Legacy of Kain | Mortanius - A Character Study

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  • Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
  • Arguably one of the more interesting characters in Legacy of Kain, Mortanius is a character struggling to atone for his past sins.
    This video contains spoilers for Legacy of Kain Blood Omen, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2 & Defiance which was made by Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics.
    Huge thanks to these amazing artists. Credited as below. Please show them your support.
    Mortanius the Necromancer by JLazarusEB
    www.deviantart...
    The 9 original Guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth by DameKlaudia
    www.deviantart...
    Pillar Gaurdians of Nosgoth by JLazarusEB
    www.deviantart...
    The Last Ancient by DameKlaudia
    www.deviantart...
    Anarcrothe the Alchemist by JLazarusEB
    www.deviantart...
    Ariel the Specter by JLazarusEB
    www.deviantart...
    Anarcrothe (Blood Omen) by JLazarusEB
    www.deviantart...
    Legacy by Valkhar
    www.deviantart...
    All other artwork are official promotional and concept art created for the series by the teams at Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics
    Music
    Blood Omen Soundtrack by Steve Henifin
    Soul Reaver 2 Soundtrack by Kurt Harland Jim Hedges
    Legacy of Kain Defiance Soundtrack by Jim Hedges
    Illusory Realm by Darren Curtis Music
    • Free Abstract Dream Mu...
    Dance of the U-boat by Aakash Gandhi
    Hidden Cave by The Stylo Project
    • Royalty-free RPG-style...
  • ИгрыИгры

Комментарии • 296

  • @georgehouliaras7239
    @georgehouliaras7239 Год назад +341

    A mere human and yet he resisted the will of Hylden Lord himself and even hatched a plot to beat him in his own game though Kain's resurrection. Perhaps if the rest of the Circle were like Mortanius, The Pillars themselves would find humans worthy.

    • @matthewmckee3282
      @matthewmckee3282 Год назад +37

      The memebers of the circle could hardly be called merely human anymore.

    • @1xXx2012xXx1
      @1xXx2012xXx1 Год назад +13

      several plots of past and present of mortanius during the LoK story and after could help for a game or chapters on a sequel

    • @Yokyle4356
      @Yokyle4356 Год назад +15

      But that's the thing about we humans we all have a Darkness were always battling inside of us

    • @AedanTheGrey
      @AedanTheGrey Год назад +17

      Its worth noting regarding Mortanius' resilience that his pillar token, the Death Orb, can be inspected in Blood Omen and Kain notes that while holding it he feels no dread or thirst, only the peace of the grave.
      Its likely this coincidental benefit of his guardianship also contributed to his willpower and resistance to outside forces on his mind/soul.

    • @cjvoid9404
      @cjvoid9404 6 месяцев назад +4

      ​@@AedanTheGrey Bingo. That Death orb was something else

  • @apacalypsagon3758
    @apacalypsagon3758 Год назад +219

    The Chad mortanius having faith in kaine is what really hits it home for me.

    • @MrMortull
      @MrMortull Год назад +36

      Do you think Mortanius has a similar outlook on Kain as Kain did of Raziel? That whole "You NEED to want me dead, I *counted on it* boy!" thing? Because there are interesting echoes between the two of them in their, uhm, parenting techniques... > .>

    • @b.y.o.p.9035
      @b.y.o.p.9035 9 месяцев назад +2

      "Kain", not "Kaine". Kaine is the name of the first, great Clone of Spider-Man. 😁

    • @rikybj0276
      @rikybj0276 9 месяцев назад

      but then he refused the sacrifice, right?

    • @wareforcoin5780
      @wareforcoin5780 8 месяцев назад +1

      @@rikybj0276 He created Kain as a vampire to return the pillars to vampire control, which was a success either way.

  • @thebigidea9659
    @thebigidea9659 Год назад +94

    Damn Tony Jay really brought this character to life. Rest in peace voice acting legend.

    • @franciscoramirez4179
      @franciscoramirez4179 Год назад +3

      Indeed! His powerful voice commanded obedience

    • @Lucifronz
      @Lucifronz 9 месяцев назад +1

      Lost him just three years after Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Suppose we never really had a chance to finish the series in time even if they just made one more game to tie the knot on the plot threads. I cannot imagine replacing him entirely. Using a new voice actor to avoid confusion made sense, Tony Jay's performance fit the Elder God perfectly and he was still in the game so there was no real loss, just a bit of a mildly-confusing shift... but to have someone else take his place completely would feel a bit hollow.

  • @filipvadas7602
    @filipvadas7602 Год назад +130

    1.I love that Mortanius was not only the one Pillar Gurdian who remained uncorrupted at his core, fulfilling his duty until the very end, especially once he realised what he and Moebius did, but that he was almost like a father to Kain
    Literally everything he does throughout the entire series is to give Kain a fighting chance against the overwhelming odds that were stacked against him, regardless of his own fate and putting the destiny of all Nosgoth in the hands of his "undead son"
    2. I love the irony of Mortanius continuing the tradition of the ancients, by turning a pillar guardian into a Vampire.
    3. I feel like Mortanius almost perfectly encapsulates the series as a whole. The idea that the Guardian of Death and a Necromancer is one of the few characters genuenly acting in the world's best interest befits the grimdark tone of the franchise

    • @PsychomachineryEBM
      @PsychomachineryEBM Год назад +3

      Not sure about being uncorrupted while being controlled by an evil entity...

