#ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ʙʟᴀᴅᴇ ✦ duchess headcanon // meta

[ashenwinds]

In the Sea: You show no loyalty towards my master, I will ensure your existence is wrought with suffering and agony! I will hunt you down to the edges of the Shroud and drag you kicking and screaming back to my cozy little prison forever. Outside the Sea: I will still boast about my power even if it means nothing to you, but I will at least pretend to be friendly. If you are not afraid of me I will make you in due time.

In the Sea: I am the cruel skeleton lord! The one true ruler of the Sea of Thieves! I will only humour your words if you are groveling or begging to gain my favour. If you are not part of my following, be you strong or weak, you will be forced to your knees. Outside the Sea: I am still quite dangerous, but far more relaxed. If you prove to be strong and oppose me, I will fight and win. I seek power that I can control, to grow my hold, to find new places to conquer.

In the Sea: I may be the more friendly one out of the Ashen Lords, but I'd love to bring in some new test subjects. Pirates these days are so pathetic, even with having access to my creations. I seek a challenge, and have yet to find it. Pathetic. Outside the Sea: I will still be seeking out test subjects and a challenge, but far more curious about the surroundings and what sort of things can be gathered for my alchemy and weapons. And I guess I'll at least talk to people.

In the Sea: . . . . No. Outside the Sea: . . . . . fuck off

[ashenwinds]

one last thing for the night: Family is a very touchy subject for any of the skellies

Chi did love their parents and grandmother, but also greatly resented all for not letting them flourish and do what they wanted. They resented their parents for pushing them to be feminine, to be a housewife instead of going out on adventures. Yes, they did try to foster their child's adventurous spirit, but they would always tell Chi that eventually they would have to "grow out of it". They did get along better with their aunt, but she also did try to get Chi to become more empathetic -- when they wanted nothing to do with being extra kind to people who didn't deserve it. Chi was pretty close as well with their cousin, Kwang-Soo, both very much the trouble makers. Chi isn't exactly one for family, but they do find the comfort a family would bring around the other Lords and Flameheart. They never see themself "settling down and making a family" the idea makes them sick. Asking them about family is fine but not a great subject

Ruth was extremely close to her family, especially her little sisters. She did everything for them. Adored her father and mother, which made her father's death all the more traumatic for her as her mother withered away from grief. She chose to take her sisters to the Sea of Thieves in hopes they could have a better life. But alas, it caused even more strife. She ended up despising her sister Terra, wanting nothing but her to suffer a fate worse than those who were tortured by Warden Chi. it was her sister's fault their youngest sister, Sammy, ended up dead. Family doesn't mean a whole lot to Ruth after that -- she found far more comfort with the other Ashen Lords and Flameheart than with her own flesh and blood. Ruth would never settle but she does not deplore the idea of creating a family -- just don't ask her about her own family, that will get her quite angry.

Duchess is hard, because she despises all of her family except for her little brother. Family as a whole is a concept she finds deplorable -- why care for somebody who shares your blood if they did nothing but hurt you? Respect, love, admiration is earned not given automatically because of some stupid connection. But when it comes to Grimm, she is fierce about protecting that bond. He is all she has left of the past, the only good parts of what was before becoming a skeleton lord. She finds family or a similar comfort in nobody else. Perhaps at one time getting close with Flameheart, but that soon drifted away. She will get super prickly if family is brought up. NEVER talk to her about family unless it is about her sibling but even then just kinda avoid the subject

As for Flameheart. . . well, he's not at all what one would consider a family man. Yes, he does care for Junior in his own way, but it is not in the classic sense of how a father loves his child. He never had the parental love, his father out of the picture and his mother mostly absent. Never thrilled about the idea he could be a father one day -- in fact throughout his youth he despised the idea since he would have to get along with somebody enough to make the bond and have a child. He doesn't even find what had formed with the Ashen Lords with him to be 'family'. It is a twist of "these are my greatest weapons that I must keep alive" and "I guess I have some care for them since I made sure they returned". But never get on the topic of family with him. Don't try to tell him about how family is since he has a son. He raised Junior the way he saw fit, a legacy that may not be of his blood, but what good is blood and flesh to a skeleton? But just don't tell anyone that he really does care for Junior and is very proud of the accomplishments his child has done.

