I'm filling in some gaps here and there with personal assumptions to some of the details not explained or rather not handled too well in the lore, with an attempt to clarify it all, or perhaps create my own version of it all as well while I am at it. Get some of my creative juices flowing in the process perhaps, but I hope either way that this presents for an enjoyable and understandable timeline to follow.
So here goes.
Chapters as Divided in the Timelines herein are:
Chapter One: The History of Nosgoth
Chapter Two: The Repeated Timeline
Chapter Three: Intermission and Thoughts
Chapter Four: The Paradox Timelines
Chapter Five: The Defiance Timeline
Chapter Six: End Game
Chapter X: Kain and Raziels' Complete Journey (tba)
Here ends Kains' circle in the repeated timeline. His younger self being born in the same year is the beginning, and future Kains' return to this timeline, killed by Raziel, is the end of it.
30 Years After Kains' Birth
This is the much spoken of dilemma of Kain. In the one hand, he restores balance to Nosgoth, or so is led to believe, and yet in doing so as the last Vampire alive effectively ends the Ancient Vampire lineage forever, and also the banishment of the Hylden (I presume). On the other hand, he refuses the sacrifice and Nosgoth is damned.
100 Years After Kains' Birth
Raziel presumes that perhaps it was indeed intended for him to return to that time by someone, but he does not know who. This is indeed true, and the one behind it being yet again none other than Moebius, for it would be Raziel that unknowingly leads the Sarafan to Janos causing his death, and it would be he that slays them as well, also later imprisoning himself in the Blood Reaver for seemingly an eternity and completing his circle. The findings of the Vampire true origins were thus a trick from Moebius only to ensure and reinforce Raziels' will to find Janos along with feed his hate for the Sarafan to kill them.
500 Years After Kains' Birth
From here forth, Kain leads on with his lieutenants and their clans to creating his Empire and claiming Nosgoth for his own.
1500 Years After Kains' Birth
Over 1900 Years After Kains' Birth
This confirms Kains' suspicion and perhaps hope all along. The Blood Reaver, the first forged blade by Vorador as the Vampire Weapon, was imbued with Vampiric traits to feed on the life force of those it stroke down. It had in a way a hunger of its own, feeding on the blood of its enemy as a true Vampire blade. Once it turned on Raziel, the Blood Reaver could not feed on his blood, and the only life essence was Raziel's soul. Raziel being a walking wraith meant he was the manifest of his soul itself, and hence the Blood Reaver consumed him and Raziel becomes its inhabitant soul. The Blood Reaver becomes, the Soul Reaver.
With trying to strike down Raziel, Kain sees this to be true as the blade cannot consume its own soul, and shatters.
The intentions of Kains' attempt on Raziels' life are unknown to Raziel, and only fuel Raziel with even more hatred and a hunger for vengeance.
Ok, now that by far will be the longest chapter from all the other chapters. From this point on each chapter is the changes that occurred in the timeline, also known as the paradoxes of history.
Having tailored to this first timeline it gives me a chance to add some details here before continuing, perhaps as some explanations as well.
One thing for starters is going in to how all this could possibly work (even from a fictional side of things). There are different approaches to time-travelling stories. The one mostly used in the Legacy of Kain is possibly one of the more solid approaches.
The idea is that everything is predetermined, everything is set, the board, the players, their choices, everything. Free will seems to be an illusion in the grand plan of all things and ultimately history is never changed. As Kain puts it, "throw a pebble into the stream, it creates a ripple, but it does not change the coarse and the direction of the stream". He and Raziel are but pebbles. The only way to change this is by creating a paradox.
As we see later, this is possible by two very powerful events, entities or forces, meeting each other.
This is what the entire tale to the Legacy of Kain is mostly based on.
Back to how time works within the Legacy of Kain. Everything is set and predetermined. The course of history will try to keep balance into the one direction it flows, yet seemingly although none have a choice, it could be persceived that some choices, or a collection of choices over decades or centuries, could shape and form history (lets say perhaps something like e genocidal war between the two Elder Races, the Ancient Vampires and the Hylden) which shaped an entirely new coarse of events and histories after that.
Within all this, with the will to defy the fates, and with a little fictional help with time-travelling, the paradoxes are created in the story of the Legacy of Kain so that fates can be changed and thus ultimately the history itself.
The Paradox of Time
The first of these paradoxes, as will be explained in the following chapters, is Kain against William. The two Soul Reavers, as powerful as they are and keys to the binding of the entire land, meet each other with the one breaking/shattering (that of William). This is the first paradox that allows for the first change of history that takes place. That being the catalyst Moebius wants to create a genocide that will allow him to wipe out the entire Vampire race.
With a couple adjustments of my own, this happens anyway. Since, there is clearly a timeline were William the Just becomes the Tyrant known as the Nemesis, with his massacre being both humans and as I added Vampires as well. This change I added could imply that the Vampires would be extinct either way, so Moebius wanting to use this paradox to make vampires extinct would be pointless. However, in this new history, humans are spared, and perhaps this was the result Moebius wanted to achieve more since in both cases Vampires would be both extinct in this version.
An idea on all this could be that a time loop is created in this era. Meaning that, in the same way that Raziels' rebirth is the very reason to his death as a Sarafan in the first place, Kain and William fighting could be a loop that keeps happening until Kain wins. This makes little sense I believe and leaves too many plot holes in it. For this reason, I would presume that the above timeline could very well be the best or one of the best versions of the proper and repeating timeline that occurs.
The question is, as one would see this timeline as is, what is the purpose to it? Kain surely keeps dying by Raziels hand, Raziel keeps entrapping himself in the Blood Reaver, a younger Kain resurrects Raziel, and this simply keeps happening. At which point, what is the reasoning and point behind all this for Moebius? Simply his want to have all Vampires extinct? As the time streamer, he clearly knows this loop will constantly keep happening, meaning that ultimately the Vampires will never be extinct, with the worst case scenario of the timeline continuing on forever with Raziels' brothers in their own refuge. A means that sees the Vampire bloodline continue on.
So what is the point to all this?
And that is the true question.
The Puppeteers
This timeline is mostly based on Blood Omen, Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2, the first three games of the Legacy of Kain series. The history of Nosgoth is revealed more in Soul Reaver 2 and completed in Defiance. At this point we are simply left with questions and dilemmas, more or less (there are some more events that I did not include, which are all the Soul Reaver 2 events and onwards, being the next chapters I will outline).
But, since the entire nature of this from the go is simply a spoiler fest, I will simply head on to answer that question here, in the intermission chapter.
The whole purpose of it all was part of a plan devised by two forces. The one being the Hylden, as mentioned already, as a means to enter back into the realm of Nosgoth, as also mentioned already. This timeline as is does not help them in any particular way to do this, however it sets the board for assuring that it will happen.
The will to defy fate, from both Raziel and Kain, are in fact the very things that the Hylden are counting on. In a sense of irony, they hope in the strength of their enemy to achieve "Defiance" so that more paradoxes can be created, ultimately changing the board so that the Hylden can return. If however Kain sacrificed himself, as the last standing guardian, the pillars would be cleansed yet no barrier would be left to keep the Hylden out as the Vampires become extinct. In this way, both outcomes, one longer one shorter, play towards their return. Kain being, by far, the most important character to the entire lands, and thus the one everyone wants killed.
The second entity is, The Elder God. He acts through Moebius, and the hatred Moebius has is clearly the Elder Gods hatred for the Vampires, which are as he calls an abomination, defiant to this wheel of fate, as their souls are kept in their rotting bodies and not allowed to return to the wheel to be cleansed and reborn. For this reason he despises their creation from the curse laid upon them, and seeks to find a means to destroy them once and for all, ultimately having their souls return to him.
There is yet one more theory to this, that I still have not confirmed, that the Elder God, ultimately, simply wants all the souls to return to him. This new fate of Nosgoth, destroyed and desolate, ultimately means that all have returned to the hub of the wheel, and it is assumed that this Elder God, a squid like parasite in the heart of Nosgoth, is in fact simply a creature wanting to feed on all the souls of Nosgoth.
I would farther go into saying that he is one of many Elder Gods, his purpose being always that of being just and keeping the wheel turning for the soul purpose of purification, yet with the Vampires turned immortal and their potent souls stripped from him the Elder God is turned hungry and twisted into something vile. Who knows.
