-------------------------------------------------------------------- Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Flashback Guide by evlsandman Current Version: 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Contents ---------- I. Introduction II. Purpose of the Guide III. Comparisons between the games IV. Flashback References V. How events played out in the previous two games VI. My thoughts on Vorador’s appearance in Blood Omen 2 VII. Legacy of Kain: Defiance VIII. Copyright ----------------------- Revisions to the guide ----------------------- 2/4/03- At long last I got around to revising this guide. I long since finished Blood Omen 2 and was looking to add some items from that game. So along with adding flashback references to Blood Omen 2. I added a play through of Blood Omen 2. I also added extra gaming sites hosting this guide to the list. 4/8/02- I added comments on Blood Omen 2 in the Comparisons between games section. Also added is a commentary on Vorador’s appearance in Blood Omen 2. Aside from this corrected some comments in other sections. And added gaming sites that feature my flashback guide in their Legacy of Kain sections. 7/16/03- Added another gaming site. Included section discussing Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Added credit from flash point concerning the Hylden. ----------------- I. Introduction ----------------- This is the first time I am doing this so please don’t be too harsh when criticizing it. Soul Reaver 2 was for many that have played Soul Reaver a long awaited game. Like many, I was a little ticked with the ‘To Be Continued’ thrown at me at the end of the game. Even though they take up where we left off at the beginning of SR 2. They cut out parts of the speech when Raziel chased Kain into the Oracle’s Cave. I enjoyed the game despite the few technical glitches. And while playing through this game I felt the need to do a guide that explained how the makers bridged the story lines of Blood Omen, and Soul Reaver to bring some type of conclusion to the series. And possibly start a new story line. Those who played to the end of SR 2 know what I’m talking about. -------------------------- II. Purpose of the Guide -------------------------- Just like someone made a flashback guide for Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger. I thought I would attempt to pull the same stunt. So that those who never played Blood Omen, and or Soul Reaver can still follow the story line that is established in SR 2. This guide is only useful to people who are currently playing through the story line established in Soul Reaver 2. Also those who are familiar with the Legacy of Kain Series. I will not be making a complete chronological history. The timeline set up in SR 2 does a good enough job with it. This is not a guide with a walk through or boss strategies. I will be making comparisons with the games and discussing what happens during the play through. ------------------------------------ III. Comparisons between the games ------------------------------------ As is common knowledge Blood Omen is where the Legacy of Kain series started. And is continued in the Soul Reaver series. Blood Omen 2 is a side story continuing Kain’s story line before the events in Soul Reaver. I haven’t played it yet. If Blood Omen 2 brings any events to light that weren’t already established I will either update this FAQ or do a new one in the Blood Omen 2 section. Blood Omen The graphics are dated and the loading times take some patience. But still a good game. The cut scenes were like mini movies. They are like the Full Motion Video’s in Role Playing Games. The voice acting was decent, but only when dealing with the story line. Casual conversations were very limited. After that game the only conversations that happened in the series were in cut scenes. There was no battle system like the one’s tweaked around with in the Soul Reaver series. You couldn’t dodge or defend yourself so the Repel spell was probably used a lot by gamers. Soul Reaver The graphics were improved a great deal and this was the first 3D game in the series. Blood Omen was a 2D game that looked like the old Metal Gear games on Classic NES. The sound went well with the mood of the game. The voice acting was more dramatic which grabbed you to a degree in the game. The puzzles were more challenging than the switches used in Blood Omen. The battle system kept random encounters interesting. There were a few weaknesses in the game however. Even though the game continued the story line established in Blood Omen. They didn’t answer any open questions about what happened at the end of the game. The story was very fragmented and safe to say alienated fans of Blood Omen looking for answers to the previous game. Also the game had a battle system. But there was very little reason to use it after awhile. You can fight characters without being too creative. For example I didn’t need to dodge much in a fight. I wailed away at the guy and usually killed him. Soul Reaver 2 The graphics were just a more detailed version of the original Soul Reaver that was on Playstation. I think because some people waited for the Dreamcast version of the original SR, the company decided to move the series to Playstation 2. Anyway sound was as decent as the original SR. The voice acting was as good as the original SR. But this time around Raziel showed more depth of character. Before his actions were predictable. But in SR 2 you see him trying decide where he is going more. In SR 1 it was Raziel