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.

Years before her return to Appalachia, Duchess purchased an Assaultron named Polly. Duchess bought Polly for a low price because Polly had her guns stripped away before intending to be retired. 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, while Duchess calls Polly 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. Polly 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.

Quests

 * Wayward Souls: Duchess is met at the end of this quest, being held hostage by Batter.
 * Hunter for Hire: Duchess requests the Vault Dwellers find a way to get Roper and the Free Radicals to leave the Wayward alone.
 * The Elusive Crane: Duchess reveals the truth about Crane and will help the Vault Dweller find his treasure.

Other interactions

 * Duchess is first found in the Wayward being held at gunpoint by Batter, demanding information on someone named Crane. Luckily for Duchess, Mort ambushes and kills Batter, saving Duchess' life. Even if the player character intervenes and tries to talk Batter down, most options in conversation lead to the same result in Mort killing Batter with his 10mm pistol, or through a joint effort with the player characters. After which, she can be spoken to by the Vault Dwellers about the incident, and she asks them to help her out by luring members of Batter's group to their C.A.M.P. to find out who their leader is and deal with him so she won't have to deal with them badgering her regarding Crane anymore. She also serves as a vendor, selling various goods from her tavern, including Duchess's Dram, her own personal brand of liquor.
 * If notes about the Duchess of Welch have been discovered from the quest Find Duchess's Stash, the player character can ask Duchess if they're the same person. Duchess explains that she is not the same person (i.e. she's turned a new leaf) and that the Duchess of Welch from before the Great War is not the same person she is now, and deeply regrets the suffering she's caused as a former drug kingpin.
 * If the player joined the Free Radicals, Duchess and her group will be held hostage by Roper. The player can betray the gang which will result in a bar fight.
 * After completing The Elusive Crane, she gives the Vault Dweller a discount of around 25% off her inventory.

Appearances
Duchess appears Before the update, she was only mentioned in the game.