Raye

Background:

Although its arguable how much the evil of the vampire's "demon" or "dark side" plays into making a vampire evil, it's hard to deny the fact that there are any number of truly staggeringly evil vampires in history. But then plenty of humans have been staggeringly terrible as well, so perhaps it's not the vampirism but the humanity that causes the evil.

All of that is a round-about way to discuss Raye who, by all accounts during her time as a vampire, was a very evil person. As one of Dracula's minions (although she prefers the term "co-conspirator"), Raye had the pleasure of fighting by Dracula's side for more than 200 years (and if you think, "well, why didn't I see her in one of the Castlevania games, then?" the answer is, "because she was smart enough not to get killed."). During that illustrious time (of Dracula dying and coming back over and over again), Raye effectively lead the troops and minions, keeping the peace among the slathering and drooling beasts that roamed Romania.

But how did she get to this place? She wasn't embraced by Dracula, that much is clear -- all of Dracula's off-spring share powers and abilities, and Raye has never exhibited any of those powers before. No, Raye was her own person long before she came into Dracula's employ.

Truly, Raye was one of the few people in Romania to be converted into vampirism by someone other than the Dark Prince. A roaming, wandering vampire found the teenaged girl as she was walking through the shadowy woods near her home and quickly, surprisingly, she became a vampire. Unlike many vampires, Raye had no teacher (the vampire that embraced her quickly attacked and ran), so she had to find her own path, her own way to use her new powers.

So how does a sweet-natured girl become a slathering hell-beast? It was he vampirism right? Maybe, but just as possibly it was the social mores of the time period that dictated her behavior up til that magic moment. Being a vampire, she was freed of worrying about mortals. She could have finally been able to be the girl she always wanted to be.

In essence, it's a little of both, then. A Human becomes an evil vampire because the evil of the vampire frees the human to do as they truly want. And for Raye, that was to be the best, most evil vampire she could.

Personality Details:

While Raye was evil basically from the moment she became a vampire, it was through a further curse (laid on her by Darkmoon) that she found new levels of power and rage. Drkmoon cursed her to have a soul (something Darkmoon had been cursed with as well) which effectively meant that the "dark magic" within a vampire gets replaced with the goodness the transition to vampirism removed. At least, that's how it was supposed to work. That's how it worked for Darkmoon (who became reasonably less evil afterwards).

For Raye, though, the dark magic never left her. Instead, she had both the evil of her vampire and the good of her humanity warring in her mind. It made her lust for vengeance, desire more power than she'd ever wanted before. Instead of working happily for a master vampire, Raye wanted to be a master.

And then, once she'd achieved that, she'd set her sights on revenge. Darkmoon would pay, oh yes, and so would anyone aligned with him.

First Appearance: #207: I Think I Know Her...
Last Appearance: #12: CVRPG Six, Part 2

Raye (Mirror)

The Raye of Earth 2

Background:

It's arguable which comes first: the vampirism or the evil. Sure, some humans are evil by nature, but certainly the dark magic of being a vampire drives many to the same fate, to become evil beasts from beyond the grave. However you lok at it, Raye was evil as a vampire.

Why she became a vampire is a question one would have to ask her sire. She's not of of Dracula's "children", so she wasn't turned simply because Dracula wanted a girl around the house. No, she was drawn to Dracula's evil magic, the need to serve as one of his minions. She grew in power, and became one of his trusted lieutenants.

And then she met Darkmoon. This young vampire, brought in by Dracula as one of his new "sons", caught her eye, and the two quickly hit it off. Young love can even strike ageless vampires, and the relationship between the two undead was hot, heavy, and cold-blooded.

When Dracula died (as he so often did, at the hands of a Belmont of course), a decision had to be made: bring Dracula back or argue for a new way of life. Darkmoon argued for the latter, that as one of Dracula's children he could take the demon lord's power and put it to better use. Raye agreed, and the course of history for the world was forever changed.

And yet, not all was right at home. A new, younger woman caught Darkmoon's eye. Raye sensed a new love within her one-time beau, and the two vampires grew distant. It was only a matter of time, then, before Raye made a play for power on her own....

Personality Details:

As Darkmoon was never cursed on Earth 2, this version of Raye wasn't either. She's all vampire, without any pesky Light magic or "souls" bringing her down. That still leaves us with a very evil vampire, though, one bent on taking of the Romanian throne and ruling the world as she desires. And she just might have the power to do it.

Unlike Dracula's children, Raye doesn't have a traditional "demon form". She does, however, have a large stock-pile of Light magic, one of the few vampires to master that craft. It makes her dangerous in way unsuspecting heroes may not be able to anticipate.

First Appearance: #665: The Mistress at the Top of the Castle
Last Appearance: #3: CVPRG II