Rose
From SuspireWiki
((This information is OOC knowledge.))
Contents |
Lineage
Isaiah, Unknown
- Rose, Circle of the Crone, Active
- Fabrice Lefant , Circle of the Crone, Torpor
Though she is unaware of any siblings or her grandsire, Rose has noted that those of Isaiah's blood distribute very similar traits. All have shadows that, when not being focused on directly, seem to have minds of their own, sometimes harassing individuals just outside their line of sight, and sometimes appearing as grotesque forms of their owners. In addition, it seems the ability to perceive and converse with those spirits of the dead that are directly connected to the Kindred is inherent in their blood as well.
Illegitimate Child
Rose was born into a world of wealth and splendor during the late 1800s in New Orleans, which had a thriving community of wealthy blacks, mainly of Creole descent, though it was often supported by wealthy white men who supported their Creole mistresses. Rose's mother was one such woman. Having established herself in the upper echelons of black, fair-skinned society, the birth of the dark-skinned Rose brought shockwaves amongst the house. Rose's father was Madame LeBeau's only true love, a Haitian born immigrant and tailor. Fearing the inevitable repercussions of their union, Madam Lebeau and Jamel Saint-Fleur, Rose's fatherdid the only thing they could think of; they sent Rose away.
For the next eight years, Rose spent her days living in a crowded shack amongst distant relatives in South Carolina. She learned how to sew, knit, mend, and cook from the women-folk; all the skills she'd need to take care of a family. From the eldest, she learned which direction to sweep in to keep evil spirits away, what to foods to leave out for the good spirits to bless the house, which herbs cured fevers, which herbs cured a lack of bedroom passion, and which herbs cured an unwanted pregnancy. And from the boys she learned how to climb fences, outrun the angry old white man's dogs and, when they started realizing how pretty she was, how to fight them off to maintain her purity.
Her father would visit from time to time, teaching her the finer points on tailoring, giving her new patterns, teaching her about life and sending pretty dresses (that inevitably got torn apart and used for "more important things" by the other jealous women in the house) from her mother. It was clear he loved his Rose immensely and she shared the same amount of love for him. When he died, she was shattered. Her mother sent for her soon after. Though she still couldn't be fully acknowledged as LeBeau's daughter, LeBeau made her a live-in companion to her elder sister Claire.
Maturity
The years went by and Rose grew into a beautiful young woman. She, like Claire, had been trained in conversational literature, art, and history. She'd learned the waltzes, and the most common titles used in social gatherings, but often skipped out on the actual application of those skills, which did nothing to endear her to Claire. The older of the two was beautiful in her own right, yet she found herself in constant competition for the attention of the boys their age (and a few of the older men). Claire was even more fustrated that Rose had the luxury of being able to ignore her status as a debutant and ignore the attention that was thrust upon the pair.
The servants often whispered that Rose was the prettier sister. The smarter sister. The more talented sister. What infuriated Claire the most was that Rose, as far as she knew, had no relation to her. And Rose was dark. She couldn't understand why her mother's punishments weren't as harsh on Rose as they were on her. Rose was nothing but a glorified servant anyway. In fact, Rose was training to be a tailor with an associate of her late father. Claire's father was alive, rich, and white. If Rose was aware of her sister's anger, she never acknowledged it, which only served to deepen the rift between the two.
Still, Rose made it a point to embrace both sides of her culture. She mingled often with the dark blacks of New Orleans, especially the Haitian born. Upon her return to New Orleans, she'd been taken under the wing of her granfather, a powerful houngan. Her deep faith and dedication allowed her to rise quickly amongst the hounsi. However, she also caught the attention of Maman Katrina, a vile woman if there ever was one. She was a rival of Rose's granddaddy from their days in Haiti and it was rumored that she was a powerful Bokor. Rose immediately marked her as an enemy; upon their meeting Rose could almost hear the screams of souls in agony. Maman Katrina was rotten to the core for certain.
Thomas
Madam LeBeau passed shortly after Rose's twenty-second birthday. Claire inherited the estate (her brother had disappeared to France) and of course kicked Rose to the curb. What Claire didn't realize was that Madam LeBeau had left Rose enough money to comfortably support her and start her own boutique. It was after a few months of running her business that a young photographer named Thomas Howard strolled in, doing a series on black business owners. For the two of them, it was love at first sight.
This did nothing to sweeten Claire's bitter disposition. Rose had everything she wanted; she had freedom, true friends, true love. Claire was nothing but a glorified prostitute with two children by a man who would never truly love her. In the traditional way of the miserable, she set out to make Rose join her. Claire over-estimated her ability to seduce Thomas, especially since she played almost solely on her Creole heritage. Thomas was not impressed and Claire was livid.