Kain... His last chance for Redemption
The third thing to outline here before heading on to the next chapters is with regards to Kain.
Kain makes reference, that he did not fathom the secrets/knowledge of the time chambers when he first found them years ago. This could easily be within the 500 years before he raises the Sarafan as his Lieutenants and most possibly the age he is referring to. One can conclude that Kain spent centuries trying to find a way to change fate, and in those chambers, "matching the machinations of the tyrannous stars", he found a way to create his own paradox and redeem the land.
This paradox, was Raziel. The only true being of free will as Kain later claimed (in the Defiance timeline later on). As Moebius claimed, Kain seeking to place his own pawn on the board, Raziel.
Kain also testifies to Raziel that he knew he would return, driven from his burning hate and thirst for vengeance. That death would not claim Raziel, but instead turn him into something much more potent and powerful than before. This is indeed true, and as ultimately proved, the Elder God which boasted that he created Raziel in this form and could unmake him at any moment, was simply bluffing and was completely powerless to Raziel.
He, along with his servant Moebius, reshaped the fates of history to ensure a means to keep Raziel entrapped within that blade, as there was no other way to control him.
His power over Raziel was evident, as he clearly could not stop him in any of his endeavours, neither unmake him. Raziel was after all, the most powerful asset in the History of Nosgoth. Raziel implies the thought that perhaps this was the case to the Elder God in Soul Reaver 2 as well, and that Raziel simply did not die on his own and the Elder God saw fit to using him and manipulating him.
Kain was ever his ally from the start, all along Raziel was even, quite literally, Kains right hand inhabiting his weapon the Soul Reaver. Kain evidently then awaited for the moment Raziel would evolve beyond him and wanted to use this moment to fuel Raziels' hatred from the thought of betrayal, in turn creating something much more powerful from him than ever before. A wraith of both worlds.
Events changed from this are:
This is the first shifts of time changing history.
30 Years After Kains' Birth
The entirety of the rest of this timeline is in tact.
Once more, in the period where the future Wraith Raziel follows Kain into the moment of a younger Kains birth, they confront each other, with Raziel in this new and 2nd timeline achieving the Second Paradox to create a 3rd timeline.
With his defiance to this fate that seems forced upon him, Raziel struggles to resist the killing of Kain. In achieving this and with doing so, time is shifted once more and history is altered, creating a new event and forging a 3rd timeline.
Kain sets on a path to create the 3rd Paradox.
In his new found knowledge Kain from his memories in the Chronoplast Chamber sees how the Hylden plan to return to Nosgoth. He warns Raziel not to resurrect Janos Audron.
"Now you are free to reclaim your true destiny, Raziel"- Kain
"Behind Kains' eyes I could see new memories blooming and dying, as history labored to reshuffle itself around this monumental obstruction. And I could see by the dawning horror on his face, that perhaps we had strained history too far this time. That by trying to alter my fate, he may have introduced a fatal paradox." -Raziel
"My god, the Hylden! We walked, right into their trap. Raziel! Janos must stay dead." -Kain
This fourth and final timeline, is the Defiance and Blood Omen 2 era, this is the defining moment that concludes the Legacy of Kain. A timeline forged simply from the will to defy fate from both Kain and Raziel, possibly also the very reason to the return of the Hylden, but also, the very coin toss Kain had been waiting for. The coin lands on its edge.
The two heroes chase their way from here forth around the paths of time to ensure which way the coin will land, or if it will remain on its side. Concluding into a very fragile history indeed.
The fourth and final timeline is the fixed timeline. All the paradoxes come full circle around and ensure a history that can be repeated from there on, with Kain continuing his journey, free of the Elder Gods' and the Hylden plans. For now. These are the events as we know them of the fourth and final timeline.
470 Years Before Kains' Birth
30 Years After Kains' Birth
Raziel at this point, sees once more the Murals, and deciphers their meaning. The Mural of the Scion of Balance now stands unambiguous of its truth. Raziel is both the Vampire and Hylden hero in conflict, each outcome is in fact each of Raziels deaths. The Impaling of Raziel with the Blood Reaver creating the Soul Reaver, and the Hero with the Wraith Blade purifying the blade on the souls of the Vampires and Balance Guardians. All as a self sacrifice to imbue the Vampire Weapon of the Prophecy, that will be wielded at last by the Scion of Balance, Kain, equipping him for his journey ahead. The Pillars are the Gate, the Soul Reaver is the key. Kain is ultimately bound to the fate of Nosgoth as the Scion of Balance and the true Hero that will restore Nosgoth.
200 years After Kains' Birth
There is the implication in all this that although the pillars are destroyed, the Hylden cannot return as long as the Balance Guardian, Kain, is alive with the Key of the Pillars, the Soul Reaver. Further adding to the importance of Kain and why they all want him dead. At the same time, Kain needs to remain alive for future events to ensure the return of the Hylden.
400 years After Kains' Birth
From here on forth the events lead on to the timeline as it was before. Kain finds the Chronoplast Chamber somewhere in this period, in the year 500 after his birth he resurrects the Sarafan Priests as Lieutenants, and a thousand years after that Raziels' fate begins once more with his torment in the Abyss, setting forth the events and loop that needs to take place for the history of Nosgoth to take on to this path with the Elder God burried, Kain freed from his death to Raziels hands, the Soul Reaver at last purified of all corruption and complete for the Scion of Balance, Kain, to wield it, along with the Hylden Lord being defeated, the gates to the Demon Realm destroyed, and the device built thousands of years ago also destroyed.
Most of this here is not confirmed by the creators of the series, but could be seen perhaps as a side-version if not a complete version to the Legacy of Kain lore. Bare in mind I have not read to every single background telling of the lore from such sources as the Legacy of Kain wiki and others, and base all this at most to some of those references from the wiki but at most from the games themselves, being the actual places were anyone can explore or enjoy the lore to this all.
Some of the questions that rise:
Were does the older Kain go? That being, the future Kain.
The Blood Omen 2 Kain is not the Older or future Kain cleansed as some claim him to be. He also has no knowledge of anything after his time, also adding to the notion that he is not from the future as he has obviously not stepped into the Chronoplast Chamber either yet.
The idea of older future Kain being cleansed and thus being the Kain in Blood Omen 2 and of his younger form makes little sense. Blood Omen 2 is simply a younger Kain. Kains' evolution continues after that none the less. If any change is experienced by Kain with the purified reaver, it would show in many centuries later.
The possible outcomes are as follows to some of the things that could have happened not outlined in the games. One of them being that young Kain consumes Old Kain. But that would mean that the old Kains knowledge is lost. How does this new timeline exists without it having a future Kain and future Raziel travel back and forth to complete the entire events leading to Blood Omen 2?
Perhaps also, the old Kain does not give the newly forged reaver to the young Kain as assumed by some, and simply hopes in the younger Kains triumph or further more has seen it. With the reshuffling of the times, if Kain had indeed been destroyed by the Hylden in the Blood Omen 2 wars, future Kain would not exist in the past.
This could also be seen as a protection over Kain's life from the Hylden. Knowing that it is his hand and Raziels' that brings them back to Nosgoth, and ultimately creating a safety net for Kain from his enemies until this entire timeline is complete and he moves forward off from it into the future and in to the now untold history.
The best possible outcome that I vote for and believe to be true is thus that the older and future Kain returns to his own time where he truly belongs, with Raziel now cleansed and inhabiting the Soul Reaver, equipping him so and completing him as the Scion of Balance to set out onto his destiny and to cleanse the lands of Nosgoth. A future that we know nothing of and what lies within it.
This new BO2 timeline does not undo Kains path in the future, the resurrection of the Sarafan Priests, and the entire chase of fates with Raziel needs to happen and remain in tact. Ultimately, this timeline must be kept in tact even by the Hylden to ensure these events can take place. Which kind of points a finger at the BO2 team which as is mentioned was not the same team, meaning that in some ways the story was presented in a way that they possibly believed that with Blood Omen 2 and with fixing the timeline they were free from the future events. This is not so. The future events must take place for that timeline to exist period.
This new timeline hence has its own full circle and fragile character too which must be attained.
