Requiem

Sullied by the memory of his dead lover, Heinrich prepares to commit to the lowest of humanity...
Sullied by the memory of his dead lover, Heinrich prepares to commit to the lowest of humanity…

Requiem started life as Heinrich Augsburg, a German who lived during the Second World War. Heinrich was a Nazi and committed atrocities like many others of his political beliefs, but he fell in love with a Jewish woman named Rebecca. They had a saucy affair, but Rebecca was taken away by the Gestapo and executed. Heinrich escaped the repercussions of his insult to Nazi code by running to Russia. There, he met a woman who looked exactly like Rebecca. He raped her, but she took his gun and shot him through the head. The Heinrich of Earth died that day, but his soul lived on.

Otto von Todt
Otto von Todt

He resurrected in Hell – another name for Dracula’s Resurrection – and helped a vampire named Otto von Todt kill ghoul grave robbers. Otto took Heinrich to the Moon to meet Lord Cryptos, who knighted Heinrich as Vampire Knight Requiem and gave him the tattoos, implants, and runes necessary for optimal vampire performance. When Requiem and Otto reunited after the two years of Requiem’s training, they went to a bar to celebrate and this was Requiem’s first encounter with Claudia Demona. Requiem still had some semblance of honor and demonstrated this when he attacked the Red Knight Lord Mortis after the latter attacked a barmaid and threatened to kill her out of sheer cruelty. After Lord Mortis’s humiliation, Claudia Demona began to become interested in Requiem.

After this, Otto and Requiem attended the Black Mass in preparation for the attack on 23rd-Century London. London had been infested with mutants from a bygone era of nuclear warfare who still believed they were fighting for their city. When the vampires arrived, they were overrun and London burned. Requiem fought the mutant giant Anthrax, but shortly thereafter suffered a vision from his dead lover Rebecca. She wanted him to kill Otto as he lay in the wreckage of the Armageddon, but Requiem refused to kill the only person who seemed to be his friend in the harsh new world. As a result, Rebecca declared a personal vendetta against Requiem and disappeared to plot.

Mother Terror lies defeated moments before she is eaten
Mother Terror lies defeated moments before she is eaten

When the Virgin Pirates arrived, lead by Mother Terror, Requiem was among the first to confront the new threat. He fought Mother Terror and had her down to the point of having the chance to feast upon her flesh, but he disliked her taste and left her to the other vampires – including Otto – to devour. Mother Terror’s black Pterodactyl-like creature (only referred-to as a “talking dictionary”) chose Requiem as its new master (much to Requiem’s dismay).

After the attack on London, Requiem and Otto went to the Danse Macabre to celebrate with the royal family: Dracula’s wife Elizabeth Bathori, Caligula de Dracula, and Attila de Dracula. Also there was the mysterious Black Sabbat. There, amid the cannibalistic orgies and stupor, was Claudia Demona. Needless to say, Requiem was ensnared by her psychotic wit and charms. He was interrupted by a scream, the source of which was one of Otto’s victims as her twin sister lay dead on a mattress oozing poison from a neck wound Otto had opened. Otto came to the conclusion that someone attending the Danse Macabre was trying to kill not only him, but Requiem as well. Requiem hesitantly returned to Claudia, but neglected to resist her temptations in order to probe for answers. They began to commit to their dark desires when a strange impish demon named Charnel the Demoniac materialized above them and attacked Requiem. Claudia remained on the sidelines, relishing in the conflict.

Charnel vs Requiem
Charnel vs Requiem

Requiem defeated Charnel, who had been summoned by Lord Cryptos as part of a test. Black Sabbat recognized Requiem’s fighting style as that of Thurim, whom Attila (along with the Dracula bloodline) despised. While Requiem was attending to the wounds of the other guests, Black Sabbat told Attila that Requiem was an honorable man and that he helped others. This sent Attila into a rage and he attacked Requiem only to be stopped seconds later again by Black Sabbat who convinced Attila to spare him due to the severity of the Lemurian campaign. He walked through a memorial hall of sorts and saw a portrait of Thurim with its face scratched out. He consulted with the talking dictionary and the creature confirmed that Thurim did exist in Resurrection and he fought with Dracula against the Gods of the Limbos. After this strange night, Requiem departed for his coffin.

