The Duchess

One of the great mysteries of Daring Heights, up there with ‘what’s up with Wendy’, is ‘who is the Duchess?’ The Duchess is an enigmatic figure - easy to forget in the day to day of the city as she almost never makes herself known, unforgettable when she is present, and her appearance always bodes danger. Typically, her arrival as she swans in to the Ettin portends the revelation of some hidden piece of information that she or her ‘helpers’ have uncovered, which brings some threat to Daring Heights to light.
'Duchess of what?' is an excellent question which combined with a figure who keeps to the background of Daring's life and seems to know everything about everyone certainly suggests that it is a pseudonym, employed to hide her true identity. Those who have been graced by Her Grace describe a beautiful face, often partially obscured by a masquerade mask, in an incredibly voluminous pink ball gown. Certainly the appearance of a duchess, though perhaps one trying too hard. Speculation of the Duchess’ true identity is a fun evening activity amongst those who have heard of her, though none have had any real clues.
Regardless, two things are certain about this mysterious figure: first that she is incredibly well-informed, always arriving with key information at critical moments and second that she seems to genuinely have the best interests of the people of Daring Heights at heart. The assignments she has given to adventurers (often through perfumed letters asking for help from ‘her darlings’) have always been for the protection of the city or to its interests.
Coincidentally, there was a slob of a tiefling sorcerer named Dorian a while back who never met her and disappeared about the same time that her activities ramped up. That's probably irrelevant though, and shouldn't even be mentioned in this piece.