There is one official comic so far I know of. But, y'know, fanfiction exists. And DeviantArt is full of fanmade comicstrips last time I checked. Better than nothing.
Malek: "Vengence! Vengence for my eternity of suffering!" Vorador: "Whelp! As if you knew what eternity was! Grovel before your true master!" (Strengthens pimp hand)
I adore the design of every vampire in the Kain saga, especially in their transformations and adaptive qualities. It is like a morbid mixture between the classic European vampire with the ancient and bestial interpretations of the different folkloric traditions of the same around the world.
That's why Blood Omen needs a reboot. Reintroduce the world to Vorador, build his fanbase even more and then a solo spinoff. Vorador is too cool for school.
@@denisblack9897 He meant a remastered but with an OG script, A few original voice actors will return while some will be taking over since some sadly passed away and some will be doing this to avoid confusion like how Amy Hennig did for the late Tony Jay as the Elder God and Alistair Duncan as Mortanius, And some new stuff that’s never been added in the original before due to time constraints. Like for Blood Omen: new enemies including some that were cut from the original, And a couple of new bosses. Soul Reaver: the water, stone, force, sound, sunlight, and spirit enhancements for the reaver will be in the remastered collection, And the Spirit Glyph will be added in there, Turel’s territory known as the crucible will finally be in there but Turel will not be in there, You’ll be battling a new boss in the game, We’ll get a new gift after defeating Dumah instead of the constrict ability because it’s useless in combat, Corey Burton will take over for Tony Jay as the voice of the Elder God in Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, And Legacy of Kain: Defiance while Tony Jay will be an Easter Egg, The ending will still be the same like in the original which means Kain’s Mountain Retreat will not be in there. Soul Reaver 2: The Water and Earth reavers which were cut from the final version of the original will be added, But the spirit reaver will not be in there until Defiance. And finally Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Since the balance emblem has only Balance, Dimension, Conflict, Energy, And Time, It’ll also have Mind, Nature, States, And Death which were never in the original.
It's worth mention that Vorador is the only one essential character in whole LoK series that appears only in cutscenes, but you can't meet him during the normal gameplay.
@@Marcustheseer No, you can meet any other character in normal gameplay: Ariel - in BO1 as NPC near pillars Mortanus - BO boss fight Moerbious - same Malek and other guardians - ass bosses in BO1 Janos - Defiance boss William the Just - BO boss fight Hash/Dark Etntity/Sarafan Lord - as Bo1/Bo2 boss Eldrer God - several times
I thought the coolest thing about the opening scene in Blood Oman is you can eventually do everything Voridor did to the circle. He used flay, slow time, immobilize, blood gout, mist form then sanctuary to leave.
You know, I was pretty bummed that Kain lost those abilities in later installments. Like he could still teleport, but I suppose that 200 year coma he was in was to blame for forgetting the magic he once knew. Though he seemed to lose many BO2 abilites he learned as well. As a game play mechanic I get not wanting him to be OP, but canonically he's a terrible powerful force to be reckoned with.
This channel always makes me extremely happy. Legacy of Kain was one of my favorite game series and it just falling by the way side was a real disappointment. I've done so many wiki dives and played the series so much I'm not learning anything new but I'm still having a blast just seeing someone talk about the series.
A passing detail of note is that the Serioli were mentioned as the legendary weaponsmiths of Nosgoth by Kain when commenting on the Iron Sword in BO1. I get the inkling Vorador hailed from their line in its earliest years. His history as a smith was so passing save for his work on the Reaver and the hyrbid blade he used in BO1. it was a detail that sort of stuck out in my mind for years now as a potential story link to Vorador's human history.
Its was definitely Mobius and his staff. At the time he was disabling the Wraith Blade they were close enough to hear the Circles screams for Malek while being slaughtered. He sacrificed the circle cause he needed Raziel to take up the Blood Reaver so he would eventually be drawn into it thus creating the Soul Reaver.
Those were my thoughts. The only issue with this theory is that Vorador was not affected by the staff but perhaps he was out of range when Moebius activated it.
@@strictlyfantasy if Mobius has the ability to choose who his staff's magic affects and doesn't affect, he could have intentionally not used it on Vorador allowing him to kill the guardians.
@@strictlyfantasy I think the original guardians were simply no match for Vorador. He could have done that himself. Vorador was most likely the most powerful being in Nosgoth, until Kain found the Soul Reaver that is.
R.I.P. Paul Lukather! Vorador was a fantastic character, in a cast of so many great ones! It breaks my heart that so many of these wonderfully talented voice actors are gone now, and our beloved franchise is going unused by its owners. Loving your content. Keep these character deep dives coming!
I hope if there’s a remastered Trilogy collection, Paul Lukather will be an Easter egg in Vorador’s Mansion to let the fans remember him as a memorial.
I love the deep dives in Legacy Of Kain series they're absolutely amazing & enthralling, the voice actors are fantastic even though some may have passed away; I got to meet the voice of Raziel quite a few times on video chat at Galaxycon, I never knew that He was the voice of Drew Pickles & Chaz Finster from Rugrats as well as many other characters in cartoons before but to be able to find that out is so cool because I never knew He did so many.
Why only thinking? It was even stated in the SR2 game dialog - without naming the attackers of course. Somewhere midgame, even before Raziel actually did his part of the deed.
I love the weary crestfallen Vorador from SR2. It was always such an event when he revealed himself - and you knew there would be new revelations, but it was never clear where they would lead. Truly a masterfully constructed character. Thanks for doing this study!
I like all versions. It’s an arc that makes sense. Being brought back from death and having a new sign of hope for vampire-kind works for the reason for the characters change in BO2 to me and a person coming back from apathy and cynicism doesn’t wreck the character in my view. He is definitely one of the best parts of each game he’s in. And if there are more games I hope we’ll see more of him. He could even be a playable character in much the way Defiance alternated between Kain and Raziel.
Never forget, Vorador was decapitated in FULL SUNLIGHT. Long before the smokestacks that weakened Nosgoth's sunlight, he was completely immune to the sun's rays. Added his manor being in a swamp, he was likely immune to water's acidic touch. Essentially, he was all of Kain's lieutenant's minus Raziel in power.
