Appears in: The Darke Crusade

Darklord Dakushna was the Lord of Kagorst, a major city-fortress in southwestern North Magnamund. Dakushna's main claim to power was his possession of the Doomstone of Darke, the most powerful of the seven Doomstones. Set in a magical weapon called the Nyras Scepter, the Doomstone gave Dakushna dominion over Kagorst and the neighboring Nadziranim stronghold of Akagazad, or the Red Stronghold. Dakushna therefore had a strong claim to the Archland throne during the civil wars, and his influence over his Nadziranim was also powerful, though some did switch allegiances to Darklord Gnaag. This influence, though, proved to be temporary for after Dakushna's death his Nadziranim revolted and took over Akagazad, meanwhile fighting against the Xaghash for dominion over Kagorst. A Nadziranim sorcerer is believed to have stolen the Nyras Scepter after Dakushna's death, and both Scepter and Doomstone disappeared. Later on, in the Nyras War, the scepter reappeared but the Doomstone was missing from its haft. The Warlord Magnaarn later, during the Darke Crusade, recovered the scepter and found the Doomstone hidden in the ancient Temple of Antah. Magnaarn, wielding enormous power, used the Doomstone to force the Nadziran rulers of Kagorst and Akagazad to aid him in his battle to gain control of Darke. Eventually Magnaarn was slain by Lone Wolf and the Doomstone was destroyed, along with the Nyras Scepter when the siege of Darke was lifted.

Darklord Dakushna's foul influence spread during the huge Darkland War when Gnaag and the unified Darklords attempted to subjugate all of Magnamund to their rule. He conquered many parts of Nyras and Lencia during that period, simultaneous with Darklord Ghanesh's campaigns at Lencia. On the other hand, Dakushna and Kagorst were the farthest bastions of Darkland rule with the exception of Darklord Tomogh of Gournen, Darklord Nhorg and Darklord Ghurch and the Nadziranim of Akagazad, the most western of the Darkland cities. This isolation enabled Dakushna to gain power over the Drakkarim population residing there, but Dakushna was also watchful to the north, for there in frozen Ixia lay the imprisoned Deathlord Ixiataaga. Ixiataaga was the powerful lieutenant of Agarash the Damned. When the Age of the Eternal Night was lifted, the Elder Magi sealed Ixiataaga in a magical prison at the highest spire of Xaagon. Ixiataaga had slain the native Ixians and sealed the once fertile land into a carpet of ice, and even from his cage of light he could influence those around him. The vile waves of evil emanating from Xaagon alerted the Darklords to not trespass the Deathlord's territory, for he could very well rise up against them and destroy them. Should Ixiataaga be freed from Xaagon, Kagorst and Gournen would be the first Darkland cities to suffer his wrath.

Dakushna controlled most of the Drakkarim in his area. A channel of water south of Kagorst in the Hellswamp was named after him, for it is as treacherous and foul as Lord Dakushna. During the civil war following Zagarna's death Darklord Dakushna's possession of the Doomstone of Darke made him a formidable contender for the throne.