Korin Duskbane
Born Korin Oakhart. Also referred to as Khorin / Korion in some records.
Basic Information
| Full Name | Korin Oakhart (now Korin Duskbane) |
| Species | Human |
| Class | Paladin 10 (Oath of Vengeance) |
| Archetype | Stormsworn Avenger |
| Age | 30 |
| Alignment | Chaotic Good |
| Background | Soldier |
| Spirit Steed | Loki (via Faithful Steed) |
| Spellcasting Focus | His parents’ wedding rings, worn on a cord around his neck |
| Personal Quest | Hunt and destroy Laudna Briarwood |
Archetype — Stormsworn Avenger
A wrathful paladin who channels divine fury through storm and steel. Korin’s Oath of Vengeance drives him to hunt those who prey on the innocent, wielding his massive glaive with devastating precision while lightning answers his rage.
Oath of Vengeance Features
- Vow of Enmity — Channel Divinity to gain advantage on attacks against a sworn target for 1 minute
- Abjure Foes — Channel Divinity to frighten up to 3 creatures within 60 ft (DC 15 Wis save)
- Relentless Avenger — On opportunity attack, reduce target’s speed to 0 and move up to half your speed without provoking
- Aura of Protection — Allies within 10 ft gain +3 bonus to saving throws
- Aura of Courage — Allies within the aura are immune to the Frightened condition
- Paladin’s Smite — Divine Smite always prepared, cast once per Long Rest without a spell slot
- Faithful Steed — Find Steed always prepared, cast once per Long Rest without a spell slot (summons Loki)
- Extra Attack
Feats
- Great Weapon Master — +4 damage with Heavy weapons; Hew (bonus action attack on crit or reducing a creature to 0 HP)
- Tough — HP maximum increased by 20 (+2 per level)
- Defense — +1 AC while wearing armor
- Savage Attacker — Roll weapon damage dice twice, use either result
Weapon Mastery
- Glaive (Graze) — On a miss, still deal damage equal to ability modifier
- Halberd (Cleave) — On a hit, make another melee attack against a second creature within 5 ft
Defenses
- Resistance: Lightning
- Immunity: Frightened
Languages
Common, Dwarvish, Elvish
Backstory
The Child
Korin was born in a peaceful village near Nicodranas, the son of Marcus Oakhart, a retired Crownsguard Paladin renowned for his valor, and Elara Oakhart, a kind woman devoted to their farm and the local temple of Pelor. He and his older sister Faye (two years his senior) lived a peaceful childhood. Marcus, though no longer in active service, instilled in Korin a strong sense of justice and duty, sharing stories that highlighted courage and righteousness.
When Korin was twelve, a horrifying, incurable plague — a creeping, unnatural blight that withered life — swept through their village. His mother Elara was among the first to fall ill. Despite Marcus’s desperate prayers and remedies, she weakened daily.
The Dwendalian Empire, in a drastic measure to contain the outbreak, quarantined the village. Their solution was brutal: the village was to be razed. Soldiers killed the adults and burned the houses to eradicate the plague. Marcus, a Paladin to his core, refused to abandon Elara, perishing with her.
Korin and Faye hid inside their home, undiscovered by the soldiers — but not by the flames. As the house collapsed around them, Korin was knocked unconscious amid the burning wreckage. Faye was never found. In Korin’s memory (he was only twelve), she died alongside their parents.
The Soldier
During a grim post-raze patrol, Captain Eva Rostova discovered the unconscious boy — a lone, soot-covered child amidst the ashes of his home. Rostova, a seasoned Dwendalian officer, took him under her wing. The horrors she witnessed during the razing led her to retire from active service, unable to reconcile the cruelty she had been part of.
Under Rostova’s stern but fair guidance, Korin was pushed into military training. Grief and simmering rage became his constant companions, fueling an intense dedication to his martial studies. He excelled, his pain channeled into becoming a formidable combatant.
On Korin’s eighteenth birthday, Rostova sat him down and presented him with a small, worn velvet pouch. Inside were two simple gold bands — his parents’ wedding rings, recovered from the fires, still perfectly intact. She had kept them safe for him.
As Korin clutched these precious mementos, Rostova revealed the terrible truth she had uncovered: the plague was no accident of nature. It was the deliberate, malevolent work of a powerful necromancer named Laudna Briarwood. The Dwendalian Empire’s own investigation had reached the same conclusion.
Although Laudna shares the infamous Briarwood name — the same family that once seized Whitestone — Korin has no idea of any connection between them.
For the next two years, Korin became consumed. He obsessively studied any text, rumor, or record he could find on necromancy, on Briarwood, and on the signs of her dark magic. Rostova, understanding what drove him, did not try to dissuade him. Instead, she equipped him with skills for survival beyond the structured life of a soldier — tracking, foraging, navigating the wilderness, and discerning lies from truth.
