Izek Strazni
Yon which followeth is a tale of dread and horror, a glimpse into the unfathomable depths of Curse of Strahd. Proceed with caution, lest ye be consumed by chaos that lurks within.
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Race: | Reborn (formerly Human) |
| Class & Level: | Paladin (Vengeance) 5 Fighter (Echo Knight) 3 Warlock (Hexblade) 1 |
| Alignment: | Chaotic Good |
| Pronouns: | he/him |
| Background: | Soldier |
| Status: | Alive |
| Languages: | Common Infernal |
| Homeland: | Barovia |
| Relationships: | Ireena Kolyana (sister) |
| Appearances: | Curse of Chaos (NPC/PC) |
| Abilities | |
| Strength: | 20 |
| Dexterity: | 15 |
| Constitution: | 18 |
| Intelligence: | 10 |
| Wisdom: | 9 |
| Charisma: | 16 |
Izek Strazni is a reborn mercenary from Barovia. Since his body was destroyed, he is a man of two forms - his newer, "good", dominant Chaotic Good persona and a shadow of a previous, "evil", Neutral Evil identity.
Abilities
Since his body's initial destruction, Izek is a man of two forms - though the newer, reborn, "good" persona is the dominant one, capable of controlling the duo, the shadow of his former self remains by his side most of the time as a translucent spirit. Izek could, at will, allow his other persona to become corporeal by turning himself ghostly instead, and thanks to his dual nature he could corner enemies and strike faster than any other regular warrior.
Appearance
Izek is a pale, menacing, muscular figure standing at over 6ft. tall. His bald head is marked with countless battle scars. Izek's hand is of a deep, crimson hue with burn marks, and ragged, demonic skin - that hand always holds his personal greataxe, which he never parts with. The "evil" Izek is always wearing a thick coat made from a wolf pelt - a symbol of authority adorned with an emblem of Vargas Vallakovich - the same clothing he wore upon his defeat from the hands of the adventuring party. The "good" Izek is clad in a scale mail with the markings of the Town of Vallaki. Only one of the Izeks would be corporeal at once - the other persona then appears ghostly and translucent.
Personality
"Evil" Izek was a man of few morals - his only loyalty was to Vargas Vallakovich, Vallaki's former burgomaster. He was callous, aggressive and brusque. His command over the town's guard was mostly through force and intimidation. Old Izek did not care for much else, other than for his obsessive interest of Ireena Kolyana.
The "good", reborn Izek was a fierce, fearless individual, determined to redeem his land from the clutches of Strahd von Zarovich. Contrary to his appearance, he was a just and free-spirited individual, yet uncompromising towards those who oppose him.
Biography
Before party's arrival
When Izek was still a child, he went on a fishing trip with his father, uncle and sister - Ireena Kolyana. Whilst returning, a wolf attacked him and tore his arm off, which scared his sister and prompted her to flee into the forest. Though his parents died of broken hearts, he eventually managed to cope with his sister's disappearance, being orphaned and the loss of his arm. He was bullied throughout his childhood, until he decided to murder the other children who picked on him and hide their bodies in the forest. After Vargas Vallakovich found out, he recognized the young Izek's potential for violence and kept him as his personal enforcer. Izek remained loyal to Vargas until his demise.
Once in a drunken stupor, a fiendish figure appeared before Izek and offered him a pact. Since then, his crimson, demonic arm grasping a greataxe replaced his lost arm.
Before death
Years later, Izek witnessed the arrival of the adventuring party. Their arrival was joined by an attack of Strahd's vampire spawn, which was quickly dismantled by Izek, the party and the town guard. The party attempted to reason and recruit Izek, but he remained adamant regarding his benefactor's doctrine - "All is well in Vallaki" - even despite the overwhelming evidence of the contrary.
The evil Izek's menacing nature is visible in his interactions with other people. He bullied Gadof Blinsky, a local toymaker, to make him dolls resembling his lost sister, who kept appearing in his dreams. After Ireena arrived in Vallaki, he kidnapped her and stored her inside his room in the burgomaster's manor.
Eventually, the party made an attempt to overthrow the burgomaster. Izek stood his ground against the adventuring party, but he was swallowed by a Bag of Devouring and the revolution installed Cezar on Vargas's former position.
After death
Surprisingly, this was not the end for Izek, as thanks to his pact he was reborn. A few hours later he crawled out of the Bag of Devouring, with his memories entirely cleaned, and his ghostly former self permanently attached to him.
This new Izek has joined the party that initially caused his death - he accompanied them in the excursion to the Amber Temple, attempted to save the tree on Yester Hill and slayed the hags in the Old Bonegrinder.
Izek quickly gained overwhelming power - he became capable to perform a nova-like burst of slashes, causing enough damage to slay an adult dragon in six seconds. With this newfound potential, he slayed the undead form of Argynvost - a dragon's animated corpse.
At Ravenloft Castle
Izek participated in the final showdown in Ravenloft Castle, but to his surprise, his greatest adversary Strahd did not fight them back, instead falling apart before his brother's reincarnated persona. Despite that, Izek never felt mercy towards Strahd.
An unexpected turn of events quickly caused Izek to gain a new foe - Patrina Velikovna has performed the same ritual that brough Strahd to power. Though Patrina granted the party free passage out of Barovia, Izek opposed to taking her offer - eventually killing her and freeing Barovia for several months until her return.
Epilogue
After his adversaries' defeat, Izek was granted a wish of his heart's desire by the Luck Blade, wielded by Murmur - thus he became the owner of a farmhouse south of Vallaki. Despite this being his greatest wish, he opted to instead gift the mansion to Gadof Blinsky, a man once intimidated by him to the point of outright fear. After this act of generosity, Izek left Barovia, never to return again.
Rumors say that following his departure from Barovia Izek became a legendary monster slayer, travelling the Forgotten Realms and defeating its most fearsome creatures. His exact fate, though, remains unknown.