A Shropshire town's twinning group is seeking new members as it prepares a raft of new events
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Shifnal has been twinned with the French town of Machecoul St-Même
The town's were twinned in 1988 due to their similar size and demographic – links between sporting and cultural clubs and societies as well as individuals and families have developed over the years
The Shifnal Twinning Association (STA) says getting involved “offers so much to members”
“Not only do you make friends with our French hosts and visitors
but also with people in and around Shifnal,” a spokesperson for the group said
“It is so much more than just cheap trips to France.”
The Association is committed to community engagement
It initiated the presence of former French soldiers at the recent D Day commemorations with members of the Royal British Legion at Shifnal
It has helped to forge links between the Shifnal Tennis Club
Connections in the past have been established between choirs and the football clubs
The STA joined forces to support the treasure trail around the town
with French names attached to the toys spread around town
Primary schools in Shifnal have also received schemes of work for French learning and ‘Language Passports’ serving to record the children’s learning and competence
STA committee members attended Remembrance Day Services in France
participating in the unveiling of a monument commemorating the fatal plane crash with English and Canadian servicemen in Machecoul St Même during the second world war
These connections are assisted by a system of corporate membership
lowering the costs for all participants as appropriate
participation in the Xmas lights event in the town centre
An exhibition in the form of photographs is being staged at the Village Hall
with the support of the Co-Op who are providing refreshments for the visitors
STA members are warmly welcomed in Machecoul every two years
and host the French in the intervening years
Excursions around Shifnal are open to STA members as well as the French
and are as enjoyable and instructive to us as they are to the French,” said the STA
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He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author
the French have had their share of monsters
such as the serial sex offender Marquis de Sade
mass guillotiner and witch hunter Maximilien de Robespierre
WWII traitor Maréchal Pétain
Yet one that isn’t discussed much is Gilles de Rais
which may be due to both the controversial nature of his alleged actions and the argument between two opposing factions over his guilt or innocence for them
So settle in as we scrutinize Gilles de Rais’ case from his childhood to his execution and let you decide—was he guilty or innocent of being one of the world’s first psychotic super serial killers
Related: Top 10 American Serial Killers Who Predated The 20th Century
Gilles de Rais was born in the family castle at Champtocé-sur-Loire
to parents Guy II de Montmorency-Laval and Marie de Craon in 1404
and divided his attentions between military discipline and intellectual and moral advancement by consuming manuscripts
After his parents both passed away in 1415 (his father in a hunting accident)
he and his brother René de La Suze were sent to their mother’s grandfather
It turned out that Jean de Craon was a major schemer who quickly tried to get the twelve-year-old Gilles married off to a four-year-old girl named Jeanne Paynel—whose mother “just happened” to be one of the wealthiest heiresses in France
Despite his first plan being doomed to fail
this time failing to target the Duke of Brittany’s niece for his grandson’s bride no less
Being quite the tenacious scheme artist that he was, Craon tried again for a third time. As they say, the third time’s the charm because, on November 30, 1420, he succeeded in marrying young Gilles off to Catherine de Thouars of Brittany, who “just happened” to be the heiress of La Vendée and Poitou.[1]
the ultimate childhood began by being born into a fabled existence to incredibly wealthy parents with much
much wealthier and well-connected families
was the heir to the exceedingly rich Jeanne la Sage
Though this purely strategically planned marriage was engineered exclusively to merge three powerful and wealthy families
Guy and Marie did not get married until Guy changed his name from Laval to de Rais strictly for the purpose of inheriting the estate of Jeanne la Sage
who was the last heiress of the de Rais family
la Sage reneged on the promise to make Guy her heir and instead gave her inheritance to Catherine de Machecoul
the ever-so-astute Jean Craon proposed a marriage between Guy and Marie
and the de Raises inherited la Sage’s holdings
The fact that the French finally won the Hundred Years’ War against her despised mortal English enemies is common knowledge
