Diergu-Rea Duhnes'rd

Diergu-Rea Duhnes'rd was a Weequay bounty hunter during the Galactic Civil War, and the mate of Solum'ke. A devoutly religious being, Duhnes'rd preferred to take low profile bounties with a high chance of success, building up a reputation as one who excelled at his trade. Some time during his career, he met fellow Weequay and clanmate Solum'ke, and the two became lovers. They also formed a bounty hunting team, proving immensely successful as partners.
At one point, the two lovers took time out for a holiday on Zelos II, though they were eventually persuaded to join a treasure hunt. A group of Qwohog spacers, led by K'zk, accompanied them out into the Great Zelosi Sea towards Zelosian's Chine, where it was rumored that hoards of priceless treasure were hidden in underwater caves, only accessible during the Day of the Sepulchral Night. En route, they encountered two shipwrecked Corellians, who eventually joined them in their hunt. Eventually reaching Zelosian's Chine, Duhnes'rd and Solum'ke found a vast quantity of treasure, though they were forced to evacuate when the caves began to flood. They had been double-crossed by their companions, however; they were left stranded in the sea, though they retained a small amount of their plundered treasure and vowed to enact their revenge on the Qwohogs and Corellians.
==Biography==
===Early life===
A Weequay male from Sriluur, Diergu-Rea Duhnes'rd became a bounty hunter, building up quite a reputation as a violent and driven warrior. He was quite cautious, only taking bounties that were unlikely to be life-threatening and those that were highly profitable. A devout member of the Weequay religion, Duhnes'rd worshiped a number of gods, and made annual pilgrimages to his homeworld during the holy days of Quay, the leader of the Weequay gods; after these journeys home, he would often return with an even greater lust for hunts and profit, making him a dangerous individual.
Duhnes'rd eventually met Solum'ke, a beautiful female Weequay native to the same clan as his own, and the two became a successful bounty hunting team in the Zelos system and the sector in which it was located. Duhnes'rd was deeply in love with his mate and made great efforts to please her. Solum'ke was just as tough and capable in a fight as Duhnes'rd, and often helped him out when the Weequay bounty hunter found himself embroiled in cantina brawls. At one point, the two lovers took time out from their line of work to visit the scenic planet of Zelos II, at Solum'ke's suggestion.
===Treasure hunt===
The two spent many nights romancing in upper-class hotels, visiting tourist locations, drinking in cantinas, and gambling in local casinos. Duhnes'rd was growing worried with the amount of credits he was spending, though he had enough to see them through several more days and purchase passage off-world when they decided to leave. While Duhnes'rd wanted just to relax for their holiday, Solum'ke was ardent for some adventure. When a group of Qwohog spacers offered the two Weequay bounty hunters a chance to make a huge amount of money, Solum'ke was able to persuade Duhnes'rd to spend practically all of his remaining money to rent a sail barge for the evening.
The Qwohogs told Duhnes'rd and Solum'ke of a massive coral outcropping, located on the far side of the Great Zelosi Sea, named Zelosian's Chine. It was alleged that a great treasure of crystals and jewelry was hidden in the Chine's caves, left there by a long dead Zelosian merchant prince two hundred years earlier. Zelosian's Chine was inaccessible nearly all of the time, as the tides were far too high for anyone to enter the caves without drowning. However, every dozen or so years, during the Day of the Sepulchral Night, the planet's fourth moon would eclipse, causing the sea's tides to recede far enough to expose the caves where the treasure was supposedly hidden; many ambitious treasure hunters journeyed there whenever this occurred. The Qwohog were allergic to salt water, and the native Zelosians were afraid to venture outside of their homes during the Day of the Sepulchral Night, so Solum'ke and Duhnes'rd were the only beings able to assist the Qwohog leader, K'zk, in exploiting this rare opportunity. The two Weequays agreed to pay the cost of a hired sail barge and enter the caves to loot the treasure when they arrived at their destination; they would split the profits fifty-fifty with the Qwohogs.
