Solange Francois
Primarily Played by: Saeric
The Black Widow of South Beach (a.k.a. Snow White)
One of the most well-known artists among the Miami Sabbat was once a mere widow. Solange had never loved her husband; it had been a marriage of convenience. He died fighting in World War I, and as Canadians neither of them had felt any loyalty to either Britain or France. It felt like a petty quarrel between foreign empires, and it had cost her husband his life. She was young yet, with no children, she could potentially remarry. She found herself enjoying her newfound independence, however, especially trying out forms of self-expression, from writing poetry to painting. She managed to sell some of her work (under a man's name, of course) for a meager income, but it was critically reviewed as “perversely morbid.” She resigned herself to matrimony again and eking out an existence in domestic servitude. She was taking suitors when she met her sire, an older man who claimed to have a history with her family. He was not handsome but appeared well-off.
When he saw her creative work, he became disturbingly obsessed. She had given him the impression of an innocent girl, and then shown him she was anything but, she was a clever and puzzling soul, with a penchant for the ghoulish. He persuaded her to leave her mortal life behind and become his “eternal companion.” For Solange, who longed for freedom from patriarchal bondage, she did not need much convincing.
She readily agreed to her Damnation. Solange found herself submerged in the rich and twisted world of the Montreal Sabbat. Her sire's pack welcomed her lukewarmly, openly doubting her utility. To their surprise she began cultivating a reputation for hosting parties centered on acts of extreme violence. These “performances” would include the live torture of bewildered and frightened mortals, at times even entire families. As a sort of ringleader, she would stage elaborate scenery to convince the victims they had been abducted by cannibals or captured by werewolves, before proceeding to massacre them.
More than once her “performances” attracted undue notice from mortal authorities, forcing her to spend prolonged periods laying low. In the 1920s her “art” turned to tattooing after she grew intrigued with the body art on sailors. She became a master of the craft well before it became a socially acceptable form of expression and showcased her work on “pieces” that would then be served as meals to the audience. Again, this got her too much scrutiny than her pack was comfortable with, and so they forced her out.
This sudden exile coincided with the arrival of the Black Pearl in Montreal. No stranger to controversy, the Pearl had no problem being associated with Solange and her festive bloodbaths. They were kindred spirits who truly savored pain for its own sake, real sadists. They shared a complete surrender to their natures and a complete disregard for the judgment of others. Vincent Ledoux scorned her as colonial backwater trash, but the antagonism was mutual. They managed to coexist as a group until another pack member began fraternizing with demons, Solange only felt upset that she was not invited to join in any infernal conspiracies.
She followed the Pearl to Mexico where after a period of “culture shock” she resumed her proclivity for gratuitously mangling her victims. When one would- be victim escaped, however, the Theater had to suddenly leave Mexico City just a few years after arriving. This infuriated the Pearl and led to Solange entering a deep depression. Her “Guadalajara period” was reputed to be some of her darkest work, where she would carve detailed pictographs of despair on the flesh of freshly drained corpses. She exercised more thoroughness in disposing of pieces after their procurement and exhibition. Time had tempered the thrill of excess; she was jaded, trapped in a rut. Enter the Black Hand. Seeing value in the passage of covert messages via body art, the organization recruited her to serve in their intelligence operations. Subjects wilting and unwitting, willing and unwilling sat for her gun, and soon her repertoire grew to include piercing and ritual scarring. She soon also began acting as an interrogator, torturing for a purpose for the first time. She knew she was good at it. The Hand wanted her closer to the front lines near San Diego, and so the Pearl was fed information that the Toreador antitribu Colony in Guadalajara was planning to kill them. The Pearl acted first and moved the Theater to Tijuana in 1956. For the next several decades, Solange lived two lives: artist performing art via slaughter, and also Black Hand secret agent. Solange had no misgivings about moving to Miami in the 1980s since Miami was just another Sabbat theater of operations. More than that, like the Pearl, she was drawn to the unbridled lust, vanity, and self-indulgence the city gives birth to every night. Since the move, she has held more formal “performances” under the stage name “Snow White.” Half-talent show, half-mass feeding session, she hosts a revue featuring other artists within the Sabbat, from metal bands to storytellers presenting oral histories of the sect. After years of trial and error (including lots of error), she is very meticulous about hosting these gatherings, and some of the city's elite have even attended a few. An invitation to a “Snow White” event is proof a vampire has “made it” in Miami, an honor reserved only for those who have truly established themselves. While less sloppy and indulgent, Solange is fundamentally still a punk and provocateur at her core. She dislikes new Sabbat vampires who hide what they are and enjoys compelling them to engage in acts that drain them of their humanity. She is a frequent sight at Sabbat events, where she seeks out the freshly Damned and stirs the Beast inside them, mocking them to frenzy or tempting them with the blood of a new kill. She shows respect to the Cainites of note who make the cut for her “Snow White” shows, although she only considers the Pearl to be her equal as an artist. This is not the same opinion of Sabbat art critics, as she is far more polarizing than her mentor. Young Sabbat from the last several decades generally have a high opinion of her, while older Sabbat are more disparaging, seeing the worst qualities of “pop culture” present her work. Solange cares little for how her work is received, as long as it does not invite law enforcement interest. As a Black Hand interrogator and messenger, she has access to a great deal of intelligence about the Sabbat and the Camarilla in the Southeast U.S. and the Caribbean, and she has served as a contact for several temporary teams set up in the past, as well as a team member. With the recent explosion of tattoo artistry, many more modern vampires possess Solange's once unique skill. She uses a code (designed by her) to correspond with agents in Atlanta, Port-au-Prince, New Orleans, and Memphis. “Couriers” shuttle between cities, carrying urgent news in the large, complex designs newly scratched into their skin. Once the agents run out of room on their bodies, they are disposed of and new ones found.
