[ Legacy of Kain: The Lost Worlds ]

The Mountain Retreat

article by Ben Lincoln

 

Kain's "mountain sanctuary" would have been accessible only after Raziel had defeated Turel. The Turelim Clan Territory included a massive smokestack, and Raziel would have used its powerful updraft to soar high enough to reach the redoubt of his master.

A very early, incomplete version of the Mountain Retreat is present in the 1999-02-16 prototype version of Soul Reaver. This version feature three rooms, and is only partly textured. The style of this version of the Retreat was used for some parts of the Chronoplast, as well as a hidden bonus area in the Citadel in the final version of the game. This area is not linked to the rest of the world map, but was most likely intended to be placed between Turel's area and the Silenced Cathedral, due to the intended story progression in which Raziel would use the smokestack centerpiece of Turel's territory to reach the Retreat, and then fly from there to the Cathedral. This would also explain the fortifications on the canyon wall opposite the entrance to Turel's territory (in early versions of the game), and the Oracle's Cave (in the final version of the game), as these would have been the lower reaches of the Retreat. Other structures in this area may have been related to a secondary entrance that Raziel could open after reaching the Retreat for the first time via the smokestack.

A textured version of Kain's throneroom in the Retreat is also present in several promotional screenshots. These images were previously thought to depict the Chronoplast, because of the close similarity in layout and appearance.

Kain's Throneroom
[ Raziel in Kain's throneroom ]
Raziel in Kain's throneroom
[ Raziel in Kain's throneroom ]
Raziel in Kain's throneroom
[ Raziel in Kain's throneroom ]
Raziel in Kain's throneroom
   

These screenshots, originally thought to depict an early version of the Chronoplast, are actually from Kain's throneroom in his Mountain Retreat.

 

A small section of what seems to be a later revision of the Retreat is visible in the Chronoplast FMV depicting The Death of Ariel.

Series artist Daniel Cabuco has indicated that the Retreat was intended to be as large as any of the other areas of the game, and include more powerful versions of vampries from each clan.

The rest of the Retreat's layout is currently unknown.

Concept art for the game includes a building perched on top of a mountain, but is actually an early version of the Sanctuary of The Clans.

 
[ Raziel faces Kain ]
Raziel faces Kain
[ Raziel faces Kain ]
Raziel faces Kain
[ Raziel faces Kain ]
Raziel faces Kain
[ Raziel faces Kain ]
Raziel faces Kain
[ Concept art of The Sanctuary of The Clans ]
Concept art of The Sanctuary of The Clans
 
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