Legacy of Kain Lore (Part 1 – Prehistory)
Foreword
This collection of essays will serve to explain all within the lore behind the video game series The Legacy of Kain. The game series has a rich history and the world is incredibly well constructed alongside its story. I believe it is a good story and one that is worth analyzing and sharing with others but be warned that there is a lot of content within this series. As such I am prepared to split these over several essays because to amalgamate them would perhaps create a short novel in its own right.
In exploring the lore within the series I will be starting from the very beginning of the world and travelling linearly to the conclusion at the end of the final game. Rather than follow the releases of the game I will be going chronologically through them meaning Blood Omen, Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and finally Legacy of Kain: Defiance. These five titles make up the main part of the story but I will begin before all of these games and discuss the prehistory of Nosgoth (the lands in which these games take place, akin to how Lord of the Rings occur within Middle Earth).
It is important to note that there will be heavy spoilers within as the game exposes the player to these truths in a non-linear fashion, meaning that some of the information presented would come as revelations in later games, however I am writing from the perspective of someone who knows the full story and so will not hide or obscure information but state plainly what happened and in the order that it did happen. And so without further ado, let us delve into the land of Nosgoth…
Prehistory
In its earliest days, Nosgoth was inhabited by three races. The first of these were known as The Ancients.
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 prophesies.”
~ Vorador
The Ancients were blue skinned, winged beings of incredible grace and almost angelic beauty. Considered Nosgoth’s most pure, wise and noble civilization, the Ancients came to worship the Elder God and exalted his doctrine, preaching their belief in his purifying cycle of birth, death and rebirth through his Wheel of Fate.
“The wheel of Fate must turn; all are redeemed in the cleansing agony of birth, death, and rebirth. This is the Engine of Life, the purifying rhythm of the universe, to which all souls are irresistibly drawn.”
~ Elder God
The Wheel of Fate is the inexorable cycle of birth, death and reincarnation, to which all living creatures in Nosgoth are compelled. The Wheel describes the paths that one will follow in life and will compel them to follow it. As such, it is believed that no one in Nosgoth truly possesses free will. We will speak about the Elder God and the concept of free will later on but for now know that the Elder God is the self-proclaimed hub of the Wheel of Fate. As devout worshippers of the Elder God, the Ancients believed in his doctrine completely. Unquestioning followers of his every word, they converted the other races of Nosgoth to worship their Elder God.
The Humans, second of the sapient races that existed in the earliest days of Nosgoth, also became followers of the Elder God, however, it was the race known as the Hylden and their refusal to be converted that spelled the dawn of the dark era within Nosgoth. The Hylden were technologically adept creatures and though early depictions of them showed them as being humanoid and noble in appearance, most know them as having alien features, akin to that of demons.
Unwilling to accept a religion they deemed wrong, their feud quickly grew into a war that lasted a millennium. A thousand years of battle proved equally devastating for both races. To end the conflict both sides devised a way to finish the war once and for all. The Hylden began the creation of a Device capable of eliminating all non-Hylden life on Nosgoth. Meanwhile the Ancients used their magical skills to tear a hole in the fabric of reality to a parallel realm known as the Demon Dimension in order to cast their adversaries in.
Nine sorcerers among the Ancients banished the Hylden to the Demon Dimension and to ensure they could not return they raised the Pillars of Nosgoth to seal the passages between the two realms for as long as they stood. The Pillars of Nosgoth is the focal point of the entire Legacy of Kain fiction, it is the mythological and geographical hub of the entire series. Their appearance remains the same in each game, reaching infinitely into the sky and deep into the earth, and their well-being was inextricably tied to the spiritual and physical health of the land. From their genesis, the nine Pillars were represented by an oligarchy of immortal sorcerers known as the Circle of the Nine. Each Pillar and their respective Guardian was assigned to one of the nine magical principles which comprised of metaphysical law within Nosgoth.
They are:
1. Mind
Alongside its sister principle, Dimension, it was associated with the elemental force of Air, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Light. The principle of the Mind concerned sentience in Nosgoth, manifest in the mental sensitivity expressed by cognizant individuals. The Mind Guardians, culled by the Pillars, possessed unparalleled affinity for telepathy and telekinesis, and were charged with reigning over the limitless power of thought, consciousness and emotion.
