SchreckNet Data File
- Real/Birth Name: Orianna Rachel Sayre
- Known Identity/Mortal Alias: Oriana Fitzgerald
- Place of Origin: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Height: 5'7"
- Occupation: Philanthropist/Owner of Maison des Amis
- Apparent Age: Mid-20s
- Embraced: 1928
- Kindred Status: Ancilla
- Sire: Marcel Guilbeau
- Notable Descendants: None known.
- Clan: Ventrue
- Clan Status: Questor
- Sect: Camarilla
- Sect Status: Harpy
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Orianna is an attractive woman seemingly in her mid-late twenties, standing a little over average height (although the use of high heels gives her the illusion of being taller than she really is). She has natural strawberry-blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, and her hair is naturally wavy and shoulder-length, but she takes great pains to keep her hair looking immaculate and styled according to modern fashion and best social effect for whatever situation she is in - often changing hairstyles (or hair colour) various times in the same night - and so if often seen shorter and straighter, or tied up in some elaborate manner, depending on the situation. She frequently dyes her hair lightly, making her appear more closer to golden blonde, more notably auburn-haired redhead, or more brunette - again, usually for fashion reasons. When she dyes her hair, however, it is usually a clear version of that colour, with Goldilocks-style luscious gold curls rather than "dirty blonde", for example.
She seems to have leant how to be able to hold cosmetic changes for periods, rather than losing them the following evening like most kindred, so it is common to see her take a style, or perhaps a tattoo, and hold it for a fixed duration which is both practical and cost-effective, rather than having to do nightly haircuts so mortals do not realise that her short golden-haired bob-style haircut has overnight turned into long, red locks.
It is rare to see her without makeup and, like her clothing, she favours elegant and stylish styles that match the occasion - usually fairly natural-looking or light accents to complement her clothing. It is rare for her to wear anything more extreme. Although she wears modern fashions and styles, her Ventrue sensibilities tend to make her favour "modern classic" and retro styles, rather than the more avant-garde preference of Toreadors.
Background
Orianna was the youngest of six children and the daughter of a justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana. A spoiled child, she was doted on by her mother, but her father was a strict and remote man. She was extremely active, taking ballet lessons and enjoying the outdoors but was considered by her father to be too wild an undisciplined, and so she was sent to Ursuline Academy, a private all-girls Catholic elementary and high school, to instil discipline in her. Orianna did well in school, being a naturally intelligent girl, and particularly excelled in the arts, especially dancing, painting and writing. She won her first dance competition when she was 7 and by the age of 12 was dancing competitively in local and state competitions, and dancing in street troupes by the time she was 15. But despite her academic success, she mostly desired to be an entertainer and socialite, so after Ursine she dedicated herself to the jazz scene - dancing in clubs, partying with the rich and handsome, and gaining more reputation for being an Enfant terrible and her flapper-style dressmaking than her moderate success in her intended art and writing careers. Unlike famous other socialite luminaries of the time, Orianna differed in that although she was known for her partying and dancing she was still, at heart, thought of as being a good person. Her lifestyle and partying with the well-to-do led to her growing a network of connections and increasing fame, which she often used both for her own financial benefit (often via "sugar daddies") as well as for causes that she cared about. Ultimately, she saw herself as philanthropist - so what if she was having a little fun in the process? With a word, a smile, or a dance, she could influence important people to do what she needed them to, typically for what she considered good causes, and she became very good at it.