right along with the fact that during the siege of Orleans in 1429
it was the iconic Joan of Arc entering the conflagration that ended up both saving the city and winning the war for France
The English had retreated only ten days after inserting herself into the siege
Charles VII was on his way to Reims for his coronation as the King of France
The king she helped gain his throne twenty-five years later had almost completely rid France of English occupation
the war was effectively over and lost by the English
who also lost her once vast holdings on the continent
What is much less known or taught is that Joan of Arc had a “shadow” at her side during the siege of Orleans
who was a seasoned military officer that King Charles had personally assigned to Joan as her bodyguard when he gave her command of his forces
During the world-famous second Hundred Years’ War between England and France
be appointed by the king as Marshal of France
The youthful knight had fought alongside the legendary commander Joan of Arc and helped bring glory back to France
By 1429, de Rais was one of only four knights picked for the honor of delivering the Holy Ampulla to the consecration of King Charles VII. Yet the people of France were shocked when, a little over a decade later, the once young and gallant knight, who had done so much for the country, was up on multiple horrendous criminal charges, with his life on the line.[4]
Even though Gilles de Rais was one of the most powerful people in France
he wasn’t able to cope with the imposing responsibilities that French society had placed on him
Gilles was raised and taught by his grandfather
who wielded more power and was much craftier politically
His only agenda was to add to his already swelled portfolio
de Rais grew more and more concerned with religion and personal salvation
he financed a church he called the Chapel of the Holy Innocents for “the bliss of his soul.” Ironically
considering the charges he would soon face
the church included an all-boys choir that de Rais had handpicked himself
Gilles also turned to the occult for help with his failing financial situation by employing wizards and alchemists
Children had been reported missing after being in close proximity to one of de Rais’s castles
de Rais’s murderous actions were kept secret by the locals
who were reluctant to blow the whistle on the powerful nobleman for fear of reprisal
witnesses testified to seeing the de Rais staff burying dozens of bodies at one of his castles in 1437
Gilles was never arrested until 1440 after kidnapping a priest over an issue unrelated to the murders
Gilles de Rais had an acute interest in alchemy
Many today wrongly assume that alchemy was an attempt to turn lead into gold
but these precursors to our modern chemists were actually searching for immortality and interested in creating the legendary “Philosopher’s Stone.” The practice of alchemy was considered to be black magic in medieval Europe at the time
It was associated with arcane symbolism and processes
which many assumed brought the practitioner into close contact with Satan
the practice of alchemy was banned by the French Church
de Rais’s interest in alchemy became an obsession
began securing not only alchemists but also young boys for de Rais as well
The most nefarious alchemist de Rais employed was a clerk from Tuscany named François Prelati
who impressed him with his intelligence and fluent use of Latin
Prelati claimed to be in close contact with a demonic entity named “Barron,” who he would summon to help Guilles in his incantations and spells
Even though his obsession with the occult resulted from his murderous way
de Rais reportedly never sacrificed any children to Satan
supposedly use body parts and blood from his young victims to help Prelati in conjuring the demonic spirit of Barron
made Prelati look like nothing less than the con artist he was
The early 15th-century Marshall of France and comrade-in-arms who fought beside the legendary commander Joan of Arc
and sentenced to death for murdering dozens of young boys
documenting the events surrounding the horrific crimes of Gilles de Rais
argues that de Rais’s actions were set off by both traumatic childhood events and the death of Joan of Arc
Ogden’s sources for her claims are few and far between
since her only principal sources were the trial records
with secondary sources written by non-medieval or amateur historians
Gilles de Rais had a couple close calls in the past
but nothing turned serious until his family
became increasingly alarmed at what they were hearing about Gilles
Their relationship was tense but civil; Rene was becoming more concerned with his brother’s selling of the family’s holdings
Worried that Gilles would ruin the family financially and their good reputations
Rene managed to get King Charles to issue a decree preventing him from liquidating the castle at Champtoce and decided to move there himself
