What They Are
The dusk elves are a diminished community of elves who live in hovels below the Vistani Camp outside Vallaki. They are the last remnants of a once-proud people who suffered a terrible tragedy.
What the Party Knows
From Session 13, the party learned:
Their Current Situation
- The dusk elves live in simple hovels below the Vistani Camp, maintaining a peaceful coexistence with the Vistani
- They serve as scouts and trackers, helping search the wilderness for Arabelle
- Savid, a dusk elf scout, was the one who found Yan’s body at the Luna River crime scene
- The dusk elves joined the Vistani in searching for Arabelle, with nearly as many dusk elf scouts as Vistani joining the search parties
Kasimir’s Tale
Kasimir Velikov, the dusk elves’ leader and foremost scholar, shared their tragic history:
The Ancient Past
- Over four centuries ago, the dusk elves lived in Barovia as a proud and prosperous people
- They possessed great knowledge of magic and arcane lore
- Kasimir’s sister Patrina Velikovna was a powerful mage and one of the brightest minds among her people
The Terrible Betrayal
- Patrina became obsessed with Strahd von Zarovich and his dark powers
- She offered herself to Strahd as his bride, hoping to share in his immortality
- Strahd accepted Patrina’s offer, intending to make her his vampiric consort
- The dusk elves feared this union would doom their entire people to darkness
The Stoning
- To prevent the unholy wedding, the dusk elves decided Patrina must die
- In a desperate act, they stoned Patrina to death
- Kasimir himself threw the first stone, though it tore his heart to do so
- The dusk elves believed they were saving their people from corruption
Strahd’s Revenge
- Strahd was enraged by Patrina’s murder
- In retaliation, he ordered the deaths of all female dusk elves
- Strahd’s forces slaughtered every woman and girl among the dusk elves
- Kasimir bears scars on his face from trying to protect the female members of his family during the massacre
- The dusk elves have been unable to have children ever since, condemning them to slow extinction
Their Present
- Kasimir Velikov is their leader, scholar, and keeper of their history
- The dusk elves are a dying people—all male, unable to reproduce, aging toward extinction
- Despite their tragedy, they maintain their dignity and continue to help others, like searching for Arabelle
- They live peacefully alongside the Vistani, who seem to respect their plight
Kasimir’s Role
- Kasimir is a wise and melancholic figure who carries the weight of his people’s history
- He identified the magical schools (necromancy and evocation) in Khazan’s sigil on the platinum ring
- He lives alone in a hovel, surrounded by books and the remnants of his people’s knowledge
- The party has found him to be helpful and willing to share information, despite his sorrowful burden
Appearance in Sessions
- Session 13 — Learned of the dusk elves’ role in searching for Arabelle
- Session 13 — Kasimir shared the tragic history of his people