Author: forestwizard

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.

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Image: Tongalin Castle as it stands today on The Crumbling Isle in Windenburg.

Del

Del Hampton, uncle to Vivek and Veronica, and brother to Ari, had, not long before his sister’s sudden death, fallen on hard times. Despite working his way up to the Double Pink Diamond Level of his triangular-shaped company, he had done so by stockpiling product before lining up enough buyers. Del had been essentially gambling with his parents inheritance and finally, his “luck” ran out.

The uncle who was casually uninvited to holiday gatherings at the castle for years prior (he only wanted to talk about the products he was hawking. Sources disagree on the types of products he “sold.”) was now temporarily living in one of the attic rooms. Knowing that Viktor and Ari were doing a favor for an annoying relative makes it all the more clear why such a transgression (making out with her husband) would have broken Ari’s reality.

As if the new addition to their family, and then the sudden and confusing death of their mother wasn’t enough, Vivek and Veronica were now noticing that Uncle Del appeared to be moving from his attic room and into their father’s bedroom.

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Viktor Tongalin is known today as the Grand Master of the vampires of Forgotten Hollow. He slew the former master and founder of the town, Vladislaus Straud. Straud was a reclusive and enigmatic figure. His distance caused the townsfolk to both honor and fear him.

Viktor has taken a different approach, making himself widely known for his cruelty and incivility. The Tongalin Vampire Clan has grown so evil and expansive that other, smaller groups of good vampires have bonded together to try and overthrow the tyrant. But how did we get to this point? Was Viktor always evil?

The Tongalin Vampire Clan is notoriously tight-lipped about their personal lives. Their histories, of course, do not appear in the town archives. Even National Leader Emmit Tongalin, apparently the grandson of Viktor, refuses to speak to reporters about his family, distant as they may be.

Therefore, this record is sourced from urban legends, rumors, and circumstantial evidence found in town records, as well as bits and pieces from interviews of other Tongalins and present-day neighbors of Tongalin properties. This is my best reconstruction of the Tongalin family history, but please don’t take it as actual fact.

Beginnings

Extremely little about Viktor’s parents or their ancestors is known to the public. I imagine that, like many wealthy families in the past, the Tongalin family probably settled in Willow Creek. Very little evidence of any original settlers has survived, as most of the structures in town are relatively knew. At this time, we have no way of knowing when or where or who began the Tongalin story in our region, or even where they came from, if anywhere.

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