Gilles went into a panic when he heard this and knew that due to his spendthrift ways
it would not be long before his brother took over more of their estates
Gilles also knew it would be too soon before the forty or more bodies of dead young boys stored in the tower would be discovered
so he sent Henriet and Poitou to Machecoul to clean the horrid mess up
Two noblemen got wind of activity on the estate and went snooping
They saw Henriet and Poitou performing their gory job
But they were completely indifferent to the scene and left—after all
they were just lowly peasant boys being disposed of
to house-sit at Machecoul in order to keep his brother from moving in
The first thing Andre was told to do was comb the estate for evidence
It was Gilles de Sille that de Rais charged with disposing of remains there
and Andre found the skeletal remains of two boys—the jig was now up for de Rais—or was it
Henriet and Poitou were interviewed by the captain of the guards
his arrest had nothing to do with the remains of dead young peasant boys being found on his property
Gilles was actually hauled in for kidnapping a priest from his own church at St
Etienne de Mermorte over a land dispute during High Mass that got him hauled in for questioning
the jig still wasn’t up yet for de Rais since according to the transcripts
the murders were never even mentioned during that inquest
When Gilles de Rais’ servants were interrogated
they openly admitted to kidnapping young boys for de Rais and that he would sit on the boys’ chests while masturbating before raping them and slicing off their heads while wallowing in the gore
Two French clerics testified in court about de Rais’s involvement in alchemy and his obsession with the dark arts and that Gilles had used the children’s body parts in his Satanic rituals
Servants from surrounding villages testified on how their boys had gone missing after panhandling at de Rais’s castle gate
A furrier gave witness to how an apprentice of his was ‘borrowed’ by one of Rais’s cousins but never seen again
The highly anticipated second season of Castlevania: Nocturne is finally on the horizon
and the release date has been officially revealed in a dark
The wait is almost over for Castlevania fans
In this brand new season of the vampire horror series, the story takes viewers to the French countryside between Machecoul and Paris, where Richter Belmont and his team of vampire hunters
find themselves in a frantic battle against time
appears unstoppable as she seeks to harness the full power of the goddess Sekhmet
intending to cast the world into eternal darkness and terror
With the risks and consequences much higher and more intense than before
Richter and his team must do everything they can to put a stop to the impending apocalyptic threat
Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 also takes place in a new location: Egypt. According to creator and showrunner Clive Bradley
the story finds itself in this location as Alucard’s research on Sekhmet leads him to an ancient Egyptian temple
The voice cast sees the return of Edward Bluemel (Richter)
The rest of the season 2 voice cast is made up of Zahn McClarnon (Olrox)
All eight episodes of Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 will drop on Netflix on Thursday
we shared several official production stills from the new season to get you pumped up about its upcoming release
Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 promises to be darker, bloodier, and more intense than ever! Don’t miss the next chapter of this vampire horror series
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thrilling new trailer","relatedPosts",[],[],[],4,0,"",{"next":"cf"},["5i"],"semantic",{"articles":"ca","articlesQueryURLs":"cb","bySearchQuery":"5a","excludeProperties":"62","excludedIDs":"cc","isFullPost":"c3","limit":"cd","offset":"ce","onlyQueryURLs":"c3","organization":"cf","pagination":"cg","properties":"ch","sourceType":"ci"},{"type":"c9","value":"cj"},{"postsList":"ck"},"Crystal George is a Staff Writer for Netflix Life and the Co-Editor for 1428 Elm
She's been a Staff Writer for Netflix Life for three years and just recently became the Co-Editor for 1428 Elm starting in May 2024
Before she joined the FanSided Entertainment Team
she was a graduate student at Full Sail University
She graduated with her Masters in Creative Writing in February 2021
This incredible experience has significantly aided her work by ensuring all her articles are typo-free and well-polished
She enjoys writing about any and everything Netflix and horror
She's often covering new Netflix originals as well as licensed content that comes to Netflix
she's your go-to when you want to know what new horror movies and shows are coming out
She's also helpful if you need recommendations on what's good to watch on the various streaming platforms