    • @mysterygamer3000
      @mysterygamer3000 Год назад +20

      Also nice to see a fictional Necromancer that actually lives up to the ideals of what a Necromancer should be, in most fantasy settings. They are meant to preserve the balance between life and death, put down and keep down the truly dead and help those living to stay that way until their time comes. He definitely was affected by the Hylden and by Nupraptor's madness to some extent but the fact he didn't let it rule him completely like the other members of the circle is indeed amazing.

    • @BucketBoatable
      @BucketBoatable Год назад

      ​@@mysterygamer3000what about the necromancer from Gothic series? Though necromancy isn't directly connected to his personality or motives, it's kinda just the magic he chose to pursue.

    • @Lucifronz
      @Lucifronz 9 месяцев назад +4

      ​@@PsychomachineryEBM I think they just meant that he is still acting in the world's best interests, despite the corruption of the mind eating at him from both the Hylden Lord and Nuprator's psychic assault. He sets Kain to kill all of the guardians, including himself, to purify the pillars and let new guardians take their place. Considering everything holding him down, that's pretty impressive. All of the other guardians are pretty self-serving by this point.

  • @SirPream
    @SirPream Год назад +71

    Mortanius has one of the best character arcs of LoK, simply because he is Mobius' opposite - Whereas Mobius worked as an agent of the Elder God to put Kain in the position of either killing off all vampirism via sacrifice to restore the pillars, or to damn them via refusal of the sacrifice, Mortainius sought to restore balance to the pillars by reintroducing the vampirism to the guardians of the pillars as an atonement of his and the other guardian human's sins. Mortanius shows his humanity in many ways - being powerful but thoughtful, smart but easily manipulated by both Mobius using Mortanius' righteousness and the Hylden/Demons via possession, and showing regret in trying to right his wrongs rather than doubling down as some in his position would; he was a great and powerful man, but simply just that - a man.

  • @brilicusgaming6922
    @brilicusgaming6922 Год назад +36

    The dialogue is what draws me to this story. Feels like I'm watching a Play instead of playing a game.

    • @crimsondynamo615
      @crimsondynamo615 Год назад +9

      I’ve always said that Legacy of Kain is Shakespeare levels of writing.

    • @brilicusgaming6922
      @brilicusgaming6922 Год назад +2

      @@crimsondynamo615 We need this to return. Hopefully the owners of the IP will remake and remaster the old games and make a new one.

    • @alexandersears8538
      @alexandersears8538 Год назад

      @@crimsondynamo615 That is how I describe it to friends when they ask what the series is about: "Imagine if Shakespear wrote about time-travelling vampires..."

  • @lakdav
    @lakdav Год назад +60

    Mortanius is one of the characters that would be best explored in a novel or a series, his arc is so understated in the games it is hurtful, and his struggle against possession would be a nice fresh take on the whole trope.
    Also would be interesting to see his probable friendship with Moebius before and during the rebellion against the ancient vampires... and just how it was the Timestreamer that got to become the servant of the supposed Hub of the Wheel of Fate, instead of the literal Death Guardian

    • @MrMortull
      @MrMortull Год назад +8

      I think it's oddly fitting that Mortanius is so easy to overlook and underappreciate. Satisfying when you get the subtleties and come to understand him, of course, but as he's the Guardian of Death I find it appropriate that his part is... quiet and subdued in comparison to the other big critical players.

    • @larrymcmacarroon9529
      @larrymcmacarroon9529 Год назад +6

      Fine question, why not Mort & Elder as the partners in crime. Because......Mortaneus was the death cop and Elder was a death crook? A soul swindler.
      I doubt Morty ever saw Eldergod in spectral. Hidden from everyone's view except Raziel i.e. "god's secret."

    • @lakdav
      @lakdav Год назад +4

      @@larrymcmacarroon9529 Extra curious because Mortanius was taught by the Ancient Vampires the sanctity of Death and the need for renewal which is reflected even in his original speech to Anacroth: Themes aligning well with the Wheel of Fate. And yet it was Moebius who got so invested in this theme as to give his millenia lifetime entirely to the cause. Not even the Nature Guardian, who could have been another candidate.
      My guess is that it was the Elder God who chose the most useful pawn out of the whole bunch, making Moebius feel more special and more deserving than even his more fitting colleagues.

  • @Nigel222
    @Nigel222 Год назад +82

    Crystal Dynamics should hire you as a lore master whenever they get around to continuing the series.

    • @Sapphire_Jack
      @Sapphire_Jack Год назад +16

      They just got the full rights back this year and had a public survey about the series future not that long ago

    • @iHawke
      @iHawke Год назад +7

      @@Sapphire_Jack pls don't play with my heart like this

    • @subdivisionalmass
      @subdivisionalmass Год назад +5

      @@iHawke It is true my friend.