Glad I discovered this channel, good to know that they are still people out here that still have interest in the LOK series. It's a pity Square Enix have the rights to this legendary series.
Square Enix sold Crystal Dynamics and several others. Lets hope this new company can revive the Legacy of Kain series and perhaps even make an MMORPG out of Nosgoth as it seems it was the intention in a previous canceled game some 10 years ago or so.
While affirming that the voice acting of the entire LoK cast is stellar would be an understatement, I can't help but shiver at the magnificent performance given to Vorador, specially in that encounter with Raziel in SR2. That deep glooming voice absolutely nails the duality of a being of undying power with the fragility of a soul tormented by centuries of persecution, treason and bitterness. To have an already flawless writing only enhanced even further by the quality of the series' voice acting is a blessing. Few other games are capable of transmitting this flavor of Shakesperean tragedy like the LoK series has.
I desperately need to dive back into the lore of BO/LoK from the beginning. Having only played the LoK series and watched/read the BO series, I'm at a loss for the story timeline canonically. This series is held dear in my life as it influenced my decision in naming a son after an LoK protagonist. You're videos are amazing and I've enjoyed each one greatly, thank you
Always been a favorite character of many. I kind of dig the fact that he is technically Kains vampire brother, seeing as how they are both sired (in a roundabout way) by Janos. That makes him as much his brother as Kains lieutenants were "brothers" anyway. Edit: I suppose in vampire terms that makes Raziel his nephew and makes Janos the Grandsire of Raziel.....what a crazy family!
I was about to say, 'I thought Kain was turned to a vampire when Mortanius resurrected him.' But then I remembered that Kain had the Heart of Darkness which was Janos' heart. So you may have a good point
Before you mentioned it in the video, given all the physical links to Blood Omen 1 in the art and screen shots. I assumed that Vorador would take Raziel's place in a potential duel narrative for Dark Prophecy, playable alongside Kain. The world weary Vorador was my favourite iteration. He was quite the contrast to the rest of the cast in SR 2 and Defiance.
Soul Reaver, SR2, and Defiance is the crowning trilogy of the LOK series in my opinion. Blood Omen is good, and BO2 is well, not. But The SR and Defiance trilogy is one of the best game stories ever written, and was way ahead of its time. I would kill for modern remakes.
Vorador is my favorite character of the series! I couldn't expect a better coincidental birthday present xD Excellent vid as always, love your work !!!
Something I was hoping you mention is his connection to the half-hylden looking Seer in Blood Omen 2, who owes him a favor. Though maybe she can have her own short episode?
Another absolute knockout video Strictly! I'm becoming quite the diehard fan, such so that as I replay the Legacy of Kain series with my fiancee and my roommates, we finish off each boss fight and watch these explanations. I cant wait to show them this after Raziel and Vorador's interaction in LoKSR2. Keep up the good work and you'll have my undying [ ;) ] support.
12:35 "Janos Audron was murdered by the Sarafan five centuries ago" Camera: focuses on Raziel.* I never even noticed this masterful level of foreshadowing right here.
Vorador is the coolest looking vampire in this series to me. Funnily enough, he looks a lot like a Turelim, despite not being directly related to them. :)
I had never considered how the altered timeline would affect Vorador. That said, Vorador is one of those grotesquely beautiful characters. He’s arrogant, yet poetic. Vorador’s appearance in BO2 was… poor at best. On other pages, I theorized (and later wrote a fan fiction) explaining that it was another vampire impersonating Vorador at Kain’s command, back when he was building his army. Finally, the loss of Paul L. was felt by all of the community.
Originally, the sword Vorador wielded was to become the Bone Reaver, another sword Kain would find, but then the idea was scrapped. Also, the reason why Vorador is different in Soul Reaver 2 is because remember in Defiance, the time line changed, the paradox began as a new future was forged and Vorador never died. And because in the new time line he seems more of a freedom fighter is because he found something he never had before - hope. A few vampires survived which meant there was still hope in defeating the Sarafan Lord (AKA The Unspoken) This is why he is not the way he was in the past as this is a new time line made possible by pulling the Reaver from Raziel's chest in Soul Reaver 2 and the events of Defiance Kain changed to make this path.
I first played this game in 1998, I had NO idea what was going on in the opening cutscenes, it was my very first ps1 game, and my first game on cd-rom, and I became enthralled with everything about this series.
I believe Vorador's big shift in personality came from having died, it could have been a sobering experience for him. Even in our world, people who have had near death experiences or who have died for brief moments and revived via CPR or Defribulator can come back completely different for better or worse.
I wish the Blood Omen series(with a theoretical 3rd game) would lead into Soul Reaver. Sort of like a time twisted timeline that has odd holes that are then meaningfully filled in by the Soul Reaver series. But then we have Defiance that doesn't fit into either series so who knows whether naming conventions ever mattered much to the team or publisher.
7:15 I don't think that Mobius' staff had anything to do with blocking the magic of the guardians. His staff has the power to paralyze vampires or incapacitate vampiric magic (Raziels Wraithblade for example). Yet Vorador is in the same room as the useless guardians, far from paralyzed and also casting some vampiric magic spells. What was the source behind the failure of the guardians magic? I can not say but another guardian was strangely absent from this whole event: Mortanius.
Holy crap. On my third video of yours. You're really freaking good at this. Not only doing the research and scripting, but music and video editing too. Just getting footage alone is a lot of work. I'm impressed. Subbing.
