Elizabeth Bartley, the Blood Countess
Biography: Born in Transylvania, Hungary, in the 16th century to the Bartley family, a family with a supposed history and relation to the Tepes, Elizabeth had known nothing but a life of luxury. This, along with the status of her parents, instilled in her a sense of entitlement and domination, wishing to claim anything she wanted by either persuasion or by force.
Eventually, she was forcibly engaged to Nadazy Ferentz when she was a child, marrying officially in the year 1575 when she was fifteen years of age, and moving to the Cheyte Castle located in Nietots, Hungary.
Despite being newlyweds, Nadazy could not remain at the castle for more than a few days, much to Elizabeth’s frustration. She had only one sole companion: a woman by the name of Drolta Tzuentes, who was said to practice black magic. It was through this woman and her teachings that Elizabeth learned of blood magic and vampirism, as well as the prospect of eternal youth and life.
Seeking these things, Elizabeth began taking in various servant girls from the nearby villages, where they would be tortured and eventually killed, she and Drolta collecting their blood in the basement in a large basin, where Elizabeth would bathe in the collected red liquid.
Nadazy knew nothing of this and died under mysterious circumstances in 1600, but many a rumor states that his wife and her handmaiden had something to do with it.
The murders the Blood Countess committed would reach into the thousands.
In December of 1610, the Hungarian King would hear of these acts and ordered Count George Turzo to investigate these matters. After barely escaping and coming back with tales of numerous young women drained of blood and of life, some of which were not even entirely put together anymore, the King ordered Elizabeth confined to a room in her castle, with only slits made in the walls for food and air.
She lived and perished in these walls four years afterward, yet upon her body being found, it appeared that she was smiling, as if happy for what was to come.
For indeed, there was more to come.
Drolta Tzuentes, who was thought to have been executed after Elizabeth’s killings and her role in them came to light, mysteriously appeared to have risen from the dead, having made a pact with dark forces to return to life after her death. Still, she wasn’t done just yet.
With her foul, arcane magic, she revived Elizabeth from a 300-year perpetual death, her soul having been stuck in Hell until Drolta brought her back to the Earth.
Soon after, Elizabeth, newly revived and vampirized, was visited by her uncle, Vlad Tepes Dracula, and officially christened as his niece. She was ready to seek revenge on the family of Austria and the rest of the living.
Personality: Even as a child, Elizabeth Bartley was one who always got her way, and if not, then she would force it upon those who dared to defy her. This mindset was scarcely corrected, and it developed into a strong sense and desire for everything when she became an adult.
She never loved her husband, only viewing him as a means to an end, and when he couldn’t even provide that, she turned to his ostracized housemaid, Drolta. There, she learned how to keep her good looks and beauty forever, only at the cost of the blood of another.
This would lead to over a thousand women being bled to death in the depths of her tower.
Even after her imprisonment, Elizabeth swore vengeance against the King and all those who fought against the forces of darkness, waiting for the day that she would momentarily slip from this world to the next, where her body would be revived in a form that would live forever.
Favorite Food: Blood (yet used to be partial to red wine)
Based on: Elizabeth Bathory
