Ryan "Nemesis 300" Kelly
E-Mail: original_dark_id@yahoo.com
Project Started: April 7, 2002
Project Complete: April 16, 2002
Last Update: April 16, 2002
Game/Console: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2/ Playstation 2, PC
Version: 1.0
I.------------------------------------------Sections
II.-----------------------------------------Updates
III.----------------------------------------Disclaimer
IV.-----------------------------------------Notes
V.------------------------------------------Script: Part 1- The Beginning
VI.-----------------------------------------Script: Part 2- The Future
VII.----------------------------------------Script: Part 3- Back to the Past
VIII.---------------------------------------FAQ
IX.-----------------------------------------Contact
X.------------------------------------------Copyright
XI.-----------------------------------------Closing
If you wanna use this script on your site, make sure contact me first of all.
After you post it make sure you do all of the following!!!
- You do not make any money off of this guide.
- You do not edit the FAQ whatsoever(even spacing and grammatical errors)
- You give credit when due.
- CONTACT ME OR THERE WILL BE TROUBLE!
This document can only be placed on a non-commercial or non-profit website.
Remember not to alter anything or there will be trouble. You can't use this
document as a reference for your own, unless you give me credit. You can use
the layout if you want
This is a copyrighted document, so if you steal, I sue! Please try to contact
me if your going to use this, I don't want any nasty misunderstandings.
-I used the "Dark Chronicles" for the major scenes, but the omitted scenes in
the Dark Chronicles are included as well.
-I'll try to describe what happens to the best of my ability, but don't expect
too much (i.e. Raziel blinks three times and takes a quarter step forward while
breathing heavily.)
-This script is divided into three parts, the three time eras in the game.
-[Description] (interjection from me), okay.
[Raziel enters the Chronoplast chamber, and surveys its tiered walkways and
arcane dials, noting both the mysterious device suspended from the domed
ceiling, and the undulating portal on the far side of the chamber. None of
this interests him. He is looking for Kain. Raziel hears a voice, and Kain
reveals himself as he steps out from the shadows of the upper tier.]
Kain:
At last... I must say I’m disappointed in your progress. I imagined you would
be here sooner. Tell me - did it trouble you to murder your brothers?
[Raziel slowly descends the stairway, keeping his eyes locked on Kain.]
Raziel:
Did it trouble you when you ordered me into the Abyss?
[Kain’s only response is ironic laughter. He steps back toward one of the
arcane dials and prepares to turn it.]
Kain:
Eternity is relentless, Raziel. When I first stole into this chamber,
centuries ago, I did not fathom the true power of knowledge.
[Kain throws the switch, and the Chronoplast device responds.]
Kain:
To know the future, Raziel - to see its paths and streams tracing out
into the infinite... As a man, I could never have contained such forbidden
truths. But each of us is so much more than we once were. Do you not feel
with all your soul how we have become like gods? And as such, are we not
indivisible? As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion…
[Kain descends the main staircase, and moves toward the second-tier dials.]
Kain:
Our futures are predestined - Moebius foretold mine aeons ago. We each play
out the parts fate has written for us. Free will is an illusion.
[Kain punctuates his statement by throwing the second switch. Raziel glares
up at him from the floor of the chamber.]
Raziel:
I found the Tomb of Sarafan, Kain. How could you profane a priest by turning
him into a vampire?
[Furious, Raziel launches himself at Kain - who easily stops Raziel in
mid-air with one hand, and holds him by the throat, at arm’s length.]
Kain:
How could I not? One must keep his friends close, Raziel - and his enemies
even closer.
[Kain effortlessly hurls Raziel to the lower floor of the chamber, and then
drops down himself, approaching Raziel’s sprawled figure.]
Kain:
Who better to serve me than those whose passion transcends all notion of
good and evil?
[Raziel rises slowly, enraged and humiliated, and wheels on Kain.]
Raziel:
The Sarafan were saviors, defending Nosgoth from the corruption that we
represent. My eyes are opened, Kain - I find no nobility in the unlife you
rudely forced on my unwilling corpse!
[Raziel lunges at Kain. Kain evades the blow, but Raziel attacks again and
pins Kain against the wall, his forearm to his throat. Kain is unfazed by
Raziel’s attack - he is composed, even slightly amused. He allows Raziel to
pin him there momentarily, and continues to taunt him, their faces inches
apart.]
Kain:
You may have uncovered your past, but you know nothing of it. You think
the Sarafan were noble, altruistic?
[Kain breaks Raziel’s grip and propels him away with a blast of telekinetic
energy. Raziel flies backward and slams into a buttress with bone-shattering
force. Kain laughs and moves toward the final dial.]
Kain:
Don’t be simple. Their agenda was the same as ours.
[Kain throws the final switch. The arms of the Chronoplast device descend,
and the portal flares into life.]
Kain (mockingly):
You nearly had me, Raziel...
[Kain vanishes in a flash of light, and reappears on the upper tier, in
front of the portal.]
Kain:
But this is not where - or how - it ends. Fate promises more twists before
this drama unfolds completely.
[Kain turns and strides deliberately through the portal. Raziel gets to his
feet and races up the stairway. He pauses briefly, then leaps through the
portal to pursue Kain. Raziel finds himself floating in darkness, and hears
an unfamiliar voice calling to him out of the ether. As Raziel drifts to the
floor and the chamber coalesces, Moebius the Time Streamer steps out of the
mist to greet him.]
Moebius:
Raziel...
Redeemer and destroyer.
Pawn and messiah.
Welcome, time-spanned soul.
Welcome...to your destiny.
*****Arrival*****
[Raziel has just leapt through the Chronoplast portal in pursuit of Kain,
fuelled by blind rage and a thirst for vengeance. As his surroundings
coalesce, he finds himself in a domed room, similar to the Chronoplast
chamber, but smaller in scale. Moebius, the Time Streamer, steps forward to
greet him.]
Moebius:
"Where am I" is the usual question. In your case, "when?" might be more apt.
[Raziel recognizes Moebius, and knows how dangerous he is. As he raises the
Reaver in defense, the orb on Moebius’s staff flares brightly. The
wraith-blade sputters out and retracts, its wisps of energy dissipating
completely. Alarmed, and now even more suspicious of the sorcerer’s motives,
Raziel advances on Moebius.]
Raziel:
Very well, you old snake - if you’d prefer I use my bare hands...
[Raziel lunges at Moebius and grabs him by his scrawny neck, throwing him
up against the wall. Moebius feigns surprise and fear for a moment.]
Moebius:
This is completely unexpected! This orb disables our vampire enemies, leaving
them helpless and incapacitated. Strangely, it seems to have the same effect
on that peculiar weapon of yours. But you must believe me - I mean you no
harm.
Raziel:
You can drop the benevolent facade, Moebius. I know who - and what - you are.
I should kill you where you stand...
[As Raziel speaks, Moebius’s demeanor changes. He no longer appears to be an
addled old magician - this Moebius is composed, confident, and completely in
control.]
Moebius (laughing):
Perhaps you should, my boy. But you don’t.
[Raziel tightens his grip a bit on Moebius’s throat.]
Raziel:
Are you so certain of that, Moebius?
[Moebius appears completely unfazed by Raziel’s threats.]
Moebius:
My role as Time Guardian affords me a certain level of omniscience, Raziel.
No, you don’t kill me. That honor belongs to your maker, Kain, some thirty
years from now.
[Raziel releases him roughly, with disgust.]
Raziel:
Hmph. You two are a pair - you’re just as fatalistic as he is.
Moebius (laughing softly):
Death comes for us all, Raziel. It’s just a matter of time.
[Completely composed, Moebius turns his back on Raziel and exits the chamber.]
Raziel:
How is it that you know my name? We have never met.
Moebius:
On the contrary, Raziel - I know you very well... And it grieves me to see how
cruelly Kain has used you. I knew you when you were one of the Sarafan
brotherhood, Raziel. We were even close.
Raziel (with revulsion):
Oh please.
Moebius:
Fortunately, you need not love me now to be my ally...
[Raziel follows Moebius into the adjacent room - the walls of this octagonal
chamber are decorated with murals memorializing the six martyred Circle
guardians, slaughtered here many centuries ago. The slain guardians are
depicted in beatific imagery, while their murderer - the vampire Vorador - is
demonized. In the center of the room stands a distinctive basin engraved with
arcane symbols.]
Raziel:
Are we within the Stronghold of the Sarafan priesthood?
Moebius:
Yes, but the glorious days of the Sarafan have long since passed, I’m afraid.
This is a more... cynical and indecorous age. My mercenary army now inhabits
this stronghold - we strive to honor the memory of the Sarafan with our own
humble crusade.
[Raziel studies the surrounding murals, intrigued.]
Raziel:
Is this the vampire Vorador?
Moebius:
Yes, the scourge of the Circle. The most depraved and decadent example of his
whole degenerate race. He slaughtered six of my fellow Guardians as they
cowered, defenseless in this room.
Raziel (incredulous):
And you somehow survived this massacre?
Moebius:
I, and two others. The Circle was devastated; only we three were spared.
Raziel (disdainful):
How convenient. You’ll forgive me if I don’t naively devour every scraps of
information you toss me. You have a reputation for deceit.
Moebius:
And who has slandered me so? Your malefactor Kain? The one who betrayed and
destroyed you? Our common enemy? Consider the source, before you judge me too
harshly. We’ll forget about rekindling our old friendship, then. But consider
an alliance based on our common ground - We both want Kain dead. I can help
you do it.
Raziel:
You don’t want to meddle in this, old man. I know all about your sordid
little schemes, but you’re simply out of your depth on this one.
Moebius:
You underestimate me, Raziel. Let me show you...
[Moebius ignites the four candles that stand on the basin’s edge, and an
image slowly materializes in the mystical waters of the bowl. The image in
the basin coalesces, and Kain is revealed. Raziel leans over the basin and
peers in, mesmerized.]
Moebius:
Even now, Kain is lying in wait for you, unaware that I’ve snatched you out
of the time-stream and brought you here to me.
[The image wavers, and we see that Kain is standing in a clearing, beneath
the Pillars of Nosgoth, apparently waiting...]
Moebius:
See how he lingers at the very Pillars he is destined to destroy, foolishly
confident that he has eluded your grasp.
Raziel (fascinated):
The Pillars are still standing in this time?
Moebius:
Yes, Raziel - they are the embodiment of the divine force which preserves the
life of our world. We who serve the Pillars maintain their delicate balance -
and Kain is destined to be the fulcrum upon which that balance turns. I
believe you have already endured the wasteland wrought by his terrible,
selfish decision. Kain’s very existence is a cancer upon this world. As long
as he lives, all of Nosgoth is in peril.
[The image in the basin wavers and fades out completely.]
Moebius:
You may never again be human, Raziel... But you can re-embrace the essence of
your humanity, and the nobility of your Sarafan heritage. Go to him, Raziel,
and end this. But first you will need to find your way out of the Stronghold
- and in this, I’m afraid, I cannot help you. My soldiers will not understand
your appearance here; they will try to kill you. You needn’t fear them, of
course. They’re no match for you. Try to keep the casualties to a minimum,
but do what you have to do.
(ominously)
All great movements require a few martyrs...
[Moebius vanishes, leaving Raziel alone in the chamber.]
*****The Sarafan Stronghold*****
[Raziel now takes time to study the room he is in.]
Raziel V.O.:
Alone now, I surveyed my surroundings and noticed a second Time Streaming
chamber, it’s entrance identical to the first, but with one distinction. That
crystal was significant, but how? I had not yet discovered.
[Raziel continues into a hallway and studies his surroundings]
Raziel V.O.:
Throughout the Stronghold I discovered evidence of my former nobility, and my
life as a Sarafan priest. This was the heritage so foully stolen from me when
Kain raided my sacred crypt and defiled me.
[Raziel continues on, entering the main hall of the Stronghold.]
Raziel V.O.:
Away from the influence of Moebius’ cursed staff, I could feel the strength
of the Soul Reaver slowly returning. If that orb was as debilitating to
vampires as it was to the blade, it gave Moebius a powerful advantage over
his enemies. I finally understood how Moebius’ crusade could decimate the
vampires so successfully. If he could immobilize his enemies, they were at
his mercy. But why, I wondered, did the staff have any effect on the Reaver?
*****The Reaver Convergence*****
[Raziel enters the choir area of the Sanctuary for the first time, and feels
an inexplicable distortion which intensifies as he approaches the central
chapel.]
Raziel V.O:
As I neared the Stronghold’s inner sanctum, a strange sensation crept over me
- an indescribable feeling of displacement, a sense of vertigo as reality
itself appeared to warp and bend around me. The disturbance seemed to emanate
from the Sanctuary’s furthest chapel. As I cautiously approached, the sense
of dislocation intensified with each step.
[As Raziel enters the chapel, he sees a stained-glass window memorializing
William’s murder at Kain’s hands. At the end of the chapel stands the
sarcophagus of the martyred king.]
Raziel V.O:
So this was the tomb of the beloved King William the Just - beautified here
as the martyr and catalyst of Moebius’s crusade. I was reminded of Kain’s
journey as a fledgling vampire - How Moebius coerced him to travel back in
history and assassinate William, thus igniting a genocidal hatred of vampires
among the citizens of Nosgoth.
[Raziel proceeds into the chapel and stands before the sarcophagus, which he
realizes now serves also as an altar - for here, clutched loosely in the
hands of William's effigy, is the Soul Reaver, it's blade broken in two.]