    • @Sapphire_Jack
      @Sapphire_Jack Год назад +10

      @@iHawke it's true, 73.000 people took the survey, the fanbase of this series is still strong

    • @zid9611
      @zid9611 Год назад +3

      @@Sapphire_Jack think they where talking about serious sequel. Or potentially remaking the first one. As it ever dated. And could be a good barometer in if there any interest in the series.

  • @Ayem339
    @Ayem339 Год назад +90

    I have been waiting for this one since the beginning. Mortanius is my favorite character in the series simply by virtue of the power he has over death yet understanding it is complimentary to life, not its opposite unlike many who claim the title of Necromancer, his sense of duty, his righteousness and his determination to set things right make him amazing and beyond compelling, a perfect example of the Guardian compared to Moebius and his manipulations.

    • @thegamingprozone1941
      @thegamingprozone1941 Год назад +7

      Yeah Mortanius is more likeable then Moebius.

    • @MrMortull
      @MrMortull Год назад +14

      I heartily agree! Almost all Necromancers, be they cosmically powered or simply 'wizards', fall on the "look at me, I can make corpses dance!" end of the spectrum. It was so refreshing to see one that is a guardian of Death in concept as well as an actually competent, wise person who understands that his power is only one part of a greater whole.

    • @qinlongfei
      @qinlongfei Год назад

      I am now curious if Mortanius at least partially inspired Rilian in Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire.

  • @1Tekkaman
    @1Tekkaman Год назад +18

    The bit about the Spectral Realm never occurred to me. It makes sense, though; if he's guardian of Death, it stands to reason he can access the underworld directly.

  • @GlaswegianBR
    @GlaswegianBR Год назад +93

    You have succeeded so damn well in highlighting how pivotal Mortanius is to the Legacy of Kain. I applaud you. what a fantastic Character

  • @amanitamuscaria5863
    @amanitamuscaria5863 Год назад +14

    16:55 Imagine for a moment what would would happen if Raziel just came out and said: "I'm a vampire you senile goat. KAIN made me into a vampire." Because everyone always just assumes that Raziel is a hylden. Except for Janos.

    • @strictlyfantasy
      @strictlyfantasy  Год назад +10

      Yeah, even Vorador in Soul Reaver 2 says that Raziel appears more demon than vampire and as the Hylden have strong ties to the demon realm it makes sense why some characters think he belongs to that race.

    • @CarlosCFC92
      @CarlosCFC92 Год назад +3

      ​@@strictlyfantasy Funny, as Raziel is actually the one that resembles the OG vampires the most, blue and winged (sort of). Ah, Vorador the green menace... and Kain's "divine" look, look demonic asf imo, but really cool nonetheless

  • @momchilgradinarov6428
    @momchilgradinarov6428 Год назад +2

    The voice acting in these series, especially BO and SR1/2 is just amazing.

  • @pious83
    @pious83 Год назад +23

    I definitely think Mortanius and Janus would likely have featured heavily in Dark Prophecy.
    I also like to think the reason he was able to resist Hylden possession and Nupraptor's madness was due to his necromancy. Being between life and death granted him some immunity to such manipulations.

    • @Unknown_User174
      @Unknown_User174 7 месяцев назад

      But he was destroyed…Mortanius and the other seven corrupted guardians were destroyed.

  • @Vecinu7
    @Vecinu7 Год назад +11

    I hope you never stop doing these LoK videos

  • @dragonloli7938
    @dragonloli7938 Год назад +22

    Fun Fact : The voice actor of Mortanious (Alastair Duncan) and Ariel (Anna Gunn) were married to each other.

    • @crimsondynamo615
      @crimsondynamo615 Год назад +2

      Nuprator gets cucked

    • @NOKIA-vq2dx
      @NOKIA-vq2dx Год назад +3

      lol and the mind guardian ?was the simp ?

    • @Unknown_User174
      @Unknown_User174 7 месяцев назад

      Oh I didn’t know that.😃
      Hope they’ll return for a remastered collection or I don’t know if their daughter will voice Ariel the Balance Guardian.

    • @SamuelBlack84
      @SamuelBlack84 Месяц назад

      First, she has a romance with Nupraptor and then Mortanious 😂

    • @janaussiger4111
      @janaussiger4111 17 дней назад

      Ohhhh, Cuckraptor, cuckraptor

  • @PikaCheeks
    @PikaCheeks Год назад +2

    Mortanius is a homie. I love his character and that it turns out he was actually good all along, one of the most selfless characters in Legacy of Kain!

