[{"content":{"text":"Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire<\/em><\/a>\u00ae, now available on the Meta Store<\/a> and SteamVR<\/a>, is bringing Slayers from across the globe to the Castle Zar and the ancient evils within. We've already detailed some of the tools and elements you'll encounter in a previous blog, but many Slayers are asking for more intel about their targets: the vampires themselves.<\/p>Slayers, here is what we were able to uncover in our latest reconnaissance mission to the castle, as we spotlight some in-depth information on five of the members of clan Zar that go beyond the info you might find in-game. We've even added some general vampire lore tidbits to help you get immersed into the world.<\/p>And a special shout-out to our incredible art and development teams! You'll soon see that every choice made when designing each foe (down to the coffins they rest in and every trap that protects them) enriches the engaging story and vibrant world of Silent Slayer<\/em>.<\/p>"},"id":"5e5c6cd8-0c59-4412-9594-a6b30f820334","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/1Ik6DEPZ39Pnggdd"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"217d26be-b094-4c8d-8f47-a2aef39fe9e9","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Queen Corinthia","customid":""},"id":"b9080eec-5904-4df3-ace6-618c8c28583a","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"We'll start near the top with our fearsome Queen Corinthia. She's the reason there is even a Clan Zar to begin with, as she is responsible for uniting the various vampires and forming the formidable political structure that exists today.<\/p>While others don't take the threat of Slayers seriously, especially during their string of recent failures, Corinthia is wary the clan's weaknesses and the dangers of outside threats. Be warned, Slayer. Corinthia has used every trap and magic in the vampires' arsenal to prevent her untimely demise.<\/p>Vampiric Trope: The Coffin <\/strong>The idea of vampires sleeping in coffins is nothing new, but Silent Slayer is unique in how much craft is put into the details of these places of rest. Pay special attention to the traps and designs on each coffin and how each relates to the vampire you are currently targeting. Combined with the room itself and the information you receive in-game this paints a vivid picture that opens up your imagination for more lore and stories in this game.<\/p>Cool lairs and coffins are vital to setting the mood of vampire-based media. Sometimes the coffin becomes a part of the character itself such as in Gungrave<\/em> or Blood+<\/em>. Others, the lair itself is what is most striking, from the cave-dwelling vampires of The Lost Boys<\/em> and the blood-bag throne in an abadoned hospital featured in Renfield<\/em>.<\/p>"},"id":"6a51d991-41a9-4a1f-9bbd-3424b0b2ee6b","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/0KLxYnafi7bt6peX"],"src":"","alt":"Queen Corinthia portrait from Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"f3568816-25c9-4132-b4d5-2cc6bae09a5e","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Scholar Fabricius","customid":""},"id":"5d8f1de3-5a78-4822-9d30-2aa8d512944a","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"You won't find Scholar Fabricius out and about in the human world, he much prefers the solitude of his lair as he pours over his studies.<\/p>Clan Zar's mastery and understanding of magic, and the ritual you've come to interrupt, comes his brilliant, twisted mind. So it's him to thank for the multiple layers of magical protections around vampires that still remain even when the traps are disabled.<\/p>When Fabricius gets stumped by a problem, his solution is experimentation at any cost. The stories of thousands of lost souls are stored quite literally in the books throughout the Castle Zar, but thousands more were lost forever in pursuit of the clan's immense magical abilities.<\/p>Vampiric Trope: The Stake <\/strong>The stake is your true weapon against the vampires, but the origins of this crude instrument date back further than vampires themselves. In Eastern Europe, stakes weren't used to kill, but were meant to hold supposed vampires in their graves and prevent them from stirring any further. Silent Slayer<\/em> adds something new to the staking lore, giving vampires the abilities to move their hearts and avoid final death via the stake.<\/p>"},"id":"06e0dd55-4b16-48d1-911a-e6f19a701c15","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/gpcfl5Z5KIFFdZkJ"],"src":"","alt":"Scholar Fabricius portrait from Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"38feac30-fbf6-4542-935b-85494d08ff87","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Duchess Cennet","customid":""},"id":"10356fca-7bcc-4a0a-bf5c-fa7b982df8cd","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"If there's any member of Clan Zar that might feel just at home in our I Expect You to Die Series as this one, it's master of subterfuge Duchess Cennett.<\/p>When you first arrive, note the portraits in the hall where her coffin resides. These aren't undead relatives: these oil portraits all represent identities Cennett has stolen as she preys on the human elite.