The History of Nosgoth

The Fall of the Ancients

Long before Kain was ever born, long before the Human nations came into being, long before recorded history, there existed on Nosgoth two dominant races. Known as the Ancients, they were the Masters of Nosgoth, and ruled the world and the fledgling Human race in relative peace for many years. That peace however was not to last...

One race, the Vampires - blue skinned and bearing angelic wings - worshipped the deity known as the Elder God, believing in the Wheel of Fate, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth to which all life was eternally bound. The Ancient Vampires were nothing like those of today at this time; they were not immortal, and neither did they thirst for the blood of Humans. Their counterparts, the Hylden, refused to recognize and worship the Elder God, and for that incurred the wrath of the Vampires, who waged a holy war against them.

The war had only one possible outcome; either one race or the other would be cast down and brought to ruin for all eternity. In the end, it was the Hylden who suffered this fate. Defeated, the Hylden were banished to the Demon Dimension by the victorious Vampires, who raised the Pillars of Nosgoth to bind the Hylden eternally to this dimension. each Pillar was granted its own Guardian, whose duty was to safeguard it and the land. Though defeated, the Hylden had one final act to play against their enemies - one final act of revenge before being cast down.

The Hylden placed a curse on the Vampires more terrible than they could imagine. They afflicted the Vampires with a thirst for blood, turning them from the light and making them predators of Humankind. The curse not only granted them bloodthirst, but made the race sterile as well, preventing any more offspring from being born, and inflicted one final act on them - it made the Vampires immortal, removing them from the Wheel of Fate and separating them from their beloved God.

In their despair at being abandoned by their deity and parted from the Wheel, the Vampires were driven into madness and self annihilation. Many committed suicide to return to the Wheel, and so the Vampires began to dwindle. In a last desperate bid to preserve their bloodline, the Vampires discovered that they could grant this dark gift to Humans, and Janos Audron, greatest of the Ancient Vampires, sired the first Human to become a Vampire but not the last - Vorador, who was to go on to forge the Reaver Blade. The turning of Humans into Vampires still did not work, however, and as the Vampires dwindled, the Pillars began choosing Human Guardians instead of Vampires once their previous Guardians had passed on.

To ensure their dominance over the Pillars and to ensure the barrier keeping the Hylden from the land was intact, the Vampires abducted the Human Guardians when they were found and turned them into Vampires. This way the Pillars would remain in Vampire hands, ensuring the safety of the land. The Humans however did not share this view entirely. They began seeing the Vampires as a plague on the land, and grew tired of being under the yoke of their oppressors. Then, under the leadership of Moebius and Mortanius, two still-Human Pillar Guardians, the Humans revolted, overthrowing the vampires and driving their race to the very edge of extinction. The Ancients were all destroyed save for one - Janos - and the sired Vampires fled into hiding. Thus did the Age of the Ancients end with neither Ancient race in control of Nosgoth, but the upstart Humans who began to build their own civilization from the ruins of their predecessors.

The Age of the Sarafan

With the Vampire menace defeated, the Humans of Nosgoth now turned to building the world in their own image. The cities of Willendorf and Meridian were built in the northeast and the south, and under the guidance of the Pillar Guardians, known as the Circle of Nine, Humanity prospered like never before, developing its own unique civilizations and cultures over the centuries.

However, the Vampires were not completely eliminated. Many, like Vorador, were bitter at the loss of their forebears and being forced into hiding, and so continued to prey on Humankind. These Vampires more resembled the Humans they preyed upon than their Ancient ancestors, saved for their claws and paler skin, as well as the sharp canine-like fangs. In time, many Humans were given the dark gift and became Vampires themselves, and in this way the Vampire population began to grow larger over time until it came to the attention of the Circle.