being told by the Elder God where to go and who to hunt down. And if you missed something in the cut scenes of SR 2 you were able to review the events just like in Blood Omen. But it was a scripted form of the cut scene. Blood Omen 2 Yeah this should timeline wise be ahead of Soul Reaver. But it came out after Soul Reaver 2. I only played the PS2 version because I don’t have an Xbox. Graphic wise it’s the same as Soul Reaver 2. And apparently the same technical problems follow in this game too. Despite the numerous freeze ups it was a decent game. It followed the journey of Kain. His quest to conquer Nosgoth is halted by a new army of Sarafan. Like Soul Reaver 2 the battle system was tweaked. My main disappointment with the battle system was that I’m a bad guy. I should have had some nastier moves. My enemies ducked me too easily and I was only able to kick when they were down after they were near dying. Otherwise it was a decent game in the series. The only other problems besides the freeze ups and the battle system would be Vorador’s appearance and worse Janos Audron’s. And given this was a side story some people may be angered at how ‘short’ the game is. At best you probably will clock in around 20 hours. Lastly in both sequels SR 2 and BO 2 there is little reason to replay the game. In BO and SR you had bonus areas to find. Here there is nothing you might want to replay to look for. It’s too straight forward for both games. --------------- IV. Flashback --------------- Prologue: Flash Point- Soul Reaver Of course this had to be the starting point. This was what we were hit with at the end of Soul Reaver before the big ‘To be continued’. The conversation was longer in the original game before Raziel and Kain fought. But this was a condensed version where they focused on mostly what Soul Reaver 2 was going to deal with. The plot and events of SR 1 was discussed between Kain and Raziel at the end of the Soul Reaver game too. Kain and Moebius: Flash Point- Blood Omen In what will probably be the most repeated part of this guide. Kain after losing the fight with Malek is told by Ariel to seek out the Oracle. The Oracle turns out to be none other than Moebius the Time Streamer. Raziel mentions Kain’s encounter with Moebius at the end of Soul Reaver. Kain who was already on his quest to hunt down the remaining circle sought answers to how to defeat Malek. Which was to seek the vampire Vorador’s help. Moebius before giving Kain answers to how to defeat Malek. Goes on to mention the legions of the Nemesis and that King Ottmar and his army were the only ones who could defeat them. But needed to help the King’s daughter. It’s because of this meeting that Kain after seeing who Moebius was feels his entire journey was manipulated. In what is listed as one of the secrets in the game (see Secrets Guide for Blood Omen at GameFAQ’s), you find there was a meeting with Moebius and William the Just that Kain stumbles upon inside the castle. After returning to his own time. Kain witnesses Vorador’s execution and has to fight off a mob sent by Moebius. Kain then recognizes Moebius as the Oracle that laid out the quest for him. After fighting off the mob, Kain with Moebius at his mercy gets the guy to admit to manipulating time and turning William the Just into the Nemesis. Moebius as usual has some clever comments to say. And after allowing him to say a few words Kain beheads him (I played back that cut scene several times). Dark Chronicle: Flash Point- Blood Omen One of the favorite features I’m glad to see back is the Dark Chronicle. It is similar to Dark Diary in Blood Omen. The only difference here is that in Dark Chronicle you see the script of the cut scene. In Dark Diary you see the entire video clip. Sarafan: Flash Point- Blood Omen and Soul Reaver This was a minor part of both games. Thankfully we get to finally see who these people really were in Soul Reaver 2. In Blood Omen we find them killing Vampires. When Kain meets Moebius. The manipulative bum mentions Malek being the last of the Sarafan. And lastly in Blood Omen when Kain meets Vorador, Vorador talks about fighting Malek. In Soul Reaver we find that Raziel was a Sarafan. And in the final part of the game Kain makes a statement about them. That is detailed in the prologue. Heart of Darkness: Flash Point- Blood Omen This was one of the first objects you encountered in Blood Omen. This is how you refilled Kain’s blood and revived him. In Soul Reaver you had no problems with death because Raziel can’t die. If you knew the Blood Refill code for Blood Omen you hardly used the Heart of Darkness unless it was to revive Kain. Just as explain in Soul Reaver 2 the story is pretty much the same here just probably a more detailed description of Janos Audron. Save Points: Flash Point- Blood Omen Unlike in Soul Reaver where you could save at any time. In Blood Omen you had to find a save point. And the design is pretty much the same in Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 2. But in Blood Omen the color was red. The Pillars of Nosgoth: Flash Point- Blood Omen The story is explained about the origin of Pillars. But in Blood Omen you got to get familiar with the pillars. There were nine. With the Balance pillar at the center. The other pillars were: Mind, Energy, Nature, Conflict, Dimension, Time, States, and Death. The pillars corruption: Flash Point- Blood Omen In the opening scene of Blood Omen we see Ariel murdered. Shortly afterwards the Pillars are decaying. As Kain visits the Pillars for the first time