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About Duq’arael’s Motivation

Now that Duq’arael has been brought back into the spotlight thanks to Camille’s story in Endfield, I think it's worthwhile to have a closer look at the motivation he displays throughout the story of Arknights. Endfield shows to the reader in-universe information that mentions that Duq’arael kiIIed his older brother Danso. Let’s have a closer look at the circumstances that led to this incident. It is true that by kiIIing Danso Duq’arael got a hold on the Blood of Tekaz, but it is important to keep in mind that Duq’arael never wanted to have the black crown. He kiIIed his brother because in his eyes Danso was bringing a false peace and Duq’arael, who had lived through real and actual peace, only wanted to have the real thing instead of a sad imitation. The Black Crown would have been his to take when he kiIIed Danso, but he actively rejected it because he hates everything connected to the crown. Taking power that comes with a system he fundamentally disagrees with was something he never wanted.

Let’s look at this in detail. During the Victoria arc we see that Duq’arael is strongly driven by the catastrophic defeat his people suffered, and yet he is one of the most isolated characters during the arc. He is holding up his ideals because he sees it as the right thing to do, not because he thinks it will make him popular with the other Sarkaz. And Duq’arael knows this. In fact, he feels so alienated from other Sarkaz that he looked at Lettou and decided that whatever lunacy was running through that Liberi was still preferable in comparison. As the story goes on you can see that Duq’arael is aware that Lettou isn't quite right in the head, but Duq’arael still puts up with him. Why would he feel that he is dealing with the lesser evil here?

A moment that manages to bring clarity into Duq’arael’s thought process that shows why he is feeling so alienated from most other Sarkaz is an exchange he has with Logos, who is shown to be a Sarkaz who has convictions that are clashing with Duq’arael’s. To Logos he explains some of the motivations that led to him kiIIing Danso. From Duq’arael’s exchange with Amiya and Logos in 13-21:

Logos The legend of "The Toppled BIood Prince". He died in a civil war. You're his kin, did you fight in the war? Amiya No. Sanguinarch of Vampires No! Of course not! "Did I fight?" I shattered the Crown myself! […] He [Danso] thought I was blinded by hatred? No, I know what peace is. And that's exactly why I feel so restless! We long to see the great and powerful, true Teekaz! I absorbed my brother's blood into my body, and I watched as the Black Crown vanished before my eyes— Logos But you did not ascend to the throne of the "King of Sarkaz". Sanguinarch of Vampires And I do not regret that. If it could choose a formidable leader, I would be genuinely delighted. But this Crown disappoints me time and time again. Each time I am more disappointed. [from 13-21]

That part makes it clear that Duq’arael is not interested in holding power for the sake of it. By kiIIing Danso he could have taken the black crown but rejected it, because he hates everything it stands for. It disappointed him too many times to still put any trust into it. He states he would be willing to follow a bearer of the crown who proves themselves to be worthy, but instead the opposite keeps happening, so why bother? Instead he holds on to the True Blood of Teekaz, not out of the intention to use if for vengeance or to punish, but because he sees it as a way to rebuild the real and actual peace he once has witnessed. Duq’arael doesn’t explain how this peace looked like exactly, but seeing how vivid it is still present in his memory it must have been so genuine and strong that trying to reclaim it is something he sees as worth the effort.

Logos is too young to have been present during this time Duq’arael still misses to this day. We’ve met Logos as a character who stands firm with Theresa's ideals. But if he would have been old enough to have been present during the times the Teekaz were not treated as strangers in their own lands but were living though peace and prosperity, would he feel any different? We can only speculate. But it is worth pointing out that the individuals Duq’arael is having his conversation with are two people who are far too young to relate to what he has experienced and instead know nothing but a world where the Teekaz – those with land – have become the Sarkaz – those without land – and since long have deemed as strangers by the Elders and Ancients who spread through Terra after the outside influence of Originium brought drastic changes.

I find it interesting how the writing made Duq’arael kiII someone he used to be close with to illustrate how he puts the legacy of his home country above all else. Duq’arael was convinced that his brother was putting the interests of the non-Sarkaz above the wellbeing of the Sarkaz, so he kiIIed him.

But what would Danso have done that Duq’arael turned against his own brother? The reasons for this only get clearer slowly. Characterizing Danso is not that easy, as we can only do it indirectly, the story has never shown him in person. What complicates thing is that the bits we know about him are not really there to deepen his own character, but to show how Duq’arael was in the wrong for rejecting a "peaceful" future as a doctor and for kiIIing who chapter thirteen basically portrays as a proto-Theresa. It’s interesting though that whatever feelings Duq’arael once used to hold towards his brother, he is making it clear he feels not a shred of regret for kiIIing him. You get the impression that the frustration towards Danso must have been brooding in him since ages. There are glimpses of it when he recalls how he had to face on his own the Feranmut who was threatening Kazdel, and how even the barely lucid Feranmut was agreeing with Duq’arael that defending Kazdel actually would have been the duty of the King, his brother. The text makes it clear that Duq’arael loves his homeland and wants to protect it. It is easy to imagine he would start feeling frustrated with Sarkaz who by their title should feel the same responsibility but fail to live up to it. With this context you’ll get an idea why Duq'arael keeps complaining about the Vampires who are hiding in cozy castles while forgetting their origin as warriors [13-21].