Raziel V.O.:
And here I discovered the source of the displacement - the Soul Reaver
itself, laid out like a holy relic... And broken, apparently in the battle
between William and Kain. I had not thought such a thing was possible...
Until, of course, Kain shattered the blade against me when he tried to strike
me down.
[Raziel looks at his right hand contemplatively.]
Raziel V.O.:
Thus the captive spirit inhabiting the Reaver was released - and binding
itself to me, became my symbiotic weapon.
[Mesmerized by the Reaver's presence here, Raziel tentatively reaches out to
touch the sword. As if in sympathetic response, the wraith-blade begins to
manifest of its own will.]
Raziel V.O.:
And so the Reaver met it's former self, still imprisoned in this corporeal
shell... I watched, mesmerized, as the wraith-blade uncoiled itself, and
snaked down the length of the physical blade...
[As it passes over the hilt of the sword, Raziel's hand involuntarily lunges
forward and clamps down. The Reaver has taken control.]
Raziel V.O.:
Embracing its twin, its mirror self, the Reaver's long-dormant spirit was
now fully aroused. And for the first time, I felt the true presence of this
other entity - willful, ravenous, and deranged from thousands of years of
imprisonment... Then Reaver was now in command - and I, now merely it's
helpless host, felt my soul being leeched to restore the blade.
[Raziel watches in helpless horror as the Reaver draws his soul-energy
through his arm and into the broken blade. The two halves of the Soul Reaver
come together and are instantly re-fused. Just before he is drained
completely, the Reaver relents, and Raziel recovers control.]
Raziel V.O.:
But the Reaver knew better than to destroy its host - and just as I neared
the brink of oblivion, the blade released its hold on me. As I recovered, I
realized we were now bound together in a fragile alliance - the Reaver no
longer merely my symbiotic weapon, but a sentient parasite, competing for
control.
[As Raziel recovers, he realizes that Moebius is behind him, watching with
intense fascination. Enraged, Raziel wheels on Moebius and menaces him with
the now-conjoined Reaver blades.]
Raziel:
What have you done to me, Moebius?! Is this your trap?!
Moebius (apprehensive):
How mine?! Don't forget it was Kain who led you here, not I! While you curse
me - the only soul in Nosgoth ready to guide and assist you - Kain laughs at
our folly and revels in your dismay.
[Raziel raises the intertwined blades threateningly.]
Raziel:
These blades now coiled in sinister embrace have inspired terror in the
hearts of creatures far more durable than you, old man. Bound together as
they are, I can only imagine what they could do to your soul's fragile shell.
Moebius:
Raziel, I beg you to stay your hand. This was none of my doing. I have sought
only to aid you in your righteous quest.
Raziel (mocking):
Why, you're trembling, Moebius. Has your confidence abandoned you? You seem
to have made a fatal error by leaving your precious staff behind. Is that
where all your courage comes from?
Moebius (desperate):
Listen to me, Raziel - you don't know what you're doing. I have taken an
enormous risk by appearing here before you, so defenseless, yet eager to
prove my good intentions. If there's anything left of the Sarafan in you, you
won't do this. While you threaten me, your true enemy eludes you!
Raziel:
Don't concern yourself with Kain, old man. He'll join you in hell soon
enough. As you said, Death comes to us all...
[Raziel raises the entwined blades, fully prepared to strike Moebius down.]
Moebius:
Yes... The Wheel of Fate demands it.
[Moebius's statement stays Raziel's hand momentarily.]
Raziel:
What did you say?
Moebius:
The Wheel of Fate - the inexorable cycle of death and rebirth to which all
men are compelled. We serve the same God, Raziel.
[Moebius grows more confident as he sees that this revelation is having some
effect.]
Moebius:
To strike me down would be striking God's own attendant, and I don't believe
even you would take that risk.
[Raziel throws the Soul Reaver away in disgust. The wraith-blade untwines
itself and dissipates as it coils back into Raziel's hand.]
Raziel:
I tire of your games, Moebius. Now that I know you fear me, I needn't concern
myself with you. Kain is waiting for me.
Moebius:
Go, then, Raziel. Seek Kain out and destroy him, in the name of the one God
we both serve. You, who were once a Sarafan priest - murdered, profaned,
destroyed and reborn again from His mercy... You are now most powerfully
equipped to be His agent - His instrument of restoration and retribution.
Raziel:
My own vengeance is motivation enough.
[Raziel turns his back on Moebius and exits the chapel. Moebius closes the
gate behind Raziel, and locks himself safely inside the chapel. He breathes a
sigh of relief, then turns and says quietly to himself.]
Moebius:
By my soul, you almost had me, my little blue assassin. But that'll be the
one and only chance you get, I assure you of that.
[Moebius vanishes... Raziel stops and examines his symbiotic weapon, the Soul
Reaver.]
Raziel V.O.:
I could now summon the blade at will, regardless of my strength. But once
summoned, the blade's ravenous appetite could not be contained. It devoured
the souls of its victims... And if I allowed it to become over-aroused, the
Reaver would now turn its hunger on me.
*****The Heart of Darkness*****
[Raziel discovers a stained glass window in the Stronghold, depicting the
murder of the vampire Janos Audron at the hands of the Sarafan.]
Raziel V.O.:
So this was the legendary Janos Audron - reputed to have been the most
ancient and diabolical vampire to have ever existed. According to folklore,
he lived high in the cliffs of Nosgoth's northern mountains, and preyed
mercilessly on the defenseless villagers below. His reign of terror ended
when the Sarafan finally hunted him down and tore his throbbing heart from
his still-living body. This relic came to be known as the 'Heart of Darkness'
and was supposedly imbued with the power to restore vampiric unlife. The
Sarafan therefore guarded it carefully, lest the Heart fall into the hands of
their enemies. But I wondered - could Janos Audron truly have been as
monstrous as depicted here? Or was this merely artistic license by the
Sarafan, who sought to lionize themselves by demonizing their darkest enemy?
*****Departure from the Stronghold*****
[Raziel continues to travel through the Sarafan Stronghold. He comes upon a
courtyard honoring the Sarafan "Saints".]
Raziel:
Strange how my history came full circle. This chapel, I realized, was a
memorial to my former Sarafan brethren, and myself, all of us martyred here,
and then so cruelly profaned by Kain when he imposed his gift on our noble
corpses.
[Raziel walks up to a statue of his Sarafan self]
Raziel:
For the first time I beheld the image of my Sarafan self, memorialized here
among my fallen comrades. It tortured me to see how noble and pure I had
been, and what a vile phantasm I had become. And a profound sense of injury,
of loss, and betrayal welled up in me, so overwhelming I could barely contain
it. All I wanted at this moment was to find Kain and destroy him.
[Raziel continues on and finds a balcony leading to the outside world. He
then surveys Nosgoth as it once was before Kain's corruption.]
Raziel V.O.:
I emerged, and for the first time, beheld Nosgoth in its former glory. A land
overflowed with abundant life and vitality, and I knew with certainty then
that the world I had left behind was nothing more than the corpse of Nosgoth,
a lifeless husk bled dry by the corruption of Kain’s parasitic empire. This
was the fragile world Kain sacrificed to preserve his own petty life and
ambition, heedless of the profound cost. The sight only deepened my resolve.
I sensed that the Pillars lay to the northwest, and if Kain truly waited to
confront me there, I would not disappoint him.
*****Road to the Pillars*****
[Raziel locates the first checkpoint beacon.]
Raziel V.O.:
As I passed this arcane landmark, a wisp of the Reaver’s energy was drawn to
the ring, illuminating it. This created a beacon of sorts in the Spirit
World. If ever I found myself depleted in the Spectral Realm, and my soul
tossed on the ethereal winds, these beacons would draw me back to safety and
restore me.
[If Raziel walks to the Light Forge gates.]
Raziel V.O.:
I did not yet possess the means to unlock this barrier, but this enigmatic
symbol was clearly the key.
[Raziel finds his first save point.]
Raziel V.O.:
These ancient obelisks were mysteriously attuned to my spiritual essence. By
simply touching the symbol, I could safely preserve an imprint of my soul,
and thus create a milestone to which I could return when weary, and from
which I could resume my journey.
[Raziel begins to head on the road to the Pillars, but stops and looks at the
Sarafan Stronghold once more.]
Raziel V.O.:
When I had only just escaped the Stronghold, I sensed that in time my journey
would return me full circle to this place. Infiltrating the fortress,
however, would be no small feat, the balcony that had provided my escape was
now well beyond my reach, leaving this massive gateway as the only means of
entry. The gates were sealed, but like the Time Streaming chamber I had seen
earlier, their operation was undoubtedly linked to that odd crystal mounted
above the entrance.
[Raziel travels toward the pillars. Along the way he encounters Moebius's
vampire hunters as well as their victims. He then comes upon a large field of
massacred vampires.]
Raziel V.O.:
These vampires had nothing in common with the deranged jackals I left behind
in Kain’s derelict empire. They seemed to retain much of their former
humanity. In this era, vampires were clearly not the uncontested predators we
had been. These creatures were hunted mercilessly and oppressed, and while I
still believed that vampirism was a plague, and had to be wiped out, there
was nothing noble of righteous about this crusade. This was simply ruthless
persecution.
*****The Corruption of the Pillars*****
[Raziel reaches the Pillars clearing, where Moebius told him Kain would be
waiting. Raziel pauses briefly, struck by the pristine beauty of the Pillars.
In this era, the Pillars stand straight and rise infinitely into the sky,
their white marble columns gleaming in the sunlight.]
Raziel V.O.:
The Pillars of Nosgoth... pristine, whole and uncorrupted. I had never beheld
them in this undefiled state - yet something profound and indelible resonated
within me at the sight.
[Raziel sees Kain]
Raziel V.O.:
And there, waiting at the very heart of the Pillars, was the canker that was
destined to destroy them.
[Kain stands in the center of the Pillars platform, his back to the
clearing's entrance. He appears to be surveying the Pillars calmly, waiting
for something. Raziel stalks up behind Kain, readying the wraith-blade.
Completely aware and composed, Kain addresses Raziel without turning.]
Kain:
I know you are there, Raziel.
Raziel:
Moebius led me to you, Kain, although I might have guessed you'd meet me
here.
[Kain continues to speak with his back to Raziel, turning his head only
slightly.]
Kain:
And if Moebius told you I was hidden on the underside of hell, would you
throw yourself into oblivion to pursue me? Moebius trawls for the ignorant
and unwary, hauling his gasping prey from the streams of their destinies.
Stay out of his net, Raziel -
[Raziel interrupts, impatient and tired of this long chase.]
Raziel:
Spare me your elaborate metaphors, Kain. I have pursued you here for one
purpose - you will pay for your betrayal, and Balance will thus be restored
to Nosgoth.
Kain:
And whose will is satisfied then, the will of Raziel, or Moebius?
Raziel:
Would I be better manipulated by you, Kain? Now turn and face me; the chase
is over.
[Kain doesn't turn, but walks slowly forward, approaching the central Balance
Pillar while he speaks.]
Kain:
This isn't a chase, Raziel - we are merely passengers on the wheel of
destiny, describing a perfect circle to this point. We have been brought here
for a reason. I have seen the beginning and the end of our story, however -
and the tale is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the ending of it,
you and I.
Raziel (frustrated):
Face me, Kain. Even you shouldn't die a coward's death.
[Kain finally turns to respond, having delayed Raziel as long as he needed.]
Kain:
Isn't it customary to grant the condemned a final request?
Raziel:
I recall no such courtesy from you.
Kain:
Indulge me, Raziel. All I ask is that you listen.
[At this moment, an unearthly, disembodied wailing begins to be audible,
increasing in volume as it fills the clearing.]
Kain:
This is the sublime moment of our undoing, Raziel - the ineffable fulcrum
upon which swings the entirety of our history. This is where all of Nosgoth
is betrayed. In this instant, Ariel - the Balance Guardian - is murdered by
dark forces bent on overthrowing the Pillars. Her spirit is just now tearing
free, lost in the ether, trying to find its way here. You have already seen
how she comes to haunt these Pillars -
Raziel (interrupting):
- bound here by your refusal to die. You are the reason this land becomes
diseased - as long as you remain alive you condemn Nosgoth to an eternity
of decay.
[Kain gently raises his hand to silence Raziel, and intently urges him.]
Kain:
Be still, Raziel. See this.
[The sky darkens, the wind begins to gust, and birds scatter from the
clearing in alarm. A low, nearly sub-audible rumble swells, as though a
massive storm is gathering. Kain continues with some urgency.]
Kain:
As Ariel dies, I am being born to take her place as Balance Guardian.
Such is my destiny.
[Suddenly the entire clearing is rocked by an indescribable force - A
telepathic blast burns across the landscape with a thunderous rumble, and
distorting waves of energy ripple across the clearing. Kain visibly tenses as
he absorbs the onslaught of this psychic attack. The Pillars, initially white
and pristine, begin to crack and corrode as they turn gray with corruption.]
Raziel:
...my god...
[As the telepathic assault recedes, Kain begins to speak again.]
Kain:
At the moment of my first cry, Ariel's beloved - the Guardian Nupraptor -
finds her corpse. Wracked with grief and tormented with suspicions of
treachery, Nupraptor plunges into a madness which overflows and infects all of
the Guardians, who are symbiotically bound. Including me. The repercussions of
Ariel's assassination were expertly calculated... The entire Circle descends
into madness, and I am tainted at the moment of my birth - instantly rendered
incapable of fulfilling the role destiny has prepared for me.
