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Unofficial Castlevania Timeline and Story
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By James Haley

DISCLAIMER:

This is my own personal, completely unofficial version of the Castlevania
timeline. I have remained as close as possible to the series canon, but have
injected some of my own opinions and interpretations where they are easily
allowed. Other fans have different but equally reasonable ideas, and I do not
reject them as impossible -- indeed, I have adopted some of my ideas from 
other timelines, fan fiction, and secondary sources pertaining to the games.

WARNING:

This timeline contains complete spoilers for every game, so if you haven't
played a particular game and wish to maintain its initial mystique, I
recommend skipping its treatment here.


=======================
Quick Timeline of Dates
=======================

  1095 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
c.1433 - Sonia Belmont is born
  1450 - Castlevania Legends
c.1462 - Death of Lisa and Rebirth of Vlad Dracula
c.1474 - The War With Humanity
  1476 - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
  1479 - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
  1576 - Castlevania Adventures
  1591 - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
  1691 - Castlevania / Castlevania Chronicle
  1693 - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
  1698 - Super Castlevania IV
  1748 - Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
  1792 - Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (Dracula X: Rondo of Blood)
c.1796 - Richter disappears
  1797 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
c.1820 - Morris Baldwin seals Dracula away
  1830 - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
  1844 - Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - Cornell
  1852 - Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - Reinhardt, Carrie, Henry
  1897 - Bram Stoker's Dracula
  1917 - Castlevania: Bloodlines
c.1999 - Julius Belmont leads the sealing of Castlevania into a solar eclipse
  2035 - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
  2036 - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

  
See the end for a special section dealing with real historical connections to
the Castlevania timeline!

Also see the end for notes on retcons present in the official version of the 
timeline which are omitted here.  

This is an "inclusionist" timeline, which considers as many games canon as is
possible, with the exception of several of the redundant versions of the 
original Castlevania, and the redundant (and terrible) SNES remake of Chi no 
Rondo.


-- Full Story and Timeline ---------------------------------------------------

==== 1095 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence =================================

It was the eleventh century, a time of descent for Europe into the Dark Ages
where the power of monarchs evaporated and feudal lords arose to fill the
vacuum of power.  Within this chaotic framework, orders of knights arose to
defend their realms with honor and valor.

Even as the traditional powers declined, the Catholic Church found its own
political power increasing.  Seeking to solidify its control of society and
put an end to the measureless petty bickering, the Gregorian Reforms were
brought about.  As part of these reforms, the knights were elevated to the
role of protectors of the peace and the Church, and they were organized into
tight companies.

Amongst all these companies, one was said to be completely invincible: this
was the company of one Leon Belmont and one Mathias Cronqvist.  While Leon was
courageous and unstoppable in battle, Mathias possessed an unparalleled 
tactical genius.  These two men were never once defeated on the field of
battle.

Mathias, however, would find his ultimate challenge in life elsewhere. One day
as he returned from battle victorious and prepared to celebrate with his wife,
Elizabetha, he learned that she had passed away.  His grief became so great
that he could no longer stand, let alone fight, and he became totally bed-
ridden.

Soon the papacy launched its deadly campaigns against the Seljuk Turks and 
even the Orthodox Church known otherwise as the Crusades.  Many knights were
sent away never to return, and their strength was sapped.  At the same time,
as though to take advantage of this situation, a mysterious army of monsters
arose in the forests of Wallachia and Transylvania, the very provinces which
Leon's knights were assigned to protect.  However, the Church would authorize
no campaigns against enemies outside of its own political interests, and thus
Leon found himself impotent in the face of grave danger.

Not long after this crisis began, Mathias sent Leon a message: the monsters'
point of origin was a dark castle known as "Eternal Night," and Leon's
beloved fiancee, Sara Trantoul, had been kidnapped and taken there.  Leon had
no choice but to renounce his titles and set off to save her.

Leon was soon surprised by an old man living in the forest near the castle. His
name was Rinaldo Gandolfi, and he was a skilled alchemist.  The man lead Leon
back to his quaint cottage, where he told him of the source of the darkness --
the vampire Walter Bernhard, who possessed some unknown artifact of great power
which made him practically invincible.  To entertain himself, the fiend would
take things of great value to vampire hunters, forcing them to battle to their
dooms in hopeless duels atop the mist-enshrouded towers of Eternal Night.
Walter tolerated Rinaldo's presence in his forest only because he felt Rinaldo's
aid to the hunters made the fights more interesting.

Before bidding Leon adieu, Rinaldo bequeathed to him two gifts.  First, he gave
him the powerful Whip of Alchemy, created through a fusion of Rinaldo's skills
and the ancient instructions found in a tome which curiously came from the
family library of none other than Mathias Cronqvist.  Last but not least,
Rinaldo channeled some of his power into Leon's gauntlet in order to allow the
hunter to gain magical power.  Finally, he informed Leon that to reach the
upper levels of Walter's castle, he would have to release the seal by defeating
the five guardians: Golem, Succubus, Medusa, and the Undead Parasite.

Once Leon battled through the enormous lower reaches and defeated all five of
the guardians, he met the lesser vampire known as Joachim Armster.  Besting the
immortal in battle, he learned of Walter's artifact, the Ebony Stone.  One of
alchemy's great lost creations, it could be combined with two others of its
kind, the Philosopher's Stone and the Crimson Stone.  With the former, it
provided its possessor eternal youth, and so to the vampires it was unneeded.
But with the latter, it would grant instead ultimate power.  Unfortunately for
the darklings, the Crimson Stone was thought to be lost forever.  Rinaldo also
informed Leon that his own daughter had been taken away by Walter, and so the
two men now had a strong bond.

Finally reaching the Pagoda of the Misty Moon, Leon confronted Walter, who
appeared bearing Sara in arm.  The vampire handed over the girl immediately,
saying that she was no longer of any use.  Enraged, Leon leaped into battle
and landed a mighty blow on Walter with the whip, but the vampire merely
scoffed at the effort and was not at all harmed.  Walter challenged Leon to a
moonlight duel on the uppermost floor before vanishing.  Leon, seeing that
Sara was hurt, rushed her back to Rinaldo.

Rinaldo discerns that the unconscious Sara is still alive, but he discovers
that Walter has bitten her and infected her with the curse of vampirism.
Unless Leon could defeat Walter immediately, Sara would be doomed to transform
into a creature of the night.  Unfortunately, Leon lacked any means to damage
Walter.  This is when Rinaldo had an idea that to Leon seemed like madness.  If
Leon was to destroy Sara with the Whip of Alchemy, then the part of Walter which
she carried would fuse with his rage and the power of the whip to form a new
weapon which could utterly destroy the vampire.  Leon could never bring himself
to harm Sara, however, so it seemed hopeless.  Unbeknownst to the men, Sara had
regained consciousness and eavesdropped on their conversation.  Realizing the
hopelessness of her situation and the great opportunity now presented to save
others from what would otherwise be her own dark fate, she volunteered to become
a willing sacrifice.  Leon was torn, but finally agreed.  Coiling back the whip
with grave sorrow and burning rage, he struck Sara a lethal blow, and as Rinaldo
had predicted, the Whip of Alchemy was transformed into the Vampire Killer.
Leon swore that he would have revenge for Sara, and raced back to confront
Walter once more.

The vampire was at first unimpressed, and goaded Leon by declaring that his
actions were nothing less than a gift to the man, by which he received a weapon
of great power.  Walter was soon to be greatly impressed, however, as he was
soundly defeated.  Still proud and unable to accept his newfound weakness,
Walter boasted that he would return even from death with his full strength.
But, before Leon could finish him, the Grim Reaper suddenly appeared and
extracted Walter's life force, who then offered it to Mathias, who appeared
along with the fiend, bearing the Crimson Stone which he alone had recovered.  

Mathias explained to the bewildered Leon that the reason for all of this was 
Elizabetha.  Mathias had fought tirelessly for God, but had not been spared the 
suffering of losing his wife, and he blamed God for her death.  He declared, 
"For if limited life is God's decree, then I shall defy it!"  He thought that
Leon, having lost Sara, might also join him in eternal life, pointing out how
Leon had destroyed Walter with his hatred.  Leon countered that although he had
struck down Walter with hatred, he did it so that others would live, which is 
what Sara wanted -- he did not believe that Elizabetha would be pleased with 
what Mathias had done.  Mathias, disgusted, simply left and said to Death, 
"He's all yours."

So Leon was locked in a fierce battle with Death, who drew him into the Chaotic
Realm.  Every bit as overconfident as Walter had been, Death did not believe the
Vampire Killer could harm him.  But, its universal power against darkness was
proven, and Leon defeated the celestial being, who also bragged of his impending
return.  Leon, however, had a message for Death to bring to Mathias: "You have
become a cursed being, and I will never forgive you.  This whip and my kinsmen
will destroy you someday.  The Belmont clan will hunt the night!"

The enormous power released by Death's defeat caused the castle to begin to
crumble, and Leon narrowly escaped alive.  Sunlight immediately began to return
to the forest.  Rinaldo, still in his cottage, saw a beam of sunlight shine
through his window, and said, "So he did it."

Meanwhile, Mathias went into hiding in foreign lands, where he continued to
curse and defy God all his days.  He took the title of "Lord of Vampires and
King of the Night."  So was born the first Dark Lord.

This much is certain -- that Mathias Cronqvist would later play some unknown
role in the rebirth of Count Dracula.  A few speculate that Mathias himself
became later known as Vlad Tepes, but others dismiss this possibility due to
historical conflicts.  Others point to the mechanism of reincarnation as it
later manifests in Soma Cruz, who himself unknowingly possesses the Crimson
Stone, and say that Vlad Tepes must have been a reincarnation of Mathias after
he was somehow defeated.  

However, the sages shake their heads sadly, as only they know the explanation
which truly makes sense...

