Moving his family estate halfway around the globe was the first, but not the last, time that Viktor reached beyond space-time itself to seemingly alter reality. This type of extreme power is not without its extreme cost, and we’ll see evidence of that later on.
We may never know how Viktor achieved this feat. We do know that this was long before he became the Master vampire, if that’s a power they even posses. There has been speculation that the Tongalin family has long held ties with powers far beyond our concept of reality, and far beyond our concept of evil.
Now, it should be said that there is no evidence for any of this speculation. It’s the opinion of this researcher that the spooky castle built in a new suburban tract and an introverted and mysterious family with apparent extreme wealth naturally drummed up rumors. The only hint we have, and it’s not even very helpful, is that the castle was built with a chapel. Examination of the structure today proves that the original plan for the castle must have included a traditional chapel, as the two were clearly built at the same time.
Later on, the crypt was developed, and access to the crypt was added to the chapel.
Nothing about the chapel or the crypt suggest any sort of deviant behavior or secret use. Though, we also don’t have any evidence of the chapel being used, ever, for anything other than Viktor’s first wedding.
All that is to say that the idea that Viktor was in league with some evil entity who helped him move his entire castle is as valid an idea as any other. The fact remains that the castle stands today in Windenburg, when we have plain and unambiguous records that it was built in Newcrest. We have no way to connect these facts.
The history is scattered once we get to the Crumbling Isle. It doesn’t seem that the Tongalins ventured to the mainland more than a handful of times. Our facts for this volume are drawn together from the archeological record (as it were) on the castle property, as well as observations and stories from the few other residents of the island. None of those folks live on the island today, and none of them gave me permission to identify them. I can’t help but feel they didn’t tell me the whole story.
The Castle
Construction on the castle continued at breakneck speed, once it suddenly appeared on the island. One addition, seen above, was the subbasement-level pool, lit by candlelight. The pool was heated, and connected to a sort of private family space. It initially consisted of a small gym and shower area, but grew to include an eat-in kitchen, as well as a family/television room. This is, again, an addition to the 4-story castle that Viktor inherited.
The renovations mostly make sense to those of us who have toured the property. For example, a modest greenhouse was added to the grounds. Once Viktor’s son, Vivek, became a botanist, a basement was dug under the greenhouse to house a state-of-the-art laboratory. Vivek could grow his plants in the beautiful glass and metal structure, and then head downstairs for the perfect place to study them. For convenience, evidently, a passage was later dug which connected the laboratory to the castle basement.
It’s clear that the attic level of the castle was gutted again and again, and ultimately closed off. Ironically, the closing of the attic level seemed to coincide almost exactly with the addition of the stair tower.
When the castle was built, only the grand staircase connected the main level to the bedroom level. Below it, a second grand stair connected to the ground floor entrance. From there, one had to take a hidden staircase to the attic, initially built for servants. After the move to Windenburg, however, one of the octagonal corner towers was enlarged to become a square tower and a staircase which connected every level filled it.
The main level of the castle had been built as the primary living space, but Viktor seemed to prefer the basement and subbasement.
The Great Room was intended to function as the main living space. It was a television room, an office, a dining room, and, frankly, a 2-story lounge that is still breathtaking today. It’s clear from the layout that the castle was initially built to accommodate live-in servants. The kitchen is only accessible through a narrow passage and it would have been unusual for family members to visit the kitchen.
Perhaps that’s why a more modern kitchen space was built in the subbasement; today the kitchen is intended to be a gathering room, not a room to be hidden.
On the second floor we can see the principle bedrooms. It’s evident that quite a lot of renovation work went into the master chamber and the double chamber. Both spaces had, at different times, walls added and removed to accommodate either single or multiple occupants. These rooms, although generous in size, do not have in-suite bathroom facilities, something that seems necessary for a “master suite” today.