<\/p>Cennett is one to play with her food, often carrying on in the human world for years at a time in disguise, slowly twisting victims to the clan's ends and taking everything from her victims, only ending them when they've reached the point of utter despair.<\/p>Supposedly, that gold mask helps with her potent disguise magic. But what might happen if you try to remove it and use its power for yourself...<\/p>Vampiric Trope: Sunlight <\/strong>Much like vampires in popular culture, Clan Zar is most vulnerable at dawn when your mission begins. But the idea of vampires being defeated by sunlight is a Hollywood creation, with most original texts like 1872's Carmilla<\/em> and 1897's Dracula <\/em>simply making the creatures nocturnal or more powerful at night. That's in stark contrast to the exploding vampires of True Blood <\/em>and other modern takes that show sunlight as an ultimate weakness. Don't rely on sunlight for this quest, Slayer; your tools and silent work are your best weapons.<\/p>"},"id":"2d292158-ecdd-4c29-8e21-714ac940b839","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/wFTCSp2yILpon3v1"],"src":"","alt":"Duchess Cennet portrait from Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"4147a174-f57c-41ed-a0de-b10dca2d8672","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Grandmaster Loreto","customid":""},"id":"4696bb95-ade8-43f4-8974-59471476a9e0","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Grandmaster Loreto represents another terrifying aspect of the vampire: when you can't die, you have all the time in the world to accumulate knowledge and power.<\/p>His daily life for Clan Zar involves infiltrating top places of learning across the globe, stealing ideas for himself and corrupting weaker wills into his service. The next time you get a shady message on LinkedIn, think twice before responding and getting conscripted into their undead ranks.<\/p>An engineer and craftsman, Loreto is also responsible for the variety and difficulty of the traps you face. He's the main reason why past Slayers have been so unsuccessful, and this may be the last opportunity to stop Clan Zar before his traps keep out intruders for good.<\/p>Vampiric Trope: Seduction <\/strong>Whether it is through mind control, hypnosis, glamoring or simply having lifetimes to refine their techniques, the art of seduction goes back to the earliest depictions of vampires in novels. It's a huge reason our Slayer must infiltrate while the clan sleeps, as a vampire's power over minds and hearts is arguably as formidable as their superhuman strength.<\/p>Modern films and novels have explored every facet of this vampiric power, but here's where to start if your heart yearns for something with a bit more depth than Twilight<\/em>:<\/p>"},"id":"5c796923-caee-476d-8ea0-ede325cf9e2f","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Only Lovers Left Alive<\/em><\/li>A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night<\/em><\/li>Thirst<\/em><\/li>Let the Right One In<\/em><\/li><\/ul>"},"id":"4bd73a96-b7bd-4632-92ce-f49314e467d2","isHidden":false,"type":"listBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/HXo4gYfSZpQT3i7k"],"src":"","alt":"Grandmaster Loreto portrait from Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"fff0cefc-c677-4e6e-a78a-d447289f6721","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Princess Viktoriya","customid":""},"id":"d2cbd112-b3c6-4c64-87ec-c1a7a9771cfa","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Yes, these vampires are master spies and seducers, but let's not forget: vampires are perfectly honed killing machines, and some prefer the rod over any other method of achieving their aims.<\/p>Torture and murder are Princess Viktoriya's preferred tools, and the bones of her enemies are held long after their expiration date in suspended cages all around her resting place.<\/p>Take heed, Slayer. This butcher is the last vampire you wish to wake, as your demise will be anything but swift. Viktoriya's slumbers are filled with dreams of new and terrifying methods of mayhem to outdo her last kill.<\/p>Vampire Trope: Violence <\/strong>Vlad the Impaler was a real-life prince known for impaling his foes domestic and abroad and leaving them out for decoration (and as a deterrent). This is directly reflected in the Vlad \u021aepe\u0219 character in the Castlevania series, most notable the recent Netflix animated series.<\/p>Over-the-top violence has since become an alluring part of many vampire stories, from the slowly stalking alpha predator of The Last Voyage of the Demeter<\/em> to the cute-but-deadly Abigail<\/em>, these films go hard on the gore and amp up the brutality of these ancient beings of death.<\/p>"},"id":"4febe7c5-69ae-422e-b1f2-9dbec90fc663","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/xEuwStKMukmOPslh"],"src":"","alt":"Princess Viktoriya portrait from Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"e0c37c8c-6978-4b8a-9dc0-1abc0adafa63","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"}]