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| “ | I know a great deal, bodyguard. I recognize those marks on your hand. A gift from your friend, the one who talks to you in the dark. Talks to you when you visit his shrines. I've visited those shrines too. | „ |
| ~ Daud to a captured Corvo. |
| “ | And now we fight the duel that no two others could fight! | „ |
| ~ Daud should Corvo decide to fight him. |
Daud, also known as The Knife of Dunwall, is one of the primary antagonists of the 2012 videogame Dishonored and the protagonist of the second and third DLC of the same game. He returns as a supporting character in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.
Daud is the leader of the assasin group The Whalers and responsible for the death of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. By killing her, he set in motion the events of the game. Like the game's protagonist, Daud is one of the Outsider's chosen and possesses magical powers. However, Daud regrets his role in killing the Empress and plunging the Empire into chaos and - while the former Royal Protector Corvo Attano sets out to avenge Jessamine and to free her daughter Emily - Daud redeems himself by saving Emily from the influence of the evil witch Delilah.
He is voiced by Michael Madsen, who is known for his portrayal of Budd and Grouch Douglas.
Biography
Past
Daud's mother is rumored to have been a witch marked by the Outsider. Thinking back, however, Daud reminds that she was simply talented in creating and using potions, poisons and hallucinogens.
Having been conceived on a pirate ship his mother was a captive on, Daud was born in Serkonos, the capital of Karnaca. Daud was eventually captured by a man who kidnapped him from the schoolyard. This was because Daud had quick hands and was quite agile. At the age of sixteen, Daud arrived at Dunwall where he became infamous for "moving among the shopkeepers and City Watch officers of Dunwall like a reaper through wheat". Daud did not remain in Dunwall but traveled the Isles, seeking and finding Outsider shrines during his journey. Eventually, daud was marked by the Outsider, gaining supernatural powers in the process.
Daud's new skills made him even more talented and Daud became known as a efficient and infamous assassin. Now, he was not only feared for his skills but for his magic as well. Daud's Outsider mark allowed him to teleport and bend time, as well as pulling far-away objects towards him. Daud also became resistant to most poisons and sedatives. By using a power known as Arcane Bond, Daud was also able to share his powers with others. The strenght of these powers varied on the person, however, the powers of all of them were far weaker than Daud's. Amassing those he shared his powers with, Daud created his own group of supernatural assassins - the Whalers. At one night, while travelling through Dunwall, Daud realized that he was being followed. He confronted the pursuer who was revealed to be a street urchin called Billie Lurk. Daud took in Billie, shared his powers with her and started to train her personally until she became his second-in-command and his most trusted lieutenant.
The Whalers are often employed by Royal Spymaster Hiram Burrows to deal with nuissances. During the plague, Daud moves the Whalers' headquarter to the now abandoned Rushore Chamber of Commerce in the Flooded District.
Murdering the Empress
Daud is hired by the Royal Spymaster, Hiram Burrows, to assassinate Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and to kidnap her daughter Emily. Successfully infiltrating the palace, he sends two of his Whalers to attack the Empress, who is accompanied by the game's protagonist and Royal Protector Corvo Attano. Corvo manages to fend off the assassins, but after they retreat Daud intervenes personally. One of his assassins immobilizes Corvo and Daud stabs Empress Jessamine into the stomach, killing her. The other assassin then grabs Emily and both flee from the scene, leaving Corvo behind with the Empresses corpse. Moments later, Burrows, Overseer Campbell and Royal guards arrive and, using the oppurtunity, Burrows has Corvo arrested for the murder and Emily's disappearance.
However, Corvo breaks out and, now determined to avenge the Empress, sets out to kill Burrows and his associates. To this end, he allies himself with Admiral Havelock, who leads the rebels opposing Burrows who has been named Lord Regent.
The Knife of Dunwall
After the death of Jessamine Kaldwin and the seeming downfall of the entire Empire, Daud soon feels guilt about what he has done and bitterly regrets the part he played in the events. While Corvo, who has been freed from Coldrige Prison by the Loyalist Conspiracy, is eliminating the allies of the Lord Regent throughout Dunwall and tries to find Emily, Daud is visited by the Outsider who, despite being a neutral observer in the events of the living, actually gives Daud the opportunity to alter the coming events and to redeem himself. The Outsider gives Daud "one last gift" - the name Delilah. Daud starts using the Whaler's influences and resources to find out who or what Delilah is supposed to be. Eventually, Billie Lurk informs him that a whaling ship owned by Bundry Rothwild is named Delilah. Daud investigates Rothwild and his slaughterhouse and learns that Rothwild bought the Delilah from Barrister Arnold Timsh.