Raziel:
Shall I show you the same mercy you showed the rest of the Circle, then? You
blithely murdered them to restore their Pillars, yet your hand faltered when
it came to the final sacrifice. What makes you exempt, Kain? You're merely
the last man standing. Why condemn me for simply carrying out what you hadn't
the courage to do yourself?
Kain:
Let's drop the moral posturing, shall we? We both know there's no altruism in
this pursuit. Your reckless indignation led you here - I counted on it.
[Kain sees that Raziel is bristling at this insult.]
Kain:
There's no shame in it, Raziel - revenge is motivation enough. At least it's
honest. Hate me, but do it honestly.
[Kain resumes his account of Nosgoth's history.]
Kain:
Thirty years hence, I am presented with a dilemma - let's call it a two-sided
coin. If the coin falls one way, I sacrifice myself and thus restore the
Pillars. But as the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, this would mean the
annihilation of our species. Moebius made sure of that. If the coin lands on
the reverse, I refuse the sacrifice and thus doom the Pillars to an eternity
of collapse. Either way, the game is rigged.
Raziel:
We agree then that the Pillars are crucial, and must be restored?
Kain:
Yes, Raziel - that's why we've come full-circle to this place.
Raziel:
So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate you must
die so that new Guardians can be born.
Kain:
The Pillars don't belong to them, Raziel...
[Kain gestures derisively, indicating humanity in general.]
Kain:
...They belong to us.
Raziel (disgusted):
Your arrogance is boundless, Kain.
Kain (laughing softly):
There's a third option - a monumental secret, hidden in your very presence
here. But it's a secret you have to discover for yourself. Unearth your
destiny, Raziel. It's all laid out for you here.
Raziel:
You said it yourself, Kain - there are only two sides to your coin.
Kain:
Apparently so. But suppose you throw a coin enough times... Suppose one day,
it lands on its edge.
[Kain vanishes, leaving Raziel standing in the clearing alone.]
*****Beyond the Pillars*****
[Raziel thinks and reflects on what had just happened.]
Raziel V.O.:
I didn't know what impulse stayed my hand, why I had so willingly allowed
Kain to escape me when I had pursued him for so long. I had no reason to
trust Kain, after he had valued me so little, and yet, I found myself
intrigued by his words. I had been too cruelly used to so gullibly play his
pawn, but if this world truly had secrets to divulge, I was determined to
expose them.
[Raziel continues past the Pillars. He notices a odd flock of birds peering
at him.]
Raziel V.O.:
From the moment of my arrival I had the constant and palpable sensation of
being watched. Someone, it seemed, was keenly interested in my presence here.
[Raziel comes to an ancient gateway.]
Raziel V.O.:
From the look of it, this door had been sealed for centuries. I began to
realize it was no mere coincidence that I found myself standing here beneath
this winged figure with blue skin and cloven hands so like my own, and
bearing this unique key.
[Raziel uses the Soul Reaver to release the seal.]
Raziel V.O.:
And so it was, with a sense of gravity and trepidation that I unsealed that
ancient door and crossed the threshold.
*****The Elder God*****
[Raziel cautiously descends an ancient subterranean passageway, and finds
himself at the threshold of a magnificent underground grotto. The Pillars
descend into this chamber, intersecting a platform engraved with arcane
symbols. Water surrounds the dais, and reflected light dapples the
surrounding walls. Raziel walks along the platform, surveying the murals on
the surrounding walls. He recognizes his own ragged form in these heroic
figures, and holds up his hand, mentally comparing his anatomy to theirs.
He's trying to put the pieces together.]
Raziel: V.O.:
As I entered the chamber, I sensed that it had been sealed for hundreds -
perhaps thousands - of years. And while this room was clearly built when the
Pillars were erected, I knew that no human hand could have shaped this place
- and that perhaps it had never been seen by human eyes. The surrounding
murals depicted a winged race, their features so like my own - but beautiful,
where mine were grotesque... And angelic, while mine were demonic. I tried to
decipher these images... A great war, but with combatants like none I had
ever seen... The Pillars, raised by this winged race, who thus defeated their
adversaries... The winged beings again, writhing in agony, apparently
afflicted with the same blood-thirst I had so recently suffered... And
throughout the chamber, inscribed everywhere, images of the Reaver itself.
Was this what Kain had urged me to discover? I wondered...
[The voice of the Elder God bubbles up from the depths of the chamber, as if
in answer to Raziel's unspoken question.]
Elder God:
Lies, Raziel.
[Raziel recognizes the voice and realizes that it's rising from the watery
depths beneath the platform. As he steps to the edge, he sees that the
Pillars descend into the murky depths of the chamber - and coiled around them
are the tentacles and amorphous mass of the Elder God itself.]
Elder God:
Do not be deceived.
Raziel:
Ah, my ancient 'benefactor'... And I dared to hope we had parted ways
forever. Your silence was refreshing, while it lasted. No doubt you have a
conveniently inexpressible reason for your presence here?
Elder God:
Do not be insolent, Raziel. I am eternally present - here and everywhere, now
and always. I am the still center of the turning wheel, the hub of this
world's destiny.
Raziel:
But perhaps not so omnipotent as you'd have me believe. Your hold on me
appears to be tenuous. I no longer seem to need you, yet I'm guessing you
still need me.
Elder God:
This impudence is unworthy of you, Raziel. Do not forget that you have a task
to fulfill here. You are indebted to me.
Raziel:
Indebted? You would have me show gratitude for a 'gift' I didn't ask to be
bestowed? Do you forget that you forced me to inhabit this vile carcass -
Elder God:
- I restored you to yourself, Raziel. It was Kain who destroyed you. The very
enemy you have just let slip through your grasp.
[His tone turns threatening]
Do not fail me, my servant...
Raziel:
I serve no one - not you, not Kain... and not your lackey Moebius.
Elder God (ominously):
Moebius is my good servant. I have many.
Raziel:
And if I tell Moebius that he's worshipping a giant squid, do you think his
faith will falter?
Elder God:
You have grown willful, Raziel. But beware - to embrace a serpent is to
invite poison into your heart. Kain is a sinuous beast; he will seduce and
deceive you. You pride yourself on your free will, yet you let that
degenerate deter your resolve.
Raziel:
I harbor no illusions about his integrity, nor anyone else's. In fact, I am
beset by manipulation on all sides. I merely seek the truth.
Elder God:
These are the fathomless truths, Raziel: The agony of birth and death and
rebirth - this is the Wheel of Fate, the purifying cycle which sustains all
life. Vampires are an abomination, a plague which leeches this land of its
spiritual strength. They obstruct the flow of life and death - their souls
stagnate in their wretched corpses. But the wheel must turn; death is
inexorable and cannot be denied. Your destiny is irresistible, Raziel - you
are my soul reaver, the scourge of the vampires, reaper of their apostate
souls. Remain steadfast. End the vampires' parasitic curse, and restore
Nosgoth. Kain's blood belongs on you hands.
Raziel:
Kain indeed deserves to die, for condemning me to this repugnant form. But if
and when I kill him, it will be for me, alone, to decide.
Elder God:
Kain destroyed you without a flicker of remorse. He tore the soul from your
noble corpse, and after you had served him faithfully for a thousand years,
he discarded you in the Abyss on a jealous whim. Remember your rage, Raziel
- let it guide your hand.
[Raziel swims by the Elder God and continues to the...]
*****Termagant Swamp*****
Raziel V.O.:
I surfaced into a very different landscape. The daylight barely penetrated
the dense canopy of this forest.
[Raziel notices an ancient, abandoned, Time Streaming Chamber]
Raziel V.O.:
Here I discovered an ancient ruin, unmistakably one of Moebius' Time
Streaming chambers, but long ago sealed and abandoned to the encroaching
swamp. I didn't currently possess the means to break this seal, but I thought
in time that I might.
[Further in the depths of the swamp, Raziel comes to a gate which he must
force open. Upon doing so he turns around and notices someone watching
him...]
Raziel V.O.:
So, my lurking observer was exposed. The creature vanished when he realized
he was discovered, but I caught a glimpse of him, and his features were
distinctive enough. This was the vampire Vorador, the monstrous assassin
depicted in the Stronghold. Strange that a creature brazen enough to assault
the Circle single-handedly would avoid confronting me. Very well, if Vorador
would not come to me, I would go to him. But first I needed to find some
means of reaching that terrace.
[Raziel continues on. He soon comes upon an unreachable path.]
Raziel V.O.:
There appeared to be a passage here, leading northward into the mountains.
The opening, however, was obstructed and too high for me to reach. Perhaps
later I would find the means to bypass these obstacles.
[Raziel comes upon a balcony leading into a temple of sorts.]
Raziel V.O.:
My lurking friend was nowhere to be seen, but I found these ruins even more
intriguing. I recognized these arcane symbols from the chamber beneath the
Pillars, and realized that this shrine too was sealed to all but the bearer
of the Reaver.
*****The Dark Forge*****
[Raziel enters and finds more murals of the ancient winged race, as well as
the Soul Reaver.]
Raziel V.O.:
Throughout this ancient shrine, murals depicted the winged race, the
apocalyptic war against their mysterious and equally inhuman adversaries.
These winged beings, it seemed, were not only the architects of the Pillars,
but of this enigmatic place as well, and just as in the Pillars' chamber,
this shrine was adorned throughout with imagery of the Reaver, depicted with
the reverence of a holy icon.
[Raziel travels through the Dark Forge temple. He eventually activates the
Forge itself.]
Raziel V.O.:
As I neared the altar, I suddenly felt the Reaver quickening of its own
volition, just as in William's chapel. The balance of power tangibly shifted.
Voracious and willful, the Soul Reaver was now in control, and I, merely it's
helpless puppet.
[The Reaver plunges itself into the forge and imbues itself with its energy.]
Raziel V.O.:
The Reaver plunged itself into that mysterious altar, and devouring the
energy that emanated from within, drained this place of its power. Thus
sated, the Reaver released me, and I realized as I recovered control, that
these ancient shrines were forges, each purpose-built to enhance the Reaver
with elemental power.
[Raziel, on his way out, notices the Dark Elemental fonts have activated.]
Raziel V.O.:
Now I understood the purpose of the mysterious basins I had seen throughout
my journey. They were elemental fonts, each attuned to a fundamental essence.
When I forged the blade, every font in Nosgoth with the same elemental
attunement would simultaneously quicken. The Reaver's enhancements were never
permanent, but these fonts enabled me to re-imbue the blade by bathing it in
the elemental energy distilled therein.
[Raziel comes upon the exit to the Forge. It is locked by a strange magic.]
Raziel V.O.:
Concentric circles, one eclipsing the other. I recognized this symbol from
the door sealing that other ancient shrine, the one I had seen in the lake
outside the Sarafan Stronghold. Perhaps now, armed as I was with the
elemental power of darkness, I could return and gain entry.
[He uses the Dark Reaver and exits the forge.]
*****The Vampire Vorador*****
[As Raziel exits the Dark Forge, he comes face to face with Vorador - the
ancient vampire leans casually against a column at the Forge's entrance,
apparently waiting for Raziel to emerge.]
Vorador:
You're a ragged excuse for a savior.
Raziel:
Vorador.
Vorador:
I see my reputation proceeds me.
Raziel
It does.
Vorador (ironic):
All good, I hope.
[Vorador begins to walk slowly around Raziel as he speaks, examining him. He
studies Raziel's cloven hands - so like his own - his blue skin, his ragged
wings. Raziel stands still and allows Vorador to look him over.]
Vorador:
I've been watching you since you emerged from that accursed stronghold.
Strange that your arrival coincides with the corruption of the Pillars. But
I'm wondering - are you the catalyst of these events, or the answer to them?
Raziel (steely):
I don't know what you mean.
Vorador:
I will speak plainly, then. I distrust your origins, stranger. Seeing you
crawl from the putrid depths of Moebius's Keep makes me question your
purpose here. And what should I make of your appearance? Not human, clearly -
and more demon than vampire. And the Pillars - it is no mere coincidence that
your arrival in that clearing heralded the Pillars' decay. And so I ask you
plainly: are you the instrument of the Pillars' destruction, or their
salvation?
Raziel:
Neither.
Vorador (slightly annoyed):
Very well, let us look at the other side of the coin - I have followed your
journey, and watched as you blithely unlocked secrets that have been sealed
and forbidden for thousands of years. The path you have been treading is open
to only one being...
[Vorador trails off as he realizes.]
Vorador:
You don't know what you are, do you?
Raziel:
I have been many things... If you find me ignorant, enlighten me.
[Vorador simply laughs, and turns away in disgust.]
Vorador:
What's the point - this world is beyond redemption. Let the human cattle have
it.
Raziel:
I would expect better that meek capitulation from you.
Vorador:
Centuries of persecution have taught me well. Five hundred years ago, our
race was almost exterminated by the fanatical crusades of the Sarafan. And
now the same sick drama unfolds again. In merely a decade, Moebius's cutthroat
citizen army has nearly accomplished what the Sarafan could not.
[He speaks to himself]
Vorador:
Vampires meddling in the affairs of men... Look where it has brought us.
[Raziel considers for a moment, then asks.]
Raziel:
What am I to make of these secrets I've uncovered, then? The depictions of
the winged race, the Pillars, and the Reaver?
