Year When Made: 1793
Approximate Age: Made a vampire at the age of 5; lived as an immortal for approx. 64 years.
Appearance: Claudia had beautiful blonde curls and great blue eyes; a perfect imitation of a doll. She had a silken-skinned angelic, child form, and a round-cheeked face with bud lips.
(IwtV Excerpt): all too perfect French doll.
Paramour & Consorts: Louis, Lestat and Madeleine.
Fledglings: None
Mortal Background/History: Claudia was born in 1791, New Orleans. She was found, by Louis de Pointe du Lac, in a deserted house with her dead mother during the outbreak of plague. She was Louis first human victim in four years, and was drained to the point of death. In turn, Lestat gave her the Dark Gift, but only to keep Louis from leaving him. (Later on, Lestat says he made Claudia because he wanted to see what would happen.)
Immortal Background/History:
Lestat and Louis grew to love Claudia with abandon, and was a constant companion. They treated her like a daughter and a doll. Unfortunately, Claudia remained at the physical age of when she was made a vampire, and could never grow up. She gradually becomes resentful towards Louis and Lestat, but more so Lestat, for taking away her mortal life. She plots against Lestat, and attempts to kill him with two mortal boys poisoned with absinthe and laudanum. Once Lestat drinks from the boys, he becomes quite weakened and Claudia gashes his throat. With the help of Louis, she dumps Lestats body in a swamp but Lestat returns from death for revenge. This causes Claudia and Lestat to flee to Eastern Europe in search of vampires they go to Paris. After first meeting the Parisian vampires, Claudia develops a hatred for them, feeling threatened that they know her secret of an attempted murder of Lestat. Also, she realizes that Armand (a vampire of the Parisian coven) wants Louis as his companion. In fear that shell be left alone, Claudia demands make Madeleine, a doll maker, into a vampire. Louis hesitatingly does so. Eventually, the Parisian vampires capture Louis, Claudia and Madeleine, for they know of Lestats attempted murder. They lock Claudia and Madeleine in an air shaft until day breaks and the room floods with sunshine, killing them both.
(TVA) Before Claudia is put to death, Armand attempts to grant Claudias wish of growing up, by removing her head and placing it on another body.
(QotD) Jessica Reeves glimpses the ghost of Claudia on 2 occasions; finding Claudias diary in the New Orleans townhouse that Lestat, Louis and Claudia once inhabited. Hearing of this, Louis goes back to the Rue Royale in an attempt to see Claudias ghost, but to no avail.
(TotBT) During Lestat time of the BodyThief, he believes he is haunted by the ghost of Claudia.
(Mrrck) The ghost of Claudia is called up during a séance, for Louis never got over her death. The ghost is quite vicious and spiteful, and attempts to kill Louis.
Reason for the DarkGift:
Louis de Pointe du Lac, starving for her blood and beauty, could not help himself when he came upon her. She was drained by him and would have died, but was given the Dark Blood by Lestat de Lioncourt.
Novels:
Interview with the Vampire, mentioned in The Vampire Lestat; her ghost appears in Queen of the Damned, Tale of the BodyThief and Merrick.
