Vaublanc
Vampires are everywhere. That's what we're forced to confront in Castlevania: NocturneA loose adaptation of Rondo of Blood, this sequel anime series follows on from Netflix's hit anime adaptation of the game series., a series absolutely packed with new vampires. Like many of the vampires seen in the series, Vaublanc is a new creation for the show, not based on any character from the video game series. And, like the other vampires in the show, he is very evil.
He's specifically a former slave owner with ties to the show's reinvented version of AnnetteThe sister (well, "sister") of Maria Renard. Her exact familial connection to other characters is confused by bad translations across the Western games. She was then reinvented completely for the Netflix series.. He once possessed her, like many others, ruling over her and her family on his Caribbean plantations. But then his power was thrown off. He finds Annette, though, once more in Paris, France, when he's there to join with the vampire Messiah (and she's there to stop the Messiah's coming).
His power is strong, and his connection to Annette sends fear down her spine. It's a case of the series purposefully making new characters to flesh out new stories, and in this case it really does work. What's more evil than a master vampire? A master vampire that owns slaves seems pretty evil indeed.
Character History:
Castlevania: Nocturne
In the French colony of Saint-Domingue, in the Caribbean, the lord Vaublanc owned many slaves. They worked on his sugar and tobacco plantations, making the lord very, very rich. He had his men run the plantations during the day, as the master was not just a slave owner but also a vampire, and then Vaublanc handled business on the plantation, and around the colony, at night.
When word came to Vaublanc about a young slave girl, Annette, who was nearly run down by one of Vaublanc’s men, the vampire went to visit the slave and her mother, EstherMother of Annette, Esther was a slave owned by Vaublanc. Likely she wasn't raised a slave as she still had strong connections to her heritage and religions, two things Vaublanc desperately wanted to wipe away., to punish them for not being more careful and not focusing on their work. But when he got close to their hut he heard Esther singing a lullaby to her daughter. Vaublanc has specific forbidden music, dancing, and any symbols of the voodoo religion as a way to keep his slaves in line, and Esther had clearly broken one of his rules with her song.
Storming in, Vaublanc trashed the hut, overturning furniture and, in the process, revealing evidence of voodoo symbols and marks that Esther had carved, in secret, to protect herself and her daughter. For this transgression, Vaublanc killed Esther, snapping her neck in front of her daughter. It was a message to the girl to stay in line, but what he didn’t realize was that he had awoken powerful magic within Annette due to his actions, a magic that was fueled by her anger and grief.
Ten years later, Vaublanc had Annette dragged out into the center courtyard of the plantation. She was old enough, finally, to be branded as his property and he meant to own her fully. But before his men could brand the girl, her music burst forth, slicing the brand in two with a blade of earth magic. This entertained Vaublanc as it meant he could punish her most severely. He let her run before sending his men and dogs after her, expecting to hunt her down so he could play with her, torture her and, possibly, kill her.
But she eluded capture, hiding out in an opera house and finding protection from the lead opera singer, EdouardA former opera singer, who also aided in sneaking slaves out of the Carribean plantations, Edouard joined with Annette on a mission to stop the coming vampire Messiah. Unfortunately he was captured by the vampires and turned into a night creature soon after arriving in Paris.. He got quite snippy with Vaublanc for interrupting a performance, and while Vaublanc was inclined to throw over every chair, destroy every stick of furniture in the opera house, he didn’t want to lose face in front of the other nobles. So he left, vowing to recapture his slave, one way or another. But it wouldn’t be that day, or any of the others that followed, as Edouard helped Annette escape into the mountains to be with others of her clan.
And then, months later, the slaves from the mountains, with Annette as their leader, charged down and overthrew the ruling class of Saint-Domingue, killing many and sending the rest packing, Vaublanc included. A fierce battle on his plantation was fought, with Annette and Edouard trying, and failing, to kill the vampire. But he was able to flee, avoiding their blows and denying the girl her revenge.
He left the island, sailing for the mainland of Europe. He’d heard of a coming vampire Messiah, someone that could restore power to vampire kind, and now that his colony had fallen apart he found himself inclined to listen to the word of the Messiah and gain back all that he had lost.
France was undergoing its Revolution, and while the people took back their power on the streets, vampires gathered at the estates of the nobles. They awaited the coming of the vampire Messiah, knowing she would blot out the sun and bring total darkness to the world, the perfect opportunity for vampires to rule. Vaublanc was among them, a guest of the Marquis and MarchionessIn the time of Revolutionary France, the nobility is under siege by the pesantry. It just so happens that the nobility, led by the Marquis and Marchionesse, are vampires, and they fear the loss of power. So they join with the coming vampire Messiah to ensure their own rule., there to finally meet the Messiah when she arrived.
But while there, at the Marquis’s estate, he sees something curious and entertaining: his former slave, Annette, prowling around the grounds. Their eyes lock and he sees the fear on her face. He still had control over her, and he relished in it. Naturally he warned his hosts and they sent vampires after the girl and her companions so they could all die. They escape, but Vaublanc knows he's not done with her yet. Soon they will meet again and he shall have his revenge.
And when Drolta Tzuentes, emissary of the vampire Messiah, arrives in Paris, Vaublanc is one of the vampires to join her cult, willingly letting himself be branded with her symbol. The irony of him being branded like a slave to someone more powerful than himself was seemingly lost on the vampire.
This article is currently incomplete. More information will be added shortly.