Camilla (Castlevania)

Camilla in Circle of the Moon

Camilla (カミーラ, Kamīra, Carmilla; alternatively カーミラ Kāmira), also called Vampira (女吸血鬼, Jo Kyūketsuki), is a vampire from Konami's Castlevania video game series. She appears as a non-playable antagonist in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.

Character history

Template:Spoiler Camilla was a devoted worshipper of chaos and Dracula. In 1830, she successfully resurrected the Count in her Austrian castle, although he was not at his full power. To restore his evil might, Camilla planned to sacrifice the vampire hunter Morris Baldwin, father to Hugh Baldwin and mentor to Nathan Graves, during a lunar eclipse of the full moon. As Graves began making headway in the effort to rescue his master, Camilla sent the Necromancer to delay him. Ultimately, she brainwashed Hugh to do her evil bidding and challenged Graves to a battle in the Underground Waterway. Although she perished at the hero's hand, Camilla relished the fact that the rite to restore the Count was nearly complete.

Camilla also fought several heroes who attempted to oppose Dracula before 1830, including Simon Belmont in 1698 and Richter Belmont/Maria Renard in 1792. However, Camilla played only a minor role in those conflicts.

Boss battles

File:Camilla from Rondo of Blood.png

Camilla in Rondo of Blood

• Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest - Camilla, renamed "Vampira" in the US manual, appears as a flying mask in Laruba Mansion. She attacks by dripping poison on Simon.

• Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood - Camilla appears as a nude bronzed woman with blue hair atop a skull. Also present in this boss battle is Laura, her consort. Laura will attack when Camilla falls.

• Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - Camilla transforms into a winged demon atop a giant skull in the Underground Waterway. She attacks with poisonous fumes and laser blasts.

• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Camilla herself is not present, but Laura appears as an enemy character identical to the boss in Rondo, and her bestiary description refers to Camilla.

Trivia

Camilla's model from an early version of Castlevania 64

References to Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla:

• Camilla herself is based on the titular character of the novella, an Austrian countess and vampire.
• Camilla's mask is another reference. In the story, Carmilla takes advantage of the anonymity of a masquerade ball to look for victims.
• Laura, the girl who appears alongside Camilla in Rondo of Blood, was the narrator of Carmilla and nearly her victim.

References in other games:

• In Castlevania: Dracula X, if Richter fails to save Annette Renard, a skull will appear and possess her in the Clock Tower. The resulting "Skull Sorceress" enemy closely resembles Camilla.
• A model of Camilla atop her skull can be seen in early footage of Castlevania for the Nintendo 64. However, she is not present in the final game.
• In Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, a statue can be found in the Cave of Skeletons which is clearly intended to resemble Camilla's mask (Vampira) from Simon's Quest and Rondo of Blood.
• Carmilla is similar to Caramilla, the largest vampire sect in Vampire: The Masquerade.

References

• Simon's Quest manual (page 26).
• Rondo of Blood manual (page 14).
• Circle of the Moon manual (page 18).
• Circle of the Moon promotional wallpaper.
• Carmilla at Project Gutenberg