[Vorador turns back to Raziel as he responds.]
Vorador:
Fairy tales, boy. The delusions of an ancient culture, clinging to hope long
after the world had discarded them. Their bloodline trickled away, until only
one of the Ancients remained - sustained solely by obligation and his
unfaltering faith in the old prophecies.
[Vorador strides closer to Raziel as he speaks, until they are face to face.]
Vorador:
But you see, even if you are who you appear to be, it no longer matters...
You're simply too late. Janos Audron - the Reaver Guardian, the last of the
Ancients, and my maker - was murdered by the Sarafan nearly five centuries
ago. He alone would have the answers you seek, but his secrets died with him.
I don't know how you've come even this far without his guidance - or without
the Reaver, stolen these five hundred years ago by the Sarafan. I am afraid,
my friend, that you - and all of us - are out of luck.
[Vorador vanishes, leaving Raziel alone on the terrace. Raziel thinks about
what had happened.]
Raziel V.O.:
I had no less reason to trust Vorador than anyone else I had met. In fact,
the ancient vampire was the most forthright being I had encountered thus far.
If Janos Audron was the key to all this, then I would find him, and Moebius'
Time Streaming device would provide me passage. But first I had to find a way
back into the Stronghold, and I suspected I would find the means within the
lake's mysterious shrine.
*****The Elder's Warning*****
[After having met the vampire Vorador, unearthed the secrets of the Dark
Forge, and discovered more about the ancient architects of the Pillars,
Raziel revisits the Elder God in the subterranean Pillars Chamber.]
Elder God:
Ah, my wayward child returns...
Raziel:
Having unearthed more than you'd like, I suspect. What am I to make of these
ruins that litter the land, and these images here in this chamber?
Elder God:
Merely the deceits of a failed civilization. You are being mislead, Raziel.
This ancient race hoped to manipulate the future with these scrawled
misdirections. You must tread carefully. There are dark forces at work in
this world, bent on subverting your true destiny.
Raziel:
I have no doubt of that. The question is: am I in their presence right now?
Elder God:
Your arrogance will spell your demise, Raziel. Deny my will, and the arc of
your destiny will reach a sudden conclusion.
Raziel:
Your threats are unmoving. Even now I'm beyond your reach.
Elder God (ominously):
My reach is longer than you realize. This is a very dangerous game you're
playing, Raziel.
*****The Light Forge*****
[Raziel returns to the door he could not open previously. Armed with the Dark
Reaver, he opens the seal and enters the Light Forge. Inside, Raziel spies
more murals of the winged race.]
Raziel V.O.:
These murals left no room for doubt. These creatures were indeed the
architects of the Pillars, and while the images were difficult to decipher,
the Pillars appeared to banish or diminish their enemies somehow.
[Raziel makes his way through the forge and eventually activates it. He
plunges the Reaver into the font.]
Raziel V.O.:
I plunged the Reaver into the forge and imbued the blade with the elemental
power of light. Thus armed, I now had the means to re-enter the Stronghold
and finally use Moebius's Time Streaming device to accomplish my own ends.
[Raziel re-enters the Sarafan Stronghold now armed with the Light Reaver.]
*****History and Destiny Collide*****
[As Raziel enters the Relic Hall within the Sanctuary, he discovers the fresh
corpse of one of Moebius's guards. Raziel kneels to examine the body - the
soldier's neck appears to have been snapped, his throat is torn open, and
the pallor of his skin suggests that the victim has been drained of blood.
Suspecting Kain, Raziel glances up and begins to rise. He addresses the
seemingly-empty hall.]
Raziel:
Show yourself, Kain.
[Kain's voice emerges from the depths of William's chapel.]
Kain:
Here, Raziel.
[Raziel crosses the threshold of the chapel - just as in his previous visit
he feels the distortion caused by the nearness of the Reaver. As he enters,
he discovers Kain inside, standing before William's sarcophagus.]
Kain:
Everything is decided here... You cannot comprehend the magnitude - the
rapture and the tragedy - of this moment... And yet you must if Nosgoth is to
be dragged from the wreckage of its damnation.
[Whatever game Kain is playing, Raziel is tired of it. He responds irritably.]
Raziel:
I understand only this, Kain - that you and Moebius have impelled me to this
moment, simply means that I can trust neither of you. I don't know whose
pulling the strings, but it no longer matters - because I'm cutting them. I
set my own course from here.
[Raziel turns to leave. Kain watches him go for a moment, then replies.]
Kain:
If it were only that simple.
[Raziel stops and responds, exasperated.]
Raziel:
Your fatalism is tiresome, Kain.
Kain:
...and profoundly ingrained, Raziel. You must understand, our presence here
doesn't alter history. You and I meet here because we are compelled to - we
have always met here. History is irredeemable. Drop a stone into a rushing
river - the current simple courses around it and flows on as if the
obstruction were never there. You and I are pebbles, Raziel, and have even
less hope of disrupting the time-stream. The continuum of history is simply
too strong, too resilient. Except...then how do we explain William, here?
[Kain gestures toward William's funereal effigy, and turns to face the
sarcophagus.]
Kain:
The beloved boy-king turned tyrant.
[He lifts the Soul Reaver from the casket, and turns back to Raziel,
flourishing the sword.]
Kain:
In my youth, I witnessed William's rise to power, and his transformation into
the 'Nemesis' who laid waste to Nosgoth.
Raziel (steely):
Keep your distance, Kain.
[Kain walks slowly forward, Reaver in hand, as he speaks.]
Kain:
Years later, I stumble upon a chance to journey back in history, unaware that
the entire affair has been orchestrated by Moebius. In my wisdom, I seize
this opportunity to murder the young king before he can ravage Nosgoth and
thereby provide the catalyst Moebius needs to ignite a genocidal war against
our race.
[Raziel grows more agitated as Kain advances.]
Raziel:
I warn you - no further!
[Kain continues, his voice taking on a greater sense of urgency.]
Kain:
This one reckless act unravels the skein of history. The Nemesis never
becomes the Nemesis; William dies a martyred saint. I, the vampire assassin,
become the author of my own species' destruction. And Moebius profits from it
all. I destroyed a tyrant only to create one far worse.
[Kain gestures toward the stained glass window, which depicts a lionized
William and a demonized Kain in combat, both armed with the Soul Reaver.]
Kain:
But how can it be so? How, if history is immutable?
[Kain advances slowly on Raziel, gripping the Soul Reaver. As he approaches,
the feeling of displacement intensifies.]
Kain:
The answer is here in this room, Raziel. Moebius propelled William and me
together - but ensured first that we were both armed with the Soul Reaver.
The Reaver is the key. Two incarnations of the blade meet in time and
space... a paradox is created, a temporal distortion powerful enough to
derail history.
[As Kain takes a final step toward Raziel, the surrounding distortion reaches
Its peak, and the wraith-blade begins to manifest of its own will. Raziel
reacts in alarm.]
Raziel:
Is this your sorcery?
Kain:
Not mine, Raziel - yours. You have nothing to fear from me, Raziel. You hold
all the cards.
[Kain turns the blade and extends it to Raziel, hilt first. Raziel reaches
out tentatively and takes the Reaver - Kain releases the blade willingly, and
extends his hands to show that there's no deception. As Raziel grips the hilt,
the displacement intensifies around them. Raziel addresses Kain icily. As he
speaks, the wraith energy of the Reaver manifests and begins to twine itself
around the physical blade.
Raziel:
Then perhaps I should test your sincerity.
[Swiftly, Raziel brings the point of the blade up to Kain's throat. Kain
steps back, and Raziel advances with him, keeping the sword at his throat.]
Raziel:
If what you say is true, you should be terrified. I could kill you here and
now.
[Kain responds, clearly apprehensive, but also strangely resigned.]
Kain:
And so you do, Raziel.
[The blade begins to tremble slightly, as if possessed of its own will.
Raziel is confused and alarmed.]
Raziel:
What's happening?
[The trembling intensifies as Raziel struggles against the pull of the
Reaver.]
Kain:
We are hurtling toward our destinies, Raziel. What you feel is the pull of
history rushing to meet us. This is where history and destiny collide.
[The Reaver lunges at Kain - he stumbles against William's sarcophagus and
falls to the ground. As Raziel fights to resist the pull of the blade, Kain
urges him with earnest intensity.]
Kain:
If you truly believe in free will, Raziel, now is the time to prove it. Kill
me now, and we both become pawns of history, dragged down the path of an
artificial destiny. I was ordained to assume the role of Balance Guardian in
Nosgoth, while you were destined to be its savior. But the map of my fate was
redrawn by Moebius, and so in turn was yours...
[Raziel struggles to maintain control.]
Raziel:
This is madness!
Kain:
Fight it, Raziel... This moment does not have to be an ending - it can become
a prelude.
[The pull of the Reaver is too powerful; Raziel is losing strength.]
Raziel:
I can't...
Kain:
You can, Raziel - look inside and see that it is so.
You have the power to reshape our inevitable futures.
[Raziel raises the Soul Reaver and brings it down violently. Kain turns his
head and tenses for the impact. The sword crashes downward in a blinding
flash of light, and Raziel staggers back, his hand now free of the blade.
Raziel has diverted the Reaver's course, avoiding Kain by mere inches - the
blade stands embedded in William's sarcophagus, the impact having fractured
the stone. Rising unsteadily, Kain regards the impaled, fractured coffin, and
makes a weak attempt at a joke.]
Kain:
... poor William.
[At once, the room is overwhelmed by an indescribable disturbance - their
surroundings warp and blur, and a colossal groaning fills the air as history
labors to admit this alteration. Raziel looks around the room in confusion
and alarm.]
Raziel:
What is this?
Kain:
History abhors a paradox, Raziel. Even now, the time-stream strains to divert
itself, finding its old course blocked by your refusal to destroy me. The
future is reshuffling itself to accommodate your monumental decision.
[As Kain continues, the distortion begins to subside.]
Kain:
This is where we restore ourselves, Raziel, and reclaim our intended
destinies. It may yet be possible for me to assume my role as Balance
Guardian and return the Pillars to their rightful inheritors -
[Raziel interrupts disdainfully.]
Raziel:
- to the vampires. And this is the destiny you urged me to discover? I don't
know what game you and Moebius are playing, Kain - but I refuse to be your
pawn. Unlike you, I still revere whatever shred of humanity I've managed to
preserve. You will not use me as the instrument of your messianic delusions.
[Raziel turns his back on Kain and strides out of the chapel.]
Kain:
Very well, Raziel. I'll not ask you to trust me - your truths are for you to
discover alone.
[Raziel pauses briefly, and replies without turning.]
Raziel:
Humble words for one who presumes to teach me a lesson at every turn.
Kain:
Then continue your journey and learn your own lessons, Raziel. Remember -
Moebius led you here, but you walk away unfettered. A champion of free will,
and conqueror of false histories.
[Raziel stalks away without looking back.]
Kain:
There is much more for you to unearth, if you have the heart for the truth
and the will to see it...
[Kain disappears. Raziel then continues onto the Time Streaming Chamber.]
*****Time Streaming*****
[Following the history-altering encounter with Kain in the chapel, Raziel
returns to the Circle's gathering-room. Armed with the Light Reaver, he is
now able to unlock the second Time Streaming chamber. Just as the chamber's
door slides open, Moebius rushes into the room, shaken and alarmed. He knows
that Kain has survived what was supposed to be a fatal encounter with Raziel
in the chapel, and that the course of history has therefore been changed.
Raziel greets Moebius smugly, realizing that he has the upper hand, and
relishing it.]
Raziel:
Ah, yes - I like that look on your face, Moebius. You really don't know what
to do now, do you, old man? Here you are - caught without your damned staff -
and I suspect things aren't progressing quite as you'd hoped. You're not used
to the fly turning to confront you in your web, are you?
[Genuinely shocked and distressed, Moebius struggles to regain control of the
situation. He admonishes Raziel.]
Moebius:
Kain's devious influence has poisoned your mind, Raziel. Now you see betrayal
everywhere, even in your closest allies.
Raziel:
We were never allies, Moebius. Conspirators, perhaps. Briefly.
Moebius:
Why did you not kill Kain when you had the chance? He was at your mercy!
Raziel:
Precisely. I had a choice, and I chose mercy. And now I know your sordid
little secret - the significance of that displacement I felt when the two
Reavers came together. Strangely enough, I was enlightened by the 'devious'
Kain, not by you. In fact, I've learned much more than you counted on - I
understand now how you've tried to manipulate all of history for your own
personal gain. But now all your little schemes are whirling in ruin around
you, aren't they? All because I decided to exert my will for once, rather
than obey the demands of sorcerers and spirits and demons all singing the
same tiresome refrain: 'kill Kain!' I am setting my own path from here,
Moebius. I intend to discover the truth behind all of this.
Moebius:
But you condemn us all with this impetuous act!
Raziel:
Hardly impetuous; it took all the will I could muster. Has my refusal to kill
Kain reshuffled your carefully stacked deck of cards?
[Moebius responds angrily.]
Moebius:
You really think that you're exercising your free will, Raziel? You're simply
Kain's servant -
Raziel (steely):
I do not serve Kain. I merely did not kill him.
[Desperate, Moebius implores Raziel.]
Moebius:
Raziel, do not forget your purpose here - you are destined to be the savior
of Nosgoth!
[Raziel replies disdainfully.]