Even if it did go into a little tangent towards the end, this is another good video. lok characters always bring something different to the table r every time one returns to them. I’ve never seen many, if any other games genuinely accomplish this with their writing
Another fantastic Legacy of Kain video. Vorador is one of my favorite characters in the series, I had hoped Defiance would have answered the question of his return in Blood Omen 2 but sadly it was content that just never made it into the game.
love your content on LoK series loved it as i remember seeing my Step-Dad or Dad to me playing these games and was always there watching him play them and was happy to play em when i was in Jr. High since then been loving it again. gotten a friend into the series as he noticed The Elder God was pretty much a Cuthulu monster can't wait for the next video
Ive been a fan of LoK Blood Omen series since day 1. And im seriously impressed with your raconteur skills of this series. I really wish we sould get novels or film or whatever to deepen this already quite deep series. It's up there with some of my favorite vampire lore out there. Great job with these videos...
after coming across your channel many weeks ago, i was awaiting a video of Vorador and i cannot be any more happier ! i have always been a huge fan of the Soul Reaver series, and after Raziel, Vorador is my next favourite character; and it must be mentioned that the talent of Paul Lukather (may he rest in peace) is the embodiment of the revered vampire, awesome voice acting. my favourite incarnation of Vorador would have to be his portrayal in Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance, as you said of his weariness and hardened resolve and mellowed take showed a side not expected from Blood Omen, very refreshing in all honesty. his interaction with Raziel is by far my favourite piece of dialogue, and watching it side by side with the Behind the Scenes of SR2 really shows Paul Lukather's performance.
I theorized Vorador resurrection and appearance in “Blood Omen 2” was done by Janos Audron. If I remember in Defiance after Janos gives Raziel the key to the inner sanctum he leaves. My guess is that he goes and retrieves Vorador’s body and head and resurrects him. Then Janos leave him immediately to rendezvous with Raziel, so when Vorador come too he doesn’t know the reason behind his revival.
I always thought Mobius' death in Defiance by Kain and Raziel is what spared Vorador the same fate. Since his death occurred before he could execute Vorador, that event would create a rift in the original timeline where he could plausibly escape. After all, only Mobius' sorcery could incapacitate powerful vampires like Kain and Vorador where other members have failed.
Good idea, but BO2 timeline existed before Mobius got devoured by the Elder God. How about Janos? He had a bit of time between his resurrection and the destruction of the original Hylden avatar. Definitely was more knowledgeable than BO1 Kain, too.
@@gigiozzolo I dont think that's true. BO 2 took place 200 years later. Raziel had to time skip to find Vorador and subsequently, Janos. Both of which were supposed to be dead before the conclusion of BO1 and Defiance, the same time the Pillars of Nosgoth were destroyed.
@@paingain100 I meant that the TIMELINE did not exist. All of the 2nd Hylden coming was defined by Raziel surviving the ordeal After he impaled his human self, while Kain survived his slaying by Raziel when the latter chose to kill Kain not with the Reaver, the only weapon capable of killing the Scion, but by ripping the Heart of Darkness out. Had he not done so, Kain would have perished, Raziel would have found a way in the Reaver One way or another (possibly while trying to kill EG with It, Who knows) and everything would still have happened.
I wish Defiance had found a plausible and necessary reason to place Kain in the era of Vorador's resurrection so he could perform the act himself. It would be cool to see his interactions with and thoughts on both the human Umah and resurrected Vorador. That and the idea that he is knowingly putting the pieces in place to ensure his younger self's victory against the Hylden sarafan is imo really cool. Vorador's resurrection by Kain would eliminate the redundancy of Raziel performing 2 resurrections in the same game, especially as Janos is far more useful and integral to Raziel's journey in this game, while fans would know well the significance of Kain resurrecting Vorador in that age. Plus it would make Kain's portion of Defiance parallel Raziel's journey all the more and make the full story symmetrical, which for a game that already has the player rapidly switch between the two characters to complete the story makes a neat kind of sense.
Yeah, that makes good sense. I feel like in Defiance, the Kain sections would have benefitted from being fleshed out with more story content & what you suggested would have added more layers to the game.
@@strictlyfantasy Woah! Thanks for replying to my comment, man. And thanks for putting out some of my favourite videos on the platform. Hearing someone with this much knowledge and understanding of storytelling tell me my idea makes good sense is doing wonders for my ego right now. 😂
I assumed after Defiance that Kain killing Mobius before Vorador's execution (although after his capture) may have allowed him to escape or be rescued and still be alive during BO2.
I think the inability of the members of The Circle to defend themselves is the fault of the Hylden. It may have yet to be fully explained, but it would make sense given the objective of the Hylden and their propensity for momentarily possessing human members of The Circle(i.e. Mortanius' revealed possessions in Blood Omen and Defiance).
I like the version of the second game more (Soul Reaver 2) although I also love the version of the first game of Legacy of Kain. The implementation of that unpublished scene of his resurrection would have been great. Especially intriguing would have been its development based on the events of Defiance and others.
Love these videos so much thank you so much for the amazing gifts huge legacy of kain fan an really appreciate you reminding me how fantastic theses games really are thx so much 🙌
You're like the only channel that seems to really care about this series since you put in the effort to make great videos. I keep hoping enough attention being shown on these games will get us a reboot or at the very least a remaster of SR . I feel like if we got a good remake of SR, it would bring in enough players for them to reboot and finish the series. The story is incredible, especially for a series from the 90s.
I agree the weird revolutionary persona did not suit the BO2 Vorador. Since I am one of the few people who actually like the BO2 game I wish they spent more time developing his character more. Anyway, thank you again for an amazing video about LoK, I will never get tired of learning more about the rich lore. I wish there was something the LoK community could do to get another game.
The LoK games are my favorite series. I just subbed to your channel after seeing your video on the morality in LoK. Really good stuff, as is this. I’m looking forward to watching the rest. Thanks and keep up the good work! 👍
I can't help but wonder if anyone else noticed that of all the murals showing Vorador's slaughter of the Circle, there is one that's different. The balance guardian is not murdered in her mural. Vorador is merely talking to her, and she seems sad. Also, her halo shines brighter than all the others. See 8:12. Maybe she was the one in the portrait.
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen is finally available on GoG! Sorry, I know its not a comment on the vid (nice one though!) but I felt compelled to share in case someone interested doesn't know yet.
