Kasimir Velikov

Source characterization: RAW

Role: Leader of the Dusk Elves; Rahadin’s cousin; one of several possible leads to the Tome of Strahd

Key characterization principles:

  • Haunted by dreams sent by his dead sister Petrina Velikanova (a banshee trapped in Castle Ravenloft’s catacombs), whom he wants to resurrect.
  • Nephew of the late Dusk Elf prince; cousin of Rahadin.
  • Core motivations (per raw material): Dusk Elf safety, and his sister’s resurrection/redemption.
  • RP inspirations pitched: Doctor Strange, Sherlock Holmes, Spock, and the Twelfth Doctor.
  • Twist for this campaign: Petrina’s spirit is the “lost soul” referenced in the Nine-of-Glyphs Tarokka clue (“I see the ancient foe of an old and noble house. The lost soul will lead you to him”), and can lead the party either directly toward knowledge of the Tome of Strahd, or toward Casimir himself, who then points them at the Volokovich mansion — rather than simply handing the item over, which felt too anticlimactic. See Tome of Strahd.

Current narrative status: Not yet encountered in play. Session 9 note: the party independently theorized (unprompted, from Reyna’s campfire story) that the Tarokka “ghost card” ally / lost soul could instead be Strahd’s own slain brother rather than Petrina — see Strahd’s entry. Both threads remain open; nothing has been confirmed in play either way.

Session 10 (canonical): Met at the Vistani camp outside Vallaki, sitting with Luvash and Arrigal. Pale-skinned, handsome, courtly; introduced himself as one of the few native elves left, of “an old, old kingdom of dusk elves.” Gaille’s History check: ancient texts mention a dusk-elf kingdom that was put to the slaughter and wiped off the map, after which dusk elves vanish from the historical record. Theren noticed his coloring resembles the elf he glimpsed during the Session 3 zombie ambush (that elf was Rahadin — Kasimir’s cousin; Theren hasn’t made the connection). Kasimir was immediately taken with Gaille, called her a scholar of the Amber Temple and said he too seeks the temple’s knowledge. When he touched her amber charm, it flickered and turned more yellow. He asked to speak with her privately later. Luvash and Arrigal grinned knowingly at his interest.

GM-confirmed canon (2026-10-09): Kasimir is interested in Gaille, beyond their shared scholarship. Gaille so far reads him as a fellow researcher; Cassandra’s Ten of Stars reading about the pair felt accurate.

Session 11 (canonical): Called staying out of Vallaki under the full moon “the wisest choice” and offered the party his hovel. Followed them to the refugee camp with papers and books to finish his “study appointment” with Gaille (still pending). Unsurprised the Barovians are unwell but shocked by how bad it is: in his “hundreds of years” here he has never seen the wriggling worms, and he gagged. He said a pie maker has come to Vallaki regularly for about three months and was an attraction at Vargas’s festivals this last month, and that the Barovians only arrived this last month. Whether he followed the party into Vallaki wasn’t stated.

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