This practical approach of his of how to handle problems already got apparent in [11-10] when Duq’arael complained about the arrogance of heroes who drown in prophecy. Even I am amazed at how they write their own stories for their own entertainment. Unfortunately, our Victorian friends are too reliant on fiction. It’s the mindset of someone who has little patience left for farfetched promises of a perfect future or ideals that in his experience have already proven themselves to be incompatible with reality. He can look at this with disbelief when he encounters this among enemies, like the Victorians. But he will see this sort of mindset that detached itself from reality as a threat the moment he sees it in someone like Danso who should be on his side.

So as we see Duq’arael held many disagreements against Danso since some time, but what could have been the incident that made him think it was time for drastic measures? A collectible from IS5 that offers us some insight into Danso’s personality may give some clarity:

[Transcript: The BIood Tax Mystery is a Collectible in Sarkaz's Furnaceside Fables. Item description All allied and enemy units have -35% Max HP; only active in Bizarre Fragments "Duq'arael ultimately failed. He stepped forward bravely, but did not manage to stop his brother Danso. The deep red chains then tethered all life on this land, so we now leave a trail of bIood with every step we take. This bIood tax is to repay the baseless debt we owe." Effect While in the secret floor, both friendly units and enemies have their HP reduced by 35%.]

It’s interesting how alternate-universe Duq’arael’s failed attempt to overthrow his brother gets described as brave here. I wonder if this alternative outcome is supposed to show that Danso was not the pacifist everyone seems to take him for, but a tyrant at heart. And that once Duq’arael would have been gone there no longer would have been anyone around who would have made Danso hold back on these urges and he just would have fully given in to them.

Look at the effect of that relict. It drains everyone, friend and foe alike of their bIood. I can imagine that Duq'arael would have been in favor of doing that to non-Sarkaz, but to fellow Sarkaz? Less likely. He wants them to have the advantage over the enemy. A suggestion like this bIood tax must have sounded like the complete opposite of the one true peace Duq’arael once had experienced. And hearing that his older brother proposed this idea, who witnessed the decline of this peace together with him, must have felt abhorrent and like a betrayal. Restoring the freedom and reliability the Sarkaz have lost? Apparently not under this bearer of the Black Crown. Under Danso’s BIood Tax everyone can live under a twisted sense of equality by existing as blood cattle. That may not be the equality people love to demand, but the one you get if the bearer of the crown decides that is what he wishes for: Have fun with your bIood tax.

But it doesn’t stop there. What I always found interesting is that already in his introduction in chapter 10, when he hunts Vina and her Glasgow Gang down the sewers, Duq’arael looks down on aristocrats who won their status not by their own merit but through family privilege: Duq’arael: No... so-called royal families are no more than a lie, so called to consolidate power and coin, as laughable as this nation's culture. Even if she [Vina] is that runaway's cub, the smell of her bIood would be no different to any other Feline[10-17].

An interesting statement from someone who values the purity of Sarkaz bIood and appears to come from some sort of Vampire nobility himself. But when you factor in that he did not see Danso as deserving of the titles he was holding, then Duq’arael’s statement to value merit and ability over lineage makes a lot more sense. The text proves this statement to be true a second time when later in the story Duq’arael points out that he values Lettou – a Liberi – as a friend because he values his personality and intelligence [11-10]. It shows that despite his low opinions towards the Ancients and Elders there are non-Sarkaz individuals he can appreciate if he feels they give him a reason to. It also shows though that Duq’arael finds it hard to trust any non-Sarkaz: He will reprimand them the moment they get genius ideas such as making him lose face by criticizing his methods in front of an entire audience of their subordinates.

As being part of Londinium’s resistance Vina is giving no reason though to let Duq’arael see her as anything but a nuisance who needs to be taken care of. Duq’arael hunts Vina down in the sewers while calling her prey, but even this manages to highlight the different mindset between him and Danso. Prey? At least prey can fight back and has a chance to escape. Prey is not expected to behave compliantly, you expect them to defend themselves. Vina and her gang manage to flee. As shown in BIood Tax Mystery though, Danso expects his subjects to behave like obedient and well-behaved cattle. It’s an approach that doesn’t even let them have the tiniest chance to escape.

Having this added context it is getting clearer why Duq'arael saw his brother as a threat to the Sarkaz. And it’s easier to understand now why Duq’arael accused Danso of showing him a false peace when he showed him the possible future of Duq’arael becoming a doctor in 13-21. And with the context of BIood Tax Mystery we even can go so far as to consider it a possibility this future as a doctor would simply have been a nice sounding title for someone who would have been supposed to collect the baseless debt of Danso's blood tax. Forced silence and compliance under pressure is no peace. It would have been tyranny for everyone living under Danso. And it shows that throwing out platitudes like “equality” as a suggestion of how to mend the rift between the Sarkaz and non-Sarkaz is no solution, because like in the outcome described by BIood Tax Mystery that would have let Danso keep his power, these ideas can get twisted by those in power into something dehumanizing.

Interestingly we keep seeing that Duq’arael feels so sensitive about the topic of power being abused and targeting those he feels a responsibility for. He was cautious with this when it came to Danso, and he keeps being cautious about it when it comes to the relations between the Vampire tribe with the other Sarkaz. During the entire Victoria arc we see that the relations of the Vampire court with the rest of the Military Commission is rather bad. It comes as little surprise when it is implied that Theresis set the Duq’arael up for failure at Brentwood to get rid of him entirely. Babel clarifies that these tensions were nothing new and the relations of the Vampire court with the rest of the Sarkaz had been terrible for at least centuries[BB-1]:

Duq'arael: You have long reached a consensus. The only obstacle to your Military Commission is myself—and the Vampires. You would foist some ridiculous title upon me before forcing all Vampires to bow down to your Commission． When did you learn this political trickery that those Victorians and Leithanians so love? Why not just take my head here and now, and sIaughter the Vampires within this city's walls? [Duq'arael in BB-1]

He feels that he and his Vampires are being singled out and scapegoated by the rest of the Sarkaz for the sake of an unstable idea of 'progress'. These tensions make you wonder why Duq’arael agreed to go along with Theresis' plan in Victoria to begin with. At least one does until his fight with team Amiya on the Command Tower when there is so much old and pent up bitterness coming out of him. It’s also here where it gets clear that he doesn’t reject Amiya as being the bearer of the Black Crown because she is not Sarkaz. He rejects her because he sees her as standing under the influence of Kal’tsit who mobilized entire armies on Kazdel only two hundred years ago, during a time the Sarkaz were just trying to mind their own business. From his past experience someone like Amiya simply cannot have the best interest of the Sarkaz she is supposed to be responsible for in mind. Duq’arael in 11-17: Cautus, you are not worthy of the crown that Theresa bestowed upon you. Not because you are not Sarkaz, but because you have never tried to understand the nature of the Sarkaz. Like Theresa, you have been blinded by the creature that calls itself Kal'tsit[…]. The Sarkaz were never the same people as the shameful invaders... the Elders and the Ancients were never the same people. Kazdel was never a city, nor a nation. When the Sarkaz were known as Teekaz, when they still had a home, Kazdel meant the entire world that we saw before our eyes. Kazdel was Terra.

He blames the Ancients and Elders for driving the Sarkaz into a corner during the centuries they gained power and influence due to Originium how drastically changed his home of Terra. And the people he seems to despise the most are the Sarkaz who are denying their heritage by trying to make peace with non-Sarkaz: Theresa was a ridiculous one... She tried to have the Sarkaz bow down to our invaders, namely Victoria [11-14]. In Duq’arael’s eyes the invaders keep proving that they are not trustworthy by looking out for only their own best interest while treating the Sarkaz as a nuisance. For him trying to make peace with the Ancients and Elders, who in his experience have proven to be nothing but foreign invaders, is a naïve Iunacy that is going to lead to even more ruin and misery for the Sarkaz.

Duq’arael has little patience for Sarkaz like Theresa and Danso who he sees as individuals who neglect their responsibility towards the Sarkaz to appease non-Sarkaz who in his view will never appreciate that effort. And yet, the story keeps hinting that Duq’arael hasn’t fully processed what happened between him and Danso [BB-9]: There is this interesting scene during Babel where Duq’arael sIays two Sarkaz who made fun of the fact Theresis and Theresa have become enemies. Nezzsalem believes that this outburst shows that Duq’arael feels just as sad about Theresa’s death as he himself. As the former teacher of her and Theresis, this conclusion would feel most natural to Nezzsalem. This claim Duq’arael neither confirms nor denies. The only thing he justifies his outburst with is that whatever their motivations might be, in the hour of death the life of those siblings is not a subject to be treated lightly. Yeah, that’s vague. What siblings did you just mean, Duq’arael? Could it be that being faced with another pair of siblings in lethal conflict the memories of your own brother you’ve kiIIed got a little bit too intense? Either way, it shows that despite him feeling that it is at times necessary to kiII figures of power that have gone astray, it’s still a decision he does not take lightly. I also would like to know what Duq’arael would say if he could see Camille and Char going through another round of Vampire sibling drama in Endfield, but I digress.