But when she's not covering Netflix titles or anything horror-based
she's having intense discussions about Glee and Killing Eve with anyone who is willing to listen
Those two are her favorite shows of all time
and she's a non-stop chatterbox if they're ever brought up in conversation
In this brand new season of the vampire horror series, the story takes viewers to the French countryside between Machecoul and Paris, where Richter Belmont and his team of vampire hunters
Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 also takes place in a new location: Egypt. According to creator and showrunner Clive Bradley
Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 promises to be darker, bloodier, and more intense than ever! Don’t miss the next chapter of this vampire horror series
6 scary vampire movies worth watching (and 2 you can skip)
and creatures of the night return to haunt the gothic trappings of Castlevania as Netflix’s acclaimed Castlevania: Nocturne premieres its second season
With the master vampire Countess Erzsebeth Bathory—a vessel of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet—trying to bring eternal night and spread chaos and anarchy over the world with her army of undead bloodthirsty creatures
and the group of vampire hunters to restore peace and sanity
in the final moments of the finale of the first season
the team of vampire hunters found a major boost in their resolve as Alucard
made a return to join them by their side and killed Erzsebet’s associate Drolta TTzuentes
The ongoing battle between the undead and the living has roots in changing world order as well
as the backdrop of the French Revolution provides an intriguing setup pitting the revolutionaries against the real-life bloodsuckers—aristocracy and fanatics
The second season feels like a conclusion to the ongoing plot threads
although the character arcs do not necessarily conclude and can take the franchise in newer directions
as hinted through the course of nine episodes
Alucard’s arrival at Machecoul was no coincidence
as he had been trying to take down Sekhmet’s vessel—Erzsebet Bathory—for quite a long while
Egyptian gods like Sekhmet have their souls divided into two parts—Ba and Ka
when she used to be a mortal of flesh and blood
Drolta Tzuentes was goddess Sekhmet’s high priestess—who gave in to darker powers and accepted the life of an undead
In order to bring Sekhmet to the mortal plane
Tzuentes turned the notorious mass-murdering Countess Erzsebet Bathory into a vampire and gave him Sekhmet’s blood to turn her into a vessel of the goddess
and learning that it is kept in Sekhmet’s mummy in the Louvre
and Richter follows suit as well after facing resentment from an aggrieved Maria
Erzsebet coerces Forgemaster Abbot Emmanuel to resurrect Drolta as a Night Creature
who wreaks havoc by massacring the revolutionary army
who end up getting turned into Night Creatures—adding numbers to Erzsebet’s army of the undead.
and Annette continue facing hordes of vampires
one of whom manages to escape with the intel about their destination and purpose and inform Erzsebet about it
despite being able to locate Sekhmet’s corpse in the Louvre
fail to obtain it after Drolta manages to take it away.
Tera had sacrificed herself to Erzsebet in order to save Maria and got turned into a vampire—much to the shock and horror of her daughter
as the creatures she summons appear to have been corrupted by her darker thoughts
to take care of Maria—knowing that her pent-up anger and agony might take her down a dark path.
has somewhat retained her humanity despite being turned into a vampire
given he had offered Maria to Erzsebet in the first place
Maria ends up killing her own father by summoning a corrupted creature inside the church
It should be mentioned that Mephistopheles
who provided the means to Emmanuel to create Night Creatures
arrives to take his soul to Hell—as the wretched ones like the abbot are condemned to eternal damnation.
Maria almost ends up setting the creature upon herself—until Juste manages to save her by accidentally reawakening his magic in an absolute crisis situation
a grief-stricken Maria tries to implore Tera to turn her into a vampire
as she wishes to bargain her humanity to have the chance of spending eternity with her mother
Tera realizes her presence has been casting a dark influence on her daughter
and she decides to leave Machecoul to go on a journey of self-discovery
Juste helps Maria to get over her trauma.aAs she reconnects with memories of her good old life
Maria manages to escape from her emotional burdens
and her Speaker magic finds its former purity once again.
after which the countess transforms into an even more powerful
demonic entity—and decides to venture to Paris with her army of undead to begin her quest of world domination by assuming control over the capital of France.