==== c.1433 ==================================================================

A girl named Sonia was born to the Belmont clan in the Romanian province of 
Transylvania. As this girl grew up, she learned that she had unusual super-
natural abilities, including that of being able to sense spiritual beings 
unseen by others. She was trained in combat with a whip by her elders, and 
was told that her powers were not meant only for her own benefit, but for 
that of all people.

==== 1450 - Castlevania Legends ==============================================

It was at this time that the Romanian prince Vlad III Dracula "Tepes" reached 
the height of his power, having earlier undertaken a dark transmigration from 
his human body which rendered him a vampire. Though he had not yet become the
Dark Lord, his iron-fisted rule of the province of Wallachia now threatened
to spread to neighboring provinces. Against him rose the Ottoman Turks, the
Saxons, and the noble boyars of Hungary, none of whom were allied with the
others, and the unrelenting blight of war was set upon the land from all sides.

Now at the age of 17, Sonia met the enigmatic Alucard, the prodigal son of
Dracula. The two spent a great deal of time together, and it is said that 
they fell in love. Alucard had only just begun to turn away from admiration
of his father, and did not at first realize the role that Sonia had to play. 
However, through this meeting Sonia finally felt she had learned her true 
purpose, and that was to destroy the Dark Prince who threatened the serenity
of Transylvania.

Sonia set out for Dracula's castle with her whip in hand. On the way she met
a mysterious spirit who challenged her to find five sacred objects which had
been stolen away to the dark castle. She agreed to keep an eye out for them,
feeling that this spirit was in genuine need.

Once Sonia arrived at the castle, she battled through continuously until she
reached the Keep, where she had expected to find Dracula himself enthroned. 
To her astonishment, she instead met Alucard, who was equally astonished to 
see her. Alucard did not want Sonia to be involved in the battle against his
father, as he felt it was his own duty to deal with the transgressions of his
bloodline. However, Sonia's determination to fight on was ferocious, and 
Alucard could tell that she would not willingly back down. In order to assure
himself of her powers, he challenged her to battle. Once she had pushed the 
dhampir to his limit, he conceded that her power was greater than he had known,
and stepped aside to let her face his father in his stead, for the time leaving
his betrayal a secret.

Sonia went on to find Dracula enthroned within the secret Ceremonial Chamber
deep beneath the castle, the site where he had tortured, impaled, and drank the
blood of countless victims. Vlad fruitlessly attempted to seduce the young girl
into thralldom, saying there would be great merit in having her power at his
disposal. The two then engaged in battle: the dance of righteous whip and 
darkling fire which would become an endlessly-repeating history of sorrow 
throughout the ages. Though Sonia bested the Dark Prince in battle, destroying
his monsterous dragon-like incarnation, he warned her that victory was not so
simple, and that as long as there was evil in the world, he would continue to
rule. Sonia countered by stating that as long as the Belmont bloodline lived,
Dracula could only be defeated time and time again.

Not long after, Sonia gave birth to her child, Trevor, rumored by some to also
be the son of Alucard, though the sages consider this unlikely due to the 
probable incompatibility of Belmont and vampiric blood.

Sonia's sound defeat of Dracula created great fear amongst the people of 
Wallachia and Transylvania, and though they had been spared slavery and death,
they chose to exile the Belmonts. Before leaving Wallachia, however, Sonia left
the Vampire Killer whip and the five sacred relics she had found with the 
spirit she had earlier met, who now revealed himself as the Poltergeist King.
The Belmonts left, but not with bitter hearts.

Dracula, defeated but not destroyed, recalled his armies to the capital of
Targoviste, where he needed their support against the unyielding onslaught of
the Ottomans, who marched under the very same Sultan Mehmed II who had mentored
Vlad in his youth, along with his own brother Radu the Handsome, who was the
lover of the Sultan and coveted the Wallachian throne for himself.

Through the selflessness and sacrifices of Sonia, Transylvania was spared from
Dracula's Curse, but only for a time...

[Note: This game's story has been revised in several non-critical points to
 make it almost completely consistent with both real history and with the
 greater Castlevania timeline. Differences include the idea that Dracula was
 already the Dark Lord in 1450, that he had already started his war with
 humanity, and that Sonia was the first Belmont to destroy Dracula as the
 Dark Lord. Sacrificing these already non-canon details renders a much more
 sensible -- and enriched -- timeline.]

==== c.1462 - Death of Lisa and Rebirth of Vlad Dracula ======================

In the year 1462, Dracula was forced to abdicate the throne of Wallachia in
Targoviste. Implementing a war of attrition, crops and villages were burned,
wells were poisoned, lepers and plague-bearers were released to mingle with
the enemy, and entire towns of people were impaled until stakes rose about
the city like a grim forest.

So sickened was Sultan Mehmed at the sight of 30000 impaled men, women, and
children encircling Targoviste that he abandoned the command of his men to
Radu and immediately returned to Adrianople, unwilling to ever again march in
battle.

Dracula had fled for the blood-stained Poenari Castle, but could not bring his
human wife Lisa or his son Alucard with him. It was at this time that Lisa was
taken by the townspeople as she worked to cure them of disease and was burned
as a witch. With her final words, Alucard was ultimately and forever turned
against the wicked ways of his father. Even though he would have slaughtered
all the humans at Lisa's execution in order to save her, she stayed his hand,
showed them mercy, and surrendered her own life.

Though high in the foot of the Carpathians, resting above the Riul Doamnei,
Poenari proved itself assailable, and Vlad was forced to surrender. 
Inexplicably shown mercy by the invaders, he was allowed to escape with a
large part of his army. 

Though Vlad was able to regroup and take back his throne within the year, he
was tricked by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and taken prisoner. Brought
to the city of Pest, Vlad eventually gained the trust of the King, and was
given many priveleges unusual for a political prisoner.

It must have been at this time that Matthias Corvinus revealed his true 
identity to Vlad Tepes, in an attempt to absorb his vampiric soul. However,
while the details are unknown, it was Vlad who emerged victorious, and who
now took for himself the title of Dark Lord and all its unfathomable power.

==== c.1474 - The War With Humanity ==========================================

History records that in 1474, Matthias Corvinus sent Vlad Dracula together with
his own kin, Stephen Bathory, and a regiment of soldiers to reclaim the 
Wallachian throne.

In reality, it was Vlad Tepes alone who commanded this invasion, and swiftly
he regained his old principality. This time, however, not human soldiers but
the very creatures of Hell flowed from his castles and armories. An unholy and
unstoppable power backed their every advance, and wicked men of all walks of
life turned to their service, including the powerful Devil Forgemasters,
Hector and Isaac.

Sweeping across Eastern Europe like lightning, in due time this army would
threaten to destroy the entire world. The kings and the Church pooled their 
meager forces to oppose the might of Dracula, but they continued to crumble 
one after the other.

Eventually, however, the Forgemaster Hector fell in love with a woman named
Rosaly, and this experience changed him forever. He forsook the power of 
Dracula and began to use his skills to aid humans in battle. The tide of the
war began to slowly turn, opening a precious gap in Dracula's circles of
defense. It was in this that the only hope for the world could come to pass.

==== 1476 - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse =================================

A young Trevor Belmont, now in his prime as a vampire hunter, swiftly answered
the urgent call to arms issued by the Church. Sneaking into Wallachia under 
cover of his cloak and the ever-present darkness, Trevor made his way to the
very gates of Castlevania, the Dark Lord's foreboding manse.

Trevor retrieved the Vampire Killer whip from the Poltergeist King, who had
added his own blessings to it, making it a weapon of legend, and also learned
about the relics his mother had recovered. They would enable him to use
special magical weapons -- the dagger, cross, holy water, axe, and watch -- 
which he would find throughout Castlevania by releasing them from candles with
the alchemic magic of the whip.

On his way through the Wallachian countryside and the Demon Castle itself,
Trevor rescued two fellow warriors. The first was Grant DaNasty, a member of 
the Danesti who were a rival clan of Tepes, who was a pirate by trade and
could climb up walls and across ceilings while stealthfully throwing daggers. 
The second was the mysterious mage Sypha Belnades, who had been turned to 
stone by the Cyclops. Finally, Trevor met Alucard, who tested Trevor just as
he had his mother, this time to be sure of the truth of his identity. The four
warriors then continued the fight toward Dracula together.

Trevor's power was so great that he was able to destroy Dracula and confine
him to a hundred years' sleep, the longest time for which he could be entombed.
Trevor is known to have married Sypha after his battles, who contributed her 
inherited magical abilities to further strengthen the Belmont bloodline. Also,
recognizing the bravery and protective value of the Belmont clan, the people of
Wallachia at last lifted their exile, and the clan returned to live in their 
native home. Because of all this, the Belmont name now became legendary.

==== 1479 - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness ===================================

[Coming Soon]

==== 1576 - Castlevania Adventure ============================================

Christopher Belmont faces Dracula after his first 100 year sleep. Christopher
proves to be nearly as powerful as his ancestor Sonia, rediscovering the power
to unleash fire from the Vampire Killer whip, and battling to Dracula faster
than any of his predecessors.

However, Dracula now wisely feared the Belmont name and recognized this new,
even greater power. So, he devised an ingenious plan he felt would guarantee 
his victory. He allowed Christopher to come to him and battle him with his
full power, but before he could be vanquished, Dracula faded away to mist
and hid in the shadows. Christopher, fully believing that he had undone the 
Dark Lord, never saw a small bat flying away from the crumbling ruins of
Castlevania...

==== 1591 - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge ================================

During the 15-year interlude, Christopher raised his son Soleiyu and began
training him in the ways of the vampire killer. Christopher was very troubled,
though, because it seemed that the power of Dracula had not faded as it should
have.