To this point there are spin off ideas to the story and how to continue it, as well as story elements that can be assumed to keep it all in place. One of those I am eager to express and think would be a cool addition is the older Kain returning to his time, some 2000 years after his birth. At this point, on his return, the wars between Humans and Vampires have finished (being the timeline we are experiencing now in Nosgoth the new title and PvP arena game), and in that time the Vampire clans have at most seized to exist. Raziel has devoured the souls of his brothers and all that remains is the remnants of Nosgoth. Kain can move on from this point to his future, along with the whole land, and as the Scion of Balance begin the journey to purify Nosgoth and return it to its former glory. At this point he is also no longer protected and part of a timeline that the Hylden would definately see to find ways to breach and thus kill Kain. The Elder God would undoubtedly be still present for his return also. However now, they have a much more powerful foe to deal with, and Kain is beyond their reach and grasp, meaning this could spin off greater story elements to manage or attempt on Kains life.
The circle and loop of Defiance and the Blood Omen and Soul Reaver tales is complete and the characters move on forth from it with Kains' return to the future.
Spin off ideas could very well include the younger Kains' finding in the Chronoplast Chamber and thus setting on to fulfilling his fate, perhaps now in this moment a future Kain intervenes that helps the younger Kain understand it all and of all the timelines before that now do not exist. As such counseling the Younger Kain of what will happen in all other possible outcomes and what other histories exist so that the younger Kain does not make the mistake, unknowingly, of destroying this new history that was shaped thus with much difficulty.
This ultimately should create for a cool scene with old and young Kain meting each other, and perhaps could be on a later time the note on which a remake is based on, the older Kain filling in the younger Kain of the lore of the Legacy of Kain, resulting in a title that can ensure a game that future generations of gamers can enjoy and thus keep the Legacy of Kain alive.
The possible tales that can be told in here hence are the retelling of older Kain to the younger Kain, the time of Kains' empire (the 1000 years with his Lieutenants) and last of all and most enjoyable of all, what happens after all this is done, even after the war of Nosgoth and farther still into the future, some 2000 years after Kain's birth.
Among all these small ideas that are fun to play with, this line too just came to me of the future Kain setting on his path reminiscent of the past: "Raziel, old friend, we bled a millennium together. If only you were here with me now in person... But, your sacrifice will do. Knowing you are here in essence always by my side, is comfort enough." and another line to his younger self, "Be careful, Raziel must never suspect of your allegiance to him, it is that rage that will have him reborn." Among so many others.
The Legacy of Kain is complete now as a tale, though the options of more tales continuing or being told from it are more than possible and quite abundant.
Lastly, a thought on a story based on Kains 1000 year Empire and his Lieutenants, is how the younger new Kain now struggles perhaps towards this new fate of damning his first born. Perhaps even a play between the characters of Raziels' suspicions over Kain and his strange distant character at times, tiptoeing around a fragile balance, since Raziel must be kept completely loyal to him and on the side of Kain always and not suspecting neither mischief nor alliance for his hate to truly fuel his rebirth. This could inevitably be the way it happens as fate forces them to this path (as the tale could reveal) and Kain hence truly does bond with Raziel, having the act of executing him bring forth the vengeance it should.
I hope this was a fun and enjoyable stay and read. Farther more, I hope to see future Legacy of Kain titles some day, and perhaps the possibility of a remake that would fittingly keep the originals alive in a manner that would make them enjoyable for many generations of gamers to come. Heck, I'd do it myself it they passed on to me licenses and rights (well, budgets too for a development team) and gave me the heads up for doing it. The amount of tales that could be forged of this amazing lore are, simply a plenty and exciting, all capable of adding even more to this timeless series.
The last chapter is to be completed at another time... it simply replaces the final timeline into one easy to follow path.
So here goes.
Chapters as Divided in the Timelines herein are:
Chapter One: The History of Nosgoth
Chapter Two: The Repeated Timeline
Chapter Three: Intermission and Thoughts
Chapter Four: The Paradox Timelines
Chapter Five: The Defiance Timeline
Chapter Six: End Game
Chapter X: Kain and Raziels' Complete Journey (tba)
Chapter One: History of Nosgoth
- Two ancient races exist, the Hylden and The Ancient Vampires. Both Godlike. The Vampires believe in The Elder God and The Wheel of Fate. The Hylden are creators/builders of "technologies".
- The Wheel of Fate implied to the purifying cycle of life, death and rebirth, and each soul returning to the wheel to be cleansed and reborn once more.
- The Hylden oppose the the Ancient Vampire belief and the Wheel of Fate, and ultimately their Elder God. The Vampires wage war against the Hylden for such heresy.
- The Hylden build a weapon to destroy the Vampires, The Device, which requires a network beneath Nosgoth to work and a mass to power it. The network is never complete, the mass is never found/made... yet.
- The Ancient Vampires banish the Hylden into the Demon Realm. The Pillars of Nosgoth are made to keep them bound and banished from Nosgoth. The 9 Pillars are protected by The Circle of Nine Vampire guardians, one for each Pillar. The binding of the Pillars and the Guardians are connected to each other and ultimately the fate of all Nosgoth. Shall the guardians fail, so shall the Pillars, and hence all of Nosgoth.
- The Hylden, upon their banishment, cursed the Ancient Vampires with the thirst of blood. This curse made the Vampires immortal, and furthermore, sterile. The curse was hence three fold. In the one end, as revenge and punishment the Vampire souls now immortal were incapable of returning to the wheel, thus also cutting the Vampires from their God which turned silent towards them after this. Many Vampires retaliated from this curse with taking their own life.
This put in motion the second part of the curse. Sterility would make it impossible for the Vampires to repopulate, thus the two together would eventually bring a decease in the bloodlines of Vampires and unbind the Pillars.
The third, as the Vampires were no longer cleansed their impurity over time would defile the Pillars weakening the binding yet again. In all ways, the curse was but a means for the Hylden to some-day weaken their banishment and be able to make their way back to Nosgoth.
- With the Vampires incapable of being born, Janos Audron creates the first Vampire from humans, Vorador.
- The Two Prophecies, one from each, the Hylden and the Ancient Vampires. Both depicting the same thing, both with two different outcomes. Two champions fighting against each other, the Vampire and the Hylden champions. The Hylden champion a demonic creature with bat-like wings wielding a fiery sword. The Vampire champion with angelic wings wielding the Blood Reaver, the key of the Pillars.
- Another mural was created to accompany the prophecies, which both seemed to be depicted within the Vampire citadel, and perhaps both of Vampire origin. This third Mural depicted a third hero, which seemed to be somewhat and strangely the embodiment of both the other heroes into one, with a fiery Blood Reaver.
- Vorador forges the Blood Reaver. The weapon of the prophesized hero of the Vampires.
- The pillars choose their guardians at birth, and with no Vampires being born humans are now assigned to their protection. To continue the binding and protect the pillars, holding them as the lock to the Demon Realm, Vampires pass on the dark gift/curse to the appointed humans, turning them into Vampires once they come of age.
Chapter Two: The Repeated Timeline
This is the timeline as I place it before any time-streaming and funny business takes place. Although, some parts of it will in fact include some small time-streaming. There are also some timeline plot holes in the given timelines, which I cater to explain in a different way in an attempt to perhaps get rid of them. In all, this is the timeline that was manipulated into creating Kains' and Raziels' dilemma of choices, orchestrated by the Hylden through possession of the weaker race, humans, for their return.
- Mortanius and Moebius using a staff that disables the Vampire powers, rebel against their Vampire masters and persuade all the guardians to follow. Mortanius is controlled by the Hylden Lord, Moebius on the other hand acts on behalf of the Elder God whom he worships and follows.
- The Sarafan are formed, the first Vampire hunters that brought about the first genocide against the Vampire race.
500 Years Before Kains' Birth
- The Future Resurected Raziel (or Wraith Raziel) meets Janos Audron. The Sarafan use Raziel to find their way to Janos and kill him, with the Sarafan being the 6 brothers (including Human Raziel) with the staff manage to overpower Janos, and rip out his heart.
- The heart is said to have the power to bring vampiric life, and is dubbed the Heart of Darkness and kept in hiding/secret.
- Vorador, from his anger enacts his revenge and kills the six of the nine of the guardians of the pillars, at last turning to humiliating Malek in battle and letting him live.