  • @Soul_Free
    @Soul_Free Год назад +4

    Holy shit, I never heard about that removed recorded dialogue between Anarcrothe and Mortanius. In the final cut it seems a lot more vague, even confusing, but that dialogue makes it all clear, and it matches with the rest of the eventual story line's conclusion that I have no doubts Mrs. Hennig had access to that and all the material (seen, unseen or removed) from Blood Omen in order to construct the narrative for the rest of the games.
    One of my favorite aspects of the Legacy of Kain is how there are so many players making moves, and yet none of them has the whole idea of what is really going on. Even the wisest, most cunning ones, like Moebius and Mortanius, all had their knowledge, got the hints, and yet ignored some things and made some mistakes. Even Kain, the Scion of Balance, was completely ignorant of what he really was supposed to do, the profecy that he was supposed to fulfill, although he was on the right track by trusting Raziel and empowering him, as he was literally the Soul Reaver personified, the tool he needed to fulfill his role. It was Raziel, after a lot of mistakes and stumbling, who eventually took the pieces that each of the players had in their hands and managed to complete the puzzle.
    Ultimately, what makes the Elder God so terrible is that he was the only one who knew it all from the begining, rather, he wasn't playing at anything, he was the maker of the game, the game master, the puzzle maker.

  • @Nigua
    @Nigua Год назад +18

    I'm so glad that they're once again working on this series, which by proxy means that your content covering it won't run dry anytime soon. Good stuff, always a pleasure to watch.

    • @vashmatrix5769
      @vashmatrix5769 Год назад +5

      Any idea who's making it? Remakes these days are so bad im skeptical of any.

    • @thegamingprozone1941
      @thegamingprozone1941 Год назад +6

      @@vashmatrix5769 legacy of kain is now made for a modern audience nooooooooo

    • @vashmatrix5769
      @vashmatrix5769 Год назад +3

      @@thegamingprozone1941 Oh boy. If that's their goal, & we know what that means, I'm out.

    • @thegamingprozone1941
      @thegamingprozone1941 Год назад +3

      @@vashmatrix5769 well until then we shall see.

    • @strictlyfantasy
      @strictlyfantasy  Год назад +11

      Even if a Remake turns out to be terrible, we will still always have the original games. Better that they at least try to bring the games back rather than have them fade into obscurity.

  • @civilwarfare101
    @civilwarfare101 Год назад +4

    Alistar Duncan is honestly a really good VA, everytime he voices someone he is always captivating.
    Also, his Mortanius sounds like Celebrimbor from the Middle Earth games another game series where you play as a wraith lmao.

    • @Unknown_User174
      @Unknown_User174 7 месяцев назад

      I’m really hoping he’ll return to voice him again the remastered version of Blood Omen while it’ll be either archived or voiced again in the remastered version of Legacy of Kain: defiance.

  • @Kouh_Sijaed
    @Kouh_Sijaed Год назад +7

    your channel is so underrated I feel you have such a passion for the History you Weave into a story like Narrative which keeps me coming back for more even if I know the History of Nosgoth.

  • @norfemignissius4936
    @norfemignissius4936 Год назад +36

    I wonder if he "sees" that Raziel is possessed by the hylden in this scene, since he insist that he is one of them, or if it's just his sick mind unable to consider the other options now that he is near the end.

    • @DarkEinherjar
      @DarkEinherjar Год назад +16

      Most likely it's because Raziel's appearance resembles the Hylden as they were depicted in the murals.

    • @carlospandette8001
      @carlospandette8001 Год назад +2

      How was Raziel "possessed"? Up until that point Raziel was being manipulated by everyone, not possessed...

    • @norfemignissius4936
      @norfemignissius4936 Год назад +15

      @@carlospandette8001 When you consume your last brother's soul (in Defiance), you also consume the hylden(s) possessing him.
      This latter cause Raziel to take decisive action and try to kill Kain in hate and anger, burning because of their influence.
      It's the scene where he reaps the hearth of darkness, and throws him in the demonic realm.
      You see the hyldens green glow in his eyes during the cinematic in question.
      They wanted him to do this to revive Janos, their "vessel".

    • @carlospandette8001
      @carlospandette8001 Год назад +3

      @@norfemignissius4936 You got it all wrong buddy.
      You just said it, Raziel was blinded by rage after he absorbed Turel's soul not because he was influenced or possessed. Let's just say Raziel ate something bad and gave him indigestion, that's exactly what happened.
      The outcome would've been the same even if he didn't get to absorb Turel, it just happened that his rage got out of control, also the hylden were just mind controlling Turel not possesing.
      Also, let's say Raziel gets to absorb a hylden, doesn't mean they can control him, he's a wraith, after he eats souls they just go to the wheel, they don't affect Raziel.

    • @christophermire3872
      @christophermire3872 Год назад +3

      When Raziel meets Mortanius he hasn't battled Turel yet. So I believe it's his physical resemblance to the Hylden that Mortanius is referring to.

  • @usamazahid3882
    @usamazahid3882 Год назад +6

    Another Shakespearean and Byronic Legacy of Kain character next to others like Kain and Raziel themselves, in Mortanius. What a tragical story indeed. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Here's my honest opinion on the Byronic Mortanius. He's as you said,l the Atoner, because he didn't realize at first, what it was the Pillars of Nosgoth were holding back, and he refused to believe the myths that the Vampires were a plague, a pestilence that had to be removed, but they were right all along and Mortanius was a fool, used by a manipulator like Moebius, for his and the Elder God's own insidious ends.
    It's exactly (although the two game franchises are different, but shared the same morality in the narrative as a whole) how Otacon had felt, during the events of the Shadow Moses Incident in Metal Gear Solid 1 and he too, became an Atoner in his own right, that he thought he would become a famous scientist in order to make robots like the ones seen in the Japanese Animes, but was wound up used as a pawn of the Government to make a deadly walking death mobile, as he stated that they had to take responsibility for their actions, as Science had always thrived on War. The weapons of mass destruction were created by scientists who wanted to be famous. He, like Mortanius, decided to atone himself, and became one of the most Byronic heroes ever created.

