Dauntless
<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Dauntless</default></title>
<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <group><header>Basic Information</header> <label>Civilian Name</label> <label>Aliases</label> <label>Gender</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Death</label> <label>Age</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Post-timeskip</label> <label>Ward start</label> <label>Relations</label> <label>Family</label></group> <group><header>Professional Status</header> <label>Occupation</label> <label>Classification</label> <label>Unique Features</label> <label>Alignment</label>
<label>Status</label><format><label>Location</label> <label>Teams</label> <label>Previous Team(s)</label> <label>Base of Operations</label></group> <group><header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label></group> </infobox> Dauntless was a member of the Brockton Bay Protectorate, with the ability to slowly grant powers to items in his possession.
Personality & Relationships
Dauntless was widely considered a rising star, a popular hometown hero in Brockton Bay. His power and its implications were widely known.<ref name="6.7"/>
Because of his meteoric rise to fame, he was resented by Armsmaster; his power allowing him to advance in the Protectorate where Armsmaster struggled despite his diligent effort.<ref name="I15"/><ref name="6.7"/> It was widely acknowledged that he might eventually replace Armsmaster as head of the team.<ref name="I15">Interlude 15</ref> Nevertheless, he was willing to wear earbuds so only Armsmaster could communicate with him, preventing Tattletale from speaking to him.<ref name="6.7">Tangle 6.7</ref>
Appearance & Equipment
Dauntless wears a white and gold costume with a golden helmet in a Greek or Spartan style, alongside his empowered items.<ref name="6.7"/>
Arclance
A spear that looks as if it is made of white lightning. The weapon could extend as far as he needed, elongating faster than the eye could follow. It was something between a solid and an energy, combining traits of both; people struck by it experienced a taser-like electrical charge in addition to the physical force.<ref name="6.7"/>
During the Battle at the Gallery, it was too weak to noticeably affect Bitch's dogs. Taylor likened it to using a taser on an elephant. However, it was strong enough to accidentally shatter glass.<ref name="6.7"/>
It was durable enough to parry a block from Circus' sledgehammer.<ref name="6.7"/>
Kid Win based his spark pistol, which shot "hard electricity", on data Armsmaster collected on the "hard light" used by Dauntless and Purity.<ref name="9.4">Sentinel 9.4</ref>
Shield
His shield, fixed to his left forearm, was a metal disc about the size of a dinner plate, surrounded by rings of the same energy that made up the spear.<ref name="6.7"/>
It could widen into a bubble-shaped forcefield of white energy ten feet wide around him. The field was seemingly able to "eat away" at Grue's darkness in some fashion. It made a loud sizzling, crackling sound. The field created a painful arc of electricity when it brushed against Regent's hand.<ref name="6.7"/>
He was able to raise it fast enough to deflect Circus' thrown knives. It "popped" when Ballistic used his power to smash cars into it so fast they were impossible to see, but not before stopping the car and holding it aloft long enough for it to roll off the top.<ref name="6.7"/>
Boots
His empowered boots made his feet look as if they were encased in white crackling energy when worn. According to Tattletale, they made him fast enough to follow Purity while flying, faster than any of the other Brockton Bay Wards or Protectorate except Velocity.<ref name="7.7">“According to the news and my, um, inside source,” Lisa spoke, referring to her power, “Purity hasn’t stopped. She’s doing strafing runs across the Docks. She moves too fast for anyone but Dauntless or Velocity to catch, and she hits harder than both of them combined. She’s knocked down four more buildings while we’ve talked, I’m pretty sure. How long before she happens to knock over our hideout?”Buzz 7.7</ref>
Armor
It was rumored that he had enhanced his armor with his power, but this wasn't visibly evident. He was briefly stunned when Grue landed full force on his helmet. When Circus hit him in the chest with her sledgehammer, he was seemingly knocked unconscious.<ref name="6.7"/>
Given that Wildbow has stated that he was empowering "four or five" objects, and would eventually have become almost as durable as Alexandria, it can be surmised that he was indeed charging the armor.<ref name="WOG1"/>
Abilities and Powers
Dauntless can empower items by infusing them with a little bit of power each day, permanently enhancing them. He wields a spear, shield, and boots all enhanced with this ability (see above). It is widely suspected that he would eventually equal or even surpass the Triumvirate,<ref name="6.7"/> but no one was certain if his power would eventually level off.<ref>Wildbow on Spacebattles</ref>