- Wraith Raziel chases the Sarafan, and hunts them down all, killing his own human self as well.
And thus at last Raziel is lured right into his own binding within the Blood Reaver. At which point, his soul is pulled into the weapon and hence the Soul Reaver is created, creating the perfect prison for Raziel to contain him in torment for thousands of years being hence the end of his circle. More than a thousand years later Raziel is reborn, ushering the beginning of his circle.
- Mortanius punishes Malek for his failure to protect the circle of 9, and entraps Malek's soul into his own armour for eternity.
20 Years Before Kains' Birth
- A young future Kain confronts William the Just/The Nemesis, in battle. Both wielding the Soul Reaver as Moebius had clearly made sure of.
- The Future Young Kain loses, and is perhaps killed, or yet returns to his time and is forced into exile. This is the only explanation for how future events can take place and be kept in tact (like Raziel and the Lieutenants of Kain) spinning off perhaps a completely alternate and unwritten timeline.
Thus, give Kain in the future timelines reason to want to kill William in the first place once returning through time.
Kain killing William in all versions of history makes this later incident of the tyrant, the Nemesis, impossible of existing.
Whilst Kains' return to his time needs to serve in his continuation of life, so that he may resurect the Sarafan Priests and create his Lieutenants, thus ensuring the bringing about of the existence to Raziel.
This is one of the plot point's were some ambiguity serves the story in a convenient way, not explaining some of these. There are quotes, that of Legacy of Kain: Defiance, that imply Kain wanted to enter his own pawn onto the board, Raziel, to change it all, and somehow I find it most fitting that this is always his conclusion to the dillema before him forging this repeating timeline.
For this reason, I take to account this event as the original repeated timeline, and hence have created a slightly altered version to it all herein. This such stated repeated timeline is hence the foundation onto which everything else was built later on, including but not only, the machinations of Moebius, the Elder God, and the Hylden. What writing I make in here that is of my own personal asumption as to create a more fitting timeline are written in blue.
The Year of Kains' Birth
- Kain is born.
- At the same time, the current balance guardian, Ariel, is murdered by Mortanius who is possessed by a Hylden Lord. Kain is appointed by the pillars as their new Balance Guardian.
- Thus is initiated the corruption of the pillars of Nosgoth. Nuprator, her lover and guardian of the pillar of of the mind, finds her and is turned mad. His link with the other guardians corrupts the entire circle, including Kain the newborn Balance Guardian.
- Wraith Raziel follows Future Kain through the timestreaming device into this age. Wraith Raziel does not find the Blood Reaver and is confronted by Moebius, who tries to further enforce the fate of Kains' death by Wraith Raziel.
- The future Kain and Wraith Raziel meet at the Pillars of Nosgoth. Another step to Raziels' search and understanding of what the fates hold for them, and what the history of Nosgoth holds and the importance of the pillars.
- At this point, the moment of Kains' birth, Nuprators' madness and the confrontation of Wraith Raziel and Future Kain at the Pillars, the Pillars of Nosgoth are corrupt turning to darkness, thus sealing the fate of them all.
- Wraith Raziel continues the search, finding his way to ancient sealed tombs created by the builders of the Pillars, the ancient vampires. Raziel discovers murals showing the ancient history between the Hylden and the Ancient Vampires, the binding of the Pillars, the curse and banishment from the vampire god, and the prophecies of the two champions.
- Wraith Raziel meets Vorador, who claims these are nothing but hopes and dreams from an ancient failed race. Raziel is told as such from his benefactor as well, the Elder God, the hub of the Wheel of Fate and ultimately also the god of the Ancient Vampires. Vorador shows at this point his contempt for everything and lack of care toward Nosgoth. I will mostly urge the idea that he is dead after the events of those years, either in the war during the Nemesis, or afterwards by Moebius just the same as the other timelines. This needs to be so to thus usher in Kain's dilemma during his sacrifice as the last remaining Vampire.
- Wraith Raziel returns to the Sarafan Stronghold and confronts Future Kain. He cannot resist his hatred and thirst for vengeance, and he kills Kain without the Soul Reaver.
Here ends Kains' circle in the repeated timeline. His younger self being born in the same year is the beginning, and future Kains' return to this timeline, killed by Raziel, is the end of it.
- Ultimately, I would presume that with Kain's death, the corruption of the pillars is not lifted (evidently, young Kain is still alive and for any of this to hold true Kain must sacrifice himself at the moment of his dilemma, explained later on) as all would claim it would be so, thus urging Raziel forth into killing Kain for seemingly cleansing Nosgoth. Wraith Raziel hence once seeing this does not happen seeks to find Janos Audron for answers, but Moebius sends him to the future 100 years later.
30 Years After Kains' Birth
- Kain the nobleman, at age 30, is killed by bandits. This is orchestrated by Mortanius, who is struggling over the Hylden Lords' control over him. In a moment of momentary victory over this control, Mortanius manages to do just so.
- Kain is given the choice to return from the dead by Mortanius to enact his revenge. In an attempt to atone for his crimes against the pillars and Vampires, Mortanius, gaining strength over the control of the Hylden Lord, uses the Heart of Darkness to rebirth Kain into a Vampire.
- Kain believes to be deceived for being turned into such a creature, but none the less sees in the irony as he is as such given the perfect tools to do his bidding. Whence killing the bandits, he is informed that they were under the control of the circle of nine, and he sets out to find them on a new quest of vengeance and kill them as well.
- Kain finds the Soul Reaver, seemingly (unless I am mistaken) a version of the Blood Reaver with Raziels' soul bound within it, upon his journey. This becomes his weapon and his right hand throughout all his endeavours after that.
- Kain kill's 3 of the remaining 8 Guardians of the Pillars. Nuprator, Bane and De Joule. Their respective pillars from the nine are restored from corruption.
- Vorador removes the helmet from Maleks armour, essentially killing him, that being the 4th guardian killed.
- Kain kills Azimuth and finds a time streaming device.
- With an alliance with King Ottmar of Willendorf, Kain sets out to war against the armies of the Nemesis which has slaughtered both humans and vampires. King Ottmar is killed, and Kain uses the timestreaming device to be propelled 50 years prior (20 years before his own birth).
- With his failure to kill William, the Nemeis, Kain returns.
- Vorador is executed by Moebius or killed just the same.
- The vengeance continues, and the remaining of the circle of 9 are killed. Moebius killed by Kain, who returns to the Pillars to find Mortanius killing Anacrothe. The Hylden Lord takes at last controll of Mortanius and he is transformed into a demon. Kain thus kills Mortanius, and with those 3 deaths all 8 members of the circle are killed.
- Kain at this point learns that he is in fact the last Guardian of the Pillars, the Balance Guardian, and having restored all the other pillars only one remains, Kain! The only means of restoring the final pillar, and thus new guardians being appointed by the pillars, is through Kains' own sacrifice.
This is the much spoken of dilemma of Kain. In the one hand, he restores balance to Nosgoth, or so is led to believe, and yet in doing so as the last Vampire alive effectively ends the Ancient Vampire lineage forever, and also the banishment of the Hylden (I presume). On the other hand, he refuses the sacrifice and Nosgoth is damned.
- Either choice being a loss, Kain refuses the sacrifice, and the pillars collapse. Kain builds his throne on them, and hence forth begins to build his new Empire to rule over a corrupt and failing Nosgoth.
100 Years After Kains' Birth
- Raziel arrives to this time, seemingly tricked by Moebius as he believes. The truth of his findings here make it obvious to Raziel that the Ancient Vampire race that he so hatefully opposed was in fact much more divine than he ever imagined. It is revealed to him that before the curse, Vampires were not demons, but an angelic race. Whilst the Sarafan he believed to be just and holly, were in fact the monsters that killed them off. Leading to his very thoughts, "for I had seen the human face of the Vampires, and now I see the inhuman face of man."
- Raziel sets forth again through another time streaming chamber, determined even more to find Janos, not knowing what time he would be tossed to. He is brought to the period which he sought, 500 years before Kains' birth, at the time when Janos Audron is still alive.
