Viktor Kolyanovich
A Barovian ranger who has spent his life hunting the undead and dark creatures that plague the mist-shrouded valley. Viktor is one of the few locals brave enough to venture near Castle Ravenloft, armed with knowledge passed down through generations of monster hunters.
Human
Ranger (Gloom Stalker)
Guide
Neutral Good
Ability Scores
14
+2
16
+3
13
+1
10
+0
15
+2
8
-1
Skill Proficiencies
Character Details
Viktor Kolyanovich is the last of a line of monster hunters that stretches back to the earliest days of Strahd's dominion over Barovia. His grandfather taught him the old ways — how to recognize a vampire's thrall by the glassiness of their eyes, which herbs repel the undead, and where the mists grow thinnest for those desperate enough to attempt escape from the valley. Viktor grew up in the village of Barovia, in the shadow of Castle Ravenloft itself, watching the ancient fortress loom against perpetually overcast skies. He lost his older sister to a pack of wolves that served as Strahd's eyes and ears in the forest — she was found drained of blood at the village gates the next morning, a warning to those who wandered too far after dark. That night, Viktor took up his grandfather's silver-edged shortsword and swore to master the darkness rather than cower before it. He has spent the last decade mapping safe routes through the Svalich Woods, identifying the lairs of Strahd's lesser servants, and guiding the rare outsiders who stumble through the mists to relative safety. Viktor harbors no illusions about defeating Strahd himself — the vampire lord is ancient and impossibly powerful — but he believes that the prophecy of the Vistani fortune-tellers speaks of a time when the right heroes, armed with the right weapons, might finally break Barovia's curse.
"I speak in a low voice and choose my words carefully. In Barovia, the wrong word spoken too loudly can attract attention you do not want."
"Resilience. We cannot escape the darkness, so we must learn to endure it. Hope is a luxury; stubbornness is a survival trait."
"My sister's grave lies at the edge of the village cemetery. I visit it before every hunt and promise her that someday Barovia will know dawn again."
"I trust no one fully. In a land where anyone could be a vampire's thrall, suspicion keeps me alive — but it also keeps me alone."
Appearance
Male
34
5'10"
165 lbs
Dark brown, with permanent shadows beneath them
Pale, as all Barovians are from the sunless skies
Black, unkempt and often damp from the perpetual mist
A gaunt, watchful man who moves through the shadows as if born to them. He wears a heavy dark cloak over studded leather armor, both treated with garlic oil and wolfsbane extract. A bandolier across his chest holds wooden stakes, vials of holy water, and pouches of silver dust. His silver-edged shortsword — an heirloom from his grandfather — never leaves his side, and a shortbow of dark yew rides on his back. His face is prematurely aged by a lifetime of vigilance in a cursed land.