Kain/Umah (Legacy of Kain)
Title: You could have been my Queen.
Author: silverenigma
Spoilers: Major Blood Omen: LoK and Blood Omen 2 spoilers - as games, there is limited canon to draw on.
Personal Website: www.dark-chronicle.co.uk
Contents:
Introduction
The Characters
- Kain's history
- Umah's role
Evidence of the Relationship
- Kain's feelings for Umah
- Umah's feelings for Kain
- Betrayal and Regret
Conclusion: Why do I support this pairing? Why should others support it?
Fandom Resources
Introduction
I have been a fan of the Legacy of Kain videogames since the release of Soul Reaver (1999). I became addicted when I played Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Kain's and Raziel's adventures have now become a big part of my life; I have been fairly active in this small-but-dedicated fandom since early 2001.
Set in the land of Nosgoth, the Legacy of Kain series is noted for its convoluted plots, terrific voice acting, and its huge cast of intriguing characters. Starting with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in 1996, there have been five games charting the vampire Kain's rise to power, and his attempts to reclaim his true destiny as the 'Scion of Balance'. The details of Kain's tale are beyond the scope of this manifesto; Umah appeared in Blood Omen 2. It is the fourth game in the series, but chronologically it is the most direct sequel to the first game.
When Kain 'got a girlfriend' in Blood Omen 2, quite a few long-term Legacy of Kain fans were not happy with the development. How could the arrogant, self-interested, evil Kain ever feel affection for anyone? How could he be so weak as to feel love?
Kain is still a popular character. Some disgruntled fans dealt with their non-acceptance of Kain's ability to feel by denouncing Blood Omen 2's characterization and writers as poor. It is frequently called the worst game in the series, and this 'ship is one reason given for that. Dislike of Blood Omen 2 is down to personal preference, of course, but a more worrying result was the demonizing of Umah's character. Granted, she was given a very idealized, unrealistic figure and scanty clothing (think of a vampiric Lara Croft), but that has never warranted the scathing insults she often gets on fan forums.
Bimbo, one-dimensional, token eye-candy... Umah was none of these, in my opinion. She was overconfident in her abilities, and a little foolish, but calling her names seems like a childish fangirl/boy's response to her canonically winning Kain's admiration and heart. They don't want to share him. I want to give my interpretation of the canon (I make no claims it's the only interpretation!), balancing the scales in favour of their relationship for a change. I want to show how and why Kain believably and gradually came to have feelings for Umah, the extent of Umah's reciprocation, and that they were perfect for each other, if only for the short term.
The Characters
Kain's history
In Blood Omen: LoK, the nine Pillars of Nosgoth were an ancient monument of great significance. Their state of repair both reflected and affected the health of the land as a whole. Each Pillar had a single Guardian - the living embodiment of the sphere of magic that Pillar represented (The Mind, Dimension, Conflict, Nature, Energy, Time, States or Balance). A Guardian and his/her Pillar were symbiotically bound to one another.
Unknown to him, Kain was chosen from birth to be the Balance Guardian. However, Kain was a man of extremes, and not balanced at all. He had megalomaniacal tendencies rather than showing the temperance he should. This was because all the Guardians, including Kain, were attacked with a psychic assault at the time of his birth. They all became quite, quite mad in different ways, and their Pillars - reflecting their dementia - started to collapse. Kain's own insanity was well hidden within his personality, as he had been afflicted with it all his life.
Kain grew up to be an ambitious, selfish nobleman. On becoming a vampire, his bloody quest for a 'cure' led him to finally embrace his curse and discover his place in the world. Following a series of manipulations by powerful Nosgothic sorcerers (Ariel, Mortanius and Moebius), Kain learnt of his Guardianship. The fate of Nosgoth rested entirely on his shoulders. He could save the corrupted world by sacrificing his vampiric life, or damn it to eternal decay, ruling over it as it continued to deteriorate around him. Sick of being a pawn, he chose the latter option.
Kain built an army to conquer Nosgoth. He enlisted the help of an ancient vampire, Vorador, to create vampires for this purpose as Kain had not yet discovered how to do it himself. Kain successfully led his army south until he tried to take Nosgoth's capital: Meridian. There he was defeated in combat by the 'Sarafan Lord', the leader of the vampire-hunting Sarafan order. Kain was very seriously injured, and nearly everyone believed he had been destroyed. Actually, he had been found by some of Vorador's vampires, and spent the next two hundred years in a coma, recovering while in their care. When Kain regained consciousness, at the start of Blood Omen 2, Umah was the first person he saw.
Umah's role
Umah was a lieutenant in Vorador's 'Cabal' - his 'Vampire Resistance' against the Sarafan during Kain's absence. Everything Umah knew about Kain, prior to her meeting him, likely came to her through Vorador's stories.
Umah's primary role was to act as a guide to Kain, helping him to rediscover his abilities after his dormancy. This was a gameplay device, enabling players to get to grips with Kain's controls before being plunged into danger. Some found Umah's instructions patronising, but consider the situation:
Kain had two hundred years of being a 'rising star' in Nosgothic power struggles. Then he was beaten by the Sarafan Lord. Umah was likely born following that event, and she lived in a risky world - she had to outwit the Sarafan daily. She knew how to survive in that modern situation, while Kain had a lot to get used to. When Kain woke, with his memory fragmented, Umah had to ask if he even recalled his nature. If Kain was the vampires' last hope of overthrowing the Sarafan Lord, as Umah had been told, surely it was better for her to underestimate him, assuming nothing, and keep him safe?
Some fans thought Kain's limited resistance to this 'mothering' was bad characterization. I think it's the opposite. Kain is no fool. For all his arrogance, he knows he has a lot to learn, and that's why he listens, as patiently as he can. He needs Umah and the Cabal, at least temporarily.
Evidence of the Relationship
Kain's feelings for Umah
First Impressions
One thing that is striking about Kain and Umah's first encounter is how well she handles his temper. During the opening cinematic, he leans forward sharply, trying to intimidate her. She simply holds up her hand in response. She is not afraid of him. Whether you chalk this up to bravery, or ignorance of how dangerous he could be, is up to you. Either way, the effect is the same; Kain sees it as bravery, and he respects her for it.
