Emem Louis

{{char}} Born 1901

Addressed 1929

Age 118 (2019) / 20 years (visual)

Clan Bullfighter

Generation 12th

Sir Hilda McAndrews

House Boston Harlem (originally) Paris (formerly) Vienna (formerly)

Devotion Boston Camarilla

Rank Emissary

Early years Emem was born in Harlem in 1901 and grew up in a family of poor African-American artists. Her father, Mason, worked as a musician at night and washed windows during the day. Her mother, Clara, sang when she wasn’t caring for her four children. When Emem’s father was drafted into the army in 1917, he joined the 15th Regiment of the New York National Guard, the “Harlem Fighters,” and fought in the liberation of France. He played in his unit’s jazz band, which enjoyed phenomenal success after the war. Pathé Studios commissioned them to record an album that became the first jazz record to play continuously on French gramophones. Following this success, Mason decided to move the family to Paris and make a living playing in the jazz clubs that were beginning to appear throughout the capital. Emem was 17 years old and a dancer. She hung out with the elite who came to hear her father perform and was quickly noticed. She discovered the Folies Bergère and its international shows. She auditioned and passed with flying colors. Working odd jobs backstage and substituting for other artists, she proved herself and became a major star at just 21 years old. Her burlesque striptease conquered Paris, making her incredibly popular. Emem began to travel around Europe, dancing to packed houses at the most popular cabarets. Emem was young, beautiful and radiant. Her life was a night when champagne and money flowed like water. She was determined and charming, the epitome of a free and independent woman of the early 20th century. Her fiery temperament soon attracted the attention of European divas...

In December 1923, Emem performed eight times at the Karltheater in Vienna. On the very first evening, the theater director introduced her to Hilda MacAndrews at her dressing room. Emem was immediately enchanted by this mysterious aristocrat, who attended every one of her performances. They spent the following nights in bars, exchanging stories about their lives and art, their passions and difficulties... Hilda was educated, charismatic and politically active, involved in the suffragette movement and the women's art community. Emem, to her surprise, fell under her spell and succumbed to this irresistible attraction. A passionate relationship immediately developed between the two women, who became inseparable. Hilda confided in Emem and told her about her vampire nature over the next three years. In order for their love to be strong, but at the same time seduced by the promise of eternal youth, Emem immediately asked for marriage. However, it would be another three years before Hilda would gain the consent of the local prince. The prince feared that the young woman's bad reputation could pose a danger to the Masquerade. Having finally received the prince's blessing, Hilda threw a lavish celebration in honor of her companion, whom she would embrace at the end of this memorable evening.

Having lived in Vienna since meeting at the Carltheater, Hilda and Emem left Austria in 1934, moving to Paris and then Bordeaux. Alas, the capitulation of France in 1940 forced the couple to reconsider their plans. Using her London contacts, Hilda managed to arrange a move to Boston, her hometown. Although they were initially hesitant, the local Malkavian prince, Quentin King, eventually granted them asylum. Emem and Hilda were introduced to court, where fifty years of intrigue inevitably brought their passion to an end. After her breakup with Hilda, Emem moved to the Boston suburbs, away from King, political intrigue, and her father. However, the area, which had a bad reputation for being home to many thin-bloods and anarchists, was not a good investment, but Emem refused to give up. She renovated a small theater and turned it into a club, which she named the Black Rattlers after her father's battalion. She then returned to the stage and gradually regained her fame and reputation. She met Kindred from all walks of life and, against all odds, managed to revive the area, which became a popular hangout for Boston's youth. The Black Rattlers became increasingly famous and one of the city's premier clubs, welcoming all, regardless of clan, faction, or background. Over the course of ten years, Emem managed to create a zone of "peace" where Camarilla vampires and thinbloods could gather and listen to the best jazz. It was here that she met Hazel Iversen. Fascinated by the Ventrue's temperament and ideas, Emem became sympathetic to Iversen, who took the throne of Boston in 2014. Although Emem was pleased by the departure of Quentin King and his horde of minions, she still stubbornly refused to return to the Court. The only thing that mattered to her were her clubs. She now had three, and her social and political influence was growing, something Hazel had not forgotten.

Ambition: I need to decide what is better: forgiveness or revenge.

Beliefs: Whenever someone breaks me, I must break them back.

Judging Criteria: Dolores Harris, great-niece, teacher and Black Lives Matter activist. Humanity: 7 Generation: 12th Blood Power: 3