<P> Bram Stoker's novel takes the form of an epistolary tale, in which Count Dracula's characteristics, powers, abilities and weaknesses are narrated by multiple narrators, from different perspectives . </P> <P> Count Dracula is an undead, centuries - old vampire, and a Transylvanian nobleman who claims to be a Székely descended from Attila the Hun . He inhabits a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains near the Borgo Pass . Unlike the vampires of Eastern European folklore, which are portrayed as repulsive, corpse - like creatures, Dracula wears a veneer of aristocratic charm . In his conversations with Jonathan Harker, he reveals himself as deeply proud of his boyar heritage and nostalgic for the past, which he admits have become only a memory of heroism, honour and valour in modern times . </P> <P> Details of his early life are obscure, but it is mentioned "he was in life a most wonderful man . Soldier, statesman, and alchemist . Which latter was the highest development of the science knowledge of his time . He had a mighty brain, a learning beyond compare, and a heart that knew no fear and no remorse...there was no branch of knowledge of his time that he did not essay ." He studied the black arts at the academy of Scholomance in the Carpathian Mountains, overlooking the town of Sibiu (also known as Hermannstadt) and has a deep knowledge of alchemy and magic . Taking up arms, as befitting his rank and status as a voivode, he led troops against the Turks across the Danube . According to his nemesis Abraham Van Helsing, "He must indeed have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey - land . If it be so, then was he no common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the land beyond the forest ." Dead and buried in a great tomb in the chapel of his castle, Dracula returns from death as a vampire and lives for several centuries in his castle with three terrifyingly beautiful female vampires beside him . </P> <P> In "Dracula's Guest", the narrative follows an unnamed Englishman traveller as he wanders around Munich before leaving for Transylvania . It is Walpurgis Night and the young Englishman foolishly leaves his hotel, in spite of the coachman's warnings, and wanders through a dense forest alone . Along the way, he feels that he is being watched by a tall and thin stranger (possibly Count Dracula). </P>

How did dracula become a vampire in the book