The Dark Lord
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The Dark Lord (Dracula)
Lore Overview
Inconsolable grief was the seed from which madness grew. When death claimed his beloved, Vlad Tepes refused to accept a world without her. Desperation drove him to seek the fabled Crimson Stone — a relic whispered to cheat death itself. But death is not so easily outwitted. The stone did not return what was lost. Instead, it bound Vlad’s soul within it, damning him to eternal existence. Thus, Vlad Tepes was reborn as Dracula, the Dark Lord.
By day he slept, entombed in shadow. By night he hunted, stalking the living and drinking their lifeblood beneath a blood-red sky. In Romania, he raised a vast castle warded by sinister magic, a monument to his grief and wrath. Villagers who strayed too close were slaughtered or twisted into the living dead, and Dracula’s domain became synonymous with terror. His power seemed absolute, and countless warriors fell attempting to challenge him as he drowned the land in suffering and despair.
In 1476, hope came in the form of Trevor Belmont of the Belmont Clan. Wielding the legendary Vampire Killer, Trevor struck down the Dark Lord and ended his reign — or so the world believed. But the undead do not remain dead for long. Across centuries, Dracula rose again and again, each resurrection fueled by hatred, vengeance, and an undying loathing for humanity.
His final resurrection came in 1999, when Dracula raised an army of the undead to drown the world in darkness once more. It was then that Julius Belmont, heir to the Vampire Killer, led the assault on Dracula’s Castle in the brutal conflict known as the Battle of 1999. Steel, magic, and blood clashed within those ancient halls as Julius struck blow after blow against the Dark Lord. Most believed this victory to be Dracula’s true end — a final death at last.
But as the enchanted whip tore flesh from bone, something else answered Dracula’s hatred. A cold Fog rolled across the stone floor, coiling around him like grasping fingers. In that moment, the Dark Lord felt a presence — ancient, hungry, and watching. The Fog swallowed him whole.
Dracula did not die that night. He was claimed. Drawn into the Entity’s Realm, he was given a new battlefield, an endless night where his vengeance would never be denied.
And so the Dark Lord hunts once more — not for conquest, but for the eternal satisfaction of suffering unending, beneath a sky where the sun will never rise again.
The power you wield over the land strikes terror in the hearts of all who cross your path.
The first time each Chest and each Totem are interacted with by a Survivor, Dominance triggers its effect:
- Calls upon The Entity to block it for 8/12/16 seconds.
- The Aura of the blocked Prop is revealed to you in white.
“Tragic, is it not? How powerless you must feel.” — Dracula
Dominance
Hex: Wretched Fate
You see your victim from afar and resolve to prolong their suffering.
After a Generator is completed, Hex: Wretched Fate activates and lights a random Dull Totem, cursing the Obsession:
- Reduces their Repair speed by 27/30/33 %.
- The Aura of the Hex Totem is revealed to them within 12 metres.
“So toil, mortal, toil! Your effort will be for naught!” — Dracula
One can always rely on the avarice of the living and use it to one’s advantage.
Grants the ability to kick opened Chests and close them.
- The Auras of unopened Chests are revealed to you at all times.
- The Auras of Survivors coming within 8 metres of unopened or closed Chests are revealed to you for 3 seconds.
Human Greed has a cool-down of 30/25/20 seconds on the ability to kick Chests.
“Come running, one and all, and see what fortune awaits you.” — Dracula
Human Greed
Dark Lord Builds
Chase-pressure + Regression Control
“Bloodthirsty Control”
Hex: Wretched Fate
Dark Knight Perk
You see your victim from afar and resolve to prolong their suffering.
After a Generator is completed, Hex: Wretched Fate activates and lights a random Dull Totem, cursing the Obsession:
- Reduces their Repair speed by 27/30/33 %.
- The Aura of the Hex Totem is revealed to them within 12 metres.
“So toil, mortal, toil! Your effort will be for naught!” — Dracula
Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance
Artist Perk
(Strong early pressure and slowdown when used right with your birds.)
Overwhelming pain reverberates outwards.
At the start of the Trial, 4 random Hooks are changed into Scourge Hooks:
- The Auras of Scourge Hooks are revealed to you in white.
You start the Trial with 4 Tokens on Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance.
Each time a Survivor is hooked on a Scourge Hook for the first time, 1 Token is consumed and the following effects apply:
- The Generator with the most Progression explodes and instantly regresses by 10/15/20 % of its total Progression.
- Normal Generator Regression applies afterwards.
- All Survivors repairing that Generator will scream, but not reveal their location.
Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance is disabled for the remainder of the Trial once all Tokens are consumed.
“The pain spills beyond flesh/darkness staining the horizon.” — Girl in the Shadow by Carmina Mora
Pop Goes the Weasel
Clown Perk
A deep bond with The Entity unlocks great strength.
After hooking a Survivor, Pop Goes the Weasel activates for 35/40/45 seconds.
Perform the Damage Generator action while Pop Goes the Weasel is active to benefit from the following effect:
- Instantly regresses the damaged Generator by -20 % of its current Progression.
Pop Goes the Weasel deactivates after the Generator is damaged or once the timer runs out.