It was Soleiyu's birthday and Christopher had decided that the time had come
for him to pass on the Vampire Killer whip and the title of "Vampire Killer"
to his son, so a holy ritual was performed to confer upon Soleiyu these
things, as well as many blessings.

However, Christopher's worst nightmares came to life that night when he awoke 
to find his son missing. Dracula, following through on his plot, had kidnapped 
Soleiyu and planned to try to use the boy's powers against Christopher to put
an end to the Belmont line forever. Soleiyu, scared and confused, lacking the 
full skills of a vampire hunter, easily succumbed to Dracula and became 
possessed by demons. Dracula desired to use Soleiyu's power to resurrect 
Castlevania, but his attempts failed. Instead, four castles were raised, each 
containing some aspect of the whole -- one of plant, one of cloud, one of 
rock, and one of crystal.

Christopher battled through all four of these castles and destroyed their evil
guardians. However, as soon as he had completed these arduous tasks, Dracula
used the life forces of the vanquished guardians, combining them into one and
bringing Castlevania fully back to the earthly plane. Unrelenting, Christopher
proceeded on into the Demon Castle itself.

Christopher was relieved when he met Soleiyu in the castle, but his relief
quickly turned to horror when he saw that his son was possessed, and was
challenging him to battle. Christopher had to be very careful, but at the same
time, the battle was fierce. Finally defeating Soleiyu without destroying him,
the boy returned to his senses and was freed from his possession by the magic
of the Vampire Killer. With Soleiyu now safe, Christopher was able to turn his
full rage against Dracula. He ultimately defeated the Dark Lord, and confined
him to yet another 100 years of unpeaceful sleep.

==== 1691 - Castlevania / Castlevania Chronicle ==============================

As the forces of evil strengthened once again, Dracula was freed from his
sleep, and Castlevania appeared in Transylvania. Ready to face destiny was the 
young Simon Belmont. Though Simon was not as magically gifted as some of his 
predecessors, his skill and power with the whip were unsurpassed.

And Simon would need every bit of his power and courage, as Dracula assembled
the greatest undead army he had yet controlled. Diverse legions of creatures
were lead by what we now consider classic icons of horror and myth --
Medusa, the legendary Gorgon; The Monster, a Frankensteinish creation who
fought alongside an immortal hunchback fiend; and Akmodan, the undead
mummy twins.

Simon fought valiantly and won his way to the Count. Having failed to end the
Belmont line through kidnapping and possession, Dracula now had a new plan,
even more fiendish. If he failed in battle, he would curse Simon with a deadly
infliction, sure to end the vampire hunter's life and the Belmont bloodline 
with it.

Simon was successful in defeating Dracula; however, he was oblivious to the
curse which was placed upon him, and returned to his vigilant watch of the
countryside.

==== 1693 - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest ====================================

Two years had passed, but Simon's wounds, inflicted in the battle with the
Dark Lord, had not healed. Rather, they were growing worse by the day, and
Simon felt that they would soon kill him. Even worse, Dracula's power had
again not seemed to fade, and a malaise had settled across the countryside. 
Heeding the warnings left to him by his ancestor Christopher, Simon began 
looking for signs of Dracula's survival. He found nothing conclusive, other 
than the nightly terror inflicted on residents of Transylvania by packs of 
undead monsters.

One night, a maiden appeared before Simon and explained to him the curse. She
also told him that she knew how to lift it. Ironically, in order to lift the
curse, Simon himself would have to resurrect Dracula and destroy him again.
The maiden left him with the whispered words of hope, "If you have the courage
to risk your life, then you will find the strength to win again." She then
vanished, leaving Simon to deal with his fate.

Simon would soon learn that his task would be very long and difficult. In
order to resurrect Dracula, he would need to find his five bodily remains --
the Rib, Heart, Eye, Nail, and Ring of Vlad -- and burn them in the ruins of
Castlevania. Dracula, having anticipated an attempt by Simon to lift the
curse, had instructed his followers to scatter these remains throughout
Transylvania, and to guard them in ancient, dangerous mansions.

Though it took a lot of work unusual for a Belmont -- buying and trading,
searching for relics, and wandering the countryside battling for both money
and experience -- Simon eventually discovered the five mansions and recovered
Dracula's remains.

Simon was dismayed to find that many people along the way blamed the Belmonts
for the ongoing trouble, as if it was their power that made evil necessary,
and not the other way around. However, those who were wise knew that Simon
was not to blame, and understood that Dracula's curse was the cause of the 
problems.

Undaunted by the negative attitudes of the people, Simon proceeded into the
ruins of Castlevania. In a shallow basement not far from the once-elegant
entrance hall, Simon chose an altar upon which to burn Dracula's remains. He
watched in both awe and horror as the Count arose from the flames, zombified.
Dracula's own plan had now backfired, and the Count was in a much weakened
state. Simon was able to dispatch the Count quickly, and just as the maiden
had promised, he felt his curse lift and his wounds begin to heal. Never again
would a Belmont fall victim to such black magic.

==== 1698 - Super Castlevania IV =============================================

[ Important Note: Some consider this telling to be the same story as that told
  in "Castlevania," and that the battle described here was the same as that 
  which occured in 1691. However, I believe there is a lot of evidence against 
  this, including the original date for Castlevania II, the appearance of 
  Dracula's grave in the introduction, details of Dracula's resurrection, and 
  the forms taken by Castlevania (which more closely resemble that of 
  Castlevania III than the original). Because of these factors, and my extreme
  fondness for Castlevania IV, I am ignoring the generic story attached to the
  game's startup sequence, and I am considering this telling to be a separate 
  story of a third and final conflict between Simon and Dracula ]
  
By this time, it had become a widespread legend that Dracula only arose once
every 100 years. So, when Simon finally freed himself of his curse and the
power of Dracula at last seemed to fade, no one was expecting the Count to
return for a great deal of time, including Simon himself.

The followers of evil had drastically different plans, however. Five years of
peace had passed, but now they lusted for chaos. Bent on the full resurrection
of their Dark Lord, they called together a great meeting in an abandoned abbey
not far from where Castlevania's ruins still smouldered. They began dark
incantations and performed many unholy rituals, culminating in human sacri-
fice. As they poured the blood of their victim over their unholy altar, a
malevolent storm blew in, shaking the walls of the abbey. Elsewhere, a great
lightning bolt struck down from the clouds, destroying a grave stone upon
which was a single word, so weathered that it could barely be read -- DRACULA.

The Dark Lord wasted no time in reestablishing his full power, starting off by
drinking the blood of some of the very worshippers who had brought about his
resurrection. His full army was called to his castle and the surrounding 
areas. Medusa returned in her full form, the Monster was rebuilt from fresh
corpses, and a new Akmodan, the elder brother of the fallen twins, was brought 
to life. They were joined by many other great abominations, and in short time,
a legion of monsters was again overrunning Transylvania.

The people, now fully confident in the power of Belmont, wasted no time.
Once again, Simon Belmont was called upon to destroy Dracula. With only his
whip and courage, he set out to restore peace to Transylvania.

==== 1748 - Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance ===============================

50 years had passed and Dracula had finally remained in deep slumber for what
appeared would be another century. Simon's grandson, Juste Belmont, had been
given the title of Vampire Killer and inherited the Vampire Killer whip from
his father and his grandfather before him. When he had completed his training
and received these status symbols, his long-time friend and training partner,
Maxim Kischine, felt a sense of despair. While he was a powerful warrior and
was capable of taking on nearly any of Dracula's minions, he could never 
become the chosen one to destroy Dracula himself. He longed to achieve this
glory and to relieve his friend Juste of what he viewed as the ill fate of the
Belmont blood. So, Maxim set out on a journey to further strengthen himself.

While on his trip, Maxim thought about the stories he had heard about how
Juste's grandfather Simon had gathered the remains of Dracula and burnt them
to heal himself of a curse. Maxim came to believe that if he too were to
undertake this task, his wishes would be granted -- he could defeat Dracula,
and then Juste would never have to face the Prince of Darkness during his
lifetime. So it was that Maxim set out on a quest to find the 5 Remains of
Vlad. 

More than likely through some dark design unbeknownst to the man, Maxim was 
easily able to find the pieces within a year's time. He brought them together
near the ruins of Castlevania and burned them, just as Simon had 50 years 
earlier. But Maxim, not armed with any holy relics or blessings, and not 
trained fully in the ways of the vampire killer, was unprepared for the dark
forces that were unleashed. He was possessed by the spirit of Dracula, causing
him to develop a split personality, one part good and the other evil. As a 
reflection of the inner turmoil within Maxim, Castlevania arose from the 
mists, but was itself split into two layers, one completely on the earthly
plane, and another juxtaposed somewhere between Earth and a Hellish alter-
reality. This duality was not obvious from without, and any who journeyed into
the castle would be perplexed by it.

Not long after, on a foggy night, Maxim appeared before Juste, beaten from
head to toe, having lost all memory of the past year. The only thing he knew
was that their mutual childhood friend Lydie Erlanger had been kid-napped, and
that he believed he knew where she might be. Juste and Maxim set off into the
Transylvanian countryside, and as they journeyed to the place that Maxim felt
Lydie might be, the two men saw Castlevania emerge from the fog. Juste was not
sure, but believed that this castle was indeed Dracula's from the beginning.
The two entered, but Maxim quickly fell, exhausted from his injuries. Juste
left him at the entrance and warned him to be very careful in the castle.

