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Empire Script is a text-based language featured heavily throughout Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. The language is unnamed and it is undecipherable, though appearances suggest it used throughout Kain's empire and may be its de-facto language.

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Empire Script is encountered throughout Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, primarily in areas of vampire construction. The script is first seen in Necropolis and subsequently appears in the Sanctuary of the Clans, the Ruined City of the Dumahim, outside the Tomb of the Sarafan and in several other connecting areas.

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SR2-SubterraneanRuins-EmpireScript

The script inside the Subterranean Ruins in Soul Reaver 2

  • The empire script is seen throughout Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, however it is notably featured within areas associated with the Vampires and constructed by them - as such the language may be intended to represent an official or de-facto script of Kain's empire. Unlike other 'languages' within the Legacy of Kain series, the empire script does not hold any decipherable meaning and appears to be a decorative design choice used to represent Vampire areas. It was made up from a heavily edited Latin/Islamic writing based on the used source textures.
  • The script is notably unclear in places; along with being rendered in a low-resolution format, individual symbols and sections of text are often repeated and reflected to construct the arrangements seen in game. One notable repeated arrangement "OlIrFIC" appears on its own, along with an illustration of a vampire figure, perhaps suggesting this particular arrangement represents a name.
  • Several minor design variations are seen among the examples of the script in game perhaps suggesting some level of language development or progression. Some examples appear notably more angular than others, although all seem to share similar patterns. Those on the gravestones of the Necropolis are arguably the most angular and given the usage, these may represent human names, though they could also indicate a human origin for the language.
  • Though mostly appearing in Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver, the script is briefly reused in Soul Reaver 2 where it can be seen decorating the walls just inside of the doorway leading into the Subterranean Ruins.

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