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| “ | I've seen the look on a man's face when he realises he's going to die. | „ |
| ~ The Deathslinger |
Caleb Quinn, better known as The Deathslinger, is one of the playable killers in the horror game Dead by Daylight. He was a brilliant engineer turned murderous vigilante when his employer took credit for his inventions and the prison Warden who hired Quinn used him as a pawn to sell the penitentiary to his former boss.
He was voiced by Patrick Harris, the game systems designer.
In-Game Lore[]
Born in the dust-ridden badlands of the American Midwest, Caleb Quinn was son to struggling Irish immigrants. On the edge of the frontier, sickness, famine, and death were common sights, and pioneers contended for whatever scraps they could claim while tycoons feasted. Caleb's father, once an engineer, had few options to ply his trade as businesses posted a common sign: No Irish Need Apply. His antiquated tools laid untouched for years until Caleb uncovered them. Noticing his son's interest in the trade, he gifted him his old wrench.
The devices Caleb made under his father's guidance had quaint applications, but when his father was away, they took a grim turn. He hid plans for a mask that would gouge barbed needles into a human's eyes and rip them from their sockets, complete with sketches of it fitted on boys who bullied him.
With age, Caleb's engineering abilities became marketable and employers put their discrimination aside. Henry Bayshore, the owner of United West Rail, hired him.
Caleb first invented a gun that shot railroad spikes into the ground. Next, he made a steam-powered tunneling drill. But as Bayshore feigned indifference, the devices began turning up at other companies, the patents stolen from Caleb and sold.
A familiar sensation coursed through Caleb's blood, feeding the sharp pain in his heart. Rage overwhelming him, he burst into Bayshore's office and smashed his face into a bloody stew. As he was pulled away, he pushed his specialised gun to his boss' gut and squeezed the trigger. A railroad spike plowed through skin and viscera, nailing Bayshore to his desk.
The only thing that saved Caleb from hanging was Bayshore's unlikely survival. For fifteen years, Caleb was confined to Hellshire Penitentiary, the nation's first private prison. In a fortress of illiterate convicts, he found an unlikely friend in the educated prison warden. He designed torture devices for him and in return received extra meals. After a time, the warden offered to commute his sentence. He spoke of something greater than monetary wealth — political capital — and that his connections could have Bayshore framed and rotting behind bars for life. He had only one request: make him rich. Fill the prison. Use ingenuity to bring outlaws in alive.
Caleb returned to his workshop, and with a few modifications emerged with something new — the speargun. The first trial occurred when a thief robbed a Chinese laundry. Seizing on the opportunity, Caleb unleashed his prototype. Metal joints screeched as the spike shot forward, gouging into the target's abdomen. But as the spear tugged, it caught the thief's intestines, and, with an ungodly sound, yanked them onto the dusty road. After several iterations, the disembowelments dwindled, but Caleb had already earned his new nickname: The Deathslinger.
Looking to protect his asset, the prison warden pulled strings and released Irish inmates to form Caleb's posse. The Hellshire Gang was born. For six years, they roamed the country collecting wanted outlaws for the prison, fulfilling their end of the bargain. After a bloody battle at Glenvale, Caleb caught notice of a newspaper headline: Henry Bayshore Purchases Hellshire Penitentiary. In the picture, a disfigured Bayshore proudly shook the warden's hand. Caleb's heart pounded with rage, blood swelling as if it would burst from his veins. He'd been sold out, a pawn in a rich man's game.
The Hellshire Gang pledged their loyalty to Caleb and called for the warden's head. In a thundering gallop, they smashed through the prison entrance, shrieking like bloodthirsty marauders. A guard raised his pistol, but hesitated. A spear punctured his chest. Caleb grabbed the man's head and slammed it against a prison cell until it spilled through the bars.
Reaching the warden's office, Caleb kicked the door and was met with a fortunate sight — it wasn't only the prison warden who cowered in a corner, but Henry Bayshore. Overpowered with rage, Caleb rushed to Bayshore, beating, bludgeoning, tearing at his flesh. The man's blood dripped from his face, crimson pooling at his feet. The Hellshire Gang swarmed the warden, snapping bones with each kick.
