But every night I see the rubbery things
Black, horned, and slender, with membraneous wings
And tails that bear the bifid barb of hell.
They come in legions on the north wind's swell,
With obscene clutch that titillates and stings,
Snatching me off on monstrous voyagings
To grey worlds hidden deep in nightmare's well.
-- H.P. Lovecraft, "Night-Gaunts"
The strigoi are in encyclopedia terms the undead, both spirits and physical forms, that rise from the grave to seek vengeance or otherwise haunt the countryside, feasting on either the life force or actual flesh and blood of its victims. The Romanian engage in the following practice to rid the burdened of the strigoi:
There are a few variations on this ritual depending on region and oral tradition, but the basics remain the same: The suspected deceased is exhumed by the victimized with more often than not a holy man present, for protection I suppose, and more often than not without consent from the dead man's family. The victims then cut out the heart and burn it to a crisp, then grind it into a fine powder. The powder is then mixed with a few ingredients including water, maybe oil, and often alcohol. Finally the concoction is heated to a near boil to make sure the powder is soaked and evaporated into the other ingredients, and a cup is passed between the victims who proceed to drink the brew of powdered heart.
Today only rural areas of Romania practice this, and even then it isn't very often the dead rise. Even though modernized parts of Romania no longer practice acts of this nature, urban and rural alike still both believe and fear these beings and take superstitious measures to evade their attention.
Introduction
A bloodline rarely known outside of Romanian folklore, the Strigoi have existed for countless centuries, an almost primordial branch of the Nosferatu haunting the wilderness of Transylvania and Wallachia. Long divorced from the clan which spawned them, the Strigoi have become something of an isolated strain, a self-contained pocket of creatures unconnected to the vast world of the Kindred glittering beyond their impenetrable forests. And yet this isolation has molded them in ways far more terrible than the shaping forces of Kindred society, for the Strigoi still possess the ability to transform into monstrous beings; winged demons that haunt the night sky like relics from a mythological past. . . .
Description
The Strigoi are a very unusual and fairly regional bloodline, and although no one has ever traced their origins directly to the Nosferatu, one could hardly draw any other conclusions. The Strigoi are hideously deformed, possess a high degree of obfuscation, and share a common geographical origin and mythology with the Nosferatu. But unlike their more prolific cousins, the Strigoi do not create ghouls or reproduce in the traditional vampiric fashion, and it is over these two important differences that the Nosferatu and the Strigoi may be clearly marked as distinct species. Like all Kindred, a Nosferatu is free to inflict the curse of the Embrace upon any poor wretch he sees; but for reasons that seem more superstitious than logical, the Strigoi may only Embrace a select group of mortals: witches who have already been made into Strigoi ghouls, and humans who have committed suicide.
How this is done creates an ecology unique in the vampire world. The vitae of the Strigoi has two distinct phases; the "quick" vitae of the Strigoi ghouls, and the "undead" vitae of the Strigoi vampires. Both types of vitae possess the power to engender progeny, and through a process that closely resembles the Embrace, Strigoi ghouls have the remarkable ability to create other Strigoi ghouls. Of all the clans and bloodlines of the Kindred, only the Strigoi have developed this separation of vitae, and a Strigoi ghoul is almost a new entity unto itself, more of a strange fusion between a vampire and a witch than a ghoul in the traditional sense. The unusual nature of the Strigoi and their ghouls is reflected in Romanian folklore, which distinguishes between them by name. The ghoul form is called a strigoi vii, or "living vampire;" and the true undead form is called a strigoi mort, or "dead vampire." The plural forms are strigoi and strigoi morti respectively; and though the Bloodline is commonly just called Strigoi, traditionally strigoaica should be used instead of strigoi in the case of a female.
Strigoi Vii
A strigoi vii is a unique class of ghoul, and is best viewed as an evil witch with partial vampiric abilities. Indeed, the word strigoi itself is derived from the Romanian word striga, meaning witch. This in turn comes from the Latin cognate strega, which has its origins in strix, the word for a screech owl; a creature often likened to a child-devouring demon of the night.
"Witch" here refers to the word in its most debased form; no wiccans or shamans are the strigoi, but unholy creatures from Romanian folklore, adept at black magic and intent on preying upon the pure and the innocent. They shun the sunlight, preferring to dwell in the blackest forests and emerging only at night. They have the ability to shapechange into animal form, often appearing as a bat, a wolf, or screech owl. They can leave their body behind while their spirits roam free, hunting for prey -- and their hunger is terrible indeed, for the strigoi rely on only two things for sustenance, blood and psychic energy. A strigoi vii can enter the dreams of a sleeping child and transform them into nightmares, riding the child's dreams until dawn and leaving the victim drained of psychic energy; an attack more feared than the draining of blood. These poor souls may grow quite sick, and if hagridden frequently, may even die. It is also said that the strigoaica -- the female strigoi -- are more powerful than the males, and according to folklore their very presence can ruin harvests, spoil milk and butter, stop cows from producing milk, and may even wreck marriages.
