Indira Duquesne

Indira Duquesne (a.k.a. Indy)

Indy knew all about the Duquesne legacy. Rialto saving Tellus AND getting the girl, to boot. But since that generation, Indira Duquesne was the first Aasimar to be born to the family. At the age of 20, Indy's wings literally burst forth from his back, disturbing and terrifying onlookers at his birthday barbeque. An unorthodox and dramatic manifestation of his latent celestial blood, the local clerics and medical scholars all determined that while being the first time any of THEM had seen it, that Indy's "affliction" would be neither contagious nor detrimental. They were right about the first half of that statement. From that day forward, Indy was driven by the desire to live up to Rialto's legacy, taking up an oath to always "look out for the little guys." Perhaps pulled by a celestial voice from beyond as is customary among Aasimar, or perhaps simply pulled by the desire to be the good he wished to see in the world, Indira Duquesne answered a call one way or another. Now he seeks to travel the world, tell tales, experience life, and preserve the peace of those who ask for no trouble beyond their own survival.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Indy has never been described as "imposing," but being nearly 220 lbs and in reasonably good shape from studying the blade, he's also no pushover. His somewhat above average strength is absolutely not given away by his outward appearance.

Body Features

Two pairs of seraphic wings sprout from Indira's back, along his shoulder blades. They are a pain in his ass but do very much function, affording the Aasimar a third axis of movement to compliment his already admirable agility.

His eyes seem to radiate a ring of green light encircling his pupils and standing out against his otherwise steely silver irises.

Facial Features

Indy usually keeps his facial hair trimmed into a neat goatee or a thin beard, as he is very picky about his own physical appearance.

He has the pale complexion and freckles often seen throughout the history of his family line. Though he has the silver hair of the Duquesnes, it’s accentuated by muted red streaks through the sides as a testament to distant ancestor Ithanya Ancilar's influence on his appearance.

Identifying Characteristics

It’s rumored that Indira has a Wharf Rats tattoo on his “heiney.”

Physical quirks

The wings are definitely considered a "quirk." Hawklike in nature, they are two distinct pairs of wings but they move in unison, synchronized sub-consciously.

Special abilities

Those wings aren't just for show. Indira has a flying speed equal to his walking speed, and thanks to the Mariner fighting style (at level 2), he also has an equivalent climbing and swimming speed. Indy moves with grace and purpose regardless of the method of travel and medium throughout which he travels.

Apparel & Accessories

Indy wears a layered combination of armors that afforded him similar protection to a suit of half plate armor while allowing for his unique anatomy. Generally he would wear a padded cloth shirt underneath a light breastplate, with a leather reinforced coat over top. He also sports a tartan sash across his chest that resembled the Duquesne plaid on his kilt.

Specialized Equipment

Unlike other aasimar, Indira doesn't have a radiance about him. His manifestation of divinity is more tangible and direct, and he doesn't glow and radiate in the way that many celestial beings would.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Indira is the phonetic spelling of a celestial word meaning something equivalent to “Igniting spark,” meaning Indy is literally named to be a fire-starter. Rebellion is in his blood and in his name.

Gender Identity

Indy identifies as male, but doesn't believe that the concept of gender can properly encompass the range of energies we experience as sentient beings.

Sexuality

Indy has no particular affinity toward male or female appearances or suitors in general. He's not overtly sexual but absolutely has hopes and dreams as well as desires when it comes to sharing intimacy with others.

Education

Indy barely made it through formal childhood education. Not one for absorbing lessons through reading and repetition, he never pursued any adult education. Learning through experience worked best for the aasimar, and he did so extensively with his wandering nature.

Employment

Indira worked at Raythanya’s, the bar founded by distant ancestors Rialto Duquesne and Ithanya Ancilar, but as a Wharf Rat, he did many jobs both seen and unseen.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Indy survived "on his own" as a member of the Wharf Rats and is another one of the well-adjusted adults created by the organization.

Failures & Embarrassments

Indira still found his wings to be incredibly embarrassing, having only been adjusting to them for the last five years. He didn't ask for any of this, and he's not one to complain, but he won't let you forget that the matter was never up to him.