he finds Ariel haunting them. He wants to be cured of his vampire ‘curse’ and it is here where Kain’s quest to exterminate the remaining Circle of Nine begins. When Raziel meets up with Kain at Soul Reaver 2 the Pillars are still healthy. Kain explains how the pillars were corrupted and how he was supposed to be the Balance Guardian. Elder God: Flash Point- Soul Reaver Whether or not you played Soul Reaver you don’t miss much about the Elder God. He is in the trailer for SR 1 in the Bonus Materials section of the SR 2 game. Anyway the Elder God chooses Raziel to go hunt down Kain. And at times gives insight to what is going on in the game or where to go next. Usually it was who had to be hunted down next. What I wished wasn’t left out in the prologue to SR 2 was the Elder’s warning. Before Raziel chases Kain through the portal he pauses, because the Elder God warns Raziel he will be beyond the Elder’s reach. But they cover that well when Raziel meets up with the Elder God in SR 2 and states he thought he was rid of the Elder. The images in the Reaver shrines: Flash Point- Blood Omen 2 This didn’t make sense until a replay of both SR 2 and BO 2. Raziel comes across images of winged beings. An ancient race of vampires in a major battle. This is the battle between vampires and the Hylden. During the final battle between Kain and the Sarafan Lord(which we find are the Hylden in disguise) in BO 2, Janos Audron appears. And Janos and the Sarafan Lord speak about the battle between the winged vampires and the Hylden. Vorador: Flash Point- Blood Omen Vorador when you first meet him is murdering members of the Circle of Nine. The members appear powerless because they are unable to use magic. After six are killed Vorador defeats Malek in battle and leaves. Advised by the Oracle (Moebius) Kain seeks Vorador’s help in defeating Malek who is a stumbling block for his quest. Vorador advises Kain not to meddle in human affairs but Kain of course doesn’t listen. Vorador then gives Kain a ring that will summon him to help out in battles. RPG fans may consider this to be the closest to a summon spell/ element in the game. Unfortunately Vorador is beheaded when Kain changed history by a bloodthirsty mob. Despite being the last person you wanted to pick a fight with he is easy going when he isn’t looking for a fight. That is why when he meets Raziel he is relaxed at first then gets serious afterwards. King Ottmar: Flash Point- Blood Omen In what could be called a side quest. Kain needed King Ottmar’s army to fight the legions of the Nemesis. But Kain had to find a mysterious doll that left the princess lifeless. The King wouldn’t do anything until his daughter was restored. After Kain killed the Doll maker and got the doll that paralyzed the princess. Kain was able to get the King’s help in battle. The army was unfortunately defeated and Kain was left alone to fight the legions of the Nemesis. Kain vs. William the Just ‘a.k.a. the Nemesis’: Flash Point- Blood Omen To escape the legions of the Nemesis Kain using the time streaming device went back in time. He realized he could possibly change history by killing William before the King becomes the Nemesis. As he makes his way through the castle he over hears a conversation between Moebius and William. The battle was exactly as Kain describes in SR 2. At that time Kain already found the Reaver and interesting enough William had one. But given there wasn’t a battle system when Blood Omen came out. It’s a safe bet most of the gamers used the Repel spell and Flame Sword. And of course Kain realized after he got back he was manipulated. He saw the Oracle and now recognized him as the Moebius the Time Streamer. Moebius’ statue: Flash Point- Blood Omen This is somewhat off. The statue of Moebius holding the severed head of Vorador is sort of true. He directed the executioner to use the guillotine on Vorador. But it was the executioner who triumphantly raised Vorador’s head exclaiming that the vampire menace was over. Then Moebius would fire up the crowd and sick them on Kain. Kain discovering that Moebius was the Oracle follows this. And then after running through the traps killed Moebius. Ariel’s Lament: Flash Point- Blood Omen and Soul Reaver For those who played SR know Raziel and Ariel were allies. And in Blood Omen there was a similar relationship with Kain and Ariel. Already known was her murder and Kain supposed to be her successor. But the conversation between Raziel and Ariel was about the events of Blood Omen. When Kain meet Ariel she was talking about how her lover Nupraptor went mad. And that was the first member Kain went after. After defeating eight of the members. Kain was then given the monumental decision. As we all know he chose to rule the world as lord of the vampires. For the record the members were defeated in this order: Nupraptor(Pillar of the Mind), Dejoule(Pillar of Energy), Bane( Pillar of Nature), Malek (Pillar of Conflict), Azimuth (Pillar of Dimension), Moebius (Pillar of Time), Anacrothe (Pillar of States), Mortanius (Pillar of Death). Ustenheim: Flash Point- Blood Omen This was a town Kain journeyed through in Blood Omen. There wasn’t much purpose for it in the game except for exploring and getting items. Kain explains that Janos Audron haunted the place until he was hunted down. The details are explained the same way by Raziel in SR 2. But Raziel is looking to find out the truth so he wonders if Janos was really as evil as claimed by history. Demons in the future: Flash Point- Blood Omen 2 Ok what am I