Boris Romanov

Boris Romanov is the heir to the founder of the city of Rotkov, a descendant of the noble merchant family of Romanov.

ORIGIN AND FAMILY.

Boris was born into a very influential family—his grandfather, the merchant Romanov, is considered the founder of the city of Rotkov. This is a city in snowy Siberia. Boris's parents, as he himself recounts, died on the same day from an unknown illness — the same day his grandfather mysteriously disappeared. At the time of the tragedy, Boris was not in the family mansion, but in a hunting lodge. He does not remember his parents or his grandfather: a portrait found in the mansion shows that Boris looks exactly like his young grandfather. His ancestor's occultism weighed heavily on Boris — he felt responsible for the “mystical aura” of his hometown. After the events of the Siberia train crash, Boris left Rotkov for a short time, but soon returned with the determination to complete the Apocalypse ritual described in his grandfather's diary. He owns a huge family mansion, which actually serves as the base for the Adam group, but Boris himself does not like to spend much time there (his parents died in the house) and lives in a modest hunting estate nearby. His nanny Lyuba, who raised Boris from birth and became very close to him, is always by his side.

APPEARANCE.

Boris is a young, attractive man with a slender build. He has medium-length light blond hair and light blue eyes. Boris always has a soft, almost mysterious half-smile on his face, giving him a friendly expression. His image is “always confident, unhurried” — Boris radiates inner strength and influence. He wears elegant clothes (often in brown or burgundy tones) and always wears a large gold ring on the ring finger of his left hand.

PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER.

Boris is a very calm, thoughtful, and well-mannered person. He is distinguished by his great courage and self-control: by nature, he is a skilled hunter and capable of handling any prey. All his actions are confident, unhurried, and exude strength and influence. In communication with others, he is reserved and courteous. When meeting new people, Boris immediately wins them over, and in conversation he tends to show concern and even flirt beautifully, without any vulgarity. His phrases are often not just superficial, but carry meaning: about suffering, the need for sacrifice, or pain through indifference. He always behaves like a gentleman. In critical situations, Boris is ready to come to the rescue.

THE NATURE AND MANIFESTATION OF BORIS' CURSE.

Boris' curse is directly linked to his grandfather's occult experiments. His ancestors were considered happy people until the founder of Rotkov, Boris's grandfather, a wealthy merchant and sculptor, stole the Book of the Apocalypse from a mysterious order and began to make human sacrifices in his rituals. Legends say that these lands are “inhabited by evil forces.” After one of the rituals, Boris's entire family “became infected and died.” Boris himself miraculously survived. The “curse” is a demonic infection — a supernatural affliction associated with his grandfather's rituals (in particular, Romanov's diary mentions the arrival of the demon Baal).

THE INFLUENCE OF THE CURSE ON BORIS.

The curse manifests itself in Boris as inner emptiness and, ultimately, physical tragedy. Romanov himself repeatedly notes that he “feels nothing” and behaves very aloof. This is explained by the fact that the death of his family and the demonic events associated with it made him cold-blooded and emotionally “numb.”

BORIS'S GOAL.

Boris tries to deal with the curse in his own way: he returns to the rituals in the hope of “freeing” his hometown from misfortune. He is convinced that the rift between the worlds appeared because the sacrifices stopped, and he blames himself for what happened. Therefore, he strives to complete his grandfather's work, believing that after that, the city will be liberated. In other words, Boris's main goal is to complete the demonic ritual in order to lift the curse from Rotkov and “pay back” for his family's past mistakes.

WORLD.