Not one to dwell on failure, Indy is more concerned with the challenge of living up to his own hype than with letting himself or others down in a real and tangible sense of failing. Indira knows who he is and what he is actually capable of.

Mental Trauma

Every Wharf Rat is an orphan, and that brings its own scars. Indira has an inkling that his parents met an end due to foul play, and that he was an intended target as well. There were many who wanted to snuff out the Duquesne-Ancilar bloodline.

Intellectual Characteristics

Indy wasn't an overly smart man, but he wasn't dense, either. His thirst for knowledge offset his slower processing at times, because where many would give up on a study, Indira Duquesne would not abandon a pursuit until he'd gained something from the experience.

Morality & Philosophy

Rather than having an oath sworn before a god as a Paladin, Indy's paladin-like powers are manifestations of his divine heritage. His adherence to the tradition of the Duquesne aasimar and their uplifting of the downtrodden in the unsteady times of Tellus is what gives him his divinity, and his oath is to always "look out for the little guy"

Taboos

Indy loathes only one thing throughout the entire Multiverse, and that is oppression. People are dumb, they are flawed, and they aren't always working for others' or their own best interests. However, everyone deserves the chance to fuck up their own lives. "Some days we fail, but some days we succeed."

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Indy wants to be a force for good in the world. He knows his heritage is one of defending the defenseless, and truly believes that "he should simply because he can."

He follows the Tenets of Liberation as his code.
"Drive The Rebellion" - Chaos drives the revolution, which creates change. Be this spark for the betterment of others.
"Fallen Kings" - Leaders will become corrupt over time, be there to free the people from their tyranny.
"Free From Oppression" - Guide others from the path of evil and let them embrace their own choices and individuality.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Very "Street smart" but not so "book smart," Indy is more comfortable speaking to a vagrant than a regent. Despite having the silvered tongue for the latter, the company of the former always feels more welcoming to the former orphan.

Likes & Dislikes

Indy likes good music, good company, and loves good food and a good fight.

He's less enthused about pomp and circumstance, politics in general, and a bad fight.

Virtues & Personality perks

Indira Duquesne is tenacious and loyal almost to a fault. He has no problem bending the law, but his own morals are never up for debate.

Vices & Personality flaws

Indy's biggest vice is that he's never met a vice he didn't like.

Personality Quirks

Indy hears 75% of what you say, and 50% of the important parts.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Duquesne’s best friend, Kolin McKenzie, is rumored to be an heir to the McKenzie pirate legacy and fortune, but Kolin himself doesn’t even believe this claim despite being repeatedly contacted about claiming a mysterious interitance.

As a former and therefore lifelong Wharf Rat, Indy has contacts all over Pax, and is privy to far more information than one would often expect.

Family Ties

Two of the historical Heroes of Craysilt, Rialto "Ray" Duquesne and Ithanya Ancilar, are his direct ancestors on his paternal side.

Religious Views

Indira is a follower of Eostre, her themes of rebirth and renewal ones that he holds very personally close, especially since his own transformation. He holds a high reverence for those who follow closely their own faiths, knowing that some connections to the divine are less tangible than his own.

Social Aptitude

Always quick to fit in but often at great discomfort to himself, Indy has a mask for any crowd, and wore many hats in many moments. When able to "be himself," however, Indira is a far more thoughtful and contemplative individual than he'd ever let on in standard company.

Mannerisms

Indy is quick witted and enjoyed poking others with his sharp tongue, but it’s almost always for the laughs, as he doesn’t see fit to tear someone down unless they "earned it properly."

Hobbies & Pets

Indy is an avid musician... and it says here his other hobbies are "Getting absolutely goat tits bonkers off the wild leaf and freaking out squares..."

Speech

Often speaking a creole-like mixture of Celestial, Infernal, and Common, Indira has a deep drawl that would be hard to pin down as Greynor regional but definitely is distinct.

Wealth & Financial state

Indy pays his rent and has his gear, and that is about the extent of the "wealth" he's had.

Paladin of Free Will, defender of the little guy, Indy is always ready to carry on the Duquesne legacy of picking fights with anyone who places a boot on an undeserving neck.