Daud meets up and makes a deal with the niece of Timsh, with whom Timsh recently had a falling out. Daud infiltrates Timsh's estate where he learns that Timsh named the ship after Delilah Copperspoon, a painter Timsh had been infatuated with. Daud learns that Delilah seems to be a witch of the Brigmore Clan. Before he can learn more, however, he is informed by one of his assassins, Thomas, that a group of Overseers led by Overseer Hume has attacked their headquarters in the Flooded District and has captured most of the Whalers. Thus, Daud is forced to stop his pursuit of Delilah and heads back to the Flooded District to save his whalers. After eliminating the threat of the Overseers, Daud learns from them that Hume's force was only a vanguard of a bigger Overseer attack. This information allows Daud to prepare for the real attack and fend off the invaders.
After the dust has settled, Daud wonders why Hume's men have separated from the main force and realizes that they had been tipped off. At that moment, Delilah Copperspoon suddenly appears on a ledge above him. Furthermore, Billie Lurk reveals herself to be a traitor who had been in league with Delilah from the start. Lurk was also the one to tip off Hume. Billie reveals that she had always thought that both of them knew that it would eventually come to this - her succeeding him. Seeing Daud's regret over the Empress' assassination as weakness, Billie had thought that the moment had come.
Depending on the chaos level of Daud, Billie either surrenders to Daud, who then has to choose between sparing or killing her, or outright challenges him to a duel which Daud wins. Canonically, Daud spares Lurk who immediately leaves Dunwall and heads to Karnaca to start a new life as Meagan Foster. After Billie has left, Delilah muses about the battle between the two. She states that she will leave Daud alive for the sake of her coven sisters, who greatly admire him. However, she threatens to kill him gruesomely should he keep investigating her. Delilah then teleports away.
The Brigmore Witches
His status as leader unchallenged, Daud appoints Thomas as his new second-in-command and makes preparations to confront Delilah. As the headquarter of the Brigmore witches is located in the old Brigmore Manor upriver, Daud needs a smuggler to take him upriver through the blockade. He decides to make a deal with Lizzie Stride, leader of the Dead Eels gang and owner of the ship Undine, but Lizzie had recently been betrayed by Edgar Wakefield and has been imprisoned at Coldridge Prison. Thus, Daud has to infiltrate Coldridge Prison in order to find and free Lizzie. Having been freed by Daud, Lizzie agrees to ferry him to Brigmore Mansion if he assists her in retaking her gang from Wakefield. Daud eliminates Wakefield for her and Lizzie takes back her gang. After Daud has returned the Undines engine coil from a rivaling gang, Lizzie stays true to her word and delivers Daud to Brigmore Manor.
While infiltrating the witches' manor, Daud learns the plan of Delilah. Delilah plans to carry out a ritual in the Void which would allow her to possess the body of Emily Kaldwin who has meanwhile been saved by Corvo Attano. This would basically rip Emily's mind and conscience out of her body and would allow Delilah to secretly rule the Empire as Empress Emily Kaldwin. Daud confronts Delilah in the Void and, depending on the player's choice, either kills her or banishes her into the Void - thus saving Emily from a gruesome fate.
Confrontation with Corvo
Soon after, Corvo Attano is betrayed by Admiral Havelock, the leader of the Loyalists. By help of his loyal shipper Samuel, Corvo survives and is marooned in the Flooded District, where he is captured by Daud's assassins.
Corvo is brought before Daud, who takes Corvo's weapons from him and then knocks him out, intending to sell him to Havelock for a large bounty. Corvo eventually regains consciousness in Daud's headquarters, where he manages to escape from his cell. Soon after, one of Daud's men appears to inform him of the break-out. Daud correctly surmises that Corvo is bound for the Commerce Building to confront him, and waits for the man's arrival, recording an audiograph castigating Hiram Burrows and lamenting his own part in the murder of the Empress.
The player can now decide whether to face Daud or to simply sneak past him. If he choses to engage Daud, Daud's reaction depends on the player's chaos level. On high chaos, Daud's assassins join the fight, on low chaos he forbids them from interfering and fights Corvo in a fair duel. Eventually, Daud is defeated. Wounded, he asks Corvo to spare his life. Again, the player can decide whether to execute Daud for his crime of to let Daud go. If he is spared, which is his canonical fate, Daud leaves the city as he has enough of killing.
Dishonored 2
Fifteen years later, either Corvo or Emily can find an audiograph recorded by Daud in which Daud talks about defeating Delilah to save Emily. Though this, Emily or Corvo learn that Emily has actually been saved by the man who once abducted her.
At the end of the game, Meagan Foster returns to her identity of Billie Lurk and decides to seek out Daud - the person closest to family she ever knew.
Gallery
 Villains
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The Knife of Dunwall / The Brigmore Witches Dishonored 2 Dishonored: Death of the Outsider | ||