The Builder

The Builder crawls out of his cell
The Builder crawls out of his cell

The Builder featured in Blood Omen 2.

In Blood Omen 2, when Kain first visited the Device, he encountered the Beast (Janos Audron). The Beast assisted Kain, knowing that if Kain succeeded in destroying the Device, it would be freed.

The Beast told Kain to find the Builder of the Device. Kain found it hard to believe that an individual so ancient could still be alive, and he said so. The Beast replied that the Builder could be found in the Eternal Prison. The time distortion there made it possible, as hours and years were frozen, causing the prisoners to pay for their crimes eternally.[1,2]

The Builder
The Builder

Kain entered the Eternal Prison, ignoring the attempts of the Prison Guardians to turn him away. Finally he lowered a cell in the shape of an inverted pyramid which held a Hylden prisoner. The Hylden crawled out and Kain - entirely without good cause - kicked him. He questioned the prisoner about the whereabouts of the Builder.[3]

The Builder and Kain discussing the Device and how to destroy it
The Builder and Kain discussing the Device and how to destroy it

The prisoner was the Builder. He bargained with Kain: he was happy to tell him about the Device in return for an end to his suffering. The Builder had been sent to the Eternal Prison while the rest of his race was banished to the Demon Realm. Although the Builder described it as a "far more terrible realm", his fate was conceivably worse than theirs. Kain agreed to the Builder's terms, and the Builder told him about the purpose of the Device and the abilities of the Mass. Kain realized that the Sarafan Lord intended to use the Glyph Energy [BO2] network as a conduit for the lethal mental energy of the Mass.[3]

When the Builder learned that the Device might finally be used, he showed concern. He no longer wanted his creation to unleash its destructive potential. Asking Kain to "kill that which [he] created out of arrogance and pride", he offered his blood to Kain, so Kain could use it to poison the Mass. In taking the blood, Kain killed the Builder to fulfil his obligation to him.[3]

Further Observations

There doesn't appear to be a reason why Kain specifically needed the Builder's blood to poison the Mass. Kain claimed he could feel the Builder's blood "course coldly" through him, but at the rate Kain's recently-awakened body consumed blood, there would have been none left in his veins when he reached the creature. It seems more realistic that any Hylden's blood would have done the job. Kain was on a Hylden-rich diet throughout the Device, and the poison certainly didn't appear diluted: the Mass died almost instantly when exposed to it. It's likely the trip to the Eternal Prison was only necessary for Kain to learn the Mass' weakness in the first place.[4]

Alternatively, if we take Kain's comment as fact, and the Builder's blood was special, it may have been a consequence of his imprisonment. Perhaps an element of 'impurity' was introduced into Hylden blood in the Demon Realm, leaving the Builder as a final 'pure' example of their race (besides the Seer?).

The comparison with the Seer inevitably brings up one last observation about the Builder: somehow he had become as emaciated as his banished kin, while the Seer had not. There is no obvious explanation for this. The emaciated appearance of the Hylden was supposedly a consequence of their banishment; the Demon Realm rendered them "hideous". If she kept her looks, having apparently avoided their banishment, surely he should have too.[5]

References

  1. [BO2] The Beast to Kain: "To destroy the Device, you must seek out the being that built it."
  2. [BO2] Kain: "You mean to tell me that this being still lives? It's impossible!"
    The Beast: He lives. Listen to me. There is a place in Nosgoth, far to the north, where time means nothing. Where hours and years are frozen for eternity. The Eternal Prison. The wretches imprisoned there, paying for their crimes for eternity. The Builder is there."
  3. The Blood Omen 2 Script (Dialogue) (Chapter 8 - The Eternal Prison - Bad Blood: The Builder)
  4. [BO2] Kain: "At last I had found it. The foul Mass, hidden within the bowels of the Device. Here was the Sarafan Lord's ultimate weapon, his trump card to be played against human and vampire alike. But I had my own weapon. I could feel the Builder's blood course coldly through my veins. If I could use it to poison this creature, the Sarafan Lord's plans would be ruined."
  5. [DEF] Hylden to Kain (in the Demon Realm): "You are still fair of form, vampire."
    "That will go first."
    "This realm will render you hideous..."

Like Dark Chronicle on Facebook:

Follow Dark Chronicle on Twitter: