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January in Chicago
Jan 14:
*note: Ishtar is pursuing her agenda to organize the cities
supernatural inhabitants together in cooperation
Winter storms have been increasing in length and
intensity, getting close to the coldest winter in recent years. Ishtar seeks out the Mercurials*
at the Art Institute Museum near the east limits of the Loop, with the permission of Prince Maxwell to go onto his personal
hunting grounds. She met with the mages and presented an annual 'open house' for the mages to meet with the cities kindred
population.
*note:Already talked with Kim about if she could
trust the Mercurials
Ishtar wishes to share her newly made discipline,
Duhla** with the convenant, 'The Philosopher'* recommends she start to prepare her presentation and be able
to prove that it can be taught to others, Ishtar chooses the Philosopher and her favored ghoul Marie to begin teaching it
to. Ishtar emphasises feeding during the deepest throws of passion, but to never kill. *note:
former head of the Ordo Dracul while Richard, Barbra, and Ludmilla (Dying Light, Mysteries, and Axe) were called away by a
covenant conference, during this time Ishtar was created and joined the Ordo lead by the Philosopher **Duhla is a specialized
set of disciplines that can only be used with a high humanity to worship the goddess Ishtar, and allow kindred a different
way to feed through the energy of sex
Ishtar visits Maxwell frequently, mostly for pleasure, but
often to ask for direction and sometimes for favors. Ishtar wants to use the Blacklight microscope at the North University,
and asks for a divulgence from Maxwell's Tranquility* so she can embrace Marie *Ban
from killing kindred, creating Childer in Chicago
Ishtar gets help from one of her coterie mates, Trevor Voss,
to aid her in getting a new female official elected mayor of Bronzeville.
Continuing her instruction of Duhla in her club, Ishtar's Temple
with Marie and the Philosopher. Doubts in her mind about what her boyfriend Kim* needs in a woman, she thinks to use
the problem as a training aid for Marie and talks Marie and Kim into a threesome.
*Kim a Mage of the Celestial Chorus and member of the local Mysterium,
whose legs were hobbled after an encounter with an abyssal entity that killed his mentor and crippled him; first
met on errand for the Philosopher, when sent to retrieve a book. Ishtar asked him out after using auspex on his aura.
Jan 18
Begins to talk to planners and builders about expanding her club,
adding another floor, and making that a dance club. Marie is given an amulet of Ishtar and welcomed into the Cult of
Ishtar, recognized as 'Innana' or first amoung her priestess's as she has been her best friend and has shown belief in Ishtar.
At the Ordo Chapter house, Ishtar remembers that Ludmilla and
Mr. Tsung have both stated the importance of being able to defend the Covenant's secrets and one's self, using the superior
abilities of their kindred condition. She is unwilling to dedicate much of her time away from her club, her research
into the blood and bodily fluids, and her time with Kim.
The Aegis Corporation was able to buy the property and begin building
an apartment complex using workers that work for the Carthian's headed by Walt Baroski, she is a little angry that she
didn't get the rights in time, but she had intended the property for low income families to live. She starts to
research the company and finds that it also manages the Peace Museum. The museum is owned by her other cotorie mate,
Trevor Voss. She confronts Trevor about his new aquisition, but she is appeased by his charms and that he agrees to
work with the less privledged peoples in the area, after she calms down and asks him to inform her if any mesopotamian artifacts,
specifically from the Temple's of Ishtar go for sale, that he inform Shannon Green.
Ishtar continues to gather support for the meetings with the mages,
though because she asked the Mercurials, she has show that her favor is more alined with Prince Maxwell and doesn't get much
support from Walt or the Carthians, but the other Primogen seem more open to her ideas.
While trying to gather support from the mystress of Elusium, Justine,
she is also asked for help in a project that Justine has been working on for some time, a new piece of art, a smaller scale
Statue of Liberty in a park not far from the Shedd Aquarium, but Ishtar is too occupied to really give her support.
During this time Kim's cabal, with Tiamat,
David , Gwyn and a visitor Cathlene, discover a newly Awakened mage, a small teenage girl Jennifer.
Ishtar continues to push Kim and Marie together, both who seem
open to it but hide some reservations. Marie is more than eager to please her best friend, and lover Ishtar than to
be with anyone else, and Kim who cares deeply for Ishtar but wants to help her in her development of Duhla, but he is still
human. Ishtar drifts away from the couples but encourages Kim and Marie to continue, staying and using her talents just
long enough to get the others excited, then leaves them to it.
Jan 21
Note* Ishtar usually dance at her club on saturdays as a special
treat, sometime summoning the spirit of Ishtar, locking the doors because of the usual uncontrollable lust, and sexual orgies
that follow her dancing.