Raziel:
Oh, I'm sick of hearing that particular phrase. As for saving Nosgoth, so far
I see precious little reason to bother. And I'll choose my own 'purpose' from
here on out, Time-Streamer. Right now, I choose to manipulate you, for a
change. Go - in there.
[Raziel summon the wraith-blade and flourishes it at Moebius threateningly.
Gesturing with the Reaver, Raziel directs Moebius toward the Time Streaming
Chamber. Moebius refuses to move -]
Moebius:
What are you doing?
Raziel:
Come now, Moebius - you're a cunning serpent... you'll piece it together, I
imagine.
[Raziel shoves Moebius and brandishes the Reaver to usher him into the
chamber.]
Raziel:
This era is of no further use to me. You will operate this device to provide
me passage. I want to see the world in a simpler time - before the Sarafan
began their crusade.
[Moebius obediently adjusts the device's arcane switches, but continues to entreat Raziel.]
Moebius:
And what about Kain? You're leaving your quarry behind!
Raziel:
You kill him, if it's so damned important.
Moebius:
You need only touch the two poles of the switch, and the device will
transport you. But I urge you to reconsider -
[Raziel places his hands on the poles of the time-streaming device.]
Raziel:
You've lost your powers of persuasion, old man. Rot here, and forget me.
[Moebius turns away dejectedly, but once his face is averted he breaks into a
cunning grin. Raziel throws the switch, and the chamber blurs around him as
he is swept to another time.]
[Raziel exits the Time Streaming chamber. He is greeted by the ruins of the
Sarafan Stronghold. The roof is heavily damaged and rain pours in. Bodies
litter the ground and decay rules the area.]
Raziel V.O.:
Even as I emerged from that infernal Time Streaming chamber, I suspected
treachery. The Stronghold was vacant, derelict and abandoned...
[Two green demons suddenly teleport into the room and attack Raziel. He
quickly dispatches them and continues on. Eventually, he reaches the main
hallway of the keep. There is a statue of the Time Streamer, Moebius, holding
the head of the vampire, Vorador, high.]
Raziel V.O.:
If I had any doubts about the era I now occupied, this grotesque tableau
certainly eliminated them. For here was Moebius, long since murdered by Kain,
lionized and vitrified as the martyred leader of his bloodthirsty crusade.
And if I required further evidence, I needed only to behold the gruesome
trophy Moebius held aloft - the severed head of Vorador. The final triumphant
kill of Moebius' cutthroat mob. His execution marked the annihilation of the
vampires. Far from channeling me into Nosgoth's past, Moebius had propelled
me over a century into its ghastly future. The intent behind this little
detour was unmistakable. Having failed to make me his obedient assassin,
Moebius intended to keep me ignorant of my true destiny, which clearly lay in
Nosgoth's past. While his deception only reinforced my purpose, Moebius had
effectively stranded me here. This left me no course but to explore the era I
now occupied, and see what changes this century had wrought following Kain's
ill-fated decision. Perhaps time had cleared a path for me into the mountains
where I might unearth more clues behind the mystery of Janos Audron.
[Raziel leaves the room and battles more demons and demon hunters alike.
Eventually, nearing the exit of the keep, he encounters...]
*****Moebius's Martyred Spirit*****
[As Raziel exits the time-streaming chamber, he realizes that Moebius has
deceived him. Rather than arriving in Nosgoth's past, he has been propelled
into its ghastly future. The Stronghold is derelict, abandoned and overrun by
demons. As he departs, Raziel encounters the spectre of Moebius, dead now for
a century following his murder at Kain's hands. Moebius greets Raziel in an
anguished, withered voice.
Moebius:
Raziel...
Raziel:
What pathetic charade is this now, Moebius?
Moebius:
No charade, Raziel. Only the entreaties of this martyred spirit.
Raziel:
Your pleas mean nothing to me, after all your deceit. You have propelled me
into Nosgoth's future, Moebius - and left me stranded here.
Moebius:
I am truly sorry, Raziel, but it was necessary. Consider it the last valiant
act of a doomed man. You have strayed from your purpose, and now behold the
result - gaze upon the wasteland you and Kain authored together!
Raziel:
I fail to see how I'm responsible -
Moebius:
You spared Kain! And by doing so, you have released a multitude of horrors
upon this world. I can accept that Kain has murdered me, Raziel. As the Time
Guardian, I foresaw that incident long before it occurred. And I take some
small comfort in the fact that Kain remains the sole survivor of his vile
breed. But you have single-handedly made my sacrifice meaningless.
Raziel:
Your argument is disingenuous, Time-Streamer. I cannot see how killing or
sparing Kain's future self would alter these events. This wasteland was
created by Kain's original refusal at the Pillars - and amidst all these
twists and turns, that event has never changed. You are cunning, Moebius -
but I think you've gotten tangled in your own web.
Moebius:
As Kain clings to his precious seat of power, the Pillars sink into a mire of
decay, dragging all of Nosgoth down with them!
Raziel:
I don't think this has anything to do with the Pillars or Kain's failure to
sacrifice himself. I think you're simply afraid - because you don't know what
he's up to. He's a wild-card, isn't he, and you don't want his influence in
your game. Which is why you wanted me to eliminate him. Now that he's
survived, you have no idea what's coming, do you? Maybe for the first time in
your entire life. You're terrified that he may truly have found a third option
out of the dilemma you orchestrated for him.
Moebius:
Kain's lies have addled your mind. Leave this place, and trouble my spirit
no more!
[Incredulous, Raziel taunts Moebius.]
Raziel
If you even are a spirit. You've forgotten I have a way to tell for sure.
[Raziel grabs his cowl as though prepared to devour Moebius's soul.]
Raziel:
... if you're willing to risk it.
[Moebius scowls at Raziel, and vanishes.]
Raziel:
I didn't think so. Either way, you lose.
[Raziel continues out of the ruins of the Sarafan Stronghold and on the road
to the Pillars.]
*****Ariel's Lament*****
[Stranded now in Nosgoth's nightmarish future, Raziel enters the ruined
Pillars clearing and sees the devastation wrought by Kain's fateful decision
a century ago. Toppled columns litter the clearing, their sheared-off stumps
protruding crookedly, like broken teeth. Raziel stands in stunned silence
for a moment as he surveys this apocalyptic scene.
Raziel V.O.:
These were the Pillars so familiar to my blighted eyes. But now that I had
begun to learn their true significance, I regarded the Pillars' destruction
with a new, enlightened sense of horror. And I questioned now whether Kain's
simple refusal - his mere ambition - could truly have caused such
devastation. I felt that some darker influence was at work here.
[In the gloom, Raziel sees the spectre of Ariel drifting restlessly among the
toppled Pillars.]
Raziel: V.O.:
As I approached, I discerned the spirit of Ariel - bound here now for more
than a century.
[As Raziel approaches, he hears Ariel lamenting to herself, unaware of his
presence.]
Ariel:
Forever am I bound, hope abandoned, my spirit tethered to this place... What
destroyed the Circle could not touch me. For I was newly dead, and beyond
harm's reach. I alone was spared the descent into madness, and Kain alone was
spared the pain of death. When Nupraptor's poison seized Kain even in the
safety of the womb, much more than just his destiny was lost. All of Nosgoth
lost Balance. Consider us now... both of us less than we once were. I, pure
but insubstantial; and Kain, terribly real, but corrupted.
[Raziel interrupts Ariel's reverie, and she turns in alarm.]
Raziel:
You imprisonment here has deranged you, spirit. You fixate on Kain because
you believe he is the tether that binds you here. But we both know he is not
the author of your agony. The Pillars were subverted by dark forces, invited
by the Guardians themselves. The more I learn of your Circle, the more I see
a tangle of nested manipulations.
[Ariel responds angrily.]
Ariel:
Kain handed them their victory. They sought to topple the Pillars, and he was
their willing instrument.
[Raziel interrupts, challenging her.]
Raziel:
Or was he their unwilling pawn? Would it blunt your wrath to know that Kain's
dilemma was calculated to bring the Pillars down, regardless of the choice he
made? And that the devastation would have been even greater had he chosen the
path you would prescribe for him?
Ariel:
You are a subtle, deceitful creature. But your clever arguments do not
absolve Kain. He must die for the Pillars to be restored; there is no other
way.
Raziel:
Then consider this more ominous possibility - what if Kain's death does not
restore the Pillars? Consider that it may simply be too late. That this world
may be beyond redemption. And that you may be bound here eternally.
[Distraught, Ariel flees into the spirit realm, unaware that Raziel is able
to follow. Raziel shifts into spectral and startles her as she cowers behind
the Balance Pillar. Cornered and miserable, Ariel implores Raziel.]
Ariel:
Why do you hound me, demon? You can see that I am captive here. Show me some
mercy.
Raziel:
Like the mercy you showed your fellow Guardians when you set Kain on them? Or
the mercy you showed Kain when you kept him ignorant of his destiny while you
used him as the scourge of the Circle? Or perhaps like the mercy you showed
your beloved Nupraptor when you made him Kain's first kill?
Ariel:
You are cruel. Why do you torment me?
[Weary of this, Raziel relents.]
Raziel:
I'm merely looking for answers, Ariel. Very well - I'll leave you in peace.
But know this - about you, and this purgatory from which you long to
escape...you're merely at the threshold.
[Raziel continues past the ruins of the Pillars and back toward the depths of
the Elder God's chamber.]
*****Raziel Defies the Elder*****
[Raziel revisits the subterranean Pillars grotto after having been propelled
over a century into Nosgoth's ghastly future. He is shocked to discover how
the Elder God has encroached into the chamber - it's tentacles wind chokingly
around the shattered Pillars, and the room's murals have been nearly
obliterated by the passage of its grasping limbs. The Elder God greets
Raziel disdainfully.]
Elder God:
Raziel, the failed assassin. You had Kain at your mercy but lacked the
courage to fulfill the act. And now you see the wasteland wrought by the
tyrant's hand. By his selfish decision to preserve his own life, even when it
meant sacrificing the whole world. This is the fate of Nosgoth, as long as
Kain remains alive.
Raziel:
An ironic condemnation, given this guilty scene. One would think you'd torn
down the Pillars single-handedly. What are you trying to obliterate as you
drag your loathsome body through this chamber? And why, as Nosgoth descends
into madness and misery, do you appear to thrive? Things in this world, I am
learning, are rarely what they seem. You, apparently, are no exception.
Elder God (angrily):
I am the Engine of Life, the source of Nosgoth's very existence. I am the hub
of the Wheel, the origin of all Life, the devourer of Death.
Raziel:
...Or maybe you're just hungry - could it be as simple as that? Wouldn't that
be poetic irony? The great adversary of the vampires turns out to be the
biggest parasite of them all.
Elder God:
Do not test my patience, Raziel. I made you, and I will unmake you if I
become so inclined.
Raziel (mocking):
As your agent, I am beyond death.
Elder God:
There are fates worse than death, Raziel.
[Raziel responds with disgust.]
Raziel:
Oh, I see you now as you truly are. A cancer - a spooling parasite burrowed
deep in the heart of this world.
Elder God (ominously):
Go now. Play out your pitiful rebellion, and take your place among the
destroyed, the used and the damned. But know this - you are mine for
eternity. You have always been, and will always be, my soul reaver...
[Raziel leaves the Elder God's chamber and enters the swamps. There he once
again notices the Time Streaming Device.]
Raziel V.O.:
Beyond this edifice lay my sole hope of escaping this demon-infested
wasteland. The Time Streaming device contained therein offered my only
prospect of journeying back into Nosgoth's early history. Unless I discovered
some means of breaking this seal, I was condemned to be stranded here
eternally.
[Raziel continues on. He notices the mountain path that barred his path is
now free for him to travel.]
Raziel:
The passage of time had indeed cleared my way forward, enabling me to explore
the northern mountains of Nosgoth. I was anxious to discover if some evidence
of Janos Audron's existence might still remain.
[Raziel follows the path and reaches the town of...]
*****Uschtenheim*****
[Raziel enters the gates of the town and surveys the area.]
Raziel:
Here I discovered the quaint hamlet of Uschtenheim, now long abandoned and
collapsing into ruin. Legend claimed that Janos Audron terrorized its
villagers until the Sarafan hunters ferreted him out and destroyed him. If
there was any truth to the old tales, the lair of the infamous vampire would
not be far away.
[He passes by the town and eventually reaches the ruins of the mountain
retreat of Janos Audron...]
*****The Ruined Aerie******
[Exploring the blasted landscape of Nosgoth's future, Raziel discovers the
ruins of an ancient cliff-dwelling civilization. The majestic facades are
collapsed and toppled as though some great upheaval occurred here ages ago.
Raziel stands on a terrace beneath the cliffs, surveying the devastated
architecture.]
Raziel: V.O.:
This edifice was clearly not crafted by human architects. As the figure
beneath the balcony silently attested, these were the aeries of winged
beings. Undoubtedly, I stood before the mountain refuge of the legendary
Janos Audron - but the entire sanctuary lay in ruin, collapsed under the
force of some ancient cataclysm. As I suspected, the Time Streamer's deception
ensured that I was centuries too late to unearth anything of consequence
here.
[Raziel scans the ruined canyon, and sees a narrow pass leading off to the
west.]
Raziel V.O.:
With nothing behind me but the wasteland I had traversed, I resolved to press
on and explore these canyons further.
[Hearing footsteps behind him, Raziel turns to see Kain approaching. He
acknowledges Kain wryly.]