For Voradors love interest: I thought I read on one of the now shut down fan forums that the woman on the dining rooms picture was either a witch or normal human women that was chosen by the pillars as one of the first guardians born after the vampire race was cursed out of the cycle of life. There also was some speculation that she could be found on the very same wallpicture on which we see human Vorador. Even more speculation put her in the line of the human mountain tribe guarding the lost cloud temple since those tribesmen also seem to have these face tattoos - as well as the scrapped occult followers from SR1.
Want to add that I love your reviews, I hope you can do more! Poor Vorador, really. The dude might only be matched with Janos as to how many centuries he suffered; at least Raziel went out on his own terms. Vorador died multiple times, and Janos did, and also had the joy of going to Hell while still alive. As for Vorador in BO2, I would hazard that through time travel shenanigans, somehow he found out that Janos had been brought back by Raziel, giving him new reason and purpose. with Moebius and the Circle gone, Vorador might have only joined with Kain in order to restore vampires overall as rulers of the land, and with some hope that Janos could be found still. Vorador does seem shocked to see Janos in BO2, but doesn't seem surprised to see him alive, indicating he had some hint he was, just no idea where. Assuming Vorador wasn't killed by the Hylden Lord's use of the Reaver, I would imagine Kain, after the portal closing, would have killed him outright; the other vampires he would likely still need in his conquest, and eventually they would fall in battle or by his hand, leading him to create his lts. Lastly, when you think about it, ages aside, Moebius, Mortainus, and Vorador saw much of the history of Nosgoth. I doubt Vorador had any idea of the Hylden ruining the Circle, but it no doubt would have pleased him to know in the end, Moebius died screaming.
I like to think Janos revived Vorador after he left Raziel at the citadel, but before the Sarafan lord took him over. So Vorador just woke up without a clue how he came back.
@@StygianWolf think about it, he revived Vorador, but then the time Kain makes his choice comes, so before Vorador regains consciousness, he rushes back to the citadel.
I do love Vorador. He became the monster people wanted him to be also i think that Mobius disabled his circle members before hand by doing something that they would probably have overlooked at the time
i wouldnt call vorador becoming a monster,he just fought back after they killed his father janus,allot of people with his power would do what he did most likely.
Maybe it would have been too repetitive for Raziel to do two resurrections... but it would have been less repetitive than him going back and forth to the copy and pasted vampire citidel to get abilities he already had at the end of the last game, just to pad the gameplay out.
I think we need novelizations of this series.
Book, anime, a show of any kind... I'd be down with.
I agree, the series has so much lore
I'm writing a novel with similar themes... Got to have catharsis somehow
Or another comic book run
There is one official comic so far I know of. But, y'know, fanfiction exists. And DeviantArt is full of fanmade comicstrips last time I checked. Better than nothing.
Malek: "Vengence! Vengence for my eternity of suffering!"
Vorador: "Whelp! As if you knew what eternity was! Grovel before your true master!" (Strengthens pimp hand)
Yes, his pimp hand is strong, indeed. X)
*Vengeance :P
*Pimp Hand intensifies*
_"Call your dogs. They can feast on your corpses."_ That quote alone made Vorador a badass.
I adore the design of every vampire in the Kain saga, especially in their transformations and adaptive qualities. It is like a morbid mixture between the classic European vampire with the ancient and bestial interpretations of the different folkloric traditions of the same around the world.
I feel like we'll never get great adaptions of vampires like this ever again
@@keocooper dont give up! Im sure someday somebody will do something like this and maybe even better! A least whe have this and people who cares 😈👍❤😍👹
@@keocooper think in mike mignola or blade or american vampires and also castelvania! Also im working in a comic about something like this!!
was there ever an explanation given for the ancient and evolved vampires’ 3-fingered hands and 2-toed feet, in-universe and/or artistically?
@@julzbananz i think they were devolving because of the lack of food source because by that time they had already taken over most places i think
The first human vampire. Too bad we never got that rumored game about him. Playing as Vorador would be nice.
That's why Blood Omen needs a reboot. Reintroduce the world to Vorador, build his fanbase even more and then a solo spinoff. Vorador is too cool for school.
I agree.
Yesssss. Pimping the hood as daddy V. Im all for it. :)
hes super underrated character
I never heard that rumour but would be so happy to play such a game were it to be revived.
Paul Lukather did such an amazing job as Vorador. He'd be a hard act to follow in any sort of re-release
#noremakes
@@denisblack9897 He meant a remastered but with an OG script,
A few original voice actors will return while some will be taking over since some sadly passed away and some will be doing this to avoid confusion like how Amy Hennig did for the late Tony Jay as the Elder God and Alistair Duncan as Mortanius,
And some new stuff that’s never been added in the original before due to time constraints.
Like for Blood Omen: new enemies including some that were cut from the original,
And a couple of new bosses.
Soul Reaver: the water, stone, force, sound, sunlight, and spirit enhancements for the reaver will be in the remastered collection,
And the Spirit Glyph will be added in there,
Turel’s territory known as the crucible will finally be in there but Turel will not be in there,
You’ll be battling a new boss in the game,
We’ll get a new gift after defeating Dumah instead of the constrict ability because it’s useless in combat,
Corey Burton will take over for Tony Jay as the voice of the Elder God in Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, And Legacy of Kain: Defiance while Tony Jay will be an Easter Egg,
The ending will still be the same like in the original which means Kain’s Mountain Retreat will not be in there.
Soul Reaver 2: The Water and Earth reavers which were cut from the final version of the original will be added,
But the spirit reaver will not be in there until Defiance.
And finally Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Since the balance emblem has only Balance, Dimension, Conflict, Energy, And Time,
It’ll also have Mind, Nature, States, And Death which were never in the original.
It's worth mention that Vorador is the only one essential character in whole LoK series that appears only in cutscenes, but you can't meet him during the normal gameplay.
You can play him at chess in normal gameplay if you have the alpha/beta BO1.
umm isnt that the case for all main charcs accept raziels brothers.
@@Marcustheseer No, you can meet any other character in normal gameplay:
Ariel - in BO1 as NPC near pillars
Mortanus - BO boss fight
Moerbious - same
Malek and other guardians - ass bosses in BO1
Janos - Defiance boss
William the Just - BO boss fight
Hash/Dark Etntity/Sarafan Lord - as Bo1/Bo2 boss
Eldrer God - several times
Idk, I remember chasing after him on a balcony in a swamp and his spybirds always flying off...🤷
I thought the coolest thing about the opening scene in Blood Oman is you can eventually do everything Voridor did to the circle. He used flay, slow time, immobilize, blood gout, mist form then sanctuary to leave.
You know, I was pretty bummed that Kain lost those abilities in later installments. Like he could still teleport, but I suppose that 200 year coma he was in was to blame for forgetting the magic he once knew. Though he seemed to lose many BO2 abilites he learned as well. As a game play mechanic I get not wanting him to be OP, but canonically he's a terrible powerful force to be reckoned with.
This channel always makes me extremely happy. Legacy of Kain was one of my favorite game series and it just falling by the way side was a real disappointment. I've done so many wiki dives and played the series so much I'm not learning anything new but I'm still having a blast just seeing someone talk about the series.
Heres hoping one day a good game developer can take on this franchise and live up to its legacy.
Best story ever. After this and resident evil I couldn’t find a good pa game for a year.
A passing detail of note is that the Serioli were mentioned as the legendary weaponsmiths of Nosgoth by Kain when commenting on the Iron Sword in BO1. I get the inkling Vorador hailed from their line in its earliest years. His history as a smith was so passing save for his work on the Reaver and the hyrbid blade he used in BO1. it was a detail that sort of stuck out in my mind for years now as a potential story link to Vorador's human history.
Ooh that was a good catch and I really like that theory!
Its was definitely Mobius and his staff. At the time he was disabling the Wraith Blade they were close enough to hear the Circles screams for Malek while being slaughtered. He sacrificed the circle cause he needed Raziel to take up the Blood Reaver so he would eventually be drawn into it thus creating the Soul Reaver.
Those were my thoughts. The only issue with this theory is that Vorador was not affected by the staff but perhaps he was out of range when Moebius activated it.
@@strictlyfantasy if Mobius has the ability to choose who his staff's magic affects and doesn't affect, he could have intentionally not used it on Vorador allowing him to kill the guardians.
@@strictlyfantasy I think the original guardians were simply no match for Vorador. He could have done that himself. Vorador was most likely the most powerful being in Nosgoth, until Kain found the Soul Reaver that is.
R.I.P. Paul Lukather! Vorador was a fantastic character, in a cast of so many great ones!
It breaks my heart that so many of these wonderfully talented voice actors are gone now, and our beloved franchise is going unused by its owners.
Loving your content. Keep these character deep dives coming!
I hope if there’s a remastered Trilogy collection,
Paul Lukather will be an Easter egg in Vorador’s Mansion to let the fans remember him as a memorial.
I love the deep dives in Legacy Of Kain series they're absolutely amazing & enthralling, the voice actors are fantastic even though some may have passed away; I got to meet the voice of Raziel quite a few times on video chat at Galaxycon, I never knew that He was the voice of Drew Pickles & Chaz Finster from Rugrats as well as many other characters in cartoons before but to be able to find that out is so cool because I never knew He did so many.
I think that the almost simultaneous attack by Vorador, Raziel and Kain is what ended the Sarafan order.
That has always been my head Canon as well. As powerful as the Sarafan were, I doubt they'd be able to survive those three attacking.
The third option. The coin landing on it's side.
So much poetic beauty.
It also potentially creates a grandfather paradox because the sarafan were looked back on as martyrs.
Why only thinking? It was even stated in the SR2 game dialog - without naming the attackers of course. Somewhere midgame, even before Raziel actually did his part of the deed.
Kain didn't attack the Sarafan, he was just biding his time. He wasn't even supposed to be alive in the original timeline.
I love the weary crestfallen Vorador from SR2. It was always such an event when he revealed himself - and you knew there would be new revelations, but it was never clear where they would lead. Truly a masterfully constructed character. Thanks for doing this study!
I like all versions. It’s an arc that makes sense. Being brought back from death and having a new sign of hope for vampire-kind works for the reason for the characters change in BO2 to me and a person coming back from apathy and cynicism doesn’t wreck the character in my view.
He is definitely one of the best parts of each game he’s in. And if there are more games I hope we’ll see more of him. He could even be a playable character in much the way Defiance alternated between Kain and Raziel.
Never forget, Vorador was decapitated in FULL SUNLIGHT. Long before the smokestacks that weakened Nosgoth's sunlight, he was completely immune to the sun's rays. Added his manor being in a swamp, he was likely immune to water's acidic touch. Essentially, he was all of Kain's lieutenant's minus Raziel in power.
Glad I discovered this channel, good to know that they are still people out here that still have interest in the LOK series. It's a pity Square Enix have the rights to this legendary series.
Yeah, I hope they give the rights to a developer that can do a future remake of this series justice.
Square Enix sold Crystal Dynamics and several others. Lets hope this new company can revive the Legacy of Kain series and perhaps even make an MMORPG out of Nosgoth as it seems it was the intention in a previous canceled game some 10 years ago or so.
Just putting it out there as others may have missed it like I did. For anyone interested Blood Omen is now available to play on GOG
Thank you for the heads-up. Never thought that would happen.
@@capkovodna you're very welcome. I thought the same thing, and gog kept it kind of quiet which surprised me.
thx for the comment i got it last night and it works fine.
@@Marcustheseer no problems, have fun
While affirming that the voice acting of the entire LoK cast is stellar would be an understatement, I can't help but shiver at the magnificent performance given to Vorador, specially in that encounter with Raziel in SR2. That deep glooming voice absolutely nails the duality of a being of undying power with the fragility of a soul tormented by centuries of persecution, treason and bitterness. To have an already flawless writing only enhanced even further by the quality of the series' voice acting is a blessing. Few other games are capable of transmitting this flavor of Shakesperean tragedy like the LoK series has.
I desperately need to dive back into the lore of BO/LoK from the beginning. Having only played the LoK series and watched/read the BO series, I'm at a loss for the story timeline canonically. This series is held dear in my life as it influenced my decision in naming a son after an LoK protagonist. You're videos are amazing and I've enjoyed each one greatly, thank you
Thanks, I'm curious which name did you give your son?
