Ancients (Legacy of Kain)
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The Ancients are a blue-skinned winged race found on Nosgoth in times long before the Legacy of Kain series in which they are found chiefly take place. While they are otherwise relatively human in appearance, their blue skin, black wings and three-fingered (nearly clawed) hands grant easy recognition.
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The Ancients were worshippers of The Elder God, and believed his doctrine of a fatalistic pre-fated world in which all souls go through a purifying cycle of birth, death, and rebirth under the supervision of the Elder God. The Ancients eventually tried to convert the other chief race on Nosgoth at the time, the Hylden, to their religion, starting a war that proved devastating for both races.
To end the war, the Ancients banished the Hylden to another dimension and raised the Pillars of Nosgoth to seal the passages between the two realms. Before the process could be completed, however, the Hylden cursed their enemies with their final act of war. The Ancients were afflicted with sterility, a thirst for human blood and a fear of the sun, but the true curse was their new-found immortality.
The Elder God, ever requiring more souls to feed his Wheel of Fate, despised and condemned the now immortal Vampires/Ancients, and many of their number slew themselves in anguish. A few remained, chiefly the Guardians of the Pillars, as the Pillars required accomplished magicians to tend to them if the Hylden should stay banished. As more succumbed to despair, the Pillars began selecting human guardians for themselves, forcing the Ancients to infect humans with their curse to keep the binding strong. In the end, Mortanius and Moebius, revolted against the vampiric members of the Circle of Nine (another name for the Pillar guardians) and overthrew them.
The Ancients dwindled over the ages, and the only one to survive long enough to be seen in the games was the secret Tenth Guardian of the Pillars, who specifically guarded the blade destined to be used by the Messiah-like figure most Ancients believed would come to restore them and ultimately vanquish the Hylden. This Ancient was Janos Audron, sire of Vorador, and the blade was the Soul Reaver wielded by Kain and, later, Raziel.
The Ancients prophecised the existence of three figures: The Scion of Balance, the Vampire Messiah, and the Hylden Champion. The Vampire Messiah and the Hylden Champion are both representations of Raziel from different perspectives. As the Vampire Messiah, he defeats the Hylden Champion using the Reaver, and as the Hylden champion, he defeats the Vampire Messiah with the Wraith Blade. This dual-destiny comes from the fact that Raziel is the only character in the Legacy of Kain series with true free will: he could choose which hero to be, based upon his actions (for example, resurrecting Janos Audron benefitted the Hylden). The Scion of Balance represents Kain, once he has been purified of all corruption by the Vampire Messiah, who is destined to return the Pillars to Vampire rule. The fanbase is currently split upon whether or not Kain as the Scion of Balance has free will - the developers are yet to make it crystal clear.
| Legacy of Kain series |
|---|
| Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain | Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver | Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 | Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain | Legacy of Kain: Defiance |
| Major Characters |
| Kain | Raziel | Moebius | Elder God | Mortanius | Hash'ak'gik | Ariel | Vorador | Janos Audron |
| The Circle of Nine |
| Nupraptor the Mentalist | Malek the Sarafan | Bane the Druid | Azimuth the Planer | Dejoule the Energist | Anacrothe the Alchemist | Moebius the Timestreamer | Mortanius the Necromancer | Ariel of the Balance |
| Kain's Lieutenants |
| Raziel | Turel | Dumah | Rahab | Zephon | Melchiah |
| The World of Nosgoth |
| Pillars of Nosgoth | Lake of the Dead | Nosgoth timeline | Soul Reaver | Ancients | Hylden | Material Realm | Spectral Realm |
