vargas_lord-spain.jpgLORD VARGAS

Real Name: Vargas (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human vampire  (15th century);
    Spanish citizen

Occupation: Diplomat, emissary

Group Membership: Vampires of Earth;
    formerly some role in the government of Spain

Affiliations: Dracula, Lord Benitio, Lord von Roon

Enemies: Formerly Dracula and vampires

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    last seen in Castle Dracula in the Carpathian mountains, in Snagov, Transylvania, Europe;
    formerly an undisclosed location in Spain

First Appearance: Dracula Lives#12 (May, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: Vargas had some skill as a diplomat, though his fear of Dracula and his vampires dampened his effectiveness.vargas_lord-spain-hat.jpg

    Presumably, as a vampire Vargas had superhuman strength (typically enhanced human) and required regular blood meals to survive; further, feeding on a human victim would turn that victim into a vampire, depending on the extent of the feeding and other circumstances. Many vampire victims take three days to revive as a vampire. He presumably had the standard vampire vulnerabilties, including religious icons (presumably proportional to the strength of the wielder's faith), garlic, sunlight, and a wooden stake through the heart. Vargas may or may not have been able to transform into a bat (or wolf, or mist), an ability that is often ascribed to vampires with greater than average abilities. Many vampires are unable to enter a building unless he or she has been invited.

Height: Unrevealed (he was not seen in direct comparison to anyone of known height in his appearance); perhaps 5'10"
Weight: Unrevealed; perhaps 170 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed (black and white story; darker colors were common in Southern Europeans)
Hair: Apparently gray or white (or perhaps light brown, etc.)

vargas_lord-spain-1400s-slaughter.jpgHistory: 
(Dracula Lives#12 (fb) - BTS) - In the six years following Dracula's vampirization in 1459, several nations, including Bologna, Prussia, and Spain, became concerned about the prevalence of vampires in Transylvania and feared their spread into their own nations.

(Dracula Lives#12 (fb) - BTS) <1465> - Lord Benitio, Lord Vargas, and Lord von Roon were sent as emissaries of their respective nations Bologna, Spain, and Prussia to gain Dracula's promise that he and his followers would not enter their countries. 

    They were each apparently accompanied by an envoy of associates, and they requested an audience with Dracula.

(Dracula Lives#12) - Along with Benitio and von Roon, Vargas attended a ghastly party at Castle Dracula.

    Von Roon nervously commented on his subject's "interesting" performance (dancing), and asked Vargas if that was not true. Vargas agreed, noting that his people had never seen the likes of Dracula's subjects, and then silently praying to God that they never did.

    Noting the disapproval in his voice, Dracula reminded him that he and his friends were there at their own invitation and that if they did not like what they saw, that was their misfortune, not his.

    Vargas asked Dracula to not misunderstand, adding that they were all mature men and that they could surely deal with each other despite differences in taste. Dracula wondered if that was true and then asked Benitio what they asked of him.

    Benitio stated their mission, and then continued on that if the emissaries did not return to their respective nations with this promise from Dracula...; but Dracula interrupted him, asking what they threatened. Dracula then asked if the men realized who he was or if they had any conception of the doom they had called upon themselves by threatening Dracula, Prince of Vampires, and he bared his fangs. The emissaries briefly thought that this must be a dream, but then as they realized what was really happening, they screamed, and the vampires descended upon them.

(Dracula Lives#12 - BTS) - Inspired by the foreigners, Dracula left Transylvania for a time and fed upon people from various surrounding nations before returning to Transylvania.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway and Tom Sutton.

    Dracula makes clear his intent to vampirize Benitio, and I would presume his allies, Vargas and von Roon, shared his fate. To the best of my knowledge, none of the lords from this story were seen again, although they'd be pretty unrecognizable as vampires outside of their official garb.

    Sending men to get Dracula to stay out of their nations actually leading Dracula to visit those nations is actually ironic...as opposed to what most people call irony.

    World history and culture are not strong suits of mine. Loki helped me sort through what countries were what in the 15th century and what they are now.

Spain around this era was a mixture of Christian kingdoms (Castile, Navarre and Aragon taking up most of the north) and Muslim emirates (Granada, in the south).

The name Vargas: "habitational name from Vargas in Santander province, or a topographic name from vargas, plural of varga, a dialect term used in various senses: '(thatched) hut', 'steep slope', or 'fenced pastureland which becomes waterlogged in winter'."

If we go with his name being the habitational one, he might be from Santander province, which is part of Castile. The full and proper name of the country varied over time slightly, but in 1465, he'd be part of the Kingdom of Castile.

    Looking at a map of 16th century Europe, the countries chosen are interesting, as they are some distance from Transylvania and each other (perhaps Hungary, Turkey, and/or Moldavia might have been better choices). Obviously information wasn't as readily available as there was no internet in 1975, and maybe there were specific reasons for their choices.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Lord Vargas should be distinguished from:

images: (without ads)
Dracula Lives#12/3, pg. 2, panel 1 (chest up profile);
            panel 3 (face in profile, with hat);
        pg. 3 (attacked by vampires)

Appearances:
Dracula Lives#12/3: The Sins of the Fathers (May, 1975) - Gerry Conway (writer), Tom Sutton (artist), Marv Wolfman (editor)

Last updated: 02/26/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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