Why would he do that?
Kain had been a 'great general', and his vampire army would surely have heard all about Kain's exploits in Blood Omen: LoK. He personally slaughtered six of the Circle of Nine; Pillar Guardians like himself, and notorious, powerful magic-users. He's used to people deferring to him, and avoiding his wrath. He had a reputation. That has faded over the years, but he's missing two centuries which everyone else has lived. He still expects his reputation to strike fear into the hearts of men and women. Also, in Blood Omen: LoK, women played a smaller role in Nosgothic society. This makes her actions all the more impressive to him.
Secondly there is an aspect of instant recognition on Kain's part. When he hears Umah speaking into his mind telepathically, he comments:
"She had been in my thoughts. I almost believed I had called her myself."
This indicates that Umah had been around Kain for a while before he fully woke. Her presence was noted by him unconsciously, in a dreamy half-lucid way. If so, she was taking an active role in keeping him safe. She was not merely sent later as a distraction, to blind Kain with feminine wiles. Seriously, I doubt Vorador would attempt anything so silly anyway. Kain is incredibly wary about being betrayed again, and too valuable to the Cabal's cause to annoy. Vorador would not risk one of his favourite offspring in a cheap ploy of titillation, when it could backfire so easily and destroy all their hopes. Umah was there because Vorador trusted her to deal with Kain firmly and diplomatically.
Kain:
How splendid for you. And why do you suppose I would do this? [Help the Cabal] What is to be my reward - your eternal gratitude?
Umah:
Have you changed so much? The Sarafan Lord defeated you. Don't you want to kill him? When you have destroyed him, you can continue your ascent to power, restore your army and rule the land at last.
Does the lust for vengeance and power no longer stir you? Are you so dead?
Kain:
I seem to remember that I played the pawn once before. It ended badly.
Umah:
This time you will prevail. We are simply your allies, not your betrayers. What we want from you is open and plain, with no hidden paths. If you succeed, so do we all.
Umah has a head start on Kain. She already knows from Vorador what Kain needs to hear. I'm not saying that she is trying to unfairly manipulate him with her advantage (as there really is no hidden agenda to her request) she is simply trying to persuade him to join their cause, which is in line with his own ambitions. Anyone who thinks Umah could ever manipulate Kain into something he didn't want to do is wrong, in my opinion, for thinking him so naive. Umah is no Moebius.
That said, as a dream-woman who is now very real, she has already avoided much of his natural defences. He never had a chance to build them up against her, as he would meeting anyone else for the first time. He feels he already knows her, when in fact, he only knows the Umah his mind has created. I don't believe she would be aware of this at all, but her natural no-nonsense approach reaffirms the falsehood; it suggests she knows him that well too. Against his better judgement, he is instinctively inclined to trust her.
"Why did I obey her? Why did I trust her, even for a moment? I had gone my own way, always. But this time..."
This is the unstable foundation on which Kain and Umah's relationship is built. I agree with those fans who believe Kain would never have let himself become infatuated under normal circumstances, but these are not normal circumstances. Unfortunately, like all illusions, Kain's preconceived ideas about Umah are fragile and can be shattered.
The Damsel in Distress
Kain's reaction to hearing Umah has been captured is singularly indifferent:
Kain:
We need her information.
Vorador:
We need to save her life, Kain.
Kain: (flatly)
Yes, of course. So, I am to rescue her, Sire?
This is Kain's old self speaking; interested in practicalities, and not in romance. It's easy for him to slip into this way of thinking when he is with Vorador, as he is defensive around the older vampire. His guard is up, and he is the cold-hearted general once more. However, he still attempts the rescue with little persuasion, considering it involves him entering the Sarafan Keep at huge personal risk.
He finds Umah, and again, she impresses him. Even though he has put himself in great danger to save her, she still tests him.
Umah:
Tell you now, before I am freed? What would you do in my place, Kain?
Kain:
I would offer my rescuer a token of trust.
Umah:
That information is for Vorador only.
Kain:
Haven't I earned your confidence yet?
Umah:
You have not rescued me yet.
I think Kain likes this, because she is doing exactly what he would do. She is cautious and distrusting, just like he normally is. He's found a kindred spirit, but on another level, he's also asking her to return the trust he has already placed in her. When he notes her injuries in an act of unprecedented concern for another, she dismisses it as "nothing", again behaving as he would.
Then she saves his life in return.
They encounter the Sarafan Lord on the roof of the Keep. Kain lets his need for revenge overcome all his reasoning. Umah restrains him, and to a point he lets her, listening when she says they must flee. Kain allowing this invasion of his personal space, allowing her to physically hold him back is uncharacteristic and significant. Umah teleports them both away to safety in the nick of time. Kain never thanks her for it, but he admits to Vorador that the Lord was "a touch more powerful than [he] expected". She has looked after him again, winning whatever gratitude he is capable of in the process.
Umah's feelings for Kain
On the face of it, Kain's affection for Umah looks rather one-sided. She looks after Kain because that's her job. But is that all there is to it?
I believe she has the beginnings of romantic feelings for him, but she is suppressing them because she is afraid to trust him. She is a sensual woman, but I don't cynically accept that her body language, which suggests attraction to Kain, is all pretence. She is loyal to Vorador and the Cabal, and she knows Kain is only aiding them to further his own agenda of revenge. Vorador has told her many disturbing stories about Kain's boundless ambition. She values Vorador's counsel, and he has not given Kain a glowing recommendation. That's why her reciprocation is minimal besides that body language.
Admiration
There are a few indicators of her admiration of him. As an afterthought in the third chapter of the game, she says:
"I was impressed by you today, Kain. Soon we will work together again and rid this plague from our land."
While it can come across as patronising, I think the sentiment is genuine. Umah is surprised to see that Kain is living up to Vorador's expectations of him. The two hundred years they have invested in his care seems worthwhile. Also, she is starting to see him as 'one of them', rather than a semi-mythical figure from the past.
