Dereas Ward


 * "'It hurts to accept failure, but it will hurt more later to deny it.'"

Dereas Ward is a major character in Our Worldly Woes. He is one of the first survivors met during the initial outbreak, and will accompany the character to the first survivor hub - a kind of safehouse - in the early game. He is involved in many other main quests, side quests, and lesser missions later in the game.

Early Life
Dereas (pronounced Duh-REE-uhs) Benjamin Ward was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas but later moved to ______ at the age of 21 to pursue a career in firefighting after his family perished in a wildfire. When Dereas became a firefighter, he worked for many years in the Merringsdale fire station combating fires and rescuing people trapped in burning houses. Before the outbreak, he was given term of leave from his job as a firefighter when he was struck by a flaming wooden beam during a house breaching to rescue trapped people. He was heavily injured and was yet to be cleared to continue his work as a firefighter due to chronic back pain and other health complications. Afterwards, he took on odd jobs in construction and carpentry, while his injuries continued to heal.

Outbreak
In the outbreak, however, he once again proves his selflessness by scavenging for the hub and rescuing as many survivors as he can, despite his doctor's orders to avoid strenuous activity and physically-demanding tasks. He is first encountered by the player character at ______________, during the main quest ______, and will remain in the first survivor hub afterwards.

Personality and Traits
Dereas is an emergency responder, so naturally he is a very kind-hearted and selfless person willing to risk his life to save others. During the events of the outbreak, he demonstrates such an attitude by helping as many survivors as he can, including The Player Character.

Though Dereas is a very good-natured character, he's often very overzealous and with a one-track mind focused solely on putting himself in dangerous situations for others' sake. He also appears extremely reckless with his own personal safety and will engage in combat with infected and bandits, often when the odds are stacked against him. Another notable character trait of Dereas is his tendency to make rash decisions in the heat of the moment when better solutions can be found if the situation is thoroughly examined. For instance when he suggests breaking a window to save survivors trapped in a store when there is a ladder right next to said window.

He is also very optimistic by nature and will rarely be seen in low-spirits. One example of which is when he dwells on his guilt of seeing a family at the florist devoured by infected in front of him, with him unable to do anything to save them. Otherwise, Dereas seems to be a source of inspiration and the voice of reason in the hub.

Appearance
Dereas is a tall, broad-shouldered caucasian man in his early 40s. He sports a short beard and short hair, and both his hair and eyes are brown. He has a large burn scar behind his right shoulder that extends to the middle side of his back where the flaming beam struck him.

Dereas first appears wearing a dirty, gray long-sleeved henley shirt, jeans, and work boots. This is his default outfit that he will wear most throughout the game and when in survivor hubs and safe houses. When he is not, he will be wearing equipment the player has given to him that he has a preference for (see Equipment Preferences further below). During winter months, he will be wearing a dirty red flannel over his shirt.

Although Dereas is a firefighter, he was not in his turnout gear when the pathogen broke out, and doesn't have it with him when he meets the player character. He will give the player character the key to his locker and ask them if they can retrieve his suit from the Merringsdale fire station while on their journeys outside of the hub. If the player declines, he will have his gear a few weeks after he asked, though the player can still retrieve it before then by talking to Dereas and accepting the quest. This quest can be prevented from happening entirely if the character visits the Merringsdale fire station, finds Dereas' locker, and somehow manages get into it to retrieve his gear and return it to him, to which he will be very grateful for. He will then wear it whenever he is outside of the hub.

Melee Combat
Dereas, being a naturally strong and physically fit person of large build, is a very capable melee fighter and can hold his own against several infected without being overwhelmed. With the training and conditioning of a firefighter, he can handle heavy weaponry very well, in particular melee weapons like the crow-bar, fire-axe, pry-bar, and many other large two-handed implements. His aptitude to wear heavy armors further boosts his capability as a melee fighter.

