E is for Elizabeth Bathory



Thank you for all the comments on yesterday’s entry, D is for Demons. I continue the A-Z today with;


E is for Elizabeth Bathory

Elizabeth Bathory is perhaps one of the most notorious vampires in Ancile history; second only to her distant relation Count Dracula. 

By Gothika248 on DeviantArt


A Hungarian Countess in the 16th- 17th Century, Bathory is publically known as the Blood Countess: the most prolific female serial killer in history. Convicted of killing 80 victims, though rumoured to have killed 650.

What the public don’t know is that Bathory’s crimes continued after her “death” on 21st August, 1614. Having been turned into a vampire 20 years previously – when she was in her early thirties – Bathory continued her horrific ritual of killing virgins, and bathing in their blood. 


Slipping in and out of time, Bathory avoided capture by The Ancile until the Victorian era, when she was taken down by a team led by Abigail Van Helsing, granddaughter of famous vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing.


The following is an account of Bathory’s neutralization by Abigail Van Helsing and the team of Suppressors she led.

Narrated by: Abigail Van Helsing, London Unit Suppressor, January 26th, 1855.

Transcribed by: Edmond Beecham, London Unit Scholar, January 26th, 1855.


It is done. Bathory is neutralised at last. The menace that has plagued my beloved home of London is dead. By my hands. 


The battle was fierce and took all of the skill and experience I’ve accumulated in the last ten years. 


The team and I eventually tracked Bathory down to her lair, which was – rather than at her mansion – hidden in a disused coal mine.

We thought, as we were attacking during the daylight hours the threat would be minimal.


We were wrong. 


Alongside the deadly traps, we had anticipated, we discovered Bathory was awake. 


Due to her advanced age she did not need the same level of sleep as younger vampires do. Although we found her resting, she was fully conscious; which vampires usually aren’t during the day.


Upon detecting us, Bathory immediately engaged us in battle. We were evenly matched in terms of strength, stamina and agility, thanks to the Order’s own augmented abilities. However, Bathory had the advantage of flight, so that even with crossbows, getting a hit on her was difficult. Let alone with mêlée weapons. 


Eventually, we managed to weaken her enough that she became grounded. What we hadn’t counted on though was, as a last precaution, Bathory transformed from human form to a more bat-like feral form. Now her strength far surpassed ours, and even outnumbering her three to one, she overwhelmed us. Both of my colleagues were mortally wounded, and I thought we were going to meet our death in that dark, desolate mine.

Bathory had me pinned to the ground, her teeth about ready to rip my neck to shreds, when the words of my dear grandfather came back to me. “A vampire’s ultimate weakness is its desire for companionship,” he’d told me once during my training in the Order. 


An idea formed in my mind, and I uttered the words that could seal my fate. “Spare me and make me your progeny. Imagine having the granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing as your fledgling.”


My statement was enough to feed both Bathory’s desire for companionship and her need for notoriety, and she released me from her grip and eased back a little. It was all the chance I needed. I sprang to my feet, pushed her backwards and plunged my dagger into her heart. 


She was done.


After the proper protocol for disposing of a vampire – beheading the creature and then burning the body, and sprinkling the ashes in an east flowing river – was carried out, I went back to the headquarters and contemplated Bathory’s demise.


In the end, it was her remaining human instincts – her desire for companionship – that bought about her death.
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Check back tomorrow for F is for Fae, and if you're interested please check out my personal blog's forth entry E is for EastEnders.





38 comments:

  1. Awesome. I felt like I was in a movie. Great descriptions, Clare!

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    1. Aww yay! Thank you Cassie, that's a lovely thing to say! <3

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  2. She sounds like a piece of work! Never heard of that method of disposing of vampires before.

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    1. She was. I watched a film about her, starring Anna Friel, and it was quite gruesome. Ah, that would be because I made it up for this story's universe. ;)

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  3. She was one scary-ass bat shit crazy bitch. Can't believe she killed close to 650 people! That's insanity. You did a great job on twisting the facts for your story.

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    1. Thanks Jen! She is rather frightening, isn't she?

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  4. A tough fight but in the end good prevailed. I must say I am becoming fan of your writing. It's riveting. :)

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    1. Thank you Al, that's very nice of you. Glad you're enjoying my A-Z.

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  5. Yay she killed Elizabeth. The real Elizabeth Bathory has a very bloody history as well.

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  6. Hello, Clare! Ooo, she's one crazy scary lady. But not at all a lady. Creepy!

    Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

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    1. Hey Laura, thanks for dropping in. Very creepy lady indeed.

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  7. Killed that many people and bathing in blood? Wow-what a creepy countess. Yikes! We all crave companionship, don't we.

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    1. Yeah, very creepy. But yes, companionships is a basic human need.

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  8. Love how you describe this, but yikes, wouldn't want to meet her.

    Good luck with the challenge.

    Cheryl

    http://www.thebusymomsdaily.com/2013/04/blogging-from-to-z-challenge-letter-e.html

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    1. Thanks for dropping in Cheryl. Yeah, I don't think I'd want to meet her, either.

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  9. Is this true? I don't know much about this type of thing, but I thought this stuff was all made up. Strange and scary to think there really were (and are?) people like this.

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    1. Yeah, 90 % of it is true. Scary, isn't it. Though she was never actually tried or convicted of her crimes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory

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  10. Would NOT want to meet her in a dark alley or abandoned coal mine. That would freak me out.

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    1. Right! it would be a frightening experience, that's for sure.

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  11. Awesome! I did a whole week on Elizabeth Bathory a while back. Great fun.


    --
    Tim Brannan
    The Other Side and The Witch
    Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword
    The Freedom of Nonbelief

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    1. Thanks Timothy. Oh, I'll have to check it out, I've been a fan of Bathory since I was about eleven!

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    2. Thanks Timothy, I'll bookmark that link! :D

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  12. Very cool. I could totally see that as a type of vampire hunting steampunk age story. :)

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    1. Heh, I don't know how I missed all these comments. Sorry.
      Thank you, Christine. Ah, now you've got me thinking about an Ancile story set in the Victorian Era! :D

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  13. These are so cool! I could read a compilation of these entries alone. :)

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    1. Thanks Carrie! It's certainly something I'm contemplating. :D

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  14. Ah, the good old dark ages! What would we do without all that depravity/poor-value of life? I mean, the history books would be snore-worthy. What? Some are, you say? *gasp*

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    1. LOL Indeed, which is why a little fabrication is needed now and again! ;)

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  15. Great story, but in Bathory's defense I would add that she may not have killed 600 people: http://www.elizabethbathory.net/Countess-Bathory-s-case.html

    But who knows.

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    1. Very interesting, thanks for the link, I'll have to look into it. :D

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  16. I missed this entry on "E" day - that was an awesome read! I would like to hear the full saga of the bigger story. Excellent post!

    Charlie @ The Semi-Retired Gamer

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    1. Thanks Charlie, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Who knows if Bathory's story will make it into my actual novel ... perhaps one day. ;)

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  17. Being interested in vampires I've always been fascinated by this story and I love your take on her.

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    1. Thanks Robin, I'm glad you liked my take on her. I've been fascinated by Bathory since my teens.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this entry, and comment. I really appreciate it.