As Juste journeyed through Castlevania, he met Maxim several times. At each
meeting, Maxim seemed to be a different person, alternating between his normal
self who was slowly regaining his memory, and his evil alterego, who seemed
bent on keeping Juste from finding Lydie at any cost. Once Juste met with 
Death in the Clock Tower, the spectre impatiently explained to him the duality
of the castle and of Maxim's souls. With these facts cleared up, Juste rushed
even faster to locate and rescue Lydie. Finally meeting up with Maxim while 
the man was in his right mind, Maxim revealed that it had been his alterego
who kidnapped Lydie. He gave Juste his treasured bracelet and told him that it
could be used to open the door to the Castle Keep where Lydie was being safely
hidden. Juste proceeded to the keep, but totally forgot about one important
fact -- Death was trailing him. No sooner had he spoken to Lydie than had
Death seized the girl, proclaiming her to be the perfect sacrifice to restore
life to Dracula.

Juste chased after Death, finally finding him in the lower reaches of the
first of the two castles, but Lydie was no longer with him. Uncertain of her
fate, Juste defeated Death and continued to search the castle. At last, he
found a great fist in the keep holding an orb, and when he destroyed it, he
magically sensed that a door had opened in the heart of both castles. Not
knowing for sure in which castle he would find Lydie, Juste had to make a
choice. He chose to re-enter the hellish castle and search there first. To
his surprise, he had chosen correctly, for there he found both Maxim and
Lydie. But, Maxim had fully succumbed to the power of Dracula and had bitten
Lydie. It seemed that Juste was just a moment too late. Maxim challenged
Juste to battle. Juste, knowing that his friend was still somewhere within
the raging Maxim before him, chose to wear his friend's treasured bracelet
along with his own. 

When the intense battle finally subsided, Maxim struggled hard against 
Dracula's control, changing violently between the two personalities with him.
When the real Maxim realized that Juste was wearing his bracelet to honor him,
he seized control of himself and would not allow Dracula to overtake him.
Dracula, however, realized that Juste now possessed his remains. Declaring
that he no longer needed Maxim as his puppet, he fled into the remains, which
magically rose in the air and combined. Dracula was again alive, but in this
state, having more or less resurrected himself, he was weaker than he had ever
been before. Juste slayed the Dracula Wraith with vehement wrath, and he and
Maxim fled the crumbling castle with the possibly dead Lydie in their arms.

Once outside the castle, Juste noted that Lydie's wounds had faded and that
it looked like she would regain consciousness. She awoke to find Maxim and
Juste standing over her with concerned looks, but she had lost most of her
memory of the events inside the castle. Maxim wanted to tell her the truth,
but Juste felt it was better to keep her ignorant of what had happened. The
two nearly came to blows over this disagreement, but Lydie played the peace-
maker and settled them both down. Together, the three returned to Juste's
home to talk about what had happened.

==== 1792 -- Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (Dracula X: Rondo of Blood) ====

Resurrected by the Dark Priest Shaft, Dracula immediately set about terror-
izing Transylvania and plotting once again to rule the world. Deciding to play
the kidnapping card again as he had long ago with Soleiyu, Dracula had his 
minions burn the town of Jova and seize several of its inhabitants, for use
as leverage against any who would attack him. Key amongst those who were taken
to the dark castle were Annette Renard, girlfriend of Richter Belmont, and her
kid sister Maria.

Richter Belmont, whose training had unleashed in him many before-unseen
powers, was ready for the challenge, but was severely limited in what actions
he could take because of the kidnappings. In order to attack Dracula with his
full power, he would first need to rescue the kidnapped villagers and his
girlfriend. He set about this task from the still-burning ruins of Jova,
proceeding through the Transylvanian countryside and entering Castlevania.

At long last, he found the villagers, Annette, and Maria locked away inside a
deep dungeon. Freeing them, he then turned to battle Dracula. However, young
Maria, who unbeknownst to most was magically gifted, refused to leave the
castle, and instead intended to battle alongside Richter, using her ability to
summon familiar spirits to aid him. Richter agreed, although it seemed like
madness for a child to be in such a place, and together, the two battled ever
onward.

Once they reached the castle keep, Richter told Maria to leave the rest to
him, as only he bore the Vampire Killer whip which would destroy the Dark
Count. Maria agreed, but took up a position from which she could watch the
battle. Richter approached the Count, who pridefully boasted the facts of
his resurrection at the hands of humans, and stated that his rule of darkness
was no more oppressive or enslaving than any religion. Richter's rage grew
higher and higher, and finally, Dracula threw down his glass and declared that
they had talked long enough.

The two battled for what seemed like an eternity. Richter, using his special
acrobatic combat skills and magical item crash abilities, made Dracula seem
like no match. However, with one swift and unexpected move, Dracula obtained
the upper hand and Richter was in trouble. Before the battle could turn sour,
though, Maria burst from the shadows and summoned her four friendly animal
spirits to give strength to Richter. With this newfound power coursing through
him, the vampire hunter could not be defeated, and drove Dracula to his end.

After watching Castlevania collapse once more, Richter and Maria returned to
where the villagers had gathered and recounted their stories. Richter and
Annette went on to be married and started a happy life together, not expecting
any further trouble in the future.

==== c.1796 -- Richter disappears ============================================

Four years after Richter destroyed Dracula, an unholy full moon rose to shine
on Transylvania. Richter set out to investigate this aura of evil, but 
vanished mysteriously under the glare, leaving no trace of his whereabouts.

After Richter failed to return, Maria Renard immediately felt that something
was wrong, and set out to search for her missing brother-in-law.

==== 1797 -- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ==============================

Having searched for Richter for an entire year, Maria was nearing the end of
her thus far fruitless efforts. As soon as she had felt despair, however,
Castlevania suddenly materialized from the mist before her as if to point the
way. She entered the dark castle and began exploring it alone, in search of
any clues.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Richter had been kidnapped by the Dark Priest Shaft,
whose plan it was to use the Belmont in a plot to ensure Dracula's return and
eternal rule. Controlling Richter magically, he made him into the lord of
Castlevania, giving him full control of the demonic structure in Dracula's
absence. This ensured that any who would come to challenge Dracula would have
to face Richter first, and given the vampire hunter's supreme power, Shaft was
certain that none could defeat him.

At this same time, powerful forces were struggling for the soul of an ancient
and powerful warrior. Sensing the violent shift in power that occured with
Richter's forceful conversion to evil, and feeling the danger of a
Transylvania bereft of a Belmont protector, Alucard, the half-human son of
Dracula, awoke from his long sleep for the first time since aiding Trevor
Belmont in 1476. Knowing, but fearing, what he had to do, he set off for
Castlevania.

Once there, Alucard soon met Maria. Not trusting her at first, he remained
cold and distant. Soon, however, he learned that she was searching for Richter
Belmont, whose disappearance was the ultimate cause of what Alucard had felt.
He agreed to help Maria in her search for Richter. Alucard succeeded in
finding Richter, but their meeting was not at all amicable. Richter, sitting
in the Lord's seat of the Collisseum's ampitheater, proclaimed himself to be
the lord of the castle, and summoned powerful demons to destroy Alucard.
Confused, Alucard later found Maria and told her of what he had seen. Maria
at first refused to believe him, and ran away to see for herself. 

Alucard continued to comb the castle for both relics and answers. Once he had
obtained two special rings, he was able to open a door in the heart of the
castle which lead to a mysterious ceremonial chamber. Within, he met Maria
again, who told him that she had verified what he had earlier told her --
Richter had joined the enemy. However, Maria knew in her heart that Richter
was strong and good, and would never willingly do such a thing. Believing that
he must be under the control of some evil, she gave Alucard some special
glasses she had found which could see through any illusion, and pleaded with
him to save Richter. Telling her to pray for her friend's soul, he set out for
the castle keep to confront the vampire killer.

Fighting against a Belmont for no less than the third time, Alucard was truly
amazed at how the power of the bloodline had increased over time. Using Holy
Mail to deflect Richter's attacks, and a Holy Sword which could not damage the
vampire hunter, Alucard held back the man's savage attacks long enough to put
on the magical glasses and look for the illusion. Above Richter he spied a
green spell orb, hovering in circles. Instantly recognizing the puppeteering
magic that was at work, Alucard smashed the sphere with his Holy Sword even as
Richter continued trying to destroy him. At last freed from control, Richter
fell to the floor, confused and astonished. Maria came running to see what had
transpired, and before the three of them appeared the specter of Shaft,
proclaiming that the resurrection of Dracula was at hand. To their horror, the
Dark Priest then summoned a twin Demon Castle from the sky, which hung pre-
cariously from the clouds, inverted.

Alucard felt the power of his father flowing from this new castle. After
briefly introducing himself to Richter, he urged Maria to take him to safety,
telling them to leave the defeat of Shaft and the destruction of Dracula to 
him. They complied, and Alucard grudgingly faced the prospect of having to
fight his father once again.

After an even longer quest in the inverted castle, during which Alucard faced
almost all of his father's minions, including Medusa, The Monster, Akmodan II,
Death, and the would-be successor to the throne of the underworld, Galamoth.
Once he had explored every nook of the new castle and had retrieved the five
remains of his father, he brought them to the heart of the castle, and the
door to the inverted ceremonial room opened for him as the clock struck
thirteen. Within, he confronted Shaft, who babbled on mindlessly about his
desire for the rule of Chaos and the coming of eternal darkness. Alucard
swiftly defeated the insane warlock, sending him to his ultimate doom.
However, having brought the remains of Dracula into the ceremonial room,
Alucard had unwittingly completed the acts necessary to resurrect his father,
who swiftly appeared before him as darkness flooded from an evil eye.

Alucard refused his father's futile offer to return to his service. Enraged as
he always had been by his son's alliance with humans, Dracula revealed his 
true form and fought his son in an epic battle. When the combat subsided, it 
was Alucard who stood victorious. Even as Chaos began to envelop him, Dracula
pleaded with Alucard to tell him the last words of Lisa, Alucard's mother, the
last woman whom Dracula had ever loved. Alucard told him these words:
"Do not despise humans, for theirs is already a hard lot. If you cannot live
with them, at least do them no harm." He also told Dracula that Lisa said she
would love him forever. Pleading in vain for the woman's forgiveness, perhaps
finally feeling some form of regret his 400 years of ultimate sin, Dracula
vanished in a flash of light.

