Gilles de Rais

Bluebeard, Grand Marshal of the Black Tower, Bishop of Belzebuth, Sadistic Aristocrat, History's Worst Child-Murderer (Nicknames)

## Biographical Information

### Date of Birth

Original Birth: September 4th, 1404
Rebirth: October 26th, 1440

### Place of Birth

Original Birth: Champtocé-sur-Loire, Duchy of Anjou, Kingdom of France
Rebirth: Belzebuth Castle, Netherworld

### Date of Death

Original Death: October 26th, 1440 (Aged 36)

### Occupation

Head Butler (Belzebuth Castle)
Ajuka Beelzebub's Personal Secretary

### Residence

Belzebuth Castle
Netherworld, Realm of the Dead

## Relationships

### Relatives

{Jean de Craon} (M. Grandfather)
{Guy II de Montmorency-Laval} (Father)
{Marie de Craon} (Mother)
{René de La Suze} (Younger Brother)
{Marie de Montmorency-Laval} (Daughter)

### Marital Status

Widowed (Catherine de Thouars, Wife)Exes (Prelati, Étienne Corrillaut)

## **Characteristics

### Species

Devil (Reincarnated Devil)
Former Human (Goetian Witch)

## Personal Information

### Affiliation

Jeanne d'Arc (Personal God)
Ajuka Beelzebub (King/Master)
Ajuka Beelzebub's Peerage (Bishop)
Four Great Satans (Beelzebub III)
72 Pillars (Astaroth Clan)
Three Factions (Netherworld)
Order of the Holy Maiden (Founder)

### Ranking

Baron de Rais, Marshal of France
Ultimate-Class Devil

* Bishop Piece (Mutated Pieces)
* Reincarnated Devil

## Portrayal

### Depictions

Naoto Fūga (Japanese VA)
Aaron Dismuke (English VA)**

**Gilles de Rais** is the infamous Marshal of France who fought in the Hundred Years' War as a leader of the French army and companion-in-arms with Jeanne d'Arc. The majority of his infamy, however, originated from his later conviction as a confessed serial killer, with his number of victims going into the hundreds and even allegations of necrophilia and pedophilia.

Because of his infamy, he is regarded as one of the earliest serial killers in recorded history. His story is also said to serve as origins for the French folktale "Bluebeard", in which a monstrous lord keeps marrying one woman to another before killing them to steal their fortune.

In contrast to public information, Gilles' execution on October 26th 1440 was not his end. In fact, he was resurrected through his deal with Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Four Great Satans who rule the Netherworld. Currently, he serves as the head butler of Belzebuth Castle and Ajuka's personal secretary.

## History

### Early Years

#### Childhood

Gilles de Rais was born on September 4th, 1404 in the family castle at Champtocé-sur-Loire to Guy II de Montmorency-Laval and Marie de Craon. Growing up, Gilles was considered the perfect heir and child - Calm, mature, intelligent, with a natural sense of duty. However, this was all a facade the boy created to hide his twisted nature.

Ever since he was a young child, Gilles had already shown signs of his psychopathy, having grown a fondness for abusing and killing small animals. When he was seven, on a hunting trip with his father, he came across the mutilated corpse of a young man being devoured by wild dogs, which he later remembered as "one of the most beautiful things [Gilles'] young mind has ever seen".

While he was able to hide these acts from everybody, on a visiting trip to the castle, his maternal grandfather Jean de Craon saw him cutting open a pregnant cat's stomach with a twisted smile on his face. This left a permanent bad impression of Craon as he now saw his grandson as a changeling, some kind of half-devil or curse placed on his daughter's family.

#### Grandfather's Tutelage

Following the deaths of his parents in 1415, Gilles and his younger brother René de La Suze were placed under the tutelage of their grandfather, in spite of their parents' last wish. It was during this time that Craon truly showed his true nature as another monster in human's skin.

While René was sent to live with a loyal vassal of their father, Gilles was forced to live with Craon and was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by his grandfather. Every time he was beaten, Craon would call him a monster who killed his parents, causing the young boy to grow up thinking of himself to be inhuman, and as such, didn't need to follow what humans considered morally correct or appropriate.

#### Courtships & Marriage

When Gilles was twelve, his grandfather attempted to arrange the marriage between him and four-year-old Jeanne Paynel, one of the richest heiresses in Normandy. When the plan failed, Craon unsuccessfully attempted to unite him with Béatrice de Rohan, the niece to the Duke of Brittany. On November 30th 1420, his attempt finally succeeded as Gilles married his cousin Catherine de Thouars of Brittany, heiress of La Vendée and Poitou.

### Military Career

In the decades following the Breton War of Succession, the defeated faction led by Olivier de Blois, Count of Penthièvre, continued to plot against the Dukes of the House of Montfort. The Blois faction, which refused to relinquish its claim to rule over the Duchy of Brittany, had taken Duke John VI prisoner in violation of the Treaty of Guérande. Craon took the side of the House of Montfort. After the Duke's release, Craon and Gilles were rewarded for their "good and notable services" with generous land grants that were converted to monetary gifts.

In 1425, Gilles appeared in the entourage of king Charles VII at Saumur, and at the battle for the Château du Lude, he killed the English captain Blackburn, throwing Blackturn onto a pile of rubbles before stomping on his head, breaking his neck immediately. From 1427 to 1435, Gilles served as a commander in the Royal Army, distinguishing himself for bravery on the battlefield during the renewal of the Hundred Years' War.

