Lament Menu: Stages - Passwords - Secrets - Weirdness - Opening - Ending

Opening to Lament of Innocence

In an era long past, as monarchies weakened, local feudal lords grew in power. The first knights simply protected their lords' domains. However, with the reforms of the late 11th century, knights become protectors of the peave. They valued courage and honor, fighting heretics and heathens in God's name.

In this age, one company of knights was said to be invincible due to two men: Leon Belmont, a courageous man who feared nothing, and whose combat abilities were second to none, and Mathias Cronqvist, a genius tactician, whose learning made him an exception in a largely illiterate society. They trusted each other completely, and they were bound by an old friendship.

However, sorrow awaited Mathias upon his return from a victorius campain. It was news of the sudden death of his beloved wife, Elisabetha. Mathias' grief was profound and he became bedridden.

A year has passed since then. Thanks to Leon's efforts, their company remains proudly undefeated.

However, a mysterious army of monsters suddently appears in Leon's domain. The Crusaders are raging in the East, and since the Church is focusing on fighting heathens rather than monsters, it was forbidden unauthorized battles. Leon wants permissions to sortie, but the Church has no intention on granting it.

One night, Mathias struggles from his sickbed and tells Leon that the appearance of the monsters is tied to a vampire, who has a castle in the Forest called Eterndal Night, and that Leon's betrothed, Sara, has been kidnapped and brought to that castle.

Leon realizes that he must renounce his title to rescue his beloved.

The forest is swollen with darkness, as if it would rob away everything, and only moonlight provides a ray of hope.

A great legend is about to begin.

Once you start the game and enter your name, the opening cutscene will begin. It's extremely long and overwritten, so I'm not going to bother retyping it in its entirety. Instead, I'll just summarize it.

Leon begins running towards the forest and runs through a mysterious barrier. There he meets an old man named Rinaldo, who seems friendly and invites him in his cabin. Rinaldo informs that Leon that he lives here, aiding vampire killers who would attempt to destroy Walter, the lord of the castle, whom he has a grudge against. It seems that Walter enjoys playing games of cat and mouse with the hunters, so Rinaldo is allowed to live there in order to make the whole deal more interesting. Since Leon had to turn in his sword when he quit the knighthood, he is unarmed, and Rinaldo bestoys upon him his old whip, enhanced with the forbidden power of alchemy. Rinaldo also lets Leon know that Mathias' family has been well versed in the arts of alchemy as well. Finally, he blesses Leon's gauntlet with the power to absord magic from enemies. Then Leon heads off into the castle and towards his fate

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Castlevania Games - Lament of Innocence - Lament Opening