Alucard met Richter and Maria outside the ruins of the terrestrial castle.
Richter apologized, blaming himself for making Alucard fight his own father.
Alucard placed no blame on the man, however. He simply told him that the only
thing necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. He then
proclaimed that he would return to sleep, in order to purge the world of his
cursed bloodline. As he left, though, Richter asked Maria if she wanted to
pursue the dhampir. With a moment's hesitation, she told Richter that she had
grown to love Alucard, and could not let him leave her life. So Richter bid
Maria farewell, and she chased after Alucard. Their fate, together or apart,
remains unknown thus far.

==== c.1820 -- Morris Baldwin seals away Dracula =============================

Morris Baldwin, master vampire hunter, lead a group of warriors of Belmont
blood, including the Graves family, against Dracula. But, having discovered 
the secret of how to seal away Castlevania and thus break Dracula's cycle of 
regeneration, they awaited the solar eclipse, then attacked Dracula together
with their combined powers.

The Graves battled valiantly during the fight with Dracula, but sadly, did not
survive. Their young son Nathan was left an orphan, and was adopted by Morris,
who raised the boy alongside his own son, Hugh.

Unfortunately, the eclipse of 1820 was only brief and partial, and this
together with the untimely death of the Graves left Morris' seal weakened. It
could be broken, but not by Dracula alone. Unless some fiend arose and found
out how to break the seal, it would remain...

==== 1830 -- Castlevania: Circle of the Moon =================================

10 years had passed since Morris Baldwin placed his seal on the Dark Lord, and
thus far it had remained unchallenged.

Both Hugh and Nathan had grown into strong warriors, very nearly equal in
their skills, with Hugh the superior of the two by a small margin. However,
despite his demonstrated ability to outdo Nathan, Morris had favored Nathan,
and had chosen him to inherit the Vampire Killer whip over his own son. This
embittered Hugh, who then came to view Nathan purely as a rival and no longer
as a friend or comrade.

This was the state of affairs when the evil, fiendish Camilla, herself only
recently resurrected from the dead, discovered the nature of Morris's seal,
and set about breaking it in an old castle in Austria. Morris, Hugh, and
Nathan quickly sensed a disturbance in nature, and rushed the great distance
to Austria to stop the pending resuscitation. However, they arrived just
moments too late. 

Camilla had broken the seal, and Dracula, though weakened by his 10 year 
confinement, was alive and well once again. Dracula knew he would need his
full power swiftly though, and decided that it would be suitably ironic to 
use the power of his former captor in order to retrieve it. Casting Hugh and
Nathan into a deep pit that lead to the lowest catacomb of the castle, Dracula
took the startled Morris prisoner and awaited only the full moon to finish the
ritual.

Meanwhile, Hugh and Nathan recovered from their fall to find themselves lost
in the depths of the castle, which the spirit of Castlevania had now settled
over. Hugh, full of his own ego and of disdain for Nathan, told his counter-
part to leave the castle as he would "only be in the way," and to leave the
rescue of his father to him. Nathan let Hugh go ahead, but had no intentions
of leaving. With the Vampire Killer whip in hand, he set forth on his 
adventure.

Nathan faced many fierce challenges, but was also able to find a set of very
powerful magic cards, which enabled him to cast powerful spells of all sorts.
He learned to master the cards and used them to their fullest during his
battle, increasing his strength dramatically over the course of his journey.

However, Nathan encountered Hugh more than once, and each time his former
comrade seemed less and less himself, and more and more of a bitter, jealous
enemy. When Nathan was nearing the end of his quest and found himself in
battle with Camilla, the demoness told him in no uncertain terms that his
friend had given himself over to darkness. Nathan did not want to believe
this, of course, but he knew that it fit with Hugh's recent irrational
attitude perfectly. 

Once Nathan reached the highest room of the castle's observatory, he learned
the truth for himself. Hugh stood before him ready to battle, proclaiming that
Dracula had given him new power to defeat Nathan. The two former training 
partners now faced each other as enemies in a deadly battle. Hugh, though he 
fought with a sword, was an even match for Nathan physically. However, his
blind rage and the darkness he had let into his heart proved to be his weak-
nesses, and Nathan drove him beyond his own limit. Once Hugh finally conceded,
the power of Dracula passed from him and he was left to see the folly of his
own actions. Humiliated, he begged Nathan to forgive him and to save his
father. Nathan was understanding and did not want to see Hugh like this, but
Hugh simply asked him to allow him self-pity for the time being.

Nathan seized the Last Key which would allow him to enter the Ceremonial Room,
and rushed there quickly. He was just in time, as Dracula was preparing the
final acts of the ritual to restore his power. He engaged the Prince of
Darkness in battle just as all those who had come before him. Easily defeating
Dracula in his human form, the demon fled to the Chaotic Realm, proclaiming
his obvious need for more power. Hugh seized the opportunity to dash in and
help Nathan release Morris. Hugh told Nathan to destroy Dracula, and that he
would take Morris outside. Nathan agreed and stepped into the beam of unholy
light into which Dracula had vanished. A collosal battle then began between
Nathan and Dracula in demonic form. Nathan used his whip and his magic cards
expertly, and dealt the dark Prince his end.

Outside the castle, Nathan found Hugh with Morris, who was recovering from his
injuries. Hugh, now having admitted his emotional weakness and having under-
stood why Nathan had been chosen over him, was respectful and friendly, and was
excited to rebegin his training with Nathan's help. Nathan was glad to have his 
old friend back.

==== 1844 -- Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - Cornell =======================

Death, the evil witch Actrise, and the vampire Gilles de Rais resurrected
Dracula with the sacrifice of a virgin in an old Wallachian castle on the land 
of the Oldrey manor. In a plot to give the Count a new, living body, they
secured the help of a man-beast named Ortega, and used him to kidnap Ada, the
sister of the man-beast Cornell who, through severe ascetic training, had
learned to unleash the sealed man-beast power within him. 

The man-beasts had long ago decided to live peacefully with humans, and had 
sealed their powers away in order to prevent them from being abused. Cornell
felt that it was possible to use his powers for the good of humanity, however.
This is why he left on his journey of ascetic training. He returned only to
find his village a lotus flower of flames.

Tracking his sister's scent, he was eventually lead to the outskirts of the
Oldrey manor. There he ran into Ortega, his old rival. Ortega made it clear
immediately that it was he who had kidnapped Ada, in exchange for power given
to him by Dracula. Cornell was astonished, asking the other man-beast if he 
had sold his soul to the Devil. Ortega only laughed and walked away.

When Cornell finally reached the Oldrey manor, he found its occupants in 
distress. The master of the estate had been made a vampire by Gilles de Rais,
and the madman was actively trying to turn the rest of his family, including
his wife Mary and his young son Henry. Mary pleaded with Cornell to save her
son, offering him a key he would need in exchange for the boy's safety.
Cornell didn't need to be bribed, however, and gladly led the boy to safety
through the manor's perilous garden maze, where The Monster himself had been
promoted to master groundskeeper.

Once in the castle, Cornell scaled the outer walls as a shortcut to the lofty
towers, whose engineering was so crafty that they could be magically realign-
ed, requiring every adventurer to take a different path. Cornell wasn't lucky.
The towers were arranged such that he would have to pass through all six, 
including the Tower of Art, a trap designed to make him lose days in his quest
by requiring him to travel forward 12 hours in time just to pass through each 
subsequent door.

After braving all these challenges, he met Ortega one last time at the foot of
the Clock Tower. Ortega was determined to settle his score with Cornell -- he
had been deathly bitter about being defeated by his former friend many years
ago. It was this bloodlust which led him to accept Dracula's offer. Now fully 
able to unlock his own man-beast potential through Dracula's power, Ortega 
transformed into a horrible lion-like chimera and savagely attacked Cornell.

The battle was furious, and Cornell had to use his own wolf power to fully
defeat Ortega. Once he had fallen and reverted to his human form, Ortega felt
satisfied, but also horribly remorseful. He had faced Cornell with his full
power, and had seen Cornell give everything he had to defeat him. But he had
indeed sold his soul to the Devil, killing so many villagers and endangering
Ada. There was now nothing he could do to help right his wrongs.

Dracula's meddling could not hold the man-beast magic steady, and Ortega felt
his powers spiraling out of control. Warning Cornell to keep back for his own
safety, Ortega took the only option he had remaining, and cast himself from
the high rooftop, exploding in a brilliant flash of light. Cornell was deeply
saddened by everything that had occured, but knew that he had to press on.

Cornell finally found Ada in the Clock Tower, with the direction that Ortega
had provided him in his last breaths, but Death appeared and wrested her from
his arms. The end-game was rapidly approaching, and the trio of evil-doers had
Cornell almost exactly where they wanted him.

Oblivious to their plans, Cornell proceeded to the Castle Keep and confronted
Dracula, who was holding Ada prisoner in a magic crystal. Dracula tested
Cornell's powers in battle and was impressed, but knew that to bring this
battle to its conclusion, he would have to make Cornell falter. He attempted
to shatter the man-beast by bringing to light the truth about Ada -- that
she was not in fact Cornell's sister, but a survivor of the humans who had
been killed by the man-beasts before they had made peace. Dracula accused
Cornell of being nothing more than a shallow deceiver interested only in his
own salvation.