Raziel presumes that perhaps it was indeed intended for him to return to that time by someone, but he does not know who. This is indeed true, and the one behind it being yet again none other than Moebius, for it would be Raziel that unknowingly leads the Sarafan to Janos causing his death, and it would be he that slays them as well, also later imprisoning himself in the Blood Reaver for seemingly an eternity and completing his circle. The findings of the Vampire true origins were thus a trick from Moebius only to ensure and reinforce Raziels' will to find Janos along with feed his hate for the Sarafan to kill them.
500 Years After Kains' Birth
- Kain resurrects the Sarafan Priests of old turning them into his Lieutenants. Raziel is his first born son, his first Lieutenant, followed by his other 5 brothers, Turel, Dumah, Zephon, Rahab and Melchiah.
From here forth, Kain leads on with his lieutenants and their clans to creating his Empire and claiming Nosgoth for his own.
1500 Years After Kains' Birth
- The Vampire gifts would continue to evolve, as Kain would enter a state of evolution from which he would emerge with a new gift. Some years later, his lieutenants would follow.
- Until Raziel, first born Lieutenant of Kain, has the honour of surpassing his master. He evolves first bearing the gift of wings.
- Kain tears out Raziels wings and has him thrown in the Lake of the Dead, a swirling abyss for punishing traitors and weaklings. His brothers, Turel and Dumah, are the hands to throw him in.
- Kain disappears. He has in fact gone forth in time to the period when Raziel will reemerge from the abyss.
- In Kains absence, the Razielim clan, descendants of Raziel, are hunted down and feuds break also between the clans.
- This gives the humans the chance to retaliate and grow stronger, thus the war breaks between Vampires and Humans, present in the new title to the franchise named Nosgoth. Even the remaining Razielim re-emerge from refuge to take part in this war.
- The Clans evolve as do their Lieutenants, being the 5 remaining brothers, and through the centuries take refuge in different corners of Nosgoth which now is but a desolate and damned land.
Over 1900 Years After Kains' Birth
- Raziel awakens in the Spectral Realm, given a new form and dubbed the Reaver of Souls by his savior, the Elder God. He is raged with nothing but vengeance for the hypocrisy that damned him to that place.
- Upon the Elder Gods guidance, Raziel, or Wraith Raziel now as he is reborn, capable of inhabiting both the Spectral and Material realms and ultimately non kill-able by any means whatsoever, hunts down his brothers and kills Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah by eating their souls. In doing so, he takes on all their powers and evolves into something even more powerful.
- Raziel in his quest to find his brothers is confronted once by Kain. Kain strikes down Raziel with the Soul Reaver to kill him yet it shatters.
This confirms Kains' suspicion and perhaps hope all along. The Blood Reaver, the first forged blade by Vorador as the Vampire Weapon, was imbued with Vampiric traits to feed on the life force of those it stroke down. It had in a way a hunger of its own, feeding on the blood of its enemy as a true Vampire blade. Once it turned on Raziel, the Blood Reaver could not feed on his blood, and the only life essence was Raziel's soul. Raziel being a walking wraith meant he was the manifest of his soul itself, and hence the Blood Reaver consumed him and Raziel becomes its inhabitant soul. The Blood Reaver becomes, the Soul Reaver.
With trying to strike down Raziel, Kain sees this to be true as the blade cannot consume its own soul, and shatters.
- After the blade is shattered, its own soul remains in the spectral realm. Now a wraith blade, Raziel is drawn to it as it is his own soul, and with touching it, binds the wraith blade to himself.
The intentions of Kains' attempt on Raziels' life are unknown to Raziel, and only fuel Raziel with even more hatred and a hunger for vengeance.
- Raziel finally confronts Kain again in the Chronoplast Chamber. Kain begins his talk again about fate, and the illusion of free will, and his coin toss theory. The one coin, the two choices, the two sides of that coin that created the dilemma those many years ago. A theory Kain later explains, that perhaps, if a coin is tossed enough times, suppose it lands on it's side, creating a 3rd outcome.
- Raziel chases Kain through the time portal, and they are transported to the moment of the failing of the pillars of Nosgoth, the moment of Kains birth, all those 1900 years ago or more.
Chapter Three: Intermission and Thoughts
Having tailored to this first timeline it gives me a chance to add some details here before continuing, perhaps as some explanations as well.
One thing for starters is going in to how all this could possibly work (even from a fictional side of things). There are different approaches to time-travelling stories. The one mostly used in the Legacy of Kain is possibly one of the more solid approaches.
The idea is that everything is predetermined, everything is set, the board, the players, their choices, everything. Free will seems to be an illusion in the grand plan of all things and ultimately history is never changed. As Kain puts it, "throw a pebble into the stream, it creates a ripple, but it does not change the coarse and the direction of the stream". He and Raziel are but pebbles. The only way to change this is by creating a paradox.
As we see later, this is possible by two very powerful events, entities or forces, meeting each other.
This is what the entire tale to the Legacy of Kain is mostly based on.
Back to how time works within the Legacy of Kain. Everything is set and predetermined. The course of history will try to keep balance into the one direction it flows, yet seemingly although none have a choice, it could be persceived that some choices, or a collection of choices over decades or centuries, could shape and form history (lets say perhaps something like e genocidal war between the two Elder Races, the Ancient Vampires and the Hylden) which shaped an entirely new coarse of events and histories after that.
Within all this, with the will to defy the fates, and with a little fictional help with time-travelling, the paradoxes are created in the story of the Legacy of Kain so that fates can be changed and thus ultimately the history itself.
The Paradox of Time
The first of these paradoxes, as will be explained in the following chapters, is Kain against William. The two Soul Reavers, as powerful as they are and keys to the binding of the entire land, meet each other with the one breaking/shattering (that of William). This is the first paradox that allows for the first change of history that takes place. That being the catalyst Moebius wants to create a genocide that will allow him to wipe out the entire Vampire race.
With a couple adjustments of my own, this happens anyway. Since, there is clearly a timeline were William the Just becomes the Tyrant known as the Nemesis, with his massacre being both humans and as I added Vampires as well. This change I added could imply that the Vampires would be extinct either way, so Moebius wanting to use this paradox to make vampires extinct would be pointless. However, in this new history, humans are spared, and perhaps this was the result Moebius wanted to achieve more since in both cases Vampires would be both extinct in this version.
An idea on all this could be that a time loop is created in this era. Meaning that, in the same way that Raziels' rebirth is the very reason to his death as a Sarafan in the first place, Kain and William fighting could be a loop that keeps happening until Kain wins. This makes little sense I believe and leaves too many plot holes in it. For this reason, I would presume that the above timeline could very well be the best or one of the best versions of the proper and repeating timeline that occurs.
The question is, as one would see this timeline as is, what is the purpose to it? Kain surely keeps dying by Raziels hand, Raziel keeps entrapping himself in the Blood Reaver, a younger Kain resurrects Raziel, and this simply keeps happening. At which point, what is the reasoning and point behind all this for Moebius? Simply his want to have all Vampires extinct? As the time streamer, he clearly knows this loop will constantly keep happening, meaning that ultimately the Vampires will never be extinct, with the worst case scenario of the timeline continuing on forever with Raziels' brothers in their own refuge. A means that sees the Vampire bloodline continue on.
So what is the point to all this?
And that is the true question.
The Puppeteers
This timeline is mostly based on Blood Omen, Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2, the first three games of the Legacy of Kain series. The history of Nosgoth is revealed more in Soul Reaver 2 and completed in Defiance. At this point we are simply left with questions and dilemmas, more or less (there are some more events that I did not include, which are all the Soul Reaver 2 events and onwards, being the next chapters I will outline).
But, since the entire nature of this from the go is simply a spoiler fest, I will simply head on to answer that question here, in the intermission chapter.
The whole purpose of it all was part of a plan devised by two forces. The one being the Hylden, as mentioned already, as a means to enter back into the realm of Nosgoth, as also mentioned already. This timeline as is does not help them in any particular way to do this, however it sets the board for assuring that it will happen.
The will to defy fate, from both Raziel and Kain, are in fact the very things that the Hylden are counting on. In a sense of irony, they hope in the strength of their enemy to achieve "Defiance" so that more paradoxes can be created, ultimately changing the board so that the Hylden can return. If however Kain sacrificed himself, as the last standing guardian, the pillars would be cleansed yet no barrier would be left to keep the Hylden out as the Vampires become extinct. In this way, both outcomes, one longer one shorter, play towards their return. Kain being, by far, the most important character to the entire lands, and thus the one everyone wants killed.