  • @Sternenherz127
    @Sternenherz127 Год назад +3

    Mobius hears a disembodied voice and gains a glimpse of the truth: "I will serve, master."
    Mortanius after having the same happen to him and glimpse more: "This is disasterous. Waht to do? Let me think."

  • @MediumRareSteak79
    @MediumRareSteak79 Год назад +3

    Great video as always. I like Mortanius because his character develops like Dr Jykell and Mr Hyde. He starts off in the first Blood Omen all underhanded and evil, but right up to Defiance he has gone from Hyde back to Jykell, realizing his mistakes and wants to fix them. Great character, great game. Will always be one of my personal favourites.

  • @KainHRAbel
    @KainHRAbel Месяц назад

    I've never heard the deleted scene. This is awesome to hear now. Thank you so much for making this video.

  • @gjtrue
    @gjtrue Год назад +1

    The more I listen to these videos and read up on the vast lore of the Legacy of Kain series, the less it feels like we know about Nosgoth and its characters ironically.
    It's like what Raziel said to the Elder God: "Things in this world I am learning are *rarely* what they seem."

  • @claudiac.e.4859
    @claudiac.e.4859 Год назад

    Another great introduction of a character!!
    And as usual, THANKS for choosing TWO of my works to illustrate your video! ^^

  • @b.y.o.p.9035
    @b.y.o.p.9035 9 месяцев назад

    This whole time, I never realized they changed it in Defiance where Mortanius used a spell to make his face more Skull like. Thanks. Awesome look into the history of a character I paid little attention to. Great video, as always. 🙂

  • @Mastervgl
    @Mastervgl Месяц назад

    3:00 21 years, multiple replays, myriad videos watched and yet this is the first time I hear of this.
    The Legacy of Kain games were truly something else - elevated narratives outside of the norm.

  • @Shalashaska777
    @Shalashaska777 Год назад +4

    I'm always grateful to see you post a new video. Thank you for uploading! I'm going to savor this one

  • @XenWarriorTheReal
    @XenWarriorTheReal Год назад +7

    I always thought that the squeleton was his real face and that his human appearance was a facade held with magic.

  • @KCfusion_
    @KCfusion_ Год назад

    He was a human but he resisted the Hylden Lord but he also was very much a strong type of person since he was able to fulfill his duties to the Circle in redeeming himself and Nosgoth by creating the Scion of Balance through Kain while also believing Kain would set everything right.
    I’m so happy you got around to finally getting to cover the lore of one of my top favorite characters of the series. Despite the fact that he was corrupted by dark forces he was a man who was misled along with his fellow guardian Möbius but unlike Mobius, Mortanius was uncorrupted sg his core. He still remained a loyal and noble person despite the horrible acts he committed or took complacency in.
    Its quick to forget that Mortanius is so pivotal but i’m so happy you managed to give him the spotlight. Its his actions are what ended up leading Kain down the path to saving the world to defeating the Hylden Lord.

  • @MCcreedLP
    @MCcreedLP Год назад +1

    I have never seen Mortanius in the spectral realm lol. Thanks to you I learn even more about the series even after all these years

  • @alexeybagirov6635
    @alexeybagirov6635 Год назад

    You got me obsessed with the series.
    I bought myself a copy of Defiance and currently playing it. Thank you !

  • @ZornyPooh
    @ZornyPooh Год назад +1

    Mortanius is a fantastic character, thank you for making such an excellent video about him.

  • @wesleyharris1723
    @wesleyharris1723 Год назад +2

    I say out the LoK Lore/Character Study, Mortanius is definitely my most anticipated character to be talked and learn more about. I’m glad he’s getting the spotlight and totally called that his last message to Kain would be the introduction to his character study.

  • @MisterRhyeOfficial
    @MisterRhyeOfficial Год назад +2

    It was an awesome review of Mortanius, truly he is a character that, perhaps he was the right man in the right place after being so wrong after so much time, he made a resistance against Nuprartor and Lord Hylden, was it possible that if he could saw the true intentions of Moebius (or the Elder God) he perhaps could have made the right thing to stopping them.. what an incredible character 👏

  • @propheci
    @propheci Год назад +3

    Ah, been waiting a while now for this one. Mortanius was my favorite of all characters back in BO1. I'll have to go against Mr. Cabuco; I felt that his design was perfect: a haunting, wraithlike archmage. He may have looked bony and frail, but he was massively powerful. There's a reason he's the last guardian. Alastair Duncan was OK, but I prefer Tony Jay as well. Lastly, I'm glad he acted as the foil for Mobius: Mobius was a fool who was mislead even after his death; Mortanius was made into an unwilling pawn, and wanted to redeem himself.