@@strictlyfantasy My youngest son, 3, is named Raziel. Came close to having his middle name as Kain as well lol
Always been a favorite character of many.
I kind of dig the fact that he is technically Kains vampire brother, seeing as how they are both sired (in a roundabout way) by Janos.
That makes him as much his brother as Kains lieutenants were "brothers" anyway.
Edit: I suppose in vampire terms that makes Raziel his nephew and makes Janos the Grandsire of Raziel.....what a crazy family!
I was about to say, 'I thought Kain was turned to a vampire when Mortanius resurrected him.' But then I remembered that Kain had the Heart of Darkness which was Janos' heart. So you may have a good point
I like all of them, it shows how his character grows and changes due to what goes on in his life.
Vorador was my top character in the game. He knew a lot but acted like he doesn't
You & Raina are 2 precious channels for the community
Love them both.
@@perplexingperceptions8888 Aww, thanks so much!
Who is Raina? Is her channel like this 1?
@@killablackmambakbm7593 This is her channel:
ua-cam.com/channels/N62XWV4ULNXI9LrPiqcnJA.html
Before you mentioned it in the video, given all the physical links to Blood Omen 1 in the art and screen shots. I assumed that Vorador would take Raziel's place in a potential duel narrative for Dark Prophecy, playable alongside Kain.
The world weary Vorador was my favourite iteration. He was quite the contrast to the rest of the cast in SR 2 and Defiance.
I would have adored a prequel but I love the sequel and Raziel and wouldn’t trade it for anything. This series needs to return.
Yeah, Soul Reaver One's brilliant opening is enough in my eyes to justify the path they took these games in.
Soul Reaver, SR2, and Defiance is the crowning trilogy of the LOK series in my opinion. Blood Omen is good, and BO2 is well, not. But The SR and Defiance trilogy is one of the best game stories ever written, and was way ahead of its time. I would kill for modern remakes.
Vorador is my favorite character of the series! I couldn't expect a better coincidental birthday present xD Excellent vid as always, love your work !!!
happy birthday my dude
Anything Blood Omen for your birthday is a win
Happy birthday bro :D
Thank you for continuing to do these retrospectives. I love this game world, its fiction and narrative. Vorador is an amazing character.
Something I was hoping you mention is his connection to the half-hylden looking Seer in Blood Omen 2, who owes him a favor. Though maybe she can have her own short episode?
Perhaps she is somehow related to the painting he has of a woman in his lair?
Another absolute knockout video Strictly! I'm becoming quite the diehard fan, such so that as I replay the Legacy of Kain series with my fiancee and my roommates, we finish off each boss fight and watch these explanations. I cant wait to show them this after Raziel and Vorador's interaction in LoKSR2.
Keep up the good work and you'll have my undying [ ;) ] support.
Thanks for the kind words. 😀
You just made me spend 2 hrs reading lok lore..... Thanks xD love these games so much..... I hope they come back
12:35 "Janos Audron was murdered by the Sarafan five centuries ago"
Camera: focuses on Raziel.*
I never even noticed this masterful level of foreshadowing right here.
Vorador is the coolest looking vampire in this series to me. Funnily enough, he looks a lot like a Turelim, despite not being directly related to them. :)
Fantastic video, I love the breakdown and analysis of this character!
Thanks. :)
I had never considered how the altered timeline would affect Vorador. That said, Vorador is one of those grotesquely beautiful characters. He’s arrogant, yet poetic.
Vorador’s appearance in BO2 was… poor at best. On other pages, I theorized (and later wrote a fan fiction) explaining that it was another vampire impersonating Vorador at Kain’s command, back when he was building his army.
Finally, the loss of Paul L. was felt by all of the community.
It’s so funny how he telepathically drinks the blood. Sometimes I wished I have this power to drink apple cherry juice
You just have to practice
@@DeaDlyCorpsE528 thanks. Wait are you a vampire if so thanks for the tip
Why is it referred to as "telepathically" drinking blood, btw? "Telekinethically" would make more sense for me...
practice with milk. milk does it. :)
@@fuglegock1127 I’m lack toast intolerant
Another LoK video…YES. The gift that keeps on giving.
I know this is coincidence but I find it cool that Turel and Vorador both have bat-like ears and green skin.
Originally, the sword Vorador wielded was to become the Bone Reaver, another sword Kain would find, but then the idea was scrapped. Also, the reason why Vorador is different in Soul Reaver 2 is because remember in Defiance, the time line changed, the paradox began as a new future was forged and Vorador never died. And because in the new time line he seems more of a freedom fighter is because he found something he never had before - hope. A few vampires survived which meant there was still hope in defeating the Sarafan Lord (AKA The Unspoken) This is why he is not the way he was in the past as this is a new time line made possible by pulling the Reaver from Raziel's chest in Soul Reaver 2 and the events of Defiance Kain changed to make this path.
I first played this game in 1998, I had NO idea what was going on in the opening cutscenes, it was my very first ps1 game, and my first game on cd-rom, and I became enthralled with everything about this series.
I believe Vorador's big shift in personality came from having died, it could have been a sobering experience for him. Even in our world, people who have had near death experiences or who have died for brief moments and revived via CPR or Defribulator can come back completely different for better or worse.
Once again, you did a great job, Strictly Fantasy!! And once again, I thank you greatly to have used one of my pictures to make it!!
💞💞
I wish the Blood Omen series(with a theoretical 3rd game) would lead into Soul Reaver. Sort of like a time twisted timeline that has odd holes that are then meaningfully filled in by the Soul Reaver series.
But then we have Defiance that doesn't fit into either series so who knows whether naming conventions ever mattered much to the team or publisher.
7:15 I don't think that Mobius' staff had anything to do with blocking the magic of the guardians. His staff has the power to paralyze vampires or incapacitate vampiric magic (Raziels Wraithblade for example). Yet Vorador is in the same room as the useless guardians, far from paralyzed and also casting some vampiric magic spells.