The Prince of San Francisco, Vanessa, Circle of the Crone comes to town to visit Ishtar's sire Adrian
Barboa and shows some interest in her research. Also mentioned that she was looking for a certain Nero,
a nefarious nosferatu with little to no social graces, she will be indepted to be informed of his location. Roads are
consistantly frozen over, causing dozens of accidents through out the city.
Vin Mariani, calls Ishtar about a book that he has come in to
contact with, as part of his duties as a clerk for the Field Museum, the book discovered was found predating Babylon itself
was going to be displayed and wondered if Ishtar wanted a private viewing, still Ishtar was distracted but this time by Vanessa and her interest in her research.
Some part of ishtar realizes that her blood hold Marie, and the
viniculum is overpowering her friends real desires. She knows that Marie doesn't want Kim but secretly desires to be
her lover.
Jan 28
The Philosopher takes home a subject so she may continue her development
of duhla in private, as she has been a member in the Ordo Dracul for several times longer than Ishtar has been kindred, she
is still very methodical about her approaches.
Her interest in Solomon Birch, leads her to find out about his
next mass, coming up on Valentines Day. She also contacts Justine for a painter, to give Maxwell something special for
his birthday, a portrait of her in victorian garb to go in his private collection.
Ishtar's research assistants Sandra and Sophia are analyzing any
special qualities in blood/semen specimens collected that have been fed from and those that have not. Mr. Tsung tells
Ishtar that until she is ready to commit the time to train she should stop appologizing for not coming to him.
Hearing rumors that she spends all her time with humans,
Ishtar wants to show her society that she is not to be so easily shunned, she goes to her friend Moyra*
at the Skullery, and then finds her way to a kindred bar, the Shattered
Image to be seen amoung other kindred. She first hears
about a new devastating drug hitting the streets called 'flects'.
Ishtar begins to put her Spoiling instruction to good use,
as she gets the idea of using it after a visit with the local Kogian, Dietrich Furst.
She goes to Rowen and aquires some special materials for the mixture, as her teacher did
not teach her everything. [Rowen made a deal with Ishtar to teach her some spoiling and alchemy
if she were to transport her ordo dracul aquaintance safely from under a blood hunt to her care] Giving the potion
to Marie and the Philosopher greatly aids their studies and allows them to master the first step in duhla quickly.
Kim spends much time away from Ishtar and with his cabal supporting
Jennifer's new life as an Awakened mage. Snow drifts closing entire blocks off for short amounts of time, the city is
struggling to keep up with the weather.
The painter, one of Justine's promising ghoul talents, Alexi Sumerset comes and over the course of a week has the portrait ready for the Prince.
On her way home Ishtar encounters some street people and buys them a room, as the city is still in the grips of a bitter winter.
She starts thinking about building a new shelter in Bronzeville for them, and calls up the escort service she joined to raise
money for the shelter and her club. [Ishtar sets her price for about $5000 a night, and will usually
get one patrone a week]
Back at Ishtars Temple, she see's some shapechangers come in to
the place and stay for an hour, she introduces herself and they soon leave after telling her that there are some peculiar
spirits being drawn to her. Closing up for the night, Ishtar is nearly dragged across the gauntlent by a spirit that
has taken a keen interest in Ishtar. Her beast is let loose as Ishtar looses her focus and she goes into a frenzy to
leave, damaging her club but getting out, when she comes to her senses she calls Kimt o pick her up and stays the night above
his book store.
Later that week Ishtar learns the Aegis Corporation gained building
rights over the condemned buildings she had a mind to make in to her homeless shelter. Chicago's hospitals and shelters
are near full with severe frostbite cases, the soup kitchens and shelters are filled past capacity and police are having to
patrol the shelters to calm fights for any open beds.
Valentines day is very busy at the club, but Ishtar slips
away just in time for Solomons midnight mass. During the ceremony a human is sacrificed, unsettling her as the psychic
scream rips into her mind throug her auspex. Still stunned she leaves to go to Kim's. For his 39th birthday she
plays out a certain scene in a Mid Summer Nights Dream for him.
Jan 28
Chicago city delares state of emergency, plows are running continuously
to try to clear the roads, the department of transportation has issued a driving curfew on the cities roads due to the amount
of ice on the roads.
*Winter Court is not giving the city to the control of the Spring Court, cold
spirits are pushing into Uratha held areas in extreme numbers, the Tribes of the Moon are calling an Ungin to deal with the
unusual spirit activity, as well as the cities Awakened Cabals scramble to coordinate efforts to relieve the city.
Ishtar has a waking dream that showed her many possible futures
for her and the city. Two vision in particular interest Ishtar, one where Chicago's supernatural population has joined
and meets at Elysium in luxurious skytowers, miles above the city amoung the floating districts, where Ishtar finds herself
as Prince of the city*hundreds of years in the future, and another where she sees
herself with a beautiful daughter. She continues to gather and organize her data and get ready for her presentation
to the Covenant Chapterhouse.
Contacting some of her sources, Ishtar seeks out answers to the unusual weather. Phix and Redd can give no ready answers. Later,
Ishtar learns from the Uratha, the Hull House Haunts,
that the spirits in the Winter Court are fearful of an entity that has attracted many flame spirits to the city(The Seven Conflagurations). Police begin responding to an increasing amount of arson reports around Chicago,
the sources of the fires were found starting from the bodies that were all part of bizarre rituals; each victim
was killed in the same manner usually found near the lowest part of the building, with strange marks carved into the
chest and face, missing great quantities of blood.
Ishtars labors in teaching her new discipline are rewarded as
Marie and later the Philosopher manage to learn the first stage of duhla, Ishtar gets her presentation ready for presentation
to the Ordo Chapter house. One of Ishtar's ghouled assistants, Sharon, does
not come to meet with her about the reserch, later it is found her apartment was one of the burned buildings. (a body covered in wet ash rises from the ruins, a newly embraced kindred has been embraced by one of the vampires
setting the fires.)
The next few nights the Hull House Haunts
are looking into a possible azlu nest on the outskirts of their territory during a terrible snow storm, while Ishtar
is returning after visiting the mother of Baihu, a mage friendly with Kim, when her car is crippled from
the impact of a wounded uratha being thrown into it. Caught in the middle of an azlu attack on the younger
and inexperienced werewolf pack neighboring the Haunts, Ishtar calls Mercedes for help and tries to help the other
pack get some cover from the attack until help arrived. The Haunts are there in minutes halkting the attack, caused
by the nest of azlu and a jaggling spirit, named Shatter-snap. Mercedes tells
her pack Bone Shadow, Little Blue, to seek out the cold spirit so they can find out what is going on
in the Shadow.
Meanwhile the cult of arsonists are preparing a large ritual set in a closed
down factory, in the near west side of town. The Haunts question the cold spirit, after restraining it, the
Winter Court has sent out its spirits to lessen the power of the hearth in the city, the great ravager is slumbering
but something is trying to raise it, using the fires happeneing around the city. A large explosion, as the fire cult
finalize the ritual to summon a demon to the city, but the ritual goes wrong and consumes the supplicants and the building,
the resulting explosion and release of uncontrolled power surge through the city unseen, throwing cold spirits to running
across the gauntlet to escape its energies, ending the hold the Winter Court has been holding over the city, ending
the storms and the cold.
An elysium is called, when Norris discovers that at
least two kindred have been involved with the murders at the arson locations. The following interrogation is attended
by the sheriff Norris, the Hierophant of the Crone, Rowen, and the Lancea Sanctum Bishop Solomon Birch to ensure the kindred
under questioning is telling the truth. During the forced gathering kindred were not allowed to leave until interviewed,
else face the wrath of the Prince. During the interview a vampire was found to be a member of a similiar cult, but was
destroyed by his demonic masters before he could be caught. Norris continues his investigation into the cults.
Feb. 3
Ishtar still has nightmares about the man sacrificed at Solomon's
Valentine mass.
Ishtar giver her presentation at the chapterhouse, showing
her ghoul Marie and her mentor the Philosopher showing the use of her Duhla discipline, and her research into feeding from
semen and the energies of sexual intercourse. Ishtar is disheartened by the
lack of enthusiasm her reasearch and accomplishments are met with, but she is interested in the comparison to succubbi, from
Darren an Ordo ghoul. Talking to Kim about her feelings of disappointment in how
the Chapterhouse reacted to her discipline and research. After her presentation, Ishtar becomes self conscious about
what the covenant thinks about her.
May 23.
Shortly after feeling it was time
to leave the Ordo Dracul, Ishtar felt the pull towards something less imperical, more accepting of her own views and
goals. It seemed that she didn't belong any longer, she could sense something almost calling out to her since
her creation, but only now she could make out its siren song. When she no longer felt at home with the Ordo, believed
that it was too constrained by rules and science, she heard the sirens call pulling her to older, darker paths, where
she knew some piece of truth waited for her, and that the Circle of the Crone could help her find it.
Ishtar goes to the Skullery, looking for Moyra and entrance to
the Circle of the Crone, for her and her childe Marie, Moyra takes them to a ritual and then to see the Hieorophant
Rowan, to ask permission to be accepted. Three times they are asked and twice rejected, each enters to
the outer ring of the Circle, and for a year and a day they will watch and wait....
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