Cornell was indeed shaken by these words, unsure of how true they might be.
However, he had little time to ponder them, as Dracula absorbed Ada into his
body and transported Cornell away into the Chaotic Realm. There, Cornell 
fought a desperate battle against Dracula Ultimate. Finally achieving victory,
Dracula began to sink into the dark mist. However, Cornell saw that Dracula
was going to take Ada, still imprisoned in a crystal, into the underworld with
him. Unable to penetrate the barriers of dark energy swirling around Dracula,
Cornell finally willed his man-beast power to leave his body and to shatter
the crystal imprisoning Ada. Before the man-beast soul could return, however,
the dying Dracula grabbed it and pulled it down with him, leaving Cornell a
mere mortal.

Cornell and Ada later found Henry Oldrey, and the three left to rebuild their
village. Cornell despaired over what Dracula had said for a while, but with
the help of Ada, he realized that the vampire's words were untrue. He did love
Ada and continued to care for her for the rest of his life.

However, back in Castlevania, Death was completing the plan. Above the coffin
of Dracula was Cornell's wolf soul, sealed in a crystal. Actrise was thrilled,
stating that it was as much power as the crystal could possibly contain. With
a wave of his scythe, Death used the power of the wolf soul to predestine the 
rebirth of Dracula in a mortal boy.

==== 1852 - Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - Reinhardt, Carrie, Henry =======

The Vampire Killer was passed to Reinhardt Schneider, another man of Belmont
blood to whom the ancestral name was lost, but not the fate which accompanied
it. Having seen a Blood Moon rise, fulfilling a prophecy made by a priest of
the Orthodox Church eight years before, he set out for the old castle. 

At the same time, a young girl named Carrie Fernandez also set her sites on
Castlevania. A descendent of Sypha Belnades, most of her family had been 
killed many years ago in a raid by Dracula's minions, leaving her an orphan.
Her adoptive family would meet the same fate. When the Blood Moon rose, she 
felt the calling of her bloodline and set out to destroy the Dark Lord 
herself.

While these two brave warriors risked their lives battling against the Devil,
the Church dispatched a lone soldier, equipped with a blessed rifle, to look
for children who had been recently kidnapped by Dracula. That soldier's name
was Henry Oldrey, the same who had earlier been rescued from certain doom by 
Cornell. He felt it was his duty to take up the role of his hero by rescuing 
the kidnapped children.

As these three launched their assault on Castlevania, each found a different
path and faced different challenges. Reinhardt encountered the lovely but
cursed Rosa, a young woman who had been brought to the castle and was doomed
to slowly become a vampire. Carrie was constantly harrassed by the witch
Actrise, who was intimately familiar with the power of her bloodline, and
tried to tempt Carrie into joining the side of evil. Henry succeeded in
finding all the missing children in only seven days' time. There was one
other child in the castle whom Henry did not meet, however -- a blue-haired,
blue-eyed boy named Malus.

Reinhardt and Carrie both had meetings with Malus, however. Each time they
met him, his behavior grew more and more confusing. He changed from a lost,
frightened child into a red-eyed maniac raving about the power of Dracula
with little warning.

Reinhardt would eventually be forced to battle Rosa by Death, who was using
the maiden to torment the brave warrior. Atop the Clock Tower, just as 
several of Death's scythes were about to bury themselves into Reinhardt's 
chest, Rosa jumped in the way, taking the blow full-on. She died in 
Reinhardt's arms as he told her that God would forgive her. He then went on
to destroy Death.

Carrie would find herself locked in battle with Actrise at around the same
time. Horrified by the witch's confession of sacrificing a hundred children
to Dracula, including her own, Carrie destroyed her and at last felt she had
vengeance for her family.

It is unclear which of these two warriors went on to defeat Dracula at the
top of the castle keep. What they both found out was that the boy Malus
was not just a boy, but was actually the mortal reincarnation of Vlad Tepes
himself. Malus morphed into the fullgrown Vlad before their eyes. He explained
that the Dracula they thought they had defeated was a decoy -- the guardian of
his sleeping spirit.  He demanded that the warriors grovel at his feet like
worms, but they refused. Even as the castle keep collapsed, the battle raged 
on.

Eventually Vlad was defeated, and in his place was Malus, once again seeming
to be a human boy. Reinhardt truly believed that Dracula had been banished
from the boy's body, but just as he was about to offer a hand to him, blue
flames burst up around the child. Reinhardt wheeled around to see Charlie 
Vincent, an eccentric old man who thought himself a master vampire hunter,
clutching a bottle of holy water. "Don't you see? This child is Dracula 
himself!", he said. Malus's eyes again turned deep red and from his mouth
Dracula's voice spoke abominations. 

Reinhardt and Carrie were spirited away into an alternate reality, where 
nothing could be seen but endless, unfeatured desert. Suddenly they each heard
a terrible roar, and turned to see before them Dracula in dragon form. They 
succeeded in defeating Dracula, although the battle was epic. Dracula breathed
columns of fire, summoned great flame dragons, hurled dangerous explosives,
and sent shockwaves through the ground. In the end, both warriors had to turn
away as Dracula, burning and sinking into a black pool, was consumed by a ray
of unholy light, his ear piercing shrieks and bellowing roars the only audible
sound.

Both of the warriors were transported to different places, and they watched as
Castlevania crumbled into the now purified lake that surrounded it. Reinhardt
had achieved victory, but he despaired in the fact that the battle with evil
would never end. Suddenly, a beam of light shone down upon him, and a single
red rose fell near his feet. As he looked up, he saw Rosa before him, returned
to life as a human. She embraced Reinhardt, and his sorrow was suddenly lifted
from him. He told her that even though the battle against evil would last 
forever, it was the humans who would win because they had love, and they had 
hope in one another, and that the power of these together could defeat any 
evil. They went off to start a new life together.

Carrie left to return to the nearby village. On the way, she asked the peasant
giving her a ride to let her off at the bottom of a grassy hill. She went up 
to visit her mother's grave for the first time in a few years. After placing
some beautiful flowers on the headstone, she turned and looked at the sky, and
she felt truly happy at last, for she had avenged her family's deaths and had 
fulfilled her destiny in helping to destroy Dracula. She knew that somewhere, 
her mother was smiling down on her.

==== 1897 -- Bram Stoker's Dracula ===========================================

Quincey Morris, an American citizen but Belmont by blood, and his friend
Jonathan Harker destroyed Dracula after a dramatic chase took them from
England to Romania under the leadership of the enigmatic Doctor Van Helsing.

Dracula had traveled to England to find Jonathan's fiancee, Mina, who bore a
striking resemblence to Dracula's first love, Elizabeta. It was the loss of 
this first love which had originally driven him to renounce God and become the
Prince of Darkness. Though he had later married Lisa, Alucard's mother, he
never forgot his first love or the pain of losing her.  Jonathan had been
sent to the Count's castle to close a real estate deal which the now-insane
Renfield had failed to complete, and when Dracula saw a picture of the young
man's fiancee, he was instantly overcome with obsession

After seducing her and infecting her with the curse, Dracula took flight back
to Transylvania. In an effort to draw him out, Van Helsing brought Mina to
Romania and into the depths of the Demon Castle itself, as Quincey and the 
others attempted to head Dracula off.

It was at the castle, just before dusk, that Quincey and Jonathan finally 
caught up with Dracula. Quincey dug his bowie knife into Dracula's chest, 
beginning the process of destroying him, but he was attacked by Dracula's 
gypsie servants, who inflicted mortal wounds upon him. He died shortly 
thereafter, leaving behind his young son John.

==== 1917 -- Castlevania: Bloodlines =========================================

Drolta Tzuentes, a naive witch practicing black magic, accidentally resur-
rected the vampire countess Elizabeth Bartley. Bartley, who was the niece of
Vlad Tepes, had been tried for vampirism and executed centuries earlier. Her
cruelty was widely reknowned and had become the stuff of legends. It was said
that she bathed in the blood of a virgin girl daily, in the belief that doing
so would give her eternal youth. She was probably truly brought over to
vampirism by her uncle, not long after he obtained his powers.

Countess Bartley, yearning for power and the blood of innocents, set about to
resurrect her uncle.

John Morris, who had remained in Europe after the death of his father, soon
learned of his Belmont heritage. Through various contacts, he learned of the
family history, and most importantly, of the Vampire Killer whip, which was
passed on to him at that point so that he could learn to use it. He feared the
resurrection of Dracula, but also longed to avenge the death of his father.

Not long after Elizabeth Bartley's resurrection, fiendish happenings began to
occur in John's home town, where he lived along with his good friend, Eric
Lecarde. Eric was newly married, and was just settling in to the life of a
husband. Then one day, tragedy struck. Eric came home to find his wife
missing. Alerting the local authorities, they lead him to Drolta, who had
recently been arrested on complaints of animal sacrifice. She told him to look
for the Countess. He set out at once, and when he found her, he also found his
wife, newly made into a vampire. With terrible pain, he was forced to slay
her. He warned the Countess that he would utterly destroy her, but she only
laughed, mocking him, and then escaped as a cloud of mist.

Eric found John as fast as he could, and the two set off together, following
Countess Bartley on her mad quest through Europe. She was searching for the
remnants of Dracula's minions, who she hoped would aid her in resurrecting the
Count. Eric battled with his mystic heirloom Alcarde spear, and John wielded
the mighty Vampire Killer with skill. Together, they defeated all the minions
with whom Bartley had met, but it seemed they were always a step behind.

Bartley eventually gained enough power and knowledge to resurrect her uncle.
But as soon as she had completed her task, Eric and John caught up with her.
After destroying her, they turned to Dracula and put an end to him. Eric 
avenged his wife, and John his father. The two warriors returned home to
restart their lives on a new note.

==== c.1999 ==================================================================

Julius Belmont, modern-day direct descendent of the Belmont clan, lead a group
of warriors into Castlevania. Millennialist cult members planned to use the 
power of Dracula to bring to pass Nostradamus's prediction that the world
would end at the end of the 20th century, and they had succeeded in resurrect-
ing the Dark Lord.

