Grey (old)
Head of Belli Castle
| “ | The great Aureolus Belli once said the most valuable thing in this world is the Great Truth. Human beings... Human life... They are not capable of grasping this truth. We cannot merely sit idle and await the future. We must dedicate our lives to the realization of the truth! Ah, Fiona... No... My Azoth... Come to me... Come to me.
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” |
Aureolus Lorenzo Belli (ロレンツォ・アウレオルス・ベリ Rorensho Aureorusu Beri) , also known as the Lord of Fire during the final act, is the main antagonist and final boss of Haunting Ground. He is a cloned descendant of Aureolus Belli, in the 13th generation, and lives in Belli Castle studying alchemy.
Lorenzo is an enigmatic figure who is sequestered for most of the game, but does what he can to aid Fiona Belli. Little is known about him initially except that he is extremely old and confined to a wheelchair.
Biography[]
Lorenzo on the "great truth".
As a clone of Aureolus Belli, Lorenzo wants to fulfill his mission to find the "Great Truth", which is implied to be something spiritual or beyond the human realm. It is implied the Great Truth means finding out why humanity and the universe exists, and if there is a god behind it - if there is a reason for life, consciousness and existence. It may also involve finding other life in the cosmos, and reuniting with the original progenitor/creator of life.
Much of Lorenzo's life is a mystery, but it can be assumed he lived in Belli Castle for much of his life, and was possibly raised by alchemists/Belli family members like himself. Lorenzo can be considered a homunculus. Lorenzo's given age is 90. If Haunting Ground is set around 2005 (the game's release date), then Lorenzo would have been created around 1915.
When Lorenzo was 36 years old (54 years prior to the game), he created Ugo Aureolus Belli and gave him his Azoth. However, Ugo became too attached to the human world and eloped with a woman called Ayla.
Frustrated and disappointed, Lorenzo hurriedly made Riccardo Belli, but Riccardo was an imperfect clone. Lorenzo taught Riccardo alchemy and Debilitas was Riccardo's failed experiment. Lorenzo still thought of Riccardo as a failure because he could not understand emotions.
At some point in time, Lorenzo kidnapped Daniella, possibly as a baby or young girl. This is likely so Daniella would take care of Belli Castle, although experimentation is likely another purpose. Though not directly revealed, it is clear that Lorenzo is the "master" Daniella mentions. Since she is a maid, she does cooking and cleaning tasks that Lorenzo is unable to do himself due to being confined in a wheelchair. It is suggested Lorenzo drugged or brainwashed Daniella to the point where she believes she is a mechanical doll and that Lorenzo is her "creator".[1]
It is also likely that Lorenzo intended Riccardo to impregnate Daniella in order to continue the Belli line of trying to use Azoth to achieve immorality and the lineage of Aureolus Belli (it is heavily implied that this is the "wet method" mentioned in the game, while Riccardo's accelerated aging is implied to be a result of being born using the "dry method"). If this theory is true, then Lorenzo and Riccardo would eventually discover that Daniella is infertile and become upset, which explains Riccardo's violent nature towards her. This would also tie relate to Ending D (where Riccardo impregnates Fiona).
At some point in time, Lorenzo learns about Fiona, and began planning to reclaim her true Azoth and create a new clone.
Haunting Ground[]
Old Lorenzo crippled in a wheelchair.
In order to recover Fiona's Azoth before Riccardo does, it is he who has Daniella unlock the door to her cage and let Fiona escape from the basement. Lorenzo intends to create another Aureolus copy using Fiona's Azoth while Riccardo intends to create an "original Riccardo".
Throughout the game, Lorenzo has been spying on Fiona for the whole time. One disturbing fact is that he pleasurably watches over Fiona through a peephole, where she spends time changing her clothes. There seem to be various peepholes and surveillance cameras throughout Belli Castle, alluded to in one trailer for the game.[2]
While walking past one particular hallway (after a certain point), Fiona may hear a voice whispering her name behind a wall of holes. Fiona sticks her hand in one and struggles to pull her hand out, receiving a note from Lorenzo. Lorenzo aids Fiona through this memo he gives her, telling her how she can escape the castle.
Once Fiona defeats Debilitas, Daniella, and Riccardo, she meets Lorenzo in the House of Truth, who reveals his true intentions: he needs the Azoth to attain immortality, and was helping Fiona in order to bring her closer to him. Lorenzo is endlessly persistent and will not cease pursuit by crawling on his hands, returning to life each time Fiona attempts to kill him. He somehow survives both an explosion and being mauled by a rock grinder.
The third time Lorenzo returns, he restores his youth and power, looking similar to Riccardo and Ugo, after sharing his belief of pursuing the "great truth". During the final battle, Lorenzo is pushed into a pit of molten lava.
"This time... you really are dead. You bastard."
As Fiona and Hewie begin to leave the castle, Lorenzo returns one last time as a flaming skeletal figure and begins pursuit once again. The castle begins to shake and collapse. Eventually Lorenzo succumbs to the flames, and dies for good. After flaming Lorenzo dies, if the player makes Fiona examine his remains, she says, "This time... you really are dead. You bastard."
Re-playthroughs[]
Lorenzo lamenting Fiona's escape.
On a re-playthrough, the player may obtain Ending C, where Fiona leaves the castle after sparing Debilitas' life. Lorenzo calls out to Fiona not to go and falls down the stairs, loathing the fact that she has left.[3]
Also on another playthrough, after leaving the Water Tower, the player is treated to a cutscene where Lorenzo crawls to Riccardo and takes his Azoth by mouth-to-mouth.[4]
Gameplay[]
Old Lorenzo is weak, due to having to crawl on his hands, however, he can be surprisingly fast and he can also one-hit-kill Fiona if she is beside him so he should still be taken with caution.
