The Countess

"Beauty fades. It is impossible to escape. I will not submit to this truth. I am beyond the pitiful laws of tiny men. Their blood will serve me. Fulfill my purpose. My splendor. Reborn from their pain. And my beauty will never fade again."

- The Countess

The Countess was a malignant figure who once ruled in Khanduras.

Bloody Reign
"And so it came to pass that the Countess, who once bathed in the rejuvenating blood of a hundred virgins, was buried alive... And her castle in which so many cruel deeds took place fell rapidly into ruin. Rising over the buried dungeons in that god-forsaken wilderness, a solitary tower, like some monument to Evil, is all that remains."

- Writings on the Countess

The Countess once ruled from a castle in the Black Marsh. She was the ruler of a kingdom, either Khanduras, or a smaller, self-contained kingdom within its (future) borders.

It is said that the Countess bathed in the "rejuvinating blood of a hundred virgins", but was buried alive. There is evidence that the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye may have played a role in her downfall. It is believed that her fortune was divided up among the clergy, but that some of it remained in the tower.

The Forgotten Tower
In 1264, a group of adventurers entered the Countess's tower, only to encounter the Countess herself. However, she was slain, and they helped themselves to the treasures within.

The Bloodsworn
"Mistress...it's been done. The blood of every man, woman, and child in Blackstone runs through your veins." "Yet it is not enough. I must be whole once more. Hasten your efforts, lest you lose my favor." "Of course, my lady. Anything for you. The sacrifice I have planned will provide more than enough. I swear it!"

- Lakrii and the Countess

Six years later, the Countess was resurrected by a group of cultists called the Bloodsworn, who served as her followers. Furthermore, a Worldstone shard came into the Countess's possession, which she wore around her neck. The strongest of the Bloodsworn remained in the tower, acting as her protectors.

The Bloodsworn set about collecting blood for her in an effort to restore her to her former glory. The roots of the Blood Rose ran through the Dark Wood, feeding her with blood spilt within the forest. As long as it continued to feed her blood, the Countess would not die. The Bloodsworn themselves razed the town of Blackstone to the ground, gathered the blood of every man, woman, and child, and through some kind of ritual, infused their mistress with it. Yet even this was not enough to restore the Countess fully, and she ordered the Bloodsworn to hasten their efforts, lest they lose her favor.

The Countess reappeared to her foe(s) in the Fetid Swamp via some form of magical projection, where she ordered that Vassarici kill them. She was defeated, but the Countess was unperturbed, stating that the blood of her servants returned to her upon their deaths, so that even her foes' victories hastened her return. She ordered that they flee the Dark Wood before she decided they no longer could.

When Lakrii fed herself to the Blood Rose, her blood was apparently enough to finally fully revive the Countess. From afar, she summoned simulacrums from the pool of blood the monstrosity resided in, to aid in its fight against the hero(es) that were attacking it. However, it was not enough, and the Blood Rose was slain.

The hero(es) later stormed the Forgotten Tower. The Countess drove the Bloodsworn forward, but the hero(es) slew them, and confronted the Countess herself, slaying her in turn, and her Worldstone shard retrieved.

After her second death, Jentulf heard the tale of the Countess, and the blood ritual that had resurrected her. Wishing to learn more about her and her methods, he offered a reward for even a single drop of her blood.

Diablo II
The Countess is the objective of The Forgotten Tower (quest) in Act I of Diablo II, which involves seeking the riches hidden underneath the remains of her tower. She is a Super Unique Dark Stalker found on the 5th level of the Forgotten Tower in the Black Marsh and must be killed in order to complete the associated quest.

If she strays too far from her room, she does not trigger the event that unlocks the chest, so it's detrimental to lure her out. The chest only opens upon killing The Countess for the first time.

Compared to the other monsters around her, she has a higher chance to drop runes (see below). The Hell-difficulty Countess is the only monster to drop the Key of Terror in the game, which is used in the Pandemonium Event.

Bonus:


 * Fire Enchanted

On Hell, Countess is always immune to Cold and Fire.

Runes
It is beneficial to repeatedly kill the Countess for Rune hunters as she has a very high chance to drop multiple runes even after the Forgotten Tower quest has been completed. The best Runes possible improve on harder Difficulty levels. The best odds of getting multiple runes comes from playing alone; the more players there are in game, the lower her chance to drop more than one rune is.

In Normal, she can drop up to.

In Nightmare, she can drop up to, though runes above are very rare.

In Hell, she can drop up to, though runes above are very rare.

Quotes

 * "Care for a bloodbath?" (evil laughter)
 * "Your blood will boil!"

Development

 * Originally in v1.00-1.06b the Countess had a light-blue color.
 * In v1.07-1.09d she had a purple color.

Diablo Immortal
The Countess is encountered through the Dark Wood questline in Diablo Immortal. She appears as an apparition in various locations, referred to as "Bloodsoaked Woman" in her text box. She plays an indirect role in the boss fight against the Blood Rose, where she summons Bloodsworn Simulacrums to attack the player.

She is ultimately confronted in the Forgotten Tower, at the end of the dungeon. She is immune to knockback, and will reguarly summon Bloodsworn to attack the player. She has the following attacks:


 * Swinging her sword
 * Charging her sword attack, its AOE occuring over a 180 arc
 * Sending out 'blood bat' projectiles in a 360 arc
 * Draping her sword across the ground twice in an X shape. Crossing either of the lines of blood will slow the player down, in addition to doing damage

She is also the target of the "Blood of the Countess" bounty. The Sanguine Queen is her Rift Guardian counterpart.

Quotes

 * "It is done...I feel the blood once again! Rise, my servants! Slay all who oppose my will!" (Blood Rose fight, uttered every time she summons simulacrums)
 * "Well done, my servants. Do not let them escape!" (during the Forgotten Tower dungeon)
 * "Here you are...Let us begin, then. (at the start of the Forgotten Tower fight)
 * "Submit!"
 * "This place was my tomb. Let it be yours!"
 * "No! I will not fade again!" (upon defeat)

Diablo III
The Countess is referenced in Diablo III in the flavor text of the Sanguine Flight Wings.

Heroes of the Storm
"The Countess's thirst for blood could not be quenched even by her death. As the vampire swarm spread forth from the Forgotten Tower, a group of survivors rose up to resist them."

- Heroes of the Storm blurb The Countess is referenced in Heroes of the Storm. Here, she leads a vampire swarm against the denizens of the Raven Court.

Trivia

 * The Countess is reminiscent of the real Erzsébet Báthory, a Hungarian countess who was rumored to have bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her beauty and youth. In addition, Erzsébet Báthory was punished for her crimes by being entombed within her castle alive, much like the fate of The Countess.


 * It is unclear whether the Countess ruled Khanduras itself, or a smaller, unnamed kingdom inside its (future) borders. In Diablo Immortal, lines from the Countess refers to "a lie built upon the remains of my kingdom." It appears that the Countess's kingdom was itself destroyed, or crumbled after her death.