She went to Plan B which consisted of the most vile of slanders of Rose. Rose's passion for her beliefs were twisted by Claire's words, making her out to be a whore of the devil and an evil bokor. Upon hearing these rumors, Maman Katrina took the chance to humiliate and discredit both of the priestly Saint-Fleurs. Rose's shop was soon subject to vandalizations and condemnation. She eventually closed shop, and she and Thomas went underground. She found that the people who came to her now were more interested in the darker charms and curses she was rumored to offer. The price she charged was terrible.
The Embrace
Influence among the scum of society has its perks. It was incredibly easy for Rose to smuggle in a certain poison into Claire's household and even easier to remove her drugged half-sister from the premises. When photographs of Claire servicing a half dozen men soon surfaced, it was clear there would be war if Claire survived the shame. Claire's resultant pregnancy only post-poned the inevitable for nine months.
It was Maman Katrina who delivered Claire's twins and it was Maman Katrina who nursed Claire through her after pregnancy. There was no surprise when it was Maman Katrina who helped enact Claire's terrible revenge. Nor was there surprise when, after all was said in done, there was only one twin left. No one knows what the exact rite was that was enacted, but its aftermath was terrible. Terrible and fatal.
It took two weeks for the curse to fully manifest. At first, Rose and Thomas experienced horrible nightmares. Then they began waking up with strange cuts and bruises. Their waking lives were terribly affected. They began to waste away, Thomas especially. At the end of the two weeks, Thomas was the first to die. They say he fell asleep in his studio and knocked over a lamp. He didn't die of burns however; his cause of death was apparently smoke inhalation. And Rose? She just cried herself to sleep and didn't wake up. If not for her grand daddy, she might have died, but it was his prayers and magic that kept her alive and healthy.
For a month she slept occasionally speaking in her sleep. They say she spoke to the Ghede and Legba, and to her dear Thomas. The people? They weren't that surprised. Both Rose and her grandfather were powerful, no one could deny. So the community, they left her alone, save for the few who'd offer their prayers for her recovery. Then one night a stranger came and he was a troubled man to say the least.
Isaiah, as he called himself, said he was haunted by ghosts. Haunted by spirits. Haunted by lwa. Haunted by Rose. He said he knew how to free her, but it would cage her as well. Her grandaddy didn't care. He just wanted his Rose back. And he wanted Maman Katrina to get hers. So Isaiah gave Rose the Kiss and brought her back from the land of the dead. If it was Rose who drove Claire to suicide soon after that, Rose never said. The children were sent away to Mississippi and Maman Katrina? They say they found her swinging from the roof of a small church surrounded by rabid pigs.
True Religion
Isaiah disappeared soon after, his hauntings soothed. Rose too became nothing but a ghost, instead finding herself involved in the Kindred politics of Atlanta. At first she was drawn to the camp of Antoine Savoy, the teachings of his Sanctified creed becoming an easy transition from her own. But as the years went on and her abdecarian training continued, she didn't quite feel right. His beliefs seemed watered down and forced, almost political. She parted ways with him semi-amiacably, and soon came under the tutelage of Baron Samedi.
Her Embrace had given her a powerful ability; Rose could see and speak to the spirits of the dead. It became her unlife's work to help those that would pass on pass on and cater to the final wishes of these spirits. Her previous occult training served her well in the Circle and she found herself more at ease with this "true" voudousaint religion. Rose, however, drew more attention than she wanted to, almost gaining the status of a lwa in the minds of the New Orleans. With the inevitable strain on the Masquerade threatening to break completely, she opted to leave her home.
Atlanta
Thomas always wanted to go to Geogria. Atlanta specifically. There was good work to be done there and a fresh start for the both of them. So Rose packed up her things and moved to Atlanta. The environment was completely different. Without Sanctified oppression, she found herself acknowledged quickly, and though the Aztecs of the Circle were strange, she got along with them well enough. She developed a powerful cult of mortal vodousaints and gained a bit of prominence in the Circle as an interpreter of the divine will.
In the Kindred Court, she reestablished hersef as a tailor and seamstress, creating beautiful gowns and suits for those who could afford them and making deals with those that couldn't. She even Embraced a childe, though the strains of their unique gift proved to be too much for the man. Rose was forced to stake him for his own good and the rest of the city's. Without a childe and without the warm embrace of Thomas, Rose began to yearn for the time she spent in the underworld before her Embrace. With few goodbyes, she slipped into a comfortable torpor.