Having studied the annals of his predecessor Morris Baldwin, Julius believed 
it was possible to end forever Dracula's cycle of regeneration. Following the
instructions left to him, he reformulated the great spell by which the spirit
of Castlevania itself could be sealed away into a solar eclipse. After defeat-
ing  Dracula, he and the other warriors began the incantation. Though they
were fighting against all odds, their work paid off. As the last total solar 
eclipse of the 20th century reached completion over Wallachia, the Demon
Castle vanished from the earthly plane for what they hoped would be eternity.

With the basis of his power locked away, Dracula could no longer be resur-
rected on the earthly plane. His spirit would be locked away in Castlevania
for as long as the seal remained. Thus the cycle of regeneration did indeed 
come to an end.

Julius and the other warriors lost all memory of their lives and of what had
happened as a result of the enormous powers they had employed and fought
against. The Church and various governments worked together to try to cover
up what had happened and to erase the history of Dracula, hoping that he
had truly become nothing more than legend.

==== 2035 -- Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow =====================================

Castlevania suddenly and mysteriously appeared in Japan during the first solar
eclipse of the 21st century. Julius's seal was not entirely permanent, and the
reappearance of Castlevania had been prophesized some time earlier. One of the
believers in this prophecy was Graham Jones, leader and missionary of a new,
mysterious cult.

Soma Cruz, a European visiting Japan as an exchange student, was visiting the
Hakuba Shrine with his childhood friend, Mina, to view the eclipse. The two
were knocked unconscious as soon as they had entered the shrine. They awoke
to find themselves within the demon castle. Soma immediately met the cold and
powerful Genya Arikado, who claimed to be an intelligence agent. He helped 
fend off a sudden surprise attack at the castle gates, and explained to Soma
where he was. He also told Soma that he had the ability to control monsters,
which seriously confused him. Soma didn't fully believe what he was being 
told, but he seemed to sense that Arikado could be trusted. He was told to 
come to the master's chamber, and that all would be explained there.

Of course, to reach the chamber, Soma would need to explore the entire castle.
On his way, he met a variety of characters who had assembled there for
various reasons. First, he met Graham Jones, who at first seemed cordial and
friendly. He met Yoko Belnades, a descendent of Sypha, who had been dispatched
by the Church to observe the eclipse. He met 'J', a man who had been suffering
from amnesia since 1999. Finally, he met Hammer, a soldier sent by the mili-
tary to investigate the castle. He had decided instead to go AWOL and set up 
a shop at the castle gates.

During his journey, Soma learned that Graham believed himself to be the one
who would inherit Dracula's power, according to the prophecy. When Soma told
Graham of his power to rule over monsters, Graham went crazy and denied the
possibility.

When Soma next ran into Yoko, she told him that Soma's revelation had thrown
Graham into a panic, and that his confusion and desperation would make him
vulnerable. Yoko ran off to confront Graham on her own before Soma could even
have a say. Before long, Soma found the two of them, and just in time to save
Yoko from death by Graham's dagger. He had stabbed the young woman once
already, and would surely have finished her off had Soma not appeared. Graham
cursed him and fled to the castle's topmost floor.

Soma gave chase after exploring the rest of the castle and collecting the 
souls which he needed to make his way to the uppermost areas. He chose the 
souls he would command for his battle against Graham by taking the advice of 
Genya Arikado to follow the three ancient tomes which he found in the castle.

Upon entering the room with Graham, the man proclaimed himself Dracula, and
accused Soma of grand theft for stealing the souls of his monsters. He said
that Soma would receive the penalty of death, and thus their battle began. It 
seemed that if not for Soma, Graham truly would have become Dracula. However, 
after the "missionary" had turned into a horrible beast and Soma had put an
end to his lunacy, he died shrieking that his defeat must mean that he was not
Dracula after all. Soma was relieved in victory, believing for a moment that
he had defeated Dracula and ended his resurrection, but then a foul aura
surrounded him and an intense power flooded into his body, changing him.
In horror, he realized that it was he who was truly destined to become 
Dracula.

Genya Arikado, who was in actuality Alucard in disguise, felt the transfer of
power, and he was there, ready to confront Soma. Though the power of Dracula 
had begun to enter Soma, Alucard was using his powers to slow the transfer and
prevent its completion. He explained to the disheveled Soma that it was he
who had brought him here intentionally, so that he could control Soma's
transformation and help him battle against it. Soma was exasperated, but he
knew that he had to fight to keep his own soul. Alucard revealed to him his
one last hope. The source of Dracula's power lay in the Chaotic Realm, beyond
a black door which only Dracula himself could open. Alucard told Soma that he
would have to go to this place, and confront the pure source of Chaos. If Soma
was to enter that place and lose, it would mean the return of Dracula. If he
were to win, it would mean yet another reprieve from the Dark Lord's return.
Soma set out for the mystic portal without hesitation.

However, before he could enter through the gateway, he was stopped by Julius 
Belmont, who had earlier regained his memory and told Soma of his role in the
sealing of Castlevania and of his fate in the battle against Dracula. Julius
now knew that Soma was to become Dracula, but did not understand that he had
not yet fully become the Dark Lord. So, the two were forced to battle. Soma
did not wish to fight or injure Julius, and so he restrained his power. At 
the same time, Julius felt Soma's own soul within his body, and he did not 
attack with his full strength. 

When both of the men realized the futility of their struggle, they ceased the
foolishness. Soma told Julius what was happening, and that he had to enter the
portal to fight against his own fate. Julius understood completely. Before
Soma left, he asked Julius a favor. He asked Julius to kill him if he were to 
lose his battle and return as Dracula. The vampire hunter replied that he 
would honor this request.

So, Soma entered the portal to the Chaotic Realm, and fought through its
bizarre, mind-numbing reality. When he at last reached the end, he faced Chaos
itself. In an incredible battle for all the ages, he succeeded in defeating
the cosmic force and prevented himself from becoming Dracula, but not without
help from all his friends, who combined their powers to send him a message of
hope.

Once Soma won the battle, he and everyone else were transported back to the
shrine. He awoke in Mina's arms, and she promised him that she would be there
to help him should anything bad ever happen. As the solar eclipse passed,
Castlevania faded away with it, and the terror which had so swifty descended
was lifted away. 

Julius said that he felt the power of the Vampire Killer fade along with the 
castle, and said that he did not fully understand what it meant. Perhaps the 
weapon had fulfilled its full purpose and would no longer be needed. But 
perhaps, if the evil of Dracula someday returned, it too would reawaken...

==== 2036 -- Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow =====================================

[Coming Soon]

==== THE END? ================================================================


==== Historical Connections ==================================================

As many people already know, the Castlevania storyline contains many historical
connections.

--- A Short History of Vlad III Dracula "Tepes" ---

-- Lineage --

First and foremost is the link to the actual Wallachian prince Vlad III
Draculea (sometimes transliterated as Draculya, and usually now Anglicized 
as Dracula). His father, Vlad II, who was prince of Transylvania, had been
made a member of the Order of the Dragon by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund in
1431. Dragon translates to Dracul in Romanian, which can, most interestingly,
also mean Devil. Draculea is the title which was given to his son, born the 
same year, and literally means "Son of the Dragon/Devil".

Vlad II had invaded Wallachia from Transylvania in 1437 in an effort to 
unseat the weak Danesti prince there who paid tribute to the Ottoman Turks.
After a visit to the Turkish sultanate, Vlad Dracula and his brother, Radu
the Handsome, were held hostage to ensure Vlad II's complicity. They would
remain at the royal court for many years.

Ten years later, Vlad II was assassinated along with his eldest son Mircea 
(named for his ancestor Mircea the Old, who was one of the most powerful 
princes of Wallachia) by order of the Romanian boyars, who were powerful
nobles who elected the prince of Wallachia and who were allied with
Hungary at this time.

-- Vlad's First Rule --

In 1448, Dracula was released from the court of the Turkish sultan, while his
brother stayed behind. He shortly arrived in Targoviste, which was the capital
of Wallachia at that time, and declared himself prince. However, his reign at
this time would be short, lasting only two months before he was forced into
exile by the Hungarians, who returned their own puppet prince to the throne.

However, one of his first acts while on the throne was to invite the boyars 
to a great feast. Confronting them as traitors and seeking revenge for the
deaths of his father and brother, he had most of them impaled immediately. The
rest were sent north to labor to the death rebuilding the old Poenari Castle,
high above the Arges river. It was this castle which would become the true 
Castle Dracula.

-- Vlad's Second Rule --

After extensive training, Vlad returned with a sizable army in 1456 and 
regained the Wallachian throne. He would remain in power until 1462, and it was
during this time that his reputation as a cruel tyrant would grow. Because of 
his total intolerance of all crime and immorality, and his habit of impaling his
enemies and criminals, he was given the name "Tepes," meaning "the Impaler." At
this time, only his enemies dared to call him this.

When Vlad was forced to retreat from Targoviste by the Turks, he instituted a 
scorched earth policy. Crops and villages were burned; wells were poisoned; and
criminals, lepers, and plague-bearing men were released to mingle with the 
enemy. One Turk named Mahmud Pasha recorded the following:
   
   "For six leagues not a drop of water was to be found. The intensity of the
   heat caused by the scorching sun was so great that the armor seemed as if it
   would melt like a lighted candle."

When the Turks finally reached Targoviste, they noted this:

   "Sultan Mehmed marched on for about five kilometers when he saw men impaled;
   the Sultan's army came across a field of stakes, about three kilometers long
   and one kilometer wide. And there were large stakes upon which he could see
   the impaled bodies of men, women, and children, about twenty-thousand of 
   them... And the other Turks, seeing so many people impaled, were scared out
   of their wits."
   
It is said that the Sultan was so sickened by this experience that he forsook
the command of his troops, returned to Adrianople, and ever thereafter refused 
to take part in any battle.

