Dash Whiskers

Art by Peepi

**Dash Whiskers** is a member of the *Deadbeats* party. This rookie protector with the Xiros Defense Force was partnered with veteran detective Logan Horn as his new protegee. Idealistic, naïve and honest, Dash heavily contrasts his cynical new boss. However, Dash's good heart proves to be a guiding star for them both in even the darkest circumstances. He is played by Dodger.

## Description

### Appearance

Dash Whiskers is a tall, muscular human male with fair skin and short ginger hair. His hair styled as a messy fauxhawk with shaved sides. His face matches his chiseled physique with a pronounced jawline and high cheekbones. Dash's eyes are a sharp green in color, which is further emphasized by black eyeliner and a beauty spot beneath the left one. When he channels his holy powers, Dash's eyes glow a deep purple. His left arm is also tattooed with a black sleeve with a fiery design, inscribed on him by Victor von Cicero.

Dash normally wears a collared white button-up shirt with his sleeves rolled up, and black pants held up by striped suspenders. During his time as a XDF prot, he would also wear a grey tie with white diagonal stripes and a brown suit jacket. Dash also has a single green stud in his right ear, which accounts for his only form of jewelry.

As a child, Dash was short and slight as his growth was hampered by the long-term illness that he suffered from. He retained much of the same features, though his hair was longer and messier with no set style.

On the other end of the scale, when magically aged by a ghost, Dash possessed a full beard covers his face with some grey patches. Similar grey hairs also pepper his hair, which maintains the same style. His face also becomes more weathered and wrinkled, giving him a strong resemble to his father's own face.

### Personality

> *"Are you okay?"*
>
>
> *"I'm fine! Don't get yourself killed, though."*
>
>
> *"Thanks, D'rask, that's really sweet."*
>
>
> *"No, like... I mean you're weak!"*
>
>
>
> *"Oh... Well, I've got you, so I'll be fine."*
>
>

> - Dash Whiskers and D'rask
>
>

Dash is a very kind, if naïve individual. he's always super excited about working his job and is easy to get along with.

## History

### Early History

Dash Whiskers was born on the Ark of Alabhastar as the youngest child of the Whiskers clan. The Whiskers were an old family with a long history of devotion to Haio, the Ionian God of Nature and Neutrality, and its current iteration was no exception. Dash's father, Tucker Whiskers, was a zealous and ambitious cleric who sought to further spread her influence across the Shattered Planet.

Tucker's overbearing nature made Dash's childhood difficult, as he was treated less as a son and more as a conscripted soldier. The young boy lived in constant fear of his father's disapproval, even going so far as to call him "sir" when addressing him. This discomfort was further exacerbated by Tucker's clear favoritism towards Dash's older brother Cooper, and the emotionally distance between the young boy and his mother. Though his father's shadow constantly loomed over him, Dash did find some reprieve in nature itself, often spending a lot of time outdoors camping and learning survival skills.

### Meeting the Hellebores

By the time Dash had turned seven, the Whiskers family had settled in the town of Keld in the Austrin region of Alabhastar, where Tucker was cultivating his flock. Dash and Cooper would often be drawn into the flock's activities, with Cooper getting a starring role as Tucker's designated heir. Dash, however, was a sickly child whose attention wandered easily. One day, after one of Tucker's sermons, which took place in a grove north of the town, Dash was reprimanded for his lack of devotion to Haio by his father. However, as he was heading home from the grove of Haio, Dash encountered an unfamiliar family of four who had just moved to the area. Said family were the Hellebores, another old family with a somewhat disreputable history. Ecstatic of the prospect of friends for her children, the mother Evangeline introduced Dash to her son, Piper, a slight shy boy approximately the same age as Dash. Realizing he had other places to be, Dash hurried away shortly after the introduction, though not before visit Piper soon.

Dash and Piper quickly became close friends, spending nearly every day together after their first meeting. In addition to playing games of pretend, the two would often watch movies together, several of which were inappropriate for children of their age, and hunt bugs, sometimes accompanied by Cooper and Piper's sister Lily. Dash felt a liberating comfort while in the Hellebore's home, being so far removed for the strict and demure lifestyle he had known until then. This sense of belonging was further amplified about one year after the Hellebore's arrival, when a young woman named Ayla Fern moved in to study under Evangeline Hellebore. Ayla would often spend her free time minding the children, and the young Dash became quite attached to her as well. However, not everything was as idyllic as it seemed. Dash's time with the Hellebores drew the ire of his father, who inherently distrusted science and modern medicine, of which Dr. Ignatius Hellebore was a skilled practitioner. The feeling proved to be more than mutual, as both Ignatius and Evangeline found Tucker to be sanctimonious and ignorant in equal measure.

