Viktor von Stravokov - The Blood Count of Tragovishta

in the Romanian Provence of Walachia (Val-ach-ee-ah) rest a notable Ventrue coven. Comprised of Balkan nobility holding titles as Counts and Barons with lands in southern Romania, and Northern Bulgaria. governing and ruling their lands with a iron fist, never wavering from century old traditions. dark rumors surround the Nobles names, often accompanied with fear and praise by their Xenophobic uneducated subjects. not much is known publicly of these Landlords, and it would seem an intentional instillation by the nefarious families themselves. Though feared among the people, their rule is just and absolute, often respected among the peasants and serfs and other lower class citizens. Free of crime, famine, and other plagues that have wrought nearby towns and villages, their lands are managed without question or rebellion.







Count Viktor von Stravokov, a Landlord who holds property in and around the City of Tragoviste (Tra-gove-ish-ta) is among these Nobles. for the last 3 centuries, there has been a Viktor von Stravokov managing these lands, each generation of male heirs taking on the resemblance of his successor strangely enough... Local rumors of Vampir and the undead surround the family, but are nothing more than drunken patron bable at the local tavern, or a terrifying story around the campfire. A clever facade to ensure his true nature and dominance over his lands. It was not always so however, there was a time in his eternal life when he walked this world with earthly feet.

Viktor grew up in a small village in northern Bulgaria, born into a family of local peasant farmers. There he worked the lands of a local Lord, with his wife Tasha and two sons Marko and Petar. though there life was a simple one, it was prized and cherished by Viktor, passing the family tradition to his sons who he loved and praised above all other earthly possessions. But with the times came hardships and the naked dark truth of the human soul.

on a hot summers eve, the family's farm was raided by bandits known as "bulgars" committing acts of brigandish. in the struggle to save his loved ones lives, Viktor was struck falling unconscious. The Bulgars defiled his beautiful wife forcing her sons to watch in horror. When Viktor finally regained conscious, he awoke to a pool of blood. The bodies of his wife and sons piled on top of him Like common garbage waiting to be thrown out. Distraught with tears and covered in blood, he ran barefoot to his Landlords manor to plead for justice and revenge.

He was stopped by Romanian sentries momentarily, and eventually was allowed to enter the manor grounds. Viktor was escorted to a lavishly decorated room baring old fashions and furnishings for the times. there in the middle of the night, in the dim candle light, he met with baron Zladko Servovich. Viktor pleaded with the Baron in a Hysterical state, begging his Lord to hunt down the Bulgar's for the unspeakable acts committed to his loving family. Zladko laid a hand on Viktor's shoulder, instantly calming the troubled farmer. They spent the next few hours speaking on the matter with a clear conscious, his voice seemed to sooth Viktor into a relaxed state. Baron Servovich seemed to take a keen interest in his distraught subject, connecting with Viktor and his tribulations. the Baron made it clear that he would grant him justice, but at a price. He demanded Viktor swear allegiance to him in return for his help, and without question viktor gave his word.







that night Baron Servovich called in his cavilers and ordered his coach to be readied. Viktor accompanied the Baron's entourage as the Knights searched for the Bulgar's who were rumored to be causing trouble at a nearby tavern. upon their arrival, the Baron seized the murderers as Viktor identified them. The Cavilers lined up the criminals and ordered them to their knees, their hands bound with Iron shackles. Zladko drew a jeweled sword and placed it in the hands of Viktor, gesturing to the captives. for a moment Viktor looked confused, but soon realized the intentions of his Lord. Viktor's eyes swelled red as he entered a rageful state lusting for the blood of revenge. the men coward in fear as Viktor laid waste to their flesh, hacking limbs to pieces as fresh blood sprayed his tear filled face. in this moment of pure carnage, the Baron saw a glimpse of "the beast" in a mortal man, coming to the realization that this mortal man shared similar demons within his soul, brought the vampire noble closer to his humanity. As the mangled corpses laid in a pool of blood and pieces of flesh, Viktor took a knee gasping in relief. Even with the blood of his family's murderers stained on his skin and clothing, there was still an empty void left in his heart, a void he knew he never could fill.






In the following years to come, the Baron Zladko Servovich continued to take interest in Viktor and the two became fast friends. Baron Servovich elevated Viktor over the years, first as a Knight in service to him, and later gave him a small piece of property to govern, entitling him as a Romanian Noble. it was not long before Zladko exposed his favored pupil to the Kindred underworld, where he eventually Turned the Bulgarian Born man into a Kindred of clan Ventrue. Learning the ways of diplomacy and politics by his sired Lord, he talked his way into negotiations for promising lands near Targoviste in the Romanian Provence of Valachia were he earned the title of Count. a prestigious and intelligent move, to acquire lands where vampires are a common rumor dismissed by the local populace. for three hundred and twenty five years, he has ruled his lands with an iron fist. crime in his domain is nearly non existent, and those who did commit murder or theft, where found dead days later baring bite wounds on the neck... the message was clear to his people, it spawned rumors and stories of vampires and demons who devour the wicked in the night, a clever ploy that kept his lands safe, and his people under firm control.

His thirst for blood was insatiable as he grew older and more powerful over the centuries. his pallet for human blood had become refined and selective, only finding sustenance and satisfaction in the blood of criminals, especially those who've committed murder. each criminal that he fed on put his mind at ease. he would envision the lives he spared by drinking the blood of these corrupt individuals, Future Victims to parallel acts he had to endure as a mortal would now be avoided and saved. these thoughts tamed the "monster" that slept only skin deep within his soul, the beast that lurks in every Kindred, in every vampire.

Unfortunately with eternal life, comes the symptoms of boredom. his lands were well tended by Chancellors and Quartermasters who managed his day to day affairs. Word reached his ear of an island in the Mediterranean sea that was cloaked in a shadowed veil. the notion of eternal night intrigued the Romanian Count with curiosity. He made the necessary arrangements to make the long journey by coach and ship. the next dusk, he took one last glance over his lands and his Keep. stopping in front of a oak cabinet, he picks up an old picture frame with the painting of his lost but never forgotten family. he gently kisses the silhouette of the woman in the picture, and heads out the door...