Throughout the course of the second season
who had previously established a stronger connection with her ancestral roots by communicating with the orishas
was getting strange premonitions from her ancestors
Annette, and Alucard fail to get their hands on the mummy of Sekhmet that she realizes the true purpose of the visions from the spirit world
and Sekhmet’s Aakh is trapped inside the spirit world after Drolta desecrates the other two halves of her soul
Annette decides to reach out to Sekhmet’s third soul and
leaves her mortal physical form to enter the spirit world as a soul
where she is reunited with her mentor and her mother’s spirit
Annette finds strength and guidance from Ogun
who creates an interdimensional portal to send Annette to the Underworld
where she finds Sekhmet’s Aakh standing in front of the scale of justice
Drolta’s transgressions have led to great cosmic imbalance
resulting in Sekhmet’s Aakh to be awaiting judgment of Ammit—the devourer of souls
As Annette’s soul arrives at the underworld
Sekhmet’s third soul takes control over her physical form
leaving Annette’s soul stranded in the underworld—battling with the devourer of souls
Richter and Annette fall for each other through the course of two seasons
and now as Annette remains trapped in the underworld
Alucard motivates Richter to be at the side of the person he loves
Aztec vampire Olrox’s role is somewhat undermined in the context of the larger narrative
and his relationship with Mizrak also hits a rocky patch due to their differing ideologies and motivations
he continues to feign his allegiance to her until Mizrak turns his back on Olrox’s proposition of leaving together
Mizrak is devastated after witnessing the revolutionaries being slaughtered by Drolta and her forces and almost tries to make a rash decision of facing the powerful forces of darkness head-on until Olrox stops him from embarking on such a suicide mission.
bittersweet arc involving Edouard and Night Creatures
whose lingering humanity contributes to a sense of pathos
The captain of the revolutionary army is turned into a Night Creature as well
appears to be a tormented soul who has retained much of her autonomy despite being turned into an abomination.
anticipating the arrival of Erzsebet and her dark forces
Alucard decides to join hands with the revolutionaries in France
it is quite clear that three centuries worth of experience has convinced Alucard that true change is not possible
marred by its own hubris and propensity to violence
is bound to get caught up in a cycle of self-destruction
Alucard didn’t fully believe that the French Revolution would usher human civilization towards an age of greatness
But in order to counter the failing existing system—which allowed monsters like Bathory or Abbot Emmanuel to propagate inequality
and horrors of every other kind—the revolution is the only weapon
and Mizrak make their way to Paris and reunite with Richter and Alucard
the group of vampire hunters prepares for the final showdown
Erzsebet arrives in Paris with her undead army
and the combined might of the revolutionary army and vampire hunters led by Alucard engage in a prolonged battle with them
and his loyalists follow suit as a civil war begins among Night Creatures
Drolta keeps Alucard on his toes for a long while
Olrox decides to join the battle as well and takes on the mutated Night Creature
he soon retreats after finding Mizrak to be wounded and proceeds to take him to safety.
Maria is able to go toe to toe with her—really proving how much stronger she has grown as a character
The reason Erzsebet isn’t able to tap into her full demonic potential is because Sekhmet keeps her powers in check by assuming limited control over her through Annette’s body
Annette’s physical form is barely able to contain the soul of a god and almost overexerts herself
and Maria unleash hell upon Erzsebet and manage to defeat her
But before Sekhmet is able to reunite with the other two portions of her souls
Drolta arrives at the scene to take Erzsebet away
Deeming Erzsebet to be unfit for the higher purpose of becoming Sekhmet’s vessel
she takes it upon herself to become the chosen one
takes the essence of the goddess’ soul within her.
Alucard and Richter begin a fierce battle with an empowered Drolta Tzuentes
who manages to get an upper hand until gathering the strength from Annette’s failing physical form
Sekhmet makes a final stand and absorbs her two souls by taking over Drolta
The ensuing psychic pressure overwhelms Annette
and she is forever lost in the underworld until Richter’s impassioned
loving plea allows her to regain her resolve and strength
Annette’s spirit fights back against the devourer of souls
she is able to cross over to the mortal plane
Annette survives in the end and is reunited with her lover
Drolta is still alive and continues to be a nuisance
as she pins down Alucard—when Richter taps into his Belmont family legacy to go for a pound-for-pound brawl with Drolta
Olrox helps Richter at this crucial juncture
and Alucard lends his Belmont protege his iconic sword—using which Richter finishes off Drolta for good
Richter spares Olrox’s life for now but vows to complete his revenge in the future
it is revealed that he has decided to transform his lover into a vampire as well—with the intention to spend an eternity together.
