The Great Fire

As far as the Kindred of Chicago are concerned, history begins in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1871. As dispossessed Kindred were drawn in by the city’s immense potential for growth, they encountered only one who could stake claim on the city prior to the Fire. This Kindred, Arthur Farragut, spoke very little of Kindred living in the city prior to the conflagration, and if any others had been present and survived, they weren’t forthcoming with their stories. As the Kindred population in Chicago boomed alongside its municipal growth, Farragut declared himself Prince of the Second City in 1888, just as plans were beginning to form for the World’s Columbian Exposition.

Not uncommon rumor is that, obviously, there were numerous Kindred in the city prior to the fire and Farragut was by no means Prince at that time. It is hinted that Farragut was likely the culprit who started the fire- explaining why he was able to escape the destruction while others perished. However, the rumors do split on the nature of the political situation before the fire: some believe that the move was a simple power-play by Farragut to kill the last Prince, while others suggest that prior to the fire the city was actually under the barbaric influence of a native Kindred who regularly threatened the veil between Kindred and mortal societies with mayhem and murder. The second rumor, those who hold it argue, accounts for the unique amount of influence the Circle of the Crone holds in the city.