===Journey to Zelosian's Chine===
A practical man and something of a pessimist, Duhnes'rd reluctantly agreed; though he felt it was a monumental waste of money, he knew it would please Solum'ke, who found the idea of a treasure hunt both fascinating and romantic. Duhnes'rd made little effort to hide his pessimism, though when he realized that Solum'ke had been hurt by some of his comments, he lightened up and told her he loved her. Midway to Zelosian's Chine, one of the Qwohog crewers noticed a wreck far off to the sail barge's starboard side. As they moved closer to the wreck, they noted that it was a smaller, sportier wave-skimmer, surrounded by melk, native rodent-like sea predators. Although he was loath to enter the water, Duhnes'rd had little other option than to take a sail raft over to the wreck to search for survivors, as the Qwohogs were unable to go near the water. Accompanied by Solum'ke, he ventured toward the wreck, finding two Human survivors—Corellians, supposedly on their way to a tourist destination.
The wrecked wave-skimmer had hit a cluster of rocks, and between the jagged rocks and the carnivorous melk, only two males named Hanugar and Sevik were left in one piece, while over a dozen had either drowned or been killed by the predators. The two Weequays took the two aboard their sail barge, though did not reveal their true motivations in crossing the Great Zelosian Sea—like the Corellians, they too were "sightseeing." The Qwohogs dined with the starving Corellians, though they were all careful not to mention their true intentions. Eventually, K'zk's spotters noticed what they believed to be Zelosian's Chine; Duhnes'rd maintained his skepticism, however, so that his partner would not be disappointed if it turned out to be nothing more than a wild bantha chase.
===Deception===
The two Weequays and Sevik debarked in a three-person repulsor raft while Hanugar took a one-man skiff toward Zelosian's Chine; the Qwohogs waited anxiously on the sail barge. Duhnes'rd and Solum'ke entered the cave, moving through tight, winding passageways, though they found no treasure; the only objects inside the huge caves were the remains of previous treasure hunters. Eventually, the group stumbled upon a goldmine of various treasures: urns, crystals, ancient statues, and other valuable items littered the cavern's floors and walls. The two hunters began scooping up handfuls, knowing that the treasure's wealth would see them through life. Duhnes'rd also hacked open a huge, wooden chest filled to the brim of gems and gold.
However, their celebrations were brought to a premature close when large amounts of water began to enter the cavern. As the water started to surge in the wake of the waning eclipse, the three had to hurry out of the cave and back to their starship. They reached it in time, though Sevik was nowhere to be found. As they entered their raft, the two Weequays noticed Sevik climbing aboard the sail barge several hundred meters away, huge sacks filled with treasure on his shoulders; he had used a repulsorlift belt to escape. Realizing they had been deceived by the Qwohogs, and that the aliens were in cahoots with the Corellians, Duhnes'rd cursed them. They departed, rich with treasure, leaving the two bounty hunters stranded in their raft. All was not lost, though, as the bounty hunter had managed to fill his own pockets with wealth and had slipped a necklace of green crystals onto Solum'ke's neck. Resolving to track down their betrayers, the pair waited for another ship to come along and rescue them.
==Personality and traits==
Diergu-Rea Duhnes'rd was known to be quite a violent being, and he had no qualms about harming others if it led to profit. He was always mindful of how much money he had at any one time, and always took payment into consideration when considering a bounty. Duhnes'rd followed the Weequay religion with devotion, traveling to his homeworld, Sriluur, every year to partake in traditional Weequay pilgrimages. He worshiped numerous of his species' gods, as well as Quay, the main god.
Although he was considered violent by many, Duhnes'rd had a softer spot: he was deeply romantic at heart, and after he became Solum'ke's lover, he put her above all else, including bounty hunting, money, and gambling. He agreed to spend the last of his credits on Zelos II for her, hoping that it would make Solum'ke happy, even though he was less than pleased himself with the excursion. Duhnes'rd was different from his lover in many ways; where she was adventurous and optimistic, he was content to live an average enough life, and was both a realist and a pessimist. While Duhnes'rd did find his lover's spending habits irritating at times, he knew it was part of who she was, and accepted them.
==Behind the scenes==
Diergu-Rea Duhnes'rd was created by West End Games author Jean Rabe for Day of the Sepulchral Night, appearing in Star Wars Adventure Journal 13 in 1997, with illustrations by Matt Busch. It has been his only appearance to date, though Day of the Sepulchral Night was republished on Hyperspace and in Tales from the New Republic.
==Appearances==
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==Sources==
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*The Essential Reader's Companion
==Notes and references==
Category:Bounty hunters
Category:Males
Category:Weequays