[ashenwinds]

Yes, hello, Duchess headcanon time - 7'9, was originally 5'10, has a family history of very tall women in her bloodline - absolutely hates it when people call her by her fleshie name, Lily. - really the only ones who know her original name are Duke, Grimm, Flameheart, Hammer, and Anvil, but she will get snippy with all but Flameheart for slipping up - older sister of Grimm ( primarily linked with @ignitedashes ), - he will always be her baby brother - she joined the Sea long before Grimm did, one who did suggest her brother to join when she got wind he had arrived as well - sasses him even if he is 2ft taller than her now - originally the cannoneer for the Burning Blade and became the First Mate when Flameheart took over - one of the highest ranking skeletons in the Armada, just below the Ashen Lords - She is the leader of the Skeletal Lords that guard the Fortresses, not only due to her seniority in the Armada but being the strongest and toughest out of the three - there is a reason she became the First Mate of the Burning Blade and remains at such a high position when only given the basic skeletal curse. - Not very talkative to those outside of the Armada, usually only speaking single words or broken sentences - this is often a tactic used on pirates to underestimate her and catch them off guard - extremely sassy when she does talk, but speaks in a low, calm tone unless she is excited // around others she can stand - mastery of dark magic, often using it when it comes to controlling crews or the times she will visit the Stronghold and assist Ruth or Chi - previously aligned with the Order of Souls so she learned their magic and improved upon it to torment her opponents - her magic mostly revolves around things like slowing down enemies, strengthening herself and others, poisoning, hallucinations and minimal healing // repairing of bones

[ashenwinds]

Also, since talking about Duchess: that necklace she has? It's not just a sentimental piece of jewelry. Much like the ones the Sisters of the Order of Souls wear, Duchess's necklace works and a conduit of her magic. When she had trained under the Sisters the first few weeks she was in the Sea, they taught her how to enchant it, to increase her magical strength as well as to be a locator. Although, unlike the Orders' necklaces, the crystal inside turned purple. Such necklace is sought out by the Order considering how strong Duchess had once been in magic and the fact it could assist them in easily locating more than just the skeletal lord herself

[ashenwinds]

Skellie Names

     Zhao Shen-Chi. ONLY known and Chi within the Sea of Thieves. The name the other Lords know is Zhao Chi but Flameheart knows the full name. Although they like to keep it ambiguous which part is their forename and which is surname, Shen-Chi is their forename.

     Ruth Ndiaye. She does not care about who knows about her full name, although it's mainly the Lords + Flameheart that know it. Ruth takes pride in her surname, considering the hardship her parents dealt with coming from two very different cultures.

     Lilian Baudelaire Walwyn. Never EVER speak Duchess's name around her or even ask others if they know it. She despises her old name and will refuse to respond to it. She will even get snappy at Grimm if he ever uses it. The name Duchess is one of the only things she has kept from her time as the First Mate of the Burning Blade

      Asier Ignacio. Nobody knows this name except for Junior. Not even his crew knows, nor the Ashen Lords. As far as anyone knows, there is no other name aside from Flameheart.

[ashenwinds]

bit of stuff from the Super AU for the skellies -- well. . . they are mostly flesh for the AU but still

Chi - as far as their family is concerned, Chi is dead. They ended up leaving in their early 20s with Flameheart, no word or whisper to their parents or family where they were going. - to their family, their gift of commanding fire was a curse, drew unwanted attention towards them so would tell Chi to suppress it. Their mother tried her best to teach them how to hide it, but their temperament made it difficult. - Despite their parents' dislike of Flameheart, Chi always made time to sneak away from their academics and train alongside the other three. - Chi is extremely prickly about people calling their gift a "curse" or "experimentation" due to how their parents treated them because of it. It is something they are extremely proud of, because it makes them more than a normal human.

Ruth - Ruth is one of three kids of her family with gifts. She controls fire and used it for experimentations. Terra controlled water, and Sammy controlled air. - She was the first one found by Flameheart, interested in another who controls fire. By this time she was living alone, promising her sister she would return when she gets more money - ends up never returning, moving to a new location and eventually finding out her sisters ended up going the hero route. - Loves to work on ways to improve their gifts, conscious of Chi's dislike of the term. She often cares deeply for the other Generals -- not completely the mom friend but she goes hard on making sure the others don't end up sick or worse

Flameheart - killed his way into his fortune -- killing both heroes and villains before stealing their riches. This is also the way he ended up taking in Junior. As far as Junior knows, Flameheart has always been their father - Nobody knows his true name except for his child. Everyone simply knows him as Flameheart. Often compared to the Grim Reaper or the Devil, as he comes in, causes death and destruction before moving on - He has moved around to multiple places, the ones he spent the longest time in is where he ends up picking up one of the Generals. Nobody knows exactly where he comes from or how old he is

