#blob boy

My D&D Warlock, 5 years post-Barovia. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), he decided to use his weird Patron magic to join Ezmerelda in hunting monsters. Granted, the fact that monster hunting keeps him sharp definitely helps with his whole ‘eventually stage a coup that is SUPER not personally motivated murder’ thing. :P

A sneaky peek at my next blob boy/D&D comic : 3

Cas, earlyish in the timeskip! :P

As for questions .... he's the eldest child of the king, isn't he? Is he in line for a throne? You did say his father was disgraced for dark magic, so is he trying to get the power back?

Yeah! So in the canon of our campaign (as I understand it right now— anyone who’s ever played D&D knows this is only as accurate as my understanding of the story my DM’s building us is!) Casimir’s father was part of what I’d describe as an oligarchy? He was a king, but the country was large enough that a few different nobles handled sections of it.

Funnily enough, the country itself is hostile as hell. Harsh and unforgiving winters, mild summers, etc.

Anyway, Casimir’s father, Emhyr, and Casimir’s godfather, Simon, were old war buddies. Emhyr met Andrea, Casimir’s mother, and appointed Simon as head of the guard when he became king. Things are good for a while, until they try to start a family.

Unfortunately, Andrea died in childbirth and Casimir didn’t make it either. Emhyr was devastated; Andrea was the light of his life. He went to temples, begging god for answers or help, but got nothing. Simon, still alive, tried to get him to turn away from his pursuits… but stayed by Emhyr’s side even as he fell deeper and deeper into his desperation.

The country began to fall apart. The public didn’t know about Andrea’s passing, just that Casimir “had been born” and the family wasn’t making public appearances. To keep things running, Emhyr trusted some of his advisors with a little more power they could exercise in his stead.

Then, finally, he found a lead! A god who could bring the dead back to life, no matter how long they’d been gone or how they died; the Corpse Star.

Without any other options, Emhyr told his advisors to govern in his stead while he and Simon went to make contact with the ancient god. They eventually found it in Barovia, imprisoned within the Amber Temple.

Emhyr assumed the consequences of a bargain for his wife and son would land upon his shoulders, but strangely enough… there were none. His wife and son were returned to him, and only he and Simon knew the truth of who’d made it possible.

Now, it’s important to understand a few things before I get to this next bit. 1. The Morninglord is one of the only major gods in their part of the world, and 2. magic is exceedingly rare. For Emhyr to suddenly return with his wife and son who should definitely be older than he is, it didn’t take much for people to start talking.

But what did it matter, really? Emhyr found that his advisors had done an excellent job of running things in his absence, so he took the opportunity to step back and enjoy the time he now had with his family. Sure, maybe Andrea was sometimes prone to fits where she saw and heard things that weren’t there, but they were brief— a small price to pay for having her back in his life!

Emhyr and Andrea had Dosia, their daughter, about a year after they returned, and things were good. Eight years went by; Casimir and Dosia were enjoying the best in education, both being prepared for their eventual responsibilities. Simon had a soft spot for Dosia and high expectations of Casimir, mirroring his opinion on Andrea and Emhyr respectively. Emhyr had completely turned his attention away from governance, and left unwatched, the advisors he’d given power started to make moves.

They fanned rumors that Emhyr had engaged in terrible dark magic, and that the whole family was blessed by some entity outside the divine. Preying on social unrest, it culminated in an uprising. The people of the kingdom tore through the palace, killing everyone they could get their hands on. Andrea and Emhyr left Casimir and Dosia in Simon’s care while they tried to bide time, and that was the last Casimir, Dosia and Simon saw of them for almost a decade.

Simon, desperate to secure a life for these kids, took them far away. He made a deal with a noble house in exchange for safety and shelter; he would work as a guard, and Dosia’s hand would be promised to their son when both Dosia and the noble’s son (Heinrich) came of age. This secured not only a fair life, but education and prospects for Dosia.

However, to sell this, Simon presented Dosia, not Casimir, as the sole heir to the kingdom they’d left behind. Marriage would only be a good bargaining chip if Dosia brought assets to the table, and they wouldn’t be hers to barter with Cas as the next in line. So, she was the Czarn’s only child, and Casimir was a servant that she was particularly fond of who’d managed to make it out alongside them. He would continue to be a servant in the noble family’s employ, and Dosia was treated like family.

So, Casimir is a prince, but he wouldn’t ever bring it up in conversation. It used to be solely because he was told not to, but as he’s gotten older… Dosia is really his main anchor, and she’s been given all the social, academic, and diplomatic training he hasn’t. By merit of having different prospects, Dosia is far more book-smart than he is, and he’s fine with that. He thinks that she’ll have a better life as queen, and he’s (currently) happy to stand aside and pave the way for her. He thinks she’ll do a better job than he will, especially because— much like his mother, Andrea— he’s prone to hallucinations. Thanks, Corpse Star!

Granted, for him, the hallucinations were all aberrations from the Astral Sea trying to get in touch with him seeing as he’s, well… their god? As I’ve mentioned, the bargain that Emhyr struck left Casimir paying the price. In rebuilding Casimir’s body when he was so young, The Corpse Star decided to take that form for itself as a means of escaping its prison. This has put a serious rift between himself and his parents, who didn’t fully understand what had happened, and he’s put space between himself and Dosia because he doesn’t want her to see him differently.