Are we sure he's not a poodle?
Windspeaker Durward is a werewolf of the Wendigo tribe, and a Lieutenant in the Tech Infantry.
Early Life[]
Windspeaker Durward was born on Minos in 2220 to a family of Canadian refugees from the destruction of Earth. His early childhood was spent in the slums of Mittalcoa, a city of vast steel mills and aluminum smelters. His parents, pining for the wilderness they left behind, drank themselves into early graves and sent young Windspeaker to live with distant relatives on New Paris in 2233. His teen years were somewhat happier on a planet with some actual green space, but his nature and upbringing had left him longing to escape the crowded cities and bustling suburbs behind and seek out a solitary life in the wilderness. But it was not to be.
Draft, Service, and Rebellion[]
Drafted into the Tech Infantry at age 16, he was soon sent to fight the Bugs on Fieras VI. Surviving his mandatory five-year hitch, he retired from the military at age 21, as soon as he was legally able. But it was now 2241, and the Third Civil War was brewing. Recalled from reserve status to active duty, he rejoined the military just in time for his unit commander to join Auntie Sarah's rebellion that kicked off the Third Civil War. He fought in battles on New Madrid and Rios, and was among the first wave landing on Avalon following Rashid King's abortive coup attempt. Stranded there when the rebel fleet was chased off by Erich Von Shrakenberg and Joseph Smythe, he was forced to surrender and became a prisoner of war. He served a brief sentence on G2 before being released as part of an amnesty for former TI Rebels who agreed to return to Federation service.
Back in Service[]
Back in uniform, he fought against
Windspeaker Durward and Titus Vardan on leave from OCS
the Vin Shriak and Vulthra, finally winning an appointment to Officer Candidate School in 2259. There, he met and befriended Titus Vardan, another old soldier finally becoming an officer after most of a lifetime spent fighting both for and against the Federation. They would serve together in a unit enforcing the Jurvain Quarantine Zone until their unit was recalled to Avalon to defend against the Caal Invasion. Failing to reach Avalon in time, their unit instead joined Joseph Smythe's faction onNew Madrid in opposition to Vin Dane and his new Holy Terran Empire.
Kalintos and Beyond[]
Windspeaker and his good friend Titus were both assigned as Heavy Weapons Squad leaders in a platoon known as Soti's Slammers, a special-weapons unit made up of Raptors and other TI soldiers. They took part in the capture of the INS Alastar Dimiye, helping to capture its engine room while their fellow squad leader Argus McCall captured the bridge. Later, they took part in the liberation of Kalintos, landing in the capital city of Loud Water via Drop Pods to carry out attacks on key installations. After the planet was liberated they were both lightly wounded in a car bomb attack on their victory party, but made full recoveries. Following this, Soti's Slammers were sent to participate in the invasion of St. Michael's Star, where Durward and his squad were among those stranded on the planet's surface after the Earth Fleet task force which had brought them there was forced to withdraw in the face of superior enemy numbers. Eventually rescued by Chairman Smythe in the EFS Poseidon, Durward was offered the chance to volunteer for the joint Federation/Sabbat hit squad which was being sent to assassinate Vin Dane and end the war, but Durward refused to work with the Vampires of the Sabbat. His friend Titus Vardan did agree to go with them, and that was the last the two would ever see of each other. Durward thus missed the Battle of the Round Table, and the war ended with a Federation defeat before he saw further action.
Behind the Scenes[]
Windspeaker Durward is one of three characters created by Marcus by request of Martin, who was vacationing in Russia at the time and too busy to create complex NPCs. Martin later filled in their backstories. As such, this article is subject to revision by Marcus if he had more details in mind than were put into Martin's story. His Actor Avatar is Eric Bogosian, chosen because that actor appeared in most of the available apropos pictures of the Actor Avatar for Titus Vardan...and waste not, want not.