Characteristics
Kain's appearance undergoes "pretty dramatic changes" throughout the games as he ages, but core personality attributes cited by Defiance's developers include his intelligence and cynicism, arrogance and regality, and his defiant nature. In the series' fictional universe, he is described as the guardian of balance, a being responsible for preserving the health and integrity of Nosgoth (the games' setting), but left incapable of realizing this duty due to spiritual corruption he inherited at birth.
The character's transformation into a vampire, and the visceral nature this trait lends the series, was derived from William Shakespeare's classical models: "for the drunken commoners in the front rows he would insert dirty jokes to keep them entertained but for the aristocracy in the balconies he would write very cerebral metaphors". According to Silicon Knights, the gore and vampirism in Blood Omen served as their "dirty jokes", supplemented by a complex story.
As the story progresses, Kain evolves from a directionless young nobleman, to a lithe and devious vampire, to a "craggy" figure. As a playable character, he frequently narrates his thoughts through the dramatic device of soliloquy. In Blood Omen and Defiance, his battle cry and catchphrase is Vae victis, a Latin phrase attributed to Brennus meaning "woe to the conquered".
Read more about this topic: Kain (Legacy Of Kain)