Captain Dinora Dapplewing
"I heard some people call her The Iron Lady, or The Lady of Iron? Something like that, I don't know"
Description
A woman with a face so serious and firm it may as well be made of stone. Whether she’s dressed in regal attire or in a robe and slippers, Captain Dapplewing always manages to look elegant as fuck. She is often accompanied by her clockwork owls that record everything they hear. Dapplewing expects her students, who she refers to as "the elitest of the elite", to be committed and to maintain Strixhaven's image. She’s rumored to be severe in her punishments, and has demonstrated such by having clockwork owls spy on professors who displease her. However, her own constitution seems to be lacking, and she suffers frequent nosebleeds.Family
Dinora Dapplewing married into an owlin family, taking her spouse’s name. She’s indicated she doesn’t have a good relationship with her prior family and was eager to be rid of the Charming name.Year 1 Involvement
The F Squad first met the Captain during Orientation, when she gave an uncomfortable and intimidating speech. After the Tavern brawl, Dapplewing had all five members of the F Squad brought to her manor, where she interrogated them individually. She was condescending and made it clear she didn’t trust any of them.The Heist
Just before the first exam of the year, Professors Mirsha Gahlván and Quintorius Kand hired the F Squad to infiltrate Dapplewing Manor. The missing Dean Imbraham was locked inside an enchanted book held in the attic. The Captain called the professors conspiracy theorists for their warnings about the Oriq, a group she insisted didn’t exist anymore, and didn’t trust their assertions regarding the book and the dean within. When Dapplewing went on her usual business trip after exams, the F Squad broke into her manor, evaded her personal clockwork servant, and fought off Dragonsguard Junior Cadet Rampart Sooviij to secure the book. Incensed, Dapplewing summoned all first year students to the Hall of Oracles upon her return and demanded confessions. If nobody confessed, she would place groups of students into a zone of truth until someone came clean. The meeting didn’t go as planned. Shelley confessed to being told to poison the Captain’s wine (which they didn’t do), and other students began claiming to have done “something” wrong to interfere with the interrogation. Then Dean Imbraham walked in. The Captain dismissed all students save for the F Squad. The remaining faculty argued over whether the Squad should be punished or praised. In the end, the only punishment the F Squad received was a warning that their actions would be watched more heavily going forward. The professors who hired them were put on probation. This was a widely unpopular move, and led to campus-wide protests led by Rosie. The Captain eventually conceded and removed the professors from their probation.An Uneasy Friendship
Like Shelley, Koss also received a mysterious missive asking them to poison the Captain’s wine. They approached the Captain soon after, suggesting the Captain pour the poison into a bottle they won’t drink from so Koss could convince the sender that they’d done as asked, in hopes of drawing the poisoner out. The Captain confided in Koss that she was sick and didn’t have much time left. The Captain was also present at the Burninghammer Gala, accompanied by one of her owls. When The Collector attacked, he disguised himself as Dapplewing to throw off the F Squad. The fake Dapplewing didn’t have an owl with her, and Mistake confirmed the real one was asleep from the poisoned wine, with the owl nearby. During the fight, Koss disguised themself also as Dapplewing, and later made sure the press heard that the Captain helped stop the Collector in hopes of earning some good will.The Hit List
The next time the F Squad interacted with the Captain was in Krokt Tower. The Captain had received information that the Oriq was calling for the deaths of Professors Gahlván and Kand, herself, and all members of the F Squad. Now convinced the Oriq were real and the F Squad wasn’t her enemy, she offered her help and asked for theirs in return. She would seek out the Oriq among her staff, but the F Squad would have to find the first year student who’d been recruited. She provided the group improved equipment and extended her support to the professors. The F Squad uncovered Tobi as the Oriq among the first year students. He hated Dapplewing, and Strixhaven by extension, because of her investment in the railroad. The lumber needed led to deforestation around his family’s home. They were forcibly relocated to a city where they couldn’t find work and were forced to beg. Though his education at Strixhaven was free, it wasn’t enough to make up for the induced hardships, and the Oriq used this to sway him to their cause. After dealing with Tobi and the attack on themselves, the F Squad used a sending stone to warn the Captain and rushed to her manor. They arrived in time to pull the Captain from her home before Dean Kianne, Oriq infiltrator, blew it up. The F Squad captured the dean and Dapplewing took her into custody. Mistake used the opportunity to criticize Dapplewing for her lack of empathy and foresight, blaming her for the dangerous events of the year.Seeing Eye to Eye
To close the year, the Captain summoned the F Squad to the Hall of Oracles. Unknown to the Squad, she’d arranged for a more private initiation ceremony for the five of them, in which they would officially join one of the five colleges. While the F Squad appreciated the privacy, some of them were upset that they weren’t informed of what was happening, nor consulted about which family member(s) were invited as witnesses. Dapplewing ended the year wanting to right wrongs she’d committed before her illness took her life. Only time will tell how successful she will be…
Basics
History
Children
At Strixhaven
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