Duchess - unlike the others, she is gifted with dark magic -- particularly with a specialty in necromancy. Uses it often to defend her territory or on the rare occasion she works alongside Flameheart - partially skeletal due to the decay of her flesh over time of using her necromantic powers but finds it useful since she can extend her life and others at the cost of some flesh - A bit more vocal in this world, but still quite sassy and snarky. Will still glare a person down just for speaking to her - really only works with Flameheart and nobody else, and it is usually Grimm to convince her to work with him. She prefers to work alone, only having Helmsman and Scoundrel working for her willingly. - the one people go to when they need a ritual done with no mistakes or questions asked

[ashenwinds]

Anonymous sailor sent a message in a bottle. . .

hc + swimming

↪   Send me hc + a word of your choosing and I’ll write a headcanon relating to that word

Swimming is a vital part of a pirate's survival, even if they are confident they will never sink. Chi knew how to swim before but it was in pools, so it was quite a different experience when they trained to swim in the Sea. It did become part of their daily routine later on for training while still flesh.

Ruth learned how to swim as a young girl from the pirates that frequented the tavern her mother worked at. It was one of the many things they would teach her ( and Terra later one ) when she would be dragged to the tavern with her mother. She didn't do it as much later on once becoming a General.

Duchess never learned how to swim until she became a pirate. There is a bit of trauma when it comes to learning, considering Cap'n decided the way she would learn would be to push her off the side of the ship and have her swim to land. It took a lot for her to feel comfortable to swim.

Flameheart actually quite enjoys swimming, although a bit hard as a skeleton since skellies just sorta sink. It had been part of his usual routine to keep in shape while he still had flesh, self taught with a few times of nearly drowning. The same training he put Junior through.

[ashenwinds]

Anonymous sailor sent a message in a bottle. . .

(I can have Graymarrow as my muse?? 👀 💜) (Haha!! It has been quite a while - but I AM BACK!) Anyways, I wanna know more about the Duchess. Just general things really :> I love how you portray these guys! Such huge wasted potential on Rare's part ;-;

↪   unprompted skellie ask

// 👀 Graymarrow you sayyyyy?~ and welcome back 🖤

But here's some fun things about Duchess! - fluent in French, but doesn't use it much anymore since it is a language not used in the Sea of Thieves. Oh but she has fun using curse words // phrases at people since majority of them will have no idea what she is saying. - does actually have a very pretty singing voice, even as a skellie -- although it does get a bit more gruff as a skellie and she sings less common. Usually only does so to herself when she's alone ( or thinks she's alone ) or teasingly at Grimm - did not have the peg leg before becoming a skellie. It was something that happened post-skelliefication, that also left her with replacing part of her left lower leg with metal -- with the help of Bonesmith much to her dislike. - also just know that she will sass the hell out of Flameheart or any other skeleton lord for that matter. She may not be the strongest of skeletal lords, but you can bet she will bring the sass down on any one of them

[ashenwinds]

Duchess is one who is quite fascinated by the merfolk and sirens in the Sea -- mostly by the siren and mermaid gems found around the waters. Not an alchemist like Ruth, it is more of an interest in what she could do with one magic wise. There is something with those gems that makes the magic in her bones tingle, especially the siren gems. The effect on pirates stolen by sirens and transformed into Ocean Crawlers absolutely piques her interest, and makes her often wonder what it could do if 1) enhanced with magic and 2) used on her skellies. Although, she absolutely despises sirens for them taking her skellies and turning them against her. She would have no issues whatsoever turning her magic onto a siren to see if she could turn them into skeletons

[ashenwinds]

Gonna talk about Duchess again since finished up making 75ish icons for her

Some of the sisters of the Order of Souls will get uneasy when a pirate speaks of Duchess. During her first weeks in the Sea of Thieves, the sisters had seen the potential in her, and started teaching her their ways. What unsettles them the most about Duchess is none of them could see any spec of the future involving her -- that she was able to block out any attempts to see her or the Burning Blade's crews' future. She was able to mask herself and her crew so the OoS would have no way to predict their movements -- to make it all a surprise when the Burning Blade's crew became skeletons and started turning pirates against the companies + Ramsey. The skulls of skellies under Duchess's command are highly sought out by the Order of Souls, considering they are enchanted with the skeleton lord's magic. It is a way for the sisters to try to counter Duchess's rituals and enchantments but also to understand and turn them against the skellies.