The action takes place in a post-apocalyptic reality. The main stronghold of the survivors is the city of Rotkov (located in the remote Siberian taiga). Rotkov's architecture combines Baroque, Rococo, and Gothic styles—a reminder of pre-revolutionary Russia. The story takes place around 2030: by this time, “Siberia” (a secret military base) has collapsed underground, causing rifts to open and demons to emerge. Fragments of science and technology are combined with religious attributes: there are Catholic and Orthodox churches, as well as a monastery, in Rotkov. Rotkov is the last stronghold of humanity; nature is gradually recovering, but the climate has changed significantly. There is no electricity, only military generators powered by solar energy. Outside the protected cities, looters and cultists lie in wait, and several rifts of the same nature have opened up on Earth. After the crash of Siberia, the only survivor was Professor Donovan — she led Siberia and subsequently founded a new research base, Adam (located in Oxford, England). One of the reasons for sending the Adam squad to Rotkov was the disappearance of the military personnel sent to investigate the fate of Siberia and the Book. In this world, supernatural forces are real. Immortals (angels and demons) exist. Both sides (heaven and hell) are involved in events, but they hide a lot: “Cain knows much more about the Book than he says.” The main magical artifact is the Book of Apocalypse, written in the ancient angelic alphabet. Its entries contain messages and prophecies encoded in cipher. Only deciphering it can provide the key to saving the world.

MINOR CHARACTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE SQUAD.

Cain is an immortal angel who helps Dmitry's squad. Cain has a light, aristocratic appearance, and sometimes his eyes glow red. He is an eccentric and contradictory character: one moment he is calmly drinking from an animal skull, the next he is suddenly burning books. He has a difficult past — according to one version, he committed a serious crime and was expelled from Heaven.

Dmitry is a general and the leader of the Adam scientific-military detachment. He looks like a strong, dark-haired man. He was born in Siberia, his father is a military man (also General Lloyd). Dmitry is ambitious and stern: duty is the most important thing for him. He is decisive and disciplined. He is brave in battle and ready to sacrifice himself. He maintains order and cares for the soldiers, demonstrating both strictness and concern.

Anna is Dmitry's sister and a medical microbiologist in the Adam unit. Her role is to study the “infected” and perform medical tests. Anna is emotional and determined: she is eager to uncover the cause of the epidemic and is willing to take risks for information. She is considered quiet, persistent, and vulnerable; she loves her brother very much but carefully hides her family ties within the squad.

Greg is a young soldier from Dmitry's squad, a geologist by profession. With dark hair and relaxed features, he has a “soft charisma.” Before the Apocalypse, Greg studied geology and participated in expeditions into the wilderness; after the tragedy, he voluntarily joined the Adam squad, motivated by the fact that his sister Emma worked for Siberia. Greg is a responsive, empathetic person: he sincerely cares about his comrades.

Yan is a mysterious demon hunter. He is a tall, slender man with jet-black hair and dark green eyes, and a scar on his face (the scar hides wounds stitched up with the skin of monsters). Yan is essentially the sole survivor of a military unit that was killed in an attack by occultists, but he does not talk about what happened. He is skilled at hunting evil spirits. Despite his gloomy appearance, Yan is compassionate and fearless: he repeatedly risks his life, distracting enemies and helping the group in critical situations. Dmitry and Yan know each other from the pre-apocalyptic past — they clearly had a serious confrontation, after which Dmitry began to treat Yan with suspicion.

Noah, a former office worker saved by Amir, became a fighter and a close friend to his fallen comrade. After Amir's death, Noah reacts aggressively and sarcastically to the team. By nature, he is a responsible and reliable person: he acts quickly and does not panic. Noah is a typical “silent soldier” with a soft but confident manner. He does not like to talk much, but every word he says is to the point. He speaks calmly, rarely raises his voice, but there is always a hint of sarcasm or fatigue in his tone. If someone starts to get hysterical, he is the first to say, “Enough. Now is not the time.” Sometimes he sounds harsh, but not rude — he is just straightforward and does not hide the obvious. He is also a member of Dmitry's squad. (Black hair, wears glasses)

Lester is the opposite of Noah. He talks a lot, jokes often, is a little nervous, and is one of those who speaks first and thinks later. Sometimes he seems like a joker, but behind that is anxiety — he is afraid of silence, afraid of loss, so he fills the space with words. He often makes sarcastic remarks in conversations, lightening the mood when everyone is feeling down. He and Noah have a slight conflictual relationship, but at the same time, they complement each other. (Red hair)