It appears that, initially, there were three principle bedrooms. The double chamber was one larger room, like the two rooms on the opposite side of the hall. The small chamber between the stair hall and the bath was changed radically when the stair hall was added, as it may have included some of that tower, and may have been a very irregular shape. This is speculation, of course, because the evidence in that corner of the tower is extremely difficult to read.
The most expansive level of the castle is, of course, the ground floor. It’s here we find the large crypt and entrance to the swimming pool and private family spaces below. During the exploration that resulted in these photos, I discovered that there used to be a large double staircase curving over the swimming pool. Visitors would have walked through the archway from the entrance hall and then down artisan-crafted stairs to the lower level. It’s unclear what became of these stairs or why they were removed.
The crypt on this level will play a significant role in this phase of the story.
The first addition to the crypt that we’re aware of is, of course, Ari Tongalin. Her resting place was in the chapel addition, which provided entry to the crypt.
Today, we find in that space a statue, and a pedestal, but no urn.
Despite the crypt itself appearing to be extremely old, there is no evidence of it having been used before Viktor moved in, who expanded and updated the space quite a bit.
The Family
After Ari, the next family member to be entombed in the crypt would be Del, her brother. We’ll cover his death later.
Del, after he shacks up with Viktor, fathers at least two children, as far as we’re aware. We’ve already covered Maura Hampton, Del’s first child, though we didn’t cover her parentage.
It’s true that Del was seen in a state that resembled pregnancy, and it’s true that he presented Maura as his daughter, and she shares his last name (Hampton). However, Maura looks nothing like Del, nor like Viktor. Even if Del is the actual biological father, we don’t know who the other parent is, and that speculation and uncertainty would ultimately impact his children’s entire lives.
What we know for sure is that there is no evidence of any sort of name change regarding Maura. She was a Hampton from birth. It has generally been assumed, however, that Viktor is another blood parent of hers, hence the legitimacy of her son eventually changing his last name back to Tongalin (Emmitt Tongalin, National Leader). That her last name seems to have always been Hampton casts doubt on that, as does the fact that she would leave the castle immediately upon becoming a young adult, and never had contact with that part of her family again.
I bring this all up because it’s entirely possible that Maura was adopted and is not related by blood to the Tongalins or the Hamptons. But, if that’s the case, how could we address claims that Del was pregnant?
After the castle moved to Windenburg, there are multiple reports of increased UFO activity, including multiple reports of an abduction near to the castle. Two contemporary island residents made police reports that night claiming a saucer-style ship hovered low over the island, and that a beam of light seemed to emanate from the ship, down to the ground. Both witnesses saw a human-shaped figure ascend into the ship before it zipped away.
Police records show that a wellness-check was performed on the Tongalin family the following day. Both adults (Viktor and Del) were accounted for, though the report does not publicly list any minor-aged children (by this time we know Veronica was living on her own in Newcrest, not far from where Maura would eventually settle down. Though, unlike Maura, Veronica continued a positive relationship with her family throughout her life).
One theory that has had unusual staying power in the community, is that Maura was adopted to hide Del’s alien pregnancy.
We can’t, obviously, prove or disprove this theory. But, careful analysis of eyewitness testimony, the public record, and archeological evidence, causes us to think there is a very good possibility that the castle, at one time, housed up to five children.
We know about three already. There is Veronica and Vivek, children of Viktor and Ari; as well as Maura. Another child, Zachary, we know of because after his death (or departure from the castle), his room was sealed. From this time-capsule room, we can infer that Zachary was very interested in meditation and spirituality, certainly in a way that seems completely opposite to how the rest of his family would develop. We, unfortunately, know nothing else about him, aside from the fact that he existed.
The final child is a complete mystery. No records of any kind exist, though it’s clear this mystery child lived, at least for a time, in the smallest room on the second floor.
Now that we’ve laid the scene for life on The Crumbling Isle, join us next time to learn about Del’s death, another turning point in Viktor’s life.