[ashenwinds]

It has been mentioned before, but Duchess loves to make people underestimate her. Most pirates when encountering her will assume she is just a bigger skeleton ; with the fact she does not talk making them think she is just as mindless as the minion skellies. But oh boy she is not. She has survived this long for a reason. Duchess is part of the reason Flameheart's bones are invulnerable. She is the reason the Ashen Lords are eternally loyal to Flameheart, for all the rituals going on prior to his death. Even with the deterioration of his armada, Duchess kept Helmsman and Scoundrel in check along with her group of skellies. She has yet to offer her spells and rituals to the Servant of Flame, mostly because she has yet to encounter many Reapers not looking to steal the treasures hidden in the Fortresses. She makes it seem like she is not a powerful Skeletal Lord to fool people. Deceive them into thinking they will have it easy, only to utter out single words or small sentences before shifting the tides to her favor. it has been a while since she has done such however, losing a lot of her drive to do such and her magical prowess. She finds it easier to just continue the act until something grand calls to her.

[ashenwinds]

sailor @deathsbecome sent a message in a bottle. . .

🚶‍♂️ (headcanon meme for duchess)

↪   Thematic Headcanons

hc + 🚶‍♂️ for a habit-themed headcanon

Duchess is quite the creature of habit, especially as her mental state starts to deteriorate due to the curse + isolation on the Fortresses. Going through old habits like her patrols is one of the few things that keeps her from completely losing her mind, although it becomes sort of a mantra, a necessity that at points she doesn't even realize she's doing it. Sometimes if pirates approach a Fortress when there is not active Fort, they may be able to spy Duchess going through motions -- patrolling, checking on the stability of the fortifications, scouting for ships, growling things under her breath, checking on her lil skellie minions.

[ashenwinds]

fuck it, romance // relationship headcanons because why not

Chi is highly to protective date-mate that will come off as highly possessive. Protect what is theirs to the bitter end -- also being a pirate they are very territorial. They like it when people get snarky back at them, show guts. Although, despite how prickly they can be, Chi does not mind at all physical contact like cuddling. . . just gotta be careful because they are a 10'5 skeleton covered in fiery hot crystals. Not one for gift giving, acts of service is very much their love language -- be it platonic or romantic.

Ruth is a bit more about making sure things are mutual before even bothering. She's got a lot of affection in her, but often it is stuffed down due to the history she has. Very much one that is okay with silent moments of her just hanging around the other -- just the other being there as she works or listening to her rants about alchemy or schemes. Very fond of physical touch as well, just another caution since she is covered in the fiery ashen crystals -- best to just hold her left hand. Her love language is quality time and gift giving

Duchess is hard because she lost a lot of her ability to have affection // attractions upon becoming a skeleton. Her ambition and cruelty was amplified with the curse, meaning it takes a lot for her to even get to the point of talking to somebody let alone have affection towards them. It would take ages even after that for her to be okay with the other touching her ( she does have some trauma of her past that makes her deeply adverse to physical touch which was also amplified with the curse ). Love language is mainly acts of service and quality time.

Flameheart just does not have much if any interest in a romantic relationship anymore. Never had the desire to be in a relationship ( what he had with Duchess was an odd occurrence for both ) and finds the needs of a relationship to be too time consuming. He has a Sea to conquer and then beyond, after all. Although, if somebody somehow got past the war-raging, fiery pirate king, they may find a gentleman. He was never properly raised to be a gentleman, so he can be a bit rough around the edges. His love language is gifts and words of affirmation

[ashenwinds]

there was originally a relationship going on between Duchess and Flameheart during their time aboard what would be known as the Burning Blade. A lot of it was Duchess had to beat it over Flameheart's head what she wanted -- not only interested in him for his looks and drive but also because they shared a lot of the same desires. She knew immediately when he joined the crew that he was significant. They did not start out as close with each other, considering both were vying for the First Mate position, but eventually they started to find equal ground and growing quite close. Close enough that Flameheart not only trusted Duchess with his plans to take the ship, but also his forename.

