The Dusk Elves are an elf subrace known in Barovia. They look like normal elves, but are either paler in complexion, with pale white skin, fair hair, and light blue or violet eyes, or else darker, being dark-skinned and dark-haired.

A small enclave of dusk elves, consisting of a single clan, the Velikovnas, inhabited the woods outside of Vallaki in Barovia. They are led by Kasimir Velikovna. Their home-base is at the bottom of the hill that the Vistani have taken over as one of their semi-permanent locations, as only the Vistani are brave, or uncaring enough of his opinion, to risk raising Strahd’s ire.

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.

They remained hidden ever since in secluded enclaves in both the mortal world and the Shadowfell, and in secret places of the Domains of Dread, such as in the domain of Barovia, survivors lingering as an all-but-forgotten lineage.

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. Strahd then had all the female dusk elves of Barovia put to death as a punishment for the murder of his betrothed.

After that, there are now no more women or children among the dusk elves. The remaining elves are unable to procreate and are a broken people that have been nearly annihilated. Aware of the vampire’s absolute hold over Barovia, they keep a low profile and had no desire to incur Strahd’s wrath again.