SchreckNet Data File
- Real/Birth Name: Delilah Foxe
- Known Identity/Mortal Alias: Lilah "Mustang Sally" Fox
- Place of Origin: Brookeborough, Fermanagh, Ulster, Ireland
- Height: 5'4"
- Occupation: Saloon owner/Madam
- Apparent Age: Mid-20s
- Embraced: 1787
- Kindred Status: Elder
- Sire: Jeb McEntire
- Notable Descendants: Tifa Sing (Childe)
- Clan: Brujah
- Clan Status: Respected Individualist
- Sect: Anarch Movement
- Sect Status: Respected Coyote
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Lilah is a striking woman with very long, naturally wavy dark brown hair and sapphire-blue eyes. She has a slender but fit figure, formed from a mortal life of constant physical toil in her youth, and much dancing, exercising and fighting in adulthood. She is fond of wearing make-up to accentuate her features - one of the little pleasures she was able to have when young, and a useful tool as an adult - and tends to favor dark eyeliner and eyeshadow, and blood-red, crimson or burgundy lipstick. Her hair is typically kept naturally loose and wavy, although she keeps it shorter than it's natural length, typically around shoulder-length rather than reaching to the small of her back as it naturally would. On normal given days, she will favour casual clothing (that nonetheless accentuate her figure - she knows her sex appeal is a big part of the draw her business has for truckers and bikers) such as tight denim jeans, shorts or miniskirts, with a blouse or t-shirt to match, maybe even a denim or leather jerkin. Sometimes this is paired with a cowboy hat or baseball cap (of the Ashford Armadillos, a gift from Cindy Walker) and, most likely, cowboy boots.
But Lilah is flexible. That is clothing that both appeals to her and works for her current image as the Madam of the Rusty Forks Saloon that caters predominantly to truckers and bikers, but she has been around a long time and fashions change; and she is capable of adapting as needs require. More than one Toreador has been surprised to see her turn up at Elysium in a gorgeous black gown, with her hair somewhat straightened glamorously, and less "vampy" make-up than might normally be expected from her, making her look like she just stepped off the red carpet of some celebrity event.
Regardless of her current appearance style, Lilah walks with a swagger and confidence that could only be possible from someone with an over-inflated opinion of themselves, or the developed self-confidence of a Brujah elder who has survived everything the world has tried to throw at her. Although most cannot deny Lilah's striking looks, it is often her confident swagger and natural, rustic charms that are attributed as her main sex appeal.
Lilah has a tattoo of a coiled rattlesnake on her right breast. It is coloured in the manner of the Timber Rattlesnake which is common in the mid-to-east states, especially Tennessee where she spent the majority of her mortal life and "became" Lilah (in more ways than one, she will say). Underneath the rattlesnake are the words "DON'T TREAD ON ME". Most Americans, especially those with any knowledge of the American Revolutionary War, will recognise both the snake and motto as being stylised versions of the Gadsden Flag which is often considered the first flag of America, used by American revolutionaries during the Revolutionary War. Lilah feels that she connects morally with both the motto and the rattlesnake (a common symbol of the US sprit of independence).
Background
Immigrant & Slave
Delilah was born on an Ulster plantation to a family of Protestant Presbyterian Lowland Scots that had migrated there from Ayrshire, Scotland as part of the planned Plantation of Ulster in order to flee the 1690s famine in Scotland. Life on the plantation was hard as they were legally disadvantaged by the Penal Laws and the disharmony in Ulster, especially after the enforcement of Queen Anne's 1703 Test Act. By 1767 her father made the decision to migrate to the colonies of British America in order to seek better fortunes away from the politics of England and Ireland for his wife, two sons and daughter Delilah (oddly named for a Protestant Presbyterian, by having a biblical hebrew name - but her father would say that the name meane "Delight", which Delilah was from the moment she was born). Like another estimated 200,000 Ulster Scots (or Scotch-Irish as the Americans would call them), they left for America via sea passage.
Modern-nights Lilah would recall that fateful sea passage when she was only 6 years old, stating that describing it as arduous would be like describing a hurricane as a gust of wind. The passage was teacherous by any standard. They were crammed en-masse into the holds of small wooden ships, which were constantly rolling and rocking at the mercy of the sea. Whilst the journey itself took approximately 7 weeks, it felt like several years. Lilah recalls the misery, stench, fumes, horror and vomiting that was their daily lives. Many kinds of seasickness, fever, dysentry, headaches, heat, boils, scurvy and the likes came from old and sharply-salted food and meat and foul water. Many died in misery. Later in the journey, lack of provisions, hunger, thirst, anxiety and other troubles such as lice made the conditions worse. Women, especially, suffered the most, kept in confinement to bear with their children, their fates sealed together, with few surviving. Lilah recalls one woman who was to give birth, and it was judged she could not give birth under the circumstances, was pushed through a loophole in the ship into the sea.
Few of the children Delilah's age survived. A smallpox epidemic claimed the lives of many of them, children and women especially - Delilah's mother amongst them. Delilah only barely survived herself after contracting the same smallpox as her mother; and her father said that she survived out of sheer will and an absolute refusal to die. Her mother was discarded into the sea along with the other corpses and Delilah told to just be grateful she was not also being thrown into the sea with her. Delilah turned 7 towards the end of the journey, and she would say that the only gift she got that year was life.
Eventually the ship landed at Philadelphia but her family were not allowed to leave. They were too poor to pay for their passage (which included that of their mother, despite her death) and so they were forced to the Philadelphia market, where rich Englishment, Dutchmnen and High German people came to purchase the best of the latest passangers - paying their passage fee debts in return for indentured servitude. Those that were too sickly or unworthy of sale were kept in the ship until they recovered enough to actually convince someone they were worthy enough to purchase, or until they succumbed to disease, or hunger, and would be discarded in the most cost-effective manner. Many families were broken up by these purchases, but the Foxe family were fortunate that a western North Carolina tuckahoe plantation owner purchased the father and both his sons. Had Delilah been 10 years of age, she would have been forced into servitude, but as she was only 7 was not considered old enough and simply part of her father's property.
Although the Ulster plantation was different to the new one they were indendured to, the Foxe family were used to hard work on plantations and adapted quickly. A scant 3 years later her father struck a deal with the plantation owner, agreeing to sell the pretty young Delilah into servitude until she was 21, in exchange for early release for himself and his sons, 2 years early, and some extra funds. Delilah was devastated by this, what she saw as a betrayal, but her father promised her that they would invest the money they were making into leasing a small farm and become cohee farmers, and they would be able to pay off her debt after just a few years, well before she was 21.
Delilah never found out if her father actually meant to keep his work. A few years later, during the American Revolutionary War, the Foxe farm was attacked by a Cherokee raiding party that were allied with the British and were attacking North Carolina farms indiscriminately. The farm was razed to the ground and Delilah was left alone and with no hope but swore to herself that she would do whatever it took to ensure she survived until she turned 21 and earned the end of her servitude. And she did. She worked hard and pleased her master, who rewarded her by allowing her to get educated alongside his own daughter; learning literacy, sewing, dancing, piano, cooking, household management and, as she got older, how to entertain guests with polite conversation about local affairs, plus how to deal card games for guests. This was considered a relatively fine education at the time, for a woman. Although this period of her life would forever make Delilah hate slavery as an institution and vow to never again be anyone's slave, she admits that her master was actually a very fair and reasonable man. At least, to her. The negro slaves were not treated nearly as kind. True to his word, on Delilah's 21st birthday her master gave her a legal document declaring her repayment of the Foxe family debt to be fully repaid and, as per the conditions of the contract, gave her an appropriate dress, an elderly horse, and a small sum of money. Delilah is sure that these were negotiated by her father with the intention of getting a little extra he could use for the intended family farm, but thinks of it as a form of inheritance.
Mrs Wilson
Although she was offered a place in the household staff by her former master, Delilah could not remain as she felt the need to make a new start elsewhere. With the American Revolutionary War beginning to swing towards the American forces, Delilah used her horse and limited finance to travel to the city of Nashville, which had been founded 3 years earlier during her servitude, and to which she had followed her master on occasion. A growing city, she figured it was her best, nearest, option to be able to make a fresh start and least likely to be caught up in Cherokee attacks or the Revolutionary War.
But the world was not her oyster. She sold the horse shortly after arrival, for less than it was likely worth even for its age, having spent most of her limited finances just to get to Nashville and gain some accommodation for a while. But soon even this began to run low as she struggled to find anything considered respectable for someone with her limited skills. A fair education (for a woman) apparently meant having much the same skills as every other woman, and few businesses wanted to employ yet another seamstress, nor did she have the money to set up her own business. So, out of desperation, she ended up getting employed at the Wilson Saloon, a known disorderly house (what in the modern nights would be referred to as a bordello) as a dancing girl and waitress. Although she found the soiled doves (as prostitutes at the time were commonly known) made considerably more money and lived more comfortably than dancers and waitresses like her, at least it was enough for her to live by. Almost a different form of indentured servitude, however, but at least she was comfortable, the regulars were nice, and she made friends. And, strangely enough, she found she enjoyed the clientele and liveliness of nights at the Wilson Saloon.
Then the Revolutionary War ended, and the Saloon's new owner returned home from the war. Zebulon Wilson, son of Nathaniel Wilson, had inherited the Saloon on the death of his father during the war. An urbane, respectable man, Zebulon was a socialite who enjoyed using his establishment to host parties for important clients and the high-society gentile. For the most part he left the staff alone or treated them well, with the exception of the negros, of course, who he considered should simply be lucky to be slaves at his Saloon, living an easy life instead of toiling on a plantation. He was nice to the girls, however, especially Delilah, who he at first said he was surprised as she was too beautiful to not be a soiled dove and later apologised, adding a retraction of in actuality, too beautiful to be a soiled dove. Despite her low origins and relative rough-around-the-edgenesss, he seemed to enjoy her company, using her much as a personal assistant/servant at first, until eventually he admitted his attraction to her and asked to court her. Believing perhaps the world was finally throwing some good fortune her way with the young gentleman, Delilah allowed herself to be swept off her feet and soon became Mrs Wilson in a ceremony held at the Wilson Saloon. He then made her officially the manager of the Saloon, in charge of all the staff, entrusting her to run it whilst he worked on improving their fortune and social standing elsewhere.
As Lilah would describe it, "Almost overnight, it all turned to shit." It wasn't long before Delilah discovered that Zeb was a liar and an alcoholic who rarely came home sober, smelling of cheap perfume and covered with lipstick marks. His urbane veneer disappeared almost after he took her virginity and he became verbally abusive, telling her to know her place. To the high society he wanted to impress, he was a gentleman and perfect husband; but Delilah always got to see his other face. In time, so did the Saloon staff, as Delilah and Zeb would argue in front of the staff over some of his increasingly-erratic decisions and would have the negros whipped for even minor transgressions, something that Delilah always struggled against. Whilst Delilah struggled to maintain the Saloon, Zeb quickly spent his family fortune on alcohol and gambling, and Delilah realised that he was bringing financial ruin on them. The final straw for Delilah was when the limited respectable society friends she believed she had begun to turn on her, apparently due to Zeb spreading tales of woe that Delilah was living up to her name, feigning politeness whilst cheating on him and driving him to financial ruin. He even spread the rumour that Delilah had fornicated with one of the negro slaves. It was apparent to Delilah that Zeb had married her because marriage accorded a certain amount of respect in society, and enabled him to get credit and social movement he could not unmarried; but that the actual marriage was a loveless inconvenience to him (though he certainly enjoyed his conjugal rights when it took his fancy) - though a good source of sympathy for him to gather sympathy as a cuckolded war hero, from the ladies he attempted to seduce and the males of the social circles he played cards with and wanted to become a part of.
