiting for Crystal Dynamics to get done with that and the release of the PS3. They waited for the PS2 to release SR2, so that is what they might be doing and we can do little more but sit and wait for our brains to be blown again.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-08 10:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-10 08:49 pm (UTC)Thankees ^^