Franz von Slabbert was born on the 15th December 1947, in Wepener, in the Dominion of South Africa, to emigre parents of German origin who had fled there after WWIII. In 1956, when South Africa became independent as the Republic of Azania, the family fled back to their traditional lands in Brunswick, only to find that their minor castle was destroyed. One or two family members disappeared or were lost in the confusion of this sudden move.
Still possessed of money, the family lived in a small house near the old castle. There were quite a lot of them - father (Harald Bluecher), himself, older brother (Hans Joachim) and younger sister (Ulriche Elsa).
In 1968 he toured Europe and in so doing passed through Minerva. Whilst there he was at the scene of the attempted kidnapping of a respected businessman. He ran in to help and with the security which was also present managed to drive off the attackers, earning a minor reward, and coming into the public eye and the Duke for the first time. On further investigation the kidnapping proved to be the joint work of the super-terrorist Bora (later of Eurostar) and the Spanish Secret Service, attempting to instigate a surreptitious takeover of a major Minervan electronics company.
Because of his actions he was hounded across Europe after leaving Minerva. In 1970 he decided life was getting too hot in Europe, and emigrated to the USA. He took his inheritance plus his remaining money and set up business teaching Spanish and German, as well as translating older scripts which his high intelligence helped him to understand.
In 1979 he married Anna Sasha Kinnear. She works as a teacher in a run-down state school on the Lower East Side, mainly because she feels it needs to be done as she depends more on his money. She is eight years younger than he.
Although they are both very busy Anna recently gave birth to a daughter, Andrea Francesca, who is now six months old.
Anna knows of his secret identity and work as the Duke. He tries to avoid death and uses his skills as a debater to bring situations to a non-violent settlement when he can (though he is not reluctant to use force when he feels it necessary). He works against crime in New York, particularly the area around the school in which Anna works, and particularly against drug dealers and organised gangs. He is liked by the locals and is known to the NYPD.
In appearance the Duke is 6'3" tall, with black hair, a black moustache, and an imposing bearing. His costume is black in a military style, with high black boots, a high collar with silver skulls on the lapel, a black belt with a silver deaths head buckle and silver braid on the shoulders, across the chest and in stripes down the trousers.
The Duke in Champions terms.