Raziel:
Oh no. Every time you turn up something monumental and terrible happens. I
don't think I have the stomach for it.
Kain (laughs):
No drama this time, Raziel.
Raziel:
You are persisant, crossing time like this to follow me. Still waiting for
that coin of yours to land on its edge?
[Kain joins Raziel on the terrace overlooking the canyon.]
Kain:
I'm biding my time.
[He glances up at the ruined balcony above.]
Kain:
I see that Moebius has played a little trick on you.
Raziel:
Yes - he clearly doesn't want me to meet this 'Janos Audron'.
[Kain looks away thoughtfully.]
Kain:
Perhaps... Or maybe he merely hoped that it would harden your heart against
me to see this wasteland which I single-handedly authored.
Raziel:
My heart doesn't need hardening, Kain. If I even suspected that destroying
you would make any difference, I would do it this instant.
Kain (laughs approvingly):
I knew you'd see through them, Raziel. Janos is indeed the key to your
destiny, but you'll need to find your own way back into Nosgoth's past. Make
no mistake though, Raziel - you and I are now in great danger. We are
irritants here - malovent forces are being marshaled to eliminate us.
Raziel:
You talk as though we're allies.
Kain:
Regardless of your sentiments, Raziel, in their eyes - we are.
Raziel:
Well, they're certainly trying to eliminate you, Kain, there can be no doubt
of that. I am assaulted relentlessly with demands for your demise. As for me,
I suspect they made a grave error when they allowed my unique resurrection. I
don't think they know how to destroy me.
Kain:
You mustn't underestimate them, Raziel.
Raziel:
And who exactly is this diabolical 'they' to which we keep referring? If
there's some grand conspiracy going on, the right hand doesn't appear to know
what the left is doing. Even Moebius seems to be caught out at every turn.
Kain:
Moebius is a puppet, Raziel - haven't you realized that yet? That's the
sweetest irony in all of this - Nosgoth's 'great manipulator' is their
plaything. But the ones pulling the strings haven't shown their faces, yet.
Raziel:
They don't like us unwriting their carefully choreographed history though,
do they?
[Kain corrects Raziel.]
Kain:
You must understand, Raziel - we haven't unwritten history, we've merely
rewritten it. The future flows around our petty actions, finding the path of
least resistance while admitting only the slightest alterations. This is the
reshuffling you felt, when you refused to kill me. And remember, Raziel, we
are irritants in this regard, as well - history will not allow the
introduction of a paradox.
Raziel:
And if events cannot be reshuffled to accommodate the change?
Kain:
It is the irritant who's expelled. Bear in mind that this may be exactly the
outcome our enemies are trying to provoke. We must tread very carefully.
[With this admonition, Kain vanishes.]
*****The Air Forge*****
[Kain continues past the ruins of Janos's Retreat and discovers the Air
Forge. Upon entering he discovers more mural of the winged race.]
Raziel V.O.:
The scenes I discovered here were unambiguous. This race of winged beings,
the architects of the Pillars and the creators of the Reaver, were Nosgoth's
first vampires. Their blood thirst appeared to be a curse inflicted upon them
by their vanquished enemies. These images confirmed the truths that Kain had
divulged to me, but I had been too incredulous to accept. I struggled in vain
to see how the pieces fit together, how Kain intended to escape the dilemma
of his destiny, and what role he had plotted for me, and why Moebius and the
dark powers with which he seemed to be allied were so desperate to see Kain
dead, and so intent on me being the instrument of his execution.
[Raziel works his way through the temple, solving puzzles and eventually
activating the Air Forge. He then plunges the Reaver into the font.]
Raziel V.O.:
As the Reaver drained the forge of its vital energy, the tempest receded. I
recovered myself, and paused to admire my newly-forged weapon, now imbued
with the elemental power of air. Thus armed, I hoped that I now possessed the
means to escape this wasted land.
[Raziel continues toward the exit of the Forge. However, his path is barred
by a crumbling wall. Raziel uses his newly formed Air Reaver and shoots a
blast of energy at the wall. It crumbles to the floor as he does so.]
Raziel V.O.:
This elemental Reaver, I discovered, had the power to obliterate barriers
that were cracked or compromised. At last I had the means to open that ruined
Time Streaming chamber I discovered so long ago in the swamp. Now perhaps, I
could leave this wasteland and return to an era when Janos Audron still
lived.
*****Back to the Past*****
[Raziel retraces his steps and comes back to the Time Streaming Chamber. He
activates it, not knowing where it would send him.]
Raziel V.O.:
I had no choice but to act purely on blind faith. There was no way to tell
what era the device was tuned to, and I had neither the knowledge, nor the
means to set the machine myself. I hesitated only briefly, then, throwing the
switch, I hurled myself into oblivion, and relinquished my will to the hand
of fate.
[Raziel exits the device and walks to the outer world. He finds himself in
the swamps, a light snow is falling. Around him are the banners of the
Sarafan along with the corpses of their victims.]
Raziel V.O.:
Beyond all hope, and against all probability, it seemed that the device had
unerringly delivered me to the era I sought. For these were Sarafan banners,
and these vampires apparently the victims of their crusade. The coincidence
seemed too convenient to naively ascribe to fate, but whether my opportune
arrival had been orchestrated by Moebius or some other influence, I didn't
know. If Janos Audron still lived, I would find him. I was wary of further
deception and resolved to tread carefully.
[Raziel comes upon a Sarafan killing field]
Raziel:
For all the butchery of Moebius's crusade, this massacre was somehow more
chilling. The killing fields of the Sarafan betrayed a kind of orderly
ruthlessness, the cold-blooded righteousness of the true believer.
[Raziel continues down the mountain path toward Janos's Retreat. He comes
upon a Sarafan Camp. He reflects and comments on their presence.]
Raziel:
Here at last in the flesh, I beheld my former brothers-in-arms, the
warrior-priests of the Sarafan order; their lives devoted solely to the
annihilation of the vampire plague. And while I confess I felt a twinge of
longing, a pang of grief for what I had believed was my lost virtue, I
regarded them now with none of the reverence I formally felt. For I had seen
the human face of the vampires, and now I beheld the monstrousness of these
men.
[Raziel continues down the long path and eventually reaches...]
*****Janos Audron's Mountain Retreat*****
Raziel:
After my long journey, I finally stood on the threshold of enlightenment. For
here was Janos Audron's mountain retreat, intact and unblemished. The
upheaval that would one day topple this ancient edifice had not yet occurred,
and while I had no certainty that Janos still lived, this scene boded well,
for I presumed that the collapse of the retreat must have followed the
ancient vampire's demise. There was only one obstacle, how to reach the
balcony suspended at that maddening height, so far beyond my reach? For this
was the architecture of winged creatures. The tattered ruins of my wings were
of no use. I would need to devise some other means into that mountain.
[Raziel finds a means of entering. He then enters the main hall and looks at
the area he is in.]
Raziel:
The mountain's interior was hollow, I discovered, and graced with soaring
architecture unique to its creators. As with the outer façade, these
balconies and galleries could only be reached by those gifted with flight.
With only my ruined wings to carry me, this towering labyrinth seemed
impassable. The object of my quest lay just beyond my grasp, for here,
suspended at the apex of the chamber, was the threshold that surely led to
the great vampire himself. I didn't know whether Janos Audron was the monster
depicted in the Stronghold, or one of the noble creatures memorialized among
the ruins of the ancient vampires, and I didn't care. Demon or angel, he
alone held the key to my destiny.
[After a hard trial, Raziel finally reaches the one he desired...]
*****The Tenth Guardian*****
[Having finally reached the summit of Janos Audron's balcony chamber, Raziel
enters the room cautiously. He has traversed Nosgoth and crossed time to meet
this being, but has no idea what to expect - whether Janos is the monster
depicted by the Sarafan, or one of the noble figures memorialized among the
ruins of the ancient vampires. As he enters, Raziel discerns a striking,
winged figure standing at the far end of the chamber, silhouetted by the
wintry, morning light filtering in from the canyon beyond. Raziel addresses
the figure tentatively.]
Raziel:
Janos Audron?
[Janos turns slowly at the sound of Raziel's voice.]
Janos:
It is heartening, after all these years, to hear my name spoken without
contempt.
[As he turns, his features are illuminated by the fire-lit glow of the
chamber. This is not the demonic creature depicted in the Stronghold - Janos
is darkly beautiful, and radiates a sense of priestly detachment, and
long-suffering patience. Janos appears to recognize Raziel, but regards him
with horror and pity. Raziel's features are vaguely vampiric - his blue skin,
cloven hands, and wings - but this emaciated, ragged spectre looks as though
he has been nearly destroyed.
Janos:
Raziel? My child, what have they done to you?
Raziel:
I have been dragged through hell and back - all, it seems, to reach this
moment. But I don't yet know why.
[Janos speaks haltingly, as though not sure where to begin.]
Janos:
For thousands of years, I have waited... alone here, losing faith... At the
time of the Binding, nine guardians were called to serve the Pillars. And I
was summoned as the tenth guardian - the keeper of the Reaver, the weapon of
our salvation. Over time, our race died out. Until I alone remained...
sustained only by my obligation to you, and by my guardianship of the blade.
[Janos turns and walks contemplatively toward the balcony.]
Raziel:
And the other nine? Why did their guardianship not sustain them?
[Janos considers for a moment, then responds wistfully.]
Janos:
I don't know.
[Janos gazes beyond the balcony pensively as he recounts the vampires'
history.]
Janos:
As our race dwindled, the humans prospered. I have watched, over the
centuries, as our history faded into myth, and finally receded altogether.
The humans have forgotten us entirely, and claimed the Pillars for themselves
- wholly ignorant of their true purpose. to them, I am merely a devil; the
origin of their vampire 'plague'.
[Raziel approaches inquisitively.]
Raziel:
Why would the Pillars summon human guardians, then, if they are meant to be
served by vampires?
[Janos walks to the edge of the balcony as he replies, gesturing for Raziel
to follow.]
Janos:
The Pillars choose their guardians from birth, Raziel - and vampires are no
longer born. This is the crux of our dilemma. And this is the terrible irony
- with their vampire purge, the members of the Circle have assaulted the very
architects of the Pillars they are sworn to protect. They have embarked on a
treacherous path. With every vampire they kill, the humans are slitting their
own throats.
[Janos and Raziel stand together at the edge of the balcony, looking out at
the canyon below. Janos continues, speaking softly.]
Janos:
They know I'm up here, beyond their reach, and it terrifies them.
[Janos gestures toward the panorama of Sarafan slaughter, below. A number of
impaled vampire corpses litter the canyon, planted here to defy and
intimidate Janos.]
Janos:
You can see how they flaunt their kills to torment me... or perhaps simply to
lure me out. They have this foolish notion that destroying me will somehow
topple our entire bloodline. Thankfully, we're not that fragile.
Raziel:
I have seen them mustering their forces in the village, below.
Janos:
Yes. I don't know what they're plotting... but I fear our time may be
bitterly short.
Raziel:
Mankind seems to have brought you only torment and grief. You must hate them.
[Janos responds slowly, considering.]
Janos:
They fear what they don't understand; and they despise what they fear. But no
- I do not hate them.
Raziel:
Vorador does.
Janos:
He has suffered much. He cannot forgive them.
Raziel:
Should they be forgiven?
Janos:
They don't understand what they're doing. They are simply unenlightened and
vulnerable to manipulation.
[Raziel considers this silently for a moment, then voices the question that's
been tormenting him.]
Raziel:
So it's all true, then - what Kain and Vorador have told me - I really am
some kind of unholy vampire messiah...
[Janos gently corrects him.]
Janos:
Unholy? -no. Messiah...perhaps.
Raziel:
I don't like that word - it smells of martyrdom.
Janos:
Raziel, your role in this world's destiny is more crucial - and more
benevolent - than you've allowed yourself to believe. Your journey will not
be easy - dark powers are allied against you.
Janos:
But I think you already know this... you appear to have been cruelly tested.
[Janos turns back toward the interior of the chamber.]
Janos:
The Binding must be secured, Raziel. The Pillars are the lock -
[Following him, Raziel completes the thought.]
Raziel:
- and the Reaver is the key.
Janos:
Yes.
[Janos approaches a decorative chest set against the wall, and opens it -
revealing the Reaver, ensconced like a holy relic. Raziel becomes strangely
apprehensive. Each time he has encountered the Reaver during his journey, he
has experienced a sense of displacement, the distortion caused when two
incarnations of the Reaver meet in time and space. And now, inexplicably, he
feels nothing. As disconcerting as the temporal distortion feels, this
nothingness is somehow worse... Troubled, Raziel wonders quietly to himself.]
Raziel:
The Reaver is here? Why do I feel nothing?
[Janos lifts the blade reverently and turns to Raziel, presenting it to him.]
Janos:
The most formidable weapon ever forged by our sword smiths... They infused the
blade with vampiric energy, empowering the Reaver to drain our enemies of
their precious lifeblood.
Raziel V.O.:
As Janos presented the blade, an inexplicable sense of dread crept over me,
more palpable than anything I'd felt before. I was at once horribly repelled
by the sword and yet irresistibly compelled to touch it, to take it up.
[Raziel refuses the blade with trepidation.]
Raziel:
Please - take it away from me.
[At once, from the hallway comes the unmistakable sound of armored soldiers
rapidly approaching. With sudden, sick recognition, Raziel realizes that by
blazing a path for himself through the Retreat, he has unwittingly exposed
Janos to the Sarafan. Janos appears dismayed, but oddly resigned.]