When Kain rescues Umah, he again surprises her. Umah was honestly expecting to be executed. Then Kain - an unlikely knight in shining armour - arrives to offer her a reprieve. Umah's obviously relieved to see him, and this selfless action is not in line with what she has been taught about him.
"Kain. I thought no one would dare attempt to rescue me. You are either brave or foolish."
Yes, she likely sees it as bravery, and not bull-headed arrogance like the rest of us might. But even arrogance could be attractive to a point, if justified by ability. Consider that the Cabal are scraping an existence, and Vorador's leadership cannot prevent their numbers falling. Kain's I'm going to take on all the Sarafan and win attitude would be very appealing to Umah, despite her loyalty to Vorador.
If only she could trust him...
Suspicion
Kain travels to the Canyons, the Eternal Prison and the Device alone. Umah, stuck in the Cabal's headquarters/hideout, worries about him.
Umah:
You should have sent me with him.
Vorador:
You were wounded.
Umah:
There is no way to know where Kain has gone or what he is doing. Even you haven't been able to contact him.
This can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, Umah might have been worried that the reckless Kain had been injured. He'd already been brought back to their 'Sanctuary' once during Blood Omen 2, unconscious again, following his destructive visit to the Industrial Quarter. Luckily, he had been found by one of the Cabal vampires that time, but the event (which left him feeling "a little better than dead") proved that Kain was not as invulnerable as he liked to think.
But that leaves the question: did she fear the Cabal's loss of Kain, or her own personal loss if something had happened to him? That is unclear.
The second interpretation is that Umah suspects Kain is now following his own path, to the detriment of the Cabal. She has had a long time to analyse her feelings while he's been gone, and she has found her inability to trust him has won out over everything else.
I believe that Umah's unease is a combination of all these concerns. if she had been with him, all her fears could have been proved or disproved. She might have had the opportunity to actually fall in love with him. As it stands, she is unsure, so she does not take that leap of faith. Instead, Umah retreats back into the emotional safety of her Cabal 'family'. She doesn't give Kain much of a chance. By the time she and Kain leave for the Wharves together, she has made a decision. Her future with Kain rests on his response to one question.
Betrayal and Regret
The illusion shatters
As I said earlier, Kain's trust of Umah - the most crucial element in their relationship - originated from Kain's preconceptions of her. As long as she acted in accordance to his preconceived notions, Kain didn't doubt them. Umah's later actions and attitudes - which Kain approved of - increased his feelings towards her. She was earning his respect in and affection her own right, but in the end, that foundation of trust was necessary, and from Umah's perspective, that hadn't been established yet.
As soon as they enter the Wharves, Umah voices her question - a question I think she has been agonizing over:
Umah:
Tell me one thing, Kain, before we go in. If you do kill the Sarafan Lord, and recover the Soul Reaver, what then?
Kain:
You know the answer to that.
Umah:
Tell me.
Kain:
Then Meridian, and all Nosgoth will become mine.
Umah:
And the Vampire Resistance?
Kain: (shrugging)
Well you may do whatever you wish, of course.
Umah: (quietly)
Of course.
At this point, Umah needs to know that she can place her trust in Kain, she needs him to give his word that the Cabal will be safe, and that he will not move against them once they have served his purpose. Kain doesn't do that. Personally, I think he hasn't given the matter any thought. The Cabal are vampires, and therefore his kin. His immediate agenda is killing the Sarafan Lord, and he hasn't looked beyond that goal at all. Very single-minded and focused, is our unbalanced Kain, but his indifference is not enough for Umah. This one thoughtless answer exposes the difference between Kain's preconceived Umah, and the real woman. Kain's Umah is so much a part of him that she would have known his intentions for the Cabal. Kain's Umah wouldn't have had to ask. Kain's Umah would trust him as he trusts her.
Kain's Umah would never betray him in favour of the Cabal. The real Umah does. She steals the Nexus Stone from him - an artifact he needs to defeat the Sarafan Lord.
Kain:
What?!
Umah:
Do you take me for a fool?
Kain:
You dare -
Umah:
Vorador has told me all your stories, Kain. He said that you would stop at nothing to achieve your great ambition - absolute power. And when you control Nosgoth, are we to believe that you would let us vampires live and do what we wish? We are the only ones who could stand in your way. No. You will have to hunt us down and kill us, and how is that different from the rule of the Sarafan Lord?
Kain:
I will not defend or explain my actions to you, Umah. No one, not even you, will stand in my way!
Umah starts to walk away, stepping backwards, never taking her eyes off him.
Umah:
I thank you, Kain, for giving us this chance to defeat the Hylden for all time. But you have done enough. I shall be the one to find and kill the Sarafan Lord, and Nosgoth shall belong to the vampires once again.
Kain:
You fool. You have not the smallest chance of surviving such a battle. Now, give me the Nexus Stone, or I shall pry it from your thieving fingers as you convulse in death.
Umah:
Now the beast shows his true nature... and so quickly, too. I wish it had been otherwise for us, Kain.
Umah has made a monumental misjudgement of Kain with this act, although she does not yet see it. She simultaneously overestimates herself and underestimates Kain, and to justify the theft to herself, she misreads his angry reaction as his "true nature". This is only his true nature with his betrayers; those whose treachery emotionally wounds him and makes him furious at himself for being so blind. Kain has been betrayed over and over, by Ariel, by Mortanius, by Sebastian (an old ally) and now by Umah, whom he cared for more than any other. Of course he's lashing out with threats. He's deeply shocked and hurt that she could do this to him.
The price of betrayal
Kain has a little while to calm down before he finds Umah again. She has been forced into a fight with several Sarafan Knights, and she is mortally wounded. Kain eliminates the last knight for her, and Umah collapses to the ground, weakened by her injuries, and slowly dying. Kain drops to one knee beside her.
Umah:
It seems... I was wrong. I could not carry the fight... alone.