talking about? These creatures the mysterious ‘they’ you keep hearing about are possibly the evolved Hylden. Kain meets up with them for the first time in Blood Omen 2 while battling a new form of Sarafan, which was the Hylden in disguise. The huge demons usually have some green or blue aura around them. The same is said for the creatures Kain fights in Blood Omen 2. This was brought to my attention from Kryptic Angel awhile back. KrypticAngel@aol.com sent: The last thing I wanted to share with you is about the demons in SR 2. I agree with your take on the horned ones. For the sake of thoroughness I thought I'd add my thoughts on how the other 3 types of demons relate to the whole since you didn't mention them. The way I see it the other 3 are a part of the Hyldan race we are introduced to in BO 2. My reason for thinking this stems from the green mist spewing from the gas demons. Resembles the green aura of the Sarafan lords head also the green energy barriers that show up when your jumped resembles the Glyph barriers used by the Hyldan/Sarafan through out BO 2. Janos Audron: Flash Point- Blood Omen Janos Audron like the Sarafan was only talked about in Blood Omen. We never see him in the game. Janos was used to explain the Heart of Darkness. This is his first and depending on the story lines that follow, only living appearance in the Soul Reaver series. Impaled vampires: Flash Point- Blood Omen In the final stages of SR 2 Raziel runs into vampires impaled and left hanging. This was the beginning of Blood Omen. The Sarafan killed many vampires this way and left them to die. The scene was more epic in appearance in Blood Omen. It was shown in a big field. Here in SR 2 the killed are scattered all over the place. This description is about the ones scene with a single stake driven through the back. Not the multiple ones seen done by Moebius’ army in the beginning of SR 2. The horned demons that fight Raziel: Flash Point- possibly Blood Omen I say possibly, because the Dark Entity that possesses Mortanius and kills Ariel looks similar to the horned demons in SR 2. Kain fights the Entity last after defeating Mortanius. Interesting enough the horned demons that challenge Raziel more at the end of SR 2 taunt him with his destiny too. And the Dark Entity does the same with Kain. People crying out for Malek: Flash Point- Blood Omen For those who played Blood Omen. You finally found out what took so long for Malek to help the Circle being attacked by Vorador. Moebius had Malek with him the whole time and didn’t let the guy help the poor victims. As Vorador killed six of them Malek was seen running and arrived too late. In failing to protect the Circle he was sentenced to be fused into a magical suit of armor. And serve the circle as their protector. Vorador kills Malek in Blood Omen when Kain summons help. Raziel vs. the Sarafan/ Kain’s lieutenants: Flash Point- Soul Reaver The narration here was self explanatory in the game. In order of appearance Raziel faced and defeated his Sarafan brothers/ Kain’s Lieutenants. The lieuenants were: Melchiah, Zephon, Rahab, Dumah, and Turel. Turel never appeared in Soul Reaver. But in the tomb of Sarafan his name is listed. This was where Raziel found out he was a Sarafan. I guess the horned vampires that shot projectiles in SR 1 were Turel’s descendants. Hylden: Flash Point- Blood Omen 2 The cliffhanger of Soul Reaver 2 is Kain’s look of horror about a particular group called the Hylden. We get our first look at them in Blood Omen 2. These beings take over Nosgoth as the Sarafan. Kain eventually defeats them. But before the Sarafan Lord dies he states they will be back. And that Kain would not live long enough to stop them a second time. That part is apparently true since Kain is not around in Nosgoth’s terrible future. ------------------------------------------------------------- V. How the previous games played out prior to Soul Reaver 2 ------------------------------------------------------------- Blood Omen You see the Sarafan impaling the vampires and leaving them to hang in a huge field. Vorador attacks the Circle killing six of them. The members appear powerless as Vorador just creams them. All the while they are calling for Malek. Malek is seen running but he arrives to late and loses the fight to Vorador. Vorador doesn’t kill Malek but leaves him. Mortanius punishes Malek by having Malek’s soul fused to a suit of armor. And sentences him to an eternity of protecting the Circle. Ariel is murdered and shortly afterward the pillars become corrupted. Kain is ordered to leave a bar and is refused another drink from the Bartender. Kain leaves and is ambushed by soldiers. After being subdued one of them impales Kain in the back. Hovering near death in the underworld Kain awakens still hungering for revenge. Mortanius removes the sword impaled in Kain and turns him into a vampire to exact revenge. After awakening in his tomb as a vampire Kain finds the soldiers that killed him and exacts his revenge. He believes his journey is ended but Mortanius directs him to seek out the pillars. Kain meets Ariel for the first time at the pillars and at first warns her to stay away from him. She promises that he will be cured if he goes on a quest to restore balance to the pillars by hunting down the remaining members of the circle. The first her lover Nupraptor. Just before Kain faces off with Nupraptor, Malek stands in his way. But Nupraptor orders Malek away. After killing Nupraptor, Kain went after Malek. Kain is forced to retreat when Malek