Name: Kalindi Shukla Occupation: Madame and Advisor ; owner of Asphodel Hookah Lounge Age: 484 (appears 34) Sexuality: Pansexual Pronouns: She/her Species/Affiliation: Vampire / Reardon Clan Hometown: Awadh, India (modern-day Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India) Relationship Status: Single Personality Traits: (+) Charismatic, Maternal, Alluring (-) Possessive, Cunning, Manipulative
pinterest - playlist
content warnings — coercion, trafficking, sex work
BIO.
Tawaifs were beacons of art and guardians of culture and history in India, spoken and interpreted through performance. They kept seminars for the wealthy, offering entertainment and art at night while teaching the royal sons etiquette, language, and poetry during the day, somehow finding themselves close to the top of social and financial brackets. By the 18th century, they were king-makers and king-breakers, holding high influence over nobility and royalty. Poets yearned for them to sing their verses because it was the only way they would be remembered. Writers would beg the most famous tawaifs to recite their work from the lips that entranced all. Victorian standards imposed by the British deemed these women too lewd and thus, worthless, just prostitutes who had forgotten their place. The establishments of tawaifs became central to the rebellion against the British as meeting places, and their wealth carried the financial strain of war. But by the time independence came and the reorganization efforts of the country began, the term tawaif had become derogatory in nature and the profession was erased from history.
The year is 1557, the region of Awadh (modern-day Lucknow), when Kalindi Shukla is taken. She's 16 when the women explain to her a debt was owed by her family. They had no choice, she's told. They had nothing else to offer, besides their youngest daughter, and their debts are always paid. Kalindi is too young and hurt to fight or argue, but not all is so grim. She's trained extensively in all sort of culture and art — ancient traditions of dance, song, theater, and poetry - most of which have only stood the test of time because of people like her. Elegance, etiquette, language and performance. All manner of captivating and influencing a soul, she learns. Her still-developing mind morphs around all that the courtesans teach her, growing proficient in all that she knows simply because it is all that she has.
Year 1575, age 34, Kalindi has become what is known as a tawaif, highly skilled in most that is taught to her; it is also the year she dies.
A high general of the Mughal empire army comes to see her for 27 consecutive nights, and on the 28th night, he decides she's warmed his cold, still heart, and he must have her. Kalindi is cornered, force-fed his blood, and he rips her heart out in exchange for capturing his.
Kalindi has yet to realize the immense power she holds - both as a vampire and as a tawaif - so she doesn't fight. She learns all there is to learn about vampirism (all but compulsion), the other tawaifs tease her about this new relationship with the great war general, and she fakes coy. She is his concubine for far too long, and his existence somehow corrupts everything she's grown to love about their court. A moment of weakness has her incidentally compelling her dearest friend and true lover, who kills the general. Nimmi is executed before Kalindi can blink.
Her name is officially changed to Kali, as a means of letting go of her mortal life, but mostly because she can't imagine anyone else calling her Kalindi in the same way Nimmi did.
Year 1584, age 43, Kali finds solace in the city of Lahore, the new Mughal capital. Her career as a tawaif flourishes once again in the following decades with the help of the existing madames. She's there for the ebb and flow of her beloved profession. She finds her power, her agency -- there are hiccups, but she persists. Some locals praise her for her eternal beauty, others believe her to be a demon come to tempt them all with her full eyes and hypnotizing mannerisms. There's more than enough men to do her bidding, including the spilling of their own blood, and she never goes hungry.
By the 1812, age 271, Kali has made a home in more cities than she can count (though she always frequents Lahore and never dares to go back to Lucknow), she's found pleasure in influencing powerful people to do her bidding, in lording her presence over the politics of the country. She's introduced to the Reardon clan, and her official work in crime begins here. She eventually serves as a member of the high council of Uttar Pradesh.
1972, age 431, sees Kali witnessing the downfall of the last remaining tawaif establishments that somehow stood against the colonial government, her own included. Kali plays a heavy hand in the tides turning in favor of Independence.
Independence is gained in 1974, at age 433, but much of her family is forced into prostitution due to public opinion and dismantlement of tawaif courts. She refuses to abandon them or damn them into an immortal life, so she joins them. Happily, with pride, she seeks to protect them. Kali becomes the madam and advocate to most, but not all of what she does is so noble as she delves into the red light districts.