Maria and Juste are left incapacitated during the battle
and after Drolta and her forces are vanquished
Horrors of the past fade away with the beginning of a new age as the sun pierces through the darkened skies
Annette decides to return to her home at Saint Domingue and asks her good friend Edouard to join her
irrespective of his present condition as a Night Creature
Richter decides to follow Annette as well as he takes leave from Maria
Juste stays by Maria’s side as a guardian figure
and Alucard too expresses his willingness to stay in Paris along with the duo for a while instead of wandering off to a lonesome existence
as he wants to see this new chapter of humanity unfold a bit closely
Maria appears to still hold on to some of her darker thoughts
as she feels it is justified for the revolutionaries to execute vampire loyalists
showing that she hasn’t let go of her extremist mindset
and it is indicated that Mephistopheles is latched on to her as well
although the reason isn’t explained by the end of the second season
melancholic tunes fill the air as the second season comes to a close
which I would like to address in a separate article.
As an adaptation of one of the most popular action RPG franchises
Netflix’s Castlevania series hit the ball out of the park with refreshing
The morally gray characters blurred the line between the conventional binary of good and evil
an aspect that made iconic characters like Dracula
and Sypha not only relatable but also kept their core essence intact
which resulted in a surge in the franchise’s fanbase at the same time
Even side characters like Isaac and Hector from the original series were given distinctive personalities and character arcs
the likes of which can rarely be seen in other adaptations of similar kinds
Respecting the legacy of the original series, the spin-off Castlevania: Nocturne presents an interesting set of characters in its first season
Being set in the transitional period of the late 18th century
the series draws inspiration from the then-global political atmosphere and social hierarchy to present a compelling narrative—one so good that viewers can’t help but feel conflicted while choosing a side between murderous creatures of darkness and human monster hunters
We will discuss the many shades of the proverbial color displayed in the characterization of most of the key players in Castlevania: Nocturne
as well as speculate on the route of their respective character arcs
The mainstay vampire hunter clan of the Castlevania franchise has its prime representative in the series in Richter Belmont
whose progression from a scared little kid to master vampire hunter and protector of humankind was one of the highlights of the series
both Julia and her son Richter inherited magical abilities and element manipulation powers
waned away when fear overshadowed his self-confidence—at the exact moment when he had to watch the harrowing death of his mother at a young age
Richter grew up in Machecoul at his aunt Tera’s place and took up the family tradition of vampire hunting anyway
relying on the classic Belmont heirloom whip and dagger
Richter bottles up his emotions inside himself and creates a barrier around him
fighting Drolta Tzuentes and her vampire horde at the abbey dungeon
The devastating trauma of the past engulfs Richter
It isn’t until he that he has a chance encounter with his grandfather
after learning that a member of his clan is still surviving
Talking with Juste and learning that the pain of losing someone close to him shocked him as well
Richter is finally able to let his emotional holds go and break down
He gets the final push when Bethory’s vampire horde attacks him and Juste
a cornered Richter reminds himself of his purpose as a Belmont; despite knowing the futility of the never-ending battle against evil
Richter activates his speaker powers once again and decimates the vampire horde with relative ease
Richter’s role in the following seasons will be of significant importance
hopefully mimicking his ancestor Trevor Belmont’s arc in Castlevania
shows the strength of spirit in the face of the greatest odds
and her journey from being a former slave on the sugar plantation on the island of Saint-Domingue to becoming a master sorcerer is nothing short of extraordinary
Annette’s mother was her whole world
and was taken away from her as the cruel vampire slave owner Vaublanc mercilessly killed her for practicing her religious beliefs
with all her attempts resulting in failure
Vaublanc couldn’t diminish her spirit; added to that
she had inherited mystical powers as a descendant of the gods Ogun and Orunmila
Annette is able to flee from the plantation and ends up in the opera singer Edouard’s refuge
where he protects her and takes her to the Maroons