unleashes an impenetrable spell. Kain seeks Ariel’s advice on how to defeat Malek. Ariel directs him to the Oracle. Kain meets the Oracle not knowing that he is in fact Moebius. The Oracle talks about King Ottmar the only hope to defeat the legions of the Nemesis. But won’t do a thing until his daughter is restored to life. Kain impatiently demands to know who is Malek and how to defeat him. The Oracle would explain who Malek is and that to seek Vorador’s help. After this the Oracle would disappear. Kain journeys through a treacherous land to find Vorador. Vorador is delighted to see another vampire but states that Kain is young and foolish. After telling Kain of his victory over the Circle of Nine and defeating Malek. Vorador advises Kain on staying out of human affairs. But if he needed help to use Vorador’s ring. It will summon Vorador to help Kain in a fix. Kain takes Vorador’s help but doesn’t heed Vorador’s warning. Kain corners Bane and Dejoule only to have Malek block his path. Kain summons Vorador’s help. Kain chased and fought Bane and Dejoule while Vorador dealt with Malek. With Malek out of the way the rest of the circle would be easy pickings. Azimuth was hunted down next. While in the cathedral searching for Azimuth, Kain finds the Soul Reaver. Kain journey’s to the court of King Ottmar with the disguise of a nobleman, and decides to help the King track down the Doll maker. After hunting down the Doll maker and retrieving the doll Kain encounters the soldiers of the Nemesis. When Kain returns with the doll to the King. The King offers his kingdom to Kain. But Kain refuses and asks to lead an army against the Legions of the Nemesis. While in battle morale drops when the King is killed in battle. Finally Kain is left alone to fight the huge numbers of the Nemesis. Kain uses the Time Streaming device and goes back in time before the days of the Nemesis. After he realizes he is in the past he attempts to change history by killing William the Just. As he makes his way through the castle he over hears Moebius and William the Just speaking to each other. Moebius was already there seeking to talk to the King and as we find out the two have met(this meeting is listed in the 100 secrets guide of the Blood Omen section at GameFAQ’s). Kain meets William and the two fight. Interesting enough William has a reaver too. After Kain kills William he finds his way back to his own time. Kain realizes things have change and as he makes his way out of the castle. He over hears a bloodthirsty crowd from a distance. Kain arrives to see a crowd gathered for an execution at the guillotine. Kain notices the Oracle motioning for the executioner to kill a condemned Vorador. After the executioner announces Vorador is dead the Oracle fires up the crowded then motions for them to kill Kain. Kain wipes out the mob then gets a closer look at the Oracle which turns out to be Moebius the Time Streamer. Kain begins wondering how much of his journey was manipulated by Moebius. After facing three traps set by Moebius, Kain gets Moebius to admit going back in time to turn William the Just into the Nemesis. Then beheads Moebius. Kain returns to the pillars and overhears Anacrothe and Mortanius talking. Anacrothe questions Mortanius having Kain killed and turned into a vampire. The disagreement turns into a battle with Mortanius killing Anacrothe. Kain emerges from behind one of the pillars and challenges Mortanius. Mortanius warns that he may die but there is one more Kain would have to take for the journey to end. As Kain fights Mortanius he ponders who is next. After defeating Mortanius the Dark Entity emerges and challenges Kain to a fight. After some taunting Kain is fired up to take the guy down. After Kain defeats the Dark Entity, Ariel presents Kain with the decision as whether to save the world by sacrifice or rule it as lord of the vampires. Bad ending continues in Soul Reaver. The bad ending features Kain toasting his victory sitting on the Pillars as his throne. The ‘good’ ending Kain sacrifices himself. And Ariel in some form of Eulogy announces Kain’s sacrifice restored balance to the land. Blood Omen 2 It is roughly 400 years after the events of Blood Omen. Kain is leading an army to conquer Nosgoth. All is going well and only one city remains the town of Meridian. But as the army moves to attack the Sarafan fight back. In the climax Kain faces the Sarafan Lord and loses. The battle concludes with Kain being stripped of the Soul Reaver and falling of a cliff to his apparent death. It is now about two hundred years. Kain awakens in the town of Meridian with little memory. Umah greets him and begins bringing Kain up to speed on what has happened. After telling him who defeated him and that the Sarafan rule with an Iron fist. Kain is recruited by Umah to fight alongside the resistance group called the Cabal. Along with reluctantly agreeing to go after the Sarafan to get back his stolen Soul Reaver, he looks forward to facing the traitorous vampires. Kain knows he only retained two Dark Gifts and will be able to gain more in defeating other traitorous vampires(like Raziel did in Soul Reaver 1). He only has the Mist form and Fury. As Umah shows Kain around the city they are separated. Umah tells Kain to look for a way to the Cabal’s headquarters. As Kain makes his way to the location. He is followed by someone who is apparently a vampire. He has to find a ‘Smugglers Tunnel’. Eventually he finds his way to the main location after numerous twists and turns and comes face to face