Romanian
folklore tells of the Strigoi, a creature who once was a man that died
and rose again to become the undead. The Strigoi is a shapeshifter,
capable of taking on the form of another man or animal, a favorite being
the wolf. This being needs to drink human blood to survive. The Strigoi
became the basis of vampire and werewolf tales, including the most
famous Dracula by Bram Stoker.
In 1792, Nikola Choroleeva emigrated from the city of
Sighetu Marmației near the Carpathian Mountains to the Americas and
founded a secret colony, hidden in the mountains of Appalachia,
comprised of followers who offered their blood for his nourishment and
he in return gave them eternal life. Being infected with the malady as
him, they became the living Strigoi.
Impervious to old age and disease the members of this
society from time to time die by accident or murder. By Lord Nikola’s
edict, they are staked through the heart and buried to keep them from
coming back as the dead Strigoi. When a citizen is lost, a replacement
must be found. To this hidden world an unwilling Alex Regal was brought
as a replacement.