### The Knight and the Princess

The unsteady peace between the two families lasted another year, during which Tucker's preaching had earned him a sizable following and a exuberant church to his deity where the grove once stood. However, as Tucker's power strengthened, Dash's strength weakened away. Over the past year, the sickly Dash had contracted a treatable illness that had developed into a life-threatening condition, primarily due to Tucker's neglect of his son. Eventually, Dash's condition had deteriorated to the point that the boy did have the strength to walk. Rejected any medical aid, Tucker viewed his son's illness as a test of faith from Haio. Determined to succeed in this "trial", Dash's father carried him to the crypts outside his church and placed the boy within. Before leaving, he instructed Dash to pray to Haio with all his heart, telling him that if he had enough faith in Haio, he would be cured. As for the alternative, Tucker assured Dash he would be welcomed into Haio's arms should he die. Dash was then locked in the dark tomb overnight, shivering and struggling to pray as his father told him.

Some time into the night, Dash's feverish praying was interrupted by the appearance of his friend Piper, who had come looking for him. Dash relayed his father's instructions to Piper and insisted that he stay in the crypt to prove himself worthy. Realizing his friend was at death's door, Piper suggested that they go see his father, which Dash pointedly refused. Rather than giving up, Piper changed tact, suggesting instead that the two play a quick game before Dash went back to praying. Offering his back, Piper suggested they play a game of "the knight and the princess", only this time Dash would be the princess and Piper the knight. Convinced by his friend, Dash weakly got up on Piper's back, who then carried him back to his father's workshop.

Losing both energy and consciousness, Dash was laid on the bed as Piper pleaded with his father to cure his friend. After some debate, Ignatius was moved to assist the sick child, deciding that Tucker's ire was worth the risk. The doctor swiftly realized that Dash's once simple illness was now far beyond its traditional cure and that drastic measures needed to be taken to save him. Taking out a syringe of a powerful unknown substance, Ignatius injected Dash with the experimental medicine. Though painful for the young boy, Dash's fever eventually broke, and Ignatius declared that the boy was going to live. Satisfied, Piper then carried his friend back to the crypt to spend the rest of the night in the hopes Tucker might not know what had been done.

### No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

The next morning, Tucker returned to the crypt to find his son both alive and in good spirits. Dash informed him that he had spent the night praying to Haio and she had sent a miracle to save him, something his father was elated to hear. However, Dash innocently explained that the miracle had come in the form of the Hellebores. Tucker's mood immediately darkened as he demanded his son to tell him what they had given him. Stammering in fear, Dash replied they had given him medicine and that they were only trying to help him. Though angry at his son, Tucker rationalized that the Hellebores were, in fact, the test Haio intended for him, and they were the source of all ill his flock had suffered. Dash attempted to plead with his father to be merciful, only to be aggressively silenced in response. Frightened and helpless, Dash watched as his father stormed out of the crypt to enact his holy vengeance.

Later that night, Tucker, wrapped in a zealous fury, amassed his followers by the church and denounced the Hellebores as an evil that must be purged. Whipped into a frenzy, the angered mob marched to the Hellebore's home and put it to the torch decided to throw the Hellebores out of town by gathering his followers and burning down the Hellebore household. However, Ignatius had already anticipated this response, and he and his family were nowhere to be found by the time the mob arrived. Using Ayla's contacts in Qethos, the Hellebores left Alabhastar for good.

### Broken Vows

Over the next few years, Dash was left to grow up alone and fulfil his duty to Haio as per his father's instructions. Despite his previous ill health, Dash grew into a healthy tall young man with a strong build, owed perhaps in part to Dr. Hellebore's medicine. Upon reaching maturity, Dash deemed worthy enough to pledge himself to Haio and receive her blessing as a paladin of her order. Just as his older brother had done prior, Dash performed his oath as instructed. However, Dash did not receive of the same gifts his brother had, despite his best efforts. Unbeknownst to him, another being had interfered in his oath, and taken it on for their own purposes. Dash came to believe that his oath had not worked, and he had no understanding of what power he actually possessed. Frightened by his power, Dash suppressed it as best he could, despite its growing influence over the following years.

At some point after his oath was made, Dash mustered up the will to leave his father's flock and pursue his own path. The exact details behind his departure are unknown, but Dash effectively cut off all communication with his parents and left Alabhastar. The only contact he maintained was with his brother Cooper, though sparingly and both maintained and unspoken agreement not to really discuss each other's personal life.