Kain:
You were brave to try.
Umah:
Kain... I'm dying.
Kain:
Yes. You are.
Umah:
I need your blood. Please. You can save me.
Kain's mannerisms are comforting, but Umah does not know him well enough to understand that he can never pardon those who betray him, regardless of the nobility of their reasons for doing so. She is no exception. Those who would be emperors must behave like emperors.
Kain:
I know. Tell me, child. Do you see me ruling Nosgoth?
Umah:
Yes, yes. I see it now.
Kain:
And do you believe that Nosgoth rightly belongs to me?
Umah: (desperately)
I do - I believe it, Kain. Please!
Kain:
... Then you may die, knowing the truth.
By calling Umah 'child', Kain is distancing himself from her; he has made his inevitable decision. She is no longer an equal; the Umah in front of him is not quite the woman he thought she was, not quite the one he was starting to love. However, she almost is, and could have been. The bond of trust he thought they had is gone, but all her other qualities remain. He doesn't want to kill her, but he has to. So he does.
Regret
Kain:
You should never have betrayed me.
You could have been my queen.
Umah dies.
Kain: (quietly, eyes closed)
Now you have left me alone...
Kain regrets Umah's death immediately; initially blaming her, as it is she who has abandoned him. Later, when he faces the Sarafan Lord, Kain angrily accuses the lord of lying when he says Umah was not one of his spies. Kain finds it difficult to accept that Umah was acting wholly of her own accord when she stole the Nexus Stone, and not prompted by Vorador or the Sarafan Lord to do it. He's trying to absolve her of some of the guilt.
"She chose her fate. Was she acting as the dutiful lieutenant, following her superior's orders? I care not. What's done is done."
But he does care. And that's the tragedy.
Conclusion: Why do I support this pairing? Why should others support it?
Well firstly, I'm canon-strict, and the evidence is present in Blood Omen 2. Kain's first and last thoughts in the game include Umah. Her presence affects him from the beginning, and those feelings build into an obvious attraction which is left undeclared until it is too late. She clearly likes him too.
Secondly, it's because I should hate this pairing, yet somehow it works. I should sneer at the idea of a contrived love interest being introduced into the series, but I find myself liking Umah. She's a good character. She is very feminine while being strong-willed. She is not a canon Mary-Sue-type, as she has flaws; flaws which prove to be her downfall. Her path to hell is paved with good intentions, and she follows it blindly through a gross misjudgement. She lacks the wisdom of age and experience. I can empathize with her, and in her position, knowing only what she did - I might have done the same.
The biggest reason I love this pairing is that it reveals another facet to Kain's personality. The Legacy of Kain series is almost exclusively male, and Kain is often paired with Raziel or Vorador in slash fanfiction. While I wouldn't argue against this, I find it intriguing to see how Kain reacts to a woman. He displays a tenderness with her that would seem out of character in an Emperor Kain/Lieutenant Raziel fic, or a Vorador/Kain fic. Those pairings involve power play, more often than not, and Kain cannot ever submit fully, for fear of weakening his position. By contrast, Kain and Umah's relationship is one of equals. Kain can co-exist far more easily with a strong woman than a strong man, because she cannot usurp him; they compliment each other rather than being in competition, so he can relax and show his affection. In my opinion, post-Legacy of Kain: Defiance Kain/Raziel is the only other pairing with Kain that comes close to achieving that equality.
Finally, Kain and Umah's relationship is tragic. It's doomed from the start, and never reaches its full potential because the things that make them so right together - their strong similarities - are the things that ultimately prevent them being together. Both are very distrustful, self-confident, independent, stubborn and impulsive. I'm supporting a pairing that never quite worked out in canon, but could have, and would have had either been a bit more open about their feelings. Kain trusted Umah: that major obstacle had been overcome already. If Umah had been able to trust Kain in return, if he had not assumed she knew him and his motivations intrinsically, they could have been a formidable partnership.
Alas, it was not to be.
I'm asking anyone who reads this manifesto to imagine what that partnership could have been like post-Blood Omen 2, if Kain had clearly agreed to co-exist with the Cabal, of if Umah had taken his "you may do whatever you wish" comment at face value. I think he might have tolerated the Cabal post-Blood Omen 2 to make her happy, provided they stayed well out of his way. With Umah as a go-between, they would tolerate him too. The decision to destroy them could have been delayed until a century later, when Kain learned how to create vampires without Vorador's help.
I think Kain and Umah's relationship was always going to be short-lived (in vampire terms), and it was always going to be the Cabal that divided them. For Kain to have absolute power - for him to be a god to Nosgoth's humans - he needed to be the sire of all the vampires who would rule over them. The existence of Vorador and Vorador's progeny would cast doubt on Kain's supposed divinity. I don't think Kain could ever fully wrestle Umah's loyalty away from the Cabal, no matter how much she grew to love him, and if she could not stand with him on that issue, she would become his enemy.
I find it difficult to place Umah at Kain's side following Raziel's vampiric rebirth, but I can picture a glorious hundred years prior to that when their relationship could have been perfect, if only Kain had made that concession to leave the Cabal alone for a while. I think Kain and Umah's partnership would have been passionate and loving as they destroyed the remains of the Sarafan army together.
I would give them that century. I hope you would too.
Fandom Resources
Legacy of Kain fansites
This is a smallish fandom, so there aren't any sites that focus on this pairing. For more info on the series in general, the largest sites are:
Nosgoth.net
Time Streamer
dark-chronicle.co.uk
thelostworlds.net
Fanfiction
Few and far between, unfortunately.
Bitter Reminiscence by Kittie Darkhart.
A lovely fic showing Kain reflecting on Umah's betrayal, and his feelings for her.
Quiescant Aeternus by Taransay.
A fic from Umah's POV of her death. Not strictly Kain/Umah, but nicely conveys the uncertainty she had about his plans for the Cabal, and why she betrayed him.
Fanart
One fanart that I absolutely adore. It shows just how great they are together!
Kain and Umah by AniHime.