What was the source behind the failure of the guardians magic? I can not say but another guardian was strangely absent from this whole event: Mortanius.
Fantastic video, thank you for making it.
Since my introduction to the series was SR2, I like that version of Vorador the best.
After all these years this is still my favorite game, or at least in the top 5
Holy crap. On my third video of yours. You're really freaking good at this.
Not only doing the research and scripting, but music and video editing too. Just getting footage alone is a lot of work.
I'm impressed. Subbing.
Even if it did go into a little tangent towards the end, this is another good video. lok characters always bring something different to the table r every time one returns to them. I’ve never seen many, if any other games genuinely accomplish this with their writing
What a great story, and what a phenomenal performance by all the VAs.
Vorador was such a badass im glad he was on our side rather then a boss he may have been difficult to defeat
Your Channel is a Treasure thank you rly sir
Another fantastic Legacy of Kain video. Vorador is one of my favorite characters in the series, I had hoped Defiance would have answered the question of his return in Blood Omen 2 but sadly it was content that just never made it into the game.
I like the Soul Rever 2 and Defiance Vorador the most. I was a doomer so it was relatable.
If you can talk so much about a painting on Vorador´s house you can make a video for all the pillar guardians!
My beloved Vorador! I found this channel recently, watched few films and then, this one! Oh my!
And of course, Defiance version was the best. Tired of living, but still powerful
Legacy of kain was such an AWESOME series still my favorite setting in video games to this day
love your content on LoK series loved it as i remember seeing my Step-Dad or Dad to me playing these games and was always there watching him play them and was happy to play em when i was in Jr. High since then been loving it again. gotten a friend into the series as he noticed The Elder God was pretty much a Cuthulu monster can't wait for the next video
Wow. I had no idea about the cut Vorador resurrection mission. It's sucks we never got to play that. Sounds like it would have been excellent.
I've been binging on these videos for the past few days and i can't get enough. As for which incarnation is my favorite I love em all
Ive been a fan of LoK Blood Omen series since day 1. And im seriously impressed with your raconteur skills of this series. I really wish we sould get novels or film or whatever to deepen this already quite deep series. It's up there with some of my favorite vampire lore out there.
Great job with these videos...
Thank you for continuing to share your work and perspectives on characters from the LOK universe!
after coming across your channel many weeks ago, i was awaiting a video of Vorador and i cannot be any more happier !
i have always been a huge fan of the Soul Reaver series, and after Raziel, Vorador is my next favourite character; and it must be mentioned that the talent of Paul Lukather (may he rest in peace) is the embodiment of the revered vampire, awesome voice acting.
my favourite incarnation of Vorador would have to be his portrayal in Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance, as you said of his weariness and hardened resolve and mellowed take showed a side not expected from Blood Omen, very refreshing in all honesty.
his interaction with Raziel is by far my favourite piece of dialogue, and watching it side by side with the Behind the Scenes of SR2 really shows Paul Lukather's performance.
I theorized Vorador resurrection and appearance in “Blood Omen 2” was done by Janos Audron. If I remember in Defiance after Janos gives Raziel the key to the inner sanctum he leaves. My guess is that he goes and retrieves Vorador’s body and head and resurrects him. Then Janos leave him immediately to rendezvous with Raziel, so when Vorador come too he doesn’t know the reason behind his revival.
Absolutely outstanding video! Thanks so much for yet another amazing Legacy of Kain video!😈👍👍👍👍👍
Can’t believe I forgot about Vorador, you’ve done everyone else up to this point.
I always thought Mobius' death in Defiance by Kain and Raziel is what spared Vorador the same fate. Since his death occurred before he could execute Vorador, that event would create a rift in the original timeline where he could plausibly escape. After all, only Mobius' sorcery could incapacitate powerful vampires like Kain and Vorador where other members have failed.
Good idea, but BO2 timeline existed before Mobius got devoured by the Elder God.
How about Janos? He had a bit of time between his resurrection and the destruction of the original Hylden avatar. Definitely was more knowledgeable than BO1 Kain, too.
@@gigiozzolo I dont think that's true. BO 2 took place 200 years later. Raziel had to time skip to find Vorador and subsequently, Janos. Both of which were supposed to be dead before the conclusion of BO1 and Defiance, the same time the Pillars of Nosgoth were destroyed.
@@paingain100 I meant that the TIMELINE did not exist. All of the 2nd Hylden coming was defined by Raziel surviving the ordeal After he impaled his human self, while Kain survived his slaying by Raziel when the latter chose to kill Kain not with the Reaver, the only weapon capable of killing the Scion, but by ripping the Heart of Darkness out.
Had he not done so, Kain would have perished, Raziel would have found a way in the Reaver One way or another (possibly while trying to kill EG with It, Who knows) and everything would still have happened.
I wish Defiance had found a plausible and necessary reason to place Kain in the era of Vorador's resurrection so he could perform the act himself. It would be cool to see his interactions with and thoughts on both the human Umah and resurrected Vorador. That and the idea that he is knowingly putting the pieces in place to ensure his younger self's victory against the Hylden sarafan is imo really cool. Vorador's resurrection by Kain would eliminate the redundancy of Raziel performing 2 resurrections in the same game, especially as Janos is far more useful and integral to Raziel's journey in this game, while fans would know well the significance of Kain resurrecting Vorador in that age. Plus it would make Kain's portion of Defiance parallel Raziel's journey all the more and make the full story symmetrical, which for a game that already has the player rapidly switch between the two characters to complete the story makes a neat kind of sense.
Yeah, that makes good sense. I feel like in Defiance, the Kain sections would have benefitted from being fleshed out with more story content & what you suggested would have added more layers to the game.
@@strictlyfantasy Woah! Thanks for replying to my comment, man. And thanks for putting out some of my favourite videos on the platform. Hearing someone with this much knowledge and understanding of storytelling tell me my idea makes good sense is doing wonders for my ego right now. 😂
Waiting for vorador to make an appearance. Nice job. Please keep this up love every video
All those forms of him has all my love for the character.