“Nazi!” “Murderer!” “Filth!” “Manure!”

Requiem tried to rest. He was plagued by the lost souls of the Jews murdered during the Holocaust and those of the Allies killed in battle. He tried to shake off the dreams with a hit of black opium, but this only proved to make them even stronger. He saw himself in a past life, as the Teutonic knight Heinrich Barbarossa – better known in Hell as Thurim – as he put heathens to the torch and sword in the name of a god he did not believe in. His dreams intensified as he saw Heinrich steal the hammer Thurim from the Ark of the Covenant. Heinrich was then forever cursed to be haunted by the souls of those he had tortured with his betrayal throughout space and time and throughout however many lifetimes before vengeance was had. He awoke and decided to talk a walk to clear his head.

Unexpectedly, Otto confronted Requiem with the news that the Lemurian campaign was going horribly and that they were leaving for Dracula’s kingdom. When they arrived, they were instantly commanded to the ground conflict as the Lemurian army confronted a massive force of Dracula’s vampire knights. Combined with werewolves and centaurs, the battle seemed to be going in Lemurian favor until Requiem fought the werewolf Torquemada. Torquemada seemed to have the advantage, but Requiem’s ghostly lover Rebecca returned and stopped Torquemada from killing Requiem. Instead, the werewolf buried the vampire knight. Requiem burst from the ground, angry and confused, and attacked Torquemada again, critically wounding him with his impalement gun. Requiem then battled one of the Lemurian champions named Sean, who he would have killed if not for Rebecca’s interference. Otto came into the situation and tried to kill Rebecca, but Requiem wrestled him to the ground. Claudia interrupted their fiery brawl and told them that Dracula wanted Rebecca as a prisoner for the victory ball aboard the S.S. Satanic – Dracula’s flagship. When the three of them left the battlefield, Dracula unleashed the berserkers and the surviving Lemurians were slaughtered.

Escape from the S.S. Satanic
Escape from the S.S. Satanic

While at the ball, Requiem reunited with Claudia and they hatch a plan to infiltrate the dungeons in Dracula’s flagship. Meanwhile, Dracula sensed that something was not right – like someone who betrayed him before had returned. The vampire Nero (former emperor of Rome) understood his master’s unwary feelings and kept his eyes peeled, prompting Requiem to remember Thurim chopping Nero’s arm off shortly before being tortured by the maniac. Claudia led Requiem down into the gullet of Dracula’s ship to her “favorite” victims: the prisoners from the battle mere hours before. Claudia taunted Rebecca sexually, but before she could sink her teeth into her Requiem forced her away. He threatened her with an impalement gun and told her to give Rebecca her clothes and mask. Claudia did so, reluctantly, and Requiem escaped with his earthly lover. They made the mistake of kissing on the deck with Otto watching them from a distance. In a rage, Otto pursued them in the midst of a dragon attack.

Eventually Requiem’s plane was brought down by a dragon. They met a dragon-hunter named Sabre Eretica, who led them on the right track back to Necropolis. Back at Requiem’s dungeon they were again able to share love forbidden to them. It was also revealed that Heinrich was the reincarnated enemy of Dracula, named Thurim in a past life. The Secret Police got an anonymous tip that Requiem was breaking the law. His house was raided and Rebecca was taken away. Requiem himself was taken before Black Sabbat leader of Secret Police, who in secret wanted to overthrow Dracula. Requiem was lead into a secret underground temple to receive the hammer of Thurim. But the hammer rejected him, as he still had Requiem’s consciousness. He was then escorted back to his quarters and placed under house arrest. Requiem didn’t have time for this, and escaped. He moved toward the Covenant of Blood, where he thought Rebecca was. He met Sabre there again, and they battled Blood Sisters together, but when Mother Superior arrived, Requiem was killed. While in Limbo, Requiem struck a deal with Thurim, for both of them to return to Resurrection. When they made it back, Requiem fought Thurim inside himself and won back the control of his body. He also had learned the location of Rebecca; she was in Otto’s dungeon. Requiem went there with intent on killing Otto and getting Rebecca back.