Alarmed at the growing rate of Vampires now inhabiting Nosgoth, the Circle decided to act now before their enemy's numbers became too great. By their command, the Sarafan Brotherhood was formed under the leadership of the Warrior-Priest Malek, some four thousand years before Kain's birth. These Sarafan Knights had but one goal and purpose - to wipe out the Vampire scourge once and for all. They quickly proved more than capable for such a task, and along major roadways and near suspected Vampire nests pikes were placed in the ground, upon which were impaled the Vampire victims of the Sarafan, slain in the righteous crusade that was in truth anything but.

Soon the Sarafan had claimed nearly all the Vampires on Nosgoth, including those loved ones of Vorador and even the last Ancient Vampire, Janos Audron. It would seem that by these two actions, the Sarafan had sealed their own doom, for by doing so they had incurred the wrath of two of their more powerful adversaries, one of which was well known to them. Vorador, seeing enough of his kind destroyed, infiltrated the Sarafan Stronghold and confronted six of the Circle Guardians, killing them all and then defeating Malek in a duel shortly afterwards. In another part of the Stronghold, the other creature pursued the great Sarafan Knights who had torn Janos' heart from his body and in gruesome fashion killed all six of them.

With his failure, Malek was condemned and damned by the Circle. His physical body was taken from him, until only his spirit remained in his armour, and he was bound in servitude to the Circle for eternity. As for the Sarafan, having lost their greatest to these two beings, their power began to wane over the coming centuries until eventually the days of the Sarafan had come to an end.  However, as the Sarafan died out, their work seemed to be all but done; there were very few Vampires left alive in Nosgoth.

The Pillars Corrupted

With the Age of the Sarafan long since past, Moebius the Time-Streamer gathered under him his own army - or at the time mob - of mercenaries, ne'er do wells and brigands, uniting them with one common purpose: the final destruction of the Vampires. These Vampire Hunters would continue what the Sarafan began, but soon other matters arose, and other events were set in motion that would forever change Nosgoth.

Over time, dark forces had infiltrated the Circle, manipulating some of its more prominent members. it is known only to one whether the necromancer Mortanius acted of his free will at this time or was controlled by another, but the end result was not different: Mortanius murdered Ariel, the Guardian of Balance, the most important of all Pillars. At this very moment, Kain was born into the world, destined to be the next Balance Guardian. Due to Ariel's murder however, he remained ignorant of his destiny.

Her body was found by another Pillar Guardian, Ariel's beloved Nupraptor, who was driven to madness by his grief. He sent a psychic shockwave through the entire Circle, infecting all of them with his insanity. The Guardians had been corrupted, and the Pillars they served began to fall into decay. Several created the Demonic realm of Dark Eden, where nature itself was corrupted and mutated. Another, Azimuth, began to worship the Demon God Hash'ak'gik - a being behind which there is a dark and shocking secret - in Avernus, summoning Demons to the city and ultimately wreathing it in flames.

Ignorant of his destiny, Kain - the son of an aristocratic noble - roamed the land, filled with ambition but lacking direction, until Mortanius hired a group of bandits to murder him. He awoke in the underworld, where he was greeted by the necromancer, who offered him a chance at revenge. Heedless of the spiritual cost, Kain accepted and after being given a gift by Mortanius awoke in his mausoleum only to learn that he was resurrected as a Vampire.

Dispatching his assassins in quick order, Kain sought now to rid himself of the curse of Vampirism. He encountered Ariel at the Pillars, who told him that to rid himself of the curse, he would need to restore Balance by killing the Pillar Guardians and thus restore the Pillars. This Kain began, set on his way by Ariel, by slaying Nupraptor first, then one by one hunted down the other Pillar Guardians until encountering Vorador deep in Termogent Forest, having spoken to the Oracle deep in the soothsayer's cave.

Vorador told Kain that Vampirism was not a curse, but a blessing. He informed him that Vampires were dark gods, and their duty was to thin the Human herd. At the time however, Kain was not interested in listening to Vampire lies and delusions, and continued on his path. With Vorador's help he slew three more Guardians, including the last of the Sarafan Malek, who had become Guardian of the Pillar of Conflict.

