The Setting
It’s December 31st, 1924.
It was meant to be the social event of the calendar: a New Year’s Eve soiree at one of Vanderbilts' summer homes. The fancy folk were supposed to be ringing in the New Year away from the craziness of the city and sipping champagne without the fear of a police raid.
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Imagine their surprise when a fire took the mansion moments before the party was due to begin. It should have been stopped quickly, but the blizzard taking down the phone lines meant that the local fire department never got word of the blaze...
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One of the guests stepped forward to try to rescue the evening. "Well," said Henry Catson, normally a relatively aloof fellow, “the roads are quite bad, so we really can't make it back to the city. I may have a solution; my hunting lodge is across the road! The only issue is, I’ve rented it for the week to Madame Oleander. You know, the famous Spiritualist? She’s having a party with her bohemian artist friends. I’m... reasonably sure she’d take us in. But please behave, everyone! I don’t want her cursing me! I swear, the woman has occult powers!”
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The more uptight guests clutched their pearls and forced their drivers to brave the storm back to New York. Whether out of exhaustion, cold, curiosity or simply a desire to have a drink and some food, decided to join the bohemian’s revel at the hunting lodge.
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This is how the most unlikely of New Year’s revelers all found themselves under one roof: scions of the richest families sharing a drink with taxi dancers. Friends of the Carnegies, Cotton Club regulars, Tammany Hall politicians and Coney Island carnies all ringing in the New Years together.
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This would be one for the ages. There will be fireworks for sure!
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At Elysian Revel, you’ll be embodying someone who ended up at this party. You could be a high society type who found yourself here through fiery misadventure or one of Madame Oleander’s eclectic friends. You could even have simply gotten a flat tire nearby. It’s up to you!
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Henry Catson’s hunting lodge is rumored to be haunted; perhaps that’s why he rented it out to Madame Oleander. Or perhaps he did it because he’s flat broke! Regardless, with this motley crew all assembled, the phone lines down and the weather making travel impossible, perhaps it will turn out to be the perfect opportunity to cut loose. After all, how often does the bootlegger get to stay for the party? Mr. Catson has even borrowed a prototype of the loudspeaker from General Electric and hooked it up to his Grammophone. The band may not make it, but we can still dance the night away!
