Kain - Iron Armor/Scourge of the Circle

This is the first step on Kain’s vampire evolution. The reimagining of Kain newly turned by Mortanius into the vampire scourge of the Circle, in the Iron Armor Mortanius forged for him. As mentioned, it was crucial to get human Kain right because now I could make the vampire version and it all felt right and natural. The common traits of becoming a vampire in Nosgoth, which have been shown universally, even in the Ancients: the brow arches and thickens, cheek bones thicken, face becomes gaunt, along with the fat levels on the body, to the point the underlying veins, capillaries, permeate to the surface of the skin. The eyes turn golden yellow with a darkened, blood boarder. The area around the eyes and lips darken, and, generally, the overall complexion and look is that of a corpse. I would say Kain, being born through actual necromancy, is even more dead-looking than perhaps vampires created prior to him. He also has the very unique trait of his hair turning white from being jet black in life. A very stark, symbolic rebirth.

For Kain’s Iron Armor, I kept as much from the overall design that could work from the original ingame UI and concept art for Kain as I could. Imagining parts of this armor as reforged by Mortanius from the armor he died wearing, “As it was borne from hellfire, forged by the Necromancer's magic, my armor resists fire and provides me with strong defense.” Where it could be, I slimmed the design of the previous armor. Less shoulder and arm plating, less full plate around the midsection and removing the full tassets below the midsection. This is taking historic inspiration from brigandine and plate armor combinations. The brigandine is the red garment under, with straps and rivets showing that the red fabric is sown and fitted over interlocking steel plates. These can allow more flexibility in the midsection while still adding great protection against blades. Over top of that are the breast and back plates with added extra plating welded onto them in strips, protecting his heart the most. Under the arm plating, copper-alloy chain mail protects the gaps for the arms and under the arm pit, sown as sleeves for the brigandine. I gave him fingerless gloves to expose his claws. Historically, armor was often blued or blackened when hardening the steel, like we see here. In addition to the look, it was easier to keep from rusting and wear.

Kain’s Iron Sword is the blade that the assassin was given to “End him, now!” Symbolically, we see Mortanius pull it from his impaled “body” and hand it to him when offering Kain the chance for revenge in the Underworld. The turning into a vampire happens when Kain grasps the blade. This is all symbolic, but it means that Kain truly has a unique bond with this sword. As he says, “Forged by the Serioli, the legendary weapon masters of Nosgoth, this blade will serve me well, in life and beyond.” The inscription on the blade near the hilt reads, in Lovecraftian, “Serioli.” From his quest for revenge and seeking out a cure to his vampirism, this is a fearsome Kain, newly born to this vampiric life, or unlife, and equipped to destroy whatever stands in his way.