Kasimir Velikov
Kasimir, a mutiliated and grief-stricken dusk elf, has
been trapped in Barovia for centuries. His people were
on the verge of being annihilated by Strahd's armies
when they surrendered. Strahd left the few survivors to
the mercy of the Vistani, who bore them to the valley of
Barovia, where they have lived ever since.
Old Friends. Kasimir's allegiance to the Vistani is
so strong that he adopted the name of the Vistana who
welcomed him into his clan, a man named Velikov. Although
Velikov passed away more than a century ago,
Kasimir continues to live among Velikov's descendants.
Unfortunately, in his view, these modern Vistani are
neither as noble nor as enlightened as their forebears.
Not one to press the issue, Kasimir hopes to outlive the
present leadership and see a ret'urn to the old ways.
Dreams of the Damned. Kasimir's sister, Patrina
Velikovna, is sealed in the catacombs below Castle
Raven loft. Convinced that she was the concubine of the
devil Strahd, Kasimir and his fellow dusk elves stoned
Patrina to death. As punishment for depriving him of his
bi:ide, Strahd butchered all the women in the dusk elf
tribe, and Kasimir's ears were cut off to punish him for instigating the stoning. He wears a cowl to conceal his
mutilation.
Kasimir's feeling of loss is tinged with simmering
rage. Patrina now speaks to her brother in dreams,
telling him how years of guilt and regret have dispelled
all evil thoughts from her mind and cleansed her tortured
soul. But Kasimir remains unconvinced by her
assertions, because he knows that Strahd has corrupted
Patrina and led her down a path of evil and deceit. For
that reason, Kasimir wants to see the vampire destroyed
so that his sister can be rescued from her eternal
damnation.
Secrets of the Amber Temple. Patrina has told Kasimir
that the Amber Temple, an ancient vault hidden in
the Barovian mountains, is where Strahd forged his pact
with evil powers and discovered how to become a vampire.
Kasimir has been spying on the temple for years,
but he needs adventurers to help him survive its perils.
He thinks that the secret to breaking Strahd's pact and
freeing Barovia from its curse might be hidden there,
but more important, he believes that the Amber Temple
holds the secret to bringing the ancient dead back to life.
With the characters' help, Kasimir thinks he might be
able to find out how to restore Patrina to flesh and blood,
whereupon he can travel to Castle Ravenloft and end his
sister's torment. Kasimir has no inkling that Patrina is
using him for exactly that purpose, and that her ultimate
goal is to become as powerful a vampire as Strahd.
Ideal. "I failed my people and my sister, and now I
must atone or be damned."
Bond. "I seek to return my long-dead sister, Patrina,
to life-even at the cost of my own life."
Flaw. "I believe my sister can be redeemed."
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