With thanks to emerald_embers and shadowfear.
Author: silverenigma
Spoilers: Major Blood Omen: LoK and Blood Omen 2 spoilers - as games, there is limited canon to draw on.
Personal Website: www.dark-chronicle.co.uk
Contents:
Introduction
The Characters
- Kain's history
- Umah's role
Evidence of the Relationship
- Kain's feelings for Umah
- Umah's feelings for Kain
- Betrayal and Regret
Conclusion: Why do I support this pairing? Why should others support it?
Fandom Resources
Introduction
I have been a fan of the Legacy of Kain videogames since the release of Soul Reaver (1999). I became addicted when I played Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Kain's and Raziel's adventures have now become a big part of my life; I have been fairly active in this small-but-dedicated fandom since early 2001.
Set in the land of Nosgoth, the Legacy of Kain series is noted for its convoluted plots, terrific voice acting, and its huge cast of intriguing characters. Starting with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in 1996, there have been five games charting the vampire Kain's rise to power, and his attempts to reclaim his true destiny as the 'Scion of Balance'. The details of Kain's tale are beyond the scope of this manifesto; Umah appeared in Blood Omen 2. It is the fourth game in the series, but chronologically it is the most direct sequel to the first game.
When Kain 'got a girlfriend' in Blood Omen 2, quite a few long-term Legacy of Kain fans were not happy with the development. How could the arrogant, self-interested, evil Kain ever feel affection for anyone? How could he be so weak as to feel love?
Kain is still a popular character. Some disgruntled fans dealt with their non-acceptance of Kain's ability to feel by denouncing Blood Omen 2's characterization and writers as poor. It is frequently called the worst game in the series, and this 'ship is one reason given for that. Dislike of Blood Omen 2 is down to personal preference, of course, but a more worrying result was the demonizing of Umah's character. Granted, she was given a very idealized, unrealistic figure and scanty clothing (think of a vampiric Lara Croft), but that has never warranted the scathing insults she often gets on fan forums.
Bimbo, one-dimensional, token eye-candy... Umah was none of these, in my opinion. She was overconfident in her abilities, and a little foolish, but calling her names seems like a childish fangirl/boy's response to her canonically winning Kain's admiration and heart. They don't want to share him. I want to give my interpretation of the canon (I make no claims it's the only interpretation!), balancing the scales in favour of their relationship for a change. I want to show how and why Kain believably and gradually came to have feelings for Umah, the extent of Umah's reciprocation, and that they were perfect for each other, if only for the short term.
The Characters
Kain's history
In Blood Omen: LoK, the nine Pillars of Nosgoth were an ancient monument of great significance. Their state of repair both reflected and affected the health of the land as a whole. Each Pillar had a single Guardian - the living embodiment of the sphere of magic that Pillar represented (The Mind, Dimension, Conflict, Nature, Energy, Time, States or Balance). A Guardian and his/her Pillar were symbiotically bound to one another.
Unknown to him, Kain was chosen from birth to be the Balance Guardian. However, Kain was a man of extremes, and not balanced at all. He had megalomaniacal tendencies rather than showing the temperance he should. This was because all the Guardians, including Kain, were attacked with a psychic assault at the time of his birth. They all became quite, quite mad in different ways, and their Pillars - reflecting their dementia - started to collapse. Kain's own insanity was well hidden within his personality, as he had been afflicted with it all his life.
Kain grew up to be an ambitious, selfish nobleman. On becoming a vampire, his bloody quest for a 'cure' led him to finally embrace his curse and discover his place in the world. Following a series of manipulations by powerful Nosgothic sorcerers (Ariel, Mortanius and Moebius), Kain learnt of his Guardianship. The fate of Nosgoth rested entirely on his shoulders. He could save the corrupted world by sacrificing his vampiric life, or damn it to eternal decay, ruling over it as it continued to deteriorate around him. Sick of being a pawn, he chose the latter option.
Kain built an army to conquer Nosgoth. He enlisted the help of an ancient vampire, Vorador, to create vampires for this purpose as Kain had not yet discovered how to do it himself. Kain successfully led his army south until he tried to take Nosgoth's capital: Meridian. There he was defeated in combat by the 'Sarafan Lord', the leader of the vampire-hunting Sarafan order. Kain was very seriously injured, and nearly everyone believed he had been destroyed. Actually, he had been found by some of Vorador's vampires, and spent the next two hundred years in a coma, recovering while in their care. When Kain regained consciousness, at the start of Blood Omen 2, Umah was the first person he saw.
Umah's role
Umah was a lieutenant in Vorador's 'Cabal' - his 'Vampire Resistance' against the Sarafan during Kain's absence. Everything Umah knew about Kain, prior to her meeting him, likely came to her through Vorador's stories.
Umah's primary role was to act as a guide to Kain, helping him to rediscover his abilities after his dormancy. This was a gameplay device, enabling players to get to grips with Kain's controls before being plunged into danger. Some found Umah's instructions patronising, but consider the situation:
Kain had two hundred years of being a 'rising star' in Nosgothic power struggles. Then he was beaten by the Sarafan Lord. Umah was likely born following that event, and she lived in a risky world - she had to outwit the Sarafan daily. She knew how to survive in that modern situation, while Kain had a lot to get used to. When Kain woke, with his memory fragmented, Umah had to ask if he even recalled his nature. If Kain was the vampires' last hope of overthrowing the Sarafan Lord, as Umah had been told, surely it was better for her to underestimate him, assuming nothing, and keep him safe?
Some fans thought Kain's limited resistance to this 'mothering' was bad characterization. I think it's the opposite. Kain is no fool. For all his arrogance, he knows he has a lot to learn, and that's why he listens, as patiently as he can. He needs Umah and the Cabal, at least temporarily.
Evidence of the Relationship
Kain's feelings for Umah
First Impressions
One thing that is striking about Kain and Umah's first encounter is how well she handles his temper. During the opening cinematic, he leans forward sharply, trying to intimidate her. She simply holds up her hand in response. She is not afraid of him. Whether you chalk this up to bravery, or ignorance of how dangerous he could be, is up to you. Either way, the effect is the same; Kain sees it as bravery, and he respects her for it.