Too good, perhaps, as it caused her to fall on the radar of a Ventrue known as Marcel Guilbeau. Marcel was a member of then-Prince Doran's spy network and, like her, built contacts which were influenced or blackmailed for the good of the Prince and New Orlean's kindred. Marcel saw potential in Orianna and Embraced her, then kept a close eye on her as he mentored her for the better part of a decade to perfect her skills. Although Orianna was initially horrified when she discovered she could only palate pubescent blood, she quickly adapted and learnt to use her influence to start an orphanage and school, which gave her ready access to a herd as well as build up her own little spy network of young orphans. When Prince Doran was mysteriously murdered in 1955 and her sire became Prince Guilbeau of New Orleans, her status and influence rapidly rose and she effectively took over Marcel's role, running his spy network for him as he had previously done. Her position gave her much influence and status, although generated almost as many enemies as allies - but being the Prince's progeny protected her from anything beyond her ability to handle. And then Hurricane Katrine came in 2005. The devastation in the French Quarter which had become her home, and that of most of the Kindred, changed everything by destroying multiple local Kindred, among them Prince Guilbeau (whether he was killed by the hurricane, or an opportunistic rival taking advantage of the hurricane chaos, Orianna does not know and likely never will) as well as most of his brood - only Orianna survived, mostly because she was "running fashionably late" for the event. In the aftermath, a rogue Tremere declared himself Prince, backed by a group of wangateurs consisting of Samedi, harbingers of Skulls, Setites and the Children of Damballah began to grow in the city, remaking it as a capital for Voodoo Necromancy practitioners. The city had changed overnight and Orianna suddenly found herself surrounded by her enemies (as well as her sire's seeking to take their grievances out on his only remaining progeny) but no longer having the safety net of her sire the Prince's protection.
Realising New Orleans had suddenly become both very difficult and dangerous for her to prosper in, she relocated to Ashford, changed her name, and started again from scratch. Since her arrival, Orianna quickly had her Maison des Amis nonprofit organisation move it's base of operations to Ashford, and set up Olcese House, a modern-day orphanage, establishing both a base of operations, source of income, and a easy-access herd. A natural socialite with a good reputation and pedigree (at least amongst the Ventrue and Toreadors), she quickly got to know everyone who is anyone and became a de facto Harpy well before she was ever officially acknowledges as one by then-Prince Kratus. Orianna was one of the few Ventrue to survive the Sabbat Crusade and knows that in the new post-Crusade socio-political structure, that her clan has a lot of work to do to rebuild both its former power and influence, as well as its reputation with the kindred clans now in charge - who despised most of the previous Board members. Orianna is taking advantage of her position as Harpy to help regain this socio-political trust - and the fact that will increase her own status with the Board itself, well, who is she to decline the dignitas accorded her way?
Mortal Society
Orianna is now known in kine society as Oriana Fitzgerald, a socialite who frequents high-society salons and events, a patron of the arts, and a philanthropist renown for her extravagant parties which raise money for various charities in Ashford. Foremost amongst these is the Maison des Amis nonprofit organisation she is known to be the owner and patron of. The organisation runs Olcese House , a former 1890s mansion refurbished to be a 26-room orphanage dedicated to providing a safe, stable, and consistent environment for children ages 0-21 years old. They offer continuous training, support, and encouragement to their Resource Families to ensure they are equipped to take on the challenging situations which may occur. Maison des Amis seeks to provide short-term, long-term and in some cases adoptive homes to match the various needs of children in their care. Children needing placement include: Boys and girls, infants to twenty-one years old, sibling groups, children with developmental, medical, and behavioural needs, children needing an adoptive home and mentor parents for emancipated foster for ages 18-21.
Although Maison des Amis has a board of directors and staff to operate it, Orianna is the power behind it all, with the CEO being her ghoul and most of the board of directors having been subjected to various uses of her Dominate or Presence, shuffling the staff periodically to prevent them realising the true extent of her control. As both the owner and its greatest patron, she is active in the organisation - running fundraisers and events to raise awareness and finance for Maison des Amis, and hands-on with Olcese House in which she is a part time night care worker. This nightly job lets her work the final few hours before the childrens' bedtime, participating in their activities whilst aiding the social workers. This lets her spend enough time with them to have become a mentor to many youth in the community, giving her access to a reasonable herd as well as connections with various child and family services. Over the years she has managed to use this to both gain information about activities and events that the children are involved in, or overhear, as well as when the children grow up and leave the home, becoming functional members of society - no longer able to be her herd, but still useful as a way for her to get information or influence things as she aids these children into achieving positions of influence which are mutually beneficial.
