Count Dracula

> "My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side. Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them you and others shall yet be mine—my creatures, to do my bidding and to be my jackals when I want to feed."
>
> -Count Dracula, (Dracula)

Count Dracula (1431-1893), also known as Dr. Luca Romanesca or simply Dracula, formerly known as Vlad III "Tepes" Basarab was a centuries-old vampire, sorcerer and Transylvanian nobleman, who ruled over his namesake palace known as Castle Dracula as well as much of Transylvania. He would later attempt to expand his realm to England, and was later thwarted and destroyed by a group led by Dr. Abraham Van Helsing in 1893.

### Aliases

Count Dracula, Dracula, Dr. Luca Romanesca, Devil, Vampire King, Prince of Darkness, Son of the Dragon, Vlad the Impaler

### Relatives

Vlad II Basarab (Father). Cneajna of Moldavia (Mother), Vlad IV Basarab (Older Half-Brother), Mircea II Basarab (Older Brother), Radu III Basarab (Younger Brother), Alexandra Basarab (Younger Sister),

### Occupation

Voivode of Wallachia (1448-1476)Prince of Darkness (1476-1893)

## Biographical information

### Marital status

Married (spouse: multiple wives over the centuries)

### Date of death

December 14, 1476 (Vlad Tepes III)November 6, 1893 (Dracula)

### Place of death

Transylvania, Romania (both human and vampire)

## Appearances

### Portrayed by

Paul Massie (depiction of his Valeska form)

## Biography

### Human

He was born on September 13th, 1431, as Vlad III "Tepes" Basarab in Wallachia, Romania.

In his youth, he studied dark magic at the academy of Scholomance, deep in the Carpathian Mountains. Here, the young Vlad was taught by the Devil himself, and he would become proficient in alchemy and various kinds of dark magic.

Later he took up a military profession, combating the Turks across the Danube.

He ruled over Wallachia in the 15th century as a Romanian voivode, a military governor or ruler. His cruel methods of punishing his enemies earned him the nickname of "Vlad the Impaler." Vlad III earned his nickname by impaling more than 20,000 people and killing as many as 60,000 others during his grisly rule. He was even said to dine among his impaled enemies and dip his bread in their blood.

Fearing death, Vlad later used his dark knowledge to turn himself into a vampire and achieve immortality.

### Vampire

#### *Midnight Bound*

Hundreds of years later in 1867, a powerful mysterious creature began attacking and killing citizens in Viscri, Romania, the heartland of Dracula's dominion. Hoping to hunt down and destroy this threat to his power, Dracula disguised himself as a bearded Transylvanian dentist named Dr. Luca Romanesca and joined a group hunting for the monster.

Successfully blending in, he would later meet a young man named Henry Reid and befriended him, hoping to use the mild-mannered accountant for his own goals.

Days later, the group discovered that the monster was none other than fellow group member Andre Ripoli, who was in fact the powerful French werewolf-turned-pricolici Jean Chastel, who had been hoping to kill Dracula and seize his power. After Chastel tried to kill him after massacring the group for sustenence, "Romanesca" transformed into his true form of Count Dracula and the two did battle, resulting in Dracula killing Chastel. All of Thomas Shaw's group died that night aside from Henry Reid, who was saved by the candle Peter Andrews left. Unable to cross the holy boundry of light produced by an alter candle Henry used to defend himself, Dracula retreated into the night.

Henry would later make his way back to a nearby village alive, and told the townspeople of his terrifying account with Dracula, resulting in them finally learning of what the Count truly was.

#### *Dracula* (1897)

As the novel begins in 1893, Dracula began a long formulated plan for world domination, and quietly infiltrated London to begin his new reign of terror over the world. He summoned Jonathan Harker, a newly-qualified English solicitor, to provide legal support over a real estate deal with Harker's employer, Mr. Hawkins. Dracula at first charmed Harker with his politeness and historical knowledge, and even rescues him from the clutches of his bloodthirsty wives. In truth, however, Dracula wished to keep Harker alive just long enough for his legal transaction to finish and to learn as much as he could about England. Harker would discover this, and would form a daring plan to escape.

Dracula left his castle and boarded a Russian ship, the *Demeter*, taking along with him boxes of Transylvanian soil, which he needed in order to regain his strength. During the voyage to Whitby, a coastal town in northern England, he sustained himself on the ship's crew members. Only one body is later discovered, that of the captain, who was found tied up to the ship's helm clutching a crucifix. The captain's log was recovered, and tells of frightening events that had taken place while the ship was traveling. Count Dracula left the ship in the form of a wolf.

Soon, Count Dracula began menacing Harker's devoted fiancée, Mina Murray, and her vivacious friend, Lucy Westenra. There was also a notable link between Dracula and R.M. Renfield, a patient in an insane asylum compelled to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures - in ascending order of size - in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acted as a kind of sensor, reacting to Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly.

Dracula began to visit Lucy's bed chamber on a nightly basis, draining her of blood while simultaneously infecting her with the curse of vampirism. Not knowing the cause for Lucy's deterioration, her companions called upon the Dutch doctor Van Helsing, the former mentor of one of Lucy's suitors. Van Helsing soon deduced her condition's supernatural origins, but did not speak out.

After her fiancé Jonathan escaped from Dracula's castle, Mina travels to Budapest and joins him there. Mina cares for him during his recovery from his traumatic encounter and the two return to England as husband and wife.

Back home, they learn that Lucy had died from a mysterious illness stemming from a wild animal's attack - the animal, they learn, was none other than Dracula taking a different shape. Despite an attempt at keeping the vampire at bay with garlic, Dracula enticed Lucy out of her chamber late at night and drained her blood, killing her and transforming her into one of the undead.