Why would he do that?
Kain had been a 'great general', and his vampire army would surely have heard all about Kain's exploits in Blood Omen: LoK. He personally slaughtered six of the Circle of Nine; Pillar Guardians like himself, and notorious, powerful magic-users. He's used to people deferring to him, and avoiding his wrath. He had a reputation. That has faded over the years, but he's missing two centuries which everyone else has lived. He still expects his reputation to strike fear into the hearts of men and women. Also, in Blood Omen: LoK, women played a smaller role in Nosgothic society. This makes her actions all the more impressive to him.
Secondly there is an aspect of instant recognition on Kain's part. When he hears Umah speaking into his mind telepathically, he comments:
"She had been in my thoughts. I almost believed I had called her myself."
This indicates that Umah had been around Kain for a while before he fully woke. Her presence was noted by him unconsciously, in a dreamy half-lucid way. If so, she was taking an active role in keeping him safe. She was not merely sent later as a distraction, to blind Kain with feminine wiles. Seriously, I doubt Vorador would attempt anything so silly anyway. Kain is incredibly wary about being betrayed again, and too valuable to the Cabal's cause to annoy. Vorador would not risk one of his favourite offspring in a cheap ploy of titillation, when it could backfire so easily and destroy all their hopes. Umah was there because Vorador trusted her to deal with Kain firmly and diplomatically.
Kain:
How splendid for you. And why do you suppose I would do this? [Help the Cabal] What is to be my reward - your eternal gratitude?
Umah:
Have you changed so much? The Sarafan Lord defeated you. Don't you want to kill him? When you have destroyed him, you can continue your ascent to power, restore your army and rule the land at last.
Does the lust for vengeance and power no longer stir you? Are you so dead?
Kain:
I seem to remember that I played the pawn once before. It ended badly.
Umah:
This time you will prevail. We are simply your allies, not your betrayers. What we want from you is open and plain, with no hidden paths. If you succeed, so do we all.
Umah has a head start on Kain. She already knows from Vorador what Kain needs to hear. I'm not saying that she is trying to unfairly manipulate him with her advantage (as there really is no hidden agenda to her request) she is simply trying to persuade him to join their cause, which is in line with his own ambitions. Anyone who thinks Umah could ever manipulate Kain into something he didn't want to do is wrong, in my opinion, for thinking him so naive. Umah is no Moebius.
That said, as a dream-woman who is now very real, she has already avoided much of his natural defences. He never had a chance to build them up against her, as he would meeting anyone else for the first time. He feels he already knows her, when in fact, he only knows the Umah his mind has created. I don't believe she would be aware of this at all, but her natural no-nonsense approach reaffirms the falsehood; it suggests she knows him that well too. Against his better judgement, he is instinctively inclined to trust her.
"Why did I obey her? Why did I trust her, even for a moment? I had gone my own way, always. But this time..."
This is the unstable foundation on which Kain and Umah's relationship is built. I agree with those fans who believe Kain would never have let himself become infatuated under normal circumstances, but these are not normal circumstances. Unfortunately, like all illusions, Kain's preconceived ideas about Umah are fragile and can be shattered.
The Damsel in Distress
Kain's reaction to hearing Umah has been captured is singularly indifferent:
Kain:
We need her information.
Vorador:
We need to save her life, Kain.
Kain: (flatly)
Yes, of course. So, I am to rescue her, Sire?
This is Kain's old self speaking; interested in practicalities, and not in romance. It's easy for him to slip into this way of thinking when he is with Vorador, as he is defensive around the older vampire. His guard is up, and he is the cold-hearted general once more. However, he still attempts the rescue with little persuasion, considering it involves him entering the Sarafan Keep at huge personal risk.
He finds Umah, and again, she impresses him. Even though he has put himself in great danger to save her, she still tests him.
Umah:
Tell you now, before I am freed? What would you do in my place, Kain?
Kain:
I would offer my rescuer a token of trust.
Umah:
That information is for Vorador only.
Kain:
Haven't I earned your confidence yet?
Umah:
You have not rescued me yet.
I think Kain likes this, because she is doing exactly what he would do. She is cautious and distrusting, just like he normally is. He's found a kindred spirit, but on another level, he's also asking her to return the trust he has already placed in her. When he notes her injuries in an act of unprecedented concern for another, she dismisses it as "nothing", again behaving as he would.
Then she saves his life in return.
They encounter the Sarafan Lord on the roof of the Keep. Kain lets his need for revenge overcome all his reasoning. Umah restrains him, and to a point he lets her, listening when she says they must flee. Kain allowing this invasion of his personal space, allowing her to physically hold him back is uncharacteristic and significant. Umah teleports them both away to safety in the nick of time. Kain never thanks her for it, but he admits to Vorador that the Lord was "a touch more powerful than [he] expected". She has looked after him again, winning whatever gratitude he is capable of in the process.
Umah's feelings for Kain
On the face of it, Kain's affection for Umah looks rather one-sided. She looks after Kain because that's her job. But is that all there is to it?
I believe she has the beginnings of romantic feelings for him, but she is suppressing them because she is afraid to trust him. She is a sensual woman, but I don't cynically accept that her body language, which suggests attraction to Kain, is all pretence. She is loyal to Vorador and the Cabal, and she knows Kain is only aiding them to further his own agenda of revenge. Vorador has told her many disturbing stories about Kain's boundless ambition. She values Vorador's counsel, and he has not given Kain a glowing recommendation. That's why her reciprocation is minimal besides that body language.
Admiration
There are a few indicators of her admiration of him. As an afterthought in the third chapter of the game, she says:
"I was impressed by you today, Kain. Soon we will work together again and rid this plague from our land."
While it can come across as patronising, I think the sentiment is genuine. Umah is surprised to see that Kain is living up to Vorador's expectations of him. The two hundred years they have invested in his care seems worthwhile. Also, she is starting to see him as 'one of them', rather than a semi-mythical figure from the past.