an insurgency group formed by escaped slaves
Reconnecting with her cultural roots—the much-neglected heritage of African iconographies—Annette starts honing her skills as a mage with the help of her mentor
she helps the Maroons plunder and destroy the outposts of the colonial scums on the island
and frees it from the tyranny of the oppressive forces—human or otherwise
adhering to Cecile’s instructions about finding Richter Belmont
who by now has become her closest friend and is held in great regard by Maria Renard for her past struggles
As fate takes a cruel turn at the same time
Edouard falls prey to the bourgeois vampires
and Annette keeps up the struggle against Bethory’s forces
She even manages to corner Vaublanc and kill him
but remains troubled by anticipating the overall worsening situation during Bethory’s rise to power
which prompts her to access the spirit world for guidance
Annette seeking counsel from Cecile in the spirit world is a form of introspection that provides her with much-needed clarity
Even though Europe is rising with the ideals of liberty
they remain painfully oblivious to the plight of the colonized native people—people like Annette and her community—who get ostracized by the same Europeans who champion good morals fervently in their homeland
Cecile asks Annette to realize her true potential as the protector of the way of life of her community
and a culture that are as old as the beginning of human civilization itself
Annette is able to calm herself after this
Richter returns in an empowered form after making amends with his past
and the vampire hunter team gets prepared to take on Bethory’s forces at the abbey
Although Annette fails to complete her task of pushing the Night Creature transformation machine through the portal of hell due to Bethory’s immense powers
her abilities will grow further in the next season
and it seems like her ancestral powers will play a major role in taking down Bethory
As the first episode began with the gruesome death of Julia Belmont at the hands of Aztec vampire Olrox
it almost seemed like he would be the big bad of the series
Olrox was showcased as a rather troubled individual
viewers learn that he murdered Julia to avenge the death of his former lover
a Mohican who fought with the American revolutionaries
but was later turned into a vampire by Olrox
unlike the bourgeois vampires who prey on the weak and poor
Olrox has developed a penchant for the blue blood
Bethory invites Olrox herself to be her guide to America
which will be the vampire god’s latest target after dominating Europe
Olrox soon gets a hint about how vicious Bethory’s reign could be—even by vampire standards
that is—and decides to help the vampire hunters stop her by providing them with the mystical tome
sparing him as long as he is weaker than him
showing a sense of honor unheard among the ranks of the undead
as he rescues Mizrak from Bethory’s vampires
it is revealed that Olrox has started growing feelings for him; unfortunately
Mizrak considers him to be a soulless monster till the very end
The inclusion of Olrox has added new dynamics to the series
which will develop thoroughly in the upcoming seasons
Olrox’s dragon form which he takes during his first appearence is a reminder of his Aztec origin
Castlevania: Nocturne cannot be appreciated enough without mentioning the tragedy of Edouard
whose transformation from an opera singer to a lost soul trapped in the body of a night creature is as heartbreaking as it is riveting
he joined in the liberation struggle of Saint-Domingue and later agreed to assist her in the journey to France
abandoning his lover and his community for the greater good
he was able to form a bond with the Renard family pretty quickly and console Maria for the death of her conjured bird through singing a melancholic tune
charming singer was never really cut out for battling undead creatures
he was killed by them while escaping with his comrades
But a fate worse than death had awaited him
as he was turned into a Night creature by the abbot
and to make his condition even more miserable
Edouard retained all his human life memory and emotions with his rebirth
After he disobeys the command to engage in battle with humans
Edouard gets incarcerated and gets engulfed in despair
His tragic tunes haunt the streets of Machecoul
pull at viewers’ heartstrings as they seem sung by a soul lost in darkness
and truly add to the beauty of gothic adaptation in a unique way
Later, Annette returns to rescue him during the raid on the abbey, but willing to reform fellow hapless Night creatures, Edouard decides to stay back. Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 is likely to explore Edouard’s predicament in detail