The second entity is, The Elder God. He acts through Moebius, and the hatred Moebius has is clearly the Elder Gods hatred for the Vampires, which are as he calls an abomination, defiant to this wheel of fate, as their souls are kept in their rotting bodies and not allowed to return to the wheel to be cleansed and reborn. For this reason he despises their creation from the curse laid upon them, and seeks to find a means to destroy them once and for all, ultimately having their souls return to him.
There is yet one more theory to this, that I still have not confirmed, that the Elder God, ultimately, simply wants all the souls to return to him. This new fate of Nosgoth, destroyed and desolate, ultimately means that all have returned to the hub of the wheel, and it is assumed that this Elder God, a squid like parasite in the heart of Nosgoth, is in fact simply a creature wanting to feed on all the souls of Nosgoth.
I would farther go into saying that he is one of many Elder Gods, his purpose being always that of being just and keeping the wheel turning for the soul purpose of purification, yet with the Vampires turned immortal and their potent souls stripped from him the Elder God is turned hungry and twisted into something vile. Who knows.
Kain... His last chance for Redemption
The third thing to outline here before heading on to the next chapters is with regards to Kain.
Kain makes reference, that he did not fathom the secrets/knowledge of the time chambers when he first found them years ago. This could easily be within the 500 years before he raises the Sarafan as his Lieutenants and most possibly the age he is referring to. One can conclude that Kain spent centuries trying to find a way to change fate, and in those chambers, "matching the machinations of the tyrannous stars", he found a way to create his own paradox and redeem the land.
This paradox, was Raziel. The only true being of free will as Kain later claimed (in the Defiance timeline later on). As Moebius claimed, Kain seeking to place his own pawn on the board, Raziel.
Kain also testifies to Raziel that he knew he would return, driven from his burning hate and thirst for vengeance. That death would not claim Raziel, but instead turn him into something much more potent and powerful than before. This is indeed true, and as ultimately proved, the Elder God which boasted that he created Raziel in this form and could unmake him at any moment, was simply bluffing and was completely powerless to Raziel.
He, along with his servant Moebius, reshaped the fates of history to ensure a means to keep Raziel entrapped within that blade, as there was no other way to control him.
His power over Raziel was evident, as he clearly could not stop him in any of his endeavours, neither unmake him. Raziel was after all, the most powerful asset in the History of Nosgoth. Raziel implies the thought that perhaps this was the case to the Elder God in Soul Reaver 2 as well, and that Raziel simply did not die on his own and the Elder God saw fit to using him and manipulating him.
Kain was ever his ally from the start, all along Raziel was even, quite literally, Kains right hand inhabiting his weapon the Soul Reaver. Kain evidently then awaited for the moment Raziel would evolve beyond him and wanted to use this moment to fuel Raziels' hatred from the thought of betrayal, in turn creating something much more powerful from him than ever before. A wraith of both worlds.
Chapter Four: The Paradox Timelines
These here are the events that changed the fates and history of Nosgoth, summed up to the Paradoxes of History as known in the game. These timelines are simply added over the original Repeated Timeline, changing it each time towards a different outcome.
The first Paradox is with King William the Just.
Events changed from this are:
20 Years Before Kains' Birth
- A Young Kain once more returns through time to kill the Nemesis, King WIlliam who is responsible for the massacre of Nosgoth 50 years later. Once more, Moebius ensures that both have the Soul Reaver in their possession. The one Kain found on his journeys, possibly set for the finding by Moebius, the other was given to William by Moebius. Kain seeing Moebius give the reaver to King William challenges him, and Kain wins. Williams Soul Reaver shatters.
This is the first shifts of time changing history.
The Year of Kains' Birth
- A future Wraith Raziel follows a future Kain to this timeline. Raziel stumbles across the tomb of King William the Just and the shattered Soul Reaver. The Soul Reaver drains from Raziels' own soul to be reforged. This makes Raziels' Wraith Blade bound to him active. Possibly being the tool that allows him to find more secrets this time around.
- Raziel confronts Kain. Bound by fate and vengeance, Raziel cannot control the Soul Reaver, which now has its own intent, imbued with Raziels soul (and thus bound to the set fate of Raziel to kill Kain) it forces itself onto Kain. Raziel cannot resist and murders Kain yet again, with doing so ensuring his fate to be imprisoned in the Reaver later on.
30 Years After Kains' Birth
- The young Kain, having defeated William the Nemesis, returns to his proper timeline. He finds that now William's death had turned him into a martyr. William the young king, murdered by Kain before his tyranny, had William dubbed as William the Just and praised by the people, giving Moebius the power to feud a genocidal war against Vampires. The destruction of one tyrant to create yet a worse tyrant.
- Moebius executes Vorador, and turns the attention of the masses to Kain, the last remaining Vampire.
- Kain murders Moebius and survives to create his crumbling empire in the future.
The entirety of the rest of this timeline is in tact.
The Second Paradox created is from Raziels' confrontation with Kain.
Once more, in the period where the future Wraith Raziel follows Kain into the moment of a younger Kains birth, they confront each other, with Raziel in this new and 2nd timeline achieving the Second Paradox to create a 3rd timeline.
With his defiance to this fate that seems forced upon him, Raziel struggles to resist the killing of Kain. In achieving this and with doing so, time is shifted once more and history is altered, creating a new event and forging a 3rd timeline.
500 Years Before Kains' Birth
- This new and written fate of the 3rd timeline sees Kain now follow Raziel to the moment of his binding and imprisonment in the Blood Reaver, thus forging the Soul Reaver.
- The fate rewritten for this timeline sees Kain in failing to stop the Reaver binding, and Raziel being bound to the Blood Reaver none the less to create the Soul Reaver is inevitably the outcome.
Kain sets on a path to create the 3rd Paradox.
The Third Paradox is from Kain's Interference with the Reavers' Binding.
- In this new event, Kain manages to save Raziel from his imprisonment. He manages to both create the Soul Reaver, and at the same time save Raziel just in time from his captivity. Thus holding the future events in tact (of Kain Shattering the Blade on Raziel, etc). This is my understanding of course. There is also the thought that the Soul Reaver is in fact not created at this point and it is done so later. However, there is the moment of distortion, the moment of the Paradox as referred to at this point with Raziels' soul inhabiting within and outside the Reaver, this was the Edge of the Coin. Which to me implies that the Soul Reaver is in fact created at this point none the less.
- The time rift shifts once more. Creating one of the most important shifts yet, and forging a most terrifying History in the process. Kain sees this now, and comes to understand, as he had suspected could be perhaps a possibility, that all this was set in motion by the Hylden for their return.
In his new found knowledge Kain from his memories in the Chronoplast Chamber sees how the Hylden plan to return to Nosgoth. He warns Raziel not to resurrect Janos Audron.
"Now you are free to reclaim your true destiny, Raziel"- Kain
"Behind Kains' eyes I could see new memories blooming and dying, as history labored to reshuffle itself around this monumental obstruction. And I could see by the dawning horror on his face, that perhaps we had strained history too far this time. That by trying to alter my fate, he may have introduced a fatal paradox." -Raziel
"My god, the Hylden! We walked, right into their trap. Raziel! Janos must stay dead." -Kain
- Raziel, too weak to bare Kain's warning, falls into the Spectral Realm. He sees the wraith blade still a part of him and claims that he realises at that point that he could not escape his destiny, and that he had merely postponed it. This here could very well imply that the Soul Reaver is in fact not created yet, and the new history formed sees Raziel trapped into it none the less at some later point of time, being the second and most probable possibility of the story, but unlikely, as Raziel clearly states in his sacrifice later on that both Reavers become one, both souls are united. Raziel remains a prisoner in the spectral realm, until the year of the Pillars Collapsing, 30 years after Kain's birth.
This fourth and final timeline, is the Defiance and Blood Omen 2 era, this is the defining moment that concludes the Legacy of Kain. A timeline forged simply from the will to defy fate from both Kain and Raziel, possibly also the very reason to the return of the Hylden, but also, the very coin toss Kain had been waiting for. The coin lands on its edge.
The two heroes chase their way from here forth around the paths of time to ensure which way the coin will land, or if it will remain on its side. Concluding into a very fragile history indeed.