  • @freaknr1
    @freaknr1 Год назад +2

    Mortanius is a truly fascinating character. The complexity of his scheme really blew me away when I first experienced it, and he was always a really fascinating character to me, especially since he was only in BO for the longest time, unlike Mobius, who we met in 3 games. So seeing him again, even if just for 2 scenes in Defiance was a real treat, and made him even more interesting. A conflicted character in so many ways, but still willing to do what is right in the end. It's also a credit to the writers of LoK how they managed to retcon his story in a way that worked so well.

  • @deep1umbra
    @deep1umbra Год назад

    Mortanius was one of my favorite characters of LOK. His design, his voice actors, and his redemption arc, all resonated with me deeply for some reason. I would dearly love more backstory about him and Moebius, their tutelage under the Ancients, their eventual rebellion, and the events leading up to Kain's resurrection. So thank you so much for this!

  • @JesusCarrero1991
    @JesusCarrero1991 Год назад

    Thank you very much. I truly have changed my perception about Mortanius.
    Still praying for a remake someday.

  • @LegacyofKainisBack
    @LegacyofKainisBack Год назад

    I'm a massive fan of your channel. And LOK is my favorite saga of video games since my childhood. Many times I've asked in the comment section to talk about Mortanius so I'm very glad you did.

  • @smokeysnowboard1809
    @smokeysnowboard1809 Год назад +1

    Thank u for making these. Ive been going through a hard time but these video’s seriously get me through.

  • @TheVampireAzriel
    @TheVampireAzriel 3 месяца назад

    I'm glad someone has addressed the Mortanius/ElderGod connection. I was one of those who thought there was a connection.

  • @davidalmeida6983
    @davidalmeida6983 Год назад

    I can't stop watching your LOK videos pls never stop! 🙏🙏

  • @lonerkyle02
    @lonerkyle02 Год назад

    Thank you for doing these videos. It saddens that that so many people these days prefer graphics over story and character arcs. The music and dialogue to these games still give me good chills.

    • @strictlyfantasy
      @strictlyfantasy  Год назад +1

      Well, if Crystal Dynamics does go ahead and remake these classics, hopefully we'll have both good dialogue/story and great graphics.

  • @slickrick7438
    @slickrick7438 11 месяцев назад

    I know im late to the party but damn do i miss games with stories like this. Every Blood Omen and Soul Reaver game i was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next cut scene.

  • @soulreaver1983
    @soulreaver1983 Год назад +2

    Thanks for another fantastic video buddy 👍

  • @taratron8570
    @taratron8570 Год назад +1

    A very underrated character, but I do question his dealing with Malek: you have a Timestreamer on staff who can literally show you what happens, and Mort goes for the hardcore punishment first. I remember reading various fan theories that it was Moebius who persuaded Mort to rebel against their master (even to say rebel sounds bad, because presumably they were there against their will, or at least against being turned) because of the Elder God, and once that was done, Mortanius was rather hands-off in terms of the vampire purges and making of the Sarafan. It was only much much later when he started getting possessed that he realized what a cluster it all was, and I really really wish we could have a scene of him right after Ariel's murder, when he was of sound mind again, and realizing what he had been forced to do.

  • @danielmajor3472
    @danielmajor3472 Год назад

    I should buy a place in these comments. I'm always are going be here when a video comes out. Love your work keep it up

  • @BikeRyder13
    @BikeRyder13 Год назад

    20 something years later and people still talking about this. I love it

  • @TheBeird
    @TheBeird Год назад

    I did not know you could talk to Mortanius in the Spectral Realm. 18 years old and Defiance still surprises me

  • @danu2133
    @danu2133 Год назад +1

    Not just Mortanius, but Moebius too resisted Nupraptor's poisoning. I imagine they're that more powerful than the rest given their age, or that the Ancients taught them magic that humans don't have access to.
    In regards to Malek's punishment, I imagine the assassination of his fellow Sarafan Inquisitors also influenced Mortanius' punishment for him. Raziel and co weren't conceived during the making of Blood Omen, but it fits perfectly and it justifies Mortanius' severity - in his point of view, Malek did nothing, either snored or fooled around with someone while the Circle was destroyed and the Sarafan chain of command obliterated.

    • @taratron8570
      @taratron8570 Год назад

      i imagine the Elder God did a solid on his servant by making sure whatever madness Moebius got, was dealt with. an insane servant can't serve!

  • @artemisarrow179
    @artemisarrow179 Год назад

    Can we just appreciate what an excellent voice Tony Jay had?

  • @Lucifronz
    @Lucifronz 9 месяцев назад

    God, they are so fucking good at choosing voice actors. Alastair Duncan has an impeccable voice which isn't too far from Tony Jay's in some ways, but is also distinct and lends itself to the performance.
    Celebrimbor is easily one of the best parts of the Shadow of Mordor/War games and it's due in no small part to just how good Alastair Duncan is at voice acting these dramatic ancient-sounding characters.

