Duchess

Duchess, or Maude, is the owner and operator of the Wayward in Appalachia.Visit with Officer Whitehead
==Background==
Prior to the Great War, Duchess worked as an ER nurse for three years.Mordecai McCoy: "How's the leg, Sol?"Sol: "Getting there. Won't be winning any foot races for a while. But Duchess took a look at it. Said she used to be a nurse back in the day."Mordecai McCoy: "Duchess? Our Duchess?"Sol: "Apparently. Seems like she dressed the wound well enough. I don't think she was yanking my chain."Mordecai McCoy: "No shit. "Duchess: ""Mordecai McCoy: ""(Mordecai McCoy, Sol and Duchess' dialogue) After leaving the profession, Duchess found a new calling as a drug kingpin operating out of Welch, dealing chems such as Buffout. She had an enforcer called Butch and a client named Roberta Decland during this time. Her operation was large and successful enough to attract attention from government agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms and Lasers.
She cooperated with a crooked cop named Gerald Whitehead, although he began having second thoughts about her practice and he informed her she was being investigated. Duchess instead warned Gerald about his own dire predicament due to him associating with criminals like her. She managed to evade investigators through bribes and blackmail.Case notes: DuchessSurveillance system tape - 8/08/77 She also had a hand in the automation riots by procuring weaponry for the blue-collar miners.Your order's arrived If she is asked about her life before the war, she will mention that she worked in "pharmaceuticals" and "made some friends and lots of enemies."
Duchess managed to survive the bombs somehow and the wealth and supplies she accumulated helped her get through the apocalyptic conditions better than most people. She left Appalachia and although she considered the region to be her home, the stories of the Scorched Plague and monsters demotivated her from returning. When she heard people were returning to find a treasure, she figured the stories were probably made up to scare people away. After returning to Appalachia, she wanted to put her old life behind her, feeling that the Duchess in Welch disappeared when the bombs dropped, a symbol for erasing her past.Vault Dweller: "There was a woman down in Welch who went by the name Duchess. Any relation?"Duchess: " "(Duchess' dialogue)
Duchess owns two robots. One of them is an Assaultron she bought years ago named Polly. Duchess had Polly reprogrammed to dial back her tactical protocols and add a personality. However, Sol felt Duchess would boss Polly around like a servant. The other robot is Bessie which Duchess bought for a low price because Bessie had her guns stripped away before intending to be retired. Duchess calls Bessie a "pack ox-forklift hybrid" she never knew she wanted.
In 2103, Duchess is the owner of the Wayward, a recently constructed tavern and inn near the overseer's camp in the Forest. She traded nearly all of her wealth in order to get the Wayward running and considers the establishment to be her legacy. Bessie also helped carry the materials to build it as well. Duchess is friends with a ghoul named Mordecai "Mort" McCoy who is the Wayward's most loyal regular and he lends a hand to Duchess when needed. She is known to make and sell her own alcohol.Inside the Vault - Meet Duchess and Mort
Recently, Duchess has been experiencing problems with aggressive patrons, particularly a gang called the Free Radicals, questioning her about a treasure hunter named Crane. Though the full relationship between Duchess and Crane is not entirely known, it is known that the two previously interacted when she found him at the Wayward, sitting on the front porch. Crane was gradually turning into a Scorched after searching for treasure in the Gauley Mine. At his request, Duchess restrained him and locked Crane in the Wayward's second floor storeroom. Even after Crane became a monster, Duchess could not bring herself to mercy kill him.
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interactions overview===
===Quests===
* Wayward Souls: Duchess is met at the end of this quest, being held hostage by Batter.
* Hunter for Hire: Duchess requests the Vault Dwellers find a way to get Roper and the Free Radicals to leave the Wayward alone.
* The Elusive Crane: Duchess reveals the truth about Crane and will help the Vault Dweller find his treasure.
===Other interactions===
* Duchess is first found in the Wayward being held at gunpoint by Batter, demanding information on someone named Crane. Luckily for Duchess, Mort ambushes and kills Batter, saving Duchess' life. Even if the player character intervenes and tries to talk Batter down, most options in conversation lead to the same result in Mort killing Batter with his 10mm pistol, or through a joint effort with the player characters. After which, she can be spoken to by the Vault Dwellers about the incident, and she asks them to help her out by luring members of Batter's group to their C.A.M.P. to find out who their leader is and deal with him so she won't have to deal with them badgering her regarding Crane anymore. She also serves as a vendor, selling various goods from her tavern, including Duchess's Dram, her own personal brand of liquor.
* If notes about the Duchess of Welch have been discovered from the quest Find Duchess's Stash, the player character can ask Duchess if they're the same person. Duchess explains that she is not the same person (i.e. she's turned a new leaf) and that the Duchess of Welch from before the Great War is not the same person she is now, and deeply regrets the suffering she's caused as a former drug kingpin.
* If the player kills Crane before Duchess has the chance to fully explain the situation, she will be furious, although Sol tries to justify what happened, saying Crane was a danger.
* If the player joined the Free Radicals, Duchess and her group will be held hostage by Roper. The player can betray the gang which will result in a bar fight.
* After completing The Elusive Crane, she gives the Vault Dweller a discount of around 25% off her inventory.
==Inventory==
==Notes==
* It is possible for Duchess and Sol to have a rare conversation together (see Notes on Sol's article).
* If the patrons are attacked, Duchess will tell them to "knock it off" and call them clowns and nimrods, urging them to take it outside, although she does not say anything if the patrons are killed.
==Notable quotes==
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==Appearances==
Duchess appears only . At release, she was only mentioned in holotapes and notes. The Wastelanders update introduced her as a living human character.
==Behind the scenes==
Duchess appeared briefly during the Fallout 76 5th Anniversary stream, interrupting her voice actor Paula Tiso. Duchess says, "Well, well, well, you're here. Don't appreciate being leaned on. Some sort of party, apparently? Said it'd be nice for me to pop by and say "happy something" or other. Is that what I can get ya? So I guess I'll say it. Happy anniversary. Happy five years to Fallout 76."
==Gallery==
FO76 Duchess gunpoint.png|Duchess being held at gunpoint by Batter
FO76 Duchess gunpoint2.png|Duchess being held at gunpoint by Batter
FO76 WL Duchess.png|Duchess with Mordecai McCoy in the back
FO76WL_Duchess_2.jpg|Duchess in a conversation
FO76 Sol Duchess.png|Sol and Duchess fighting Free Radicals if the Vault Dweller joins them
FO76 Duchess shotgun.png|Duchess fighting the Free Radicals with a weapon
Duchess Vault Girl.png|Duchess in the Vault Girl style standing near Vault 79
Fallout Magic Duchess, Wayward Tavernkeep.png|Magic: The Gathering card
Fallout Magic Duchess, Wayward Tavernkeep Extended Art.png|Extended Art
Fallout Magic Duchess, Wayward Tavernkeep art.jpg|Card art
==References==
Non-game
Category:Fallout 76 mentioned-only characters
Category:Wastelanders human characters
Category:Wastelanders merchants
it:Duchessa (Fallout 76)
ru:Герцогиня
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