There is a mini boss battle in which Fiona should lure Lorenzo onto a rock grinder, order Hewie to attack him while he is still on the conveyor belt, and run to the control panel to kick/shove it. Depending on Fiona's power level, she may need to kick the control panel prior to get the timing right.
Young Lorenzo poses more threat and is basically invincible, although he isn't a stalker for long. Due to his small area, Fiona may need to be quick in finding a hiding place, such as in a hole in a cave.
Lorenzo teleporting on Fiona.
During the final boss fight, there are multiple ways to damage him other than Fiona's melee, Hewie and alchemical weapons. Fiona can kick a stone into the pit in the center, causing fire to appear which Lorenzo can be lured into. There are also floor panels which Fiona can step on to activate exhaust fans and lure Lorenzo into.
Even after this boss fight, Lorenzo returns as a flaming skeleton who can one-hit-kill Fiona if he touches her. Fiona must kneel when a tremor is about to occur, and backstep/shove to force a door open. While a statue falls on Fiona, the player must button mash. It also helps if Fiona opened the final "escape door" prior the boss fight.
Quotes[]
- "Poor Fiona... Riccardo put you through quite a bit, didn't he? Unlike Ugo, he was always a troublemaker. A bad apple. I, Aureolus Lorenzo Belli, created them both... Riccardo and Ugo... But then along came that wench, Ayla. She stole Ugo away from me! Of course, then you came along... My dear Fiona. Fate brought you back to me! And now you are mine... All mine! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
- "Damn!"
- "Is that you? Over there?"
- "What are you doing, Fiona? Just where do you intend to run?"
- "How adorable you are, Fiona."
- "Do you really think you can hide from me there?"
- "Aha. Looks like a dead end, dear. How unfortunate."
- "That was a close one, eh Fiona?"
- "Oh, how I love thee Azoth!"
- "You simply cannot understand!"
- "Why must you run from me?"
- "Everything I do is for the Great Truth!"
- "My dear Fiona, I will have you in grasp soon enough."
- "Have you longed for me as I long for you?"
- "No need to get so upset, my dear."
- "Well, have you given up?"
- "You've been very naughty, Fiona. You're causing me much grief."
- "You don't expect me to just let you go."
- "I can see you clearly from here, Fiona."
- "At last, you are mine, Fiona!"
- "Azoth is the essence of life! We alchemists have the ability to convert it into power! We can live forever! Your Azoth, Fiona, belongs to me! Come to me, Fiona. I will now extract the Azoth latent in you, in order to realize the everlasting life of Aureolus Belli."
- "You've gone astray, my dear. You're headed down the path of the wet method."
- "Looks like you've gotten yourself lost, child."
- "Your effort is for naught. How long do you plan to keep this up? Let's finish this, Fiona..."
- "I won't leave a drop behind, my dear!"
- "You cannot resist me, Fiona!"
- "It's over..."
- "Why, thank you."
- "I've had it..."
- "Meddlesome cur!" (to Hewie)
- "Don't run from me, Fiona."
- "Futile."
- "AZOTHHHHHHHH! AZOTHHHHHHHH!"
Trivia[]
- Old Lorenzo's area theme is "Spiral End", and young Lorenzo's area theme is "Hazy Vision". Old and young Lorenzo's stalker theme is "Warped Obsession", and his final battle theme is "Final Lorenzo". Lorenzo as the Lord of Fire's stalker theme is "Ultimate DEMENTO". He has the most music pieces affiliated with him.
- When Fiona is hiding, he may say "I found you", even if he has not found her yet.[5]
- By technicality, he is Fiona's grandfather, as the "father" of Riccardo and Ugo.
- There is a glitch which lets the player skip a portion of Lorenzo's level.[6]
- When Lorenzo touches Fiona with his hand, a funny behind-the-scenes moment occurs when the camera angle is hacked.[7]
- If Lorenzo kills Fiona as a flaming skeleton, his survival after stealing her Azoth is ambiguous.
Young Lorenzo.
- Young Lorenzo's attractiveness also adds to his characterization of him appearing "nice on the outside, yet ugly on the inside, as Lorenzo hid under the guise of a kind man who wanted to help Fiona escape the castle through his notes.
- The character of Lorenzo is possibly inspired by the famous alchemist Paracelsus, whose real name was Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Honenheim. Paracelsus introduced the idea that, on another level, the cosmos is fashioned from three spiritual substances: the tria prima of mercury, sulfur, and salt (three of the words to print on the plates to complete the three-headed dragon puzzle). Another fact that could demonstrate this theory is the library enigma, in which there are 3 books to arrange on the shelves, but there are 5 authors: Agrippa, Fulkanelli, Flamel, Sangerman, and Paraculeus (possibly a misspelling of the name "Paracelsus") . This last one has no book to arrange.
- Lorenzo has several similarities to the character Oswell E. Spencer in Resident Evil 5, another Capcom survival horror game. Both were dying old men who were confined to wheelchairs, both also in effect created artificial humans as part of a plot to achieve immortality (Lorenzo Belli created Ugo and Riccardo specifically to prolong his life with the Azoth, while Spencer created the Wesker children in an attempt to create superhumans and evolve humanity). Both even ended up killed by their creation (Oswell E. Spencer ended up killed by Albert Wesker, while Fiona, the daughter of Ugo, proceeded to put an end to Lorenzo Belli).
- Coincidentally, Lorenzo also had some similarities to Eveline from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, also made by Capcom. Both were artificially created humans whom, by the time of the events of the story, are confined to wheelchairs, and their connection to the plot and the horrific events within are not made clear until nearing the very end.
- His motion capture actors are Naoto Takenaka and Kouji Yazawa.
Gallery[]
Concept[]
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Haunting Ground[]