with Faustus. Faustus was at one point one of Kain’s allies but is now an enemy. After a meeting of the minds they fight and Kain receives the Jump ability. He proceeds to the Smuggler’s Tunnel. While making his way to the Cabal he runs into Sebastian. But instead of fighting the two chase for the moment over the city rooftops. Then go their separate ways. Kain isn’t far from his destination and the meeting of the leader of the Cabal. Finally he comes face to face with the leader of the Cabal. And it’s none other than a former acquaintance from Blood Omen, Vorador! The two spend the moment getting reacquainted and Kain asks why Vorador didn’t create another army like he did some time ago. Vorador explains it takes time and energy to do that and he doesn’t have the energy to pull that off again. After a moment a solider comes in beat up and says that Umah was captured. Vorador tells Kain there is an ally that they can contact in the city that would know how to get to Umah. But no vampire can get around without being seen. But Kain using his disguise form(attained from Blood Omen) can get around easily. Kain while making his way through the city runs into Marcus. Like Faustus there is history between Kain and Marcus. After an exchange of words the two race against each other to reach the bishop. Marcus using Charm manipulates people to attack and halt Kain’s advance. Eventually Kain gets to the Cathedral and is too late because Marcus has control over the bishop. With this Kain chases after Marcus and after battling it out Kain gains the ability to control people’s minds. After a conversation with the bishop Kain heads off towards the Sarafan Keep in an effort to free Umah. Kain makes his way through the Keep and finally finds Umah. She is trapped and will not give Kain any information until she is freed. After being freed Kain sees for the first time since their battle the Sarafan Lord. But Umah has the two teleported away from harm and meets up with Vorador. It is here that Kain finds out how the Sarafan Lord defeated him. Using the Nexus stone the Sarafan Lord was able to make Kain’s ability to wield the Soul Reaver ineffective. In order to defeat the Sarafan Lord Kain would need to find this item. Kain makes his way to the Industrial Quarter in hopes of finding the Nexus Stone. He comes face to face eventually with Sebastian. Sebastian has history with Kain. He betrayed Kain’s army and cost Kain the war with the Sarafan. Before killing Sebastian Kain finds out about the ties between the Nexus Stone and the portal. The portal leads to a device under Meridian. After battling it out Kain attains the Nexus Stone but doesn’t escape the exploding complex unharmed. Kain recovers at the Sanctuary. And discusses with Vorador what happened. But Vorador is not clear on the details. He however knows of someone who does. Kain is now sent to find the Seer. But he has to find a secret way out of the City. After meeting the Seer he learns more of the device. But the Sarafan Lord has followed Kain and attacks the house. Kain drinks the Seer’s blood and gains the ability of Telekinesis. He is then teleported to the machine. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the ability to destroy the device. The beast tells of one who can help Kain. Kain journeys to the Eternal Prison. There he finds the ‘builder’ and learns more of the device. It requires pure blood and a channel to work. Kain realizes that there was a network in place. The Glyph’s that surrounded the city of Meridian can be used to channel the energy to wipe everyone out. But if Kain used the ‘builders’ blood it will be made ineffective. The Builder is of an ancient race and their blood is the only way to poison the machine making it ineffective. After obtaining that Kain’s escape from the prison is blocked by Magnus. After fighting Kain finds this is Magnus his right hand man who fought well by his side. But Magnus thought he could actually defeat the Sarafan alone and lost, being sent to the Eternal Prison. Kain releases Magnus from his torment and gains the Immolation ability. Kain returns to the area he met the beast and descends into the Device to find the mass and destroy it. After destroying the mass he finds the beast transformed into none other than Janos Audron. Janos explains that he was not dead but imprisoned there. An even more extended history about vampires is stated here. Apparently they weren’t originally the predators that now walk the land. And Janos was a part of the original battle between vampires and Hylden. In the battle the vampires were able to banish the Hylden from the world. But when Kain made his monumental decision at the end of Blood Omen. It caused a rift that was good enough for the Sarafan Lord to escape back into this dimension. But the gate that the Sarafan Lord came through can be destroyed sending the Hylden back away from this dimension. After reuniting with Vorador and Umah they decide to find a way into the Hylden City. But the place is shielded and in order to launch an attack the shields have to be taken out. Kain decides to go and suddenly Umah jumps to go with him. This despite her sounding distrustful of Kain’s doings early on. And being weak from imprisonment. But before Kain can go through the Wharves that lead into the Hylden City. Umah steals the Nexus Stone from Kain. She feels that Kain’s rule would be no better than the Sarafan. And runs off. After venturing further into the area Kain finds Umah wounded from a battle with the knights. He knows she is