Dracula

Name: Vlad Țepeș Dracula, Count Dracula Speech: having a strong Eastern European accent, his spoken English is excellent, though strangely toned. He also speaks German and Romany as well as Slovak Appearance: tall, thin, old man with a long white moustache, dressed entirely in black, and with sharp white teeth. His face is aquiline with a high-bridged nose, a lofty forehead, and heavy eyebrows, while his hair is sparse at the temples but thick elsewhere. He also has hairy palms and pointed ears. As he gains strength, his appearance changes, becoming more youthful and vital, with his skin appearing ruddy and his hair changing from white to black Info: Count Dracula was born on September 13, 1431, in Transylvania during his youth he was made into a vampire by the damnation of God. After becoming a vampire, he became a master of sorcery and necromancy. While his powers were later regarded as standard abilities for a vampire, the novel notes that he is exceptionally powerful and gifted, even for a vampire. As such, what abilities are his and his alone, and what are common abilities for a vampire remain unclear. Some of his powers like the ability to turn into elemental dust in the moonlight. As the novel begins in the late 19th century, Dracula acts on a long contemplated plan for world domination, and infiltrates London to begin his reign of terror. He summons Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, to provide legal support for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker's employer. Dracula at first charms Harker with his cordiality and historical knowledge and even rescues him from the clutches of his three bloodthirsty brides. In truth, however, Dracula wishes to keep Harker alive just long enough for his legal transaction to finish and to learn as much as possible about England. Dracula leaves his castle and boards a Russian ship, the Demeter, taking along with him boxes of Transylvanian soil, which he needs in order to regain his strength. During the voyage to Whitby, a coastal town in northern England, he sustains himself on the ship's crew members. Only one body is later found, that of the captain, who is found tied up to the ship's helm. The captain's log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship's journey. Dracula leaves the ship in the form of a wolf. Soon Dracula is menacing Harker's devoted fiancée, Mina Murray, and her vivacious friend, Lucy Westenra. There is also a notable link between Dracula and R.M. Renfield, a patient in an insane asylum compelled to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures - in ascending order of size - in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acts as a kind of sensor, reacting to Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly. Dracula begins to visit Lucy's bed chamber on a nightly basis, draining her of blood while simultaneously infecting her with the curse of vampirism. Not knowing the cause for Lucy's deterioration, her companions call upon the Dutch doctor Van Helsing, the former mentor of one of Lucy's suitors. Van Helsing soon deduces her condition's supernatural origins, but does not speak out. Despite an attempt at keeping the vampire at bay with garlic, Dracula entices Lucy out of her chamber late at night and drains her blood, killing her and transforming her into one of the undead. Van Helsing and a group of men enter Lucy's crypt and kill her reanimated corpse. They later enter Dracula's residence at Carfax, destroying his boxes of earth, depriving Dracula of his ability to rest. Dracula leaves England to return to his homeland, but not before biting Mina. The final section of the novel details the heroes' racing Dracula back to Transylvania, and in a climactic battle with Dracula's gypsy bodyguards, destroying him. Despite the popular image of Dracula having a stake driven through his heart, Mina's narrative describes his throat being sliced through by Jonathan Harker's kukri knife and his heart pierced by Quincey Morris's bowie knife