”My name is Raziel. Once I was human a lieutenant in the order of Sarafan Knights, a warrior-priest sect that dedicated itself to waging a holy war against the “vampire scourge” of Nosgoth. Looking back now and being more the wiser than I was as a human, the Sarafan were nothing more than genocidal xenophobes who covered their murderous actions against the Vampires in a shroud of righteousness... Just like my “benefactor” who brought me into my current existence.”
Falling through an endless tunnel of many lights; a deformed blue figure wrapped in a crimson cowl flies through the endless void toward where ever the tunnel would lead him.
”Centuries after my death my corpse was exhumed and given the dark gift by the vampire Kain, along with my five other Sarafran brethren we were raised to be Kain’s top lieutenants in his soon to be established empire. For a millennium I served Kain faithfully with my brethren, helping our lord’s empire grow and our own clans flourish. For a time we basked in the vampiric paradise we had created; alas it was not to last at least for me.”
Closing his white eyes, Raziel’s mind travels back to that day. In the sanctuary of the vampire clans, Raziel strides toward his master Kain, each of his brethren standing in the circular rise of Kain’s throne room, which was ironically the site of the decayed Pillars of Nosgoth. Raziel kneels before Kain and slowly unfolds two elegant vampire wings from his back, everyone including Kain shows shock at this.
”Vampires enter a stage of accelerated evolution every other century, making us more “divine” in a dark sort of way. Kain would often enter this stage first and then we would follow. I had the honor to surpass my master with my latest and last evolution of my vampiric life.”
Kain sits up from his throne and strides over to Raziel, carefully examining the wings with a look that one would seem as a combination of fascination, jealousy, and anger. After a moment, Kain cruelly grabs the bones that connect to the wings and Raziel’s back and rips them clean off. Raziel cries in agony and his beautiful wings flutter like shredded cloth to his side.
”For my transgression I was to be the punishment fitting for traitors and weaklings. Without remorse, Kain and my brethren cast me into the Lake of the Dead; and since water is like acid to a Vampire…my slow and agonizing demise was assured.”
Recalling his painful second death, Raziel is cast from a high cliff drop by two of his brethren as Kain watches. He falls into the swirling waters, his skin ablaze with white hot fire. His entire jaw melts away as most of his body burns to an almost skeletal state. His clothing sans the wraps around his forearms, ankles and his cloak are disintegrated during the fall.
Raziel’s body falls for what seems like an eternity before settling onto the bottom of the lake. Slowly the deformed Vampire becomes conscious again, and looks upon his ruined form before tossing his cloak around his neck like a cowl to cover his face.
”Instead of eternal rest, I found myself still existing in a ruined wraith-like form. Then I heard his voice, that accursed voice of my so-called benefactor. This Elder God claimed to be part of the “Eternal Wheel” that regulates birth, death and rebirth throughout Nosgoth. Although I was skeptical back then, I saw no reason to doubt my benefactor who revived me and gave me my chance for vengeance. If only I knew the truth about that parasite that I do now…I would have told the bastard to shove those tentacles up any orifice it had if any existed.
I set out to avenge myself. First I slew my brother Melchiah and after reaving his soul I set back to the Sanctuary of the Clans, where I found Kain. We fought with Kain ultimately having the upper hand. I thought I was doomed when he brought the Soul Reaver upon me. Yet instead the sword shattered, and the entity within the blade bound itself to me as my new symbiotic wraith-blade. What disturbed me more than gaining the weapon was how Kain took his weapon’s destruction and binding to me in stride, like he expected it to happen all along. This was not the last time such an event would occur.
As my journey continued I fought and reaved the souls of my brothers Zephon, Rahab, and Dumah gaining their powers as I absorbed their twisted souls. Turel I never found nor encountered, yet my brother’s whereabouts are currently not my concern.
I followed Kain to one of Moebius the Time-Streamers Chronoplast chambers. I confronted Kain, both about what he did to me and my discovery of the Sarafan tomb and my human roots. He rebuked me and simply went about setting the ancient machine to power up. Once he finished he vanished into the time-portal, I followed quickly.
I found myself in Nosgoth’s past the very year and day the Pillars were corrupted. During my time in the past I slowly began to learn the history of the Vampires and the Soul Reaver sword, and the true face of the Sarafan which made me take my former assumptions into heavy consideration. I also began to think less of Kain as an enemy. Between Kain, Moebius and the Elder God, it seemed Kain was the more honest, simply informing me, trying to give me the free will to choose my own path; whereas Moebius and the Elder God kept trying to push me to kill Kain and fill my head with their self-righteous drivel.
It was becoming apparent I was still someone’s pawn in a much bigger game than I ever anticipated, but nothing could have prepared me for the discovery of what my destiny intended. I faded back to the Spectral Realm and was detained against my will and also of my own desire for an untold amount of time. The Elder God ever the patient parasite goaded me endlessly until he finally struck a nerve of the other reason I remained in containment. I was afraid, afraid if I ventured into the Material Realm I would come across the physical Soul Reaver…and be pulled into the sword as it tried to do before, as I was “destined” to do apparently.
Deciding to meet my fate head on be it either freedom or oblivion I feigned submission and sought to escape my captor. I was successful until the old parasite removed the portal conduits to the Material Realm in hopes of trapping me. At first it seemed the Elder God had succeeded, however I found something I never had encountered before in either realm during my travels. A strange portal of a very ominous design that was neither a conduit between the Spectral and Material Realms, nor did it hold any qualities like those of Mobius’s time devices. Deciding I had nothing to lose I made sure I was full of soul energy and stepped forward.
That is how I found myself hurtling through this never-ending tunnel of time and space. After what felt like an eternity akin to my descent in the Lake of the Dead I saw a light and then I was through it.”
Raziel hits the ground with a thud, skidding across the surface until his body came to a halt. Bringing a clawed hand to his forehead the wraith groans in minor discomfort. He could feel his body was material now due to the dense weight he now felt. Slowly Raziel stands on his feet and eyes his surroundings. This indeed was not Nosgoth somehow he could just fell in his body that this was far from his homeland.
Now the question was… Where did he find himself now?
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(Posted Mon, 17 Jul 2006 22:13)
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