  • @blumoon131
    @blumoon131 Год назад

    I'm just now learning that you could encounter Mortainius in the Spectral Realm.
    This series always has new twists for me to find.

  • @TANK1677
    @TANK1677 Год назад +3

    The sad thing is, Mortanius' plan pretty much fails in the end as Kain is both the last pillar guardian AND the last vampire, something I am sure he did not account for. It's only because of Raziel's interactions and paradoxes in the past that even allowed his plan to bear fruit. I would say that Mortanius had the right idea, but the odds were stacked against him in more ways than 3.

  • @mpnfresh
    @mpnfresh Год назад +3

    I see LOK content, I click. I would also buy LOK content, but Crystal Dynamics or whoever doesn't want my money I guess

  • @yonagwy5826
    @yonagwy5826 Год назад

    I wish they'd make an animated series of movies from this. I loved these games. The only games that ever grabbed me.

  • @C0wb0yBebop
    @C0wb0yBebop Год назад +1

    Shout out to Tony Jay 👏 who played half the voice actors in Blood Omen !

  • @KCfusion_
    @KCfusion_ Год назад +1

    Your thoughts on his redemption arc were great. Your thoughts on No matter what your past you can Always change for the better

  • @itinerantmercenary6988
    @itinerantmercenary6988 Год назад

    Mortanius is an epic character study. I absolutely agree when you say he is the redeemer archetype. He is someone who has seen the full folly of his youthful choices, and instead of giving up pushes back to return the world to righteousness. He fought Nuprator AND the Hylden Lord to a standstill. Thats possibly the crappiest odds in all Nosgoth. And still he stood firm.
    They say there are no heroes Nosgoth, and it’s absolutely true. Yet if there was one it would have been Mortanius.

  • @AnnaCurser
    @AnnaCurser Год назад

    so much i didnt know (or think about). great piece of lore

  • @infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295
    @infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295 Год назад

    Been waiting for this one thank you

  • @apacalypsagon3758
    @apacalypsagon3758 Год назад +2

    Yes I was waiting for this one.

  • @StonedHunter
    @StonedHunter Год назад

    I will say, one thing that the Legacy of Kain series does really well is argue for having hope even in the worst situations. Mortanius is a perfect example of someone who is hopeful that something can be done even when it seems like all is lost. The series 'ends' on a hopeful note as Kain with a clear mind goes to finally face the Elder God and potentially end him once and for all. Even the original had it with the alternate ending. It takes a lot to have people be hopeful for the future of a world as deteriorated as we find Nosgoth in Soul Reaver and yet these games pulled it off so well.

  • @qwefg3
    @qwefg3 Год назад

    Still amazing at the level of detail they put into these characters.

  • @senhorkorracha
    @senhorkorracha Год назад +1

    It would be dope to see that Mortanius intended not only to save Nosgoth by restoring balance but also by forming a new vampire race. Kain isn't cursed per se, so he's not sterile. He would have corrected both the Hilden invasion and the vampire extinction in one go.

    • @vesalore696
      @vesalore696 Год назад

      Kain is sterile even Janos who's incorruptible

  • @Shadowdragon_TV
    @Shadowdragon_TV 4 месяца назад

    Mortanius and The Elder God sounding the same is actually quite poetic. Both are the rebirth fathers of each main character and calls them "son". Mortanius to Kain, The Elder God to Raziel.

  • @snakeplissken9587
    @snakeplissken9587 Год назад

    Tony Jays voice nailed those characters he played.

  • @realtsarbomba
    @realtsarbomba Год назад

    First time I played LoK:BO was in 1997 and still revisit the series from time to time. What we need is a new game(s) either as a reboot for the series or continued storyline.

  • @roll4max
    @roll4max Год назад

    Damn, the balance pillar missed the mark, clearly this guy should be in charge. 😆
    Also, man, that look Raziel has after meeting with Mortanius kills me. His story began as a quest for vengeance, and now after everything, including Kain trying to alter his fate at the end of SR2, realizing he no longer has a choice in killing Kain. The conflicted feelings are so much he can’t even speak. What a powerful moment.

  • @Jebbtube
    @Jebbtube Год назад

    TheLoadingCrew does videos determining the alignment of fictional characters based on the scale from Dungeons and Dragons.
    I've been petitioning them to make a video on Kain and Raziel, but perhaps you could collab with them in order to make it even more thorough?

  • @JuanPerez-cs1gx
    @JuanPerez-cs1gx 4 месяца назад

    I wasn't expecting to see such interesting view on a seemingly secondary character in the LoK series this late in the game (no pun intended).
    Honestly I wish that instead of Fallout, the Witcher and other streaming series or movies inspired by "pop games"a serious story focused streaming series based on LoK was created, obviously with Amy Hening and other writers reworking the story to patch holes and fix any other issues created because of the complicated release cycles of the games and other issues.

