Duchess

Duchess, or Maude, is the owner and operator of the Wayward in Appalachia.

Background
Prior to the Great War, Duchess worked as an ER nurse for three years. 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. She also had a hand in the automation riots by procuring weaponry for the blue-collar miners. 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.

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. Recently, Duchess has been experiencing problems with aggressive patrons questioning her about someone named Crane.

Appearances
Duchess appears