A closer look
Gilles de Rais was a heroic medieval knight who fought alongside Joan of Arc before suddenly retiring to his massive castle to try and summon demons using alchemy and terrifyingly dark magic. After his military career ended, he blew through his massive fortune buying expensive occult manuscripts and hiring shady wizards to help him communicate with the devil to get his money back. The sorcerers he hired were obvious conmen who would dramatically read incantations, claim the demons were too shy to appear, and then charge him exorbitant fees for their entirely fake magical services. His obsession with the occult ultimately led him down a path of unspeakable historical crimes, transforming him from a celebrated national war hero into one of the most prolific and horrifying serial killers of the middle ages. It is a grim reminder that when a bored billionaire aristocrat suddenly develops a deep obsession with black magic, it absolutely never ends well for the local peasants!