### New Prot on the Block

Now old and confident enough to live on his own, he moved to the city of Xiros on Qethos. His intention was to become a protector with the Xiros Defense Force. Dash began his training for law enforcement. During his time on Qethos, Dash would occasionally run into his old friend Piper, who had become a somewhat troubled young man with a criminal history. Despite their previous connection, such meetings were infrequent and Dash routinely lost touch with his old friend. One such incident they shared was the reanimation of Dash's cat Cheddar, who stayed with Dash even after Piper had left.

Eventually, Dash completed his training and was welcomed onto the XDF force as a rookie prot. As part of his induction, Dash was partnered with veteran detective Logan Horn, who was to act as his mentor until Dash's probation ended. Logan proved to be a somewhat difficult mentor, his curmudgeonly and cynical nature sharply contrasting Dash's optimism and high spirits. However, Dash still found himself learning much from the experienced detective. Some short time after being inducted, Dash and Logan went on their first real case together. A Raccling petty criminal had been hacking shard terminals across Xiros to illegally steal credits from its populace. After some investigating, Dash and Logan tracked down the felon and placed him under arrest. Elated at their success, Dash dragged Logan to Hob's Diner for a celebratory pie, much to his chagrin.

## Mechanics

#### Paladin Abilities

* *Divine Sense*
* *Lay on Hands*
* *Fighting Style*: (Interception)
* *Divine Smite*
* *Divine Health*
* *Extra Attack*
* *Aura of Protection*
* Oathbreaker Abilities
	+ *Oathbreaker Spells*
	+ *Channel Divinity: Control Undead*
	+ *Channel Divinity: Dreadful Aspect*
	+ *Aura of Hate*

#### Spell List

##### 1st Level

* *Bless*
* *Compelled Duel*
* *Hellish Rebuke*
* *Inflict Wounds*
* *Shield of Faith*
* *Thunderous Smite*

##### 2nd Level

* *Crown of Madness*
* *Darkness*
* *Lesser Restoration*
* *Zone of Truth*

##### 3rd Level

* *Animate Dead*
* *Aura of Vitality*
* *Bestow Curse*

### Special Abilities

#### Unstable Divinity

When you cast a Paladin spell, roll a d20. The effects are determined on the following table

### Notable Items

* *Dave* (Custom Weapon)
	+ Damage: 1d8 Bludgeoning
	+ Properties: *Heavy, 2-Handed, +1*
	+ This weapon gives you a +3 to AC. This does not stack with shields.
	+ As an action, you may use the ability **Bulwark**, giving you a +2 to AC for the round as well as 1 Legendary Resistance. If you use the Legendary Resistance, you cannot use this ability again until you finish a long rest.
* *Fiendish Tattoo*
* *Guardian Emblem*
* *Wand of Angling*
* *Heart Locket*
	+ You may place a picture of someone in this locket. While holding it and you use the Interception fighting style to protect the person in question, you further reduce the damage by your Con mod.

## Etymology

"Dash" is an English word that has multiple meanings. It can be used to describe the act of running or travelling swiftly or something coming into forceful contact with something else. The word "dash" can also be used to describe a type of flamboyant and impetuous vigor or confidence.

"Whiskers", also called vibrissae, are a type of stiff, functional hair possessed by most mammals and some birds and fish. They usually grow in clusters along the sides of the creature's face. As a result, Whiskers is a traditional name for cats. The term "whiskers" has also become a slang for facial hair on humans.

The name "Whiskers" may also be derived from the English surname "Whisker", which is related to other surnames like Wishart and Wesker. These surnames are all supposedly derived from the Norman-French words "viscr" (meaning "wise"), and "ard" (meaning "brave" or "bold").

## Trivia

* According to SummersSalt, who has synesthesia, Dash's art evokes the scent of sunflower seeds and fresh concrete.
* According to Dodger, Dash Whiskers was designed to have a personality resembling a Golden Retriever. His first name comes from a list of popular names for this dog breed she found online, a trend which extends to other members of the Whiskers family.

## Images

### Official Art

Dash Whiskers as he appeared in Deadbeats Season 1 & 2. (Art by Peepi)Dash Whiskers as he appears in Deadbeats Season 3. (Art by Peepi)Dash channeling his innate necromantic magics, manifesting as a purple light. (Art by Peepi)Dash as a child (Art by Burdrehnar)Dash magically aged to 47 years old (Art by Dodger).