Cornell (Lords of Shadow)

Cornell is the first of the Lords of Shadow, Dark Lord of Lycanthropes in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

Early Life
Not much is known about Cornell's past, but centuries ago he along with Zobek and Carmilla founded the Brotherhood of Light and imprisoned a powerful demon, which escaped the control of the Bernhards, known as The Forgotten One, in their own castle. After decades of struggle against the forces of evil, Cornell ascended into heaven and became a spiritual being second only to God. Unknown to him, his physical remains gave rise to the Dark Lord of Lycanthropes.

Events of Lords of Shadow
Cornell rules over a large part of the land of the ancient city known as Agharta with his lycan army, waiting for anyone brave enough to challenge him. Cornell, when encountered, tells Gabriel that the Lords of Shadow are the dark, twisted remnants of the bodies of the three founders of the Brotherhood of Light after their spirits ascended to Heaven, and he confirms that he is one of them. This is also touched upon with his human appearance as he is shown to be wearing Brotherhood armor on the lower part of his body. Gabriel condemns the actions and pain that Cornell has caused, but Cornell is quick to remind him that if he kills him then he will also kill the ascended spirit of his "brother" and he remarks that while his "brother" may accept this, he himself won't go down willingly.



A battle then ensues between the pair with Cornell taunting Gabriel at regular intervals. Eventually, a wounded Cornell slams his war hammer into the ground, burying it, and transforms into his Lycanthrope form, a huge, powerful beast capable of immense speed and devastating physical attacks. Despite this, however, he is eventually defeated by Gabriel, who pulls him to his knees with the Combat Cross and then retrieves the beast's own war hammer from the ground, using it to strike him about the head with such force as to cause the hammer to break. Gabriel then impales the broken shaft of the hammer through the roof of Cornell's mouth, killing him. After this Gabriel is rewarded with Cornell's Cyclone Boots, which grant him extraordinary speed, represented ingame as the ability to sprint.

Personality
When compared to Zobek and Carmilla, Cornell is the youngest of the three. Uninterested in covering the world in darkness like Carmilla, or complete domination like Zobek. Instead, he remains in Agharta waiting for anyone brave enough to bump heads with him or perhaps, waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled which spoke of a Warrior of Light that would slay him.

An interesting observation is how the dark version of Cornell hasn’t forgotten about his “brother’s” roots in the Brotherhood of Light. As seen when Gabriel first confront him, Cornell is still donning part of his Brotherhood armor, and it is more apparent on him that it is on the others. He may have been the most pure in soul among the founders and proud to serve God under such an Order, instead of just seeking power and control like Carmilla and Zobek.

In the meeting prior to their battle, Cornell refers to Gabriel as "little man" and regards the prophecy as pathetic, laughing as Belmont proclaimed his intention to fulfill it. He then explains how his "brother" in Heaven left him behind, stating that if Gabriel were to slay him, his other half would die as well. He then laughs at the irony, but states that unlike his light half, he is unwilling to sacrifice himself for the greater good, and attacks Gabriel. During their clash, he frequently taunts Belmont and remarks that his own skills are far superior. After transforming into his Lycan form, he became wild and feral, and even stated he would enjoy "dismembering" his opponent and that his "sons" would feast on his corpse after he was finished.

Battle skills
During battle, Cornell uses his giant warhamer to attack his enemies. He is able to enhance the power of his warhamer using Shadow Magic. He possesses great strength, being able to lift the hammer with one arm, effortlessly. In addition, he is capable of transforming into a far larger, more powerful Lycan form. When in this form, he also displays the ability to transfer part of his essence into the statues around his inner sanctum, rendering him invulnerable until Gabriel destroys them.

Cornell's cyclone boots were originally a relic from the Brotherhood that enable him immense speed, which makes it impossible for Gabriel to jump over him. He retains his speed in his Lycan form, which allows him to use his great size in a powerful ramming attack.

Triva

 * Cornell is the only Lord of Shadow who does not make a reappearance in Lords of Shadow 2.