As laws of the time did not allow women financial independence from her husband and she knew that he could leave her destitute at any time, even if he drank himself to death or got into a duel with someone wanting repayment of a debt - which would leave the creditors as owners of the Saloon, she decided she needed to take things into her own hands. Her entire life the rich and upper-classes had exploited her. They had caused the death of her mother and many desperate Scotch-Irish. They had forced them into indentured servitude - slavery in all but official name. And they had never accepted the Scotch-Irish cohee that married Zebulon as anything other than the working-class immigrant trash she was born to, all-too-eager to believe Zeb's lies because, of course, the upper class were beyond reproach. So she decided to hell with respectable society and decided to take affairs into her own hands. One of the first things she did was publicly change the title she would use as hostess to introduce herself to clients from Manageress of the House to Madam of the House and began hiring herself out as one of the soiled doves, although being more selective over who she would allow to rent her than the other doves and far more expensive. She also emancipated all the negros that Zeb owned, giving them their legal freedom, but re-employing those who wished to stay in the Saloon. She even took one of the negros she'd befriended as a lover (she figured if she was already believed to be, she might as well reap the benefits). She began hosting parties and events to appeal to a subtly different clientele - the working class. She ensured they were well treated, entertained, especially those who were soldiers or lawmen, who would get special treatment for valiantly defending the community. She also took pains to secrete away parts of the earnings she made, placing them in investments or physical locations her husband did not know of and could not touch. Illegal, yes, but Delilah was beyond caring about patriarchal laws. As western North Carolina had recently broken off and become the State of Franklin, so did Delilah begin separating her finances and business affairs from her husband.
Zeb was furious. The loss of his slaves - or at least his inability to now properly discipline them because he was no longer their owner was a blow; but although Delilah had declared a war against Zeb, she was cunning and did not overplay her hand, feigning having done it as a method to encourage more loyalty from the staff and more negro clientele; a decision for which she was derided as a fool, but little else until she declared herself a Madam, taking pains to ensure everyone knew Mrs Wilson was the best and most highly-sought-after soiled dove in Nashville. Delilah would target Zeb's respectable friends, many of who seemed most willing to enjoy the company of Mr Wilson's wife, discreetly of course, as most were married themselves and did not want a scandal - but willing to pay handsomely nonetheless. Although Mrs Wilson was publicly known to be available, she did not reveal her clients, and the discretion made her a highly-sought naughty commodity for those Zeb believed were friends; who would shake hands with him and play cards, but Zeb would come to wonder if their smiles hid a secret affair with his own wife. He became a laughing stock, considered a fool, and his drinking, gambling debts and his lies all becoming increasingly apparent to even those who once called Zeb a friend or supported him.
Taking advantage of the only legal financial right available to her from marriage, Delilah began spending indiscriminately on luxury goods and clothing; as Zeb had endeavoured so hard to live the life of a well-to-do gentleman, so was Delilah in the legal right to live the same lifestyle, with and she did. She would ask Zeb to purchase things for her, provoking him appropriately, and he would refuse. This led to her suing him for support from the courts under the doctrine of necessities rule and, whilst waiting for the court's judgment, she was permitted to run up charges at local stores and taverns (which she carefully included her own Saloon), and Zeb was obligated to pay for them. This ensured that Zeb had very little physical finances he could call on and relying increasingly on credit for his drinking and gambling; credit that he became known to be unable to pay off. Whenever creditors demanded payment, however, and Zeb became desperate or angry enough, Delilah would directly pay the creditor herself, typically sweetening and renegotiating the credit amount with her own services, typically on the condition that Zeb be refused further credit. She became renown as a woman that would keep her word and pay her debts, whilst ensuring that the creditors, fed up of Zeb's lies and inability to pay, would refuse him further financing or support. The staff at the saloon, whether dancing girls, barmen, soiled doves and, especially, the coloured former-slaves, were treated exceedingly well. Delilah was highly protective of them and made this obvious, ensured that they did not struggle (allowing the poorer ones to sleep at the Saloon, or grant them loans) and would sell the expensive dresses she bought to the ladies (or the men for their wives) at very low prices - with the condition that, if asked, they would claim that Delilah had gifted them as presents for their wives. This allowed her to secrete the money away into her private fund.
All of these actions served two purposes - the most immediately important is that the Wilson Saloon staff became incredibly loyal to their Madam, not to the Saloon's legal owner. The worst Zeb could do would be fire the staff, which would result in Delilah rehiring them almost instantly. To prevent her doing this, Zeb's only recourse would be to take her to court, something he could not financially afford without incurring further debt. And with the staff loyal to Delilah, they would physically prevent Zeb from getting too close to Delilah, without which Zeb's verbal abuse would surely have become physical. The self-prostitution, loans and secret dress sales (and other illegal activities she began secretly introducing) all kept the Wilson bank account as close to empty as possible, and money hidden away or secret debtors who could return the money if (and she assumed, when) it was needed. As divorce was illegal in the state of Franklin, Zeb could not divorce her, but the status quo and doctrine of necessities effectively allowed her to live a life of relative luxury, whilst ensuring Zeb lived in relative poverty and rely on making credits that he could not himself afford to pay to cover his drinking and gamblind gebts. Ultimately, Delilah intended to push Zed into a desperate enough state that he would break and then they could come to some kind of agreement to live essentially separate lives.
Zeb indeed broke, but not in the way Delilah anticipated. She figured he'd likely crack and give up, or repent and see the error of his ways; or perhaps even drink himself to death, or get shot or beaten to death by someone he owed money to that'd had enough of his bullshit. Instead, Zeb turned up exceptionally drunk, bottle of whiskey in one hand, the Queen Anne flintlock pistol he used during the revolution in the other. Waving both objects around indiscriminately and threatening to shoot anyone who attempted to stop him, he demanded to speak to Delilah. Confronting him, Delilah was unafraid - the worst he could do was kill her, and she'd long ago decided death was a better alternative than letting an asshole like Zeb have abusive authority over her. For every threat he gave, she returned it with a series of damning insults against his honour, his heritage, his courage and even his tiny pistol. She made Zeb so angry, that he moved to strike her. Lilah says that had Zeb fired the pistol instead of trying to beat her, the outcome may have been very different, but Delilah weathered the hit and with a scream of rage grabbed his gun-hand, using her hand to block the hammer from firing and ignoring the pain. In the brief scuffle that ensued Zeb struck Delilah several times, but she succeeded in head-butting him hard enough to stun him and pull herself free of his grasp along with his pistol.
The Sheriff's report of the incident states most witnesses claimed that Delilah then used the Queen Anne pistol to defend herself, telling Zebulon to leave (though the exact wording of what she allegedly told him varied considerably) and he charged her, forcing her to shoot him dead. A minority of reports are more consistent in stating that Zeb raised his hands and began apologising, but Delilah took careful aim, uttered an expletive (on which all these reports concurred), and deliberately shot him in the face. The Sheriff, unfortunately, appears to have lost most of these minority exceptions and, ultimately, declared Zeb's death to be a lawful shooting in self-defence. Some have noted that, like many of his officers, the Sheriff had traditionally gotten along well with Delilah, his wife's favourite dress even being one that Delilah gifted him for her birthday; whilst on occasion had to arrest Zeb when his drunkenness got him into trouble. But the evidence is sound. Having burnt most of his bridges, few people supported Zeb or wanted to see Delilah punished - but there are always some coyotes waiting in the shadows and a few respectable society members tried to pursue independent or deeper investigations over Zeb's death at the hands of his notorious wife. A string of scandalous revelations and evidence of some of these decriers having had sexual relations with Mrs Wilson, who's death would certainly cover up, brought a fairly quick end to that. Some creditors attempted to steal the Saloon, but it appeared that Zeb in his drunkenness must have miscounted the amount of money they had, or concealed it from his wife and the creditors, as Delilah was seemingly capable of financially settling what remained of Zebulon's debts.
Inheriting the Saloon completely and now free from Zeb's shadow, Delilah reverted back to her maiden surname (to the further consternation of respectable society and some of Zeb's remaining cousins, some of whom made legal attempts to have the Wilson Saloon and Zeb's finances return to the Wilson family; but these were mostly rebuffed in court, though a few cousins seem to suffer scandals or a series of unfortunate events that changed their minds) and increasingly was called Lilah by friends and allies, a shortened variant of Delilah, which had been what her family had typically called her, and considered a more common and casual name amongst the working class that frequented her Saloon. Whilst she would occasionally still soil herself with a client, this became increasingly rarer as the Saloon prospered under her name. After Zeb's death, Lilah quickly earnt a reputation a being someone not to mess with - which included her staff. She would defend her staff (especially the coloured staff) with incredible zeal, and ended up becoming good friends with the Sheriff as she got into many, many physical altercations. Famously, as he escorted a drunken punter out of the Saloon, swearing revenge after Lilah broke his nose before throwing his ass out, the Sheriff said "[Lilah] may be called Foxe, but that there dame's a Rattler! Don't tread on her if you don't want to get bit!" This soon spread and led to Lilah Foxe getting the nickname "Rattlesnake Lilah" which amused her, prompting her to change the name of the Wilson Saloon to the Rattlesnake Saloon and get a tattoo variant of the Gadsden Flag Rattlesnake and "Don't Tread On Me" message.
Although this would likely be the best period of time in Lilah's life, it would be short-lived. Literally. A little over a year after events around Zeb's death settled down and she re-opened the Rattlesnake Saloon, a Brujah who had recently arrived in the area caught wind of the legend of the infamous Rattlesnake Lilah and her raucous Saloon, as well as her rags-to-riches story about defiance of hardship, social conventions and her husband. Curious to verify for himself, he went to her saloon and was bemused when he witnessed her beat a man double her size half to death for disrespecting her (by disrespecting one of her girls). The Brujah used his Presence to Entrance Lilah, who believed him a normal client and agreed to a rare, private room with him whereupon he tested her one last time, a test Lilah would not survive - but from which she may still return. During the act of coitus, rather than sink his fangs into her as most kindred would do to disguise the act until the euphoria of The Kiss overwhelmed their victim into submission, he revealed his fangs and made obvious his intention to bite. Whereas most mortals would have been stunned in surprise and fear, then screamed or begged for mercy, Lilah reacted with controlled fear and an survival instinct that impressive him, smashing the candle jar on the bedside table into his face. It did little harm to him, but her last act of defiance convinced him of her worthiness to receive the Embrace, which he immediately forced upon her.
Rattlesnake Lilah (Lilah Foxe)
In a way, Lilah considers the timing of her Embrace to be a final stage of her change from "Delilah Foxe" into "Rattlesnake Lilah" (or Lilah Foxe, as she called herself from this point). She had changed from the frightened Scotch-Irish immigrant slave to strong, independent kindred, and her sire stuck around long enough to help her get her undead feet on the ground. He helped teach her not only how to fight properly and use her physical Disciplines, but the value of the more subtle touch using Presence - something he believed Lilah could use to good effect considering her legacy of converting allies to her side and savagely ruining and scandalising those who tread on her. Then a few years later he moved on, and Lilah claims she never saw him again and does not know (or frankly care much) about his ultimate fate.