When Kain rescues Umah, he again surprises her. Umah was honestly expecting to be executed. Then Kain - an unlikely knight in shining armour - arrives to offer her a reprieve. Umah's obviously relieved to see him, and this selfless action is not in line with what she has been taught about him.
"Kain. I thought no one would dare attempt to rescue me. You are either brave or foolish."
Yes, she likely sees it as bravery, and not bull-headed arrogance like the rest of us might. But even arrogance could be attractive to a point, if justified by ability. Consider that the Cabal are scraping an existence, and Vorador's leadership cannot prevent their numbers falling. Kain's I'm going to take on all the Sarafan and win attitude would be very appealing to Umah, despite her loyalty to Vorador.
If only she could trust him...
Suspicion
Kain travels to the Canyons, the Eternal Prison and the Device alone. Umah, stuck in the Cabal's headquarters/hideout, worries about him.
Umah:
You should have sent me with him.
Vorador:
You were wounded.
Umah:
There is no way to know where Kain has gone or what he is doing. Even you haven't been able to contact him.
This can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, Umah might have been worried that the reckless Kain had been injured. He'd already been brought back to their 'Sanctuary' once during Blood Omen 2, unconscious again, following his destructive visit to the Industrial Quarter. Luckily, he had been found by one of the Cabal vampires that time, but the event (which left him feeling "a little better than dead") proved that Kain was not as invulnerable as he liked to think.
But that leaves the question: did she fear the Cabal's loss of Kain, or her own personal loss if something had happened to him? That is unclear.
The second interpretation is that Umah suspects Kain is now following his own path, to the detriment of the Cabal. She has had a long time to analyse her feelings while he's been gone, and she has found her inability to trust him has won out over everything else.
I believe that Umah's unease is a combination of all these concerns. if she had been with him, all her fears could have been proved or disproved. She might have had the opportunity to actually fall in love with him. As it stands, she is unsure, so she does not take that leap of faith. Instead, Umah retreats back into the emotional safety of her Cabal 'family'. She doesn't give Kain much of a chance. By the time she and Kain leave for the Wharves together, she has made a decision. Her future with Kain rests on his response to one question.
Betrayal and Regret
The illusion shatters
As I said earlier, Kain's trust of Umah - the most crucial element in their relationship - originated from Kain's preconceptions of her. As long as she acted in accordance to his preconceived notions, Kain didn't doubt them. Umah's later actions and attitudes - which Kain approved of - increased his feelings towards her. She was earning his respect in and affection her own right, but in the end, that foundation of trust was necessary, and from Umah's perspective, that hadn't been established yet.
As soon as they enter the Wharves, Umah voices her question - a question I think she has been agonizing over:
Umah:
Tell me one thing, Kain, before we go in. If you do kill the Sarafan Lord, and recover the Soul Reaver, what then?
Kain:
You know the answer to that.
Umah:
Tell me.
Kain:
Then Meridian, and all Nosgoth will become mine.
Umah:
And the Vampire Resistance?
Kain: (shrugging)
Well you may do whatever you wish, of course.
Umah: (quietly)
Of course.
At this point, Umah needs to know that she can place her trust in Kain, she needs him to give his word that the Cabal will be safe, and that he will not move against them once they have served his purpose. Kain doesn't do that. Personally, I think he hasn't given the matter any thought. The Cabal are vampires, and therefore his kin. His immediate agenda is killing the Sarafan Lord, and he hasn't looked beyond that goal at all. Very single-minded and focused, is our unbalanced Kain, but his indifference is not enough for Umah. This one thoughtless answer exposes the difference between Kain's preconceived Umah, and the real woman. Kain's Umah is so much a part of him that she would have known his intentions for the Cabal. Kain's Umah wouldn't have had to ask. Kain's Umah would trust him as he trusts her.
Kain's Umah would never betray him in favour of the Cabal. The real Umah does. She steals the Nexus Stone from him - an artifact he needs to defeat the Sarafan Lord.
Kain:
What?!
Umah:
Do you take me for a fool?
Kain:
You dare -
Umah:
Vorador has told me all your stories, Kain. He said that you would stop at nothing to achieve your great ambition - absolute power. And when you control Nosgoth, are we to believe that you would let us vampires live and do what we wish? We are the only ones who could stand in your way. No. You will have to hunt us down and kill us, and how is that different from the rule of the Sarafan Lord?
Kain:
I will not defend or explain my actions to you, Umah. No one, not even you, will stand in my way!
Umah starts to walk away, stepping backwards, never taking her eyes off him.
Umah:
I thank you, Kain, for giving us this chance to defeat the Hylden for all time. But you have done enough. I shall be the one to find and kill the Sarafan Lord, and Nosgoth shall belong to the vampires once again.
Kain:
You fool. You have not the smallest chance of surviving such a battle. Now, give me the Nexus Stone, or I shall pry it from your thieving fingers as you convulse in death.
Umah:
Now the beast shows his true nature... and so quickly, too. I wish it had been otherwise for us, Kain.
Umah has made a monumental misjudgement of Kain with this act, although she does not yet see it. She simultaneously overestimates herself and underestimates Kain, and to justify the theft to herself, she misreads his angry reaction as his "true nature". This is only his true nature with his betrayers; those whose treachery emotionally wounds him and makes him furious at himself for being so blind. Kain has been betrayed over and over, by Ariel, by Mortanius, by Sebastian (an old ally) and now by Umah, whom he cared for more than any other. Of course he's lashing out with threats. He's deeply shocked and hurt that she could do this to him.
The price of betrayal
Kain has a little while to calm down before he finds Umah again. She has been forced into a fight with several Sarafan Knights, and she is mortally wounded. Kain eliminates the last knight for her, and Umah collapses to the ground, weakened by her injuries, and slowly dying. Kain drops to one knee beside her.
Umah:
It seems... I was wrong. I could not carry the fight... alone.
Kain:
You were brave to try.