Bamboozle
Clown Perk
After vaulting a Window, Bamboozle calls upon The Entity to block that Window for the next 8/12/16 seconds.
- Blocked Windows cannot be vaulted by Survivors.
- Increases your general Vaulting speed by 5/10/15 %.
Bamboozle only blocks one Window at a time and does not apply either of its effects to vaulting Pallets.
Add-ons
Ruby Circlet
An enchanted headpiece that brings even the mightiest of flames to heel.
- Reduces the Cool-down duration of the Hellfire Spell by -10 %.
Warg's Fang
A mighty tool of destruction taken from one of Dracula’s most dangerous allies.
- The Auras of all Survivors whose Scent Orbs you collected are revealed to you for 4 seconds whenever the Pounce Attack becomes available.
Stealth Ambush & Information Control
“Stealthy Predator”
Dark Devotion
Plague Perk
The display of your Powers creates a whirlwind of panic that spreads throughout the land.
Whenever the Obsession loses a Health State by any means and thus enters the Injured State, Dark Devotion activates:
- Your Terror Radius transfers to the Obsession for 20/25/30 seconds, and its radius is set to 32 metres.
- Grants the Undetectable
Status Effect for the same duration.
The Obsession with your transferred Terror Radius is also considered to be ‘inside the Terror Radius’ for other purposes.
You can only be obsessed with one Survivor at a time.
“And terror shall take hold of a defiant non-believer, who shall falsely announce my arrival.” — (The Tablet of Adiris, 48.9)
Tinkerer
Hillbilly Perk
Whenever a Generator is repaired to 70 %, you benefit from the following effects:
- Triggers a Loud Noise Notification for that Generator, revealing its location.
- Grants the Undetectable Status Effect for the next 12/14/16 seconds.
Tinkerer can only trigger once per Generator per Trial.
“The Hillbilly makes impressive tools out of scraps. Tools aimed at maiming us in creative ways.” — Notebook
Hex: Plaything (Fortune's Fool)
Cenobite Perk (General Perk)
Each obstacle you break magnifies the wrath of The Entity.
After manually breaking a dropped Pallet by any means for a total of 4/3/2 times, Spirit Fury activates:
- Causes The Entity to instantly break the next Pallet used to stun you.
- The normal Stun penalty applies afterwards, unless it is mitigated by other effects.
Spirit Fury deactivates after use.
“Fury is her blood.”
Weave Attunement
Lich Perk
You are so attuned to magical energies that you can sense even minor ripples around enchantments.
Whenever an Item is depleted for the first time, it is automatically dropped:
- The Auras of dropped Survivor Items are revealed to you, as well as the Auras of any Survivors within 8 metres of them.
- Affected Survivors see the Aura of that Item as well.
- Causes Survivors picking up a Survivor Item to suffer from the Oblivious Status Effect for 20/25/30 seconds.
“No number of novelties will protect you from me!” — Vecna
Add-ons
Medusa's Hair
A snakelike memento from one of Dracula’s most ancient and fearsome minions.
- Causes all Survivors within 12 metres of your Teleport destination to suffer from a -15 % Hindered Status Effect for 5 seconds.
Winged Boots
Long used by their wearers to move quickly.
- Increases the range of the Teleport ability by +20 %
Brute-Force Chase & Loop Breaker
“Relentless Pursuer”
Dark Arrogance
Lich Perk
When everything is going right, you are an inescapable inevitability.
Increases your Vaulting speed in exchange for increased vulnerability to being blinded and stunned:
- Permanently increases the duration of Killer Blinds by any means and the duration of Pallet Stuns by +25 %.
- Permanently increases your Vaulting speed by 15/20/25 %.
“Run all you want. I will not be denied.” — Vecna
Bamboozle
Clown Perk
After vaulting a Window, Bamboozle calls upon The Entity to block that Window for the next 8/12/16 seconds.
- Blocked Windows cannot be vaulted by Survivors.
- Increases your general Vaulting speed by 5/10/15 %.
Bamboozle only blocks one Window at a time and does not apply either of its effects to vaulting Pallets.
Spirit Fury
Spirit Perk
Each obstacle you break magnifies the wrath of The Entity.
After manually breaking a dropped Pallet by any means for a total of 4/3/2 times, Spirit Fury activates:
- Causes The Entity to instantly break the next Pallet used to stun you.
- The normal Stun penalty applies afterwards, unless it is mitigated by other effects.
Spirit Fury deactivates after use.
“Fury is her blood.”
Enduring
Hillbilly Perk
You are resilient to pain.
- Reduces the duration of Pallet Stuns by 40/45/50 %.
Enduring has no effect while carrying a Survivor.
“He stops at nothing.”
Add-ons
Clock Tower Gear
A piece of the great clock tower, a reminder of the inevitability of time itself.
- Reduces the Cool-down time of the Shapeshift Ability by -10 %.
Sylph Feather
An enchanted feather that grants its holder great agility.
Breaking Pallets grants +1 Token, up to a maximum of 5 Tokens:
- Reduces the Cool-down duration of the Hellfire Spell by -5 % per Token, up to a maximum of -25 %.