Personality
Orianna has been a party girl her entire life. The stereotype gallant, hedonistic flapper who lives to party, dance, drink, love, and laugh. An evening is rarely complete without most of these occurring. She is never accused of being boring, and is very friendly and charming, almost always the life of the party (unless another kindred with higher social status takes that role, the few times Orianna will willingly concede and aid this person. Many wonder if this is really her personality, or just an act - but the distinction is moot. Likewise, she has a reputation for philanthropy and it is known her entire career is running a philanthropic organisation, and her social events are to raise awareness or funds for charitable endeavours - and detractors say this is all done tactically for reputation, and that she doesn't actually care and is just opportunistic. Again, the point is often moot - many wonder if it matters if someone truly cares or not about a cause, if their actions get the help or change that is needed anyhow. Whether she enjoys and takes pride in the actions, or simply the status and social rewards of the actions, only she knows - and perhaps not even then.
She loves others who can keep up with her socialising and are not boring - so it is no surprise that she gets along well with most of the city's Toreadors - especially the poseur faction; although as a lover of art she is often a patron to artiste Toreadors, even when other Toreadors may not take the risk - perhaps as the risk of social loss for failure is lower for her (as a Ventrue) than it would be for a Toreador. The Toreadors do not see this as competion - she is skillful enough in knowing how to do and say things so that they are perceived as respecting and supporting, rather then interfering or competing. She is therefore usually encountered in Elysium, art galleries, nighclubs, theatres, or other areas that promote the arts, entertainment, or social situations. Many would assume this would be high-class establishments only for the elite, and to a degree she has a certain snobbishness that lends to this, but she can also be found in other areas - back in New Orleans during the roaring 20s, it was common to see her "dancing with negroes" in the French Quarter to jazz music, and rumoured to have been romantically involved with various musical luminaries of the era, who would not have been considered high-class (especially if they were black). If she has any of the racism endemic to people of the era, it is not apparent in any way. Talent and looks seem to matter to her more than politics, social norms, or race. Though she is knowledgeable enough to know where socio-political lines are, and which should not be crossed (or just how far they can be crossed) - and skirting that line is something she is both good at, and delights in. This, from a kindred perspective, made her one of the least-hated Harpies by the Anarchs, as her actions could sometimes be considered pro-anarch/anarch sympathising.
Other Notes
Feeding Restriction
The Ventrue have rarified tastes, and they find only one specific type of mortal blood palatable and vital for them. Blood of other types (even animals) simply offers the vampire no sustenance, no matter how much she consumes — she simply vomits it back up.
In Orianna's case, she has a particularly uncommon and restrictive requirement - she is only capable of drinking the blood of pubescent children - the younger the sweeter the taste, although she tries to limit herself to older children. There is no specific age at which they become eligible or ineligible as it varies per child but, as a general rule, girls begin puberty at ages 10-11 and complete puberty at ages 15-17, whilst boys generally begin puberty at ages 11-12 and complete puberty at ages 16-17. Therefore, she generally prefers to target those in 13-15 range, and typically targets boys more commonly than girls, perhaps because pubescent boys are more easily swayed by her looks and charm, and thus easier to feed from without issues. Like most Ventrue, she seems to have a natural ability to sense when someone is eligible or not.
Combat Style
Orianna isn't a fighter by any stretch of the imagination. She has taken a few self-defence classes, but certainly has not taken the fencing classes traditional amongst many Ventrue, and barely knows which side of a knife has to be stabbed with. She isn't even particularly capable in the signature clan discipline of Fortitude. She is in quite good health and fitness, however, and quite agile due to an active mortal life involving much dancing and physical activities, so is better at avoiding combat than dealing with it. She has practiced a fair amount at gun ranges, however, and her LadySmith revolver whilst quite tiny and limited in ammunition, has a magnum calibre which can inflict a lot of damage against mortals and younger kindred. The gun is more for intimidation than combat use, but since the Sabbat Crusade is regularly carried.
In combat, she is most likely to try to flee or hide (typically aided by her limited ability with the Obfuscate discipline), or keep her distance and shoot - with her agility, shooting skill, and low-level celerity, she can make a decent ranged backup and threat to mortals or physically weaker kindred, though will likely need guidance from more experienced kindred.
Social Style
Orianna is often described as elegant, gregarious, charming, and captivating. She has been a socialite since her youth, and effectively weaponised it in undeath. She has been smiling and playing the ultimate party girl and socialite for so long, many wonder where the act ends and her personality begins - if there is such a distinction. She has impeccable manners and, as can be expected from a Harpy, a quick wit and tongue as sharp as it is silver. As a recognised Harpy, assume that anything of interest that she learns will be very quickly distributed among the kindred population - and will have a heavy impact on status of kindred involved. As bestowers and judges of status, she takes this responsibility as a Harpy seriously, especially with the current status of the Ventrue in Ashford, and the greatly-weakened Camarilla control - and at least can be counted on to at least consider the impact to her clan or the alliance before sharing (or, more likely, HOW she shares) any news. Information is her currency and her weapon, and her status and ability to affect others her shield - and anyone dealing with her should expect and factor for this.
Although she is used to dealing with all kind of kindred, and she will remain polite and civil even to a Brujah screaming obscenities in her face, manners matter. She may tolerate that Brujah screaming at her, but that Brujah will likely find the entire kindred community hearing about their outburst and quickly gaining a reputation for thuggishness, which will affect their status and social interactions - whilst a Nosferatu making the effort to be civil and respectful may find herself being more favourably received by others who would normally be less favourable to her clan. She thinks of herself as being on "the good side" and helping the Ventrue, Camarilla and Ashford's kindred (typically, in that order of priority) and her gallant pride is something that some have managed to exploit. She loves being the centre of attention, getting praise, and people talking about her and her actions - and anything that can feed to this ego, or feed her status, is something she will definitely nibble at when given the opportunity.
Politics aside, Orianna is an ageless party girl - a 1920s flapper who never grew up or old. Whilst she is cunning and socially adept, she is the life of the party and has the ability to entertain others and make them feel appreciated, entertained, and happy to a level that those who do not know otherwise typically presume her to be a Toreador. Too many people have had the best night of their lives in her company, only to find their lives falling apart as a result of it because of things they may have done or revealed without realisation during it. Or, conversely, find their lives changing for the better.
Orianna has one huge weak spot - her feeding habit. Even many kindred disapprove of her feeding habit, which is why she tries to keep it secret from mortals and has to be very careful how she acts. As a renown philanthropist and humanitarian, she relies heavily on her reputation - any accusations against her of Hebephilia or Ephebophilia are usually quickly buried and written off by authorities and the public as nonsense, or immoral lies made as cash-grab attempts against a pillar of the community. Any actual evidence of the truth of her feeding could cripple her reputation and land her in heavy legal waters - which is something some kindred have attempted to use against her, and is exploitable. But too many have tried to use this as a threat to be informed "so you are threatening to break the masquerade in an attempt to blackmail me? Please go ahead. I will happily inform everyone of the Blood Hunt that will be called on you as a result" - any "proof" of her being an ephebophile would risk the masquerade - and so kindred doing this to blackmail her can easily break this tradition, and pay for it with their lives. As such, few have the ability (or nerve) to properly follow through on this tactic, but the threat was made - and she will remember, and she will return it with interest.
Signature Equipment
- S&W LadySmith (.357 magnum short-barrelled revolver)
- Pepper Spray
- Miguel Caballero Suit
- Cadillac CT6-V
Signature Quotes
- "So you are threatening to break the masquerade in an attempt to blackmail me? Please go ahead. I will happily inform everyone of the Blood Hunt that will be called on you as a result."
- "It is the loose ends with which men hang themselves."
- "All I want to be is very young always and very irresponsible, and to feel that my life is my own-to live and be happy and die in my own way to please myself"
- "I refuse to be bored chiefly because I'm not boring."