Topic: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?

[Lelygax]

Dude, it's called AIDS. Well, not exactly, but similar effect.

Thats not quite it that Im saying, that disease that I cant remember the name only doesnt lets your wounds heal easily, they heals pretty slow and you skin are more sensitive too, so if like, you knock your leg in something acidentally, like a chair, it have more chances that it will bleed and make a moderate wound. Sorry for my broken english, but that disease really exists, one of the causes that my grandfather died is because of that, and no, its not AIDS. 

[Nail_Bombed]

Thats not quite it that Im saying, that disease that I cant remember the name only doesnt lets your wounds heal easily, they heals pretty slow and you skin are more sensitive too, so if like, you knock your leg in something acidentally, like a chair, it have more chances that it will bleed and make a moderate wound. Sorry for my broken english, but that disease really exists, one of the causes that my grandfather died is because of that, and no, its not AIDS. 

Think that's called hemophilia.

[Mooning Freddy]

Think that's called hemophilia.

Yep. But unlike AIDS, it's a genetic disease caused by a dysfunctional chromosome.

[Ratty]

If we suppose it's the same curse Dracula gave Quincy Morris in the novel the curse doesn't let the wounds heal, so the probably severe injuries acquired in the first Dracula battle were still intact and slowly killing him.

That makes a lot of sense. Perhaps Quincy was unable to resist the curse for as long as Simon did because his magical Belmont lineage was so diluted that his inborn resistance to the supernatural was comparatively paltry. And since he dispatched Drac with a bowie knife he presumably did not have the protection of the Vampire Killer like his descendants in Bloodlines and Portrait did. If you accept the events of CotM as canon after all, the whip is powerful enough to aid even a non-Belmont/Belnades resist the corruption of the castle and defeat an early resurrection of Dracula.

As for the effects of Dracula's curse on Simon well, I had always just assumed it was unhealing wounds.

[xscientist5000]

A bad back. lol. He jumps pretty high for having a bad back. Maybe the Vampire Killer was the only thing keeping him alive during the curse.

[Lelygax]

Taken from Mr P.'s site:

The text was translated by "Help Me":

"Seven years has passed since the shocking last scene in 'Akumajou Dracula'. We now
journey back to the setting where it all happened, back to the countryside of
Transylvania. Our hero, Simon Belmont, has defeated Dracula, putting his flesh back
to sleep for another hundred of years.

However, he had to sacrifice his own body after the battle. His back was injured
during the death duel with Dracula and from that day forward, his body began to
slowly decay and now he felt that his time of death was nearby.

One morning, Simon was at the Belmont family's resting ground, a graveyard located
before the angel's hill.

Simon was looking back at his own life.

Suddenly, Simon felt something behind his back and when he turn around a young woman
was standing within the morning mist. The woman spoke to Simon.

'Your life has been taken over by an evil curse. Right now you're in danger.

However, within your own heart, you might able to defeat the evil if you wager your
life and stand up with courage with the power granted to you by God.

You must return to the source of your curse, the one who place it on you years ago,
you must ressurect Dracula. Finding Dracula's immortal body and destroying it won't
be simple.

Dracula's body was demolished when you defeated him seven years ago and now you must
bring him back. His body has been splitted into five different parts located above
ground. You must bring forth Dracula's body back to his burn stronghold, Castle
Dracula, and seal him in. And with the seal, you might be able to put an end to his
legacy. And you will recover from the curse placed on your back's wound.

However, even with this method, there's no guarantee that Dracula will be destroyed
forever. (Note: Contributor JPCVFAN says that the line's actual translation is "Only
by this method can Dracula be permanently eliminated.")

After the woman finished her words, she dissappeared with the mist.

Simon now returns on a journey with new determination. This time there's no turning
back! Fight Simon!

Please remember the bitter memories of Transylvania!"

[Inccubus]

And here I was hoping for 'ass-rot' to be the disease. Oh, well. Crippling back injury with flesh-eating virus it is.

