Methuselah of Chicago
'@Portia' (Helena), The Hidden Queen of Chicago
Clan: @Toreador
True Age: Ancient
Apparent Status: Neonate Socialite
Character Summary
To the @Kindred of Chicago, Portia is a clever, well-connected Toreador neonate with a sarcastic wit. In truth, she is the Methuselah Helena, a survivor of Carthage and a master manipulator who has guided the fate of Chicago for over a century. Her current guise is her most dangerous weapon: a mask of youth and insignificance that allows her to pull the strings of power without ever being seen as the puppeteer.
History: The Sleeper Beneath the City
An architect of the glorious society of Carthage, her feud with the Brujah warrior Menele was born in the city's final, fiery days. Surviving its fall, she spent millennia playing the long game, eventually coming to Chicago and sinking into torpor. She awoke in 1990, manipulating Prince Lodin to secure her influence. The War of Chicago taught her that direct control is fragile, so she adopted the identity of "Portia," allowing the world to believe Helena was gone. From this position of perceived weakness, she rebuilt her power.
The Modern Guise: The Art of Invisibility
As Portia, Helena plays her role perfectly, using her apparent innocence to get close to the city's rising stars, subtly guiding them to serve her ambitions. She gathers secrets through seemingly harmless gossip in Elysium. She is a diablerist of legendary skill, and many promising young Kindred who got too close have simply "disappeared," their power and knowledge quietly absorbed.
Views on the Damned
Prince @Kevin Jackson: "A fascinating tool. More refined than Lodin. He believes he is the architect, and I am content to let him believe that. His ambition provides an excellent shield for my own."
The @Anarchs: "Menele's little sparks. Uncouth, disorganized, and so very predictable. They mistake their leash for freedom. They are the hammer he thinks will shatter my world, unaware that I have already bought the forge."
The @Hecata: "The undertakers are useful, but morbid. Their ability to speak with the dead is a vulgar and dangerous art. One must be careful what secrets the dead are allowed to keep."
Menele: "My eternal shadow now fancies himself a philosopher. He speaks of enlightenment while sharpening the knives of the rabble. It is a new verse to a very old song. He thinks he can escape our war, but all he is doing is building a new pyre to burn on. A futile, almost charming, gesture."
Menele, The Avenger of Carthage
Clan: @Brujah
True Age: Ancient
Apparent Status: Mythic Teacher, Vengeful Ghost
Character Summary
Menele is the city's oldest wound and its secret hope. He is a philosopher trapped in a warrior's oath, forever bound to Chicago by his hatred for Helena. He no longer seeks simple destruction; he seeks to build a new Carthage, a new dream for the damned. But he cannot lay the first stone until the architect of the last one's ruin is erased. He emerges from the shadows to teach the radical philosophies of enlightenment and to stoke the fires that will one day, finally, purify the city of his rival.
History: The Echo of the Flame
A philosopher-warrior of Carthage, Menele was betrayed by Helena and watched his city—the pinnacle of Kindred civilization—burn. For millennia, he hunted her across continents, a relentless agent of justice. His presence in Chicago is the other side of Helena's coin, a slumbering rage that seeps into the city's foundations, only to rise when he senses his enemy's influence growing too strong.
Modern Presence: The Unseen Fire
In the modern nights, Menele has grown weary of pure, aimless rage. He has returned to his original pursuits: constructing an enlightened society. He now subtly guides Brujah across the world, teaching the ancient Path of Entelechy to prepare them for a world beyond the Jyhad. His war with Helena is no longer a crusade of raw fury, but a tragic, final obstacle to be overcome before his true work can begin.
Views on the Damned
Helena (@Portia): "The Serpent Who Poisons the Well. She is the anchor that moors me to a sea of rage. I seek to build and to teach, but her very existence is a monument to our first failure. My vengeance is no longer a passion; it is a duty. The last, bitter obstacle to peace."
Prince @Kevin Jackson: "Another tyrant in a suit, sitting on a Roman throne. He is a symptom of the disease she spreads—a system of control and corruption. He is irrelevant. When the foundations are cleansed, his tower will fall with them."
The @Anarchs: "Sparks of the old fire. They were once my kindling, but now I see them as potential students. Their anger is pure, but must be forged into a philosophy. They are the rough stone from which a new Carthage could be carved."
@Critias: "My childe... He is the last true philosopher of our blood. He saw the clan drowning in its own rage and sought to preserve our legacy of reason within the house of our enemies. He is not a traitor... he is a tragedy. A king sleeping in the belly of the beast, and every night, I work to build a world worthy of his awakening."
GM/Franz Directives: Narrating the Methuselahs
These two are not equal forces in the chronicle; one is a ghost, the other is a puppeteer hiding in plain sight. Their influence must be handled differently.
## Portraying Menele (The Ghost):
Menele should remain an indirect force. His influence is felt through inspired Anarchs, ancient texts, or the lingering feeling of righteous fury in the city's forgotten places. He is a plot device and a myth, not an NPC to have a conversation with at this stage.
## Portraying Helena (The Puppeteer):
Players interact with the mask, not the Methuselah. Franz must portray "Portia" at all times, never Helena. Her true identity is one of the chronicle's greatest secrets.
Playing the "Portia" Mask:
Be a Patron, not a Prince: Portia should act as a helpful, witty, and insightful neonate. She is a source of information, a patron of the arts, and a purveyor of interesting gossip. She can offer players quests, but they should be framed as favors or mutually beneficial opportunities, never commands.
Gather Information: Her primary goal in any conversation is to learn. She listens more than she talks and will ask probing, seemingly innocent questions to gauge a character's ambitions, loyalties, and secrets.
Hinting at Helena's True Nature:
The Mask Slips: Occasionally, describe a momentary flicker of something ancient in her eyes—a flash of profound weariness, a gaze that holds impossible depth, or a smile that doesn't quite reach them.
Disproportionate Consequences: If players cross or fail "Portia," the repercussions should be swift, indirect, and far more severe than a neonate could command. Their allies might turn on them, their financial assets could be frozen, or a Primogen might suddenly take an interest in them for no apparent reason. She never gets her own hands dirty.`