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"The mists that shrouded this lake miraculously now cleared away, revealing an ancient citadel. So Moebius had not lied. Or perhaps this was simply another of the Time Streamer's illusions, meant to slow my true endeavor."
Kain[src]

The Lake of Tears was the largest inland body of water featured in maps of Nosgoth, first introduced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Bordered on the west by mountains and situated near the Pillars of Nosgoth, it was the westernmost point that has been encountered in the series. The lake is first seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and it is apparently visted again in Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

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The lake can be seen on the maps for Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, but it cannot be visited in the game without using tricks. Part of the lake can be seen in the background of the tile containing the Wolf Form Dungeon, but it is isolated from the rest of the tile and there is no way to reach it in regular gameplay. Maps indicate that the lake was fed by the waterfall stemming from Nupraptor's Retreat, and the resultant (accessible) river which flowed through and south of Vasserbünde.[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/3][Blood Omen strategy guide][1][2][3]

Main article: Wolf Form Dungeon
Defiance-LakeOfTears-VampireCitadel

The view over the Lake of Tears to the Vampire Citadel (Defiance)

While not explicitly identified in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, it is almost certain that the Lake of Tears is the misty expanse which harbored the Vampire Citadel. In the fourth timeline, Moebius instructed Kain to travel west of the Pillars when directing him to the Citadel: the Lake of Tears is the only body of water in this area.[Defiance][Defiance/3][1][2][3][4] Using the Balance Emblem, Kain was able to dispel the mists shrouding the Citadel from view.[Defiance/5] During the Blood Omen era, Raziel and Janos Audron witnessed the destruction of the Pillars from across the lake, and Kain gazed out solemnly across it after battling the Elder God.[Defiance/12][Defiance/13]

Main article: Vampire Citadel

Behind the scenes[]

Alpha-LoT-Pill

The expanded Lake of Tears encompassing Nachtholm as seen in the alpha (the bottom waterways connect directly to those in Ziegsturhl)

In the early prototypes of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain parts of the world map are radically different and the Lake of Tears is a much larger and encountered earlier, with the bodies of water seen in Nachtholm, Ziegsturhl, the Cemetery, Nupraptor's Retreat and even the prototype Lake of the Dead connected to a larger system of waterways.[5][6]

Tiles containing the lake and usual Wolf Form Dungeon are placed directly after Ziegsturl, channelling Kain to collect the Wolf Form, but he can optionally climb up the cliffs - as he does in retail to return to the Pillars tile and access the Energy Bolt Dungeon - except instead of that tile he reaches a bonus cave on the southern banks of the lake of tears, with another inaccessible cave positioned across the other side of the lake.[5][6]

Formal progress at that point requires returning to the entry point from Ziegsturhl and following a higher trail to where the tile that will become Nachtholm Cove making up the eastern side of the lake, and positioned spanning across it rather than in an isolated cove. The town of Nachtholm remains much the same but its bridges allow Kain to cross the lake and reach the pillars.[5][6]

Notes[]

  • In Blood Omen the lake cannot be accessed through regular means and requires the ability to walk through walls to reach. The waters are not connected to other tiles and attempts to cross into other areas will crash the game.[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/2][Blood Omen/3] Defiance has similar restrictions. Despite the lake being referred to in dialogue, the waters of the lake cannot be seen in game, remaining shrouded by mist even after the mist has been cleared by the player. Using other tools to inspect reveals that the water is not actually present.[Defiance][Defiance/5][Defiance/6]
  • In the Blood Omen map, a large sea serpent is depicted within the center of the lake, reminiscent of cartographic "here there be monsters" warnings of early seafaring in the real world.[1][2][Blood Omen strategy guide][3] Until the release of Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the warning remained a mystery, and was the root of some fan speculation.[7] The introduction of the Vampire Citadel and the enigmatic mists surrounding it go toward explaining the origin of such a deterrent.[Defiance]
  • The name "Lake of Tears" may etymologically serve as a reference to the tragedies that befell the Vampire Citadel and its inhabitants, the Ancient vampires.

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Maps[]

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Map Tiles[]

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Defiance[]

Interactive Map[]


Videos[]

 	Lake_of_Tears_-_Blood_Omen_Alpha 	 			  

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Icon Nosgothic Realm Blood Omen - Map of Nosgoth at Nosgothic Realm (by Tenaya)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Icon Dark Chronicle Blood Omen - Map of Nosgoth at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Eidos Interactive The (almost) definitive Legacy of Kain maps thread at the Eidos Forums (by Shrykull/Bazielim) (preserved at Cult of Hash'ak'gik)
  4. File:Icon-Defiance.png Moebius: "The answers are plain if you know where to look. Go west of the Pillars - there you will find a testament written in stone.." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Defiance. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (November 11, 2003) Transcript.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Icon Blood Omen Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (Jul 12, 1996 prototype)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Icon Blood Omen Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (Jul 15, 1996 prototype)
  7. Icon Dark Chronicle The Lake of Tears at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)
  8. Icon Nosgothic Realm Blood Omen 2 - map of Nosgoth at Nosgothic Realm
  9. Icon Nosgothic Realm Soul Reaver 2 - Map of Nosgoth at Nosgothic Realm (by Tenaya)
  10. Icon Dark Chronicle Soul Reaver 2 - Map of Nosgoth at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)
  11. Icon Nosgothic Realm Soul Reaver - map of Nosgoth at Nosgothic Realm (by Shrykull)

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