The Relentless Avenger
Seeing the righteous fire in his eyes but also the danger of all-consuming hatred, Rostova guided him. She spoke of his father’s legacy, of true justice versus blind revenge. She made Korin swear an oath: that he would use his strength to fight the greater evil that Briarwood represented, that he would show no mercy to the wicked who preyed on the innocent, and that he would protect those who could not protect themselves by any means necessary.
As he swore this vow, clutching his parents’ rings, he felt a surge of divine power answer his call. It was then he cast aside the name Oakhart — a name tied to a life and family reduced to ash. He became Korin Duskbane, for he would be the bane of the darkness that had brought such a terrible dusk to his world.
His parents’ rings became his sacred spellcasting focus — a conduit for his divine power, a constant reminder of what he had lost and what he fought for.
Faith & Divine Power
Korin was initially associated with the Dawnfather, common among the Crownsguard and military institutions around Nicodranas. Both Rostova and Marcus followed the Dawnfather. But it was never Korin’s true calling.
As a Paladin, Korin’s power does not come from devotion to a god — it comes from the sheer force of his will and oath. He is not a holy crusader in any traditional sense. He is not devout to the Stormlord or any deity. He simply made a pact driven by purpose, and his conviction was strong enough to answer.
The Road
Around his early twenties, with Rostova’s blessing, Korin left military service and set out alone, his singular purpose to find any trace of Laudna Briarwood and bring her to justice. Years passed on the road, following cold trails and whispers.
Then news reached him: Rostova had passed away peacefully in her sleep, an old woman who had lived a full life. The news struck Korin deeply — his last tangible link to a stable past was gone. There was no home to return to, no mentor to seek counsel from. The only way was forward, deeper into the shadows, his oath his only guide, his parents’ rings a comforting weight against his chest.
Combat Style
Korin fights with overwhelming force — closing distance with his spectral steed Loki, locking down a sworn target with Vow of Enmity, then unleashing devastating two-handed strikes with Wrathful Avenger. Great Weapon Master and Savage Attacker ensure each blow hits like a thunderclap, while Graze mastery means even near-misses draw blood. His Relentless Avenger feature lets him chase down fleeing enemies, and Abjure Foes can scatter groups before they close ranks.
- Wrathful Avenger — +11 to hit, 1d10+11 slashing, Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed, Graze. Grants the Stormlord’s Wrath cantrip.
- Divine Smite — Lightning-infused melee strikes
- Vow of Enmity — Advantage on all attacks against a single sworn enemy
- Loki — Spectral steed summoned via Faithful Steed
Vestige — Wrathful Avenger
- Already awakened — changed by Korin’s own will
- A testament to his strong-willed nature
Notable Equipment
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Wrathful Avenger | Attuned magic glaive. Grants Stormlord’s Wrath cantrip. His primary weapon. |
| Ring of the Tempest | Attuned. Source of his lightning resistance. |
| Half Plate | Primary armor |
| Splint | Backup armor |
| Salamander’s Scale | ×6. Carried from the party’s adventures. |
| Parents’ Wedding Rings | Spellcasting focus. Worn on a cord around his neck. |
Personality
- Strong-willed, protective, and straightforward
- Drinks from the bottle
- Deep-seated skepticism of grand institutions and their brutal pragmatism — shaped by the contrast between the Empire’s callous destruction of his home and Rostova’s personal integrity
- Believes true justice requires a personal, unwavering hand, unswayed by politics
- Deeply invested in the mystery of Laudna Briarwood and her connection to Ariameia
Key Moments
- Won arm wrestling against Gregor the goliath
- Carried the king’s body (Kaelor IV Cheon) out of the Obsidian Prison
- Threw Laudna Briarwood’s doll away while cursing after her defeat
- Lightning smite attacks were decisive in defeating Varkath
- Ambushed and cursed by Sylva Goldenroar outside the desert camp on the road from Nanaze toward Drar
Crystal Ball & Mirror Visions
- Crystal ball: Saw Laudna Briarwood — an elf with green eyes, red hair, white streaks, similar to an older Ariameia. Laudna noticed the scrying and laughed.
- Enchanted mirror: Showed him a red-haired elven woman with green eyes resembling Ariameia
Relationships
- Marcus Oakhart — Father. Retired Crownsguard Paladin. Died defending Elara during the razing.
- Elara Oakhart — Mother. Devout of Pelor. First to fall to the plague.
- Faye Oakhart — Older sister (2 years older, currently 30 if alive). Separated during the razing. Korin believes she died. He would not recognize her today. Her fate is unknown.
- Captain Eva Rostova — Foster mother and mentor. Retired after the razing. Trained Korin. Passed away peacefully years later.
- Laudna Briarwood — The necromancer who created the plague that destroyed his village and killed his family. Central to his life’s purpose.
- Ariameia — The mirror and crystal ball visions connect her appearance to Laudna. The resemblance troubles him.
- Brennan — Sent Korin a telepathic message about finding Elmin Borvis.