While searching Avernus Cathedral for the Pillar Guardian Azimuth, Kain came across a very interesting item - the sword known as teh Soul Reaver, the very Reaver blade forged millenia ago by Vorador.  Instead of draining its enemies of blood however, now it drained them of their souls.  How this occurred is a mystery yet to be unraveled - or a destiny yet to be fulfilled.  None of this mattered to Kain, who was oblivious to the Reaver's origin.  It was with this sword that Kain would slay Azimuth and become infamous throughout the lands for the next few centuries.

The Fateful Dilemma

Against the counsel of Vorador, Kain found himself embroiled in Human events. The Legion of the Nemesis, a diabolical tyrant from the northern mountains, had begun to brutally subjugate all of Nosgoth, and all that could stop him was the King of Willendorf, Ottmar's Army of Hope. In return for restoring his daughter's soul to her body, Ottmar marshaled his army and with Kain marched to meet this threat.

However, the Legion was more powerful than any could have anticipated, and the Army of Hope began to lose the battle. Soon Kain came across the body of Ottmar himself, fatally wounded and near death. It was then Kain realized that the Legions of the Nemesis could not be stopped; the Nemesis would destroy all in his path without obstacle. As the tide turned, Kain used his only means of escape - the time-streaming device, which swept him fifty years into Nosgoth's past.

Hoping to alter the course of Nosgoth's history, Kain sought out the young King William the Just, the man fated to become the diabolical Nemesis. The two met in William's court, both armed with the Soul Reaver, and after a titanic duel Kain assassinated the King, sating himself on his victim's blood. Then Kain to return to the present - only to learn the true consequences of his actions.

By murdering the beloved King, Kain had ignited a genocidal war against the Vampires of whom one of their kind slew William. None of the Humans would ever know who William would become, and acted on the knowledge of what he was - a Just King murdered by monsters. Upon his return, Kain witness the final triumphant act of Moebius' cold-blooded Vampire Hunters. Vorador, the last of the era's Vampires, was guillotined and his head held aloft for a cheering, bloodhtirsty crowd - leaving Kain the sole surviving Vampire in Nosgoth.

As his quest brought him full-circle, Kain confronted the destiny that Mortanius and Ariel had hidden from him - that he was the Balance Guardian, and that only by sacrificing himself could he restore the Pillars. Ariel presented him with a final, climactic decision - sacrifice himself to heal the land but ensure the extinction of the Vampires, or refuse the sacrifice and seal the world's corruption.

The Rise and Fall of the Seraphan

Revolted by the machinations of the Human sorcerers and alienated from his former Humanity, Kain chose the latter path - opting to rule the world in its damnation rather than commit himself to oblivion. This apocalyptic act completed the Pillars' destruction - the mighty columns toppled as Kain sealed their ruinous fate and damned Ariel to ceaselessly haunt the dilapidated Pillars she once served. Until the Balance is restored, she can never be released.

Using arcane knowledge from Vorador's archives, Kain created his own Vampire army and began a campaign to conquer Nosgoth. Securing the Pillars and the surrounding lands first, he then marched south towards Meridian, having heard some disturbing news. A powerful Lord, whose name was unrecorded, had created a new order of Vampire-hunting knights based on the ideals of the Sarafan; this new force was to be known as the Seraphan Order, and its leader the Seraphan Lord.

Determined to destroy this upstart before his influence spread, Kain brought out the majority of his forces with the intent of destroying Meridian and the Seraphan. However, one Vampire had already betrayed Kain's cause to their enemy, and outside the walls of the city Kain's army was ambushed and routed. Kain himself faced the Seraphan Lord, armed with the Nexus Blade, and though he fought valiantly, the self-proclaimed Monarch of Nosgoth was struck down. Presumed dead, his army fled but were pursued and all but annihilated.