2. Dimension
Alongside its sister principle, the Mind, it was associated with the elemental force of Air, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Light. The principle of Dimension concerned the distinctions between Nosgoth’s Material, Spectral, and Demon Realms. The Dimension Guardians, culled by the Pillars, could perceive and shift between these planes of existence and were charged with controlling and defining the very boundaries, consistency and form of space itself.
3. Conflict
Alongside its sister principle, Nature, it was associated with the elemental force of Fire, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Light. The principle of Conflict concerned the constant dichotomy between peace and war in Nosgoth. The Conflict Guardians, culled by the Pillars, could incite or resolve wars or arguments, drew their powers from battle and were charged with presiding over the precepts of change and upheaval.
4. Nature
Alongside its sister principle, Conflict, it was associated with the elemental force of Fire, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Light. The principle of Nature concerned the growth and perpetuation of organic entities in Nosgoth. The Nature Guardians, culled by the Pillars, could commune with, influence and summon natural phenomena, and were charged with governing over plants, animals and all forms of natural life.
5. Balance
As the hub of the magical principles of the Pillars, it regulated the other principles and was associated with the elemental force of Spirit.
6. Energy
Alongside its sister principle, Time, it was associated with the elemental force of Earth, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Darkness. The principle of Energy concerned the capacity for activity and exertion in Nosgoth’s agents, organic and artificial alike. The Energy Guardians, culled by the pillars, could use their abilities to instill power in objects and devices, and were charged with ruling over the wild arching power that spawned the storm and sparked life itself.
7. Time
Alongside its sister principle, Energy, it was associated with the elemental force of Earth, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Darkness. The principle of Time concerned the structure of past, present and future events and eras in Nosgoth. The Time Guardians, culled by the Pillars, held a certain level of omniscience due to their intimate understanding of the time-stream, and were charged with keeping the flowing currents and movements of the temporal world in check.
8. States
Alongside its sister principle, Death, it was associated with the elemental force of Water, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Darkness. The principles of States concerned the distinctions taken on by substances within Nosgoth, such as solids, liquids, and gases. The States Guardians, culled by the Pillars, could defy physics, warping and transitioning between physical forms, and were charged with presiding over the shapes and forms of all physical matter.
9. Death
Alongside its sister principle, States, it was associated with the elemental force of Water, which in turn, was aligned with the overarching principle of Darkness. The principle of Death concerned the ultimate fate of souls in Nosgoth, particularly following their demise as living beings in the Material Realm. The Death Guardians, culled by the Pillars, held a measure of mastery over the afterlife and were charged with helping to ensure equivalency between life and rebirth.
Using the Pillars of Nosgoth the Ancients were able to banish the Hylden to the Demon Dimension. However, as the Hylden were being banished they cursed their enemies with their final breath. Three curses were laid upon the Ancients: firstly they were made sterile, effectively making their race unable to rebuild and prosper after the war; secondly they were given a horrible bloodlust that when left unsatiated caused them excruciating agony and morphed them into horrible beasts; and finally, the curse that truly condemned the Ancients as a race, was the curse of immortality.
The effects of this were immediate as their Elder God and Wheel of Fate turned his back on them and fell completely silent. The now immortal vampires (so named because of their newfound bloodlust) having been cut off from their God, slowly went mad with anguish. Many of them committed suicide in order to return to the Wheel of Fate. Those that chose to carry on, immortal and godless, were governed by the original members of the Circle for a time.
In time the Ancient Guardians also met an end, though it is unclear whether they too committed suicide as their past brethren, whether they feuded amongst each other or were hunted by the humans. However, with their deaths the Pillars had to select new Guardians as it was magically bound to do. Since the vampires did not give birth anymore, the Pillars selected human replacements which caused distress amongst the vampires. Knowing that the Pillars had to remain under the vampiric rule they discovered a means of passing their curse onto humans and the human born Guardians, creating the first true vampires. Inevitably the human guardians began to oppose this ritual forced upon them and rebelled, thus bringing about the Sarafan Era.
Commentary
There isn’t much that can be said on the prehistory of Nosgoth, however, I do find it interesting that the Ancients’ belief in reincarnation would mirror Paganism whereas the Hylden’s belief in immortality would mirror Christianity. These contrasting ideas are the basis for the conflict between both races and will be explored later on in the series.