  • @mr.watkins2957
    @mr.watkins2957 Год назад

    I’m excited to see what happens with this recent activity from the developers

  • @Fred63205
    @Fred63205 Год назад +1

    So far what power do we know with 100% certainty THE Elder God has used? The power of Death to bring back Moebius and be present in the spectral realm, the power of Time to bring Kain into the same time period as Raziel, and possibly dimension to bring demons into the world in soul reaver 2 (not 100% on that one). The traitor guardians appear to give The Elder God power. This maybe why he's present in every time in the physical and spectral realms

  • @KCfusion_
    @KCfusion_ Год назад

    I’m hoping that the next video entry you do will be on Nupraptor the guardian who corrupted the rest of the Circle and his connection to Ariel as a grief stricken lover who went so far off the deep end that he plunged Nosgoth into chaos

  • @janosaudron564
    @janosaudron564 Год назад

    Man I love your Breakdowns!!!

  • @ShadowRoadX
    @ShadowRoadX Год назад

    Most associate necromancers with evil, but it's more common than people think that they are instead in roles of guardians, acting as sentinels against death itself. Pretty much every narrative they exist in, death and the magics tied to it are insurmountable facets of nature itself, and thus require those who are practiced with wielding it to ensure balance between life and death. Mortanius is a textbook example of this, I'd even go as far as arguing he stands as the archetype for modern era fantasy media in that regard.

  • @Mr.Flawless
    @Mr.Flawless Год назад

    well i never tried to talk with Mortanius in the Spectral realm. nice information

  • @randez626
    @randez626 Год назад

    Excellent video. More now

  • @JustFaithless
    @JustFaithless Год назад +6

    Fastest click of my life and like :)

  • @mahat44
    @mahat44 Год назад

    I really never cared for mortanius, but now i realize how important he really was in the Lok story.

  • @allsparkwarrier
    @allsparkwarrier Год назад

    I hope that one day we get more story in the world of Nosgoth. If we don't ever get a continuation to the series I at least hope to get remakes of the past games

  • @PsychomachineryEBM
    @PsychomachineryEBM Год назад

    Mortanius deserves his own series

  • @larrymcmacarroon9529
    @larrymcmacarroon9529 Год назад

    What this brought into focus for me is Hennig flipped Dyack's Grand Guiniol around completely. It was supposed to be a darkening of the world for a vampire to be seated on the Circle, part of the dark entity's plan to unravel the world. Now with later games it's not the demon who did this but Mortaneus as pushback Against his demons, and he put a vampire on the Circle to SAVE the world.

  • @nathansteinfromarkham7109
    @nathansteinfromarkham7109 Год назад

    Didn't know this. It certainly makes Mortanius more respectable.

  • @lightwielder2563
    @lightwielder2563 Год назад

    Very nice content dude, I really appreciate it.
    Keep up :)

  • @mattm6741
    @mattm6741 Год назад +1

    I think they were going to reveal that the Hylden Lord possessed Mortanius as the slaughter of the circle unfolded.

  • @mene3337
    @mene3337 Год назад

    Well done, you make excellent videos.

  • @VLFBERHTwolf
    @VLFBERHTwolf Год назад

    Hey, since their talk of another LOK game, I was wonderimg if you can do a video about the cancelled game Legacy of Kain: Dead Suns. Since your video essays are excellent I would like to see want your and deductions are about this title. Please consider this and Thank you.

  • @JO-iv7tl
    @JO-iv7tl Год назад

    Ive been pondering this for awhile. Mortanius by creating kain inadvertantly created a new timeline that never existed before. All other timelines that didn't have kain the vampire and now those that did. This means kain wasn't always a player and at one time events played out without vampire Kain existing at all. With this in mind fate and inevitable future doesn't exist in the current, games, timeline. (Which I feel is the entire purpose of these games taking place.)
    This means there is an unaltered timeline that occurs and would have been the original events. A story yet to be seen by the audience.
    How much more mortanius has in these is beyond me and will leave that speculation to others.

  • @TyCollage
    @TyCollage Год назад

    Strictly Fantasy *(this beautiful beautiful bastard)* out here putting in and doin the Lord's Work!
    Sharing this upload with the 19yr long college brother who
    threw me in the Blood Omen pool to begin with...😅

  • @jackmalin2528
    @jackmalin2528 Год назад

    Been waiting for this one.

  • @dynias7282
    @dynias7282 Год назад

    i was waiting for this character study mortanius is so intresting as character

  • @robertstull8759
    @robertstull8759 Месяц назад

    I never put it together that Mortanius was raised and trained by the ancient vampires. That makes so many of his decisions make sense now. After turning against them and usurping the pillars he saw that was a mistake as humans were too easily corruptible. So he took it upon himself to try to "reassign" the pillars to new vampires, starting with Kain. Talk about doing something really stupid for a seemingly good reason

  • @AedanTheGrey
    @AedanTheGrey 3 месяца назад

    I suspect Mortanius' absence during Vorador's attack was related to Avernus and possibly his possession by the Hylden. Im not sure what else it could possibly have been.

  • @jonathanferguson7791
    @jonathanferguson7791 Год назад

    Your vids are so good

  • @waldirnacarath
    @waldirnacarath Год назад

    great work as aways