Dorn Il-Khan

Dorn Il-Khan was a half-orc blackguard and a companion of the Bhaalspawn known as Gorion's Ward, in the late 1300s DR. Hailing from the Spine of the World, Dorn spent many years operating as a bandit in Luskan, before being double crossed by his colleagues and left for dead. His anger at this betrayal attracted the attention of the demon Ur-Gothoz, who restored and empowered Dorn with demonic abilities, in return for his service. Dorn encountered Gorion's Ward whilst pursuing revenge, and together they were able to kill Dorn's betrayers.

Personality
For Dorn, strength and self-reliance were the highest virtues. He was intensely distrustful of others, even before Simmeon's band betrayed him.

Early years
Dorn Il-Khan was born in the Spine of the World, into the Il-Khan tribe of orcs. His father was an orc warrior, and his mother was a human slave. When their tribe was destroyed by a rival group of ogres, mother and son escaped to Luskan. As he matured, his enormous strength and reputation for violence drew the interest of a band of mercenary adventurers led by a human named Simmeon. Other members of the band included Senjak, Dorotea, and the necromancer Kryll, with whom Dorn had a love affair. The group was fairly successful, raiding ancient temples and overcoming all obstacles they encountered. Such was their success that rival outfits began spreading false rumors about Dorn and his companions, claiming them to be grave robbers and simple thieves. Local noblemen began sending soldiers to thwart Dorn and his companions. Hoping to stop these efforts through a show of force, Simmeon decided to raid the town of Barrow. The town's inhabitants proved feeble resistance to the mercenaries, and they were all put to the sword, women and children included. With the slaughter complete, the other members of his band turned their weapons on Dorn. They intended for him to take the blame for the massacre at Barrow, diverting suspicion away from the rest of them. The hope was that, if the local nobility believed they had captured the group's ringleader, the other members of the mercenary band would no longer be pursued.

The plan worked, and Dorn was left behind defeated to assume the title of "the Butcher of Barrow" on his own. Imprisoned in a Luskan jail cell and awaiting execution, Dorn was enraged at his colleagues' betrayal. So great was his rage that it drew the attention of Ur-Gothoz, a powerful demon. Ur-Gothoz offered Dorn a bargain: in return for Dorn's service, the demon would imbue him with a portion of its own power, and aid in Dorn's revenge. Dorn accepted, becoming Ur-Gothoz's blackguard champion. He broke free from his cell, killing the guards and the people who had tormented him during his month-long stay.

Vengeance
After nearly a full year of searching for his betrayers along the Sword Coast, Dorn encountered Gorion's Ward at the Friendly Arm Inn. Dorn rudely dismissed the Ward after mistaking them for a servant. Shortly after, Dorn and the Ward crossed paths once more. The Ward had been ambushed by Senjak and Dorotea, which Dorn simultaneously had finally tracked down. Dorotea tried to bargain with the half-orc, but Dorn held no interest beyond revenge. Together, Dorn and the Ward killed Senjak and Dorotea. Sensing the Ward's power, and at the urging of Ur-Gothoz, Dorn chose to accompany them, in return for aid in his own personal vendetta.

A while later, Dorn came across a lead on another of his duplicitous colleagues, the necromancer Kryll. Taris, a woman from Nashkel, knew of Kryll's whereabouts, but found Dorn too frightening to talk to. Dorn asked for the Ward's help, thinking a softer touch would get Taris talking. Gorion's Ward proved up to the challenge, and learned that Taris's husband had disappeared east of the Nashkel mines, in the tow of a mystery woman. Dorn recognized this as Kryll's modus operandi: luring men away to use in necromantic spells. With Taris's information, Dorn tracked Kryll down. Kryll was not pleased to be found, using her abilities to raise a group of skeletons to attack Dorn and the Ward. Dorn ended the life of his former lover, and on her corpse he found a letter from Simmeon revealing his location outside the city gates of Baldur's Gate.

Dorn found Simmeon precisely where the letter had placed him. Simmeon was well prepared for their meeting, having used a fortune on diviners to gain information about Dorn, including the source of his demonic powers. Simmeon, too, had become a blackguard, serving one of Ur-Gothoz's rivals. In the ensuing fight, however, Dorn emerged victorious. With Simmeon dead, his revenge was complete. Dorn elected to stay in the company of Gorion's Ward, as both he and his demonic patron relished the violent nature of the Ward's quest.

The Crusade
After helping Gorion's Ward kill the Bhaalspawn Sarevok Anchev, and destroying Anchev's last lieutenants, Dorn struck out on his own once more. The lands north of Baldur's Gate and south of Waterdeep were being pillaged by the Shining Crusade, an army led by Caelar Argent, a powerful aasimar warlord. Ur-Gothoz ordered Dorn to slay Hormorn, a priest devoted to Caelar, in the midst of an enormous religious gathering of crusaders. Dorn dared not question his patron, and predictably failed at killing the priest. He was captured by another of Caelar's followers, the half-orc known as the Barghest, and found himself imprisoned yet again in a crusader camp outside of Bridgefort. Gorion's Ward, on a quest to end the Crusade, came across the caged Dorn and freed him. They joined forces once more to spill crusader blood.

Following the Bhaalspawn
Dorn attempted to stay close to Gorion's Ward as their star shone ever brighter. During this time, the marilith Azothet offered Dorn the chance to be free of his patron Ur-Gothoz if he would instead serve her and trap Ur-Gothoz in the sword known as the Abyssal Blade. Dorn could betray his longtime master, switching alliegance to Azothet; remain loyal to Ur-Gothoz and instead bind Azothet into the sword and be rewarded for his loyalty or decide that he didn't want to be beholden to either entity and betray them both, losing his blackguard powers in the process.

Dorn's actions however, had earned his name a place in the heavenly Book of Retribution. To prevent constant attacks by celestial servants, Dorn and Gorion's Ward led an attack on Lunia to erase their names from the book.

Possessions
Dorn owned a magical greatsword named Rancor, which grew more powerful for a time after slaying an enemy. Entirely black, and covered in inscriptions, Rancor emitted a faint humming noise in Dorn's presence.

Dorn later came into the possession of the Abyssal Blade which he used to trap a powerful fiend, whose fury empowered the sword's magic.

If Dorn remained loyal to Ur-Gothoz, he was rewarded with a magical silver mask called The Visage.

Relationships
Dorn was very enthusiastic about Gorion's Ward's status as a Bhaalspawn. He saw himself as the right hand of the next Lord of Murder, and enjoyed the fame and glory that came with the association.

His relationship with his mother was difficult for him. She had tried to protect Dorn from the beatings he'd received from the other orc children, but was prevented from doing so by his father. This taught him the self-reliance that he believed had served him so well as he matured. He was frequently disgusted at his mother's weakness and the way that she offered herself to the men they met on the way to and inside Luskan (thereby choosing to remain a slave instead of exercising her newfound freedom). After murdering those men, he resolved to abandon his mother, reasoning that he'd be all the stronger for doing so.

Appearances

 * Fiction:
 * "Unburdened"
 * Dragon+ #18: "Rancor"


 * Games:
 * Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
 * Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
 * Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

Connections
Dorn Il-Khan