Erzulie is a 10th generation Toreador resident of the Chicago area.
Biography
Born as a male named Emmanuel Rolando in the Buena Vista barrio of Bayamon, Puerto Rico in 1888, she revealed her true identity to her family on her 16th birthday, only to be humiliated and shunned by them. Erzulie found herself on the street for a time, dancing for pesos and seeking shelter in abandoned bohíos before stowing away on a ship to New York in 1905. She settled in East Harlem and making a satisfactory living for herself over the next decade as a seamstress.
As the Gilded Age came into focus however, so did a cultural shift that allowed her to outwardly be who she truly was. When Erzulie made her debut in 1919 at the annual Hamilton Club Lodge Ball at the Rockland Palace Casino, she caught the attention of many, including the smitten Toreador Louis Detonas, who decided to Embrace her and preserve her as a work of art.
She thrived socially in the ball scene during her first few decades as a Kindred, and even associated with luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance such as Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and W. E. B. DuBois. But after the McCarthy era, Erzulie and her community that she developed in New York was edged out for not keeping a low profile.
She led them in exodus from city to city until finding herself in Chicago in 1982, when observing the house music scene, she met and fell in love with the Nosferatu Adze. Not only did she empathize with his pain, but she was attracted to his features and sense of style in spite of his Nosferatu curse, and the two shared a passion for freedom from the Masquerade. She began setting down roots in Chicago, as well as those of the Blood Disco that she had started in New York in 1977; being both a coterie between herself, Adze and other compatriots; as well as a social organization based in ball culture that welcomes all Kindred and kine, especially Caitiff and thin-bloods.
Character Sheet
Sire: Louis Detonas
Embraced: 1919 (Born 1888)
Ambition: Build a kingdom in Chicago with Adze
Convictions: Protect the innocents from harm; Always give a home to the homeless
Touchstones: Bianca Maldonado — 19-year old college student and intern; Cornelius Williams — 41-year old aide-de-camp
Humanity: 5
Generation: 10th
Blood Potency: 2
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3; Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 4; Intelligence 3, Wits 4, Resolve 3
Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 7
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Craft (Costume) 3, Firearms 1, Stealth 3; Etiquette 4, Insight 2, Intimidation 1, Leadership 4, Persuasion (Seduction) 4, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 3; Awareness 2, Finance (Cash Business) 3, Investigation 1, Occult 1, Politics 3, Technology 1
Disciplines: Auspex 1, Presence 3, Protean 3
References
- V5: Chicago by Night Fifth Edition, p. 194-196