The Countess is a former woman who bathed in the blood of virgins, and was buried alive in her tower’s cellars for her crimes. Her fortune was divided among the clergy, though some still remains in the tower, alongside the Countess, arisen from the grave. The Moldy Tome in the Stony Field tells you the story of the countess, and you can choose to explore it in the Forgotten Tower Quest.
Full Stats: The Countess
Type: Dark Stalker
Special Attributes: Fire Enchanted
Found in: Forgotten Tower
Quest: The Countess must be killed to complete the Forgotten Tower quest. She’s also an integral part of the special Pandemonium Event since she drops the Key of Terror.
Comments: The Countess was largely ignored until v1.09 when she was given a high possibility to drop a rune when killed. The odds of her rune drops increased in v1.10 and as of v1.11 she is a popular monster to “run” for the potential high-level runes she drops:
On the bottom floor you will find The Countess, alongside an army of corrupted rogues. She will start by casting Fire Wall on the two entrances to her room, then will come and attack you. The Countess is fire enchanted, so be careful when landing the final blow. Once she is dead, a nearby chest full of treasure will open. In Hell difficulty on battle.net she will drop the Key of Terror, a requirement to access the Pandemonium Event. She is also the best source of runes in the game.
Special Abilities
Minions:
| The Countess | Difficulty | Health | Resistances | Drain Effectiveness | Locations (Monster Level) | Preset Attributes | Highest Rune Drop | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | F | L | M | Phy | Psn | ||||||||||
|
Normal | 96 – 161 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | Forgotten Tower (11) | Fire Enchanted | Ral (8) | |||
| Nightmare | 1,497 – 2,496 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | Forgotten Tower (45) | Ko (18) | |||||
| Hell | 7,004 – 11,674 | 130 | 108 | 33 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 100% | Forgotten Tower (82) | Lo (28) | |||||
The Countess was voiced by Lani Minella, who also provided the voice for Adria the Witch and Wirt the Peglegged Boy in Diablo I, and for Blood Raven, Andariel, Malah and the Ancients in Diablo II. The story of the countess is probably based on the story of Elizabeth Bathory, a sixteenth century Countess who murdered hundreds of young girls.