On 17 July 1429, Gilles was one of four lords chosen for the honor of bringing the Holy Ampulla from the Abbey of Saint-Remy to Notre-Dame de Reims for the consecration of Charles VII as King of France. On the same day, he was officially created a Marshal of France.

Following the Siege of Orléans, Gilles was granted the right to add a border of the royal arms, the fleur-de-lys on an azure ground, to his own. The letters patent authorizing the display cited his "high and commendable services", the "great perils and dangers" he had confronted, and "many other brave feats".

In November 1432, Craon finally died due to "mysterious maladies", though many speculated that he was assassinated by Gilles as their mutual hatred was not a secret among people of the court, In a public gesture to mark his hatred toward Gilles, Craon left his sword and his breastplate to Gilles' younger brother René de La Suze.

#### The Holy Maiden

Gilles first met Jeanne d'Arc during the Siege of Orléans when she saved his life from a stray arrow. Despite having no interest in women, he couldn't help but feel a natural draw toward her, a devotion that is beyond the definitions of romantic and platonic. Soon, he reached out and became Jeanne's right-hand man, her biggest supporter among the Armagnac commanders and her adviser as they navigated the intricate politics of the Royal Court.

After an encounter with a coven of witches, Jeanne revealed to Gilles her status as a Prophet and soon Gilles realized that it was his destiny to be Jeanne's apostle, assisting her in her mission to save France. He confided with Jeanne about his psychopathic tendencies despite knowing that she could be like his grandfather, but to his surprise, she didn't. She accepted him for who he was and even helped him become a better version of himself, a version Gilles had always wanted to be.

During her capture in May 1430, Gilles was heavily injured and was forced to be sedated for months on end, drifting in and out of consciousness, with the only word he ever mumbled was "Jeannette". After he healed, he rushed to Charles VII's side and begged him to save Jeanne but the king refused, believing it wasn't worth it to risk nobles' lives for a commoner, Holy Maiden or otherwise. Enraged, Gilles yelled at the king that this would be his doom and left the court in a rush.

As Gilles hurrily gathered his troops in a desperate attempt to save Jeanne, bad news came announcing Jeanne's execution. At that moment, he just broke down in tears and became a broken shell of a man. Even a fool could realize that this was the moment Gilles lost whatever humanity left inside of him.

### Private Life

#### Lavish Spending

In 1434, Gilles gradually withdrew from military and public life as he found no reason to fight after Jeanne was gone. Instead, he tried to move on with his life like what she had told him, pursuing his own interests such as theater or the occult. As such, he spent giant amounts of money for the construction of a splendid Chapel of the Holy Innocents, with a statue of Jeanne d'Arc in place of the Christ, and the production of a theatrical spectacle, "Le Mystère du Siège d'Orléans", with more than 20,000 lines of verse, 140 speaking parts, and 500 extras.

Because of his lavish spending, Gilles was almost bankrupt and began selling property as early as 1432 to support his extravagant lifestyle, though many believed he did this just to spite his family, who refused to understand his obsession with Jeanne. By March 1433, he had sold all his estates in Poitou (except his wife's) and all his property in Maine. Only two castles in Anjou, Champtocé-sur-Loire and Ingrandes, remained in his possession. Half the total sales and mortgages was spent on the production of his play.

In June 1435, family members gathered to put a curb on Gilles. They appealed to Pope Eugene IV to disavow the Chapel of the Holy Innocents. which the Pope refused, and carried their concerns to the king. On July 2nd 1435, a royal edict was proclaimed in Orléans, Tours, Angers, Pouzauges and Champtocé-sur-Loire denouncing Gilles as a spendthrift and forbidding him to sell any more property. No subject of Charles VII was allowed to enter into any contract with him, and those in command of his castles were forbidden to dispose of them.

Gilles' credit fell immediately, and for a short while, his creditors began to press upon him but all stopped after one creditor after another was found dead, their corpse burned and mutilated. When Gilles left Orléans in late August 1435, the town was littered with precious objects he was forced to leave behind. The edict did not apply to the Duchy of Brittany, and his family was unable to persuade the Duchy of Brittany to enforce it.

#### Order of the Holy Maiden

In 1436, Gilles founded the Order of the Holy Maiden, a magic cabal consisting of knights and sorcerers who believed Jeanne d'Arc to be an incarnation of the Presence's divine femininity, His womanly avatar in the material world. During Gilles' lifetime, the cabal would remain small and secretive, but centuries following his death, the cabal would grow bigger and more influential. As of 2020, the Order of the Holy Maiden has become the predominant magic cabal in France, whose influence overwhelmed even that of the Catholic Church.

## Powers & Abilities

### Power-Ranking

* **CDI System** - Class VI (Reincarnated Devil)
* **P.O.W.E.R.S. System**
	+ **Physicality**: 5 - Remarkable
	+ **Occult**: 7 - Legendary
	+ **Weaponry**: 6 - Superb
	+ **Expertise**: 6 - World-Class
	+ **Range**: 7 - Legendary
	+ **Strategy**: 6 - Superb
		- **Total**: 190 TP
		- **Level 6 "Severe Threat"**