Special Skills
Dereas is a powerhouse when it comes to tasks requiring strength such as breaking down doors and lifting heavy objects. He can also carry a fair bit of weight on his back which makes him a good candidate for scavenging runs. His physical attributes and history of being a firefighter also explain his ability to handle heavy armor easily, such as riot armor, bomb suits, and of course firefighter turnout gear. Because of his preference of heavy melee weapons and heavy armor, Dereas makes a great tank unit - able to withstand a great deal of damage and dish it out in return. However, Dereas is not invincible - he can still die if he takes too much damage. He is brave to the point of recklessness, as he must be greatly outnumbered and heavily injured for him to retreat from a fight.

Stealth
Dereas isn't learned in the arts of stealth and doesn't exactly have the body frame to be sneaking around effectively but nevertheless he is not careless with his movements and the amount of noise he makes, and will not purposely draw attention to himself. For tasks requiring stealth, he is usually not the best option for a companion.

Ranged Combat
He fights best in close quarters combat, but still has basic knowledge of firearms and how to operate them. He will always prefer using melee weapons against zombies but will occasionally use guns and other ranged weapons, especially if there are armed human enemies present. His skill with firearms is not the best, but he can competently provide good supporting fire.

Scavenging
Dereas, as a firefighter, knows exactly how to examine a room and pinpoint exits. This translates into a natural ability for identifying danger as well as clearing areas of it - which is extremely useful for scavenging. Better yet, locked doors and heavy obstacles are of little issue for Dereas, and many locations are more accessible to him than to other survivors. These, combined with the fact that he can carry a large amount of scavenged loot, makes him a great companion for scavenging runs.

Construction
When he was injured and given leave from firefighting, he picked up odd jobs in construction and carpentry, as building things has always been a hobby of his. If appointed to any construction projects that the hub or the player character is running, he can speed them up twice as much as a regular survivor can, and can decrease the total material costs for such projects. He is also good at making quick repairs to barricades and defenses.

Equipment Preferences
Dereas will prefer to use heavy, bulky armor like firefighter gear, riot armor, and sports pads if available, but may use another piece of equipment if he feels it is better than what he currently has. In the hub, he will only wear his default clothing, even during an infected attack. Otherwise, he is picky when it comes to what he will wear.

For melee weapons, he will prefer to use tools, including but not limited to: shovels, crowbars, hammers, and various axes - most likely of the larger, two-handed varieties. He will still use smaller weapons if necessary, like if he is given a riot shield to use, or there are no other weapons he can use. For firearms, his skills are highest in the pistols, shotguns, and rifles categories, and he will prefer not to use automatic weapons or other military gear (presumably because he has no experience in using them).

Interactions
Early into the game, during the quest _____, Dereas is introduced to the player character. He helps them ---

In one of the early quests, Dereas is directly involved in the tutorial in which he teaches the player how to break down a door, showing the player that they can either kick it down or "run it down with a shoulder" if in danger of zombies.

Notable Quotes
"A wooden door. Don't got a key for that wooden door? We don't have the time to lock-pick it. Notice the hinges aren't facing towards us. Let me show you how we were taught to do it back at the station."


 * "'I think a mule kick's more effective but when time is of the essence, you want to break this thing down as fast as possible. I guess you can always run it down with your shoulder if they're hot on your tail but I'd imagine you might dislocate something.'"

Trivia

 * Dereas is incorrectly pronounced "DEH-ree-uhs", as in the manner of "Darius". Dereas is actually pronounced "Duh-REE-uhs", or "Duh-REES". with more emphasis on the middle vowel rather than the first one.


 * Dereas's name was created on accident when misspelling the word "decrease" and was later adapted into a character name.
 * Sometimes, when exploring with him, Dereas may randomly comment in pain. He jokes that he hopes his doctor will understand "the strain the end of the world" puts on him.
 * Since firefighters aren't allowed to have facial hair as it compromises the airtight seal of a mask, Dereas seems to have been out of work for quite a while, as evident from his beard.
 * Dereas' ability to use guns most likely stems from his experience from hunting trips when he was younger. He will mention this when given a rifle or shotgun, commenting: "just like hog hunting back home in San Antonio".