It is also said that Vlad's first wife leapt to her doom from a high tower of 
Poenari Castle when the Ottomans, under the command of no one other than Vlad's
brother, Radu, laid siege to it and fired an arrow through a window, bearing 
with it a letter demanding immediate surrender. This legend is commonly used as
the impetus for Vlad's conversion to vampirism in vampire literature, including
Francis Ford Coppola's theatric adaptation of "Bram Stoker's Dracula." To this 
day, the area of the Arges river into which she fell is called the "Riul 
Doamnei," or "The Lady's River."

-- Vlad's Final Rule --

Vlad Tepes resecured his throne during 1462, but he was tricked and imprisoned
by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. He was forced to convert to Catholicism
as a condition of his release, and he also took one of Corvinus's relatives, 
Ilona Szilágyi, as a new wife -- it is notable that she was kin of the Bathory
clan as well. In 1474, Matthias decided that a strong Wallachia would help
protect Hungary, and Vlad was given command of a contingent of soldiers. He
left the city of Pest to invade Wallachia once more.

Vlad would regain the Wallachian throne one final time in 1476, but he would 
fall in battle shortly thereafter. One legend says that as he climbed to the
top of a hill to gain a better view of the carnage of battle, his own men
mistook him for an enemy and attacked him with spears. It is rumored that his
head was sent to Sultan Mehmed II as proof that Dracula, or as the Turks knew
him, "Kaziglu Bey" (Impaler Prince), was truly dead.

An excavation of Vlad Tepes' traditional grave in a Romanian abbey in 1931 
found the grave to be mysteriously empty. Monks still keep a daily watch
over the locale, however, giving honor to a man considered a national hero
even in the absence of his remains.

For more information on Vlad III Dracula, see the extensive encyclopedia
article available at Wikipedia:
 
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_III_Dracula

--- Correlations with Castlevania ---

There are admittedly a number of problems with how the dates of Castlevania
coincide with Dracula's actual periods of rule. Sonia was born around 1433, 
but the instruction booklet makes it sound as if Vlad Tepes is already in 
power and undead at that time, while the historical Vlad was only 17 when he
first ruled Wallachia in 1448.

Sonia fights Dracula in 1450, where the game's story says he is at the height
of his power. This is actually the interregnum period for Dracula, after he
was ousted in 1448, but before he returned in 1456 and reached what would be
the height of his power.

The Symphony of the Night instruction manual estimates Alucard's age in 1797
to be approximately 400 years. This would place Alucard's date of birth
sometime around 1397, making him predate his father's real birth date by 34
years. It should be noted that Castlevania Legends is more or less consistent
with this estimation, too. Alucard would be around 50 in 1450, but appears to
be around 17. This is a typical rate of adolescent aging for a dhampir in most
legends and stories.

The historical Vlad Tepes' first wife leapt to her death from the high tower
of Poenari Castle in 1462 when it was assailed by the Ottoman Turks. This wife
and the story of her death are analogous to that which is explored in 
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, and not to Alucard's mother, who is said to
be the only human that Dracula loved after becoming a vampire. This is a 
conflict which appears impossible to resolve in a simple manner. Vlad also
took yet another wife after his imprisonment by Matthias Corvinus.

Fortunately, the year 1476, in which Trevor Belmont fights Dracula, coincides
perfectly with the end of Dracula's final actual reign. It could be said that,
from a Castlevania point of view, the story of Vlad dying in battle against the
Turks and having his head sent to the Sultan was just a cover story for the
actual happenings.

--- Solar Eclipses ---

In the year 1999, the last total solar eclipse of the 20th century did indeed
pass over parts of Romania, and reached totality there for around 5 minutes.
Not only this, but it is, according to all the sites I have found, the ONLY 
total eclipse in this area in recorded history. Attention to this detail was a
rather smart idea for the Castlevania story.

However, the first total solar eclipse of the 21st century will NOT be in 2035
over Japan, which is an odd contrast in accuracy apparently used only as an 
excuse to use Japan as a setting for Aria of Sorrow.

But, I have discovered something else even more interesting which has lead me
to add some of my own ideas to the backstory for Castlevania: Circle of the
Moon. According to various Internet sites, the longest partial solar eclipse
over Romania between the 1200's and the 2300's was the 88% totality eclipse
which occured on or around September 7, 1820 -- the very same year that Morris
Baldwin sealed Dracula.  

Now, adding this to the thematic similarity with Aria of Sorrow, I believe
there is a connection, even if not one intentionally added by the game 
designers. So, I have written my telling of the story such that it is Morris
who discovered the method of sealing Castlevania, but that he was unable to 
fully carry out the ritual. This works perfectly because until the 1999 event,
there would be no total eclipse in Romania. This conveniently ties in with my 
currently-in-progress fanfic, Castlevania: Crescent Moon Concerto.

--- Names, Places, and People ---

A lot of this is considered common knowledge among Castlevania fans, but this
section wouldn't be complete without this information.

* Mathias Cronqvist is believed to be derived from Matthias Corvinus, King of
  Hungary, who at first imprisoned Vlad Dracula, but later accepted him as a
  vassal lord, marrying to him one of his kin and eventually giving him a 
  regiment of troops to attempt to retake Wallachia along with Stephen Bathory.

* Warakiya, which is mentioned as a town in some Castlevania games, is derived
  from the name of the province which Vlad Tepes ruled, Wallachia.

* The town of Veros is derived from Verossa, which is a historical town in
  Romania. I can't seem to find it on any modern maps, so I assume it no
  longer exists. Targovista, Dracula's former capital, does still exist,
  but it has changed a lot over the centuries.
  
* Grant DaNasty's attempt at a funny last name is, as I mention in the
  timeline, derived from Danesti, the name of a clan which was rival to
  Vlad Tepes' line. I prefer to use this name for him, thinking that
  DaNasty would probably be a sort of nickname his pirate buddies gave
  him based on his actual clan affiliation. It fills in his character
  with a real motivation to be fighting Dracula.

* Elizabeth Bartley is based on the historical figure, Erzabet Bathory.
  She was a Romanian countess, though no relation to Vlad Tepes, who is said
  to have bathed in the blood of young women in the belief that it would grant
  her eternal youth. She got into the habit of hiring servant girls for the
  express purpose of using them this way.

* Drolta Tzuentes is based on Doroyotta Szentes, an actual historical
  accomplice of Erzabet Bathory who was accused of witchcraft. She, along with
  three other accomplices, was burned to death without a trial after the 
  discovery of Bathory's torture and serial murder spree.

* Gilles de Rais was a French nobleman and knight who fought alongside Joan of
  Arc. He was later put to trial and confessed to raping and killing children.
  He, like many of his colleagues, was put to death thereafter.
  
* Though not previously mentioned here, the backstory for Castlevania 
  Bloodlines implies that Elizabeth Bartley was involved in setting up the 
  assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in order to start the
  first World War as cover for her devious activities.

--- Retcon Status (aka Anti-Igarashi Manifesto) ---

Games which Igarashi has arbitrarily declared to have been retconned from the
official storyline include the following:

* Castlevania Legends

  Igarashi objects to the implied relationship between Sonia Belmont and
  Alucard. However, the US translation of the manual and game never state that
  their relationship was more than platonic, and certainly not that Sonia's
  child was Alucard's (let alone that Sonia's child is Trevor, although that
  is a reasonable, consistent assumption). These facts leave the details to 
  the fans and should NOT be grounds for removal from the timeline.
  
  Igarashi also objects to the idea of a Belmont heroine, claiming it is both
  anachronistic and not acceptable to a predominately male fanbase.  Apparently
  somewhat sexist, Igarashi did not then accept the usefulness of female
  characters except as fainting damsels in distress.  The appearance and strong
  powers of Yoko Belnades in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow may point to a reversal
  in this unfortunate opinion, however.
  
* Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

  I have never heard any explanation or justification for this game's retcon.
  Apparently rivalries between the now-defunct KCEK and KCET have led Igarashi
  to declare any game made by them non-canon, regardless of its quality. It is
  worthwhile to note that while Circle of the Moon received an overall warm
  reception from the fans, Igarashi publically complained that it had "many
  problems" in a game magazine interview, although he conveniently declined
  to elaborate on those alleged problems. His response to them was Harmony of
  Dissonance, which certainly had its own share of arguably much greater design
  issues.

* Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

  Continuing in his open contempt for KCEK and everything they made pertaining
  to Castlevania, Igarashi has completely retconned this game, including the
  quests of Cornell, Henry, Reinhardt, and Carrie. He stated without a single
  reservation in an interview that he HATED this game -- a very strong word to
  use about a product produced and endorsed by the company that employs him.
  
  It is ironic that it was Konami's own fault that the release of Legacy of 
  Darkness was a failure and not KCEK's. The first release as "Castlevania" was
  terribly rushed and never should have happened. Konami's profiteeristic 
  decision led to the shipping of a product that was virtually still in beta:
  it was rife with camera problems, poor stage design, and a terrible lack of 
  promised features. This faux pas ensured that the vast improvements made in 
  the later TRUE release would go mostly unappreciated by the fan base, a good
  portion of which regrettably ignored the second game on the principle of it
  being a rehash.

  
Putting these things together, you begin to get a sense of not only the 
internal bickering and rivalries that were apparently present between KCEK
and KCET, but also of Igarashi's bizarre need to purge the Castlevania 
universe of all influences but his own.

I, along with a good number of other Castlevania fans, refuse to let these
petty conflicts and self-righteous attitudes skew my own view of the timeline,
and therefore I do not accept any of the aforementioned retcons. I prefer to
offer alternate explanations, which are easy enough for the fans to formulate.
Igarashi's incessant need to control these interpretations are what many fans
sense as a totalitarian take-over and wish to resist.

==== FIN =====================================================================