With the two men broken and begging for death, the posse dragged them to the commons, where they were left to the growing crowd of prisoners.
Soaked in blood and sweat, Caleb hobbled to his old cell, hardly paying notice to Bayshore's screams. He sat on the bed's edge as drops of blood ran from his fingertips. A thick, unnatural fog streamed through the barred window. He pulled out his old wrench, cracked and rusted, and ran a thumb along the metal, regarding it with faded eyes. He couldn't remember when it came into his possession. He didn't care to remember. At his feet, he saw a dusty path, and, at its end, silhouettes of all who had done him wrong: the boys who bullied him, the executives who took advantage of him, and, again... Henry Bayshore. Emerging from a fog were the tools to dispose of them — unforgiving steel hooks, brilliant and beautiful in their simplicity. Pain tore through his leg as he stood, but he endured, pushing forward, walking the dusty path, leaving a trail of blood flowing behind him.
Biography[]
Background[]
The young Caleb Quinn was born in the badlands of the American Midwest as the son of one of the struggling Irish immigrants. The life of his fellow immigrants was harsh, not only they have to face sickness and famine, but also rejected by society that disliked their presence, forcing them to scavenge things they could find. Even Caleb's father didn't fare better as his business as the engineer didn't go smoothly because of the same discrimination. It was until their luck changed upon discovering Caleb's gift in mechanics and trade, something his father encouraged by giving him his old wrench. His father was somewhat disturbed by some of Caleb's early inventions, wondering why he needed so many spikes on a simple creature catcher. Little did his father know that following his passing, Caleb's passion took a darker turn when he also aimed to design gruesome torture devices such as a mask that can rip someone's eyes from their sockets. He planned on using most of these devices on people who wrong him, such as his bullies.
His accomplishments as the master engineer such as crafting a gun that shot railroad spikes into the ground and steam-powered tunneling drill puts aside everyone's prejudice against him for being Irish, but apparently not so much for Henry Bayshore, the owner of United West Rail, who hired him for his own purposes. Bayshore attempted to sell some of Caleb's unfinished patents he improved himself and sold to other companies out of profit and spite, only for the engineer discovered his boss' treachery and nearly killed him with his specialized spear rifle The Redeemer.
Becoming the Deathslinger[]
Thanks to Bayshore's unlikely survival, Caleb was only confined to Hellshire Penitentiary, the nation's first private prison. His engineering skill somewhat won the favor of the prison's warden, who then asked to design him some torture devices. In return of the profit of his design like what he always wanted and ensure his former boss got what he deserved from his vile acts, Caleb accepted the warden's favor of designing torture equipment for him. The warden also enlisted some of the inmates to join Caleb in his duty as a bounty hunter and engineer as his personal band called Hellshire Gang. Caleb also improved his Redeemer by adding chains to its the harpoon so he can reel his target into his reach. Trials and errors he went through in improving his signature weapon (first few attempted upgrades resulted in the accidental disembowelment on the victim than pulling them outright) earned him his moniker The Deathslinger.
Betrayal and Phyrric Vengeance[]
However, the warden turned out to be corrupted and best friends with Bayshore, and that he had manipulated the engineer for six years since day one. Apparently, the warden sought to avenge Bayshore's near death, but patiently waited for the chance where it would be the moment where Caleb had outlived his usefulness. The warden made his connection with the crippled Bayshore known to the public presumably as one final spite towards the engineer before ending him by allowing the news of Bayshore buying the Hellshire Penitentiary in the newspaper headline. Not taking any chances and outraged, The Deathslinger and his men led an assault to the prison and in ensuing bloody battle, finally ended his former boss for good along with the warden. The two pleaded for mercy, but knowing better such pleads were likely a ruse to lower his guard, had his men tossed them into the inmates who then tear them apart on his behalf.
Unfortunately, this would prove to be the end for both, as Caleb was lured into The Entity's realm by the silhouettes of those who had wronged him, but not before examining his father's wrench, forgetting when it had come into it's possession.
Present Day[]
Eventually, his tortured spirit was claimed by The Entity to be one of it's killers. Although this means The Deathslinger spent the rest of his afterlife playing the Entity's sick death game, he nevertheless was treated better than with his predecessors.
Appearance[]
As one of the Entity's killers, he currently appears as a gaunt-looking man with glowing white eyes, long gray hair, moustache, and beard; and a huge wound on the right side of his face sustained from a chaotic shoot out. His attire reflects the era from where he came, which comprised of a cowboy hat and dark gray coat under which he wears a dusty brown shirt, long pants with a darker tone, and a pair of leather boots. Additionally, he wears a leg brace on his injured left leg. Unlike many of the other killers, such as The Trapper, he does not appear to have any major modifications to his appearance.
Personality[]
In life, the Deathslinger was an inventive and brilliant engineer whose skills only matched by his volatile temper stemmed from his troubled past. He detested those who attempted to steal the credits for his works, especially if the perpetrators do so to exploit his skills all while intending to dispose him as soon as he outlived their usefulness such as Henry Bayshore and his friend and fellow conspirator, the Hellshire Penitentiary warden. As one of The Entity’s killers he seems to take pleasure in the pain he inflicts on survivors with him often heard laughing and chuckling upon hitting them.
Powers and Abilities[]
| “ | The Deathslinger's ingenuity affords him the ability to reel in bounties with a unique invention — a heavily modified, hybrid rifle that replaces conventional ammunition with a razor-sharp spear affixed to a chain. | „ |
| ~ A testament of The Deathslinger's prowess. |
- Engineering: In life, the Deathslinger was a master engineer, having crafted peculiar inventions such as a steam-powered tunneling drill, a torture mask with spikes that can gouge the wearer's eyes, and a gun that shot railroad spikes into the ground among things. However, neither of them are as significant as his signature speargun, The Redeemer, which can reel its fired sharp spear in via. chain to subdue target alive. The speargun was crafted out of a rifle and also outfitted with blades to spear victims with. His in-game bio told how the weapon underwent several improvements to minimize its lethality, as the earliest version of the speargun winds up disemboweling a victim instead of incapacitating them.
- Marksmanship: The Deathslinger is an incredibly good shot with The Redeemer. This seems to have been enhanced by the Entity. Even when he does miss, the chain instantly flies back into the gun instead of needing to be wound back in.
- Chemistry: Several addons for his power include toxic plants that he used to make the wounds he inflicted much more painful and uncomfortable. He does not seem to use these plants often though, and prefers mechanical modifications to his weapon.
Quotes[]
| “ | Bloody fool, you pulled the trigger on yourself. | „ |
| ~ The Deathslinger |
| “ | Get your prayers in, you'll be swinging by noon. | „ |
| ~ The Deathslinger |
| “ | You called death to your door the instant you done me wrong. | „ |
| ~ The Deathslinger |
| “ | You'll be met with a fierce reckoning, swear it on my mom's grave. | „ |
| ~ The Deathslinger |
| “ | There won't be nothing to fear soon. Till then, fear me. | „ |
| ~ The Deathslinger |
Trivia[]
- The Deathslinger's Memento Mori sees him impaling his speargun into the survivor's back, lifting them off the ground. He then pulls the trigger, causing the spear to be fired up through their body, exiting the victim's mouth.
- He has an alternate Mori on DBD Mobile, in which he kicks a survivor onto the ground before shooting them with his speargun and slowly reeling them in to be impaled by the attached bayonet.
- He can be considered the main antagonist of Zarina Kassir's storyline since his murders were what caused her to be inadvertently captured by the Entity and (if they are both in the same stage) he will attempt to have her killed multiple times.
- He is currently the only killer to have been arrested or punished for a crime they commit while in the real world.