Character Location

Cloud Nine

View Character Profile

Alignment

Chaotic Good

Age

25 years old

Date of Birth

24 Juno, 5798

Birthplace

Greynor

Children

Current Residence

An apartment above "Raythanya's," the bar that his ancestors once founded.

Gender

Male

Eyes

Silver, with green halo around the pupils

Hair

Silver-Grey with metallic red streaking.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Very cool-toned and pale with freckles.

Height

6'1"

Weight

215 lb

Quotes & Catchphrases

"Some days we fail, but some days we succeed."

"Better a knife through my chest than a boot on my neck"

Known Languages

Common, Celestial, and Infernal are all languages Indira speaks with fluency, often combining the three into a sort of Creole-adjacent mixture of colorful phrases. Using profanities and colloquialisms of all three languages in concert with one another, his rants and rambles are impressive even to those who can't make heads or tails of them.

Kolin and Indy: Fire and Ice

You had better be right about this hunch of yours, Duquesne.

Kolin McKenzie crawled through the cisterns behind Raythanya's, maneuvering deftly but far from "gracefully" through the muck and refuse that flowed through the plumbing in the city of Greynor. The bartender at the well-known establishment, and a fence for the local thieves' guild, it was Kolin's business to know his way around the city and especially "his" bar. A few steps behind, his partner in crime (as usual), Indira Duquesne, crept along. He matched his elder in grace and moved with more purpose, his larger frame providing more raw power than the lithe McKenzie, but youth and strength often deferred to knowledge and wisdom in delicate matters. Seven years his "mentor's" junior, "Indy" Duquesne was taller and broader. The half-elf was the spitting image of two of the old Heroes of Craysilt and the progenitors of his family line, Rialto Duquesne and Ithanya Ancilar, despite being several generations removed from these heroes of legend, and his green eyes burned with a savage curiosity that yearned to be satisfied. I swear to you, Kolin, I saw a pair of shady lookin' types using the cisterns outside of the bar as a dead drop. Heard 'em outside my bedroom window too. I wouldn't have you crawling through the shit unless I was serious... or far more bored than this, at least. Shrugging his shoulders, Kolin led on, carefully prodding and poking at any irregularities in the stonework of the cisterns the pair waded through for the next couple hours. Indira was by far the more trustworthy of the two, so Kolin searched harder than he would were it some less principled youth providing this scandalous claim. "Fire and Ice," people called the pair, Kolin's fiery temper and undeniable passion for life offsetting the calm confidence and collected actions of Indira. Just when he was about to call off the searching and hand Indy a friendly ass-whooping for the wild goose chase, McKenzie caught a loose stone in the wall of the drainage basin they wandered through. Directly underneath Indy Duquesne's second-story window, it lined up perfectly with what the young man told Kolin initially. Kolin pulled out a small cigar box, inside of which was a bag of coin and rolled up missives, parchment notes with apparent locations of robbery targets around Greynor. Indy, a lot of these targets are former Wharf Rats turned local merchants. A few are fellow Guild members. Whoever is doing these jobs has brass balls and probably the sense to back 'em up. The young man's silver hair bobbed into his face as he nodded emptatically. Absolutely right, Kolin... what are we gonna do about it? The bartender shot a look back at his young barback and close friend, barely on the precipice of adulthood. Indy was strong, agile, and he had a charm about him that could not be denied. But he wasn't ready for this step up in the game, still too gentle, too trusting. Perhaps he'd always be, and there were other ways a guy like Indira could help the cause... We are doing nothing about it, young Duquesne. Head back inside, take care of the customers, make sure the rest of the staff is moving along well. I'll be back in a few hours, gotta get the word to the Guild, see what oughta be done. Hopefully it'll be someone else's problem altogether, kid.

