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Prologue
A gathering of sorcerers watches from the safety
of their stronghold as armored soldiers impale the last of the vampires
they have captured that day. Suddenly a door swings open, and a vampire
enters the chamber, impaling the nearest sorcerer on his sword. |
Sorcerer 1
Malek!
The vampire fires a magical projectile at another
sorcerer, killing her.
Sorcerer 1
Malek!
The vampire then turns to the sorcerer screaming
for aid, firing a second projectile at her.
Sorcerer 1
(Screams) |
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| The vampire laughs as he corners the last sorcerer
in the chamber.
Sorcerer 2
Malek!
Vampire
Call your dogs! They can feast on your corpses!
Malek arrives too late to save the sorcerers,
and is defeated in combat by the vampire.
He finds himself bound in the center of a ceremonial
circle.
Mortanius
For failing the Circle, Malek of the Sarafan, you are hereby damned!
The pleasures of the flesh are no longer yours. You have but one
purpose, damned one. You will serve us for eternity.
Centuries Later
A young human, Kain, enters the local tavern as
he passes through town:
Barkeep
The tavern’s closing - best be on your way, stranger.
Kain
What, no mug of ale for a weary traveler from distant Coorhagen?
I can reward you well, for I am of noble blood.
Barkeep
I stay open for no man in these dark times. Things come with
the night that no sane man would welcome.
Kain
And so I left - cold of heart and soul. Forced to the road, and
the long, bitter night.
Brigand
That’s him!
Assassin
End it - now!
Kain finds himself bound to poles near a pool
of fire, in a place not of the living: |
Kain
Vae Victus - suffering to the conquered.
Ironic that now I was the one suffering. Not anything as pedestrian
as physical pain. Rather the cruel jab of impotent anger - the hunger
for revenge.
I didn’t care if I was in Heaven
or Hell - all I wanted was to kill my assassins. Sometimes
you get what you wish for.
The Necromancer Mortanius offered
me a chance for vengeance. And like a fool, I jumped at his offer
without considering the cost.
Nothing is free.
Not even revenge. |
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Mortanius
You will have the blood you hunger
for . . .
Kain’s
Mausoleum
Awaking within
his tomb:
Kain
I awoke to the pain of a new existence,
in a dank womb of darkness and decay.
He discovers an array of items: |
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Iron
Sword
Forged by the Serioli, the legendary
weapon masters of Nosgoth, this blade will serve me well, in life and beyond. |
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Iron
Armor
As it was borne from hellfire, forged
by the Necromancer’s magic, my armor resists fire and provides me with
strong defense. |
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Sanctuary
The Sanctuary spell enables me to travel to my crypt, where the soil
of my grave provides me respite. I often resort to this when I am
weak and need nourishment. |
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The Heart of Darkness
Reputed to have been ripped from the chest of the greatest vampire
to have ever existed, Janos Audron, the Heart of Darkness restores vampiric
unlife. Life is precious, Janos discovered - as it was torn throbbing
and bleeding from his own body. |
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| Kain emerges from his mausoleum and enters the
graveyard:
Kain
The world had changed to my eyes. I had not expected such cruelty
from the light. For in the embrace of the sun, I could find no comfort,
only malice. This would change in time for the worse, along with
other things.
As it begins to rain:
When rainfall comes, vampires are wise to find shelter from its acidic
touch.
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Flay
These curious devices hurl bolts of whirling energy and eviscerate
my human enemies by stripping ragged flesh from bloodstained bone. |
Exiting graveyard:
Kain
Hunger and weakness are no bar to vengeance’s call. I would find
my slayers and send them back whence I came. |
Vengeance
Kain confronts his murderers:
Brigands - upon seeing Kain resurrected
What trickery is this?
There he is!
I thought we killed you, bastard!
We put you down once - we can do it again!
Kain
Their sneering faces were forever etched upon my memory. I had
crossed death for this moment. My mind was empty save for one thought:
I would kill.
After killing the brigands and drinking their
blood:
Kain
There is no greater release than that from vengeance sated. With
my assassins dead, my quest was over.
Mortanius
‘Tis not over Kain. These fools were merely the instruments
of your murder, not the cause. Look to their masters. Look
to the Pillars, and gain way to the Fortress of the Mind . . .
Kain comes across a signpost that reads "Ziegsturhl":
Kain
This was where the bloody deed of my murder took place.
Crossing a bridge while leaving Ziegsturhl:
Kain
The Necromancer had offered me no warning as to what my resurrection
would entail, and yet I must confess, in my haste, I had not sought one.
Was his gift a curse? I would seek the Pillars for an answer. |
Continue on to the Pillars...
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