The Witch's Kiss
As mentioned previously, the strigoi have another power quite unique to ghouls -- the ability to create progeny. A strigoi vii may actually perform a partial Embrace, an act that dooms a mortal into becoming strigoi, a gradual transformation that may last over ten long and painful years. Not any mortal, however, may be so transformed by the Witch's Kiss; the strigoi are bound to select their victims from a rather exclusive pool. Candidates include witches and satanists, the unbaptized and the excommunicated, children born with a caul or a vestigial tail, the congenitally deformed, and the seventh son of a seventh son.
The Witch's Kiss is carried on much like a proper Embrace. The strigoi vii must drain the blood of her victim, a process that usually takes over a week of nightly visitations. Then, upon the last visit, the dying human must be coerced into drinking the blood of the strigoi vii. This is usually followed by a terrible sickness and a long convalescence, and often the victim never fully recovers his health. Not that it really matters, for by that time the unfortunate soul is doomed. After a few years of dormancy, the metamorphosis begins, and the progeny will begin to acquire the characteristics of a strigoi vii. One of the first signs is often a shift in personality -- almost as if something good inside the person has just curdled and died, leaving behind a sour and vindictive shell. People begin avoiding the poor wretch, and many notice the appearance of a faint but foul odor. Deformities begin appearing or growing worse, the skin dries up and starts oozing pus, and bones begin to elongate. Soon the progeny begins to feel his whole nature changing, and as a taste for normal food atrophies, a desire for fresh blood begins to assert itself with a maddening tenacity. The discipline of Nascence develops, and he begins to notice that his very presence has the power to profoundly disturb the sleeping -- an effect that gives him a strange sense of renewed energy. By this time, he has either been noticed by the Strigoi or will seek them out himself. Upon his first taste of Strigoi vitae, the transformation is complete.
If a mortal cannot find Strigoi blood to insure his ghoulish future, the transformation will eventually take a turn for the worse, and his body will begin to decompose. If no infusions of vitae are allowed to renew his tainted blood, he will die within ten to fifteen years of receiving the Witch's Kiss.
There is one interesting rumor, however, that may provide a glimpse of possible redemption. Some say that the transformation can be reversed at any point before the progeny drinks Strigoi blood and becomes a full strigoi vii. All that need be done is locate the creature that infected him and kill her, driving a stake through her heart and filling the mouth of her severed head with holy wafers....
Strigoi Mort
Upon death, a properly Embraced strigoi vii will rise from the grave as the much deadlier strigoi mort, or "dead vampire," hereafter referred to as "Strigoi."
A Strigoi is much like a Nosferatu; and worse still, the rebirth process often adds a second layer of deformities. As a result, more Strigoi are infected with such flaws as "Putrescence" and "Parasitic Infestation" than their marginally more fortunate cousins. The Strigoi are solitary vampires, preferring to dwell in the wilderness like outcast monsters, friends to the lowliest animal life on earth. They are known for preying on sheep and cows with just as much frequency as humans, and often -- foolishly, it may be said -- return to the same village over and over again, draining the livestock as well as the blood of their old friends, surviving family, and available enemies. The Strigoi are also more spiritually warped than the Nosferatu, and seem to draw nourishment from an bottomless well of bitterness and spite. There is no higher culture among the Strigoi, no real sense of community, no vast warrens peppered with subterranean artworks. The closest they come to such trappings of civilization are their sabbats, great midnight revels usually held on St. Andrew's Eve (November 11) and St. George's Eve (April 22). At these times the Strigoi gather around a bonfire to exchange stories, bleed captives, and dance with their ghoul cousins. These sabbats also serve another important function, for they mark the Strigoi calendar. The Strigoi are at their most powerful during winter, and the months between the sabbats find them at the peak of their powers. After St. George's Day, they become almost dormant, laying low until the summer passes, awaiting their resurgence on St. Andrew's Eve. These two holidays are closely marked by Romanian peasants, and even today only a fool will venture out of doors during the evenings preceding them....
There may be one aspect of the Strigoi which brings a small degree of solace to the human community, and that is the limitations of their Embrace. A Strigoi may only Embrace mortals of two types -- a strigoi vii, and a suicide. The rituals behind both these Embraces are different, but both create a Strigoi as a result.