near dying and takes the Nexus stone from her. Then states she should have never betrayed him and kills her. Then steals away on the boat that will take him to the Hylden City. Kain encounters the Sarafan Lord who tries to destroy Kain. But realizes it won’t be easy since Kain has the Nexus Stone. He leaves Kain. Kain finds and destroys the shielding device. Vorador and Janos teleport to Kain’s locations. Vorador expecting to see Umah is shocked not to find her there. Kain questions Vorador why Umah betrayed him and if it was under Vorador’s orders. Just then the Sarafan Lord appears and attacks Vorador and Janos. Vorador is seriously wounded and Janos attends to him. But not before teleporting Kain. Kain finally comes face to face with the Sarafan Lord. An argument starts where Kain brings up the vampire spies. And finds that Umah was not the Sarafan Lord’s spies. After a brief struggle the Sarafan Lord declares the battle a stalemate. He can’t defeat Kain while Kain has the Nexus Stone. But the portal remains open for the Hylden to come through. Kain decides to throw the stone into the portal which disrupts to portal. The battle continues and Janos Audron appears. During the interruption the Sarafan Lord drops the Soul Reaver and Kain picks it up. This happens just as Janos is tossed into the abyss. Minus the Soul Reaver the Sarafan Lord says he will still finish Kain. But Kain defeats the Sarafan Lord. While laying near death the Sarafan Lord states that Kain may have won but the Hylden will return again. Kain states he will destroy them again should they return. As he leaves he finishes the Sarafan Lord after he declares that Kain wouldn’t live long enough to hold off their return. While walking away Kain ponders Umah’s comments during her betrayal. What type of rule would it be under Kain? Kain declares she should have trusted him. Now as he rejoices in his victory he knows the war is far from over. He has to defeat the remaining Sarafan still lingering about. Then his rule will finally be established. And finally he will have conquered Nosgoth. Soul Reaver Kain’s empire is established and thriving. His lieutenants appear before him. Raziel appears before Kain and as he kneels shows his latest gifts a new set of wings. Kain surprised to see this goes to Raziel and rips the new wings on Raziel’s back. Then orders Raziel thrown into the lake. Raziel falls in agony for a long time until he is delivered to the doorstep of the Elder God. The Elder God gives Raziel a chance at revenge on Kain. Raziel agrees to go forward and kill Kain. As he journeys out of the underworld into the material he sees much has changed since his ‘death sentence’. The world is a wasteland. He sees the Sanctuary of the Clans in ruins but still unable to enter it. He journeys to his Clan’s territory only to find it has been wiped out. As he continues to explore his territory Raziel enters Melchiah’s territory. After a battle with Melchiah, Raziel receives the Pass through ability. With this ability Raziel is able to enter the Sanctuary of the Clans. Raziel enters the Sanctuary of the Clans and meets Kain armed with the Soul Reaver blade. Raziel angered by his Clan’s demise argues with Kain about his actions. At the end of the fight Kain tries to hit Raziel with the Soul Reaver blade. But the Soul Reaver shatters over Raziel’s head and the wraith blade appears. Kain vanishes and through Raziel’s narrative you find out Kain is pleased by the appearance of the wraith blade. Shortly afterwards after Raziel touches the wraith blade it bonds to Raziel’s arm. Ariel appears before Raziel and after a conversation they become allies. Raziel armed with the Soul Reaver wraith blade is able to enter the Cathedral. After battling spider vampires and making his way to the top of the Cathedral. Raziel meets Zephon. After defeating Zephon, Raziel receives the Wall climbing ability. Now able to scale walls Raziel returns the Sanctuary of the Clans. Scaling the walls Raziel makes his way to the Tomb of Sarafan. The Elder warns Raziel that he is about to see some unsettling information. Raziel enters the tomb reflecting on what the Serafan priests were in life. Then as he enters the tomb he sees his name among the members entombed. The names listed were Raziel, Melchiah, Zephon, Turel, Rahab, Dumah, and Malek. When making his way out Raziel encounters a Tomb Guardian. After the battle Raziel receives the projectile ability. Armed with this ability Raziel makes his way to Rahab’s territory. After battling several water vampires. Raziel encounters Rahab. After exposing Rahab to sunlight Raziel receives the swimming ability. Armed with this ability Raziel can reach the final areas in his pursuit of Kain. Raziel enters Dumah’s territory and finds little resistance. Dumah’s area was whipped out by vampire hunters. After finding Dumah near dead. Raziel removes the spears that were impaled into Dumah. Dumah shows his gratitude by challenging Raziel to a fight. Dumah appears invincible even if the glyph spells available. But after luring Dumah into the furnace room and setting him on fire Dumah is defeated. Raziel receives the constricting ability. This is only ability not used in Soul Reaver 2. Now with all the lieutenants defeated Raziel is now free to pursue Kain. Kain is hidden in the Oracle’s Cave. Raziel makes his way into the Cave and finds a number of items that has him reflecting on Moebius the Time Streamer. Before Raziel enters the room Kain was in. He comes across a number of time portals. Some show