The first couple of decades were not much different to the last few years. She ran the Rattlesnake Saloon much like always, except now she carried out more personal soiled dove services for clients as a means to feed during the act. Mortals failed to understand that they had been subjected to the Kiss rather than (or in addition to) intercourse, but all knew that Lilah was entrancing and it was the most erotic, powerful and pleasurable experience that no other soiled dove could match, and she built a herd in almost no time. It became a little hard adapting to only night-time activities at first, but making the Saloon open all night, and ensuring she was there all night whilst appointing a ghoul day-manager helped. In time she got into the swing of things, though there were a few mistakes, and frenzies, along the way and Lilah struggled - considering the battle to retain her humanity to be the new version of her lifelong battle to survive; in this case, she considered losing her soul to the beast to be a form of death and damnation, and as usual she was to stubborn to concede defeat or let another (the Beast) control her.
Around her the landscape changed. First the new state of Franklin failed and got re-absorbed into north Carolina. A year later North Carolina apparently decided they didn't really want Franklin back, and ceded it to the US Congress as the Southwest Territory. Then after a few political waves, six years later the Southwest Territory gets incorporated into the Union as the newly-names state of Tennessee. These events caused shifts in politics, people, travellers and local moods in Nashville, which grew exponentially from the small city to which Delilah had moved fourteen years ago. But Lilah adapted and prospered, having to begin taking a more anonymous stance, using a series of aliases and finding ways of encouraging staff to move on when some began noticing that their boss appeared to lack signs of aging, and cosmetics could only be accredited so far. Letting go of what she'd earnt and built up was hard for her, but the Brujah are nothing if not agents of change, and she was up to the task and found ways. The increasing kindred population in Nashville varied from helpful kindred to absolute potatoheads, but ultimately to preserve the Masquerade there was always some way of helping things get done.
Things got exponentially complicated when the Civil War broke out in 1861, which Lilah recalls was around her 100th birthday (and 74th year of unlife). Somehow, she'd gained a reputation as being a reliable, if incredibly hot-headed iconoclastic Brujah ancilla, although she had only sired one person - which had proven a complete disaster that she, unfortunately, had to end to preserve the Masquerade, filling her with remorse and making her wary of taking another childe. But as a respected ancilla younger kindred would frequent her establishment, especially Gangrels and Brujah who would often pass through the area and caught wind that Lilah could help them feed safetly (she would use her soiled doves for this, although she would carefully monitor their health and only allow kindred to feed lightly and not harm the girls). Lilah's political views (if you could call it that considering her absolute dislike and apathy of politics) were more in line with that of the Union than the Confederacy. The last few years had seen a massive influx of black slaves in the state, accounting for 25% of the state's population, with only around 7,300 free black people. Lilah had always refused to have slaves, although when she could afford it (slaves were not cheap) would sometimes purchase some, then emancipate them and give them a job to keep them safe; generally to try to prevent mothers being seperated from their children or similar. But this was something increasingly hard to do in the slave-heavy society and she had to be careful not to attract too much attention to herself. Although Tennessee initially narrowly voted in the Constitutional Unionist John Bell to try to search for a way out of the crisis, there was strong sentinment amongst various regions such as Franklin country which threatened to secede from Tennessee and join Alabama if Tennessee did not leave the union. The attack on Fort Sumter in April, however, followed by President Lincoln's call for volunteers to coerce the seceded states back into line, public sentiment dramatically changed against the Union and Tennessee became the final state to secede and join the Confederacy, to Lilah's great disapproval.
Lilah was actually quite relieved when about a year later Union forces marched into Nashville. Soon after Fort Donelson fell in February, Nashville was evacuated and the Governor made a speech recommending the citizens burn their private property to prevent them being used by the Union. Unsurprisingly, many refused to leave, including Lilah, and Nashville became a Union Army military town, with many Confederate uprisings and guerilla attacks continuing in the city as most of those who remained resisted the enemy. With the black population of Nashville being freed by the Union Army (even though Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation exempted Tennessee, the military authorities ignored this exemption) so many freed and escaped slaves flocked to Nashville, where a prominent black community started up. Throughout this, Lilah was one of the few who did not resist the Union forces and, in fact, welcomed and aided them. Union soldiers found the Rattlesnake Saloon most accommodating and welcoming to them and various former slaves were employed, taking positions vacated by some staff who had chosen to evacuate.
But 1864 proved a turning point when a Union soldier drifted in, calling himself Quincy Gale. Quincy had been one of the union soldiers in the Army of the Cumberland who had fought in the then-ongoing Battle of Nashfield. Although a success for the union, Quincy was involved in a nighttime melee on Granny White Pike against Confederate rearguard cavalry, or at least that was the official story. In reality, his unit had been decimated by a single Confederacy officer with monstrous fangs and claws. This monster tore apart his entire squad, especially seeming to enjoy chasing down and shredding those whose courage failed and attempted to flee - but Quincy attempted to fight to the bitter end, but his firearms rounds seemingly had little effect on the monster, who easily overpowered and killed Quincy by draining him of his life's blood. Quincy had returned from death with the monster nowhere to be seen. He was now a fledgeling, recently embraced and abandoned by what Lilah presumed was a Gangrel and also presumed that the Gangrel had embraced Quincy because of his valour or resistance, or else some similar trait earned him the Embrace rather than the vicious deaths the rest of his companions had suffered. Lilah found herself naturally taking a mentorship or sire-like role over the fledgeling; perhaps in an attempt to atone for her previous failure. Under her guidance, he let himself be officially declared missing in action and took the name Keith Karloff. Lilah helped him get his footing, giving him a job working as security at her Saloon, introducing him to kindred society and how to hunt (without killing his victims). Over the long years that they would be associated, they even occasionally became lovers, though this would eventually be something both would consider to have been a mistake, even though they would remain friends for a long time thereafter.
But Lilah's active support of Union troops and supporting the black community caused too much attention, which Lilah underestimated and arrogantly believed she could handle. She knew she would get disgruntled Confederacy supporters causing problems, but she did not anticipate a direct sudden and unprovoked attack by Confederate loyalists against the blacks and union soldiers in her Saloon. An attack that enraged Lilah into frenzy, during which she slaughtered all the attackers. Keith participated in the slaughter too, using claws granted by his Disciplines to silence those witnesses that remained behind and had not fled when the shooting began or been slaughtered in the gunfire. The Masquerade had held, barely, thanks to Keith's actions (which Lilah regrets the necessity of) and Lilah would be able to call in favours from some kindred she knew who could selectively rearrange the recollection of some who fled the massacre and could pose a masquerade threat. But too much attention had now been thrown on the Saloon; the site of a now-infamous shooting with many dead, Union soldiers, Confederacy loyalists, and innocent bystanders. Questions would be asked and the likelihood of a revelation that the establishment had been run by Lilah for over 100 years was high. With regret, she set fire to her own saloon, effectively allowing mortal society to believe Lilah had been a victim in the attack, and she and Keith left Nashfield.
They would end up travelling across the southern states for over thirty years, spending large periods of time in Texas, where they got wrapped up in the Texas-Indian war more times than Lilah liked. Whilst she and Keith would become good friends and experienced fighters, there was one stark difference between them. Lilah tried to avoid combat and, especially, killing the kine where possible. Whilst she was quick to anger and quite happy to beat anyone who crossed her path, she was no murderer nor did she seek out trouble. Keith, however, enjoyed conflict and the sense of victory a little too much. At times, it scared her.
Their journeying together ended in 1889 when she heard a Ventrue elder named Kratus and a Brujah elder named Thomas Wingfield call for Brujah and Gangrels (and other Camarilla kindred) to help conquer the town of Bakersfield, which they had already begun the early stages of attack and now needed soldiers to take the fight to the Sabbat. In return for the assistance, the would-be Prince promised generous domain rights. Whilst Keith was happy to take part because it seemed like a good fight that he would enjoy, Lilah didn't relish the idea of combat, but was keen to once again settle down somewhere. Although they had enjoyed journeying, kindred society generally did not appreciate random Brujah ancilla walking in and intending on staying, competing for domain and herd; so she had been unable to find a new home, which is what Kratus was offering. When the smoke settled, she was granted domain over a piece of land in downtown Bakersfield (which would soon be re-incorporated as the city of Ashford), where in 1890 she opened up The Snake Pit saloon under the alias Madame Delilah, using the name Delilah Fox as required - dropping the e from Foxe to make it the more common Fox surname than her more archaic and European variant. For his part, Keith had no interest in settling and continued on his journey, although he would generally remain in California and even over the next century+ would frequently come by to visit his old friend.
Madame Delilah (Delilah Fox)
The 1890s were the latter end what is now known as the Old West. American-Indian wars in California had ended and the construction of transcontinental railroads, and the booming gold mining and oil industry in Kern County had brought settlers from outside and Ashford's population exploded. In particular, the Chinese population of Ashford had grown exponentially to the point that Chinatown was bursting and became known as Old Chinatown as the new wave of Chinese immigrants built what came to be New Chinatown. Positioned in Downtown Ashford just at the edge of Old Chinatown, the Snake Pit was perfectly positioned to cater to the needs of these settlers and workers whilst taking advantage of labour and services available. It was a time of entertainment and prosperity with prostitution a growth industry and houses of prostitution could be found in every mining camp and every other street corner. Lilah's Snake Pit saloon was not the first house to offer prostitution, but it became one of the most renown, employing staff that comprised of integrated Indians, emancipated black slaves and some Chinese in addition to white staff. Appalled by the number of Chinese women sold to slavery by their families and sent to work as prostitutes in these camps, with their earnings being sent home to their family in China, Lilah purchased as many Chinese women as she could afford, with some working as soiled doves and others as staff but, as was her norm, giving them their legal freedom in exchange for a termed work contract and a fair wage (which, she would argue, is how it differed from the indentured servitude of her youth). Although she would usually keep this secret, it gained her the respect of many in the Old Chinatown community and introduced her to Chinese (Cantonese) culture, which she found fascinating.
To many, the Snake Pit was a curiosity (and Lilah will take pride in saying "a leader in equality") because of its staff diversity. Of course, many kine did not approve of Lilah's treatment of these people, almost as if she considered them equal to whites (Lilah will say that, truthfully, as an ancilla, she found it hard to think of any kine as equal to kindred, and so colour and race meant little to her - all were simply people, and therefore either there for her to use to suit her desires, or to hunt), but there was enough booming business that Lilah could afford the dissenters stay away (and she ensured that they did). During this time she was known as Madam Delilah, as she felt her full birth name had a more sophisticated sound (and the biblical reference strangely apt for her role) than the common shorthand variant of Lilah; although, like in her previous saloon, most of her staff and those she got to know would use her preferred Lilah name in casual conversation. Although most of the brothels had, like the Snake Pit, been chiefly run by Madams like Lilah, the 1890s found male pimps begin to dominate and run bordellos and the treatment of the women working in prostitution declined. Lilah ensured that the Snake Pit, although catering predominantly for the working class, was still a higher class than most of the pimp-run bordellos. Her girls were treated well, well cared for and protected, and this was reflected in both the quality of her girls, and how well they worked. They liked their employer (even day-avoiding, elusive and bad-tempered as she was) and were loyal to her and this, combined with a surprising business-savvy (built up by over a century of being a saloon manager and Madam and knowing that, although times change, kine nature and desires rarely did) meant the Snake Pit prospered during this period. It wasn't the biggest and many would say that other kindred with better "business sense" (Lilah translates to: willingness to fuck everyone over and exploit them just to make more money) may have had several businesses and made more riches - but that was never Lilah's intention. She was born to the working class and enjoyed catering to, entertaining, and feeding on the working class (she uses this term to mean anyone that works for a living and does not have a classist stick up their ass; but her clientele was technically working class to middle class, just rarely any higher, which she finds typically arrogant and snobbish). Her intention was simply to enjoy her unlife and affairs, keep actively engaging in her saloon's activities (which she felt by owning multiple businesses would be less likely - perhaps good for the Masquerade, but boring as fuck), and make enough money to ensure a comfortable unlife, keep her staff in good health and out of poverty, and keep the saloon financially afloat.