The Kiss of UnLife
The Embrace of a strigoi vii is a great celebration that usually takes place during a sabbat, most often on St. George's Eve. It is a very painful affair, and one that almost always involves the sacrifice of an unbaptized child. The Strigoi will dance and cavort around the candidate witch, hooting as she devours the child, skeleton and all. After a brief ritual in the Old Slavonic tongue, the Strigoi chosen as her sire will step forward and perform the Embrace. The fledgling is then buried in a coffin and must claw her way out. (Many Nosferatu scholars believe this to be the origin of the Sabbat Embrace ritual.) If she is successful, she may present herself at the St. Andrew's Eve sabbat and she will be accepted into Strigoi "society" as a full member, bound to her sire until he sees fit to release her.
The Judas Kiss
This is the power to Embrace a corpse, and is available only to the strigoi morti. There are certain rules that limit this ability, however. The corpse must belong to a human who has willingly taken his own life. (Although certain Merits may expand this restriction; this will be discussed later.) The mortal may not have been buried for longer than forty days, and may not be interred in hallowed ground or buried at a crossroads -- both actions render the body untouchable to the Strigoi. Additionally, the corpse must not have been embalmed: the Judas Kiss must be preceded by the complete exsanguination of the corpse, and any embalming fluid destroys its potential for resurrection.
First, the Strigoi exhumes the body. Then he must drain it of every drop of blood, no matter how cold or curdled. This is usually done my clawing open the chest and saturating the heart with a stream of vitae from the Strigoi. The heart is then squeezed, allowing the vitae to permeate and unclot the dead mortal blood. After this blood is drained, the vampire allows his precious vitae to fall into the corpse's mouth, and the coffin is then resealed and the body buried.The transformation generally takes two to three days, after which the progeny will awake to his new state, and must claw his way to the surface or be trapped forever, a howling creature aware of only eternal hunger. If he does reach the surface, he may be lucky to find a sire waiting for him. Then again, that all depends on his Sire....
It should be noted that since most suicides wanted to be dead in the first place, they are generally quite upset at being granted immortality. This rage, coupled with an awareness of the aborted monstrosity they have become, often drives them mad -- or madder -- and the Strigoi produce a fair share of failed progeny which must be put to death. Of course, some of these damned souls discover that being granted a second life is a blessing, and these rare creatures often rise to become some of the greater of the Strigoi.
Future of the Strigoi
Fortunately for the rest of the world, both Kindred and Kine, the Strigoi are a dying breed. Increased urbanization, better burial practices (embalming fluid will prevent a corpse from being Embraced by a Strigoi) and a diminishing belief in the supernatural have all taken their toll. But blame for their eventual extinction may not be placed solely on the outside world. Many internal factors spell the doom of this bloodline, including a lack of sophistication, an entrenched xenophobia, a fear of travel, and a paralyzing obedience to tradition and superstition. Not all the Strigoi are like this, however. A few have migrated with the Nosferatu, blending in with their mother clan and adapting themselves to new homes. But these are few, and their potential to create progeny diminishes with every passing decade. One day the last Strigoi will find herself caught under the sun, her entire bloodline passing into myth with the swirl of her scattered ashes.
Information
Nickname: None, but in some parts of Romania, particularly Wallachia, the Strigoi are known as the Moroi.
Appearance: The Strigoi are even more loathsome to behold than the Nosferatu, but their disfigurements tend to remain more consistent than the seemingly random deformities of their cousins. Most Strigoi are bald and leathery, their vermin-infested flesh cracked and oozing with putrescence. They have long, spidery fingers that can stroke the hair of a sleeping child with tenderness one moment, and crush the spine of a horse the next. Their fangs cannot be retracted, and their disproportionate length is the cause of many running sores on their lips and chin. They tend to dress in old and tattered clothing, and most Strigoi have no desire at all for fineries and self-improvement. The older they get, the more corpse-like they appear, and truly ancient Strigoi look more like gaunt demons than anything related to the Kindred.
The strigoi vii are slightly less loathsome to behold, appearing as witches cursed with all manner of physical aberrations: humps, claws, cataracts, and club feet are common. Their breath is rank with the odor of spoiled milk, and all strigoi vii radiate an aura of foulness that makes mortals near them acutely uncomfortable. As they age, ingesting more Strigoi vitae, their disfigurements accumulate until a point is reached where they must be Embraced, lest their deformities cause their mortal death.
Haven: Most Strigoi dwell in the deep forests of Romania, making their havens in caves, old castles, or forgotten crypts.
Background: The strigoi are very similar to ghouls, and each one must drink the vitae of a strigoi mort to survive. They prey on the nightmares of children, visiting them in astral form or the shape of an animal, feeding on their psychic energy and only occasionally drinking their blood. Occasionally, if they find one who meets their criteria, they will Embrace her and she will become a strigoi vii over the course of the next few years. When it is time to cross over to real death, a strigoi vii witch is Embraced by a strigoi mort, and then must drink blood for survival as any other vampire.
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