The Abbot

The Abbot (he is known by no other name) is the custodian of the Abbey of St Markovia in Krezk.

He is, in truth, a Deva who came to Barovia centuries ago. He was drawn to this realm by the presence of evil he sensed here and he sought the cleanse the land of it. Under unknown circumstances, however, he was bested by Strahd and is now a prisoner of Barovia like all its other residents.

He remains dedicated, almost single-mindedly so, to liberating Barovia from Strahd's clutches but he no longer believes direct confrontation to be a viable method. Instead, he has convinced himself that if Strahd were to find love and marry, it would soften his heart and he would free the people from their imprisonment.

To this end, he has crafted a flesh golem named Vasilika from the corpses of deceased villagers and is training her in manners and etiquette. He believes that he has crafted a superior companion for the vampire, one who will succeed where all of his other paramours have failed. He is a mysterious and distant figure to the villagers of Krezk and few know what to make of him. This air of mystery, coupled with the horrible noises often heard coming from the Abbey, have led some people to believe that he is Strahd is disguise. The Abbot maintains a dismissive and contemptible attitude towards the residents of Krezk as a result.

Mongrelfolk
At some point after arriving in Barovia, the Abbot made the acquaintance of a family of lepers called the Bellviews. The Abbot cured them of their disease but the Bellviews sought to be something more. They begged the Abbot to help them transcend the limitations of their human forms by grafting animal parts onto them. The Abbot, wanting to help, reluctantly agreed. His experiments on the family members proved to be a hereditary curse, and the Bellview family degenerated into incest and madness in subsequent generations.

The Abbot feels some measure of guilt about his role in this tragedy, and so he sees it as his responsibility to care for the descendants of the original Bellviews. He tends to the mongrelfolk as his flock, though the standards of care could leave something to be desired.

Current Events
The party has agreed to help the Abbot procure a wedding dress for his bride, though they remain dubious about the prospects of success with the plan.