Still she was successful enough that in 1907 she bought her first automobile, a 1907 Ford Model K Roadster. The automotive industry was still new around then and typically only the well-to-do could afford them. Although this car was not Ford's cheapest model (that would be the more common Model N), Lilah enjoyed it's aesthetic - and having a more expensive automobile was a social statement (especially amongst the kindred). Having never been much of a horse rider, and kindred frequently having issues around horses (as they innately sense the unnaturalness of the kindred and get nervous), Lilah spend the last century and a half walking or employing carriages; the independence of being able to go further distances faster and more conveniently (without relying on running on Celerity and making the kine wonder how she travelled so fast) appealed to her. She soon discovered that automobiles would become an unlife-long passion.
Within Camarilla society, as one of the original Camarilla occupants, Lilah had her own domain and was respected. Even as, over time, Kratus would prove less generous to the Brujah and Gangrel clans as he was to his own Ventrue clan and the Toreador and Tremere, he could not renege on his promises and Lilah's domain was one of the more economically prosperous amongst the working-class areas, as well as prime hunting ground - something she could use to allow access to others at her discretion, earning her the respect of neonates who lacked domains of their own and had to compete for prime hunting grounds.
Long Wu (Delilah "Lilah" Foxe)
But the turn of the 20th century changed things. Gradually as Ashford (and other cities in California) grew the days of the Old West frontier towns ended. With the population growth and settled and prosperous industries, more respectable women came to Ashford, and with them reformers and other civilizing influences. Respectable women ran boarding houses, organized church societies and worked as laundresses and seamstresses, striving for independent status. This brought the demand for prostitution down and changing social attitudes. Prostitution became less prosperous and far less blatant and common, especially as between 1910-1915 most states made prostitution illegal, including California. The gradual increase in gambling also becoming illegal in the United States also contributed to this, which ultimately led to many bordellos and gambling houses closing, and a rise in organised crime. Places like the Snake Pit were forced to openly change to match new laws, relying on dancing girls, entertainment and alcohol as legal fronts, with prostitution and gambling being more subtly done to avoid legal consequences. Many of those who still offered these services developed a symbiotic relationship with the law as they paid bribes to lawmen to look the other way at their operations.
A second major change in Ashford was in nearby Chinatown. Although Ashford's Chinese residents originated from the Chinese region of Canton, the populations of Old and New Chinatown were from different areas in Canton. Although they worked the mines and toiled the fields together, they went home to different Chinatowns and were culturally different and socially did not interact. They had different enough dialects to be obvious who belonged to which culture (something which of course the non-Chinese were totally oblivious to), that in time rivalries began to emanate, with tongs (street gangs) becoming more active. Two principle tongs operated in Ashford - the Bing Kong tong from New Chinatown, and the Suey Din tong which held sway in Old Chinatown. These tongs were not unique to Ashford and rivalries were intense, often escalating into open war. The tongs operated different from other criminal organisations as if a tong member was killed in one city, the tong may take revenge by targeting the family of the rival tong but in a different city. The tongs would know who did it and why, but it meant to those caught in the crossfire living in both Chinatowns, no-one was safe as they could be targeted for seemingly no reason, because some tong member committed an offence in another town. This also meant the lawmen were frequently stumped as murders seemed to occur without motive or reason - but as long as chinamen kept killing chinamen, the authorities were happy to ignore the situation.
In 1913 there was an outbreak of scarlet fever which devastated the two Chinatowns so severely that the city authorities marched Chinese children home from school and quarantined the entire district. The quarantine gave the tongs more to fight over, as they more actively smuggled goods in and out of the quarantine zone, including smuggling people out of the zone - many of who stayed on rich Chinese farm ranches outside Ashford, or took extended camping trips in Kern County to sit out the disease and gang warfare. Poised at the edge of the quarantine zone, these events impacted the Snake Pit heavily. Lilah frequented the Jung Sing family gift shop which was within her domain hunting grounds, liking the curiosities they sold and had befriended the family (as much as an ancilla kindred could befriend a kine family). The Scarlet Fever struck the family hard. Although the Jung Sing parents survived, six of their children succumbed to the disease - and the youngest, a not-so-lucky seventh child named Ed, was on his last gasps. Ed was the same age Lilah was during her passage to America, so perhaps the situation reminded her of her mortal days, but for whatever reason, she found herself unable to let the child die. She gave the Jung Sings a vial of her own blood, calling it a special family medicine and instructed them to give it to Ed but tell no one, and ask no questions. The family were initially perplexed, but they had no reason to fear their oldest client, were grieving the loss of six of their children and a fool's hope was better than any. Lilah's potent blood ghouled young Ed, the supernatural changes this caused to his body giving him the strength he needed to cure the sickness in him and enable him to recover, yet by not giving him further blood she did not curse him to the perpetual servitude of ghouldom.
The Jung Sings were worshipfully grateful towards Lilah. Although they did not know what she was, they realised the miracle vial's contents were no simple medicine (kindred vitae still appears and smells much like mortal blood, after all) and had wondered on occasion about the apparent lack of aging of one of their longest-running clients. They wisely, however, chose not to ask questions they knew she would or could not answer (and the very asking might endanger them) but made clear they knew she was special and would be in her debt. She took special affection to the family, who went on to have three more children after the quarantine ended, especially Ed; but they developed a special relationship when the family were targeted by the Bing Kong and were foolish enough to attempt to do it whilst they had their honoured guest Lilah present. Angered beyond measure, Lilah confronted the attackers, holding back a frenzy only long enough to instruct the Jung Sings to take Ed to the back room. She tore apart the three tong attackers and gorged on their blood. She did not mean to frenzy, but the clan weakness still affected her. She discovered that the father had come back to the shop area, intending on helping Lilah, and had witnessed the slaughter. Although, according to kindred law, she should have then killed him or called in a boon for someone with Dominate to erase his memory. Instead, after remorsefully telling him she wished he had not witnessed that, she instead allowed him to convince her that her secret was safe with him. Though he still did not understand exactly what she was, he was convinced she was a supernatural entity and called her the LongWu, the Dragon Fox, through who the spirit of the mighty dragon flows - mighty in its power, yet a wise protector. Being the second time Lilah had intervened to save them, this time saving the entire Jung Sing family, the father vowed to keep her secret and that the family would serve LongWu in an eternal debt, as if not thanks to the LongWu the family would not exist to serve.
LongWu became the protector of the Jung Sing family and let it be known. The legend of the LongWu spread quickly through the two Chinatown communities and, although the LongWu did not take sides, she became known to offer protection to those who came seeking it. With the Volstead Act in 1919 beginning the age of Prohibition, making alcohol also illegal in her saloon, and having become aware that her lack of ageing was becoming suspect in the mortal community, Lilah knew she had to withdraw from the public eye. Ever since father Jung Sing's promise, a member of the Jung Sing family has served Lilah as a ghoul. The first was father Jung Sing, who ultimately had a greater impact on Lilah than most kindred to date. As Lilah's ghoul, his loyalty was assured and he could learn more about Lilah, and assist her more. Whilst Lilah was powerful, and an experienced fighter, she was - like the dragon she embodied to Jung Sing - raw power and fury with little finesse. To aid her with that, he introduced her to Confucianism, a belief system which ultimately led to Lilah learning more Self Control and helping her keep a grasp on her humanity, and Lóng-Xíng Mó Qiáo (a Southern Dragon style of Shaolin Kung Fu) to help her focus, and channel her Qi. Although father Jung Sing was far from a master in the style, or of Confucianism, the changes it made over time to Lilah's ability to resist frenzy, her ongoing study of Shaolin Kung Fu over the next century, was pronounced. Due to her century-old relationship with the Jung Sing family, she has also become fluent in Cantonese Chinese, which often surprises people who don't expect that from the rough-and-tumble motorhead they are used to seeing.
To mortal eyes, Lilah refurbished the Snake Pit, renaming it the Dragon House, and became a recluse, operating almost exclusively via Jung Sing. The Dragon House became a mostly legitimate business - not because Lilah was afraid of the police catching her for serving illegal alcohol and gambling, but because she wanted to allow Delilah Fox to disappear from mortal perceptions, eventually dying in seclusion so, after a sufficient amount of time, she could return when the time was right. That said, she took advantage of the Dragon House now being considered a chinaman business and the natural state of ignorance the authorities had over their activities to still have siu ze (young ladies, a now-archaic Cantonese term associated with prostitutes) working in the Dragon House. Like many Chinatown houses, Lilah constructed secret basement tunnels and rooms under the Dragon House to conceal things from public and legal eyes. The Dragon House became known as a safe house where those who wanted to avoid the tong wars could seek refuge and seek the protection of the LongWu - and it became quickly known that the LongWu protected it and would devour any who defied its protection. After losing various men defying this protective zone, both in attacks on the Dragon House, and to mysterious retribution attacks after, both tongs eventually learned to give it - and those sheltered by it - a wide berth.
In all, the next two decades would be a very introspective period for Lilah. To the Kindred, Lilah appeared to have a brief period of playing with the chinamen before wisely acting her age and taking a step back to preserve the masquerade. Most kindred that would have cared about Lilah's Downtown Ashford activities were too busy adapting their own businesses in this period of instability and changing laws, to really care much as long as Lilah did not cause too many problems; which she did not. In fact, many would comment that she caused LESS problems than usual during this period, being far less violent and clashing less with the law. She even began frequenting Elysium, on occasion.
Delilah Deuce (Delilah "DD" Fox)
Although Lilah would never claim to be a business guru, she had been dealing with the kine long enough to have a good grasp of trends and popularity - and having become interested in automobiles since purchasing her 1907 Ford Model K Roadster, was keeping an eye on the development of automobiles. The period of the Great War had resulted in heavy railroad congestion as the railroads were employed to move materiel for the front (and later, troops), which spurred the use and development of trucks for deliveries, especially for long-distance shipments. Whilst railroads were faster, trucks were now becoming able to handle these jobs and had the added advantage that goods could be delivered directly to distribution centres, whilst freight trains could only deliver to stations, before requiring offloading and truck-transportation to the same centres. By the early 1920s over a million trucks were now on the road and states were introducing state routes to spur economic development, improve highway safety and provide congestion relief. In 1919 a plan for Legislative Route 57 (LRN 57) was announced and construction began in 1922, anticipating ending construction in the early 1930s. As the 1920s progressed, Lilah had almost faded into obscurity with the Jung Sing family running the Dragon House for her - deliberately retreating from public sight to allow the current generation of kine ,who knew her too well because of the Snake Pit's reputation, to forget about her - which suited both well as Ashford law enforcement were notably more ignorant to activities within Chinatown than they were on clamping down on other alcohol-selling establishments during the Prohibition era.