Janos:
I fear you have been followed...
[With this, the door crashes open, and a squad of Sarafan warriors burst into
the room. Their leader is armed with a cruel-looking weapon, and they have
come bearing Moebius's staff - Raziel realizes at this moment that he has
been duped and betrayed. Raziel charges forward to defend Janos from the
Sarafan, but Janos restrains him.]
Janos:
You must save yourself, Raziel.
[Janos lays his hands upon Raziel, intent on conveying him safely away from
the chamber. Raziel resists.]
Raziel:
Janos - no!
[But his protests are in vain. The room recedes dizzyingly, as Raziel is
propelled into an adjacent chamber within the Retreat - safely away from the
Sarafan, and helpless to save Janos.]
Raziel V.O.:
My surroundings whirled sickeningly, and I found myself transported safely
away from the ambush, to an adjacent chamber. Janos had delivered me from the
Sarafan, selflessly forfeiting his own safety to preserve my life. And now I
feared that my newfound mentor would be slaughtered by the very crusaders I
had so recently revered. The irony pierced me, and with dawning horror I
realized that I had been duped by Moebius from the beginning... For the
Sarafan had simply followed the path I gullibly blazed through this sanctuary,
and had arrived bearing Moebius's staff. Thus armed, they had Janos at their
mercy. Through the door, I could hear them battling, less than a dozen paces
away - but it may as well have been a thousand miles, for this barrier was
sealed by elemental forces I did not possess. It seemed Janos had conveyed me
into the heart of the Fire shrine. I thought perhaps if I could galvanize the
forge and imbue the Reaver in time, I might have a slim chance of saving
Janos from his grisly fate.
*****The Fire Forge*****
[Raziel solves the puzzle of the Fire Forge's chamber and activates the font.
He then plunges the Reaver into the Forge.]
Raziel V.O.:
I plunged the Reaver into that furnace and forged the blade with elemental
fire. With the Reaver thus imbued, I was now armed to unlock the elemental
barrier and rescue Janos from his executioners.
*****The Death of Janos Audron*****
[Imbuing the Reaver with the elemental power of fire, Raziel is finally able
to unlock the sealed door which separates him from Janos and his assassins.
Raziel rushes through the door as it slowly slides open, and races toward
Janos' chamber. Having rendered Janos helpless with the aid of Moebius's
staff, the Sarafan have the ancient vampire pinned to the table. As Janos
struggles against his captors, the head inquisitor commands his fellow
Sarafan.]
Sarafan Raziel:
Hold him!
[Savoring the moment, the inquisitor raises his cruel-looking blade - then
bringing it down violently, he rips Janos' chest open.]
Janos:
(Screams in agony)
[Raziel reaches the threshold of the chamber too late. He watches in horror
as the inquisitor reaches into Janos' open chest cavity and tears out his
living heart. He raises it triumphantly for the other Sarafan to see.]
Turel:
Look at his black heart, how it still beats!
[Raziel prepares to leap into the fray, and then is frozen - as the head
inquisitor turns, raising the heart, Raziel gets a clear look at the man's
face. And he realizes that he has just watched himself - his former Sarafan
self - murder Janos. Raziel and his Sarafan alter-ego lock eyes on each other
- Raziel gaping in horror upon recognizing his former self, and Sarafan
Raziel strangely haunted by the appearance of the demonic figure before him.
As Janos begins to die, a tremor shakes the Retreat. The chamber rocks with
the impact, and begins to collapse under the strain.]
Dumah (alarmed):
The fiend intends to bury us alive!
[Then, trying to break their leader out of his trance.]
Dumah:
Raziel, we must get out of here!
[Sarafan Raziel cannot tear his eyes from this demonic apparition. With his
gaze still locked on Raziel, he commands his fellow Sarafan.]
Sarafan Raziel:
Remember the sword!
[Dumah grabs up the Reaver, and with the sword and Janos' heart in their
possession, the Sarafan rush out of the chamber just as the entire Retreat
threatens to collapse around them. Heedless of the retreating Sarafan, Raziel
leaps down to where Janos lies dying - incredibly, the ancient vampire is
still alive, but only barely. Raziel kneels disconsolately beside him -
bereft at the loss of his new-found mentor, and horrified at this latest
epiphany: that he himself was Janos' murderer.]
Raziel:
Forgive me; I'm sorry... I failed you.
Janos (gently):
No, Raziel.
Perhaps this was my true purpose - simply to save your life this once.
Raziel (distraught):
While I have taken yours...
Janos (dying):
Embrace your destiny, Raziel. You must reclaim the Reaver - it was forged for
you and you alone... Without it, there is no hope...
[Janos dies, and the Retreat is rocked again by a powerful quake. The
chamber's vaults collapse as their support beams crumble, and the exits are
filled by cascading rubble. As the tremors subside, Raziel rises and steps
slowly away from Janos' corpse, horrified by these new revelations, and
nursing a growing ember of hatred.]
Raziel V.O.:
As I backed away from Janos's body, I was overwhelmed by a sense of
self-loathing so deep, I could barely contain it. In that instant, I rejected
all that I ever was, and embraced the role Janos had safeguarded for me so
patiently throughout the centuries. I knew then what I had to do - the task
for which I was uniquely prepared...
[Walking slowly to the edge of the balcony, Raziel gazes out upon Nosgoth's
landscape.]
Raziel V.O.:
I would pursue the Sarafan dogs to their loathsome fortress, and avenge
Janos Audron's murder. Moebius would pay dearly for his treachery, and my
Sarafan brethren would reap the horrors they had sown. I would retake the
stolen Reaver, which was rightfully mine. And finally, when all these debts
had been paid, I would reclaim Janos Audron's heart from their filthy,
unworthy hands. If the heart was truly imbued with the power to restore
vampiric unlife, its highest purpose was clear to me... I would restore the
heart to Janos, and thus undo the vile crime committed by my abominable
former self.
[As Raziel stands on the balcony, the canyon is shaken by a final, massive
tremor. He leaps clear of the tumbling wreckage just before the vaults of
Janos' chamber collapsed completely. Gliding safely into the canyon below,
Raziel turns and looks up to see that the facade of Janos' mountain aerie has
been reduced to rubble.]
*****Return for the Final Showdown*****
[Raziel heads toward the Sarafan Stronghold. Along the way, he is stopped and
attacked by the demons he met with during his time in the future.]
Demon:
We've been expecting you, little Raziel.
Raziel V.O.:
So, these demonic pests were not merely the products of Nosgoth's corrupted
future. For here they were, hurtling back over five centuries to pursue me.
These creatures, I suspected, were minions of the unseen forces that had
hoped to control me. This was the tangible expression of their displeasure.
These demons were unleashed as the penalty for my disobedience.
[Raziel dispatches the demons and continues on. He is stopped once again by
more demons in a small canyon.]
Demon A:
Do you really think you can save Nosgoth?
Demon B:
Let me enlighten you, poor Raziel.
[Raziel reaches Uschtenheim and is ambushed by yet more abominations.]
Demon:
There he is, the savior of Nosgoth...
[Raziel continues on the road to vengeance. He then reaches another canyon
where he is confronted by yet another menacing demon.]
Demon:
Come closer, Raziel.
[Raziel enters the swamp where...well...you get the picture...]
Demon:
You shall not pass!
*****The Final Transgression*****
Having renounced his Sarafan heritage, Raziel trails his former brethren back
to the Stronghold to avenge Janos Audron's murder. In the course of his
pursuit, Raziel revisits the subterranean Pillars chamber for the last time.
The Elder God greets him with ominous finality.]
Elder God:
You have failed me, Raziel.
Raziel:
I wonder, Old One... Did you truly resurrect me, or were you simply there
when I awakened from my torment in the Abyss? I suspect you found me merely
convenient. Dropped in your lair by Kain, indestructible for some reason. A
durable and gullible tool for you to manipulate. This one thing I readily
admit - I have been used by others time and again. But always I seem to stray
from their path... what is it about me, Demon, that makes me such an
unreliable instrument? Why do I survive one trial after another... on and on
in an endless succession of humiliating deaths and resurrections? It seem
there is much more to my destiny, and my history, than I know. Perhaps more
than you know, as well...
[He leaves the Elder God and continues to the Pillars there...]
Demon A (to another demon):
He thinks he can change his destiny.
Demon B:
What a fool.
[Raziel slays the beasts and finally reaches...the Sarafan Stronghold...]
*****Cornered in the Stronghold*****
[Raziel has pursued the Sarafan to their Stronghold, resolved to avenge Janos
Audron's murder, recover his heart, and reclaim the stolen Reaver. Charging
through the Stronghold's corridors, Raziel finds himself at a dead end, in an
antechamber off of the cloister. The Reaver is here, laid out across a basin
in the center of the room - as if propped here for Raziel to discover. Raziel
stops short - for here is the blade that stirred such unsettling premonitions
when Janos presented it to him. As before, he feels no distortion in its
presence, which troubles him - he is repelled and afraid, yet irresistibly
drawn toward the sword.
Raziel V.O.:
Suddenly and inexplicably, I discovered the Reaver, suspiciously laid across
my path. Again, I sensed nothing of that 'temporal distortion', the peculiar
sense of displacement I had felt when I encountered the Reaver in William's
chapel. Cornered here with the blade, I suffered the same nameless dread that
I had experienced when Janos first presented the Reaver to me. I felt at once
repelled by the blade, and yet overwhelmingly compelled to seize it.
[Suddenly, Moebius and the Sarafan Malek appear in the doorway behind Raziel,
cutting off his exit. He's been ambushed. Wheeling on them, Raziel summons
the wraith-blade - but Moebius has arrived bearing his staff, and as the orb
flares, the wraith-blade flickers and dies. Moebius's demeanor has changed
dramatically since their last encounter. Gone are all the signs of the
sniveling, pandering magician - Moebius is cold, focused and completely in
control.]
Moebius:
So, Raziel - here we are, finally. You have no choice but to confront me now
- and I am not so foolish as I've let you believe. We have business to
conclude.
Raziel (enraged):
You knew I would lead the Sarafan to Janos, you vile bastard! You've been
orchestrating my every move!
[Moebius simply laughs.]
Raziel:
My destiny is an amusement to you?
Moebius:
It was fun, while it lasted.
[Raziel takes a threatening step forward, and Moebius motions to Malek.]
Moebius:
I think not, Raziel. Malek, do not let this creature leave. He poses a danger
to the Circle.
[Malek steps in front of Moebius, brandishing his pike.]
Moebius:
Poor, deluded Raziel... did you somehow imagine you had the guile to change
history on me? I'm the Time-Streamer - I knew your every intention before you
did, you imbecile.
[Suddenly, the sounds of a far off disturbance echo through the chamber.
Screams, terrified cries for Malek, and the unmistakable laughter of the
vampire Vorador reverberate through the stone corridors.]
Vorador (in the distance):
Call your dogs - they can feast on your corpses!
[Malek turns instinctively, prepared to defend the Guardians he has sworn to
protect - but Moebius calmly raises a hand to restrain him. Malek entreats
him.]
Malek:
Lord Moebius, there is trouble within. The Circle is under attack -
Moebius (cold, focused):
Hold fast, Malek. This one is the real danger to us.
[Raziel backs slowly toward the basin where the Reaver is laid out.]
Raziel:
What are you trying to concoct here, Moebius?
Moebius (hatefully):
You toxic creature - did you imagine I'd simply allow you to run loose,
corrupting everything you encounter?
Raziel
I admit that I've underestimated you to this point, Moebius - but it's a
mistake I won't repeat.
[With his wraith-blade disabled by the influence of Moebius's staff, Raziel
has no choice but to take up the Reaver. He grabs the hilt and advances on
Moebius and Malek. This is the moment Moebius was waiting for.]
Moebius (ominously)
Wrong again, Raziel.
[Moebius and Malek back out of the open doorway.]
Moebius:
Now Malek - bolt the door!
[Raziel rushes forward, but the portcullis slams down just as he reaches the
door. Turning back toward the chamber, he contemplates the Reaver now
clutched in his grasp, and realizes that he has no choice but to press
forward into the cloister.]
Raziel V.O.:
Using his staff to disable my wraith-blade, Moebius had effectively disarmed
me, leaving me with only one choice of weapon. And yet I confess, it was not
the lack of options, but blind rage that made me take up the Reaver - in my
fury, it felt as though my hand had acted of its own will. And now that same
hand clutched the hilt with unyielding strength - and I felt a constrained
tingling, a remote but palpable sense of longing as the disabled wraith-blade
tried vainly to embrace its physical twin.
*****Path to Vengeance*****
[Should Raziel try to go to the Spectral Realm.]
Raziel V.O.:
The Reaver exerted some mysterious power over me. It sustained my energy,
enabling me to prolong my physical manifestation indefinitely. In fact,
bonded to the blade as I was, I could no longer shift into the spirit realm
at will. Nor was I able to summon the Reaver's twin, for my wraith-blade had
been disabled in the confrontation with Moebius.
[Should Raziel try to place the Soul Reaver down.]
Raziel V.O.:
Now that I had taken it up, the Reaver and I were inescapably joined. The
harder I tried to release the blade, the more tightly my hand gripped the
hilt, as if possessed of its own will.
