Hector

Hector is the protagonist of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. He is a former general of Dracula who had decided he had enough of killing and fled. A woman Hector had later found contentment with was killed by his old comrade Isaac and he enters Dracula's domain in the game with the intent of avenging himself upon Isaac.

Official background: The game's protagonist. A former Devil Forgemaster who betrayed Dracula three years ago, allowing his fall by the hand of Trevor Belmont. After renouncing his powers, Hector had been leading a normal life when his beloved was executed as a witch. He has vowed to exact vengeance upon Isaac, who cleverly manipulated the witch trial.

Childhood
Hector had a difficult childhood. He was born as the son of an alchemist. At an early age, he found that animals gravitated towards him, both animals of the day and animals of the night. Other children and adults thought that this was unnatural and did not accept him. This caused his mother grief and she exclaimed to him that she wished he was never born. The only things his father was interested in was wealth, honor, control, and protection by those in power and barely noticed that Hector existed. One day, the animals that had witnessed the cruelty of his fellow humans and decided to help him "escape" his predicament. They caused the church to catch on fire and perhaps cost the lives of his family and neighbors. They told him that he was free now and should be happy that they got what they deserved. They told him to go to the one place in the world where he would be allowed to live and led him to Dracula's Castle.

At Dracula's Castle
Hector entered into the care of Dracula's Castle two years after another aspiring Devil Forgemaster had entered there, Isaac. There he was recognized as perhaps the most promising human resident there. Hector believed that power was what mattered in the world and that it did not matter if the power was "evil", for power was truly neither evil nor good. He mastered the arts of devil alchemy that enabled him to create living creatures using base materials. Isaac respected him but became jealous of his position of Dracula's favorite. Hector and Isaac's power grew and they soon became Dracula's generals and were considered equals to Death himself. Dracula sent them to ravage the countryside and turned his domain of Wallachia, which he had once protected, into a wasteland for betraying him. Hector did not wish to use his power to do this and did not want to kill humans even though they had never loved him because he himself was one. He obeyed his master though for many months. He pleaded his lord to not make him kill them anymore, but his concerns were brushed aside.

Defection
When Dracula received word that a Belmont was on his way to destroy him, he sent Hector to kill him. However, Hector took this opportunity to flee the Castle for good. He likely killed the demons Dracula had sent with him to help him in his task and was wounded in the process. He sought refuge in a church, which was a place he could hide his dark powers from the forces of Dracula. There he met Rosaly, who was the sister in charge of the church while the father was away, and she let him stay there and recover from his injuries. When Dracula sensed his power disappear he was concerned at the possible loss of his most powerful general. Since the Belmont had not entered Valachia yet at this point, it could not have been him who killed him. He decided to send Isaac to find out what happened to him. If he was dead, then that was fine, though a regrettable loss. But if he was alive and had betrayed him, he was to bring him back to Dracula for punishment. He sent Isaac with several of his human compatriots and a werewolf. Though they could not track him by his power, the werewolf was able to find him by his scent. After pleading from a village boy named Ted, Hector decided to save Rosaly from the werewolf (an act he was unaccustomed to), which had decided to snack on some humans while on his mission. Since he was found already, he unmasked his power, destroyed the werewolf, and Isaac was alerted to his general whereabouts. Isaac later found him and decided to kill him rather than bring him back to Dracula as he was ordered. This was so that Dracula would stop thinking about Hector and avail himself to Isaac's services alone. During their battle, they sensed that Dracula's Castle had been destroyed and Dracula had perished. Trevor Belmont had breached Dracula's defenses much sooner than Dracula had anticipated and had the help of powerful allies, including Dracula's son Alucard. Isaac was enraged and blamed Hector's defection for Dracula's death. He was defeated however, and left for dead.

Village life
Rosaly insisted that Hector remain with them until his wounds had healed. He was reluctant to do so because there may be others after him and he would put them in danger. She insisted that the Castle and all the demons had faded away. The most dangerous threats now were from humans (who were slowly behaving more wicked due to a curse Dracula had placed on the land upon his death). The children had apparently taken a liking to Hector as well. Rosaly made it clear that she liked him and he decided to stay and enjoyed three years of acceptance, though he did not venture into largely populated areas due to prejudice. Isaac however, had not died and spied on Hector's progress. Driven mad by the curse seeping into his being, he decided to allow Hector a time of happiness and contentment so that it would be all that more painful for him when it was taken away from him.

One day, three years later, Rosaly headed into town in order to sell apples. This was the moment Isaac decided to strike at Hector's heart. He spread rumors that the apples that she was selling were poisonous and that she was a witch. Hector, who had went into town to pick her up in case there was any trouble from the townsfolk, found her burned on a stake.

