Character from Curse of Strahd by Tracy & Laura Hickman, Chris Perkins / Wizards of the Coast
Ireena's brother and the son of Barovia's late burgomaster — a good man crushed by the weight of protecting his sister from an enemy he cannot fight.
Ismark is called 'the Lesser' by the villagers, not because he lacks courage, but because he has failed to live up to the legend of his ancestor, Ismark the Great, who once stood against Strahd. The comparison is unfair and Ismark knows it — no mortal can stand against the Devil. But knowing this doesn't ease the shame. He is a broad-shouldered man with tired eyes and the kind of stubborn jaw that suggests he'll die before he gives ground. He carries a longsword he barely knows how to use and drinks more than he should at the Blood of the Vine tavern. His father just died — heart failure brought on by terror — and his sister has bite marks on her neck that she thinks he hasn't noticed. He is desperate, afraid, and running out of ideas. He'll beg strangers for help if he has to, and he has to. Despite his self-doubt, Ismark is genuinely brave and fundamentally decent. He will throw himself between Ireena and danger without hesitation. He simply lacks the power to make that sacrifice meaningful against a creature like Strahd.
Also known as: Ismark, Ismark the Lesser, Ismark Kolyanovich