The Princess of Willendorf

The princess laying on a bed in front of Ottmar's throne
The princess laying on a bed in front of Ottmar's throne

The Princess of Willendorf appeared in Blood Omen. She was the the daughter of King Ottmar and possibly his only child. No others were seen or mentioned.

In Blood Omen, Kain visited the Oracle of Nosgoth to learn how to defeat Malek. The Oracle didn't address Kain's query directly; first he spoke of King Ottmar. He said the king was "the only hope to defeat the Legions of the Nemesis", but Ottmar was "paralyzed by his princess' malaise".[1]

Later Ariel directed Kain to "rally the forces of Willendorf" to save Nosgoth from the Nemesis. Reaching Willendorf, Kain could speak to its inhabitants and be told that someone had stolen the princess' soul. He gained an audience with the king, and learned that the Oracle had spoke the truth: Ottmar and Willendorf were in no condition to fight. Ottmar was consumed by the plight of his daughter, and cared about nothing else.[2,3,4,5]

The Princess of Willendorf as she appears in Blood Omen's Dark Diary
The Princess of Willendorf as she appears in Blood Omen's Dark Diary

The princess was laying on bed in front of the royal dais and Ottmar's throne. Her dark brown hair was fanned out on the bed's yellow pillow, and she was covered up to her shoulders with a dark blue blanket. The only detailed image of her, from Blood Omen's Dark Diary, shows that she was not very young and perhaps in her teens.

Elzevir's Doll in the Blood Omen inventory
Elzevir's Doll in the Blood Omen inventory

Ottmar told Kain what had happened to the princess. To celebrate her birthday, Ottmar had announced a dollmaking contest. The winner was Elzevir. The Dollmaker did not accept the "royal favor" offered as the prize, instead he took a lock of the princess' hair. Soon afterwards the princess became a "lifeless puppet". Ottmar offered the kingdom - and, by association, Willendorf's army - to whomever restored the princess to her former self.[6]

Kain found and fought Elzevir to reclaim the soul of the princess. The Dollmaker did not want to give it up. He seemed childishly possessive of it, loudly proclaiming "The soul is mine, I earned it, Ottmar gave it to me!" and "You shall not have it! Mine! Mine! Mine!". Kain beheaded Elzevir and collected an ugly doll. This small fabric doll - a "shred of burlap and silk" with a single lock of the princess' hair nailed to it - contained the girl's soul, imprisoned. Kain returned to Willendorf with the doll and Elzevir's head and presented them to both to Ottmar. The Court's sorcerers would be able to restore the princess' soul with the doll in their possession.[7,8]

Kain declined the kingdom as his reward, but instead requested troops to fight the Legions of the Nemesis, and Ottmar led his army against them in the Battle of the Last Stand. Ottmar, dying in the battle, entreated Kain to destroy the Nemesis for the sake of the princess (who would possibly become Willendorf's queen upon his death), but also for the world.[9,10]

Further Observations

Kain's assassination of William the Just in Blood Omen changed Nosgoth's history. There would presumably have been some impact on the destiny of the princess. We don't know exactly what happened to Ottmar, Elzevir and the princess, and possibly never will, although we can speculate. Amy Hennig (Director and storywriter of Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance) has said they were 'not lost in the time shuffle, they just don't have much to do with Raziel's and Kain's journeys'. That is why their individual stories have not been revisited.[11]

References

  1. [BO1] The Oracle of Nosgoth to Kain: "King Ottmar - the only hope to defeat the Legions of the Nemesis.
    King Ottmar paralyzed by his princess' malaise.
    King Ottmar the useless."
  2. [BO1] Ariel: "The Nemesis must be stopped or all shall be lost..."
    Kain: "How can one stop an army?"
    Ariel: "You must rally the forces of Willendorf; they are the last Hope of Nosgoth."
  3. [BO1] Willendorf inhabitant: "The King's heart pines for his daughter - someone stole her soul, you know..."
  4. [BO1] Kain: "And so I won my audience, such as it was, with Ottmar. He cared not of the invading armies from the North. Only of the plight of his child."
  5. [BO1] Kain: "Through whispers of the court, I learned that the Army of the Last Hope, Willendorf's proud militia, was in no condition to fight the invading Legions of the Nemesis. They were busy scouring the lands to the north, in search of the Dollmaker and Ottmar’s daughter."
  6. [BO1] King Ottmar (referring to the princess): "A birthday present. To celebrate her birthday I declared a contest. Whoever created the finest doll in the realm would be granted a royal favor. Hundreds of dolls were brought, but the winner was obvious. Elzevir, the Dollmaker, created a toy of such beauty that all were captivated by it. And all he would take in payment was a lock of her hair. Soon after she became like this; a lifeless puppet. Whoever restores her to her former self shall have this kingdom!"
    Kain: "Thus my hunt for the Dollmaker began."
  7. Blood Omen Dialogue: Elzevir the Dollmaker external link at Nosgothic Realm
  8. [BO1] Kain: "I entered the Court with the Dollmaker's head in one hand, and the doll containing the girl's soul in the other. I placed them both before the King and watched his eyes catch fire. With the doll in their possession, the Court's sorcerers could restore his daughter's soul."
  9. [BO1] Kain: "'Tis not your kingdom I desire, but your army, Ottmar. I require troops to vanquish the Horde that descends upon us from the North."
    Ottmar: "Very well. Courtiers, fetch me my armor and mace. There is war to be waged!"
  10. [BO1] Ottmar: "The Nemesis and his Horde fall upon us, my friend. I fear I can defend Nosgoth no longer. The Nemesis must be destroyed. For my daughter, Kain; for the world..."
  11. Warp's answers from Amy external link at the Eidos Forums

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