Umah:
Kain... I'm dying.
Kain:
Yes. You are.
Umah:
I need your blood. Please. You can save me.
Kain's mannerisms are comforting, but Umah does not know him well enough to understand that he can never pardon those who betray him, regardless of the nobility of their reasons for doing so. She is no exception. Those who would be emperors must behave like emperors.
Kain:
I know. Tell me, child. Do you see me ruling Nosgoth?
Umah:
Yes, yes. I see it now.
Kain:
And do you believe that Nosgoth rightly belongs to me?
Umah: (desperately)
I do - I believe it, Kain. Please!
Kain:
... Then you may die, knowing the truth.
By calling Umah 'child', Kain is distancing himself from her; he has made his inevitable decision. She is no longer an equal; the Umah in front of him is not quite the woman he thought she was, not quite the one he was starting to love. However, she almost is, and could have been. The bond of trust he thought they had is gone, but all her other qualities remain. He doesn't want to kill her, but he has to. So he does.
Regret
Kain:
You should never have betrayed me.
You could have been my queen.
Umah dies.
Kain: (quietly, eyes closed)
Now you have left me alone...
Kain regrets Umah's death immediately; initially blaming her, as it is she who has abandoned him. Later, when he faces the Sarafan Lord, Kain angrily accuses the lord of lying when he says Umah was not one of his spies. Kain finds it difficult to accept that Umah was acting wholly of her own accord when she stole the Nexus Stone, and not prompted by Vorador or the Sarafan Lord to do it. He's trying to absolve her of some of the guilt.
"She chose her fate. Was she acting as the dutiful lieutenant, following her superior's orders? I care not. What's done is done."
But he does care. And that's the tragedy.
Conclusion: Why do I support this pairing? Why should others support it?
Well firstly, I'm canon-strict, and the evidence is present in Blood Omen 2. Kain's first and last thoughts in the game include Umah. Her presence affects him from the beginning, and those feelings build into an obvious attraction which is left undeclared until it is too late. She clearly likes him too.
Secondly, it's because I should hate this pairing, yet somehow it works. I should sneer at the idea of a contrived love interest being introduced into the series, but I find myself liking Umah. She's a good character. She is very feminine while being strong-willed. She is not a canon Mary-Sue-type, as she has flaws; flaws which prove to be her downfall. Her path to hell is paved with good intentions, and she follows it blindly through a gross misjudgement. She lacks the wisdom of age and experience. I can empathize with her, and in her position, knowing only what she did - I might have done the same.
The biggest reason I love this pairing is that it reveals another facet to Kain's personality. The Legacy of Kain series is almost exclusively male, and Kain is often paired with Raziel or Vorador in slash fanfiction. While I wouldn't argue against this, I find it intriguing to see how Kain reacts to a woman. He displays a tenderness with her that would seem out of character in an Emperor Kain/Lieutenant Raziel fic, or a Vorador/Kain fic. Those pairings involve power play, more often than not, and Kain cannot ever submit fully, for fear of weakening his position. By contrast, Kain and Umah's relationship is one of equals. Kain can co-exist far more easily with a strong woman than a strong man, because she cannot usurp him; they compliment each other rather than being in competition, so he can relax and show his affection. In my opinion, post-Legacy of Kain: Defiance Kain/Raziel is the only other pairing with Kain that comes close to achieving that equality.
Finally, Kain and Umah's relationship is tragic. It's doomed from the start, and never reaches its full potential because the things that make them so right together - their strong similarities - are the things that ultimately prevent them being together. Both are very distrustful, self-confident, independent, stubborn and impulsive. I'm supporting a pairing that never quite worked out in canon, but could have, and would have had either been a bit more open about their feelings. Kain trusted Umah: that major obstacle had been overcome already. If Umah had been able to trust Kain in return, if he had not assumed she knew him and his motivations intrinsically, they could have been a formidable partnership.
Alas, it was not to be.
I'm asking anyone who reads this manifesto to imagine what that partnership could have been like post-Blood Omen 2, if Kain had clearly agreed to co-exist with the Cabal, of if Umah had taken his "you may do whatever you wish" comment at face value. I think he might have tolerated the Cabal post-Blood Omen 2 to make her happy, provided they stayed well out of his way. With Umah as a go-between, they would tolerate him too. The decision to destroy them could have been delayed until a century later, when Kain learned how to create vampires without Vorador's help.
I think Kain and Umah's relationship was always going to be short-lived (in vampire terms), and it was always going to be the Cabal that divided them. For Kain to have absolute power - for him to be a god to Nosgoth's humans - he needed to be the sire of all the vampires who would rule over them. The existence of Vorador and Vorador's progeny would cast doubt on Kain's supposed divinity. I don't think Kain could ever fully wrestle Umah's loyalty away from the Cabal, no matter how much she grew to love him, and if she could not stand with him on that issue, she would become his enemy.
I find it difficult to place Umah at Kain's side following Raziel's vampiric rebirth, but I can picture a glorious hundred years prior to that when their relationship could have been perfect, if only Kain had made that concession to leave the Cabal alone for a while. I think Kain and Umah's partnership would have been passionate and loving as they destroyed the remains of the Sarafan army together.
I would give them that century. I hope you would too.
Fandom Resources
Legacy of Kain fansites
This is a smallish fandom, so there aren't any sites that focus on this pairing. For more info on the series in general, the largest sites are:
Nosgoth.net
Time Streamer
dark-chronicle.co.uk
thelostworlds.net
Fanfiction
Few and far between, unfortunately.
Bitter Reminiscence by Kittie Darkhart.
A lovely fic showing Kain reflecting on Umah's betrayal, and his feelings for her.
Quiescant Aeternus by Taransay.
A fic from Umah's POV of her death. Not strictly Kain/Umah, but nicely conveys the uncertainty she had about his plans for the Cabal, and why she betrayed him.
Fanart
One fanart that I absolutely adore. It shows just how great they are together!
Kain and Umah by AniHime.
With thanks to emerald_embers and shadowfear.