Dauntless is constantly "charged" with energy, which builds up over time; every 20-30 hours it reaches a peak, allowing him to dump the excess charge into an object. This does not take as long to build up if his power is used often, and if he is engaged in field work. His power is more effective if he charges the same object regularly; he compromises by focusing on three or four and cycling between them. When he dumps the charge into an object, it is briefly supercharged for a few minutes before levelling off at a point better than before.<ref name="WOG1">Private message by Wildbow, found on Sufficient Velocity</ref>
He selects what the imbuement does subconsciously; it is always tied to the object itself, and he is never surprised to learn what it does, but there is a bias towards direct combat applications. Objects gain general durability and physics-immunity at first, and then begin to gain other abilities after the 20th charge.<ref name="WOG1"/> It took around a month for him to develop a new power to the point where it would impact a confrontation.<ref name="R1">Comment on Reddit</ref>
His items cannot be used by someone without this "charge", preventing them from being stolen or used against him.<ref name="WOG1"/><ref name="R1"/>
Had he survived until Gold Morning, he would have been almost powerful as Legend. Not as mobile or versatile at range, but fast and an artillery powerhouse, and almost as durable as Alexandria.<ref name="WOG1"/> It is implied that he could eventually grow powerful enough to annihilate a large area, similar to a nuclear bomb.<ref name="WOG2">Wildbow again on Spacebattles</ref>
History
Background
Dauntless was present when Shadow Stalker's case was looked over by a special committee. After the committee granted Shadow Stalker a probationary status amongst the Wards, he approached Alan Barnes and asked him about his job.<ref name="I19.z">19.z (Interlude; Emma)</ref>
Story Start
After the Battle at the Gallery, Dauntless appeared the opposite side of an alley that the Undersiders were hiding in, cutting off their escape route. He used his shield's forcefield to block Grue's darkness before advancing. Tattletale tried to tell Dauntless how Armsmaster hated him before Dauntless tapped the side of his helmet, revealing that he was wearing ear buds and could only hear Armsmaster. He advanced again and his shield touched Regent's hand, shocking him, before Regent made him stumble and fall to the ground.<ref name="6.7"/>
He raised his spear to impede the Undersiders, shooting lightning at them, before Grue brought his feet down on Dauntless' head. He recovered after the Undersiders escaped the alley and then shot Brutus and Angelica. Finding that ineffective, he tried aiming his Arclance at the Undersiders themselves only for Regent to disrupt his aim. Entering the garage, he stopped behind Armsmaster.<ref name="6.7"/>
Dauntless moved to retreat after the Travelers and Circus' arrival, but was blocked by Sundancer. He enclosed himself in his forcefield bubble to deflect Circus' knives before wrapping a second forcefield around a car that Ballistic used his power on. The forcefield gave away and the car dropped a scant foot away from Dauntless. He parried Circus' sledgehammer with his Arclance and then tumbled away from her when she breathed flame, bringing up his shield to block the flames.
Ballistic launched a car at Dauntless whose shield failed as Dauntless reeled. Dauntless tried to parry Circus with his Arclance, but they sidestepped around him before driving her sledgehammer against his chest.<ref name="6.7"/>
Post-Leviathan
Dauntless was grabbed by Leviathan alongside Alabaster and Jotun, and the Endbringer flicked them into the center of a time distortion bubble. He wasn't able to escape before he was frozen in time.<ref name="8.3">Extermination 8.3</ref> He later had his name placed on a memorial to honor those that had fallen.<ref name="8.8">Extermination 8.8</ref>
Trivia
- A version of Dauntless appeared in Eden's vision of the future; a hero named Clarent, who wielded a longsword and grew stronger over time. He was identified as Dauntless in the tags.<ref>Interlude 29</ref>
- Had Dauntless survived, he would have been given his own team in a smaller city with a new department, likely St. Louis, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Stockton, or Anchorage.<ref>What If Leviathan Attacked Somewhere Else?</ref>
Fanart Gallery
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Image by YunYunHakusho on Reddit -
Image by babylonsheep on SpaceBattles.
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Image by YunYunHakasho
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Image by babylonsheep on SpaceBattles.
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Image by babylonsheep on SpaceBattles.
References
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