Events of Curse of Darkness (game)
Enraged, Hector followed Isaac's trail to an abandoned castle. There, Isaac challenged him to follow if he wished to regain his Devil Forgemaster powers. Hector follows Isaac into the castle and shortly finds a strange tomb, which is a site for forging innocent devils. Against his better judgment, Hector gives in and regains his old powers in devil forgery. He then meets Zead, a mysterious priest who informs him of Isaac's whereabouts.

As he chases Isaac through the Baljhet Mountains to a temple, Hector comes across Julia, a witch who offers her assistance by selling various items to him. He comments that she is the very image of Rosaly. Arriving at the temple, Hector encounters St. Germain, a mysterious man who requests that he pursues Issac no further. Inside, Hector battles a man who wields a whip and is searching for the Devil Forgemaster that is causing chaos throughout Wallachia. Because Hector's powers are still weak, he is easily defeated, leading his opponent to question who he is because the one he is seeking has power rivaling those of Death. Hector realizes that he is pursuing Isaac and confirms that he is Trevor Belmont, the man who defeated Dracula three years ago. After Hector tells Trevor his name, the two part ways.

Making his way through an aqueduct, Hectors encounters Zead again, who tells him that Isaac is heading for a nearby village on the other side of the forest. Suddenly, Zead leaves in a hurry and St. Germain appears. The man tells Hector not to listen to anything the priest tells him, but Hector angrily declares that he will have his revenge no matter what. St. Germain then leaves to pursue Zead. Arriving at the forest, Hector spies on Zead and St. Germain, watching as they fight for a small time. As they leave, Hector concludes that they are enemies.

In the nearby town of Cordova, Hector finds Isaac again and battles him. But their battle is stopped by Julia, and Hector learns that she and Isaac are siblings. After Isaac escapes, Hector angrily confronts Julia, who pleads with him to save her brother from the insanity brought upon him by the curse. Calming down, Hector complies with her request. At the clock tower, Hector fights St. Germain, who has walked into a trap set by Zead. Realizing that the Devil Forgemaster was able to pass through the barrier, the man draws his sword, wishing to test Hector. As Hector is victorious, St. Germain promises not to interfere again and encourages him to continue on his journey. The man then leaves, telling Hector to give his regard to Zead.

In the Aiolon Ruins, Hector comes across Isaac and Trevor battling each other. As Isaac flees at the site of Hector, Trevor realizes that they are enemies but declares that he will be the one to slay Isaac. As the hunter leaves, Zead appears and tells Hector that Isaac is heading back to the abandoned castle where there is a secret chamber. Hector gives Zead St. Germain's regards, causing the priest to panic and leave in a hurry. Back at the abandoned castle, Hector encounters Trevor again, who fights him to test his strength. Seeing that the Devil Forgemaster is stronger than before, Trevor helps Hector in his pursuit of Isaac by opening a gate to the hidden chamber below. Eventually, Hector battles and defeats the guardian Dullahan, but the battle created enough black magic to undo the seal and Dracula's castle is risen.

Arriving at the castle, Hector is met by Julia, who tells him that Dracula might have risen again. Hector suggests that they call on Trevor for help, but Julia informs him that the hunter was severely wounded by Isaac and she barely saved his life. Hector resolves to defeat Dracula and put an end to the curse that plagues the land, and Julia tells him not to let the curse take control of him. Hector enters the castle and battles Isaac for the final time. Emerging victorious and killing Isaac, Hector prepares to deliver another blow but stops himself when he remembers Julia's advice, and he realizes that his desire for vengeance was the work of the curse. Zead then appears and reveals that he was behind everything. He originally had planned on using Hector as a vessel for his lord when he succumbs to the curse, but he is forced to settle with Isaac, taking his corpse to be the host. As the priest draws a scythe, Hector realizes that he is Death, Dracula's right-hand man. After defeating Death, Hector confronts the resurrected Dracula, resolving not to flee as he did before. He defeats the vampire because the resurrection was incomplete, and brushes aside his former lord's notion that the curse will not be lifted. After Dracula's death, Hector contemplates that both Rosaly's death and Isaac's descent into madness was the work of the curse, and he successfully uses his power to nullify it. As the castle starts to crumble and fall, Hector decides to die in peace. But he is rescued by Julia, who urges for him to live out his life, and they escape together. When he contemplates on where to go to protect his innocent devils, Julia offers to let Hector stay at her home, which he gladly accepts.

Devil Forging
Since Devil Forgemasters are imbued with Dracula's magic, Hector is able to create and command beings known as Innocent Devils to aid him. They play a major role in the game, by helping Hector fighting enemies and help him past obstacles, as well as boosting Hector's stats.

Innocent Devils level up alongside Hector and eventually gain new skills. Enemies drop items called Evolution Shards when an Innocent Devil is active. When enough of these Shards are collected, an Innocent Devil involves into a new form. This results in new abilities coming available, and better stat increases.The form that the Innocent Devil will evolve into is determined by the weapon type that Hector uses while collecting Evolution Shards.

