Leo Dilisnya

Introduction

Leo Dilisnya, patriarch of the Dilisnya family, was not present on the eve of Barovia's doom. Excusing himself from Sergei von Zarovich's wedding just before his assassins sprung, Leo spent the following decades in hiding, orchestrating the concealment and diaspora of his kin. He rightly feared Strahd's wrath, but also came to uncover the count's vampiric nature and soon made preparations to trap his old enemy.

The Trap

In 398 BC, Strahd picked up Leo's trail with the aid of a loyal noble family: the Wachters, who blamed Leo for the massacre at Castle Ravenloft. The Dilisnya elder was waiting, however, when Strahd tracked him to the Monastery of Silver Threads. Leo had studied necromancy himself, magically slowing his aging, and had learned much about Strahd's weaknesses. Trapping the vampire lord in a chamber woven with divine wards, Leo nearly managed to stake Strahd, but was thwarted by monks under the count's thrall.

The Turnabout

For his sedition, Strahd bestowed the vampire curse on Leo and had his fledgling nemesis entombed foreever in the crypts beneath the long abandoned monastery. Leo (male human old vampire Ari7/Nec5/Clr4, CE) remains trapped in his black tomb, slipping in and out of ravenous torpor and clawing madly at the inside of his sarcophagus.