There is a lot of history between the two of them -- countless nights under Cap'n's nose planning and getting themselves worked up, a lot of pent up frustrations trying to agree on things turning into an intimate encounter. Even after Flameheart claimed the Burning Blade and made it his own ship, the two continued their meetings. Not even Hammer and Anvil know what happened between the two, but something caused their bond to break, and Duchess rarely ever returned to the Stronghold after that. The two very mature and adult skeletons avoiding seeing each other for decades. Only Hammer and Anvil are privy to the knowledge about Flameheart and Duchess's history -- and will not speak a word of it to anyone under the threat of being hunted by both. Such a relationship is highly unlikely to be rekindled

[ashenwinds]

Anonymous sailor sent a message in a bottle. . .

(Just tell me if I'm getting annoying lol) What does the Duchess like to do to pass the time? What are some of her favourite/least favourite things? I'd love to know more about her :>

↪   unprompted questions about the skellies

Duchess doesn't do a whole lot between fights. Most of the time it is either putting herself into a stasis beneath the sand to be awoken when enough of the skellies are defeated // she is roused, or she'll be spending time maintaining her magical prowess -- reading the books she herself or the skellies have stolen from the Order of Souls or using some of the skellies as practice for curses and buffs. A lot of the things she used to like have started to fade away the longer she is isolated from others and the curse takes further hold. Duchess was somebody who never had much of an attachment to things even from childhood ( except that she is protective of her little brother, that is a thing that has never changed. . . even if he is an Ashen Lord and easily capable of protecting himself ). She does like expensive rum and sweets -- the latter very hard to get in the Sea -- birds, quiet moments to simply read or enjoy the silence, an occasional party as long as its with her old crew or the Ashen Lords, and music. Adores music. Also does enjoy the gift of siren gems // jewelry made out of siren // mermaid gems. As mentioned before she absolutely despises when people touch her without her permission -- especially those with flesh. Never ever try to touch the necklace she has, and never try to give her cheep rum or grog. Not too fond of fire but will put up with heat being around the Ashen Lords, hates merfolk but has a decent relationship with the sirens.

[ashenwinds]

Anonymous sailor sent a message in a bottle. . .

(For all/any of the Skellies) What are their relationships like with each other? Do they like/dislike each other or are they kinda neutral? If they like each other, what makes them like each other? Or, if they dislike each other, what makes them dislike each other?

     ↪   unprompted questions about the skellies

When it comes to the skellies on the blog ( Chi, Flameheart, Ruth, & Duchess ) they all get along pretty well with each other. Varying levels depending on who is being talked about tho Of course, Ruth and Chi are extremely close with each other considering the countless days they have spent on a ship with each other, going through the curse at the same time. They are equally close with Grimm and Horatio -- inseparable, and they are often around each other since sharing the curse caused them to be stronger when around each other. Often found in the same room together or bouncing ideas off to assist each other in their skills. Or down in Flameheart // Reaper aligned taverns drinking. Joking around or bantering with each other even in the middle of serious fights. Flameheart and Duchess used to be very close during the time of the Burning Blade's crew. In the present time of the Sea of Thieves, they are not nearly as close. There is a bit of resentment towards Flameheart from Duchess, but it's not very deep. Something did happen between the two of them that caused the rift. Flameheart does care for Duchess, he just keeps his distance, especially after Duke's betrayal. Flameheart and Chi are pretty close but nowhere near as close as Chi is with their fellow Ashen Lords. Chi is fiercely loyal to him, the most passionate out of the four when it comes to that. Flameheart does sometimes get concerns about Chi considering how ambitious they are -- which is not a concern about their ability to succeed but the wonder if they would not stop. Although, if there is a party going on, you can bet these two are going hard on the spicy grog // rum. Ruth and Flameheart are the same level of close. Ruth is a lot more calm with her loyalty to him, but she will still burn all who say something ill about her master. Another who will join in on a drinking contest with Flameheart and will try her damned best to win. He does respect Ruth not only for her craft but also just how fiercely she protects her creations. Enough trust in her as well to consult with her on his plans from time to time. Chi with Duchess is more of a distant friendship -- Duchess having been on the Fortresses mainly when they joined and only having a long-time visit after Chi became and Ashen Lord. The two often get into conversations about philosophy but it doesn't happen often since they are rarely in the same room with each other. Duchess and Ruth are a bit closer, but still not extremely close. Duchess did teach Ruth a few things about how life is with a bunch of male pirates and how to get them to shut their mouths. Often with her visits, Ruth and Duchess will partner up and work on ways to enhance the alchemy with dark magic. They enjoy each others' company although it becomes far less especially after the death and eventual resurrection of the Lords.