There are six types of Innocent Devils that are obtainable in the game: Fairy-Type, Battle-Type, Bird-Type, Mage-Type, Devil-Type, and the hidden Pumpkin-Type. Each Type has their own unique abilities.

Fairy-Type
The first Innocent Devil is summoned in the Abandoned Castle. Fairy Devils don't attack (except for a few Evolutions that possess attacks, but quite harmless). They can cast spells that can heal Hector or cure him from poison or curse. They can also open chests, and certain higher levels of fairy-types can translate messages. Enemies can't attack Fairy Innocent Devils.

Battle-Type
The second Innocent Devil is summoned in the Baljhet Mountains. As the name suggests, Battle Devils are pure killing machines, with great melee abilities, created to attack enemies and protect Hector. They can open metal doors that bar Hector's passage (for example, the one blocking the Mortvia Aqueduct in the mountains). Hector can perform Chain Attacks with them. They are one of three types also seen used by Isaac, who uses an Iytei and a Rasetz.

Bird-Type
The third Innocent Devil is summoned in the Mortvia Aqueduct. Bird Devils are good in air battle and can help Hector for jumping over large holes that cannot ordinarily be passed by lifting Hector and flying for a short amount of time, the ability of which can be upgraded to access the Tower of Evermore. They can juggle light enemies, allowing Hector to air combo easily. This is one of three types also seen used by Isaac, who uses a Crimson.

Mage-Type
The fourth Innocent Devil is summoned in Cordova Town. Mage Devils are physically weak, being not very good at fighting enemies physically, but can cast powerful spells which inflict heavy area damage. They can also help Hector by using a "stop time" spell, which, for a limited time, freezes time for everything but Hector and bosses, who can immediately break the spell.

Devil-Type
The final mandatory Innocent Devil is summoned in the Eneomaos Machine Tower. Devil-Type Devils are considered a balance between Battle and Bird-Types: they're good at melee and air battle, with high mobility and attack power, being very aggressive whenever a enemy is spotted. They can also take Hector underground, with a spell that converts both Hector and the Devil into a magic circle. There is only one evolutionary path for this ID, and its final form can only be created by collecting Evo crystals using the Chauve-souris spear. Hector can perform Chain Attacks with them. This is one of three types seen used by Isaac, who uses a The End, named Abel.

Pumpkin-Type
An optional Innocent Devil Hector can summon in Dracula's Castle. In order to actually unlock it, it's necessary to forge a weapon called Pumpkin Mace. Pumpkin Devils are really bad at fighting enemies and have a low heart gauge. They however give high stat boosts to Hector, increasing his strength, constitution and luck. They're often considered as the Joke Innocent Devil, or just as a challenge to players who like to solo as Hector while retaining stat bonuses.

Weapon Combining
There are a limited amount of weapons available for purchase in the game, making it necessary for Hector to create them himself. He can accomplish this by collecting materials that can be found in certain places or are dropped by enemies. By combining these materials, Hector can create armor and several types of weapons. As more equipment is created more recipes become available. Recipes are unlocked when all necessary materials where at one point in Hector's inventory.

Stealing
At a certain point in the game, Hector gains the ability to steal items from enemies. Each item has a window during which Hector is able to steal from that enemy. Usually a certain requirement should be met for this window to be opened, such as an enemy performing a special attack, or performing a perfect guard when attacked.

Items
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Trivia

 * Hector's appearance resembles Alucard. Both of them possess attributes alike, like having familiars fight alongside them, skills with multiples weapons and magic and the attitude of defection from Dracula's grasp.
 * Hector's name is most famously known for being that of one noble but unfortunate Trojan general, whom Achilles dispatches. Fortunately, this Hector is much luckier than his classical counterpart. The name itself is Greek in origin, and means "holding fast" - appropriate for the steadfast forgemaster. It is Hector's strength, will and perseverance that save him from becoming Dracula's next host.
 * His blue eyes, like Isaac's red hair, are a trait associated with vampirism in Balkan mythology, and in folklore from some parts of Greece. These stories held that a blue-eyed person would become a vampire after death, or that he or she was already vampiric in nature. It seems Hector and Isaac are no longer mortal men - though Dracula considers them still to be human, and thus lesser.
 * The contrast between Isaac and Hector is interesting to see. Their dress style is very different, as is the color of their hair. Isaac's fiery red hair may be taken as a symbol of hatred and anger, while Hector's white hair may be thought of as a symbol of purity, wisdom and nobility. In short, Hector is the opposite of everything Isaac has become.
 * In the game's cinematics, Hector does not even wield any weapon but simply fights with his bare fists instead. The only cinematic where he is seen holding a weapon is the introductory trailer, where he uses the Laser Blade against Isaac.