Year 1997, age 456, word of threatening, sprawling instability within the Reardon clan of PL brings the world's last remaining tawaif abroad. Kali seeks to untangle the mess created by the existing clan representative, and serves as a shadow head of the clan, even at times as an interim representative of the clan between figureheads. Kali begins an escort service in the city, though she keeps it separate from the truly immoral and illegal dealings she handles within the underbelly of the city. Over years, her reach sprawls through the city, and she becomes somewhat of a liaison between supernatural creatures seeking other supernatural creatures - occasionally humans.
2023 - Kali has spent 3 continuous years as clan representative on the high council and grows tired. The burden is not difficult to shoulder but she's spent a large portion of her life shaping politics, and has no desire to be the face or figurehead of the clan; she only wishes to prevent morons and/or power vacuums from ruining her business and the sanctity of her business.
Fate answers her wishes, in the form of a dying witch turned fledgling (NPC). Kali begins to prepare him for his seat as clan representative on the vampire high council of Port Liery.
It takes almost two years, her influence remains strong, but she sets her eyes upon furthering the passion ignited over two decades prior - the criminal underground of PL.
2025 - Just as fate answered her wish, fate snatched it away. Business takes her fledgling elsewhere, and Kali wearily resumes her position as leader and high vampire council representative of Clan Reardon.
MISC HEADCANONS.
app questions/answers
Kali's morality and ideals are very important to her - so important that she will convince herself she's being noble while simultaneously performing the most heinous act. She has a personal code and certain lines she will not or will be hesitant to cross. Compulsion, for example, is something she is very hesitant to do - the loss of agency and freewill is not lost on her - but she will find ways to corner people into situations where they only have one choice, her choice. At best, Kali is morally grey.
Dominion, while important to the clan, is something Kali does not directly put her hands in if she can help it, but largely turns a blind eye.
CONNECTIONS & PLOTS.
Reardons — For some time, Kali has had a heavy hand in Reardon's status as the keepers of PL crime. There's plenty of room here for recruitment (any species), beef on how Kali conducts things, etc.
Second in Command/Protege (POC PREFERRED) — Kali is looking for a second in command, but most of all someone who she can prime to eventually take the seat on the council while she once again slinks behind the curtains to pull her strings. Her intentions don't have to be reality, and I'm aiming for Kali to have an extremely difficult time trusting and letting go of the reins. Very open to plotting further!
Fledglings — The relationship between sire and fledgling is something very personal to Kali. She views her fledglings are hers and while she is fiercely protective over them, she also expects their complete loyalty (not that it always works out that way). That said, Kali will not turn anyone without doing the mental gymnastics required to convince herself what she's doing is noble and good for the person and/or the greater good for Reardon/herself. Whether that's true or not is up for plotting.
Liaison Clients — Due to the nature of Reardon business, Kali's reach extends far and wide into the city and its people, all culminating in her ability to be a people provider. A hunter needs a witch? Kali has one in her back pocket. Someone needs humans or a wolf, hunter, or vampire? Kali can have it arranged, for a price. Kali largely does not care for what monsters need other monsters for, so long as her "employee" isn't murdered.
Liaison Employees — Employee is a generous word for the monsters (yes, humans are also monsters) her hands can reach. Not many of these connections were made with good will or intent, no matter how much Kali may trick herself into believing. Maybe it was blackmail, maybe wrong place - wrong time, maybe they needed some sort of protection, a favor. Perhaps a drug peddler or general lower-rung employee of the Reardons cannot deliver on what is needed. Kidnapping is on the table. But Kali always collects on debts - a lesson she learned very early in her human life.
Special Employees (Escorts) — Sex work is not criminal in nature and it is this belief, in addition to her past,that drives Kali to hold her escorts very close to her heart. She treats this area of business as completely separate from the typical criminal activity in the clan and refuses to acknowledge any possible blurred lines. This side is too pure to her.
Other — Kali is an old lady and well connected in the city, which opens up a lot of possibilities for people from her past and present. Random meet-cutes, political spheres, etc.
current connections (this is mostly for me to keep track)