current events. Some show events yet to come. And some disturbing events that may also happen. As Raziel wonders what the images he sees mean. The Elder tells Raziel that these time windows are a glimpse into future events. Finally Raziel confronts Kain. The whole story of events in the game is revealed. Plus a glimpse into what possible events would happen in Soul Reaver 2. Raziel as in Soul Reaver 2 confronts Kain about the Sarafan. Just as in the prologue the conversation is the same. But they don’t fight until the end of the conversation. Not during the conversation like in Soul Reaver 2. During the fight Kain activates the time streaming device and escapes from Raziel. Just as Raziel is about to enter the portal the Elder warns Raziel. Raziel is told he will be beyond the reach of the Elder if he enters the portal. After Raziel entered the portal he is met by Moebius and the famous ‘To Be Continued’ ending. The story continues in Soul Reaver 2. --------------------------------------------------------- VI. My thoughts on Vorador’s appearance in Blood Omen 2 --------------------------------------------------------- Given I made mention that Vorador dies before the end of Blood Omen. It was quite interesting to see Vorador alive in Blood Omen 2. This almost makes me out to be a liar. But trust me the dude is beheaded at the Guillotine in Blood Omen before Kain pursues Moebius. And I have noticed that to be a major topic on the message boards at GameFAQs. One question that shouldn’t need to be answered was : Why people weren’t mad at Vorador’s appearance in Soul Reaver 2? That is because Raziel meets Vorador years before his death at the hands of Moebius. I don’t think Vorador was brought back for money. The Legacy of Kain series doesn’t need help to sell games. It’s like Final Fantasy guaranteed to sell copies. I mention this because a number of replies talk about it being the company’s ploy to make money by having an unexplained dead character make an appearance in a sequel. But before a war starts let me say that is your opinion and many are good reasons. But here is my take on the controversial topic. Now in Blood Omen Kain enters Vorador’s Mansion seeking the old vampires help. Are you with me so far? Now when I think about the comments Kain says about Vorador it made me draw the following conclusions. When they first met Kain still detests being a vampire. And when he finds Vorador he remarks: Vorador was a vision of what he was becoming. Vorador who is sitting casually and drinking invites Kain to have a drink with him. Vorador welcomes Kain to come and indulge his gifts(as a vampire). Kain is surprised that Vorador calls the vampire ‘curse’ a ‘blessing’. And that Vampires are gods. In the ‘bad’ ending Kain is found in full agreement with Vorador about being a vampire. Okay so what? But look at the characters. In Blood Omen Kain was a ‘anti hero’. He becomes a full-blown villain at the end of the game. I made it a point to mention the encounters with Kain and Vorador before sharing my theory. Kain apparently saw Vorador as the image of what he was going to become as a vampire. Now when you see Vorador in Blood Omen 2. His reasons for being alive aren’t explained. But that is easily dismissed as Kain using the Heart of Darkness to revive Vorador. But as far as my current play through Vorador serves as a guide for part of the game. And it appears that the two may have had an alliance to conquer Nosgoth. This is because Kain asks Vorador why he didn’t create another army. Vorador says it takes a lot of energy to do that. Vorador doesn’t have the energy to do it again. Has anyone forgotten Raziel’s explanation of how Kain created the lieutenants and that the last one(Melchiah) received the poorest of Kain’s gifts. And Blood Omen 2 takes place before Kain creates his lieutenants. ------------------------------ VII. Legacy of Kain Defiance ------------------------------ I was asked what I thought about LoK: Defiance recently. This is a good idea. As long as they plan it right. In Soul Reaver 2 it would have been nice to see what Kain was up to all that time he wasn’t talking to Raziel. They appear to be making the game continue right after the cliffhanger in SR 2. They can actually do exactly what was done in Devil May Cry 2 with the two playable characters. Honestly the action got dull halfway through both Legacy of Kain sequels. If they cut the length of the game right and keep the story fresh along the way. This will be a sure hit. Soul Reaver 2 was too short. And Blood Omen 2 was longer than it should have been in certain areas. The puzzles made the game longer than it should have been. Also interesting background music will be appreciated. I found myself turning off the sound at one point because it became tired. ---------------- VIII. Copyright ---------------- This GameFAQ is copyright 2002 evlsandman(Sandy Burrell). This FAQ is for personal use only. This guide can be used on other gaming websites that have Soul Reaver 2 sections along with the Legacy of Kain series. The gaming websites looking to use my GameFAQ may contact me at the current email address: evlsandman@yahoo.com This FAQ can not be altered from it’s current form. The FAQ must also contain it’s current text. I may do alterations to the FAQ later on that is why I say ‘current’. I will also do updates where the gaming sites the FAQ can be found will be listed. This guide not only appears on GameFAQ’s. But can be found at the following websites: www.psxcodez.com www.neoseeker.com www.ign.com