The first in the Soul Reaver games, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver follows Raziel in his pursuit for vengeance against his master and damnation, Kain. Raziel, who surpassed his Lord by growing a set of bat-like wings was rewarded by being cast into the Lake of the Dead (aka. The Abyss) and condemned to an appearance more demonic than his former Vampire self.

Spared from total oblivion by the Elder God, Raziel is appalled by his current appearance. The Elder has much to tell Raziel, who argues that death would be a release rather than inhabiting this physical form. Unfortunately, "The choice is not yours to make" replies the Elder, who then informs Raziel the role he has planned.

Rather than drinking the blood of his victims, Raziel - now fuelled by vengeance and hatred - has to devour the souls of his foes, mainly his Vampire brethren, most of whom have evolved into hideous beasts. Raziel now has to traverse across the wasteland wrought by Kain's selfish decision as mentioned in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain™, kill his former brothers, and find Kain to destroy him, only with Kain's death will the Pillars be balanced and Nosgoth saved from the brink of damnation.

Raziel's first encounter with his brethren is with Melchiah, the weakest of the six made by Kain, and the last. Defeating Melchiah, Raziel earns a new ability to 'phase through' gates in the Spectral Realm, a place were time has no meaning, the place of Raziel's re-birth. Using this new gift, Raziel can now enter the Sanctuary of the Clans, the very place where Kain's throne sits, at the base of the corrupt Pillar of Balance.

As Raziel enters the Sanctuary of the Clans, Kain 'greets' him, and the two exchange words, as Raziel is angered by Kain for wiping out his Clan. A fight ensues, and Kain strikes Raziel down with the Soul Reaver Blade. The blade shatters, and Kain teleports away, and Raziel says "I swore I saw a glint of satisfaction in Kain’s eye when the Soul Reaver was destroyed." Raziel sees the Soul Reaver sword, but as a Wraith blade - its original state - compelling Raziel to reach out and seize it. He does so, and the Soul Reaver and Reaver of Souls are bound together, the blade being Raziel's symbiotic weapon.

At that moment, Ariel, the Balance Guardian approaches as a spirit, assuming that Raziel and Kain are allies. The phantom informs Raziel that he can return to her when he needs information, because "Ariel remembers what others have forgotten" and explains to him how she is haunting these Pillars. Raziel leaves, heading towards the Human Cathedral, where another of his former brethren lay in wait.

Exploring the Cathedral leads Raziel to Zephon, who has used the human's weapon of destruction as his home for him and his Clan. Zephon's Vampires are spider-like, having the ability to climb walls, and wrap cocoons of web around their victims. After Raziel has slain Zephon, he - like Zephon's Vampires - have the ability to scale and climb walls, but only the material realm. The Elder God informs Raziel where to head next, to the mountains beyond the Pillars, where "Nosgoth’s cataclysms have exposed an ancient crime".

Finding his way past the Pillars, leads Raziel to the Tomb of the Sarafan, a place where the murderous Sarafan now lay interred. This place holds the long dead Sarafan warriors, and was thought to be impenetrably sealed but now in the wasteland of Nosgoth, the Tombs lay bare. Entering, Raziel uncovers more than he bargained for, as he - along with his Vampire brethren - was once Sarafan, a force of humans established by the Circle, controlled by Malek (Guardian of Conflict) to eradicate the Vampire plague.

Finding a hidden doorway, Raziel now continues in his quest, discovering that past the Tombs, laid the Silenced Cathedral (aka. The Drowned Abby), and yet another former brother, Rahab. Rahab had overcome his vulnerability to water, since the rays of the sun become too unbearable for him. Defeating him in combat, allowed Raziel to swim, and no longer become prone to water, a gift the Elder God informed Raziel would lead the way to Dumah's Clan territory in the most Northern wastelands.

Following the Elder's advice, Raziel found Dumah's stronghold, weapons lay on the ground, bodies strewn on the floor, still their demise of spears and swords impaled on their corpses. Raziel, curious to what has happened for such a massacre to take place, surveys the surroundings whilst suspecting Kain. "It was not Kain, but Dumah’s own arrogance that brought the downfall of his clan." explains the Elder, and Raziel suddenly realises that it was a human invasion rather than the wrath of Kain that brought about this atrocity.

As Raziel enteres a large room with statues either side, Raziel views his brother, Dumah. Once a proud Vampire, Dumah followed Kain's orders, even when it came to tossing Raziel in to the Abyss. Dumah was chained and impaled with several huge stakes at the back of the room but Raziel began to remove them, and with the final one, Dumah awoke. "The etnernity in limbo has honed my strenght, not even Kain is my equal," claims Dumah. A battle ensues, with Raziel as the victor and now has the ability to wind a contsricting band of energy around enemies, which can even be used to manipulate objects in the material realm.

Using this newly aqquired gift, Raziel is now equipped to encounter Kain, although the final battle takes place in The Oracle’s Cave, a place long since abandoned by Moebius (Guardian of Time) who used this setting to tell gullible visitors their futures. Underneath the complex, was a more massive building, used by Moebius to travel across time. Portals lay in front of Raziel's path, forcing him to glimpse in them "Into the currents of time itself," explained the Elder. Raziel at first thought they were lies, fabricated by Kain to distract him, however, they were not...

One shown Raziel's arrival in the wastes of Nosgoth, talking with the Elder, another showing the Soul Reaver blade being shattered on Raziel's first meeting with Kain. Yet another depicting Raziel's uncovering of the Sarafan Tomb, and another showing a future image of a stand-off between Kain and Raziel. A further one describing Raziel with some newly fodged type of Reaver with black and red energy, and the last showing Raziel strike Ariel down with the Reaver. He tries in vain to shake these thoughts out of his head, whilst continuing down the path to meet Kain.

Entering the Chronolast Chamber, Kain greets him by mocking how quickly he has arrived here. When Raziel questions him - rather furiously - about turning Sarafan warriors into Vampires "Can you grasp the absurd beauty of the paradox? We are the same - Sarafan and vampire... Who better to serve me than those whose passion transcends all notions of good and evil?".

Kain is turning the buttons and leavers on the Chronoplast device, it reacting by whirling above the fighting duo, finally, Kain steps in to a Portal made by the device, offering these words to an enraged Raziel "You nearly had me, Raziel... But this is not where - or how - it ends. Fate promises more twists before this drama unfolds completely," Raziel quickly jumps up, and follows Kain...

The room twists and turns, and as Raziel emerges, he is welcomed by Moebius himself.

To be continued...
The story continues in Soul Reaver 2.