Castlevania has an ongoing uphill battle for every new villain it introduces. The series is synonymous with its first final boss, Dracula. Every other antagonist suffers the tragic indignity of direct comparison to the deific figure lording himself above vampirekind. Though no Castlevania villain escapes that confrontation unscathed, Nocturne‘s Erzsebet Báthory remains excellent. Her second in command, Drolta Tzuentes, stole some spotlight for herself.
Castlevania: Nocturne proved that Adi Shankar’s excellent Netflix series could be replicated. The franchise has suffered in its native medium for years, but its small-screen efforts have made glorious strides. With both shows proudly displayed on the streamer, Netflix could house the next several years of Castlevania‘s narrative growth. The series pulls from the distant past, updates details, and creates fascinating new fixtures.
Who is Drolta Tzuentes in the Castlevania games?
Drolta Tzuentes is a secondary antagonist in the 1994 game Castlevania: Bloodlines. That title’s narrative is among the wildest in the Castlevania franchise. Drolta is an elderly witch who dedicated her mastery of dark magic to Elizabeth Bartley, Dracula’s vampiric niece. Bartley, a slightly altered version of Elizabeth Bathory, learned Drolta’s sorcery while living in Cheyte Castle. Drolta got her name from Dorottya Szentes, one of Bathory’s alleged co-conspirators who shared her horrible fate. She tortured servants in the castle’s dungeon and killed young women for their blood. The Hungarian government discovered her crimes and confined her to a minuscule room, where she presumably died. Drolta somehow remained alive for the following 300 years. She resurrected her master and set about their new scheme to take revenge.
Drolta Tzuentes helped Elizabeth Bartley assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. She enacted this plan to avenge herself upon the heavily altered nation whose King once executed her. She also saw the complicated network of allies and betrayals across Europe, accurately guessing that the Archduke could be the spark that lit the flame of the First World War. Drolta and Elizabeth personally caused World War I, instantly ranking them highly among video game villains’ body counts. Drolta and Elizabeth then used the countless souls lost in trench warfare to resurrect Elizabeth’s Uncle Dracula. In gameplay, Drolta doesn’t fight directly. She summons demons, animates giant constructs, and potentially wields Dracula’s body during his multi-stage boss fight. The European booklet in the Castlevania: Bloodlines box described her like this:
She is a mysterious old witch and a servant of Elizabeth. She obstructs the vampire hunters’ quest by controlling demons.
Who is Drolta Tzuentes in the Castlevania series?
Castlevania: Nocturne‘s Drolta Tzuentes shares some elements with her in-game iteration. She remains an exceptionally powerful emissary for her master, Erzsebet Báthory. While her place in the story is oddly similar, her abilities have reversed. This Drolta is an immense physical threat who delights in sadistic violence. Instead of a withered sorceress, she’s among the most capable martial combatants in the story. Drolta is also a political operative, tasked with traveling to France and arranging parley with local vampires as Erzsebet readies her invasion. The show poses her as its primary antagonist from a practical sense. Erzsebet represents a ticking clock, a constant countdown to a potential apocalypse scenario. While Erzsebet waits in the shadows, Drolta puts in the legwork necessary to make her master’s ascension smooth, effective, and permanent.
Drolta is a priest, politician, and paladin for her goddess. She worshiped the Egyptian lion goddess Sekhmet hundreds of years before Castlevania: Nocturne‘s events. The show depicts her building tenuous alliances with local monsters and spreading the religious propaganda of her Vampire Messiah. While some figures, like Olrox, see her invasion as a nightmare, most vampires seem prepared to bow in exchange for safety and endless night. Drolta arranges deals with some humans, including the local forgemaster, to secure an army of night creatures. This oddly mirrors her in-game task of summoning demons to fight the hunters pursuing Dracula. When Erzsebet’s promises came true, Drolta attained a powerful new form resembling a succubus. Her newfound power clashed with Richter Belmont’s sudden mastery of his family’s magic, allowing her to fend off multiple hunters. Drolta’s story ended abruptly, however. As she pursued the fleeing heroes, Drolta succumbed to a lethal sword stroke dealt by Dracula’s long-missing son, Alucard. She was thrilling in Castlevania: Nocturne‘s first season, but she is presumed dead as the credits roll.
Drolta Tzuentes is one of the liveliest figures in Castlevania: Nocturne. The show took the basic concept of a servant of the Blood Countess and elevated her miles above the aged background sorceress. While the game’s Drolta fills a necessary role, Nocturne made Drolta a character worth exploring on her own. Drolta may never return, but the spotlight she received in Nocturne will likely always be the way she’s remembered.
