Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants, the Ellis Collective, the Andi and George Band and, Mr. Fibby

Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants, the Ellis Collective, the Andi and George Band and, Mr. Fibby, an article on two nights of music.

Casual Projects and the Andi and George Band

Casual Projects and the Andi and George Band at the ANU.

The Gin Club, The Gentlemen of Fortune & Dan Mangan

The Gin Club, The Gentlemen of Fortune and Dan Mangan reviewed quite a while ago.

the Mess Hall

The Mess Hall, reviewed a little while ago. Here are some pictures to go with it. Have a look, then go see them play live.

The jointly written backstory linking Kalika and Tarlach

Early in 1940 Kalika was residing in Luxor and working out of the temple of Ma'at in Karnak, Egypt, studying an ancient tome found within the ruins off the temple. She believed she was making good leeway in deciphering the writings true it was in an ancient dialect but she still managed to make her way through. Her results seemed to indicate that the tome was for an ancient sect and entailed various rituals of sorts. True it was a slow and tedious process but she managed it after consulting various scholars in the area.

At the same time Tarlach was tasked to recover a tome on Ma’at. Then residing within the North African holdings of Franco Tarlach was well placed to move through the battle-lines and into Egypt. Tarlach had been employed because it was known that he could be trusted, and with no Covenant affiliation unlikely to risk his reputation by either stealing the text for himself, or passing it to another Covenant.

The biggest problem for Tarlach would be retrieving the text without drawing attention; it was a centre-piece Tarlach discoverd to the research of a young academic, Kalika. So, while investigating the book Tarlach noted her close involvement as she explored its multiple textual meanings late into the night. Entering the offices a number of times Tarlach studied her notebooks as well as listening to her conversations with fellow researchers, and he realized that she was close to uncovering a kindred legacy held by the text, such a discovery potentially doing great damage to the masquerade.

Noting Kalika’s potential to breach the masquerade, but also appreciating her intelligence, wits and skill, and the necessity of retrieving the text, Tarlach decided to turn Kalika and so obtain both the book, and a repository of knowledge about it, then level the temple. Over the next month Tarlach set about befriending Kalika and pushing her towards her final discovery of the Crone ritual hidden within the text. He then convinced her of the necessity and wisdom of her joining Kindred society.

For Kalika Tarlach came as a new arrival in town, eager to learn of her findings and also holding a great interest in the tome. Believing he was out to take her work from under her she began to study later at night and kept the book under lock and key away from prying eyes.

Tarlach finally he came clean and explained that there was a whole new world to explore and she would be welcomed as one of his kind. She was reluctant at first but curiosity got the better of her. With the impending war on their doorstep she agreed to enter his world. Soon she would find that this was an incredible untapped resource full of opportunity to discover the true secrets of the world.

Not long after her embrace she was enveloped by curiosity and as such took to hiding in the darkest parts of the Karnak ruins. Her eyesight became very sensitive to even the slightest light and she craved to quench a thirst that refused to quell. She found that water tasted foul as did her usual sources of food. She craved something different, it was then she made her first kill upon a stray cat in a dark alley. Tarlach stayed with her for a while teaching her of kindred society. He then departed for Morocco along with the tome. She took up residence within the ruins but the impending end of the war was bringing people in and out of Egypt and she found it necessary to take up a new role within her motherland. She found a place that tourists would come and go at all hours here would be her new place. Having an in-depth knowledge of the ruins she became the resident Ma'at temple priestess, a glorified tour guide of sorts. Having to change her appearance every few years and moving between companies so as not to arise suspicion.

All was going well for Kalika the war was over and she proclaimed herself as a member of the Circle of the Crone after having read the tome and been able to decipher it as a mere mortal.

She sought out other tomes and through the coming years learned of Cruac' and other abilities known to the kindred society. Fascinated by the various clans and bloodlines she craved to learn more. The mortal contacts she had once had passed on or located else where she had to make new ones and soon found that the world was changing.

Throughout the intervening years Tarlach would periodically revisit his Childe, to her it appeared he came to consult on matters of the Occult and when in need of academic support, though while this was true, Tarlach was also interested in the development of his Childe and her Priesthood within the Circle of the Crone.