Some two hundred years passed, and in that time the Seraphan Lord seized control of all of Nosgoth, ruling with an iron fist from Meridian, now bearing the Soul Reaver. Both Human and Vampire were persecuted should they defy his rule, and the land suffered immensely. Then, the unthinkable happened - Kain returned from the dead and eventually pursued the Seraphan Lord across Meridian and even beyond. Deep in the ruins of an ancient city the two warriors clashed, but only one emerged from the city; Kain had slain the Seraphan Lord and ended his rule.

The Seraphan suffered great losses following his death, and were removed from each city they occupied. Broken, they retreated to their last refuge; the Bastion deep in the mountains. Here they removed the last corrupted elements of their Order and were reformed. Now they were truly a force for good, ready to stand beside their Human brethren against the remnants of the Vampires.

The Dawn of the Empire

Kain had concluded that Vorador was right - that Vampirism was a blessing and not in fact a curse. The Vampires were dark gods whose duty it was to thin the Human herd. For his new campaign, Kain figured he would need more loyal generals that would do his bidding without question, Vampires rivaling him in power - but never more so.

With intentional irony, Kain first established the ruined Pillars as the symbolic seat of his new empire, and the unrestored Balance Pillar as the base of his throne. Then, in an act of calculated blasphemy, Kain raided the ancient tomb of the Sarafan. From the desiccated corpses of these long-dead knights, Kain raised his six Vampyric 'sons' to become the Lieutenants of his fledgling empire; Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah.

Once his Lieutenants were fully matured and their core warriors prepared, with each of their armies bolstered by Human familiars who chose damnation over death, Kain unleashed the Clans upon Nosgoth. Two went Northward, destroying the renegade Vampires at Nupraptor’s Retreat and continuing on to stamp out all Human resistance in the North.

These Clans, the Turelim and the Dumahim, then proceeded to divide the north of Nosgoth between them, Dumah taking the northeast while Turel’s territories laid to the west of the Dumahim, the realm of Dark Eden providing a natural border – for now. The North was not the only region to fall, however.  While Dumah and Turel seized the north, Raziel struck out westwards, launching a blitzkrieg assault on the Human territories and fiefdoms, who were unable to withstand his assault. By the time Raziel’s younger brother Melchiah marched west, much of the Western Territories already belonged to the Razielim.

Meanwhile, the Humans had amassed a large force under the command of King Frederick of Willendorf, and had begun marching on first Dumah's lands.  With Turel engaged in putting down Human rebellions in his territories and Dumah's forces being called to begin the assault on the Sarafan Stronghold, it seemed that the Dumahim territory would be retaken for Humanity.  Then, a few miles south of Stahlberg, Frederick orderd his army to halt as night approached, determined to face the enemy during the daytime.  When daybreak came and his army moved up to Stahllberg, they found a Vampire legion opposing them, commanded by none other than Raziel, who had somehow managed to arrive ahead of Frederick to stop him.  In the ensuing battle Frederick was slain, and Raziel then became Kain's favoured son.

The Melchahim moved on the realm of Freeport, assaulting its holdings in the southern part of the Western Territories. Though they met more determined resistance than expected, eventually the last Human presence in the West was removed, ensuring Kain’s dominance now over both the north and west of Nosgoth.  With his remaining Clans, the Zephonim and Rahabim, Kain launched his assault southwards of the Pillars of Nosgoth. Much like their other brethren, they met with great success initially. However, they were not expecting the nations of Freeport and Meridian to be so eager and able to fight back…

The new allies confronted the Clans along their shared border and, after brutal combat that lasted for months, succeeded in achieving a stalemate. During this period they began to build a Cathedral, one whose organs would have the divine power to wipe out all Vampyric life on Nosgoth. In order to keep attention from it, they struck at the Vampires from the Drowned Abbey.  However, Kain soon learned of the Cathedral due to his extensive network of spies, and ordered Zephon to attack while Rahab launched an all out assault on the Drowned Abbey. In a week of great loss, both fell, becoming the capitals of the Clan Territories of Rahab and Zephon.

What happens next in this great war remains to be seen...