The downfall (hollow leg)

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Der Untergang (published in 2002 ) is a historical and fantastic novel by Wolfgang Hohlbein and the fourth volume of the Chronicle of Immortals . The story of a vampire in search of the secret of his origins takes place in central Germany in the 15th century.

action

One year after their desperate fight against the werewolves of Trentklamm, the sword master Andrej Delãny and his Nubian comrade Abu Dun are still looking for the Puuri Dan, a wise gypsy who is said to know more about the origin of the blood-sucking immortals, like Andrej one is. One day they are attacked by four scary children on a river somewhere in central Germany, who display supernatural martial arts and knock the men down with daggers and stones without much difficulty. Andrej loses consciousness from his injuries.

When he comes to, he is in a gypsy camp. Young Rason leads him to a car in which Abu Dun is being tended. A little later, the two met the hundred and eight year old Anka, the Puuri Dan of the Gypsy tribe. However, she turns out to be a disappointment for them, as she hardly has anything new to tell them about the gender of the vampyre . The two of them initially stay with the gypsies and get to know Laurus and Rason's brother Bason. When Andrej Rason asks about the mysterious children, Rason tells him that he doesn't know about any children.

The next day the gypsies and their guests move on to the village of Honsen. Andrej is supposed to organize the trade for them there, as the rural population hardly trusts them themselves. Laurus' wife, the seductive Elena, helps him with these negotiations. Soon he can no longer evade the young gypsy's enigmatic charm ...

This leads to the fact that he is seduced by her and loses strength every night that he spends with her. Andrei knows very well that something is wrong with Elena, but every time he sees her, he is under her spell. After the third night, Andrei is no longer in control of his senses, there is no more spark of strength left to regenerate. Until the vampire wakes up in him and he can kill Anka and Laurus in time. It turns out that the Puuri Dan Anka is a powerful gypsy who has evil in her and the mother of Elena.

Meanwhile, Abu Dun has been turned into a vampire and, as if under a spell, kills men of the Inquisition and some of the village's residents. Andrej arrives in time to bring Father Flock, the Inquisitor and Schulz to safety. He kills Elena, her four "demonic" children and, for the sake of it, Abu Dun in front of everyone. He makes the Inquisitor understand that he was not responsible for the witchcraft and that he killed the culprits. Andrej mounts Abu Dun, who is believed to be dead, and explains to the inquisitor that he will bury his friend and then disappear. Later Abu Dun wakes up and he and Andrej start a new journey.

background

  • This volume explains why a knife stab in the heart is one of the few ways to kill an immortal: the trick is to leave the weapon in the heart so that the steel prevents the wound from closing. This causes the immortal to bleed to death before his body can replace the blood.
  • The downfall contains a clear chronological error: Andrej claims to have known Abu Dun for about three years. Between Volume 2, The Vampire and Volume 3, The Death Blow , there is a period of about ten years, which means that the two must have known each other for at least thirteen years.
  • The events in this volume mark a turning point in the history of Andrei and Abu Dun; Due to the massacre of the vampires, of which all bloodsuckers in Europe are gradually learning, the two make almost their entire species enemies and are henceforth hunted by both mortals and immortals. Furthermore, Abu Dun becomes a vampire in this volume as well.

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