Chapter Five: The Defiance Timeline
The fourth and final timeline is the fixed timeline. All the paradoxes come full circle around and ensure a history that can be repeated from there on, with Kain continuing his journey, free of the Elder Gods' and the Hylden plans. For now. These are the events as we know them of the fourth and final timeline.
470 Years Before Kains' Birth
- Some 30 years later more or less, the Future Kain confronts Moebius in the Sarafan Stronghold to find out of Raziels' location.
- Kain heads off to the Vampire Citadel. Here he too now sees of prophecies and the murals depicting the two outcomes of the battle between the Hylden Champion and the Vampire Messiah. He wonders on the truth of these, and if fate is really such that it will see to his confrontation inevitably with a battle to the death with Raziel.
- The Elder God, revealing himself to Kain as the oracle of the Ancient Vampires, sends Kain to 30 years after his birth, some 500 years into the future, in the time of the collapse of the Pillars of Nosgoth.
30 Years After Kains' Birth
- Raziel escapes The Elder God. Not given access to the Material Realm anymore by the Elder God, Raziel through this restraint is forced to find another way, and learns to inhabit the dead corpses of those in the Material Realm and use them as conduits from the Spectral to the Material, shaping those corpses from there on to his own image.
- Using the souls of the pillar guardians, Raziel imbues the Wraith Blade with permanent elemental powers.
- His search for the Heart of Darkness, not abiding to Kains' warning in not resurrecting Janos Audron, has Raziel reach the Avernus Cathedral. Here he finds what could be a portal, or a gate, one that is leading to another dimention, the Demon Dimention. It is here that he sees the prophecy from a new light, with the Hylden Champion being depicted more throughout the Murals of the citadel. The features of the Hylden Champion are much like his own, as he wanders who he is of the two heroes in this prophecy.
- Kain completes the Soul Reaver blade binding it with the four emblems (or was it 5?)
- Raziel finds Turel within the Cathedral, the last remaining of his brethren, now evolved into a large monstrous creature possessed by the Hylden and worshiped as Hash'Ak'Gik, and kills him thus taking his soul as well.
- Kain rushes to the Avernus Cathedral to talk to Raziel. He again tries to warn him not to look for the Heart of Darkness and not to resurrect Janos Audron. Raziel realises Kain knows not were the Heart is, and that he has not even looked for it. Kain informs him this is of little consequence, and the Heart must not be found. They fight, and Raziel defeats Kain, ripping his heart out, being the very Heart of Darkness itself used by Mortanius to resurrect Kain into a Vampire, and he throws Kain dead into the Demon Portal.
- Raziel returns to Voradors' mansion. Moebius in this time has just caught Vorador and taking him for the execution.
- Using the Heart of Darkness, Raziel heeds not to any warnings, and resurrects Janos Audron. He too like Raziel, is confused as to Raziels' role, and which prophesised hero he is. Janos transports them both to the Vampire Citadel for answers and refuge, bidding Raziel to activate the forge at the center of the citadel.
- Raziel activates the forges, calling forth the Balance Guardians of the past and purifies the blade with their souls. He then returns to Janos.
- This is the moment when the young Kain refuses the Sacrifice. The Pillars Collapse. Janos resurrected and somewhat weakened, provides the Hylden with a powerful divine shell for possession. The father of the Vampires, Janos Audron, is possessed by the Hylden. He kills Raziel and sets forth to usher in the return of the Hylden. Raziel returns as a wraith to the Forge.
- The Elder God resurrects Moebius, who has been already killed by the Younger Kain, and tells him to go to the Forge.
- Kain, presumed for dead, wakes up in the Demon Realm. Some abiguity lies in how this happens. I presume that it is a combination of events. The one being that Kain is the Balance Guardian, the other being that he is in the Demon Realm and his immortality/preservation there is assured and he does not die. Kain manages to escape the Demon Realm and come back through it from the portal in the Avernus Cathedral.
- Kain sets of for the Vampire Citadel, and the forge. Finding Moebius there, Kain slays him yet again, and continues to try and decipher the murals and the prophecies.
- Raziel, in the spectral realm of the forge, finds Moebius as a wraith wandering, only moments ago slayed once more by Kain. He impales him with the purified wraith blade showing him the true form and nature of the Elder God he so worshiped. A squid like parasite in the heart of Nosgoth. Moebius is sickened in a way, and Raziel eats his soul returning him to the Wheel of Fate. The Elder God mocks Raziel, once more reminding him that even in his defiance, he is doing his will.
Raziel at this point, sees once more the Murals, and deciphers their meaning. The Mural of the Scion of Balance now stands unambiguous of its truth. Raziel is both the Vampire and Hylden hero in conflict, each outcome is in fact each of Raziels deaths. The Impaling of Raziel with the Blood Reaver creating the Soul Reaver, and the Hero with the Wraith Blade purifying the blade on the souls of the Vampires and Balance Guardians. All as a self sacrifice to imbue the Vampire Weapon of the Prophecy, that will be wielded at last by the Scion of Balance, Kain, equipping him for his journey ahead. The Pillars are the Gate, the Soul Reaver is the key. Kain is ultimately bound to the fate of Nosgoth as the Scion of Balance and the true Hero that will restore Nosgoth.
- Once deciphering his fate, Raziel inhabits the corpse of Moebius and enters the Material Realm through this means. Kain in his haste, sees Moebius return and strikes him down again, impaling him. To his surprise, Moebius starts to turn into Raziel. Kain tries to pull the Soul Reaver out of Raziel, unwilling to kill him. Raziel bids Kain to stop, and that this is their true fate. That Raziel was and always will be, his Right Hand!
- Raziel, cleansed and pure of power, inhabits the Blood Reaver and forms the Soul Reaver once again, sentencing himself in a thousand years of torment. (I still continue to believe the Blood Reaver was already a Soul Reaver, as Raziel at this point claims that the two souls become one).
- The Wraith Blade disperses into Kain, cleansing him of all corruption. He now sees the true form of this Elder God, who plans to entrap an undying Kain and the Soul Reaver within the ruins of the mountain for an eternity, until one day he begs for his death and returns his soul at last to the Wheel. Equipped with the purified and complete Soul Reaver, able now to harm both physical and spectral realms, Kain defeats the Elder God momentarily and leaves him in the rubble and ruin of the Vampire Citadel to escape.
- Kain walks off to the terrace of the Vampire Citadel, looking forth at the pillars beyond destroyed and collapsed, and the return of the Hylden. Now, the curtains have been pulled, and at last, Kain is equipped and complete to fulfill his destiny. Filled, with "that bitter taste of that terrible illusion, hope."
- Some 100 years after Kains birth, Vorador is resurrected.
200 years After Kains' Birth
- Kain creates an army with the help of Vorador, and sets out to defeat the Sarafan Lord, which is in fact the Hylden Lord trying to bring his kind back to Nosgoth through the use of a new Sarafan order in the image of the ancient Sarafan, hunters of the Vampires.
- The Hylden Lord defeats Kain putting him into a coma for 200 years, and takes the Soul Reaver.
There is the implication in all this that although the pillars are destroyed, the Hylden cannot return as long as the Balance Guardian, Kain, is alive with the Key of the Pillars, the Soul Reaver. Further adding to the importance of Kain and why they all want him dead. At the same time, Kain needs to remain alive for future events to ensure the return of the Hylden.
400 years After Kains' Birth
- Kain awakens from his comma, with little or no memory at all.
- With the guidance of the surviving Vampires, Kain sets forth to reclaim his weapon, the Soul Reaver, and to defeat the Hylden.
- He comes to find the plans of the Hylden and how they will come back to Nosgoth. Using the ancient Device that was somewhat incomplete, which is fueled by the Mass (a giant creature) they plan to activate it killing all remaining Vampires in Nosgoth. In the meantime, a portal, although not complete and somewhat weak, is used to fuel the Hylden side with bringing forces through from the Demon Realm.
- Kain drains the blood of many Hylden in this journey to attain their powers, and other Vampires as well, thus completing his own powers and evolving. The Builder, an ancient Hylden that forged the Device, is kept prisoner all these years. He has learned the error of his ways, and the damnation of Nosgoth due to the Hyldens return, and seeks to help Kain. With his blood, Kain is fused with even more demonic properties (perhaps as a side effect to his future evolution which none the less makes him... divine) and destroys the Mass.
- In doing so, a creature whose power was used and bound to fueling the Mass, is freed. This creature is Janos Audron. Revealing that the Hylden had taken him to use him for this device all along with purpose to at last destroy all the Vampires and lift their banishment.
- Kain tracks the Hylden lord, equipped with the only relic that can nullify the Soul Reaver (being the very way the Hylden Lord defeated Kain), the Nexus Stone, which is also to be used for collapsing the gate to the Demon Realm.
- In their battle Janos intervenes, and is tossed into the Demon Gate. Kain throws the Nexus Stone within it to collapse it, and defeats the Hylden Lord. With the Soul Reaver in hand, Kain is able to completely destroy the immortal Hylden Lord with it and kill him.
- He is threatened that the Hylden will find a way, and return. Kains' remarks state that he will be waiting.
From here on forth the events lead on to the timeline as it was before. Kain finds the Chronoplast Chamber somewhere in this period, in the year 500 after his birth he resurrects the Sarafan Priests as Lieutenants, and a thousand years after that Raziels' fate begins once more with his torment in the Abyss, setting forth the events and loop that needs to take place for the history of Nosgoth to take on to this path with the Elder God burried, Kain freed from his death to Raziels hands, the Soul Reaver at last purified of all corruption and complete for the Scion of Balance, Kain, to wield it, along with the Hylden Lord being defeated, the gates to the Demon Realm destroyed, and the device built thousands of years ago also destroyed.
Chapter Six: End Game
That is in all the complete tale of the Legacy of Kain. However, some questions do rise from this tale in its entirety. In this last chapter, I will head on into explaining or at least attempting in my own manner to fill in the gaps in my own way, aching possibly to an even more complete telling or retelling of one of the best historical moments in gaming ever, that being, the Legacy of Kain.Most of this here is not confirmed by the creators of the series, but could be seen perhaps as a side-version if not a complete version to the Legacy of Kain lore. Bare in mind I have not read to every single background telling of the lore from such sources as the Legacy of Kain wiki and others, and base all this at most to some of those references from the wiki but at most from the games themselves, being the actual places were anyone can explore or enjoy the lore to this all.
Some of the questions that rise:
Were does the older Kain go? That being, the future Kain.
The Blood Omen 2 Kain is not the Older or future Kain cleansed as some claim him to be. He also has no knowledge of anything after his time, also adding to the notion that he is not from the future as he has obviously not stepped into the Chronoplast Chamber either yet.
The idea of older future Kain being cleansed and thus being the Kain in Blood Omen 2 and of his younger form makes little sense. Blood Omen 2 is simply a younger Kain. Kains' evolution continues after that none the less. If any change is experienced by Kain with the purified reaver, it would show in many centuries later.
The possible outcomes are as follows to some of the things that could have happened not outlined in the games. One of them being that young Kain consumes Old Kain. But that would mean that the old Kains knowledge is lost. How does this new timeline exists without it having a future Kain and future Raziel travel back and forth to complete the entire events leading to Blood Omen 2?
Perhaps also, the old Kain does not give the newly forged reaver to the young Kain as assumed by some, and simply hopes in the younger Kains triumph or further more has seen it. With the reshuffling of the times, if Kain had indeed been destroyed by the Hylden in the Blood Omen 2 wars, future Kain would not exist in the past.
This could also be seen as a protection over Kain's life from the Hylden. Knowing that it is his hand and Raziels' that brings them back to Nosgoth, and ultimately creating a safety net for Kain from his enemies until this entire timeline is complete and he moves forward off from it into the future and in to the now untold history.
The best possible outcome that I vote for and believe to be true is thus that the older and future Kain returns to his own time where he truly belongs, with Raziel now cleansed and inhabiting the Soul Reaver, equipping him so and completing him as the Scion of Balance to set out onto his destiny and to cleanse the lands of Nosgoth. A future that we know nothing of and what lies within it.
This new BO2 timeline does not undo Kains path in the future, the resurrection of the Sarafan Priests, and the entire chase of fates with Raziel needs to happen and remain in tact. Ultimately, this timeline must be kept in tact even by the Hylden to ensure these events can take place. Which kind of points a finger at the BO2 team which as is mentioned was not the same team, meaning that in some ways the story was presented in a way that they possibly believed that with Blood Omen 2 and with fixing the timeline they were free from the future events. This is not so. The future events must take place for that timeline to exist period.
This new timeline hence has its own full circle and fragile character too which must be attained.
To this point there are spin off ideas to the story and how to continue it, as well as story elements that can be assumed to keep it all in place. One of those I am eager to express and think would be a cool addition is the older Kain returning to his time, some 2000 years after his birth. At this point, on his return, the wars between Humans and Vampires have finished (being the timeline we are experiencing now in Nosgoth the new title and PvP arena game), and in that time the Vampire clans have at most seized to exist. Raziel has devoured the souls of his brothers and all that remains is the remnants of Nosgoth. Kain can move on from this point to his future, along with the whole land, and as the Scion of Balance begin the journey to purify Nosgoth and return it to its former glory. At this point he is also no longer protected and part of a timeline that the Hylden would definately see to find ways to breach and thus kill Kain. The Elder God would undoubtedly be still present for his return also. However now, they have a much more powerful foe to deal with, and Kain is beyond their reach and grasp, meaning this could spin off greater story elements to manage or attempt on Kains life.
The circle and loop of Defiance and the Blood Omen and Soul Reaver tales is complete and the characters move on forth from it with Kains' return to the future.
Spin off ideas could very well include the younger Kains' finding in the Chronoplast Chamber and thus setting on to fulfilling his fate, perhaps now in this moment a future Kain intervenes that helps the younger Kain understand it all and of all the timelines before that now do not exist. As such counseling the Younger Kain of what will happen in all other possible outcomes and what other histories exist so that the younger Kain does not make the mistake, unknowingly, of destroying this new history that was shaped thus with much difficulty.
This ultimately should create for a cool scene with old and young Kain meting each other, and perhaps could be on a later time the note on which a remake is based on, the older Kain filling in the younger Kain of the lore of the Legacy of Kain, resulting in a title that can ensure a game that future generations of gamers can enjoy and thus keep the Legacy of Kain alive.
The possible tales that can be told in here hence are the retelling of older Kain to the younger Kain, the time of Kains' empire (the 1000 years with his Lieutenants) and last of all and most enjoyable of all, what happens after all this is done, even after the war of Nosgoth and farther still into the future, some 2000 years after Kain's birth.
Among all these small ideas that are fun to play with, this line too just came to me of the future Kain setting on his path reminiscent of the past: "Raziel, old friend, we bled a millennium together. If only you were here with me now in person... But, your sacrifice will do. Knowing you are here in essence always by my side, is comfort enough." and another line to his younger self, "Be careful, Raziel must never suspect of your allegiance to him, it is that rage that will have him reborn." Among so many others.
The Legacy of Kain is complete now as a tale, though the options of more tales continuing or being told from it are more than possible and quite abundant.
Lastly, a thought on a story based on Kains 1000 year Empire and his Lieutenants, is how the younger new Kain now struggles perhaps towards this new fate of damning his first born. Perhaps even a play between the characters of Raziels' suspicions over Kain and his strange distant character at times, tiptoeing around a fragile balance, since Raziel must be kept completely loyal to him and on the side of Kain always and not suspecting neither mischief nor alliance for his hate to truly fuel his rebirth. This could inevitably be the way it happens as fate forces them to this path (as the tale could reveal) and Kain hence truly does bond with Raziel, having the act of executing him bring forth the vengeance it should.
I hope this was a fun and enjoyable stay and read. Farther more, I hope to see future Legacy of Kain titles some day, and perhaps the possibility of a remake that would fittingly keep the originals alive in a manner that would make them enjoyable for many generations of gamers to come. Heck, I'd do it myself it they passed on to me licenses and rights (well, budgets too for a development team) and gave me the heads up for doing it. The amount of tales that could be forged of this amazing lore are, simply a plenty and exciting, all capable of adding even more to this timeless series.
The last chapter is to be completed at another time... it simply replaces the final timeline into one easy to follow path.
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