But then the Great Depression hit and the Dust Bowl drought and dust storms made things worse for farming and agriculture, bringing population declines, mass unemployment and poverty even to Ashford. Combined with increasing difficulties of Prohibition, Lilah decided it was time for change. The automotive scene had been growing - both amongst truckers as well as racers, with Hot Rod vehicles growing in popularity with both racers and bootleggers avoiding law enforcement - which made Lilah see an opportunity. Her domain had been in the Chinatown area of Downtown Ashford as it had been there since Ashford's relatively early days, but the population was growing - including in Northeast Ashford, which would be the entry point for LRN 57. Lilah bought some land in the northeast for a steal, at the time isolated but now close to what would now be the City in the Hills and Mountain Meadows communities. It was far enough out of town to allow her relative lack of attention from both kine society as well as law enforcement, unclaimed kindred domain (especially as it began bordering on Lupine territory) and yet on the new LRN 57 route entry to Ashford.
Construction started on the Roadhouse Saloon in late 1932 and official plans included underground areas for gas bunkering to conceal secret areas for Lilah to be able to provide gambling and alcohol out of the watchful eye of prohibition agents - which would ultimately prove a lack of foresight as prohibition was repealed shortly after the Roadhouse Saloon opened, making the Saloon a mostly-legal venture (other than still providing soiled doves, of course). She found persuading Prince Kratus to acknowledge her new domain surprisingly easy. She likes to claim that he respected her status as an elder and original conqueror, that she made valid points about the move being good for the Masquerade as she would be less visible to the kine, and that she could serve as a lookout for activity from the Lupine-filled northeastern territories. But she will concede it was more likely that it gave Prince Kratus an easy out to grant her a physically larger domain area in an undeveloped and remote patch of land, far enough away to keep the notoriously troublesome and hot-tempered elder effectively out of harm's way. She did manage to also convince him to allow her to keep her current Downtown domain, at least in name, but had to concede much of the surrounding hunting territory - limiting it to just the Dragon House and adjacent roads. Whilst some may be surprised at the Prince allowing her effectively two domains, most in the know would state that it is common for Ventrue and Toreadors to have multiple havens in different locations and own physically unconnected territories all of which are considered "their domain" and it would be hard for Kratus to deny her this right which most elders already claimed. 1932 would also be when Lilah purchased her second vehicle, a 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup - a new vehicle which would soon become an American classic and possibly the most popular Hot Rod base vehicle in Americana automotive history, which she enjoyed using along both the SR 178 as well as a means of transportation to Downtown Ashford whenever she visited the Dragon House, Elysium or had other occasion to leave her new domain.
In 1933 construction on LRN 57 ended and it was officially signed up as State Route 178 (SR 178). Until the State Route 58 (SR 58) was built in 1964 this would prove to be a popular route for those travelling between Ashford and Death-Valley/Nevada and business boomed. Even after the opening of the SR 58, the scenic SR 178 would still prove a popular road with many truckers and the growing amount of motorcyclists. Her instincts were correct and she was remote enough to avoid the gaze of anti-prostitution authorities, especially as it was essentially no longer her principle form of business now that alcohol was once again legalised. For the most part, she kept to the background and let her mortals or ghoul be the public faces, with Delilah Foxe fading into the background and eventually dying off in the background, with her own daughter "Delilah Fox" (dropping the "e" in Foxe both for the legal change on an official social security registration for her daughter's birth, as well as because people consistently misspelt the archaic version of her name).
In the 1940s the Second World War proved a conflicting time. The Japanese people of Kern Country were willingly evacuated to internment camps, and many would never return for one reason or another - and during this period the Chinatown populations dwindled from their once-great numbers, ultimately merging into one Chinese culture represented by and assumed into the larger Ying On Labor & Merchant Association but in modern Ashford the Chinese population would represent only ½% of the city's population, a mere few thousand and no longer having a Chinatown area, only shadows and remnants of the once-glorious Old and New Chinatowns remaining in Downtown Ashford; locations such as the now-historical-value Dragon House restaurant and lounge. But Kern County was busy during the war, with the east Ashford shipyards assembling ship sections for the Henry J Kaiser [military] shipyard in Richmond and the Vega sub-assembly plant building aircraft parts for Boeing's B-17s, all of which was transported via railroad cars. The Muroc Army Air Base was built nearby (which would eventually become the present Edwards Air Force Base) as well as an army airfield at Meadows Field (which would eventually post-war become Kern County's main civilian airport and administratively part of Ashford). This created a boom of truckers providing much of the workload for home front support and city deliveries, which made the Roadhouse prosper, as well as being a popular place for soldiers to relax before being airlifted from Meadows Field/Muroc Army Air Base to the war in Europe.
The post-war 1950s was a period of economic recovery from the Great Depression (which ironically had been ended by the war) and the Dust Bowl and an increase in the long-distance ability of motorcycles, which proved themselves in the war, as well as the Greaser subculture led to an increase in business with truckers, hot-rodders and racers and motorcyclists, with the Roadhouse Saloon often acting as a starting point for Greaser races and popular hangout - remote enough for the Greaser youth to enjoy their fun with little concern for the police. During this time Lilah operated the Roadhouse under the alias Delilah Deuce, the nickname given because of her 1932 Ford, considered a "deuce" because of its year and a very popular vehicle with Greasers for modification (by this time, it was considered an older and cheap car, but a good one to form the basis for Hot Rod modifications). Whilst Lilah would enjoy being on the outside of the racing scene more than directly involved in it, she did get into Greaser culture and never quite left behind her love for jeans and leather jackets even once Greaser culture drifted into the background as kine subcultures and phases always do.
One of the most notable events for Lilah during this period was when she met Morena "Mo" Arjona in 1939 in Elysium. Mo was a Toreador engineer who loved vehicles even more than Lilah and saw painting and modifying them as an art form. Recently arrived from Puerto Rico, Mo had been introduced by Genevieve Montclair, the Toreador Primogen who had taken her under her wing and was parading her to all in Elysium as Genevieve always did taking credit for discovering and promoting artistic talent (that she herself completely lacked). Once Genevieve had sucked Mo's 15 minutes of new talented kid in town of fame out of her, Mo suddenly found herself yesterday's news and the kindred equivalent of roadkill (yet still in debt to Genevieve). Although they had met and conversed on occasion, it was at this point - when most Toreadors would have considered Mo to have hit social rock-bottom - that an amazing friendship would spark between the two. Now free of Genevieve's patronage (read: overbearing control) Mo was free to pursue her passions and art without oversight. A natural introvert, Mo never sought or enjoyed the fame or the spotlight, and did not seek glory or wealth from her art. She had something Genevieve could never comprehend - a desire to create art for its own reward, the creation of masterpieces. After a series of conversations regarding their mutual interests and the growing Greaser culture, in 1956 the two kindred came to an accord whereby Lilah would cede to her a small part of her domain (which, in truth, was just unused land anyhow) for Mo to create the Hot Rod Customs auto-modification shop (what is now known as the Three Dogs Customs garage). Their businesses had enough in common that they could overlap and help to attract kine business, yet not compete negatively against each other. It would be a symbiotic relationship that would prove a wise business decision and be the foundation point for what is now nicknamed the Midnight Motors coterie.
Mustang Sally (Lilah Fox)
The last period of Lilah's unlife would simultaneously prove to be both the least busy as regards the kine world, but the most perilous and active as regards the Kindred. By the mid-60s Greaser culture was fading out, but trucking was big business as were the various motorcycle organisations popping up all over the place. Normal people were now buying motorcycles and travelling across the country on the Interstate highways and State Roads and motorcycle clubs (some little more than nomadic criminal gangs on wheels) appeared on the scene and Lilah's Roadhouse Saloon took advantage. Always a fan of roadsters, especially Ford (who she appreciated as Henry Ford wanted his company to make vehicles intended for the common folk rather than the elite) she had kept an eye on development but never felt the need to replace her trusty 1932 Ford Roadster (especially after Mo tinkered with it and refit the engine to modern standards) but she had developed an appreciation for the look of the new Ford Mustang (introduced in 1964), but better appreciated the performances of the Shelby 1962 AC Cobra and later Ford-Shelby collaboration 1964 Daytona Coupe and considered getting them. But like Kindred often do, them deliberating can take years and this would end up with her delaying long enough that in 1965 Ford and Shelby collaborated to produce the Ford Shelby Cobra lines and ultimately she would purchase the 1968 Shelby Cobra GT500KR ("King of the Road") as it represented the blend of aesthetics and power that she was looking for and, she will admit, the Cobra tag appealed to her due to her long-time symbolism of the Snake as her motif. It wasn't long before Mo played around with it and turned the car into a work of art, including modifying the Cobra emblem to resemble a rattlesnake, and the car is referred to as a 1968 Shelby Rattlesnake GT500KR (or simply, The Rattlesnake or The Rattler) and is Lilah's pride and joy to this day - although in many ways they consider the Rattler to be their baby as every few years Mo randomly gets an inspiration and repaints and re-mods the vehicle, often without pre-consulting Lilah (leading to a few frenzies until Lilah calms down and then grudgingly admits she actually really loves the new look).
Unfortunately, two years earlier Wilson Pickett had released a popular song called Mustang Sally and, between her Mustang-chassis Shelby and love for racing, quickly find local truckers and bikers nicknaming her Mustang Sally (the fact she was not called Lilah was lost on them, and Mustang Lilah didn't take despite her efforts to deviate the nickname). This nickname would stick until the modern nights, especially with the kindred. Although the kine would lose their connection to this nickname when she would next change identity (for the most part, it appears in every generation kine enjoy singing the song and using the nickname for any hot chick with a Mustang), even in the modern nights the nickname appears to have stuck amongst the younger or anarchistic kindred to the point where many would not recognise her true name and simply know her as Mustang Sally.
When biking became popular enough in the early 80s to supersede trucking as the main source of revenue (and vitae) Lilah received, with plenty of both legal motorcycle clubs such as the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Harley Owner's Group (HOG), and Motor Maids; as well as Outlaw motorcycle clubs such as the Hells Angels MC and the more locally-dominant (in Kern County) Devil's Disciples MC. The outlaw gangs, in particular, found the occasional use of Lilah's prohibition-era hidden basement areas to be beneficial as temporary layovers (though Lilah would refuse them shelter if they actively had drugs on them - she did not mind sheltering fugitives on the run, which she could deny knowledge, but not risk a police raid catching the DD with drugs on them on Lilah's premises). So she and Mo did the usual kindred trick of staying out of kine eyes for a few years, then returning with different public names (backed, of course, with official IDs provided by kindred with appropriate connections) and her daughter, Lilah Fox, inherited the Roadhouse after it underwent some refurbishment and was renamed the Rusty Forks Saloon. Likewise, Mo redesignated the Hot Rod Customs as the Three Dogs Customs garage. Since then the Rusty Forks has been a popular place with bikers and youngsters who enjoy active and raucous roadside dive bars, whilst still getting a fair number of truckers (thanks to Lilah having built up connections and deals within various associations to bring business her way).
From a kindred perspective, from the 1940s California had been a battleground following the Second Anarch Revolt of 1944. The Anarch Movement spread fast (to kindred standards) and within two years only the Prince of San Francisco as well as Prince Kratus of Ashford were able to quell the Anarch uprisings in their domains and keep their cities under their control. All other Camarilla domains in California had fallen to the Anarchs, which now formed their own group known as the Anarch Free States. In the case of San Francisco, it was achieved because the Prince was well-liked enough by his own subjects to hold the Anarch surge at bay, but with Kratus it was achieved through sheer bloody oppression. Unwilling to risk allowing the anarchs to become powerful and populous enough to risk another uprising, his already-autocratic rule became tenfold more despotic, with clans typically sympathetic or loyal to the anarch cause becoming even more heavily oppressed than they already were. This included Lilah's own Clan Brujah, who's Iconoclasts, in particular, were strong supporters of the Anarch Movement. Although she had often been identified as an Individualist herself (Lilah would never had labelled herself such), Lilah had always abhorred dictators in charge - and over time had lost the respect she had for Prince Kratus, with his bloody suppression of the anarchs (and a bloody follow-up purge of anyone believed to have connections with them).
Although Lilah herself was monitored by the Prince's lapdogs (the Sheriff and his hounds, and that utter monster that was the Scourge), the Prince's victory was not without cost and left his forces and supporters weak and rebuilding. Lilah had a lot of respect from many Brujah and Gangrel who had (seemingly) not supported the Anarch cause, and to act against her would likely provoke a second war that would leave Ashford vulnerable to external attack - and the Sabbat Crusade of 1965 (against the new Anarch Free States) proved that it was too great a risk. But it was a turning point and, although Lilah had largely ignored the Anarch Movement (but respected and was curious) as she believed in the Camarilla as an institution, at this point she secretly began to work alongside Thomas Wingfield, the Brujah Primogen and Gideon Monroe, a respected Brujah ancilla to secretly aid and rebuild the Anarch movement. Effectively Thomas worked as a double agent, professing loyalty to and aiding the Prince as the Primogen, gaining a reputation for cowardice and bootlicking within the (Brujah) Anarch community, whilst supplying information and using his rather impressive political and military prowess to guide the Anarchs. Gideon would be the Anarchs' voice - using his newspaper and journalistic connections to relay secret messages and pass on information as well as subtly supporting Anarchs in other ways. Lilah effectively became a Coyote (an Anarch who helps to smuggle other anarchs into or out of Camarilla/Sabbat domains), recruiter and trainer - helping to find and recruit nomadic or disaffected kindred, give them some combat training and give them shelter as well as a remote and concealed meeting spot for the three pillars of Ashford's Brujah-based Anarch movement.
Over time, however, her role and underground support for the Anarch Movement grew, and she would become a Warlord, albeit a subtle and considered one. Lilah's importance to the movement is often overlooked and downplayed (including by herself), but ultimately it was through her connections with the Gangrel, Nosferatu and Malkavian clans (she would shelter Malkavians that would have been executed by the Prince for being too troublesome or recruiting without permission, as many occasionally did due to their clan weakness) that the surviving Anarchs were able to survive, regroup, combine and coordinate as well as grow and recruit from the other clans - which ultimately led to the modern Status Quo of the Brujah, Nosferatu and Malkavians being in control (and, despite the Gangrels seceding from the Camarilla, a number of Gangrels remaining loyal to the Camarilla - not coincidentally most of whom have ties with Lilah) following the Sabbat Crusade. Although the Anarchs did not start that Crusade, it is widely believed that the Nosferatu and Senya caught wind of the impending attack and shared it with the Anarchs, who used the information (as the Nosferatu did) to brace for impact so when the attack began were not caught by surprise (as the Ventrue, Toreadors and Tremere were) and decimated, but quickly and ably defended themselves. Whilst the official Ashford records state that the defeat of the Sabbat Crusade was a Camarilla victory it is an open secret that, in reality, it would be more appropriate to call it an Anarch victory over the Sabbat. Although she would not have considered herself an Anarch prior to the Crusade, she now accepts that her entire defiant "leave me the fuck alone" attitude, as well as her actions aiding the Anarchs (even getting an officially recognised Coyote, and later a Warlord title, from the Anarchs) during the height of Kratus' tyranny, and her relations with them now means that she has essentially chosen a side, and a "I made my bed, now I have to lie in it" acceptance that she has become an anarch leader. Although she still doesn't care about politics, in the new Ashford with the Anarchs holding a great deal of power, she thinks that having elders like her backing the Anarchs can ultimately help to keep the Camarilla in line. And if the Camarilla play nice, then there's no reason why the Anarchs won't either.
In the post-Crusade modern nights Lilah is enjoying her status as one of the surviving elders in Ashford, the respect she has accumulated and doing what she enjoys most - running her Saloon, being a great hostess to the kine so she can vicariously enjoy the energy of life through them (and their vitae), spending enjoyable time with her coterie friends, and attempting to figure out how to be a mentor to her new childe, Tiffany Sing.
Mortal Society
Lilah is known as the owner of the Rusty Forks Saloon at 11003 Kern Canyon Rd (SR 178), which physically shares a lot with the Three Dogs Customs garage. Despite the name, it constitutes a few small businesses under the Rusty Forks trading name.
Rusty Forks Saloon
The Saloon appears and is run much like a country biker dive bar but they have a 24-hour unlimited buffet which costs only $10 to access. The buffet is usually a stew of the day and various grilled meats such as burgers, sausages and ribs. There are a few select alternatives, mostly repackaged versions of what is on the buffet, such as their famous "Rattlesnake Burger" which includes a meat patties in a bun, adorned with generous helpings of goats-milk cheese, shredded beef jerky, spicy chilli-cheese sauce, jalapeño peppers, grilled mushrooms, and egg, served with fries. They have no vegetarian/vegan option other than the potato fries, grilled corn-on-the-cob, fried peppers, side-salad and similar which are on the buffet. Vegans just piss Lilah off and anyone getting stroppy over lack of vegan options is likely to end up learning what blood tastes like - their own. Buffet abusers usually find themselves being quite literally kicked out, but this tends to be the exception. The cost of the buffet is waived to regular, known, clients or if sufficient drinks have been purchased. The buffet is not intended as a money-earner, simply a convenience to the truckers who are likely to stop, eat, then spend the night having a few beers and laughs before continuing on their way in the morning.
At nights, there is line dancing and, depending on the night, an "Open Mike" night or Karaoke night, or a live band on Fridays (the Coyotes and Gone Jackals have both been very popular regulars, although Lilah is pissed at the Gone Jackals, who are not allowed back). At night (especially Fridays ) the patrons tend to be rowdy but respectful (brawls are common, but things rarely get "too serious"). There are various serving girls, all typically scantily clad (denim or leather hotpants and cut-off shirts or bras are common in the exceedingly hot summer months) and flirty. Lilah is known to be a very laid-back employer who has no problems with, if not outright encouraging, her girls getting sexually involved with the punters (as long as they don't allow it to distract them from their job TOO much). She sees this as letting the girls have their fun, making clients happy (and if the clients think they have a shot with the girls, it makes them come back more), but it also covers for the fact that some of the girls (only Lilah and Remy know which) are also actually soiled doves, an archaic term commonly used during Lilah's mortal days for Saloon prostitutes. These girls are all exceedingly loyal to Lilah and although to normal perceptions function as barmaids, are actually hirable for sexual favours (though this may be Lilah getting the girls to seduce a client, rather than a client asking to pay for the service; but these are girls Lilah knows she can rely on to have sex with clients at her bequest). New (ie unfamiliar) clients can only request the doves directly from Lilah (this is both for the protection of the doves, and to aid in sussing out vice cops) who is their Madam, and they should expect to have references to vouch for or introduce them, but regulars can deal with the girls directly. This makes it harder for vice-cops to latch on to their operations, as a vice-cop would need to enlist the aid of a regular to hire a dove which, although possible, has not happened in many years because clients know that bad things happen to those people who betray Lilah's trust. The doves are also Lilah's emergency herd, sparingly used typically only if none of her main herd are available and she needs to feed quickly and safely, though Lilah occasionally allows access to desperate Kindred as a boon. Whether kindred or kine, clients had best treat these girls well, as Lilah is extremely protective of them. Each of these girls has Lilah's Rattlesnake emblem tattooed, typically on their neck or breast - a stamp of ownership and warning sign to any kindred who would contemplate harming or feeding off these girls that doing so would most assuredly earn Lilah's wrath.
During the summer, especially, the Rusty Forks holds rallies and parties, typically held in the large outside area with stalls and outside bars and stage areas set up. These become raucous events highly popular with bikers, young adults and party-goers in general (though not-so-popular with the more quiet-loving upper-middle-class pundits that live in the nearby Mountain Meadows community, though Lilah does enough for the local community to offset most complainants). In these events literally hundreds of people turn up and drink hard, party hard and lose their inhibitions.
Physically, the Rusty Forks Saloon comprises of a large central table area by the large bar, with (relatively small and basic) kitchen facilities for the staff to produce the buffet and limited menu. There are open side-rooms with some slot and poker machines, a few dart boards and a reasonably-sized dance area with an elevated podium for the live band (or karaoke nights) which can easily accommodate a line-dancing entourage, although as it is open-area many hover by the sides or in the central area and still have a good view of the goings-on of the room.
A side-door near the bar/kitchen opens to a corridor which principally leads to the storeroom (which is adjacent to the kichen and can be accessed alternatively through a door in the kitchen) as well as a small staff lounge/rest area and one staff-only toilet. Stairs at the end of the corridor lead up to Lilah's attic area, which comprises of her office and haven. The office surprises people who somehow expect it to be decrepit and unused considering Lilah's character, but in actuality, it is quite well furnished and comfortable as Lilah has used this office since setting up the building the 1930s as the Roadside Saloon, before it became the modern dive-bar style it presently appears. The office is used by both Lilah and Remy Jung Sing, Lilah's ghoul retainer and the Rusty Forks' manager (especially during the daytime), both of who take the finances side of the business seriously as they are careful to avoid attracting legal attention. Lilah also enjoys using her office as a reading room. The attic area that is dedicated as Lilah's haven comprises of a respectable studio-apartment-like bedroom and relaxation lounge as well as two other bedrooms; one of which is permanently used by Remy and the other reserved for s special guest that Lilah may be entertaining. All of these rooms have been modified with special blinds, window frames and materials to be completely sunproof if required.
A concealed door in the access corridor opens a staircase leading down to a basement lounge with a small second bar (which does not normally have staff), a small beer and whiskey brewery that produces their "Rattlesnake Whiskey" and "Rattlesnake Beer" which is only sold on the premises, and a couple of discreet rooms for her soiled doves to use. It is not common knowledge, but Lilah has had hidden cameras placed in these rooms. Although she is not usually the type to attempt to extort or blackmail clients, she will admit that having a little protective insurance is always a good precaution. Lilah began construction of the building in 1932, during the Prohibition era and the area was set up to provide the ability to brew moonshine as well as conceal the prostitution side of her business; however by the time the bar opened in 1933, Prohibition had ended, making the need for the secrecy somewhat reduced, and Lilah has actually got legal permits to produce her beer and whiskey for sale on the premises (though not for exportation, but her setup isn't big enough for that - although Lilah is considering setting up a fully-equipped brewery as she has more unused lot space than she knows what to do with). Lilah admits that even after the end of Prohibition, times were still difficult for Madams wanting to run a bordello, so the secret area was still employed mostly for that. Even with the looser morals of the modern nights, and more hyper-sexual attitudes meaning that her soiled doves are much easier to conceal in plain sight and less likely to get the attention of the police than they were in the '30s, prostitution is still illegal in California and so having this area for use as a form of VIP area for her soiled doves (or Lilah and select guests) to discretely use away from the eyes of masses or the authorities, is still useful.
Rusty Forks Gas Pumps & Repair Shop
There is a detached, covered, self-service gas area that has 3 gas pumps in individual lanes (accomodating a total of 6 simultaneous vehicles), each well-spaced out as they were initially built to predominantly accommodate highway truckers and their large rigs in the days before highway motorcycling became popular. Due to the over-abundance of gas stations and companies such as AMCO and SHELL which have various larger stations nearby, Lilah has not seen a need to expand the facilities as the pumps were intended as a convenience for overnight stays to be able to refuel, rest, eat, and carry on their journey. Lilah cannot match the prices of the larger chains, but has made connections with the American Trucking Associations (ATA), American Motorcyclist Association and the Harley Owner's Group (HOG) for discounted motel and repairs. This, plus the convenience and proximity to the Mountain Meadows and City in the Hills neighbourhoods, ensures that she gets enough business that the pumps pay for themselves and draw in a small profit, in addition to helping attract clientelle for the saloon, as intended.
Detached from the pumps is a small building that has the pay area for the gas pumps in addition to a small general store that sells miscellaneous foods (hot pies, rolls, snacks and the likes), automotive parts and accessories, and similar things like in most gas stations shops. Physically attached to this is a small auto-repair shop that can accommodate one big rig, or various smaller vehicles at once (there is plentiful space for others to wait, but not to be actively repaired at once). It is quite well equipped and with capable, trustworthy, and HONEST mechanics (Lilah ensures this as reputation is important to her, especially with her AMA, HOG and ATA deals), but is intended to carry out most common roadside repairs - tyres, blown carboreters, sparkplugs, brakes, and the likes. Whilst in theory the repair shop could rebuilt a crashed wreck, they would need to spend time to order the parts and possibly outsource some equipment. They typically use non-branded, but trustworthy 3rd party equipment that can cater for the needs of most popular brands of motorcycles (including non-Harleys) and trucks. For more serious requirements, Lilah has a working relationship with Mo, which has a more complete workshop in her Three Dogs Customs workshop (although it is intended on full custom motorcycle builds and vehicle modifications, the facilities it has to enable this effectively allow it to carry out repairs of almost any type, on almost any type of vehicle - which they typically do for emergencies, such as accidents or vehicle blow-outs that would require a vehicle being towed several miles to Ashford to a branded dealer. Mo has connections with all major motor vehicle companies and can have even genuine branded parts delivered quickly to her if she has the need. It is an arrangement that has worked well for both women and their businesses, as users of both the repair shop and Three Dogs Customs end up spending their time at the Saloon and/or Motel whilst they wait for the repairs/modifications to be done.
Rusty Forks Motel
This is a detached, 2-storey building near the saloon, but far enough away that stayers can park their vehicles/rigs nearby without disturbing the operations of the Saloon. It has eight rooms in total, as well as a small reception/security area and facilities room, which has a couple of laundry machines, dryers, and ice machines. Each of the rooms has the absolute bare minimum - a double-bed, a sofa and television (the sofa can be quickly converted into a third bed), and a small bathroom with shower. Although the rooms are intended for typically solitary truckers, or biker couples, who would typically only need one bed, each room has a single cupboard which contains two inflatable single beds, an air pump, and a few sheets just in case of the odd occasion that a small group or family may actually spend the night. Due to the proximity to Ashford, Lilah knows that few people will employ her motels as they might other roadside motels along the highway, so the motel is aimed mostly at truckers who stop, refuel, maybe get some vehicle repairs or servicing done, eat and drink at the saloon, then spend the night at the motel (though many just crash on the saloon floor, which Lilah is perfectly ok with) before continuing on their way the next day. Families rarely do this. Cleverly, the rooms have both an overnight and an hourly rate, popular for clients who get lucky with the bar staff or other clients and need to get a room quickly.
Personality
Lilah is initially friendly with everyone - she generally like peoples, although she thinks of men as big children, and likes to have a good time with them. She is quick to laugh, dance and even sing. She loves the vibrancy of mortality and being a good hostess enables her to live vicariously through that. What tends to come as a surprise to people, considering Lilah's famed roughness, is that she's quite an active reader - and enjoys classical literature as well as being a student of confucianism. More than one elder has been quite surprised when she has recited Homer, Chaucer or Confucius as a retort to what they believed would be a stinging barb against an unsophisticated Brujah.
When people get out of line or show disrespect, however, that's when the ass-whooping begins. Whilst Lilah has a reputation for being violent, hot-tempered and somewhat mean, she thinks it's a bad rep spread by pussies and social justice warriors. Some people just need to grow a pair. She will say that she ends a lot of fights, but she rarely starts one - although she admits her definition of when the fight "starts" is loose... she often throws the first (and typically the only and last) punch but says that it was the natural development to them being an asshole who deserved it.
People seem to fall into two categories - those who love her, and those who despise her. Amongst the kine, most love her for her charm, fun-loving personality and general likability (and those inclined to do so, for her raw sex appeal). Her open-mindedness, honesty and ability to accept everyone at face value (unless they prove otherwise) and treat them with respect has actually made her a friend of the Gangrel clan and she knows virtually every nomadic Gangrel or Brujah in Kern County, if not California and beyond - her bar is a frequent pit-stop for Gangrels and other nomadic kindred just passing through the area, and so she has made contacts far and wide (though being able to contact some of those allies when needed can be virtually impossible). Whilst not as admired by the Nosferatu and Malkavians, even they also respect her as, although she's never been particularly kind to them, she has conversely been particularly harsh to them - unlike most other clans and elders. Whilst her Saloon may not (and never will) be considered Elysium, she has a good enough reputation for honesty and impartiality (and fame for literally knocking sense into those who misbehave) that her Saloon is often used as a neutral ground between Clans (and at times, with Lupines). She is known to be a very loyal and reliable friend to those who have earnt it and, although she would never consider herself to be a mentor to anyone, nor consider herself a wise person, many of Ashford's neonates (especially the Brujah, Gangrel and those with Anarch sympathies or allegiance) look up to her and frequently call on her for advice, which she always gives freely without expectation of boons or recompense - even if it's typically "tough love" that may be painful (sometimes, very literally and physically).
The other side of the coin are those that hate her - typically those of the high clans who cannot cope with the fact that Lilah is a free spirit who does what she wants and refuses to allow others to control her, and she is renown for getting physically violent to repay respected kindred who have crossed or insulted her. She has been banned from Elysium on many occasions and sanctioned by the previous Prince and Sheriff multiple times - and it is thought that she was tolerated as much as she was simply because she was a part of Ashford's conquest, and she always knew just where the line was and stopped just short of the point of no return. More than one Ventrue, Toreador and Tremere have underestimated her cunning and crossed her, just to find out why she was once known as the Dragon Fox as she tears down their mortal influences and disrupts their assets like a raging dragon. It is hard to stop her when she has little to lose and intends to simply hurt you, without gaining anything for herself. Most who hate her have learnt to simply avoid her. Since her domain moved from Downtown Ashford to the more remote City in the Hills area in Northeast Ashford, this has made things easier for those she would naturally clash with as their respective interests rarely geographically collide.
At her core, Lilah is a survivor and looks out for herself and those she cares about but won't ever let anyone tell her what to do again. It is rumoured that she has been romantically involved with "Mo", one of the few Toreadors she actually gets along with, but others believe that she has been hurt so many times in the past by the loss or betrayal of those she loved that she is now afraid to let herself again get too attached to anyone who could hurt her.
Other Notes
Midnight Motors
Full article: Coterie: Midnight Motors
Lilah is the unofficial leader of the also-unofficial coterie sometimes referred to as the Midnight Motors. It is simply a strong connection between three kindred all of who have a common interest: motors. The other coterie mates currently constitute:
- Morena "Mo" Arjona - a Toreador artiste with a passion for engineering, especially motorcycles and (to a lesser degree). Mo owns the Three Dogs Customs custom modification shop at the northern end of Lilah's lot. Mo is quite introvert and happy to avoid the pitfalls of kindred society and just work on making custom motorcycles and other vehicles, which she sees as works of art.
- Evelynn "Eve" Wren - a Gangrel who works as a courier and scout, who can operate pretty much anything with an engine, including aircraft, but has a particular fondness for motorcycles. Eve frequents the Rusty Forks, frequently employing its repair shop (typically doing the repairs herself if she's not in a hurry) and socialising with Lilah and Mo at the Saloon.
The Jung Sing Family
In 1913 a scarlet fever outbreak decimated Old Chinatown. The Jung Sing family, who ran a gift shop Lilah frequented for its curiosities, lost 6 of their 7 children and would have lost the youngest, Ed, had Lilah not healed him using some of her blood. She also protected the Jung Sings from the Suey Din v Bing Kong tong wars until they merged and were assumed by the Ying On. During all this, grateful Jung Sings introduced her to Confucianism and Lóng-Xíng Mó Qiáo (a Southern Dragon style of Shaolin Kung Fu) to help her focus and control her notorious temper and prodigious strength. Lilah now has a strong respect for Chinese culture and follows Confusianism as a means to keep her humanity.
Ever since, however, she has kept a protective eye on the Jung Sing mortal family and one of their number has served her willingly (knowing her as the LongWu) as her ghoul. As Lilah abhors slavery, and sees ghouldom as being a form of drug-enforced slavery, she dislikes this - but appreciates the necessity for kindred with businesses that deal with the kine needing a ghoul (or Dominated kine, but Lilah is neither able nor willing to control the kine in that way) as a public face, especially during the daytime. She, therefore, accepts the service of one of their number (and never more than one as her blessed servant, ie ghoul). This choice is made by them, both to serve and who will serve and, at any point, the blessed servant can choose to return to a normal life. In practice, however, addiction to kindred vitae and the Blood Bond makes this hard and it is usually a major catalyst event that causes a servant to have the desire for release. She attempts to treat the ghoul well and allows them to have normal lives with little control - but ultimately she is an elder kindred with a blood-curse extraordinary temper and so none of her ghouls should ever get too complacent and believe their private affairs are more importance than Lilah's own desires (she may understand and agree - after recovering from a frenzy because her desires/expectations were not met... by which point her ghoul may need a vitae infusion to not have lady death end their service prematurely), nor overestimate their own survival chance if they cross the line with her.
Jung Sing Blessed Servants:
- The first ghoul in her service was the Jung Sing progenitor, who served as ghoul from 1914-1940 (26 years) in gratitude for Lilah saving his family (especially his son Ed, twice). Jung Sing requested release after the death of his wife (at age 77) and lived a further 22 years before dying of natural age-related causes at 99 years of age (though physically 73 years of age).
- Ed Jung Sing himself served as the second ghoul since his father relinquished the role in 1940. He was 33 years of age at the time his service began, and had begat 6 children (purposefully, to honour his 6 elder siblings who were killed by the Scarlet fever). Although his service would not be as long as his father's, Ed has been the closest to a lifelong friend and surrogate son to Lilah as a kine can be. He ended his service at the dawn of the new millenium after 33 years of service when his elder son Déli Jung Sing died of old age, making him realise that outliving his own children was unnatural (Déli's son/Ed's grandchild James was at that point aged 54, physically two decades older than Ed himself) and he requested release. Aging normally since then, Ed is still alive and physically has the age and health of a 53 year old, despite actually being 113 years old. He is enjoying his retirement as he has lived long enough that his 6 children have now left him with a total of 19 grandchildren, most of whom have 3-4 children of their own (and these, in turn, 2-4 more of their own). Ed is considered almost a living God by the Jung Sing family in Ashford, a wise and venerable Godfather-like figure who dotes and cares over them and, although many of the Jung Sings have left Ashford over the years, enough remain to keep Ed very busy indeed with all his descendants.
- Remy Jung Sing is the present blessed servant after assuming the mantle in 2000 at age 28. He is Ed's great-grandson (and Tiffany Sing's uncle) and has trained for the day he would become a blessed servant (or, if too late for him to serve, to be able to train a son to be one) and has a degree in Business and Public Administration from California State University Ashford, as well as being a student of the same Southern Dragon Kung Fu style that Lilah was taught and remained a family tradition. He serves as Lilah's bodyguard (mostly during the day, as she hardly needs protecting when she's awake) and manager of the Rusty Forks - as well as main contact liaison (as well as Ed) with the Jung Sing family on LongWu's behalf. Like all the Jung Sings, Remy always calls Lilah LongWu in private or around kindred, using her common name of Lilah only if absolutely necessary and around kine. He is incredibly loyal to her and sees her almost as a minor deity, and his serving a blessing. Although Lilah allows him to lead a normal life (as long as his management of the Rusty Forks is not overly affected and he sees to her needs when directed) and marry and have children, he has not yet done so. Although he is a good-looking, young-looking man who frequently attracts the ladies and has had many lovers as a result, he refuses to settle with one as he considers that the relationship would pale compared to the honour of being at the LongWu's side, and distract him from his duty to her. Lilah, of course, finds this incredibly exasperating and exhausting.
Tiffany Jung Sing
Full article: Tifa Sing
Tiffany Jung Sing, known simply as Tifa Sing to most, is Remy's niece (and Ed's great-great-great-granddaughter). The middle child of three siblings, she was not expected to either have to serve the LongWu (as no blessed servant had ever served less than three decades, and her Uncle Remy was currently it and not appearing like he intended to relinquish the role any time over the next few decades), nor inherit the Dragon House (as her father David was the current owner, and her elder brother Robert would inherit it in his place and had - like Remy - done a degree in Business and Public Administration to help him be a better manager and eventual owner when his father retired in a decade or so. This left her and her younger brother Jason free to pursue their own ambitions without the responsibility of duty (beyond following the family tradition of learning Southern Dragon Kung Fu and expected to help the family business where possible like a good son or daughter naturally might be expected to). A scholar and high school athlete, she studied and trained hard to be of sound mind and body and achieved a degree in music at CSUA with the intention of becoming a music teacher, whilst performing at the Dragon House's Canton Nights Friday events and with her symphonic power metal band the Chop Styx on Saturdays. Unfortunately, during her time at college, she began experiencing headaches and shortness of breath, which she initially took as relating to stress, but got quickly increasingly worse after graduation, leading to coughing up of blood and aching bones that prompted her to go to the doctor, to get a diagnosis of lung cancer. Unfortunately, like many people with that form of lung cancer, by the time it was diagnosed the cancer had spread, leaving her with a 5% chance of survival and the expectation of less than a year to live. Unwilling to die after having worked so hard for so long, and having heard the family legends about the LongWu, the health and longevity of great-great-grandfather Ed and the other Blessed Servants, she asked Ed and Remy to convince the LongWu to see her, which they did. The meeting did not go as planned and the LongWu refused to make her an additional Blessed Servant (and healing her in the process) even after Uncle Remy offered to step down and let her assume the role in his stead. Rather than despair Tifa was enraged and unleashed her anger in a verbal tirade against the LongWu (to Ed and Remy's horror). The result was that the LongWu was impressed by the girl's defiance and survival instincts, reminding her of herself during her mortal days, and she decided to instead Embrace the young girl.
Lilah had only embraced once before - she does not speak of it except to say it was some point in the early 19th century and an unmitigated disaster that I had to resolve and clean up myself. Then, although he was not actually her childe, Quincy Gale/Keith Karloff was in essence much the same as she encountered him hours after his embrace and effectively cared for him as if he was her progeny, and we all know what an asshole he ended up becoming. As such Lilah has been afraid to sire another progeny for a long time (although anyone stating those exact words to her is likely to lose their ability to talk for a while, or consciousness) - and many have said that perhaps it is some kindred equivalent of a maternal/broody instinct that, in lieu of progeny of her own (even for ghouls, Lilah has had less and treats them far better than most kindred), explains her willingness to be an unofficial (or official) mentor to young kindred, especially misguided young iconoclasts, anarchs or those embraced and abandoned (the unrestricted slaughter of which by the previous Scourge being a source of utter enmity between the Scourge and Lilah). Lilah does not have a natural instinct to be a sire. She's individualist enough to believe that Tifa needs to make her own way, yet wants to prevent this one ending up fucked-in-the-head like the last two. As Tifa herself has suddenly become exposed to the truth of what exactly the LongWu is, and what she's really like, her rose-tinted glasses have come off and she is uncertain herself what to make (or what she wants to make) of her sire. It is a difficult, experimental and tentative time for both sire and progeny.
Combat Style
Lilah is a powerhouse. During her mortal days she spent her entire childhood doing manual labour, then in adulthood was a dancer and later Madam of a saloon, frequently getting involved with fights and regularly beating men larger than her. So although Lilah never did any formal physical or combat training, she entered unlife in good physical shape, stronger and tougher than she appeared and able to handle herself. And two centuries of refusing to take any shit from anyone, living by the codes "don't tread on me" and "live free or die" have only hardened her. She has a well-earned reputation of being someone you should simply not fuck with.
Lilah has a level of mastery of her clan's Potence Discipline that higher-generation kindred are simply incapable of, as well as near-mastery of Celerity and some Fortitude she has picked up thanks to being popular with Gangrels. Whilst her toughness level does not rival that of ancilla Ventrue or Gangrels her offensive Disciplines, physicality and incredible unarmed combat skills makes her a deadly "Blitzer" - tough enough to survive taking a few hits whilst delivering blows of her own that can take down almost any opponent. Little short of an elder Gangrel or a Lupine presents a physical threat to her, and she has been known to defeat both.
However Lilah is no common thug relying on pure brute force. She is clever enough to know when to rely on unarmed combat - typically to put kine, neonates, or prissy ancilla in their place, but against serious threats such as a Lupine attack, she will more likely rely on weapons to attempt to minimise taking damage. She typically carries a Colt Python revolver on her person, which has sufficient stopping power to give pause to most kindred and, paired with silver bullets, a deadly threat to most lupines. Although she's no marksman, she has practised (or needed to employ it) sufficient times to be a decent shot, especially when her high natural dexterity and Celerity are factored in. When near her car or at the Rusty Forks Saloon, she keeps a Remington M870 shotgun (and silver pellets) nearby if she needs heavier firepower.
When needing to use lethal force in melee combat, but attempting to preserve the masquerade, Lilah will typically employ whatever is in the area - bar stools, tables or similar. But if deliberately anticipating trouble, she has a tomahawk axe that she picked up during her travels with Quincy Gale (aka Keith Karloff) when they ran across a Cherokee war party whilst travelling across Texas during what would be called the Comanche Campaign, a part of the Texas-Indian wars. It belonged to the party's leader and is kept as a memento, but is sturdy enough that Lilah still uses it when needed.
And yet, all of this, unbelievable, is Lilah restraining herself. When she decides to throw the Masquerade to the wind, her elder-level mastery of Potence enables her to focus the power of her blood (which she refers to as channeling qi as she developed the ability whilst learning Southern Dragon Kung Fu) to be able to apply precise and overwhelming force to objects and destroy them. This allows her to destroy weapons, body armour or shields, cover or even vehicles with relative ease and impressive speed; eliminating the advantage opponents might have. Another application of similar process, but channeling qi energy from her Celerity and Potence disciplines, enables her fists to be almost as deadly as Protean or Lupine claws - shredding opponents flesh with ease in a destructive fury to which only the Discipline of Fortitude or body armour offers any resistance (if she has not already destroyed it, that is).
Social Style
Those in polite society will claim that Lilah is a rattlesnake and cannot be approached without fear of receiving a venomous bite. Those that know her say this is utter bullshit made by those too up their own asses to try to understand her. Lilah's "don't tread on me" motto means exactly that and, like the rattlesnake she has taken as her emblem, is not to be feared if it is left in peace and not antagonised. As she points out, rattlers only bite when they feel threatened by an aggressor, or when hunting for food. Most who know her will admit she has a fiery temper - but also shrug and state "well, she IS a Brujah!" as if it's the most obvious revelation ever.
Fact is that most who know her say that Lilah is a highly likable individual who is a great hostess, ensuring those in her establishment are treated well by her staff and entertained; bikers or truckers who are alone are introduced to others for good company. She wants everyone in her Saloon to be happy and have a good time, and this attitude extends outside of business affairs into a general ethos regarding others. Yes, she can be fiery and her potty-mouth would make a sailor blush, but those who can see beyond that find her easy to get along with and quick to make new friends. Her door is always open to those who need help or advice, and she gives it freely without any attached conditions or boons - something few kindred, much the less elders, would willingly do.
That is, unless they screw it up. Lilah will state she has zero bullshit tolerance and this is highly visible. If approached with respect and honesty (she understands the difference between politeness and respect; she is far more likely to lose her temper at a Toreador's polite but subtle put-down, than a kine calling her by a derogatory term out of jest or ignorance) then she reciprocates easily. Those who prove their loyalty and trustworthiness over time (via actions, such as helping her or her friends out when needed) will easily gain her trust and make a powerful ally. Those who attempt to manipulate her or step on her domain... well... they'd simply better hope they get away with it, or they may not regret it for long.
Signature Equipment
- Colt Python revolver (.357in Magnum) - Lilah's main sidearm outside her Saloon.
- Remington Model 870 Shotgun - One is kept under the bar at the Rusty Forks saloon and another in the trunk of her Shelby... just in case.
- Tomahawk (Axe) - picked up whilst travelling around America with Quincy/Keith. Usually kept as ornament at the Saloon, but Lilah often takes it when she's expecting trouble and wants to take a melee weapon with her.
- Queen Anne flintlock pistol - Once belonged to Zebulon Wilson, Lilah's mortal ex-husband and the first person she ever killed, using his own weapon. The pistol is kept as souvenir above the bar and, although it is in good condition for display purposes, is likely to explode in the hand if anyone tries to use it after all this time.
- Several classic or custom vehicles, all carefully maintained and modified as required to be able to operate using modern gas. Only the 1968 Shelby is used on a regular basis as transportation, although the Chopper is occasionally used if she thinks it more appropriate, is in the mood, or when going for a motorcycle ride with her Midnight Motors coterie friends:
1907 Ford Model K Roadster
1932 Ford Roadster Pickup
1968 Shelby Cobra GT500KR
Custom Chopper "Rattler" created by Mo
Signature Quotes
- "I know that you policemen have to make your money on the side and that we have to pay you for protection, and that's all right. I know that you have to have a raid every once in a while and fine us, and that's all right. But there's one thing I object to. I object to you writing the charge against me for maintaining a disorderly house. I want to have you know that I have the most quiet, respectable, ladylike whores south of the Mason-Dixon Line."
- "Well, I'm clearly not ugly!"
- "I'm a passionate individual, and sometimes when I have strong feelings about a subject, I feel the need to express myself... by breaking someone's face."
- "Hold your head high, and your middle finger higher."
- "I need to hold onto my soul and my integrity, and I can't compromise that."
Gallery
Lilah Fox
Lilah Fox
Lilah Fox
Lilah Fox
Lilah's emblem and tattoo
Rusty Forks lot