Kaloyan Stanimir Dragano
Contents
His Name
Kaloyan Stanimir Dragano
Sobriquet
Stani
His Appearance
Kaloyan is tall and thin, with a mane of blond hair that is so rare among Slavs as to be gold. Though pale from spending so much of his time indoors performing his assigned duties as mayor of Melnik, he appears to be in good shape, perhaps due to his habit of walking everywhere instead of riding a bicycle or in a carriage. His choice of clothing is tasteful, if a bit antiquated. He is considered the most eligible bachelor in Melnik and quite a ladies-man in a small town sort of way.
Kaloyan's Personal Background
Kaloyan was born in 1869 to the town's teacher and seamstress. He was a diligent student and had dreams of going off to university in one of the great capitals. Alas, his parents could not afford it and he was forced to become the secretary to the then mayor. When the old mayor died in 1901, he inherited the position. The next twelve years were prosperous for Kaloyan and Melnik, if unremarkable in any significant way.
At the end of the Second Balkan War, the Greeks were forced to relocate to places within the new Greek border, that was in 1913. In was at that time that Aleksey first entered his life. The boy was a war orphan, whose parents had died or left him behind after the Greek Relocation of 1913, though Kaloyan never did find out who they were or why they left the boy behind. Of course he tried to find a good home among the families that remained behind, but no one would take the boy and in the end, Kaloyan adopted the child himself. It wasn't until after the adoption that he came to realize how special Aleksey was, for he would sleep the day away and remain awake until all hours, but he could do amazing things and aided Kaloyan as mayor of the town.
Because of Aleksey, Kaloyan remained mayor through World War I, World War II and the throughout the Communist Period of Bulgaria's history. In fact, Kaloyan is still mayor to this night and he hasn't aged a day since he adopted Aleksey. Of course, over the years Kaloyan asked enough questions to find out that it was Aleksey's blood that kept him and the entire town essentially immortal. As mayor, Kaloyan is one of the few who knows the truth, that Aleksey is a vampire and that he keeps the town, like a mortal child keeps ship in a bottle.
His Personality
Kaloyan is something of a workaholic, though he wouldn't understand the word itself as he only speaks Bulgarian. Beneath his workaday exterior, he is deeply concerned with the welfare of his town and that of his friends and neighbors. In fact, second to his responsibility to Aleksey, is his responsibility to the people of Melnik. He knows that most of them are unaware of what has befallen them and that time is passing them by, but were it not for Aleksey they would all be long dead and gone. The fact that over four hundred men, women and children have been preserved in the amber of Aleksey's power doesn't matter to Kaloyan at all, they are all that is left of the Bulgaria that he loved and grew up within. Of all those who live in Melnik, he is the one of the few with free will, but he aids Aleksey because he loves the boy completely. If outsiders discover too much, Aleksey kills them and Kaloyan must bury the bodies where no one will find them. In this regard, he often acts to preserve the 'Masquerade', though he wouldn't think of it as such.
