Dusk elves were an elf subrace known in Ravenloft.[3][4][1]
Description[]
They looked like normal elves, but were either paler in complexion, with pale white skin, fair hair, and light blue or violet eyes,[4] or else darker, being dark skinned and dark haired.[1][note 1]
Homelands[]
An enclave of around 75 dusk elves, consisting of a single clan, the Velikovnas, inhabited the woods outside of Vallaki in Barovia. They were led by an elderly herbalist and former druid named Kasimir Velikovna. They were forming closer ties to the humans of Vallaki.[4]
History[]
The dusk elves fled from their native Feywild to the mortal world to avoid being drawn into the war between elves, eladrin, and drow. This earned them the anger of both sides, and caused both Corellon and Lolth to turn their backs on them. Only the mercy and divine patronage of Sehanine, the third of the elven gods in the World Axis, saved them.[4]
They remained hidden ever since in secluded enclaves in both the mortal world and the Shadowfell[4] and in secret places of the Domains of Dread, such as in the domain of Barovia, survivors lingering as an all-but-forgotten elven subrace.[1]
Kasimir's sister Patrina Velikovna turned her back on the primal magic traditions of her people and embraced shadowy magic, even offering herself as a servant to Strahd von Zarovich. The count would have made her into one of his vampiric brides, but her people caught her when she attempted to drink the blood of a dusk elf child as part of her transformation, and they stoned her to death. They gave her body over to Strahd, who buried her in the crypts in Castle Ravenloft, then coaxed her to rise from her grave as a banshee.[4][1] Strahd then had all the female dusk elves of Barovia put to death as a punishment for the murder of his betrothed.[1]
After that, there were no more women or children among the dusk elves. The remaining elves couldn't procreate and were a broken people, until they had been nearly annihilated. Aware of the vampire's absolute hold over Barovia, they kept a low profile and had no desire to incur Strahd's wrath again.[1]
Centuries later, Strahd released Patrina's banshee to prowl the hills of Barovia. She sought revenge on her former people, trying to pick them off one by one and transform them into her undead slaves. A party of adventurers may have encountered and defeated her amidst the ruins on Lysaga Hill, although she would subsequently reform in her tomb below Castle Ravenloft.[4]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Curse of Strahd
- Dungeon #207: "Fair Barovia"
External Links[]
- Dusk elf article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Dusk elf article at Mistipedia, a wiki for the Ravenloft campaign setting run by The Fraternity of Shadows.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Christopher Perkins, Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman (March 2016). Curse of Strahd. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 119, 121. ISBN 978-0-7869-6598-4.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 23–24. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Robert J. Schwalb (December 2009). “Winning Races: Dusk Elf”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #382 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 68–70.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Claudio Pozas (October 2012). “Fair Barovia”. In Kim Mohan and Miranda Horner ed. Dungeon #207 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 40–78.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.