I assumed after Defiance that Kain killing Mobius before Vorador's execution (although after his capture) may have allowed him to escape or be rescued and still be alive during BO2.
Every time I see you upload, I drop what I’m doing and make time. You do amazing work! Everything is so well researched.
I love you
Defiance/SR2 Vorador was my favorite because of how chill and cautious he was. :D
Great content as always. Hoping for a Mortanius one in the future
I think the inability of the members of The Circle to defend themselves is the fault of the Hylden. It may have yet to be fully explained, but it would make sense given the objective of the Hylden and their propensity for momentarily possessing human members of The Circle(i.e. Mortanius' revealed possessions in Blood Omen and Defiance).
I like the version of the second game more (Soul Reaver 2) although I also love the version of the first game of Legacy of Kain. The implementation of that unpublished scene of his resurrection would have been great. Especially intriguing would have been its development based on the events of Defiance and others.
Just stopped by to drop a comment and a thumbs up. I’ll have to watch this later! Love your work.
So awesome to see Vorador as the next entry 😆😄it’s exciting to see you cover each one. Hope we get to see the other Pillar guardians next
Love these videos so much thank you so much for the amazing gifts huge legacy of kain fan an really appreciate you reminding me how fantastic theses games really are thx so much 🙌
You're like the only channel that seems to really care about this series since you put in the effort to make great videos. I keep hoping enough attention being shown on these games will get us a reboot or at the very least a remaster of SR . I feel like if we got a good remake of SR, it would bring in enough players for them to reboot and finish the series. The story is incredible, especially for a series from the 90s.
I agree the weird revolutionary persona did not suit the BO2 Vorador. Since I am one of the few people who actually like the BO2 game I wish they spent more time developing his character more. Anyway, thank you again for an amazing video about LoK, I will never get tired of learning more about the rich lore. I wish there was something the LoK community could do to get another game.
The LoK games are my favorite series. I just subbed to your channel after seeing your video on the morality in LoK.
Really good stuff, as is this.
I’m looking forward to watching the rest. Thanks and keep up the good work! 👍
Definetely my favorite character of the serie. I did countless illustrations about him.
Vorador seems to be oblivious to the time travel stuff in nosgoth. Could explain the different personality changes from different time lines.
I can't help but wonder if anyone else noticed that of all the murals showing Vorador's slaughter of the Circle, there is one that's different. The balance guardian is not murdered in her mural. Vorador is merely talking to her, and she seems sad. Also, her halo shines brighter than all the others. See 8:12.
Maybe she was the one in the portrait.
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen is finally available on GoG!
Sorry, I know its not a comment on the vid (nice one though!) but I felt compelled to share in case someone interested doesn't know yet.
What is GoG?
For Voradors love interest: I thought I read on one of the now shut down fan forums that the woman on the dining rooms picture was either a witch or normal human women that was chosen by the pillars as one of the first guardians born after the vampire race was cursed out of the cycle of life.
There also was some speculation that she could be found on the very same wallpicture on which we see human Vorador. Even more speculation put her in the line of the human mountain tribe guarding the lost cloud temple since those tribesmen also seem to have these face tattoos - as well as the scrapped occult followers from SR1.
Kain and his machinations are so expansive and Interesting, but the characters are round him are even more intriguing at times.
Want to add that I love your reviews, I hope you can do more! Poor Vorador, really. The dude might only be matched with Janos as to how many centuries he suffered; at least Raziel went out on his own terms. Vorador died multiple times, and Janos did, and also had the joy of going to Hell while still alive.
As for Vorador in BO2, I would hazard that through time travel shenanigans, somehow he found out that Janos had been brought back by Raziel, giving him new reason and purpose. with Moebius and the Circle gone, Vorador might have only joined with Kain in order to restore vampires overall as rulers of the land, and with some hope that Janos could be found still. Vorador does seem shocked to see Janos in BO2, but doesn't seem surprised to see him alive, indicating he had some hint he was, just no idea where.
Assuming Vorador wasn't killed by the Hylden Lord's use of the Reaver, I would imagine Kain, after the portal closing, would have killed him outright; the other vampires he would likely still need in his conquest, and eventually they would fall in battle or by his hand, leading him to create his lts.
Lastly, when you think about it, ages aside, Moebius, Mortainus, and Vorador saw much of the history of Nosgoth. I doubt Vorador had any idea of the Hylden ruining the Circle, but it no doubt would have pleased him to know in the end, Moebius died screaming.
I love the subtle shade you throw at BO2 in your various videos. As someone who really disliked that entry, it makes me chuckle.
You might not like my next video so much... LMAO.
And now, we come to Blood Omen 2's Vorador.
(Cue goofy music and dancing.)
I like to think Janos revived Vorador after he left Raziel at the citadel, but before the Sarafan lord took him over. So Vorador just woke up without a clue how he came back.
He disappeared right after giving Raziel the key to the spirit font. I always wondered where the hell he was going...you might be onto something.
@@StygianWolf think about it, he revived Vorador, but then the time Kain makes his choice comes, so before Vorador regains consciousness, he rushes back to the citadel.
I love it everytime this channel uploads a new video. Great job.
Another great video, I'd love to see one about the ancient Vampires.
Love these videos. Was a huge fan back in the day....and still. Brilliant! 👏 👏 👏
As always, fantastic video, brother.
I do love Vorador. He became the monster people wanted him to be also i think that Mobius disabled his circle members before hand by doing something that they would probably have overlooked at the time
i wouldnt call vorador becoming a monster,he just fought back after they killed his father janus,allot of people with his power would do what he did most likely.
blood omen 2 Vorador just seems like he's still retaining some degree of hope for his future.
Love you dude. I'm so grateful for your work. Greetings from Poland :D
Thanks. I love your country and miss travelling Europe.
I have been going over what you have explained about him and in the videos I haven’t worked out where he inherited magic from
Maybe it would have been too repetitive for Raziel to do two resurrections... but it would have been less repetitive than him going back and forth to the copy and pasted vampire citidel to get abilities he already had at the end of the last game, just to pad the gameplay out.
Agreed.