Cardinal Dracula
Cardinal Dracula was a villainous, possibly vampiric Mind Flayer. He existed as a real being in at least one universe (simultaneously being its counterpart for Dracula and for Cardinal Richelieu), and as a fictional being in at least one other.
Description
Physical appearance
Cardinal Dracula, when in his human form, was a tall, pale man in gilded red cardinal's robes. He was described as having “a sharp, aquiline nose and a high brow”. However, he could also shapeshift, notably transforming into mist, or, using the Reliquary of Baphomet, into a Dragon. (PROSE: Preludes and Distractions)
Powers and abilities
In addition to the aforementioned shapeshifting, he seemed to possess hypnotic abilities, and could sense people's true identities. His mouth contained a pair of fangs with which he could drink blood and turn others into vampires. He was nearly invincible, but could be harmed by a wooden stake through the heart; even then, though, he could recover by assuming the form of a dragon. Crosses could also harm him. In addition, he was an extremely skilled swordsman, possibly aided by unlimited stamina. (PROSE: Preludes and Distractions)
Biography
Cardinal Dracula's Universe
Cardinal Dracula lived in the France of one universe, where he was a constant foe of the Three Musketeers and Jenny Everywhere. He dwelled in the Cathedral of Cardinal Dracula, and, in the words of Athos, "corrupted church and state" and "feasted upon the blood of innocents". He hoped to rule the world, with Jenny as his bride. When his foes arrived at the Cathedral in the hopes of finishing him once and for all, he engaged them in combat, nearly defeating them, until Jenny stabbed him through the heart with a wooden bokeh, nearly killing him. Using the Reliquary of Baphomet, he transformed into a dragon and prepared to defeat them. Whether he was successful in this endeavor is unknown, but it is known that he managed to survive the encounter. (PROSE: Preludes and Distractions)
In another universe, Jenny Everywhere, while taking an exam, accidentally shifted into Cardinal Dracula's universe, leading to her featuring Cardinal Dracula in her description of the plot of her universe's The Three Musketeers in her exam. This earned her a B instead of an A, with her teacher noting that there were no Mind Flayers in the novel. (PROSE: Preludes and Distractions)
In Kan-Tavari, the World of the Storytellers, Cardinal Dracula participated in one of the septennial Feasts of Shahazard, a multiversal storytelling competition that offered one of the Seven Secrets of the Metacosmos as a prize. How he got there from his home universe is unknown, although it is possible that he took the Greyhound of Tindalos interdimensional bus service, the same method through which Jenny Everywhere and Laura Drake arrived in the universe. Jenny recognized him, telling Laura that a version of her had fought him in the past, but that he couldn't hurt them there. (GAME: The Black Void)
The Cardinal was among the various dimensionally-active individuals and groups who bid for the venom of the Wyrm of Loki when the Prime Universe's Sigyn decided to auction it off. Like the other bidders, he dissipated like smoke, sent back to his own dimension, after Tero Trollgarsson rendered the auction moot by drinking all the venom, leading Sigyn to interrupt the spell she was using to summon them all. (PROSE: The Winter Quests)
Visit to the Prime Universe
A spear-wielding woman whom Pythagoras-858 recognised as the Queen was among the groups who bid for the venom of the Wyrm of Loki when the Prime Universe's Sigyn decided to auction it off. Like the other bidders, she dissipated like smoke, sent back to her dimension, after Tero Trollgarsson rendered the auction moot by drinking all the venom, leading Sigyn to interrupt the spell she was using to summon them all. (PROSE: The Winter Quests)
Earth-44
In one universe, Cardinal Dracula was a fictional character in a book written by Alexandre Dumas. The events of this book were identical to those lived by the version of Cardinal Dracula in his home universe. (PROSE: Preludes and Distractions)
Other references
In the Parallax Universe, Jenny Everywhere mentioned Cardinal Dracula to Kim as an example of genuinely dangerous foes other Jennies had faced, alongside Lord Grallyx, when assuring Kim that dealing with the Puritan Streaker and La Frotteuse would be a walk in the park in comparison. Kim had never heard of either, and Jenny promised to tell her about them later. (PROSE: Return of the Puritan Streaker)
Behind the scenes
Cardinal Dracula was created by Jeanne Morningstar for their short story Preludes and Distractions. He later made an appearance in one path of the collaborative online gamebook The Black Void (game), also penned by Jeanne.
Because the story in which he originated was released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, Cardinal Dracula started out as an open-source character, but any story featuring him needed to give credit to his original creator. In 2022, due to concerns about “copyleft trolling”, Jeanne Morningstar officially released Preludes and Distractions into the public domain altogether, meaning attribution is no longer necessary in further works featuring the Cardinal.
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