Van Helsing and a group of men entered Lucy's crypt and kill her reanimated corpse. They later enter Dracula's residence at Carfax, destroying his boxes of earth and depriving the vampire of his ability to rest. Dracula then left England trying to return to his homeland, but not before biting Mina.

The heroes race Dracula back to Transylvania, and in a climactic battle with Dracula's gypsy bodyguards, eventually suceed in destroying him. Mina's narrative described his throat being cut by Jonathan Harker's kukri knife as his heart was stabbed deeply by Quincey Morris with his Bowie knife.

## Powers/Abilities

Count Dracula, through both pure vampiric abilities as well as dark magic, was exceptionally powerful. In his youth, he was even taught by Lucifer himself at the black magic academy of Scholomance, deep in Transylvania. There, he became an expert in every branch of magic taught, and had immense knowledge in many fields including alchemy, sorcery, and necromancy. His magical prowess gave him extra and more potent powers than a usual vampire, including:

* **Intangibility**: He could pass through solid objects and defy gravity. This also allowed him to crawl along walls or ceilings.
* **Shapeshifting**: While all vampires with a reasonable degree of power can transform into a wolf, swarm of bats, or other animal, Dracula had much more control over his form. He can alter every single aspect of his features at will, though he needs to drink blood to rejuvenate and regain his youthful aspect.
* **Limited Weather Control**: He could conjure storms, fog, or rain at will and can even control the clouds. He was taught this skill by Lucifer at Scholomance.

As the most powerful vampire in existence, Dracula had an exceptional degree of vampiric abilities, including:

* **Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, senses, and agility**: Vampires, including Dracula, have enhanced physiology far beyond humans.
* **Regeneration**: His body could repair even fatal wounds incredibly quickly, as long as he has consumed blood relatively recently. He has even been seen to easily heal from injuries inflicted by powerful beings like the pricolici Jean Chastel.
* **Biological Immortality**: As long as he continued to drink blood, the Count could not age nor catch diseases. All toxins and poisons were also completely useless against him.
* **Dark Composition**: He could turn into a dark mist or elemental dust while in direct moonlight.
* **Hematophagy**: As a vampire, Dracula was cursed to consume blood raw. He had long, sharp fangs to assist in this job as well as a serpentine-like tongue.
	+ **Soul Absorption**: By draining a person of their blood, Dracula gained dominance over their souls and very forms. He also took on whatever knowledge they possess.
* **Hypnosis**: He could control the minds of humans, including thoughts, desires, and memories. He could control animals as well, all feral beasts and critters around would obey his every command.
* **Vampire Creation:** He could pass his curse to others by draining a person's blood and then forcing that same person to drink his blood.
* **Super Senses:** Count Dracula could see, hear, and smell better than humans, and even weaker vampires. He was also able to see perfectly in complete darkness.
* **Psychic Countermeasures:** Particularly old vampires, like Count Dracula, have the power to detect if they are being watched by a seer and can block their sight.
* **Levitation:** Vampires like Dracula were able to float into the air and defy gravity, but could not fly.
* **Telepathic Connection:** Vampire sires have a connection with the vampires they have sired, allowing them to hear their cries if close enough.
* **Age Empowerment:** Dracula's powers and abilities got enhanced and more versatile the more older and more ancient he became.

### Weaknesses

Vampires, including Dracula, could be destroyed by being incinerated, immersed in running water, shot with a sanctified bullet, having their heart pierced, or getting beheaded. While the most common method to pierce their heart is by using a wooden stake, iron can also be used, as was the case with Dracula.

* **Sunlight**: Sunlight heavily weakens him, removing all his supernatural powers aside from his physical abilities.
* **Holy Weakness**: Dracula is repelled and burned by religious items, including crosses/crucifixes, holy water, the light from holy candles, and Communion wafers.
	+ **Holy Barrier**: He must be invited by someone already inside to enter an inhabited area. But, if invited, he can come and go as he pleases. His intangibility didn't apply to places he hasn’t been invited to.
* **Wildflowers**: He would be trapped in his vault if a wildflower was placed upon it or his coffin lid.
* **Silver**: Vampires, like all dark creatures, are vulnerable to the pure metal silver. Dracula was not exempt from this. Exposure to it would only weaken his powers, but direct contact with it would burn him. If he ingested it, it could poison him easily. Weapons made from silver are also very effective at killing any vampire but only if it strikes a lethal area. If it is removed before the vampire dies, they can regenerate fully.
* **Water**: He could not cross running waters like rivers unless the tide is at its highest or at slack levels.
* **Regional Connection**: Finally, when he became a vampire, he had to either never leave his homeland or rest on the soil of his place of "rebirth" on a regular basis to sustain his powers, as vampires cannot leave the country in which they became a vampire. They must rest regularly in their native land to prevent their abilities from weakening. Count Dracula found a way around this, partly filling coffins with dirt from the his native land, bringing the coffins with him when he travelled to England, and rested in them nightly to satisfy the same need.

## Gallery

Dracula when he was still the human Vlad Tepes, circa 1455Count Dracula as seen when he first met Jonathan Harker, circa 1893Count Dracula artistically depicted as young and rejuvinated from drinking blood, 1893
## Trivia

* In *Midnight Bound,* he uses the alias Dr. Luca Romanesca for most of the book. "Dr" and "Luca," when put together, are very similar to the name "Dracula." The last name, "Romanesca," comes from the Romanian word "Românească," meaning "Wallachia" (where Dracula originates).