"Worm, you dare oppose the power of darkness? Is it death you seek?"
— Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Rais is a character in the Castlevania series. He is a direct subordinate to Count Dracula. A high-ranked vampire who plays a prominent role in a meticulous plan to bring the Dark Lord back to life.
Later, he is mentioned by name in the Villa when Mary Oldrey explains that her husband, J. A. Oldrey, has been turned into a vampire by de Rais. At the end of the level, in the crypt underneath the Villa's garden maze, de Rais fights Cornell. He is surprised by the werewolf's power and escapes with Actrise after she interrupts the battle, although not before both hint that Cornell will make a worthy adversary for their master. Gilles de Rais is present in the final cutscene of Cornell's quest, in which the essence of the werewolf is used in a ritual to reincarnate Dracula in the body of Malus.
Gilles de Rais reappears in Reinhardt and Carrie's quests in 1852, although disguised as Dracula (even though the English versions of these games don't make this clear, the official strategy guide states that "Dracula's servant" is in "Vampire Gildre").[1] Gilles attempts to dissuade the adventurers in the Castle Wall level, and is finally defeated in the Castle Keep.
Boss battles[]
First battle: Villa's crypt[]
The first Gilles de Rais boss battle is exclusive to Cornell's quest. In place of him, the player will fight vampire villagers in Carrie and Reinhardt's quests. Henry does not fight a boss in this room.
The battle begins abruptly after Cornell descends the stairs into the Villa's crypt. Sans introduction, de Rais will rush toward Cornell and use any of the following attacks:
Slashing the hero with his claws. This attack is stronger at night and weaker during the day.
Biting Cornell to suck his blood. This not only drains Cornell's health meter, but replenishes de Rais's as well. If the player does not break free in time, Cornell's status will change to "vampire".
Emitting multiple bursts of flame for long range attacks.
Gilles tends to attack at close range, usually using his flame attack only when it's difficult for him to reach Cornell (such as when he is on the entrance steps or atop the casket). Gilles is also adept at evading attacks. He may leap into the air or do a quick sidestep to avoid damage, often attempting to bite Cornell afterward if he is in close proximity. It should be noted that because de Rais is a vampire, his maximum hit points decrease by 20% during the day.
The second Gilles de Rais boss battle (in which he is disguised as Dracula) is exclusive to Carrie and Reinhardt's quests. Cornell has almost exactly the same battle in the Castle Keep, save for the fact that the true Dracula has a few different attacks.
After a cutscene, de Rais will turn into mist and vanish. He may teleport multiple times, eventually reappearing behind the hero before attacking. Also, if the player is too close or turns to face him abruptly, he may vanish again. His attacks include:
Drawing the hero to him and sucking their blood. This not only drains the player's health meter, but replenishes his own. If the player does not break free in time, their status will change to "vampire".
Emitting two shockwaves, one low to the ground and the other at waist height.
Releasing a sustained blast of fire for a few moments (this attack resembles a weaker version of Dracula's Demonic Megiddo).
In homage to Dracula boss battles of past games, de Rais only takes damage when struck on the head. In higher difficulty settings, the player must actually jump up to hit him at all; otherwise, all attacks will miss. Unlike the first fight with him, the time of day does not affect the power of his attacks or maximum hit points.
Quotes[]
By Gilles de Rais[]
So this is the man-beast magic extracted from the man-wolf. What enormous power...
Miserable worm, upstart weakling. All who oppose the dark lord must die. Come, meet your doom!
Worm, you dare oppose the power of darkness? Is it death you seek?
As you wish. Come, I will tear you limb from limb.
So you thought you had won? To save the world is not so simple.
About Gilles de Rais[]
Yes, the vampire Oldrey is my husband. There was a man named Gilles de Rais and a woman, Actrise. They made him what he is today. (Mary Oldrey)
You have killed my servant, the guardian of my sleeping spirit. (Malus/Dracula)
This character is based on the real Gilles de Rais, a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. Although he was not associated with vampire legends, he was convicted and executed as a confessed serial killer of hundreds of children, a crime ascribed to his in-game accomplice, Actrise.
He was also accused of being a sorcerer by the Catholic Church (he apparently did attempt to summon a demon with the help of a coerced priest), and a werewolf in other stories.
The real Gilles de Rais is associated with the legend of Bluebeard, a French folktale of a wealthy man in the habit of murdering his wives, and as such his in-game rendering sports a blue beard.
The PAL version of Castlevania 64 features voice acting for Gilles de Rais in the Castle Wall and Castle Keep stages. However, in the American version, he only has voice acting in the Castle Wall.
This could have been due to the PAL version having been released about four months after the US version, allowing the developers to add extra features to it. However, this is just speculation.
Gilles' voice actor is uncredited in Castlevania 64, although it is believed he was voiced by Scott McCulloch, who also voiced the Narrator in that game.
In Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness, it turns out that Gilles de Rais himself decided to become a host for Dracula so he could release his master's soul after he died and reincarnate it into Malus's body.
Largely because of Castlevania 64 misleading the player into thinking Gilles de Rais is Dracula unless specific requirements are met for the true ending, Gilles de Rais is the only Dracula-like enemy to utilize Dracula's leitmotif "Dance of Illusions".
The 2003 horror film, Dracula II: Ascension, part of a trilogy which identified Dracula as the disciple Judas Iscariot, had Dracula stating a list of the names he had gone by through the centuries, one of which being Gilles de Rais.
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