Claudia


Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
 Claudia lives in Agharta. She at first mysteriously appears as an elusive young woman before introducing herself

Claudia was a mysterious young woman who upon direct contact was discovered to be mute. She was a resident of Agharta, which was once a city of magic, wisdom and harmony. It was there that they created and utilized special crystals that served to protect them from outside forces. The mind-bending crystals did their job well until the Lycans appeared, at which point the balance changed as monsters began besieging their city; most of the population fled while others held firm and created Titans to fight off these usurpers. The battle raged for centuries, and neither side was able to last. He father, like others, was captured and ultimately devoured; before he met this fate, he hid his beloved Claudia somewhere within the city and created the Black Knight Golem to protect her. The pair had been on the run ever since. The Titans outlived their creators and endured until they were outnumbered and defeated--all except for one, whose remains were placed beyond a sealed door.

As Gabriel traveled through the Lost City of Agharta, he was targeted by a particularly large troll who had nothing but murderous intent; it was Claudia who appeared and repelled the beast with her special "crystal"--a Shadow Gem, which subverted the troll's mind and sent it to "a dark place," a process by which it was destroyed. Before Gabriel could initiate a conversation, the spry Claudia quickly flipped away onto the side of the mountainous ruins, silently urging him to follow; when Gabriel tracked her down via a commandeered warg, she again gave him the slip. While this surely frustrated Gabriel, Claudia was communicating with the pained warrior in one of the only ways she knew. She hid in a nearby cave, which Gabriel eventually discovered; as he entered the underground chamber, Claudia observed that her protector, the Black Knight Golem, was lunging to attack and ordered it to stop, bringing it to a state of calm. She achieved this feat through a state of mental telepathy, using which she could directly communicate and even read others' thoughts; she used this intrinsic ability to explain to Gabriel the plight of the crystal shards and her relationship with the Black Knight Golem, which provided her protection in exchange for her help in the procuring of evil souls, which it absorbed to maintain its life energy. As she probed Gabriel's mind, she backed away in shock at the realization that he was attempting to kill the Lords of Shadow for the purpose of bringing back his loved one. Understanding his passion, Claudia requested that she and her protector, without whom she couldn't survive, be allowed to tag along and assist; Gabriel reluctantly agreed. Immediately, she provided him the information for how to breach the sealed door that led to the sanctuary of the final Titan, who would stand in his way en route to the Dark Lord's sanctuary: He'd need a completed Shadow Gem, which he'd complete by collecting four crystal shards. Gabriel followed her instructions and summarily defeated the Titan.

As she slept in preparation for the long journey that were to follow, Claudia was awakened by Gabriel, who gently touched her head. As she looked upon him with a smile, he without warning stabbed her several times before she could even resist, murdering her in cold blood. It seemed nothing more than a dream to Gabriel, the very shock of which brought a thunderous end to his "sleep"; it was Pan that appeared before him and pointed out the grisly scene, which caused Gabriel to be overcome with anguish. As he wept, the Black Knight Golem entered the room to find that his friend had been killed; it immediately turned its attention to Gabriel, a blameful stare its only expression. Forced to fight, Gabriel defeated the Golem by ripping off its helmet, its exposed skull unable to survive without such cover. In its final act, the Golem willfully surrendered its power to Gabriel, its spirit possessing his gauntlet and enhancing his magical abilities with the power to absorb spiritual energy.

After Gabriel outlasted the Dark Lord in an epic struggle and endured its aftermath, which left him worn and empty, Claudia's spirit appeared to him and bowed her head, allowing him to share in one final peaceful moment. As did Marie, Claudia's spirit then surrendered to the light. In the end, though they provided him crucial support, Claudia and her protector were no more than pawns in the machinations of Zobek, who orchestrated Gabriel's dreamlike trances and as a result their deaths.

 
 
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