Seriously, though. That sounds like a pretty bad translation. I think I'll have the guys on the translation forum of ROMhacking.net give it a go.

[X]

I would like to see this too. Having a better translation of that story would be a juicy read.

[Lelygax]

I would like to see this too. Having a better translation of that story would be a juicy read.

[Inccubus]

Translation by DarknessSavior:

Seven years have passed since the dramatic final scene of "Demon Castle Dracula" (Castlevania).
The stage is once again set in the remote countryside of Transylvania...

The hero Simon Belmont defeated Dracula and set his body to rest for another long 100 years.
However, the battle took a toll on Simon's body.
Simon injured his back during the deadly struggle with Dracula, and he could tell that his body was getting worse as the days went on.
He could feel the time of his death closing in.

One morning, Simon went to the grave on Angel Hill where the members of the Belmont family slumbered.
There, he started to ponder the live he had lived.

Then, Simon felt a chill run down his spine.
When Simon turned around, he noticed a woman standing in the morning mist.
The woman spoke to Simon.

"An evil curse has been placed upon your life. You are in danger.
However, if within your heart lies the courage to put your life on the line and fight evil, God will surely grant you power."

"The power of the evil curse placed upon you grows by the day.
Once the power has reached it's peak, Dracula will rise once again.
There is only one way to destroy his body for all eternity.

Seven years after Dracula's body is destroyed, it begins to resurrect itself.
In other words, the five parts of Draculas body have appeared on land once more.
If you act while the power of the curse is still weak, find the pieces of Dracula's body and burn them
to ashes at his stronghold: Dracula Castle, he will be sealed away for good.

Sealing Dracula away will certainly cause the Legend of Dracula to finally come to an end.

Once the curse is lifted from you, your back injuries will surely heal.

There are no other ways but this to destroy Dracula once and for all."

Once the woman said her final words, she disappeared again into the morning mist.

Because of this, the hero Simon Belmont had gained a newfound determination. There's no turning back for him now!

Fight on, Simon! Please. Remember bitter memories in TRANSYLVANIA!

Wow. I think this is pretty concrete evidence that Konami never intended nor expected for Castlevania to become the huge series it ended up becoming. Also, it also means that the crazy-ass shoe-horning & retconning really started with Bloodlines. Before that point all the games that had been released either fit (mostly) neatly together with CV2 being the end point or were a remake of CV1. Now I'm curious about the real stories for the rest of the games on the timeline between CV3 and CV2.

[uzo]

A woman spirit appears, at the Belmont family graveyard...

The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? Perhaps this was the spark that drove Iga to write about the spirit in the whip.

[Lelygax]

I dont know if thats true, but in some sites they call that garbed (coated? sorry for my english) people that you summon with garlic by the name of "spirit" or "ghost" something like that. It really makes a sense, atleast for the ones that only appear in graveyards, but why garlic?
Someone ever checked the japanese game or a japanese manual before to know if there are more things that we dont know? Since I dont understand a shit of japanese I cant check it by myself, but if I knew I would for sure share this information as much as possible in the internet.

[Flame]

A woman spirit appears, at the Belmont family graveyard...

The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? Perhaps this was the spark that drove Iga to write about the spirit in the whip.

That's certainly an idea...

[X]

Wow. Now the CV2 story is really cleared up. But I am curious as to why the best ending in the game has Drac's hand come out of his grave? Didn't the backstory claim that Dracula would be permanently killed by burning his remains to ash?

[Inccubus]

A woman spirit appears, at the Belmont family graveyard...

The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? Perhaps this was the spark that drove Iga to write about the spirit in the whip.

Never thought of that. It doesn't explicitly state that the woman is a spirit, but I think it's pretty clearly implied. And it would make a hell of a lot more sense.

Wow. Now the CV2 story is really cleared up. But I am curious as to why the best ending in the game has Drac's hand come out of his grave? Didn't the backstory claim that Dracula would be permanently killed by burning his remains to ash?

I'll have to look into that.