She followed the Pearl to Mexico where after a period of “culture shock” she resumed her proclivity for gratuitously mangling her victims. When one would- be victim escaped, however, the Theater had to suddenly leave Mexico City just a few years after arriving. This infuriated the Pearl and led to Solange entering a deep depression. Her “Guadalajara period” was reputed to be some of her darkest work, where she would carve detailed pictographs of despair on the flesh of freshly drained corpses. She exercised more thoroughness in disposing of pieces after their procurement and exhibition. Time had tempered the thrill of excess; she was jaded, trapped in a rut. Enter the Black Hand. Seeing value in the passage of covert messages via body art, the organization recruited her to serve in their intelligence operations. Subjects wilting and unwitting, willing and unwilling sat for her gun, and soon her repertoire grew to include piercing and ritual scarring. She soon also began acting as an interrogator, torturing for a purpose for the first time. She knew she was good at it. The Hand wanted her closer to the front lines near San Diego, and so the Pearl was fed information that the Toreador antitribu Colony in Guadalajara was planning to kill them. The Pearl acted first and moved the Theater to Tijuana in 1956. For the next several decades, Solange lived two lives: artist performing art via slaughter, and also Black Hand secret agent. Solange had no misgivings about moving to Miami in the 1980s since Miami was just another Sabbat theater of operations. More than that, like the Pearl, she was drawn to the unbridled lust, vanity, and self-indulgence the city gives birth to every night. Since the move, she has held more formal “performances” under the stage name “Snow White.” Half-talent show, half-mass feeding session, she hosts a revue featuring other artists within the Sabbat, from metal bands to storytellers presenting oral histories of the sect. After years of trial and error (including lots of error), she is very meticulous about hosting these gatherings, and some of the city's elite have even attended a few. An invitation to a “Snow White” event is proof a vampire has “made it” in Miami, an honor reserved only for those who have truly established themselves. While less sloppy and indulgent, Solange is fundamentally still a punk and provocateur at her core. She dislikes new Sabbat vampires who hide what they are and enjoys compelling them to engage in acts that drain them of their humanity. She is a frequent sight at Sabbat events, where she seeks out the freshly Damned and stirs the Beast inside them, mocking them to frenzy or tempting them with the blood of a new kill. She shows respect to the Cainites of note who make the cut for her “Snow White” shows, although she only considers the Pearl to be her equal as an artist. This is not the same opinion of Sabbat art critics, as she is far more polarizing than her mentor. Young Sabbat from the last several decades generally have a high opinion of her, while older Sabbat are more disparaging, seeing the worst qualities of “pop culture” present her work. Solange cares little for how her work is received, as long as it does not invite law enforcement interest. As a Black Hand interrogator and messenger, she has access to a great deal of intelligence about the Sabbat and the Camarilla in the Southeast U.S. and the Caribbean, and she has served as a contact for several temporary teams set up in the past, as well as a team member. With the recent explosion of tattoo artistry, many more modern vampires possess Solange's once unique skill. She uses a code (designed by her) to correspond with agents in Atlanta, Port-au-Prince, New Orleans, and Memphis. “Couriers” shuttle between cities, carrying urgent news in the large, complex designs newly scratched into their skin. Once the agents run out of room on their bodies, they are disposed of and new ones found.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Solange is a beautiful young woman who wakes each night the plain looking Canadian farmgirl she once was, and each night she uses make-up, piercings, scissors, and a tattoo gun to turn her into something new and different. What she looks like changes from night-to-night, but the few constants are young, blonde, and fit with piercing ice water eyes. Everything else is variable.
Character Breakdown
- Sire: Maxime Lacroix
- Nature: Monster
- Demeanor: Gallant
- Generation: 10th
- Willpower: 5
- Morality: Path of Cathari 4
Species
Year of Death
1919
Children
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Stats
Physical
Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4Social
Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 5Mental
Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3Talents
Alertness 3, Empathy 5, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3Skills
Crafts 4 (Tattoos), Drive 2, Fire Dancing 2Knowledges
Academics 2, Investigation 1, Linguistics 2, Medicine 2 (Torture)Disciplines
Auspex 3, Celerity 1, Presence 3, Vicissitude 2Backgrounds
Herd 2, Mentor 3, Resources 3, Status 1Virtues
Conviction 2, Instinct 3, Courage 2
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