*****Vengeance*****
[As Raziel pursues the Sarafan through the Stronghold, he confronts each of
his former brethren in turn, exacting revenge for Janos' murder. After being
ambushed by Moebius and Malek, Raziel proceeds cautiously into the cloister,
now armed with the Reaver. Here he encounters Melchiah and Zephon, who have
apparently been dispatched to confront him here.]
Zephon:
Come to take your revenge, demon?
Melchiah:
Back to hell with you!
[Raziel looks upon his former brethren with disgust, relishing his advantage
over them.]
Raziel V.O.:
I recognized these two as my former brethren... in life as Sarafan; and in
unlife as Kain's vampire 'sons'. Melchiah and Zephon, the weakest of Kain's
brood... These bastards had no idea what future lay in store for them - how
they would become the very thing they so despised. The Reaver hummed with
anticipation - Janos had called it a 'vampiric' blade, endowed with the power
to drain its victims of their lifeblood. I was eager to see what the Reaver
would do to these two...
[The battle ensues, and the two Sarafan fall easily before the power of the
Reaver. With his former brothers-in-arms lying dead at his feet, Raziel
revels in the intoxicating power of the Reaver.]
Raziel V.O.:
As Melchiah and Zephon fell before my blade, I felt the Reaver's blood-thirst
as keenly as I ever had when I was still a vampire. I could sense the boundary
between us dissolving - the Reaver was consumed with my rage, and I was
intoxicated by its bloodlust. The blade had a vitalizing effect on me - my
physical energy no longer decayed over time, and the wounds inflicted by my
foes healed almost instantly. The Reaver had made me invincible.
[Raziel proceed into the Stronghold's main Sanctuary, where he discovers
Rahab and Dumah waiting for him.]
Dumah:
Have you come to reclaim the monster's black heart?
Rahab:
You'll have to get through us, first.
[Raziel readies the Reaver eagerly, savoring his newly-discovered role
in their ultimate destinies.]
Raziel V.O.:
My former brethren Dumah and Rahab confronted me next - this all seemed so
elegantly choreographed. Exhilarated by the Reaver, I was drunk with
revelations... I could finally appreciate the delicious irony of Kain's
blasphemous, private joke - and I reveled as I colluded with him across the
centuries. For it was I who put these bastards in their tomb, thus providing
the corpses for Kain to raise as his vampire sons a millennium from now.
[Upon defeating Dumah and Rahab, Raziel proceeds into the choir of the
Sanctuary. Here, finally, Raziel is confronted by Turel - his former
second-in-command, both as Sarafan and vampire. Turel advances on Raziel with
self-righteous contempt.]
Turel:
Get back to the pit you crawled from, demon!
[Raziel regards his former brother-in-arms derisively.]
Raziel V.O.:
And here at last was my brother Turel, who along with Dumah would bear me
into the Abyss without questioning Kain's command. So dutiful and righteous,
even as a vampire... I guess some habits die hard. The vampire Turel had
eluded my vengeance; the Sarafan Turel would not.
*****Renunciation*****
[Armed with the Reaver, Raziel has confronted and slain each of his former
Sarafan brethren in turn. Entering the Chapter House of the Stronghold, he
finally comes face to face with his former self - the Sarafan Inquisitor
Raziel, who has apparently been waiting for him here. As he crosses the
threshold, the portcullis slams down behind him - this is clearly a trap,
calculated to channel Raziel into combat with the most formidable of the
Sarafan commanders. The Inquisitor addresses Raziel with self-righteous
disdain, blissfully ignorant of this demonic creature's true identity.]
Sarafan Raziel (hatefully):
So, vampire - here we are. You've destroyed my brethren - and now you've come
for me? You'll find I am not such easy prey.
Raziel:
I don't want to kill you, but I will if I must. Return the heart to me, and
we can end this now.
Sarafan Raziel: (mocking)
So you've come to avenge that filthy parasite, and reclaim his foul heart?
You're a righteous fiend, aren't you?
Raziel (referring to Sarafan Raziel):
Apparently I am.
Sarafan Raziel (icily):
No, vampire. This is where it ends, but you won't be leaving this room. Now,
let's finish this - I'll make it mercifully quick.
Raziel:
As you did for Janos.
Sarafan Raziel (laughs coldly):
No, that beast had eluded us for far too long. It would have been a shame to
end him too quickly.
[He continues, goading Raziel into battle.]
Sarafan Raziel:
It's ironic, really - the 'great Janos Audron' turned out to be no challenge
at all... thanks to you. Did you hear his cowardly screams when I tore that
black heart out of his carcass?
[Raziel can no longer contain his rage - raising the Reaver, he lunges at the
Sarafan Inquisitor. And so the final battle begins...]
*****Full Circle*****
[The Sarafan Inquisitor is defeated, and as he staggers, Raziel runs him
through with the Reaver. Transfixed on the blade, Sarafan Raziel chokes and
gasps as his lifeblood is drained from his body. Face to face in this deadly
embrace, Raziel curses his former self with the solemnity of an oath.]
Raziel (with revulsion and finality):
I renounce you.
Sarafan Raziel:
(Gasping and dying)
[The Sarafan Inquisitor collapses to the floor, and the Reaver blade slides
free of his body.]
Raziel (quietly, to himself):
And so it ends. My history comes full circle.
[As Raziel stands over the corpse of his former self, the wraith-blade begins
to manifest, its power gradually returning. Raziel watches in growing alarm
as the wraith-blade abandons its symbiotic grip on his arm, and coils itself
around its twin - its former, physical self - instead.]
Raziel V.O.:
Sensing its twin, the wraith-blade uncoiled itself from me - and instead
wound lovingly around its former self. I felt its grip loosen, and as the
blade left me, its absence chilled me more than its presence ever had. A
foreboding sense of emptiness and loss stole over me... and a terrible
revelation gathered like a storm at the edge of my awareness...
[Thus joined, the twinned Reavers turn on Raziel - with the blade still bound
to his hand, Raziel is dragged helplessly as the Reaver exerts its own will.
Raziel struggles, but is powerless to resist the blades as they turn
inexorably toward him.]
Raziel V.O. (a horrible epiphany):
With all other foes exhausted, the conjoined blades turned themselves on me.
And I realized, finally, why I had sensed nothing when Janos offered me the
blade. The Reaver was never forged to be a soul-stealing weapon...
[The Reaver plunges toward Raziel and impales him. His eyes widen in agony,
despair and recognition.]
Raziel V.O.:
... the ravenous, soul-devouring entity trapped in the blade was - and always
had been - me. This is why the blade was destroyed when Kain tried to strike
me down - the Reaver could not devour its own soul. The paradox shattered the
blade. So - this was my terrible destiny - to play out this purgatorial cycle
for all eternity... I could not bear it - despair overwhelmed me.
[Raziel falls to his knees, transfixed by the Reaver. His hand, still bound
to the blade, forms a perverse vicious-circle as his soul is gradually but
relentlessly drained away, absorbed slowly and torturously into the Reaver.
Raziel strains against the blade, trying vainly to escape this horrible fate.
At this moment, Kain reveals himself, stepping out from the shadows of the
Chapter House. Raziel sees him, and immediately believes he has been betrayed
- that this is a trap set by Kain himself. Overcome with rage and agony,
Raziel accuses Kain.]
Raziel:
You!
[Kain approaches, watching Raziel with intense fascination. Raziel cries out
in anguish.]
Raziel:
Are you enjoying this, Kain!?
Kain (intense):
Don't fight it, Raziel... Give in to it...
Raziel (in agony):
Was this your destiny for me, all along?!
[Kain urges him intently.]
Kain:
Trust me...
[Raziel's strength is fading; he begins to collapse.]
Raziel V.O.:
I felt myself weakening... unable to hold on any longer. The Reaver was too
strong... The compulsion to simply let go too great...
[Out of strength, Raziel surrenders his will. As he nears the brink of
oblivion, a fluttering distortion tangibly begins, and Raziel approaches a
dawning revelation.]
Raziel V.O.:
And then... a growing sense of vertigo, and the familiar displacement... The
paradoxical moment when my twinned soul hovered both outside and inside the
Reaver blade... This was the instant - the glimmer of temporal distortion -
Kain had been counting on all along. This was the edge of the coin - the
minute flicker of probability upon which Kain had gambled everything.
[Kain lunges forward - and with a massive, history-defying effort, tears the
Reaver from Raziel's chest.]
[Raziel screams in agony.]
[The Reaver flies across the room, and the wraith-blade flickers and fades as
it is separated from its twin. Raziel falls forward, rescued from the
threshold of oblivion, but nearly completely drained.]
Kain:
Now you are free to reclaim your true destiny, Raziel.
[Gradually, the room begins to warp around them as history strains to find a
new course around this new obstruction. As the future reshuffles itself, a
look of horror slowly dawns on Kain's face. With new memories blooming in his
mind, Kain realizes he may have just made a terrible mistake.]
Raziel V.O.:
Behind Kain's 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.
[Then the reshuffling begins to settle, as history finds its new course. But
the horror on Kain's face remains, as he realizes what price has been paid to
restore Raziel's future.]
Kain (quiet, awestruck horror):
My god...the Hylden...we walked right into their trap...
[Then, with a sudden realization, Kain tries to warn Raziel.]
Kain:
Raziel! Janos must stay dead!
[But Raziel, drained almost to the point of annihilation, is losing
consciousness. He falls to his knees, and begins to waver out of existence as
he sinks into the spectral plane.]
Raziel V.O. (ominously):
But Kain's warning was lost as I slipped into the spirit realm, too weak to
maintain my physical form... And there, waiting for me as always, was the
Reaver - the wraith-blade... My own soul, twinned and bound eternally to me.
And I realized that I could never escape my terrible destiny... I had merely
postponed it. History abhors a paradox.
Q: Why did you write this?
A: Reference and information gathering for another FAQ I'm writing. I wrote
the entire script down and figured some kiddos would wanna see it, so I made
it into this.
Q: Are you ever gonna update the SR1 script with the cut out dialogue?
A: Yep, I gathered all the information on the disc I could find. Expect a
update within the next week or so.
Q: Why are Moebius’s eyes all white?
A: Although I'm not positive, it's probably because he is blind. Most oracles
and the like was almost universally blind. That...or because it just looks
cool...
Q: The Hylden? WTF?
A: Play Blood Omen 2...
Q: Wasn't your e-mail dark_id@hotmail.com?
A: Yep, it was. However, Microsoft apparently hates me (must be all that
doubting of the Xbox's survival =) and decided to nuke my e-mail account. Oh
well, to hell with them...
Feel free to contact me if you have a question, comment, want to use this
script on your site (see copyright), or have a correction. But first, follow
these guidelines.
Do's:
- Use good sentence structure.
- Use good spelling.
- Have a point to your message.
- Head the e-mail "Soul Reaver 2 ______ (comment, question, whatever)"
- I speak English...so any messages in another language won't be responded to
for obvious reasons (sorry.) However, if you can speak some English, but it's
not your primary language, just tell me at the start of you message and I'll
try to respond.
- Be intelligent.
Don'ts:
- TaLk lIkE tHiS.
- SPEAK IN ALL CAPS.
- Have no point to your message.
- Ask Gameplay questions. This is a script concerning the game's story. STORY
QUESTIONS ONLY.
- Be rude.
- Speak in 1337 (I'm not gonna go to through the trouble of reading it.)
- Curse like a sailor.
Please observe these guidelines and there is a 99% chance you'll get responds
right away. Thank you.
I took a long time making script. If I find you steal it, I won't be able to
kill you, but Raziel might be around for revenge. If I do find you plagiarize
this document, I will see you in court =)
This FAQ was solely intended for the public use on the www. It cannot be
reproduced, retransmitted, or re-written in any other form except by the
notice of the author. Any violation of this code will result in harsh and
swift court action. If this legal document is portrayed in any commercial
use, you are therefore stricken under the code of law and will be punished.
This FAQ is only to be used by the public itself and cannot be sold.
Revisions of this FAQ are only to be done with notice of the author before
hand and may be done so as long as the name of the author of the document
appears in due credit. This document may NOT be used for sales and
broadcasting or commercial use. This FAQ may not be included in a
promotional CD, magazine, or any other use of monetary product. This FAQ may
not be used in a password-protected area or in a high security
area/restricted area. This FAQ is in no way possible to be plagiarized,
without facing court charges. Doing so will bring about damages in terms of
law, whether the punishment be civil or criminal law. In other words:
DON'T STEAL MY STUFF!!!!
This document is copyright Ryan "Nemesis 300" Kelly; 2002. All rights reserved.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, Raziel, Kain and all characters, locations,
and concepts are copyright Crystal Dynamics 2001. All rights reserved.
-Eidos/Crystal Dynamics: For making the game.
-Elly: My best friend. See ya soon.
-Claire: My girlfriend...for obvious reasons. =)
-CjayC (www.gamefaqs.com): for running one of the best gaming sites on the
Internet and for hosting my FAQ.
Well kiddos, it’s been fun. If your still reading this...your mad. Go outside
NOW! Heh...just kidding. Hope you liked this, and try taking a looks see at
my other FAQs:
-Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver script
-Fatal Fury quotes and dialogues
-Garou: Mark of the Wolves quotes and dialogue
-Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory quotes and dialogue
Projects working on:
-Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain script (85% done)
-Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 script (50% done)
-Metal Gear Solid 2 script (90% done)
-Metal Gear Series Reference Guide (90% done)
-Legacy of Kain Plot Analysis (30% done)
