Brauner

'''"I'LL MAKE YOU MY MASTERPIECE!"

- Brauner (taking his art a little bit too seriously) '''

Brauner is the central antagonist of the Castlevania game Portait of Ruin. He is a former artist who became a vampire following World War I and attempts to resurrect the Castlevania, in order to take it over. He strongly ressembles the Vampire Lord Olrox, who in turn is based on Count Orlok, but both vampire have little in common. A different character of the same name appears in the reboot game Lords of Shadows.

Brauner used to be a paintor, until World War I laid waste all over Europe, claiming the lives of his beloved twin daughters. Enraged, he renounced his humanity and became a vampire, intending to destroy mankind. (Little did he know that World War I was the doing of Elizabeth Bartley.) Considering that Count Dracula lost his right to be the King of the Night due to his repeated defeats at the hands of the Belmont Clan, he resolved to take control of the Castlevania and use its power and its army for himself. He used the souls of the victims of World War II to resurrect the Castlevania, then used his bewitched paintings to take control of it, preventing Dracula's return. He later ambushed and murdered Eric Lecarde, one of the protagonist of Castlevania Bloodlines, who defeated Dracula alongside his friend John Morris in 1917. Noticing the striking likeness between Lecarde's daughters Stella and Loretta and his own, he persuaded himselves that they were his daughters reincarnated. As such, he turned both into vampires and brainwashed them to believe that he was their father.

Brauner is a very powerful vampire with the unique power to bewitch his painting trough a magical art he calls the "Blood Art Technique". His painting can be entered, casting the visitor into a world in the likeness of what is represented. He can also use his painting to influence the real world, like he did when he took control of Castlevania, and relies primarily on them in battle. He is very hateful towards mankind and exceedingly disdainful to both Dracula, whom he regards as a loser, and to the protagonists. Also, he appears exitable and somehow disturbed, considering how he yells when battling the protagonists. However, he is genuinely fond of (what he thinks are) his daughters, has he would rather stop his plans that see them endangered.

During the game, Brauner does not only confronts John Morris' son Jonathan and his friend and partner Charlotte Aulin, but Dracula's right-hand man Death, who is outraged that he wound dare claim ownership of the Castlevania and determined to put an end to his "reign". As Jonathan and Charlotte wander through the Castlevania, they enter Brauner's painting to destroy the Evil within and weaken the villain's grasp over the Castle. They eventually learn the truth about Stella and Loretta and, upon defeating them, manage to restore them to their human selves with the "Sanctuary" spell. They then defeat Brauner himself, who is finished off by Death to lift his seal and allow Dracula's return.

As a boss, Brauner attacks by painting lines on his portaits and making them appear for real, in order to hurt the heroes and trap them into a corner. Brauner can also draw monster that come to life and enter his painting to animate it and attack through it.

Brauner is fought again in the exact same fashion in the medley game Harmony of Despair.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Another powerful vampire named Brauner appears in Lords of Shadow. In this game, Lieutenant Brauner is a demonic vampire spawned directly from Hell, who was never human to begin with. Along with his older brother Commander Olrox, Brauner serves as the major henchman of the Queen of Vampires Carmilla.

Carmilla sends her children raiding the nearby Wygol Village, under Brauner's command, on a regular basis. The game's primary protagonist Gabriel Belmont confronts the vampire in the village, with the intend of cleansing the land of the vampires' blight.

Brauner is a very violent foe who attacks relentlessly with his claws and his sabre, but his attacks are easy to telegraph and he is extremely vulneravle to Holy Water. He can toss his sabre towards Gabriel and turn into a swarm of bats to harrass him, but all in all he poses little threat.