The Capture of Umah

Kain's meeting with Vorador was interrupted by the arrival of an injured Cabal scout, who informed Vorador of a significant discovery in Meridian's industrial quarter. Unfortunately, after making this discovery, Umah had been captured and hauled away to the Sarafan Keep for execution. The scout barely escaped with his life.

Troubled by the possibility of his own kin being trotted out and mauled as an example, Vorador implored Kain to rescue Umah. Initially uncaring, Kain agreed only because the information she held could be useful to him. As a heavily walled fortress, the Sarafan Keep was well-guarded. This necessitated the use of a secret entrance into the Keep, knowledge which was only held by a select few, one among them being the Bishop of Meridian. This man, Vorador revealed, had no true faith in an afterlife despite his religious station, and served the Cabal in hopes of being gifted with vampiric immortality.

On his way to the Bishop's manor, Kain was confronted by yet another old 'friend', the vampire Marcus. As a vampire of respectable power, Marcus had been offered a place in Kain's army when they moved to take Meridian. Marcus refused and, seeing him as a cowardly opportunist and potential liability, Kain personally tried to kill him. But Marcus survived, just clinging to life, and remained hidden until the fateful battle was finished. Revealing himself then to the victors, he was given a station of power in the new Meridian.

After a brief and hostile exchange of words, Marcus attempted to to take control of Kain's body. Though this power proved too weak still for even a weakened Kain, Marcus did manage to pry one vital thought away from Kain's mind: The Bishop was a traitor to the Sarafan, and Kain sought valuable information from him. Irritated by this, Marcus fled toward the manor himself, intent on killing the bishop to silence his traitorous tongue.

Racing to the bishop's manor, the two vampires learned that he had been frightened away, fleeing to the Meridian Cathedral. Kain strived to get there first but failed, seeing the Bishop already under the traitor's command. Unphased by threats on the bishop's life, Kain pursued Marcus across a large portion of the city before cornering him once more at the same cathedral. Their subsequent duel saw Marcus defeated, killed and drained of blood, freeing the Bishop from his control and granting Kain the ability to take over weaker human minds.

With the secret entrance into the Sarafan Keep at last disclosed, Kain set off to rescue Vorador's prized child.