Dane Barnette

"Sometimes I'd come around here and just...kick the bucket!"

-Dane Barnette

Dane Barnette is a main character in the Ringbearer Chronicles campaign arc. He is known for being happy-go-lucky despite immense emotional trauma, and he is currently a reaper of the Astral Plane.

Pre-Campaign
Dane Barnette grew up with his loving parents and older brother, Trevor Barnette, in Applegate. He was always viewed as the "favorite child", much to his brother's quiet shame. He aspired to be a forge cleric who worshiped Mystra, the goddess of magic. He studied the subject of arcanocrystalography, which is the study of imbuing crystals with magical properties.

Dane and Trevor were walking home from the Applegate market one night when they were mugged by a group bandits. Trevor sacrificed his life to save Dane, and Dane had to drag his body back to his home, terrifying his parents. They held a funeral, and Dane was incredibly distraught. One day, he accidentally ran into a family heirloom--a perfectly shaped crystal that would hold immeasurable amounts of magic. Thinking about his knowledge of the crystals, Dane decided that death would not be the end for his brother, and he decided to steal ironwood, a strong metal, from Tom Highcastle, who was a family friend.

Having assembled all of these things, Dane forged a suit of armor with a bucket as the head, and a crystal in the chest cavity. He then used only his sheer willpower, begging the universe to give him his brother back. At first, nothing happened. Then, Trevor returned from the grave, saying he had only been gone for minutes. Dane was overjoyed, but then realized that he should hide with his brother for a while to evade the authorities looking for whoever stole the ironwood.

The Ringbearer Chronicles
Dane and Trevor were approached by Eric Rendriel, a logger for the International Coalition of Casters. He also gave the brothers acceptance letters to the Ringbearer's Guild.

Death and Reassignment
While battling the corpse of Jerrus Bigelow (which was being controlled by Glaucon), Dane was killed. Trevor attempted to save him, but he was too late.

Dane then woke up in the Astral Plane, where he woke up on a floating island in the middle of space. He was immediately accosted by the Vanth, and they took him to their lord, Soranus. Soranus accused Dane of Antithetic Reconstitution (incorrect method of resurrection) and gave Dane two options--be sentenced to become a mindless soul wandering the plane, or become a reaper of maligned souls for the rest of eternity. Dane chose the latter option.

While in the Astral Plane, Dane met Ulara Kane, a long-dead citizen of Applegate. The two became fast friends, bonding over their love of bucket-kicking. Soranus eventually told Dane that he must travel to the edge of the Astral Plane to forge a blade from the paradoxical energy that borders it. Ulara volunteered to go with Dane to keep him company, and they set out. The trip took them a total of 30 years, but Dane eventually got the blade. Upon his return, Soranus forced him to reject his worship of Mystra and assume the power of the Vanth. Dane accepted, and was immediately sent back to the material plane, with a rad new outfit.

Items
Dane Barnette has a new set of Vanthian Armor, as well as a shield. He looks otherworldly in this, and in addition he has the Vanthian Blade--a paradoxical blade that forms to whatever weapon he needs it to be in that moment.