Devil Forgemaster

"Heed my words, O great powers of darkness! Release to me one of the tortured souls! Let me infuse him with my life-force and awaken him to the world of the living! Immaculate being... Appear before me now."

- A Devil Forgemaster, during the ritual of devil forging.

A Devil Forgemaster, also known as a Forgemaster, is a human trained in the dark arts and, akin to their namesake, bears the ability to create and forge demonic and wicked creature.

Overview
Devil Forgemasters are not mere sorcerers; they are not just trained in black magic, but also in the arts of alchemy and spiritual metaphysics, being able to craft massive weapons and arsenals from mere prime and raw materials of nearly any sort, as well as creating magical living beings with the forbidden knowledge they possess.

Their creations bear the namesake of Innocent Devils, creatures summoned and born of darkness, ranging from original and self-made, to even the formerly deceased and revived. All created beings hold strict and utter loyalty to their respective Forgemaster and grow in power through battle and destruction.

This particular profession was one of the initial forces within the ranks of Dracula during his first reign of terror upon Wallachia.

Description
Their ranks having been in the employ of Dracula himself, Devil Forgemasters may also be responsible for the mass creation of many of the enemies and fiends in Dracula's Army alongside Dracula's and Castlevania's own influence and summoning of evil creatures, although this is mere speculation.

It is also said that the strength of a Devil Forgemaster rivals that of Death himself. Because of this, only few humans are known to be able to use Devil Forgery. Devil Forgemasters are identified by a crest or symbol of the Devil Forgemasters on them, either on the armor or as a tattoo.

Devil Forgemasters are known to go only by their first name. While the reason for this has never been explained, it is probable that the dropping of their family name is part of the requirements while studying the black arts, as a way to symbolize their renunciation to any bonds that may still tie them with their past normal lives.

Not all humans are able to become Devil Forgemasters, as shown with Jevonne who, while a powerful sorcerer and magic caster, was unable to be a Devil Forgemaster and instead was only able to use a still powerful but lesser variation of Devil Forgery. Another example was the magic caster and necromancer that was under the control of the vampire Lenore who had a somewhat similar background to the true Devil Forgemaster Hector.

Powers and Abilities
As mentioned above, Devil Forgemasters are human trained in the dark art of Devil Forgery and, akin to their namesake, bears the ability to create and forge demonic and wicked creatures, known as Innocent Devils. They are also trained in black magic and the arts of alchemy and spiritual metaphysics, being able to craft massive weapons and arsenals from raw materials of nearly any sort.

They can also bring people and animals back from the dead and to call demonic spirits from Hell into intact corpses, transmogrifying the bodies and turning them into soldiers in order to enlist them in Dracula's army. This process appears to be similar to necromancy on the surface, but Hector explains to Godbrand that interpreting it as such fundamentally misses the point because the goal of forging is to create living beings: "He's not dead. We create life from death here."

Their methods can be fundamentally different as some can use surgical tools to prepare the bodies and then reanimate them or simply using a special dagger and magic to forcibly transform a person, or body, directly into a creature. When the Devil Forgemaster Hector brought a dead priest back to life, they were complete with the priest's holy knowledge and powers. Isaac was able to to be pull the souls of former humans turned demons out of Hell and into fresh new bodies.

Notable Devil Forgemasters

 * Hector
 * Issac

Lesser Devil Forgemasters

 * Julia Laforeze
 * Jevonne
 * Miranda
 * Unnamed Sorcerer under Lenore

Quotes

 * "I am a forgemaster. I can take demons from Hell, and install them in dead bodies on Earth." - A Devil Forgemaster.

Trivia

 * It is mentioned that Mathias Cronqvist's family (the man who became Dracula) owned a book called "The Secret Arts". Given that Dracula was the one who trained the first Devil Forgemasters, it's possible this practice is part of the "arts" mentioned in the book.

Image Sources

 * (Curse of Darkness Devil Forgemaster Symbol.jpg) Devil Forgemasters' symbol from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness