Monstrum

In effect the murderer of various characters from Angel of Darkness such as Werner Von Croy, Mademoiselle Margot Carvier, Daniel Rennes, Matthias Vasiley and possibly Louis Bouchard, the Monstrum cuts a shadowy figure in the Parisian underworld.

Initially based in Paris, the Monstrum is suspected by Von Croy to be connected to his erstwhile employer, Pieter Van Eckhardt. However, given the sheer number of killings that there appear to have been, it is very possible that a number of copy-cat killers may also have been operating at the same time.

Several things characterise the Monstrum murders, the victims are often first strangled, and then an incision is made in the abdomen where the intestines and stomach are removed. These are then used to daub symbols of alchemical significance on the walls and surfaces of the crime scene. This was evidenced to its greatest extent in the murder of Werner Von Croy, and also in the murders of Daniel Rennes and Matthias Vasiley.

The Monstrum made most of their killings in Paris, moving to Prague later to kill Matthias Vasiley. The details of any other murders are not known, but certainly a great number appear to have occurred in Paris, keeping the population in a state of terror. Only one murder is committed in Prague.

During the events of the game, it is generally assumed that the Monstrum is Eckhardt, and later it is revealed that it may well be Karel who instigated the killings. Whether he committed all of them under different guises is uncertain - perhaps to create the illusion of copy-cat killers.

The Monstrum is viewed with a mixture of fear by most of the inhabitants of Paris, and also with a certain pride among individual lowlifes in the Parisian Ghetto.

Although the death of Von Croy has all the hallmarks of a Monstrum killing, the French police are still vicious in their pursuit of Lara Croft in connection with the crime - on the flimsy evidence that the two of them were not on the best of terms at the time of Von Croy's death. This could well be desperation on the part of the police to produce a results to the terrified inhabitants of Paris.