The Fun Aunt: Year 2

Life with Aunt Fyg was pure unfiltered chaos. Everything existed upside down and inside out in her world, and it was exactly what I needed at that point in time. She was the only person that I felt comfortable telling about the voices. She seemed to have an interest in the Celestials, and knew that my bond with that plane could invite those in residence on it into my consciousness. It was safe to learn about what was happening to me here… and not the wings, either. That was traumatic, don’t get me wrong. I’ll get there but for now we’re talking about understanding my ancestral bond. I can’t say who it is that speaks to me from beyond. Aunt Fyg is pretty sure she can, though, and is more than willing to insist upon it being Rialto Duquesne himself. She said she could see his energy around me when he was speaking to me internally. I never could get a straight answer out of her as to what that meant, just a faraway look in her eyes and a fond smile. She could see it, and it brought her her a great joy, but the words never came, just that look. She warned me to take care, said that I needed to consider the recklessness of my forebears when compelled to action by this guiding voice within. Said that “Ray died so much, he should never suggest anyone else live so boldly!” and at this point I knew that when Fyg got loud about something it was the gods’ honest truth. Aunt Fyg helped me with my mind, but the continued struggles with the transformation my body had undergone were less than her specialty. At her request, I returned home to Greynor, and sought out study at the Bardic College to further learn how to adjust to my new form.

Talking to Myself: Year One

Well, it’s now been a year since these damned deva’s wings of mine up and sprouted. Nobody’s ever had it on record as a “side effect” of celestial heritage before, I could well be the first. “Aunt Fyg” snooped her way into my life around that time, a pure chance meeting fueled by her intense curiosity and not much else. She knew Rialto, was one of the “Heroes of Craysilt” herself, but she didn’t know me. Well, she didn’t know me YET. Fyg had to see for herself the strange young man that just overnight grew into a deva, and was just as surprised as I was to find our mutual connection to the last Aasimar in my family line. It was a welcome connection, however, as the rest of the professionals that had come to examine me were very cold and uncaring to my plight. Of all the minds that had met to look me over and determine what was happening, only Fyglet, as she said Ray used to call her, was able to at least pin down that the transformation was both benign and had concluded in full, posing me no further threat of injury or harm. Fyg was therefore the only one I trusted with the talk of the voices. I knew Aasimar often received communication from beyond through a bond with a celestial spirit. What I did not know was how or if this would manifest for me, until the first time I heard the voice. It was faint at first, an intrusive thought in an unfamiliar tone and timbre. It “sounded” like a dictation, not a monologue. That was how I knew it was something different. Aunt Fyg knew I wasn’t crazy, and she helped me rule out several illnesses and the possibility of possession by an extraplanar force. At great length and after careful study, we determined I had, in fact, acquired a celestial passenger of my own. She’s said she’ll keep in touch, and help me pin down who this being is, what they want, and maybe even why I’ve manifested the gifts I have. Honestly, I’m just happy she’ll keep in touch. Aunt Fyg is delightful, and I understand why Rialto cherished her like he did. …. I don’t know how I know he did… why I would say he did… but it’s almost like I could feel that he did as I wrote those words. Weird little coincidences, am I right?

The Legacy of a Duquesne Aasimar: Prologue

I grew up well aware of my family name. I knew damn well what it meant, who people thought of when they heard of the Duquesnes. Rialto and Ithanya were legends in Tellus, real live demigods in their time. But that time, it was 350 years ago now. I'm as much a Hero of Craysilt as my childhood friend and smokin' buddy Kolin McKenzie is an heir to a pirate empire... well, maybe both of these things aren't so cut and dried, but that's a story for later. Point is, it's been ages since this name meant anything, hadn't even been an aasimar in the family since ol' Ray... until I came along. Now, I'm sitting here with a fuckin full set on my shoulders, realizing that just maybe I'm in this boat for a reason. The Duquesnes were heroes of the people, not of some country. In fact, Ray and Ithanya probably caused a revolution or two, hells, at the least, quite a few riots. My oath and my charge isn't to uphold righteousness, there are plenty of people in the world doing that. I'm here to be the brass knuckles that come out when the boss won't get his boot off your comrade's neck. I'm the pistol you smuggled in to that fascist's victory banquet. Sometimes freedom is born from chaos and violence, and I'm here to cause a scene while those who need escape find a way out. Just like ol' Rialto would want it.